It's Always Personal

Blacks currently serving in the armed forces became collateral damage recently as 45 ordered U.S. troops onto the streets during the ongoing protests sparked by police brutality and the killing of Blacks by law enforcement. Alright, I encountered an Instagram account referring to a black soldier as a "slave", and I had to speak on an age old discussion. Guest Tony Gomes, retired USN, joined IAP for a real chat about Blacks in the military.

Not trying to knock anybody for how they want to participate in the Justice For George Floyd protests. And, I'm in awe of people, globally, putting feet to pavement. I'll apologize ahead of time, but I'm sorry, but protests (alone) don't necessarily equate to the change I'd like to see. Attorney Bryan Stevenson, the central figure in the movie Just Mercy, is my kind of activist. I just recently watched the 2019 movie, and wanted to share my reaction.

Candace Owens has George Floyd effed up, but I got bro's back. Rush Limbaugh and The Breakfast Club talked at each other on-air. Black people should've gleaned something important - struggle or strive. And what do you know LeBron James already suggested a solution, aloud, to what Owens is so disgusted by Blacks about.

George Floyd becomes the third unarmed Black person to be killed just during this COVID-19 pandemic. Like Louisville's Breonna Taylor, 46-year old Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis during an arrest that primarily involved Derek Chauvin, along with three other officers. Conservative speaker Candace Owens would demand Blacks to refrain from acting like "trained f----- chimpanzees" when you see the footage of incidents like Floyd's killing, as well as Ahmaud Arbery.

Long story short, saying 'Happy birthday!" to Malcolm X on his birthday is about as deep as it gets for some brothers online. Speaking out on injustices like Ahmaud Arbery would only be one facet of Malcolm. There's much more that could be improved in the Black community by focusing on his powerful example in terms of his comportment. That's more than a caption or a tweet though. Pay me no mind.

Holidays for my family have been the bane of my existence for about seven years. And, largely due to no fault of my own. Seriously. The joy of Mother's Day 2020 didn't last beyond 10:00 AM, following a call to Ma Wood to wish her... Happy Mother's Day. My takeaway was this, an audio-only Wood-styled episode of "This Is Us" I should pitch.

I first encountered a black person being killed in a hate crime in 1998. I'm tired of seeing video footage of unarmed black people, men usually, being killed. Lynching made it to 2020, and the practice can't go unaddressed. Sorry and RIP Ahmaud Arbery.

The personal and financial impact of Covid-19 is challenging for everybody. However, I think up and coming boxers with families, are among some of the most vulnerable athletes in the entire sports world. I had the opportunity to check in with rising undefeated heavyweight Stephan "Big Shot" Shaw, a 27-year old husband and father of two, who hails from St. Louis, Missouri. Don't miss his wife's reaction when I unknowingly informed Shaw he is currently the No. 10-ranked U.S. heavyweight on BoxRec.

James Baldwin had a quote from a documentary called I Am Not You Negro that just came to mind when I observed former boxing champion Ishe Smith engage in a war of words with a highly organized, influential group of Black boxing fans. Smith's views on a controversial boxing issue opposed the online group's opinion, and the former champ was deemed a sellout. How does this situation always play out like so?

Taking apart Jay Electronica's long overdue debut album A Written Testimony. Is it what we expected?