The role of Black Women in North America is so deeply rooted in trauma and social expectations that when we step outside, there is a punitive consequence. From criticism to fines, physical and mental damage to humiliation, when a Black Woman (and I would dare to say most women worldwide) stands her ground or puts herself first, the hammer comes down on her. This week, Dr. Venus discusses the historical reason behind Black Women finding such great pushback when they try to set personal boundaries, how Black Masculinity and White hate play a role, and how we must remember that while it’s hurtful and insulting, it’s not personal. She gives a recent example in Naomi Osaka, the star tennis player who stood up for her boundaries and mental health, but was met with threats and punishment. Dr. Venus shares a few tactical ways to begin speaking out and standing up for yourself, even if it doesn’t come out perfectly.

Key Takeaways:

[3:25] In 1619, when the first slaves were brought to North America, the Black female body was used to create the capitalistic Society of North America. Certain things had to be put in place in order to justify the pimping out of our bodies and them hurting us. This included labeling Black Women as lazy, promiscuous, weak, trifling, etc., and if you stepped out of line and spoke up, you broke protocol and needed to be reprimanded.

[4:05] It still continues today and there are constant examples shown in the media that portray us as lesser than and just vehicles to use for gain. If we have anything to say about this, it is seen as a rejection on their part and they feel so threatened that they have to teach us a lesson.

[6:44] Dr. Venus discusses how tennis star Naomi Osaka recently pushed back against sports authorities and giving media interviews to prioritize her mental health. The committee fined her and said if she doesn’t comply, she may run the risk of being banned altogether. While this may seem shocking to some, it makes sense when we look at the structure. Black Women are treated with the most hostility whenever we stand our ground, and that is a historical artifact left over from slavery. They see us as there to serve and think we don’t deserve a break for our mental and physical health.

[9:22] You are in a structure that is rooted in making you feel less so they feel more. It has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with capitalism and media. As long as they circulate images that keep us down, they don’t have to respect us.

[11:01] When you speak up, it’s a revolutionary act. However, this doesn’t mean that there won’t be push back. They can’t even function without you staying in your place, so of course, they are going to feel threatened. Their only value is reflected in your compliance.

[14:13] You must get clear on how important and powerful you are that you don’t sell yourself out for comfort. The first step is getting clear on your personal boundaries.

[14:37] Dr. Venus strongly believes that Black Masculinity was born in the belly of White Supremacy. The slaves brought over from Africa watched White Men do violence against Black bodies, and they equated that power with freedom, riches, status, etc.

[18:05] When you understand the way that racism and White Supremacy get ingested, it’s not a far cry to see the self-hatred Black Men can have around Black Women. When you love something, you take care of it. When a Black Man hears no, it lands as an insult to him as a man and the setup of slavery had it that Black Men couldn’t be there to protect Black Women, or else they would get killed.

[20:42] A Black Woman can’t sit down without her being weak? No. How about, she is tired. She needs a break. She is protecting herself. They think we are strong and never vulnerable. While we are strong, we need care and we need a break, and it is powerful to know that about yourself and take space when you need it.

[22:16] When you don’t speak up, you diminish yourself and that gives them permission to diminish you. The more you stand in your power. You standing your ground is not for them, it’s for you. Even if they try to push your boundaries or honor you, you’ve at least said it.

[27:36] Your job is to say your piece and not worry about their side. You don’t even have to say it perfectly. Your voice can wobble, you can shake, you can even get angry and feel out of control. Practice saying that you are passionate, and your intention is to stand your ground.

[28:34] The more we start speaking up, the more we normalize Black Women standing up for themselves. If you don’t claim that birthright, they will steal it from you.

[32:03] As we release ourselves of the internal shame that all women have, we give each other the space to be ourselves. Don’t forget that whenever we do something, they copy it and want to figure out how it’s done so they can steal it. The more we band together and speak up, the bigger platform we can have to grow and create new highways and infrastructures.

Quotes:

• “Every time you stand up for yourself, what is called into question is their justification.”
• “You are in a structure that is rooted in making you feel less so they feel more.”
• “When you speak up, it’s a revolutionary act.”
• “When you don’t speak up, you diminish yourself and that gives them permission to diminish you.”
• “When you speak up and stand up for yourself, that is not for them. That is for YOU.”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION BLACK WOMEN:

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below so you get access FIRST to updates, launches, and the behind the scene scoop!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

1. Why Personal Boundaries are Important and How to Set Them
2. Black Women Should Be Able To Establish Boundaries Without Triggering
3. Naomi Osaka and the Cost of Saying No
4. Toxic masculinity and its deadly grip on the black community
5. The disregard for Black Women and their boundaries
6. Unapologetic Black women are taking back our power

Inside of Black culture, some groups aren’t always included when it comes to identity. As we celebrate both Pride Month and Juneteenth this month, we can combine the two to lift up communities that have been marginalized and celebrate activists that have fought for the freedom of Black people.

This week, Dr. Venus shines a spotlight on 7 Black Queer Freedom Fighters and Black Queer advocates, from the literary genius of the 1920s to the brilliant strategy behind the scenes of the March on Washington, these heroes have fought and died for Black freedom, but are seldom cited or celebrated in our society. We were born in a historical time, but we won’t be able to make our money, grow, and help others if we sacrifice our freedom and rights for a point of view.

Let’s talk about it.

Key Takeaways:

[2:28] Black people have a commitment to freedom, but we can’t say we are fully about liberation if we are going to leave out or ignore a group of people. Freedom includes all of us, not just some.

