The New Year is around the corner, 2021 has been "conquered." Jamar Nixon, M.U.R.P., and I (G. Allen Turner II, M.S.) discuss where we are as we turn the page on the calendar. Mentally, emotionally, and also consider what we perceive for ourselves this upcoming year. 

How will we grow and what we have in-store for ourselves, SPEAK IT INTO EXISTENCE!

The start of our "Year in a Review" session with my buddy, Jamar Nixon, M.U.R.P. (Masters of Urban and Regional Planning). The first in a series of episodes where Jamar and I look at how we've grown, personally and professionally during the first full year of a global pandemic. 

This episode series will cover our personal and professional lives, our relationships, dating lives, our outlook on society, and how we view things that have changed as the pandemic progresses. With a look at how we're preparing for our immediate futures. 

I finally got back to podcasting, cause my thoughts are swarming through my head and I'm going to treat this as a place to keep my communication and storytelling skills sharp!

I wanted to keep it lite, but my mind didn't allow it, maybe one day I will actually do that long-awaited "dating update" episode..

To even call this a "conflict" seems inaccurate because a conflict suggests there are sides of comparable status and capability to inflict harm upon one another. That is not what is happening in Israel in the spring of 2021. What we see is an unchecked display of power that is not being held accountable by the international community. The very least we can do is be willing to view this critically and call it what it is, a senseless attack on defenseless people, with no clear resolution, and lazy thinking preventing us from speaking out against it.  

Police Brutality isn't getting worst, it's getting filmed. A play on Will Smith's observation on racism in society today. More people are paying attention as police officers are taking Black bodies without remorse or responsibility. We need to address subconscious bias and how that has led to society's cowardice towards Blackness. Why are you afraid of Black people?

Anyone that knows me, knows that my Blackness and Politics are two very important topics to me. It's fair to say my level of comfort speaking to you about these topics is a good indicator of the quality of our relationship. Reading "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo reminds me that conversations with the majority of my peers about race will have always felt like pulling a fully stocked wagon, up a hill, by myself, with everyone complaining that I'm going too fast. Maybe I can get a chance to have a good conversation with friends about this book, though I feel like if you are a part of the "top caste group" in the USA, the bare minimum should be reading this book.

The world may not need more podcast, but I need an outlet for the thoughts that have been swirling in my mind for decades. Talk about life, love, politics, anime, entertainment, beef between my neighbors. Regardless, let's just see what this is all about, I hope I have a plan for all of this..