Can We Talk for REAL

Every day from 1981 people have lived and died from AIDS. But for the same number of years communities have gone without the proper education to understand the disease and prevent the spread of it. Over the course of the past 30 years, facts have emerged that have put the AIDS myths to bed. Treatments have been developed to allow people to live full lives. It is important to know who can catch it, how it is passed on and what you can do to help stop the spread of AIDS. GET TESTED!!! PROTECT YOURSELF!!!

Joining CWT4R co –host Michelle and Terry Boi will be Maximillian Mathis Boykin, Community Organizer for the Chicago Ads Foundation. Maxx a Veteran of the US Navy during his young life has been on the political scene as a volunteer to educate and help people better understand laws and issues that affect them from voting to the importance of testing for HIV/AIDS. Per the Aids Foundation of Chicago’s Facebook page part of their new mission is to mobilize communities to create equity and justice for people living with and vulnerable to HIV and related chronic diseases. This is where Maxx comes in to organize communities in way to help them learn to help themselves with this fight on HIV/AIDS.

Listen into the show because the ending will lead you back to join us for next week’s show.

Show starts at 8:30est/7:30cst, call into 347-215-8985, and press 1 to speak.

CAN WE TALK FOR REAL – your award winning blog radiocast. Celebrating three years of bringing you issues, education and entertainment.

Joining CWT4R co –host Michelle and Terry Boi will be Tracy Baim, Editor of Windy City Times and partner with the newly formed Pride Action Tank, AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Tracy has been pushing Youth Homeless Awareness for over 5 years and now she is working tirelessly with community leaders and organizations to address this issue that is leading the devastation of youth and especially LGBTQ youth. Tracy will give facts about homeless youth, the plight they face, the programs and resources that are available to them. Lastly how we as a country, community, and individual can attack this issue. 

Also joining us will be Angeline White (Kasey) who as a teen came out to her mother and was put out of her home. Kasey’s struggles to make it was documented in 2010 as part of a documentary entitled “The Homestretch” a co- production of Kartemquin Films and Spargel Productions. The documentary examines the struggles of three youth face in obtaining a high school level education, and then follows them beyond graduation to focus on the crucial transition when the structure of school vanishes and homeless youth struggle to find the support and community they need to survive and be independent. But for many the only reason for homelessness is because they identify as a LGBTQ youth.

On Wednesday November 11th we celebrate Veterans Day in the USA. It is a holiday to honor all who have served in the United States Military Services. We would like to thank each and every one of you for your service. Many times we don’t show the appreciation we should for them protecting and defending this country.  We just casually mention it. Call in and let everyone know who you appreciate and what branch they are from.

Join CAN WE TALK FOR REAL co-hosts Teresa (Terry Boi) Jackson and Michelle E. Brown and special guests to salute and thank our veterans. Joining us also will be Anna Cogette who works as a clinical social worker in the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program at the VA Hudson Valley in Montrose, NY. She works with vets who are struggling with substance use and often a co- occurring mental health disorder.

Call in to listen and with your special tributes (347)215-8985 then press "1" to talk 7:30PM CST/8:30PM EST

Our very special guest Wednesday, November 4, 2015 on CAN WE TALK FOR REAL is the TransGrio herself - Ms. Monica Roberts. Monica just became the first African-American transperson to be honored with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award at the 2015 Fantasia Fair in Provincetown, MA. The award honors those who have sacrificed their careers, their families, their fortunes to change the world so transgendered people could begin to come together in safety and comfort. Wi...thout them, we would not be here; we would be at home, hiding in our closets. Monica has been working tirelessly on Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) on the November 3rd ballot while speaking across the country on Transgender and Equal Rights Issues.

Monica always inspires and educates. Join us at 8:30PM EST/7:30PM CST. CAN WE TALK FOR REAL - your award winning blog talk radio show with your hosts Teresa (TerryBoi) Jackson and Michelle Elizabeth Brown

So many times a disaster will happen and we watch, we talk, we listen, we mourn then we move on to the next disaster. August 29, 2005, we watched in horror as levees broke and men, women, children, families, the homeless and animals perished one after another leaving a total of close to 2000 dead. Katrina affected many lives and we can only image the hurt, lost and misplaced feelings of the thousands of people affected that day. The African-American Community was really affected by this disaster and to this day are affected with memories, lost and emotions that only they can feel. However, that community has proven to be a strong one with rebuilding, relocating and putting their lives in order. Do not get it wrong this ghost will follow them and will raise its ugly head from time to time but it will not define who they are and what they will become. The stories told are not for you to feel sorry for them but for you to understand the journey they had to take in order to be where they are today. Ten years later and the journey made individuals stronger and more determined than ever, to survive. Levilyn Chriss on October 28th, an independent producer out of Chicago of The Louisiana Project will join CWT4R. The Louisiana Project is a documentary that has given some New Orleanians an opportunity to look back and share their personal experiences surrounded by Hurricane Katrina.  Levilyn and her family were also deeply affected by Katrina. On December 1, 2005, when residents were allowed to go into the Lower Ninth Ward, she went into her father's home and was overwhelmed by the stench and damages. While walking through her dad's neighborhood observing the devastation and hearing the cries of many and talking to some of the residents who had become homeless, jobless, and disconnected from normalcy, she realized they needed a voice.

Now that marriage is the law of the land it's time to get focused on the other challenges facing the LGBTQ community including youth homelessness, economic disparity, discrimination in the workplace, etc.

The African-American LGBTQ Community has been affected disproportionately by these and other social and equities.