[4:25] We have to liberate ourselves from the conditioning of White Supremacy and be the change we want to see in the world vs. pointing the finger at someone else. You can love someone without agreeing with them. What matters the most is that we walk our walk and love each other rather than oppressing or ignoring someone who seems different or whose lifestyle we may not understand.

 [7:03] We also can’t blame ourselves fully for marginalizing our brothers and sisters. It’s not a bad thing or something that makes us bad people. It’s just White oppression being acted out in Black environments. When we can’t allow people to be who they are, we lose in every way from opportunities to money.

[9:39] If we can have empathy and grace for players in the Bible, we can have it for the people in our families and the human beings around us. Human beings are imperfect and people do the best they can with what they’ve got.

[10:29] Judging others is not necessarily the problem. It’s a problem when you make it a problem for the person you are judging. If you are committed to winning, you have to be emotionally mature enough to know that we need help as we grow and succeed, and that means allowing in people who don’t perform and act like you.

[11:46] If someone has something that can make your life better and is willing to help, it’s a form of self-sabotage to turn it down, especially when it comes to money and social change. You end up handicapping the people that depend on you. Dr. Venus knows that even means accepting the help of White allies who are there to support her along with her own mission of birthing 100 Black Women Billionaires and launching a new tech brand.

[14:11] If we are talking about Black Pride, we must be proud not just of our progress, but of our ability to make room for us to be individuals. When you make room for people to be themselves, you provide the ability for true change, growth, and unified power. In Dr. Venus’s community, we are not doing hate. Not Black hate, Asian hate, etc.

[17:01] We can celebrate both Pride and Juneteenth this month. Juneteenth is Black people’s version of Independence Day, when slavery ended for real and when we celebrated because it marked our emancipation.

[18:50] Dr. Venus lists 7 Freedom Fighters and LGBTQ Advocates that may not be recognized regularly: 

1. Audre Lorde - Died in 1992 and fought for Civil Rights and the Women's Movement. Check out Zami.
2. James Baldwin - Essayist, writer, and activist. At Dr. King’s side during the “I Have a Dream” speech. Check out I Am Not Your Negro.
3. Marsha P. Johnson - Pillar of the LGBTQ community in New York City. Trans Woman who fought for queer rights while struggling with mental illness and homelessness. Check out Pose. 
4. Bernard Rustin - Leader in Civil Rights, Strategic advisor for Dr. King and helped 1963 March of Washington, Queer rights pioneer.
5. Barbara Smith - Author, Considered Mother of Black Feminism.
6. Andrea Jenkins - First Openly Trans Black Woman elected to political office.

[23:08] Identity is not sexuality, yet people conflate the two. Each culture has a language, and Trans and Queer cultures each have their own language code and lexicon.

[24:21] If you are committed to making money, you are going to have to get interested in understanding how other people see themselves. Marketing has everything to do with relational dynamics, and you have to know who you are talking to, and how they see themselves.

[27:20] Trans rights are human rights, yet Trans Women are murdered by Black Men more than any other group, in much the same way a Black Man would get lynched for being accused of raping a White woman. It’s important to know that this is still an aggression and attack on Black Women’s bodies.

[28:27] Your truth is a truth but not the truth. We have space to have dignified conversations if we truly want to move forward and create a new infrastructure that we can succeed in.

[31:48] Dr. Venus shares her love for Black Women. The tears, the pride, the hurt, the love, the perseverance, all of it. Don’t take the hate of others on in your energy, and don’t feel the need to argue your truth with haters. Be proud of yourself, they have no idea what it takes for you to be well and show up in the world.

Quotes:

• “I have a commitment to inclusion and diversity, and I mean that in every possible way.”
• “If you are infighting, you can’t unite.”
• “Judging others is not necessarily the problem. It’s a problem when you make it a problem for the person you are judging.”
• “When it comes to money and social change, you require other people who are different from you.”
• “If we are talking about Black Pride, we must be proud not just of our progress, but of our ability to make room for us to be individuals.”
• “A lot of times in the Black Community, we stop winning because we don’t agree or approve.”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION BLACK WOMEN:

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below so you get access FIRST to updates, launches, and the behind the scene scoop!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

1. 7 black LGBTQ leaders in honor of Juneteenth and Pride month
2. Black & Queer: What It Means To Celebrate Juneteenth And Pride In The Same Month
3. CELEBRATE: What the Celebrations of Juneteenth and Pride month can teach us about loving our neighbors
4. 16 queer black pioneers who made history: From Marsha P, Johnson to Lori Lightfoot, NBC Out honors the black LGBTQ trailblazers of the past and present
5. 5 black LGBTQ activists that shaped the civil rights movement
6. 7 YOUNG BLACK LGBTQ ACTIVISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Tulsa wasn’t the only Black town that was burned to the ground by White hate. Historically, White hate has found ways to annihilate Black wealth, even if they don’t riot or kill. Sometimes they just build a highway in the middle of a community, deny business loans, or withhold permits so we can’t build on the land. They still find ways to hurt and handicap us, even when we do everything right.

This week, Dr. Venus talks about building a Black Wall Street they can’t burn to the ground. She discusses how truly deconstructing capitalism really started for her with George Floyd. Now her attention is fully on creating a new digital infrastructure to beat them at their own game using the knowledge, skill, and large buying power that Black Women already bring to the table. Let’s first talk about the roadblocks designed by White Supremacy to fully understand how to get around them and set up a new world for us now and future generations. You can’t win if you don’t know what game you're playing, and Dr. Venus doesn’t play a game she can’t win.

Key Takeaways:

[1:37] Ever since George Floyd, Dr. Venus has really taken a look at how the game is rigged and got clear on how we need to look at changing the infrastructure rather than responding to our emotions. Using the analogy of a gun — we get mad at the gun and the bullets, when we need to look at who made the gun, where they got it, who built it, etc.

