In My Shoes Stories from Women of Color

Hear two police officers in Florida talk about race, the riots and what it's like to be a police officer in the current climate.

Michael Bucciarelli and Anthony Collins are officers with the sheriff's department in Hillsborough County, Florida. Both talk openly about working in law enforcement today and racial tensions and concerns about police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.

Our Black and Brown in America series continues with two mothers of daughters. Listen as Ginain Grayes and LaToya Hayes discuss their fears as they raise daughters in America.

How do they deal with their girls' questions on race, the murder of black men and women and the future they hope for as their daughters grow up in America?

Listen as two members of my tribe talk about their concerns raising Black sons in America. Maureen Greene-James and Toni Boyd both have sons in college, they are both 20 years old and away from home. I also have a 20-year-old son who attended technical college and is working in his field.

We discuss the fear that grips us when we can't reach them right away on the phone or when they are away from home longer than expected. Hear what it's like to be the mom of a Black son in America, and why we worry so much about our young men.

Listen to Dr. Robin DiAngelo talk about her book White Fragility - Why So Many White People Struggle to Talk About Race. She dives into why many white people struggle to deal with racism or admit that they struggle with it.

Her book has been a best seller since it was released in 2018. Dr. DiAngelo is an American academic, lecturer, and author working in the fields of critical discourse analysis and whiteness studies.

Click here to learn more about her book: https://www.amazon.com/White-Fragility-People-About-Racism/dp/0807047414

Listen to a great conversation with Sybil Wilkes. After 26 years on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, the flyjock retired and now Sybil is moving into a new season of life with her daily newsletter What You Need to Know. It's five major news stories that impact the Black Community. Hear her talk about the newsletter, politics and the pandemic.

Click Here to Subscribe to her newsletter: https://sybilwilkes.com/

Listen as my classmate Sammecia Bagley talks openly for the first time about her battle with depression. While Sammecia has talked with close friends and family, she has never spoken publicly about her struggle.

Hear her brave conversation about what helps her deal, what triggers an episode and why it was hard for her to decide to step forward.

You will also learn more about the chance to take a mental health first aid training - an opportunity to learn more about how you can detect signs that someone is in mental distress and how you can get them connected with help. If you want to know more click on the links below.

In the Tampa Bay area: https://safeandsoundhillsborough.org/

Throughout the United States: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/take-a-course/

More Than a Mom founder Andresea Jackson talks about her life as a mom of four, including two children with special needs.

Listen to her talk about juggling motherhood with for kids in school quarantined at home while trying to work full time job and remember to keep working on her own dreams.

It’s a thought-provoking interview that will leave you wanting to know more about Andresea and about More Than a Mom.

 Go to her Facebook page: MORE THAN A MOM

Catch up with our small business owner, Ivanaa as she lets us in on how things have been going on the eve of being able to reopen her business. She was forced to close in late March because of COVID-19. 

Ivanaa began seeing clients in the new normal the week of May 11.

https://www.chateaublanclashandbeautylounge.com/

Listen to three members of my tribe talk about life in quarantine.

• What will they do differently in the "new normal"
• How have they been able to advance their side hustles
• What is the one word they would use to describe their quarantine experience
• Find out who said they would make a terrible teacher and who was at first worried about too much alone time with the hubby only to find it was just what they needed

And check out their businesses:

https://cookprayslay.com/ - Ginain Grayes

https://mgjspeaks.com/ - Maureen Greene-James

https://www.facebook.com/designsbylynne/ - Amber Conage

Hear NAMI Hillsborough's Vice President Natasha A. Pierre tell her story of discovery after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She will talk about the stigma she has faced, what happened when she was first diagnosed and the day she decided she was going to go public with her diagnosis.

NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization. The goal is to build better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

To learn more about NAMI go to: https://www.nami.org.