 Joining Can We Talk For Real cohosts Teresa (Terry Boi) Jackson and Michelle Brown on Wednesday October 21 are Rev. Anthony W. Sullivan Jr., Pastor of Community Outreach & Development at God CAN Ministries United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL, Imam Daayiee Abdullah from Washington, DC, Imam of Masjid Nural Islah and Atty. Leslye M. Huff of Cleveland, OH, a practitioner of the Yoruba Faith.

 We will be talking about the spiritual/religious diversity in the Black LGBTQ community and how leaders can work across religious boundaries to uplift community and our continued fight for equality.

Black lives matter! Trans lives matter! Our lives matter! Together let's talk about how to put action behind the words!

Show starts at 8:30est/:7:30cst, call in to 347-215-8985, and Press 1 to speak.

CAN WE TALK FOR REAL – your award winning blog radio podcast.  Celebrating  three years of bringing you issues, education and entertainment.

Joining Can We Talk for REAL, co-host Terry and Michelle, Wednesday Night, October 14, 2015 will be Kim Hunt out- going Executive Director for Affinity in Chicago. Kim held the position for over 6 years and has many memories, good and bad. She has lead groups in celebration and protest never afraid to say what she knew had to be said. We will have that candid conversation about Social Justice, Family, Laws, Youth and the Future. During this conversation we will get to know a little about the woman that had a vision of where the LGBTQ community should be heading on various Social Justice Topics. Join us as she leads us through the many faces of Kim over the past 10 years. Including where she has been and where she is going. Many that know Kim, knows how passionate she is in her work and personal life. So join us so you can hear first -hand what drove her day after day to leave a legacy for a community that is still growing and moving in so many positive directions in part due to Kim’s determination. What is next for Kim? Tune in and find out.

Kim L. Hunt is currently the executive director of the Pride Action Tank, a results-driven group that addresses challenges facing individuals and groups within LGBTQ communities through a collaborative process of inquiry, advocacy, and action. She is an activist, urban planner, start- up enthusiast, and lifelong learner. During her 30 year career Kim has focused on building and strengthening thriving communities. She teaches mini-courses at the University of Chicago, is co-host of OUTSpoken! LGBTQ Storytelling, and serves on several boards and advisory councils.

Joining CAN WE TALK FOR REAL co-hosts Terry (Terry Boi) Jackson and Michelle Brown on Wednesday, October 7, 2015 is MARY EATMON author of “NINE HOUSES: Chronicles of One Woman’s Triumph Over Abuse, Shame and Neglect.”

Mrs. Eatmon was born in 1931 in Boligee City in Green County, Alabama. At age 15 she was raped and out of fear for her family she ended up marrying her assailant. For 30 years, Mary endured the dysfunctional marriage enduring years of abuse and remaining silent not only out of fear but also due to the shame and stigma many victims of abuse suffer.

Mrs. Eatmon will share her story in hopes of letting other women, in similar circumstances; know that they are not alone. She will share resources and insights into how to recognize and break the cycle of abuse.

Now 83 years young, Mrs. Eatmon wrote “NINE HOUSES” to reach out to others and let them know how she no longer accepts mistreatments and attacks; how she realized that her being abused was not her fault; and how she mastered the art of forgiveness and moved on. Hers is an inspirational story of strength and triumph.

Show starts at 8:30est/:7:30cst, call in to 347-215-8985, and Press 1 to speak.

CAN WE TALK FOR REAL – your award winning blog radiocast. Celebrating three years of bringing you issues, education and entertainment

Sometimes the truth in your face is what you need. HERE IS THE TRUTH: More than 20 states are in financial trouble along with the federal government and other countries. Agencies such as the Department of Aging, Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Public Aid, and Department of Human Services are working for the people but are in jeopardy of budget cuts and cuts in services, can we afford that?

Joining CWT4R co-host Michelle and Terry will be Michael Holmes who is currently the Executive Director of the Illinois African American Family Commission were he has strategically planned to move the Commission in a new direction which focuses more on developing partnerships with all state agencies throughout the state of Illinois that provide services to African American’s.  Michael’s favorite hobby is coaching.  Michael is married with four wonderful kids.  Regardless of what role he has he believes that the work that we do is mostly important when it is about helping others.  The health of the African American Community is in jeopardy with the strong hold that Governor Rauner has over the budget. We have to be educated and know what is happening and how is it happening as it affects our communities.  Per their website, The Illinois African American Family Commission develops, evaluates and advocates for public policies, plans, research and programs that will strengthen and preserve families, family economics, workforce participation, health status, safety, education and training, and quality of life for African Americans.Believe that Illinois is not alone in this nightmare check your states finances and join us as we talk about Illinois and the financial crisis surrounding the African American Community. The information you obtain could arm you with what and who to search out in your state for assistance.

Jillian’s Peak is a ground breaking web-series based on a true story of a young African American woman from Detroit dealing with her hidden inner conflicts about her sexuality and her life. 

Wednesday night, August 19th, joining CAN WE TALK FOR REAL co-hosts Terry and Michelle are series CEO/Creator/Executive Producer and Writer Charzette Torrance and cast members Kelley Young, Candice Meyers and Sherrick White. They will share their experiences on creating, producing and starring in this series that promises to bring in a new era for web series.

Are you Jillian?? Do you see your life mirrored in the web-series? Have questions about the business behind developing the web series? Want to talk to the actresses about their experience in the profession and on this project?

Then you want to dial (347)215-8985 and press “1” to join in the conversation. (You might be the winner of Jillian’s Peak merchandise with your question)