[5:15] Slavery has been the most effective business model in North America. Everywhere we turn now there is a built-in roadblock designed by White Supremacy to hold us back and keep us down. Dr. Venus thought we were progressing but never saw arrogance as bold as when she watched the public execution of George Floyd in front of the world.

[13:29] America is not built on fairness. America is designed specifically for White land-owning men and all of the structures are built-in service of them. The challenge is that as Black Women, we are taught to fight racism, not capitalism.

[16:54] The way history has been written is in favor of White Men. That plus the negative representation of Black Men and Women in the media makes it look as though we are not a contributing factor to history. This gives them permission to shoot us and not listen to our word with authority.

[19:07] When they realize we are outdoing them, they gang up on us to win, limit our success, and burn what they can of ours to the ground.

[20:43] The reason they could burn Tulsa to the ground in 1921 was that it was built on dirt and a tangible threat. Now we must get strategic and build something they can’t touch. Let them fight over land while we are creating new highways and infrastructures.

[23:38] It’s no longer about depending on service-based jobs or trading your time for money. It’s about thinking strategically to turn your knowledge into content, and your wisdom into words. Our ancestors put in the sweat, and now it’s our turn to put our knowledge in a digital platform that has the capability of changing everything worldwide.

[25:26] With Black Women having a spending power of $3.8 trillion, we could change the next 5 generations if we were purposeful and intentional about where and who we buy from, and who creates those products.

[30:34] You don’t have to agree to align. Dr. Venus’s app intends to create a platform for Black Women, featuring Black Women’s content everyone can fall in love with and support the cause.

Quotes:

• “You don’t have to agree to align.”
• “The challenge is that as Black Women, we are taught to fight racism, not capitalism.”
• “America is not built on fairness. America is designed specifically for White land-owning men and all of the structures are built-in service for them.”
• “Slavery has been the most effective business model in North America.”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION BLACK WOMEN:

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below so you get access FIRST to updates, launches, and the behind the scene scoop!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

• WHAT THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE DESTROYED

• Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood wasn't America's only Black Wall Street

• The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and the financial fallout

• 10 Reasons that so many businesses are moving to the cloud

• Benefits of a Mobile App – Why You Should Invest

• What Are The Benefits of Having an App For Your Business in 2021

Dr. Venus was in a complete breakdown. Her website crashed, her Amazon Prime account was hacked, and the sales page for her app had to abort. There was nothing else to do but to stop, take a moment, and pray. As she asked God to help her, the answer that showed up was so much more than she expected. Black Men showed up to get up under her dreams and use their expertise and wisdom to help not only with the tech app, but with the larger mission of birthing 100 Black Women Billionaires. To fully understand how much that means to Dr. Venus and why being able to trust Black Men is such a deeply spiritual leap of faith, we must first walk it back to the historical wounds that run seven generations deep.

Historically, Black people have been pitted against each other for survival. That was deliberate, and it worked. History refused to let us see each other through innocence, and we’ve thrown each other under the bus. It’s a revolutionary act to allow yourself to be supported by a Black Man, but Dr. Venus is ready to put her trust and faith on the line and jump in.

Key Takeaways:

[3:31] We think the way we act is based upon character or personality traits, when really a lot of our actions come from strategies required to survive and stay alive. In the past, Dr. Venus has worked with Black Men who are initially on board, but then something triggers them and they don’t say anything about it. Suddenly, they build up resentment, blow up, or leave. Sometimes it’s all three.

[5:08] Feeling this historical wound doesn’t mean Black Men or Women are broken or bad, it just equals woundedness. While on the streets, Dr. Venus had several Black Men that had her back and looked out for her. She doesn’t have it that all Black Men are bad. She has it that Black Men are complicated.

[8:22] Dr. Venus discusses these wounds and gives historical context. Black Women feel angry for Black Men not protecting or hearing them, while Black Men feel disrespected and talked down to. On the plantation, Black Men were positioned to be “less than” and humiliated in front of their own families. Black Women were just bodies to be used, and they weren’t listened to or protected. Because this is a spiritual wound that hasn’t been addressed, it brings with it 400 years of rage. When you get the two wounds of not being heard and not being respected together, it is a bloody mess.

[11:36] While Dr. Venus was praying after her website crashed, what showed up were some really great Black Men. Dr. Venus believes God is pretty smart, and right now, there are a whole tribe of brilliant Black Men coming out to support her in ways she never even dreamed of, especially around her mission to birth 100 Black Women Billionaires and launch her app.

[14:19] Dr. Venus speaks of one Black Man who she is proud to have as a team member. He goes above and beyond, and she is being with how much she not only appreciates him, but needs his help as she expands in this new territory.

[18:43] Dr. Venus uses the analogy where she is in a canoe rowing along, and here comes someone pulling a yacht and offering her a ride all aboard this big ship. It feels scary to jump on, but she is emotionally ready and spiritually mature now to accept the help and put her trust in the Black Men showing up to help.

[20:41] Even if you haven’t had the support of Black Men your whole life, it doesn’t mean that it’s too late to start. It’s scary to set up your entire life to not need a man and then open your heart and mind to a different possibility, but at this point for Dr. Venus, it’s not even an option, it’s a need.

[22:02] How do you trust Black Man with your dreams? Nothing in life is guaranteed, but here is some basic groundwork:

1. Check his actions to make sure they are consistent across the board, and not just special to you.
2. Tell the truth.
3. Ask for what you need and make sure it’s clear.
4. Let him know the significance of what it is you need.

