Can We Talk for REAL

May is Lupus Month and joining Can We Talk for REAL, co-host Michelle and Terry this Wednesday Night May 27th will be Keya Brooks Napper a motivational speaker, who established MEEK LEGACY, LLC which educates and empowers others concerning invisible illnesses such as lupus. Keva has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a minor in English. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Beautiful Butterflies, Inc., a nonprofit lupus foundation.  She teaches and facilitates groups as well as serves as an ambassador for Lupus Awareness through personal experience and pragmatic application.  Being an 11 year Lupus thriver, Keva knows the daily challenges that many with an autoimmune disease face. She has overcome two blood clots on the brain, a stroke, hair loss, seizures and many struggles. She teaches that the best way to overcome such obstacles is simply (thriving) one day at a time. 

During her spare time, Keva enjoys traveling, singing and acting. Her life is strengthened by spending time with family. “A day is never wasted as long as a memory is created” and she enjoys creating memories with those she loves. She currently resides in North Carolina.

Joining Can We Talk for REAL, Wednesday night will be Dr. Watson, from Real Woman Speak. RWS is dedicated to impacting the lives of women through visual media and print by collecting our stories and preserving our histories So many stories have been lot but so many have been captured and will hold our history forever.Most recently, she was featured on the LGBT Radio Nation Show the topic being Intergenerational Communication. Dr. Watson has also been a guest on the Rhonda Sciortino radio show Crack the Code and the Detroit Area Agency on Aging Senior Solutions Radio Show. Since her retirement, she has ventured into yet another genre, film making. Starting a production company, Reel Women Speak is dedicated to impacting the lives of women through visual media. Women will have the opportunity to become empowered, enhance and develop their quality of life and recalibrate their future, thereby strengthening families and transforming communities. Collective Voices: Wisdom of our Lesbian Elders is her first independent film. Dr. Watson states that “whether it’s in my writing, art or film I have a deep need to recollect traditions and generational legacy, this perhaps comes from listening to stories from my elders specifically, African American women sitting, laughing, talking on porch steps or around the kitchen table.”

Dr. Debraha Watson describes herself as a mother of two adult children, a film maker, poet, short story writer, essayist, editor and retired higher education administrator. “I can be driven or complacent. Insecure or egotistical like all living creatures I am passing through stages. I am recovering, discovering and growing.”

Do you miss POW-WOW? Well Chicago April is Poetry Month and CWT4R would like to give you a night of POW-WOW, radio style, Wednesday night. Sit back, click on the Facebook link turn up your computer and enjoy the last night of Poetry- POW-WOW Style. Yes we will have 5 words, oops 6 words, and poets from the past and a special feature.. Also gracing the airwaves will be some of poets that packed places POW-WOW called home like the Jeffrey Pub, Leo’s Den, 917, and Lee’s Unleaded Blues. Remember, Cocoa, Truth,  Enina Jay, Tim’m, Logic, and Ugochi, just to name a few. Bet you long to hear F*** my Blues Away or Pu*** Play just to name a few pieces you might hear that night. Picture the last time you walked in to the Pub and saw Tuesday night family. One thing this evening we will have to take the moment to get that hug from yourself of whoever is in the room with you. Remember watching as the lights go down, and the music start to fade, spot light comes up and there on the stage is Lucy and all of her loveliness. Welcome to POW-WOW and it’s on. Now what would POW-WOW be if we didn’t have the Founder to grace us with her poetic voice, her Hips, her being a lady, CC Carter. A double WOW will be when our feature RED SUMMER takes you back to First Person, Raw Sugar and Shades of Red. This night is shaping up to be a POW-WOW Reunion so join us and feed your poetry soul.

Rejoining Terry Boi, Ina Anthony and Michelle Brown on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at 8:30PM EST/7:30PM CST for this pre-Mother’s Day Show are new parents Jonica and Nkenge Jazz Burkhead.

Jonica and Nkenge were our guests in January sharing their story of growing their family via IVF. Now that little Johan has arrived. The new parents are back to talk about life with baby – the birth, each of their experience with maternity/parental leave and work, the joys and challenges and how big brother Patrick is doing with baby Johan.Also joining us will be L and Sharron Dorris proud parents of son Jeremiah Dorris. Their story is unique because L and Sharron work with children shelters. After watching how these children live, L and Sharron decided that they wanted to give a child all the love they knew they could give, so they decided to adopt. Jeremiah came into their lives and his happy and warm personality stole their hearts and the rest is history. Jeremiah was adopted in 2014 and if you see the pictures posted by the proud parents you know Jeremiah is at home.CWT4R will open the lines during the last half-hour of the show so that you can share your special tribute/remembrance of your mother. Let’s tell the women we call momma/mother whether blood or not how much we love them and what they mean or meant to our lives. Remember some mommas were aunts, grandmothers, and sisters.  Read a letter, say a poem or just say I LOVE YOU.

Do you miss POW-WOW? Well Chicago April is Poetry Month and CWT4R would like to give you a night of POW-WOW, radio style, Wednesday night. Sit back, click on the Facebook link turn up your computer and enjoy the last night of Poetry- POW-WOW Style. Yes we will have 5 words, oops 6 words, and poets from the past and a special feature. Join MC Lucy who will keep you laughing as she sips on that Blue drink from home…watch her after 2. Also gracing the airwaves will be some of poets that packed places POW-WOW called home like the Jeffrey Pub, Leo’s Den, 917, and Lee’s Unleaded Blues. Remember, Sharon Bridgforth, M’reld, Enina Jay, Tim’m, Logic, Ugochi, and Rah just to name a few. Bet you long to hear F*** my Blues Away or Pu*** Play just to name a few pieces you might hear that night. Welcome to POW-WOW and it’s on. We want you to feel like home so don’t forget to RESPECT the MIC. By the way what is your drink? Make sure it’s right by you and image SMOKE serving you with that smile. One last thing for all you smokers, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your seat…Light Up. Now what would POW-WOW be if we didn’t have the Founder to grace us with her poetic voice, her Hips, her  being a lady, CC Carter. A double WOW will be when our feature RED SUMMER takes you back to First Person, Raw Sugar and Shades of Red. This night is shaping up to be a POW-WOW Reunion so join us and feed your poetry soul.

In the United States April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The goal is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities on how to prevent it. Sexual violence is a major public health, human rights and social justice.Joining CAN WE TALK FOR REAL cohosts, Terry Boi, Ina Anthony and Michelle Brown to discuss Sexual Assault Awareness and the activities including TAKE BACK THE NIGHT (TBTN) events are Kalimah Johnson and John Trimble. Kalimah Johnson is founder and Executive Director of the SASHA Center, Inc. SASHA CENTER is a sexual assault service, prevention and educational agency which is designed to provide educational/support groups to survivors of sexual assault.  John Trimble is a poet, visionary, friend, brother, author, creative spirit and activist. He has brought a male perspective to TBTN activities reminding us that men not only should be protectors but can also be victims of sexual assault as well.

Join Can We Talk for REAL as we change our profile picture to Taking Back the NIGHT in support of raising public awareness to Sexual Violence. If you are a survivor or a friend or family member that would like information and resources that maybe available, please listen in or better yet join in the conversation.

One of the big controversies from season one ‘Empire’ has been the off-camera debate of the use of the “N” word on the show. Empire star Terrence Howard has said its time to get real about the “N” word on TV and drop the stigma surrounding the word making the hip- hop drama more authentic. Costar Taraji P. Henson has said she is against it.“N*gga” - We’ve all heard and sometimes even have used the words but when is it ok and when it is not? Why do some elders cringe while some youth have embraced these words without feeling any stigma? Is it ok for Black folk to use the N word but not Whites? Would “Empire” be any more authentic if Lee Daniels used the “N” word? And what about those other words like B*tch, Fag, etc.? Tim'm T. West is a poet, scholar, rapper, and youth activist who was born in Cincinnati and raised primarily in rural Arkansas. Tim’m brings hip hop to the table and will probably be able to talk about how the younger generation perceives all the words that are considered Taboo by many. M Shelly Conner, PhD is the Executive Director of Quare Square Collective, Inc., she teaches Writing and Literature at Loyola University Chicago. Shelly brings more of the history and understanding of the exploration of the words so freely used by us all.

Empire Talks, CWT4R Talks, now how about you, will you Talk? 