Have these conversations until you are clear that he has heard you.

[25:53] It can feel weird to accept help and not feel as though you have to pay for it in some way.

[27:55] Step out on faith and know that God will catch you and not let anything bad happen.

[30:06] When you have big goals and aspirations, you can’t reach the world alone. It takes a team, and that takes a certain amount of giving up control for a larger vision. It’s a spiritual act for Black Women to trust Black Men, and someone has to start the ball rolling. Dr. Venus is willing to choose to trust them, communicate, and be transparent all the way through.

[31:17] This may just be in business now, but it can be applicable to more relationships beyond work. It opens the door for Black Men and Women to create something beautiful together, and communicate until there is an understanding in a way that comes from love.

[32:27] How do you trust Black Men with your dreams? 

Quotes:

• “I don’t have it that Black Men are bad. I have it that Black men are complicated.”
• “Step out on faith and know that God will catch you and not let anything bad happen.”
• “How do you trust Black Men with your dreams?”
• “It’s a revolutionary act to allow yourself to be supported by a Black Man.”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION BLACK WOMEN:

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below so you get access FIRST to updates, launches, and the behind the scene scoop!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

White Power Structures are ruthless. The level of diabolic thinking is staggering when you start to really deal with how America is set up to oppress everybody that is not a White Male land-owning body. The infrastructure was built based on slavery, and we must understand the invisible oppression that comes with what it means to be American. To get out, we must first get in and contend with different strategies for surviving White supremacy by seeing the matrix of the structure, and then coming together to strategize and outsmart it. 

America is built on capitalism, not fairness. In business we use models that work, so by using their model, we can infiltrate. This week, Dr. Venus talks about how the infrastructure of America is designed to keep us oppressed, and RADICAL but DOABLE ways to leverage our power now so we can see real change in as soon as the next 3-5 years. 

Key Takeaways:

[3:22] There is an invisible infrastructure built into America that when you challenge it, it sounds like you are challenging America. It’s so invisible that you end up fighting the burning cross, not the infrastructure that supplies the wood, gasoline, and matches.

[4:50] It’s great that Biden is talking about infrastructure, but as Black Women, we are never taught how to win. We are only taught how to protest. 

[6:07] Dr. Venus is here for all the petitions and marching, but just doing that is ineffective. 

How does she know? Because it’s not really changing anything. We are participating in a system where it only looks like we can have change. Coming from our emotions is valid, but not enough. If you want to be effective at anything, you have to learn the game you are playing. 

[9:10] It became clear to Dr. Venus what was really needed to make lasting change, and she can see the infrastructure clearly. It’s almost like The Matrix, where you have to immerse yourself to really understand all the connections and see the bigger patterns. 

[11:35] There was a window of time where Black people were winning after Emancipation. There were Black people in Congress, but the Constitution has clauses where anyone can be free except prisoners. We’re fighting the effect of this same infrastructure instead of creating our own. 

[13:55] If you fight people on your terms but on their turf, you are going to lose. If you fight people on their turf with their tools and weapons, you can win. 

[16:01] You can play the capitalism game by creating a product that a group loves, funding it yourself, and turning it into a business model that can be seen as having future earning potential. You own it and you build out all the systems. Much like Jay-Z encouraged Beyonce to fund her music video and have complete control, you hold the power when you are the one cutting the checks. 

[18:33] Slavery was the new technology of the 1700s and 1800s. All of this was infrastructure that was built in, and to change it you don’t fight it, but you pimp out their stuff and use it for your own good.

[19:43] White Supremacy is arrogant and doesn’t really believe Black Men and Women, especially poor ones, can know enough to change the system. Their arrogance of privilege is our protection. 

[21:39] The movement doesn’t have to be everyone, it just has to be enough people to create a tipping point. When you are committed to a vision larger than yourself, you can inspire others to also see themselves as leaders in the mission. 

[26:18] As Black women, we set the tone. We can infiltrate the infrastructure as soon as in the next 3-5 years. Technology now speeds up the process and we can do it faster than ever before, but it takes effort and alignment. 

[31:20] We have power when we are together. When we are apart, we are not strong. 

[33:53] Whoever writes the check writes the rules, and you need to write the check. That’s how you infiltrate. Dr. Venus will be marching with you in the streets as well, but it’s also important to embrace our power and commit to the greater good.

Quotes:

• “Money is not a problem, we just have to redirect it in service of us.” 
• “We need to infiltrate the infrastructure of White Supremacy and pollute it with Black power.” 
• “As Black Women, we are never taught how to win. We are only taught how to protest.” 
• “If you want to be effective at anything, you have to learn the game you are playing.” 
• “I’m out to infiltrate the infrastructure.” 
• “If you fight people on your terms but on their turf, you are going to lose. If you fight people on their turf with their tools and weapons, you can win.” 

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION BLACK WOMEN:

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below so you get access FIRST to updates, launches, and the behind the scene scoop!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

• The 13th By Ava Duverney

• Amend: The Fight for America

• Garland, Mayorkas warn white supremacy is now top security threat in the country

• The transformative power of infrastructure

• The Importance of Infrastructure: Networks and Systems That Keep Things Moving

• From “Poor As Hell” to Billionaire: How Tyler Perry Changed Showbusiness Forever

Hey sis, can I sit with you? Those are the most beautiful and tender words a Black Woman can hear when she feels tired and as though the world is against her. Recently, we saw a video of a Black Woman who sat in the street and refused to get up. The Minnesota Police surrounded her, hands on guns. People watched, but NO ONE got on her side. Not the police. Not the bystanders. Not the EMTs. Except one. A Black Woman social worker simply said, “Hey Sis, are you ok? Can I sit with you?”

Why is this so powerful? Because instead of making her feel like she was the problem, the woman understood the pain of NO ONE caring about a Black Woman. She understood the fatigue of not being seen as a human being with feelings and wounds, needing support and not being tased by guns or put in prison. This week, Dr. Venus talks about the power of Black Women coming together, and how we need to create our own infrastructure to do so. When we stand for each other, magic happens.

Key Takeaways:

[4:22] The woman in the video who sat down with the other woman was a social worker. She put her body on the line and was the only one out of the whole crowd to do so. That bothers Dr. Venus, as Black Women get shot, villainized, and a lot of us have grown up around unprotected spaces.

[8:00] When you’ve been hurt by life, time after time, there comes a point in that lived experience where you get tired. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually tired. Just one person asking to sit next to you can mean so much.

[10:13] The passion and anger gives them a reason to shoot us. Dr. Venus talks about how although she gets hateful comments on the regular, there’s always been one Black Woman who cared enough to check-in and be on her side.

[11:12] When a Black Woman uses her voice, she becomes a target for other people’s violence. Dr. Venus gives examples of Michelle Obama and Stacey Abrams.

[13:14] Black Women have been the savior and the workhorse. We’ve been the sacrifice. We have to invest in each other, as we’ve invested so much in everybody but us. When you have a voice and have to hold your tongue, to Dr. Venus that’s an act of self-hatred, and she isn’t doing it any longer.

[16:35] With the structures being the same ones they were in slavery, the only way for us to create our own narrative is to create our own space and our own highways. We can no longer try to fit into the model, as they try to make us the scapegoat or cash cow. The tech company that Dr. Venus is building provides a supportive and diverse space for Black Women creators.

[19:45] When Black Women get together, we create miracles. We make things happen that seem impossible, but we can’t do it if we can’t get heard and the structures of White Supremacy keep us blocked.

[20:11] Dr. Venus’s goal is to have 20k subscribers by June 1, the anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre when they burned Black Wall Street. She is working to create her own Black Wall Street in the cloud that is for Black Women by Black Women and the men and allies that love us.

[25:14] Dr. Venus has Black women helping with everything in the app, from content creation to marketing to sales, and her Nana as the Chairman of the Board.

[27:26] It can be very lonely because when we feel as though we aren’t heard. We have to have our own space to grow and explore, you can’t do that when people are designed to throw verbal bricks at you.

[30:17] Dr. Venus priced the app reasonably on purpose so that it is a safe space access that is inclusive, and a place where you can let your hair down and leave your stress at the door.

Quotes:

• “It’s about Black Women being on other Black Women’s side in a world that is against us.”
• “There’s always been one Black Woman who cared to ask me, what do you need? How can I help?”
• “We have to invest in each other, as we’ve invested so much in everybody but us.”
• “I want to be that chick that says “Hey, sis, can I sit with you?”
• “We save each other. We stand for each other.”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION CONTENT BLACK WOMEN:

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below for updates, launch dates, AND opportunities to be a part of history in the making!!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

• WOMEN SUPPORTING OTHER WOMEN: 4 SIMPLE WAYS

• ‘Black Women Loving and Supporting One Another’: Tamar Braxton Thanks Taraji P. Henson for Creating a ‘Safe Place’ for Her to Share Her Story

• But who’s gonna support Black women?

• Darren Walker: It’s Time to Support Black Women and Girls As They Lead

• The Truth About Black Women and Stress

• Support Black Women During Black History Month And Beyond

• The author encouraging Black women to embrace self-care

Dr. Venus is not arguing over if racism is real. She’s not trippin’ about the first 100 days of the Biden/Harris administration. Nor does she care who's right or wrong in terms of social change.

Here is what she has given her life to empowering Black Women to win.

This week, Dr. Venus breaks it down as an identity theorist on why we need to put our attention on outsmarting White Supremacist structures in service of the economic emancipation of Our People.

We need to put our focus less on feelings and more on strategy.

If you keep playing checkers when your opponent is playing chess you are bound to lose. Can we really outsmart them? Yes, but it’s going to take some work, and we have to be committed to winning. White Supremacy is predictable, and once we create our own self-sustaining ecosystem, we could use their model to create one of our own. Once we do, we would never have to go to White people for money, again. Going forward, we’re playing chess — and playing to win. You are invited to do the same.

Key Takeaways:

[5:29] Dr. Venus takes this discussion on as an identity theorist. Until she took on understanding White Supremacy as a historical practice, she didn’t know EVERYTHING in America was modeled after the institution of slavery in North America. Slavery was bigger business than railroads for North America, and now it exists in the fabric of every structure, including those that are invisible and not as obvious until you really look at them.

[9:18] Dr. Venus is going beyond the history of cotton picking and really examining the infrastructures that made it possible such as the buying, selling, and trading.

[11:05] Black culture gets packaged and commodified as hip, cool, and trendy and then gets pushed back to Black people to buy. We take something, crush it and take it to the next level, and that becomes something that White Supremacist structures sell back to us. For example, gangster rap was bought by more White than Black young people.  That which is illicit — aka Black — becomes something that can be sold.

[16:12] White Supremacy is invisible but very present in everything from car, home, and business loans, even how the TV portrays a Black Woman speaking or dressing. There is an investment in how they dehumanize us and make profits off our labor to justify killing us.

[20:15] When you are a corporation and not an individual, there are benefits including tax write-offs, legal advantages, and the ability to get money based on the idea of a potential return. The rich get richer, and this keeps the structure of White Supremacy even more rooted for years to come. Even the banks we have now don’t see us as a viable option to loan money out because we are Black.