Show Wednesday, April 15th starts at 8:30est/7:30cst, call into 347-215-8985 and Press 1 to take part in the conversation.

Partners – in life, love and business require balance on many levels. This week on CAN WE TALK FOR REAL co-hosts Terry Boi, Ina and Michelle sit down and talk with the founders of HUSTLE & FLO PRODUCTIONS. Hustle & Flo is the brain child of Michelle R (Hustle) and Keisha A. (Flo). They have been friends for 27 years and life partners for 7 years. Each owns and operates their own business -Hustle a commercial cleaning service and Flo a home daycare. Together in 2013 they created Hustle & Flo Productions hosting social events for lesbians 25 years of age and over. Each event HUSTLE & FLO hosts has its own unique theme, raffles, food and highlights health topics for women each month. The monthly dances are strictly for women but Hustle and Flo have found ways to support the entire LGBTQ community by hosting free events to collect donations for other organizations, participating in back-to-school events and more. Hustle and Flo believes in the SHE Concept –Support other LGBTQ businesses and organizations by attending events; Highlight lesbian owned businesses at each monthly events and Educate women on health topics at each month. These monthly events also offer attendees a space to display and showcase novels, artwork or lesbian owned /operated (LOO's) business material. The events are held the 4th Saturday of each month in Canton, MI and attract omen from as far away as Florida.  Making it work in love, life and business – HUSTLE & FLO will be sharing it all and maybe even share a few new dance steps.

Starting off the month of April tomorrow, April 1st joining, CWT4R co-host, Terry, Ina and Michelle, will be the hot, sexy, and out spoken NIKKI PATIN. Nikki has been writing for over two decades and her writings extend from love, revolutionary, to violence to empowerment to loving one’s self to love of a child. She can be steamy, well reserved, in your face, behind closed door, telling you about yourself before you know it is about you. Nikki Patin has appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, WGN, WCIU, WBEZ and New Zealand's TV3 and Radio New Zealand. She was voted one of 30 under 30 most influential LGBTQ people in Chicago by Windy City Times and took the gold medal in the 2006 Gay Games International LGBT poetry slam.  She is the creator of Surviving the Mic(www.survivingthemic.org), an organization dedicated to creating safe and affirming artistic spaces for survivors of trauma. Nikki Patin is an MFA candidate in Creative Non-Fiction at Stonecoast MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine and a weekly cultural commentator on “Music Vox” on www.vocalo.org. Her work can be found at www.nikkipatin.com. For those that remember The Phat GRRL Revolution we can only image what Nikki will bring in 2015. If you don’t know about the revolution tune in so you can get a little poetry education for the full figured grrls. Show starts at our new time, 8:30est/7:30cst pm. Call in at 347-215-8985 and press 1 if you want to talk.

Continuing on our series on strong women leaders, on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 co-hosts Ina Anthony, Terry Boi Adams and Michelle Brown welcome Dr. Wilhelmina Perry, the founder of the LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent.

Dr. Wilhelmina Perry holds a masters in social work and a doctorate in human behavior and educational leadership. She has been a social work faculty, administrator of not- for- profit institutions and community educator.

In 2002, she became a member of The Riverside Church and shortly thereafter would become the convener of Marantha, the LGBT ministry. Dr. Perry was a co-founder and Vice President of the Interfaith Task Force for Homeless LGBT Youth. Under the work of the Task Force, three shelters were opened in local churches.

Dr. Perry has been an advocate for LGBT same-gender loving people as well as for marriage equality. She held the position of convener of the Roundtable People of Color under Empire State Pride Agenda. In 2010, this group reformed itself as an independent organization and would become the LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent. Dr. Perry currently serves as Administrative Coordinator

Dr. Perry was honored in 2013 with an award from Harlem Pride. She has received recognitions from Empire State Pride Agenda and GLAAD. She became a Purpose Prize Fellow in 2014. In 2014, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from LGBT Kwanzaa Community of NYC, Inc.

She has contributed many articles on LGBT youth, same-gender families, “coming out”, clergy and attitudes towards LGBT people and President Obama’s support of marriage equality. These articles have appeared in Caribbean Life, The Daily News, The Amsterdam News, Huffington Post and The Positive Community.