[22:09] In terms of cultural currency, Black people set the tone and trends. We have it on lock. White people turn it into money, fashion, comedy and they have been doing so for the history of time, but, what if we modeled their structures for our own gain? Think about it. If we move our fight from protests about social justice to capitalism, we can start to organize ourselves around a product built for Black Women-owned by Black Women and really change the game. And if we make that product and system repeatable for other Black Women to succeed, we can monetize in years and not decades.

[28:40] Dr. Venus is out to infiltrate and to outsmart White Supremacist structures. They think we are stupid, dumb, and lazy. Let them. While they are doing their thing, Dr. Venus is building out an ecosystem where Black Women creators will get PAID instead of giving out their content for free.

[29:45] With $1.4 trillion in buying power, we can do whatever we want. We can flip that script in service of ourselves and that takes us from slave to master, from victim to owner.

[34:01] They will try to burn down everything we do just to stay in power, but they can’t burn down a digital community. Since the technology Dr. Venus is creating goes by the rules of capitalism, we’re good.

[35:01] Think of this less as a personal thing and more of a structural thing. It’s easy to be in your feelings, but this is where we need to focus on the money and not the shock value of the news.

Quotes:

• “I play my enemies like a game of chess.” - Ms. Lauryn Hill
• “When you transform a Black woman, you transform a community.”
• “Instead of being mad at White Supremacist structures, let’s outsmart them.”
• “What if we modeled their structures for our own gain?”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION CONTENT CREATORS, INFLUENCERS, ENTERPRISING ENTREPRENEURS & TV/FILM WRITERS:

I'm starting a tech company that features YOUR VOICE front and center!

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below for updates, launch dates, AND opportunities to be a part of history in the making!!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

1. The Men Who Turned Slavery Into Big Business
2. How Slavery Became the Economic Engine of the South
3. America’s first big business? Not the railroads, but slavery
4. Dutch East India Company
5. What Is a Corporation?
6. The 7 Benefits of Forming a Corporation
7. The 5 Advantages Startups Have Over Big Businesses

The news doesn’t tell you what to think, it tells you what to think about. This distinction is important because if we go by what we see on photos and mainstream media, it looks like the police are killing Black people more than White people all the time. However, the reality is that 3 times as many as White people are “shoot to kill” victims by police, but we NEVER SEE WHITE PEOPLE murdered in cold blood by cops. With 64% of the population in America being White and 13% being Black, why wouldn’t they also show the White police murders on the news? And when they do show victims such as Ma’khia Bryant or George Floyd, they show them as violent and angry people that deserve to be killed, while White people are just having issues with their mental health.

First, we must understand how the Black body has always been a commodity in White America. Whether we are picking cotton or making a touchdown, it’s always been money for Whiteness. That’s the fabric of American culture. Next, we must understand how Black trauma still equals in entertainment for White Supremacy, and to turn it around we must create a whole new structure instead of fighting with the existing one. Let’s talk about it.

Key Takeaways:

[5:49] Do not diminish your brilliance and drain your energy by fighting with the haters. Dr. Venus is focused on engaging in constructive conservations and creating a safe space. You aren’t their emotional puppet.

[6:58] 64% of the population in America are White People, while 13% are Black. More White people are killed by the police than Blacks, so why does the TV only show the Black bodies, and never the White ones?

[8:28] If you ever want to have a conversation with someone that doesn’t agree with you, read what they are reading. It’s important to understand where their information comes from. Ignore the tone, get the knowledge.

[11:12] If you aren’t educating yourself, you will be stuck in a power dynamic that keeps you in bondage. Here in Dr. Venus’s tribe, we are truth-tellers. We think, we strategize, and we win.

[12:23] There’s often no progress without struggle, but we are built for this historical moment. Yes, it’s heartbreaking and exhausting sometimes to see the laws they are trying to pass in terms of protesting and voter suppression, but do not get discouraged by the pain. If it wasn’t working, we wouldn’t have this resistance.

[16:31] When White Men who murder are in the news, it’s positioned as a mental breakdown, and they are given empathy and understanding, but the statistics show that police are also killing a high number of poor White people too.

[18:47] Dr. Venus walks it back to explain why. In the early 1900s-1950s, lynching was a norm in North America. The term “picnic” was even coined by White people picking a Black Man or Woman out to get lynched and watching it as a form of entertainment. Since Black people don’t own the media and it’s predominantly run by White older men, White Supremacy still shows this entertainment in a subversive way that makes it just seem like everyday news. Black trauma sells. It sells views, streams, and it sells because it feeds into the metanarrative of White superiority and the power it has over the Black body. White Supremacy believes they can do whatever they want to our bodies, whether it’s slave work or sexual exploitation, Black bodies are treated as though they are just a commodity. They view us as disposable. If it was a White cop on a White Man’s neck, it wouldn’t get any coverage because they protect Whiteness.

[27:48] The images of Blacks in the news have trained the world to see us as dangerous and savage, so we get no empathy. Since 64% of America is White, that means they are catering to their needs and monetizing their entertainment. Also, they have an implicit bias in how they see themselves, and they don’t want to see their own kind be treated the way that Blacks are.

[30:41] We are positioned to turn our pain into their profit. So, what is the answer? We need to control our own media channels and create our own highways, which is exactly what Dr. Venus is doing with her new app and her mission to birth 100 Black Women Billionaires. We need to create our own media channels so we are in control of our own image and not stuck in a model built to keep us “less than” and dead.

[39:11] Until police are held accountable, they will keep killing White and Black people. We have to do our part and elect people into office that have our interest in place and also badger the Senate until they pass the right laws.

Quotes:

• “Don’t get mad about it, get educated. Read. Check up on it.”

• “If you ever want to have a conversation with someone that doesn’t agree with you, read what they are reading.”
• “If it was a White cop on a White Man’s neck, it wouldn’t get any coverage because they protect Whiteness.”
• “Black trauma sells. It sells views, streams, and it sells because it feeds into the metanarrative of White superiority and the power it has over the Black body.”
• “The Black body has always been a commodity, whether we are picking cotton or making a touchdown. It’s always been money for Whiteness.”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION CONTENT CREATORS, INFLUENCERS, ENTERPRISING ENTREPRENEURS & TV/FILM WRITERS:

I'm starting a tech company that features YOUR VOICE front and center!

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below for updates, launch dates, AND opportunities to be a part of history in the making!!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

• Black Lives Matter: Are Whites killed by police brutality more than Blacks? Stats show the shocking truth

• What about police violence against white people?

• Who’s killed by police more…Whites or Blacks… depends on what kind of math you do

• Social Media and Black Bodies as Entertainment: Although I refuse to watch the killing of George Floyd, I can’t escape it

• Blacks, Picnics and Lynchings - January 2004 Question

• Six Times White People Were Shot By Police And No One Cared

• When We See Photographs of Some Dead Bodies and Not Others

Dr. Venus was already in a tizzy about the media assassinating the characters of both DMX and George Floyd, pointing to the notion that because they had addictions, they were weak and dirty. Now, Daunte Wright, a 20-year old young Black Man, was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop. This got her thinking about how the structures of White Supremacy are so powerful, yet so invisible to most of us throughout our daily life. Black bodies used to be, or some may even say are still, seen as commodities. Female Black bodies were turned into a factory for the American Dream, and have continued to be used and abused as an effect of White Supremacy.

This week, Dr. Venus shares some sage advice and strategies inspired by a talk with her 76-year-old Nana. To really make lasting change, we must first understand just how White Supremacy is currently rooted in our government by having most of the Senate made up of White Men 65 years old and above. She talks about the huge buying power of Black Women (1.4 trillion dollars) and how we are the fastest growing sector in entrepreneurship in the world, yet we still can’t get the funding. What will change this? More Black Women Billionaires and the knowing that instead of fighting White Supremacy, we must outsmart it and become our own highways instead of being the vehicles they use.

Key Takeaways:

[6:44] When Dr. Venus speaks of White Supremacy, she is not talking about skin color, she is talking about ideology. Black people can be White Supremacists, and White people can be our allies. Her focus is on the invisible power structures that we live at the effect of.

[8:18] One of the biggest challenges of being a Black person in America is the powerlessness of dealing with White power structures. It seems like they only pay attention when we mess with their money or burn something down, but Dr. Venus’s 76-year-old Nana thinks there is a better way to counter White Supremacy than with burning and looting.

[9:11] Blame is a distraction from change. Don’t get hijacked into a right or wrong conversation. There are better and more efficient ways to use your energy and power.

[10:18] We are normally the vehicle for what’s hip, hot, and cool from everything including culture, trends, to fashion. Throughout history in North America, White Men have used this to rip off our ideas, use our bodies for their gains, and capitalize on our cultural currency. Dr. Venus has had enough, and her emerging app is one way of becoming the highway instead of just the vehicle.

[13:05] Nothing in this society will change until we elect future-focused leaders. The average age of someone who starts in the Senate is 65, and this explains so much. They were two generations prior to the baby boomers and were born literally after Jim Crow. Our Senate is a group of elderly White men, and no one is noticing because we are all too distracted by the hot news of the day. We need to elect officials from local, state, and national levels that align with our interests and care about our needs.

[16:10] One of the things we can do as Black Women to counter White Supremacy is to start looking at how we educate and encourage our communities to vote in advance. Stacey Abrams is the loudest microphone out there now around voting, and we need more loud voices speaking up.

[19:39] In order to be free, you need to have your own money. Dr. Venus plays the game and knows that Black Women have a buying power of 1.4 trillion dollars and are the fastest-growing segment in entrepreneurship, and yet less than .27 percent of Black Women ever get funding from investors. Billionaire status is not about the money. It’s about creating infrastructure that allows for financial investment and leverage decades later based on the viability of a proven product — like slavery.

[21:41] Everything in America is built on the model of slavery. Dr. Venus explains how social media and corporations are two examples built on a caste system. We must fight the structure itself, not the effect of the structure. That is what Dr. Venus is committed to with her new tech company. Until we have our own highways, we will always be a slave to their rules, agendas, and how they change it when it serves them. 

[26:04] They don’t think we can do it, and they view us as animals. That’s okay, let them think that. Put your focus on building the highway, and know that Dr. Venus is creating an inclusive space for Black Women creators of all types. From kink to Christian, she’s here for all of it.

Quotes:

• “If we build our own highways, we don’t need theirs, and they can’t control us. We’re using highways that we built, based on their model.”
• “If we took on becoming Billionaires, we are literally modeling the model that keeps us in bondage. Our structures would be designed for us. It’s about the infrastructures, and that is a different financial future.”
• “They can’t fathom that we would be able to do this, but we already have.”

• “Instead of fighting White Supremacy, we must outsmart it.”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION CONTENT CREATORS, INFLUENCERS, ENTERPRISING ENTREPRENEURS & TV/FILM WRITERS:

I'm starting a tech company that features YOUR VOICE front and center!

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below for updates, launch dates, AND opportunities to be a part of history in the making!!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

• Please, Let’s Elect Some Younger U.S. Senators

• Charts that show just how old this Congress actually is

• Nielsen report: Black Girl Magic and brand loyalty is propelling total black buying power toward $1.5 Trillion by 2021

• Black Women Were Among The Fastest-Growing Entrepreneurs — Then Covid Arrived

• Black Women’s Buying Power Is Helping To Define Mainstream Culture: Report

• Goldman Sachs: One Million Black Women

• Goldman Sachs Commits $10 Billion in Investment Capital and $100 Million in Philanthropic Capital To Impact The Lives of One Million Black Women

George Floyd and DMX are men whose lives mattered, yet both of them are positioned in the popular media as junkies and losers. Bad, trifflin’ Black men whose lives were destined for the grave. We know Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd with his hand in his pocket as though his life meant nothing, and yet the conversation is more focused on if George would have JUST gotten in the police car. Much like if DMX had JUST not used drugs, he too would still be alive.

This week, Dr. Venus slows it way down to talk about what addiction is, what it is not, and how we need to change the conversation to see it more about well-being than about willpower. She discusses addiction as a survival strategy, and how being poor and Black creates its own DNA strands of PTSD. Dr. Venus reminds us that addiction doesn’t always just look like a junkie. We can be addicted to anything including food, work, relationships, and they all can take a toll on our health and quality of life. When we look at it from this lens, we vilify people less and come from a place of understanding and peace. When YOU are threatened, scared, overwhelmed, feel like the world is against you, or haunted by the pain of the past, how do YOU cope? How do you survive? Let’s talk about it.

Key Takeaways:

[2:02] There are two different narratives when it comes to addiction. For White people, struggling with addiction means they get grace and mercy. For Black Men and Women, addiction is seen as a character trait that makes them weak, broken, and worthless.

[2:50] No one chooses to be an addict, and having an addiction does not make you weak or less than a deserving human. Addiction is not a character trait. It is a brain disorder and a medical condition. Yet, the headlines scream the most vile and ugly things, specifically when it comes to Black Men as addicts.

[4:33] Dr. Venus breaks down how addiction plays a role in the stress response Black Men and Women feel just trying to survive day to day. It dates back to African ancestry and since we’ve been here, we have been in a moment of crisis. The target on your back is sanctioned by the government, and being Black is stressful no matter if you are rich or poor, queer or straight, you are born into stereotypes you didn’t earn. When things start compounding, addictions can be born as a type of survival strategy. She gives the example of DMX, who was rejected by his mother at a very young age. You add in poverty and a biased education system, and it is possible to see why someone would turn to an addiction.

[11:52] Addictive behavior doesn’t have to look like a crackhead. Michael Jackson was just trying to sleep and his White doctor ended up giving him the wrong dose and killing him. We need to expand what we call an addict. It can be wine or drugs, but it can also be gambling, sex, food, or even just the need to be right or liked by everyone.

[14:38] White people use the trope of the Black Man as an addict so often to justify killing us. It’s infuriating and will continue unless we change the conversation and the power structures at play. We’re watching the conversation be manipulated into “yeah, but he was a drug addict.”

[19:44] It screams in headlines that our lives don’t matter, and they are wrong. DMX was a flawed man, but flawed doesn’t equal justifying their murder or celebrating their demise. Nor does it equal tarnishing their name while they are here, or after they have gone.

[20:22] What are you addicted to? You can be addicted to red bottoms, to being important, to being in the number one spot. It doesn’t have to look like a crackhead. If you can’t NOT do it, you are an addict. Addiction doesn’t equal bad, it equals human. Survival is hard.

[24:52] Being an addict doesn’t mean you have no willpower. We need to change the conversation and make it about well-being and less about a character trait. Then, we can help people get the tools and strategies to cope with their addictions.

[28:15] If we can relate to addiction as a survival strategy, it starts being about well-being, a chemical issue, and stops being about being weak or flawed. That is a different conversation with no condemnation. Addiction is not a character flaw, it’s part of the human condition.

[34:21] Dr. Venus heard a rumor about Jay-Z possibly buying DMX’s catalog to give it to his children and set them up for life. If that happens, that is a Billionaire move and an example of what happens when Black Men and Women make enough money to make changes big enough to impact generations to come.

Quotes:

• “Addiction doesn’t equal bad, it equals human.”
• “Addiction is not a character flaw, it’s part of the human condition.”
• “It screams in headlines that our lives don’t matter, and they are wrong.”
• “When we talk about addiction being about well-being and not a character trait, we start to change the conversation and to relate to it rather than vilifying them.”
• “If we can have addiction become about wellness instead of being a bad person, once we take on that conversation the world will too.”

Mentioned:

Dr. Venus Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

“Hot Mess Millionaire” Amazon Pilot 

”Hot Mess Millionaire” Complete Series

(https://www.youtube.com/c/DrVenusOpalReese)

Join the conversation! Hot Mess Millionaire Facebook Group

Free Gift When You Join The Truth Tribe

The Black Woman Millionaire Hot Mess Edition

ATTENTION CONTENT CREATORS, INFLUENCERS, ENTERPRISING ENTREPRENEURS & TV/FILM WRITERS:

I'm starting a tech company that features YOUR VOICE front and center!

If you want to be THE FIRST to know about ALL things Dr. Venus’ tech start-up, fill out the form below for updates, launch dates, AND opportunities to be a part of history in the making!!

http://bit.ly/DrVenusAppInfo

RESOURCES

• CHAUVIN TRIAL

• DMX death: Pharrell Williams and Ava DuVernay lead tributes to hip-hop icon

• What Is Addiction?

• What is an Addiction?

• A Guide to Addiction and Recovery for African Americans