P1 Reality Check

In this episode we sat down with Al McSurely a civil rights activist over 3 decades. A man who was friend to Stokely Carmichael, a comrade to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and a confidant to Rev. Dr. William Barber.  Al McSurely is a survivor who discuss his home being bombed where him, his wife and child lay. He talks about his strategic participation in the civil rights movement and the impact it played on moving civil rights forward. This is a first hand account of the movement told from the person who lived it. This interview is one for the books so enjoy it as Al shares with us history as it should be told. 

In this episode we featured Richard Ethridge and the lifesavers at Pea Island. Know for their legendary save of the crew of the ES Newman this group received the Coast Guards Gold Life Saving Medal. Richard Ethridge's story is one of perseverance, courage, hard work and self confidence. 

We also discussed the Lebron James scuffle and the publics perception when an incident like that occurs with such a high profile individual and the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict precedent on self defense as well as gun rights.  We also discussed the increased violence in high schools in the greater Charlotte, NC area. As always we played "The Game". 

In this episode we discussed "Black Codes" and the impact this has had on blacks historically which has guided us to our current position in America today. We discussed labor contracts, use of eminent domain, red lining and mass incarceration. We also discussed the trial of the men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery and how Georgia had the citizens arrest law on the books which was used as the defense and how that law ties into black codes.  We also discussed a few other topics like Aaron Rodgers spinning his vaccination status and the tragedy at Astroworld.  As always we played the Game, "Guess What Race, Guess What Gender". 

In this episode we highlight the life of AG Gaston a hero in Alabama and a person worthy of admiration beyond. We celebrate his accomplishments in business, philanthropy and civil rights. Gaston over his lifetime connected with many great black figures such as Booker T. Washington (someone he idolized), Martin Luther King, Jr, Mary Macloud Bethune, Colin Powell and others.   He was a staple in Alabama particularly in Birmingham and if you wanted to do something progressive or business related in Alabama then you went to visit Gaston.

We also discussed the case of Carl Cavalier the Louisiana State trooper who blew the whistle on the conduct of his fellow officers.  As alway we played the game, "Guess what race, guess what gender". 

In this episode we discuss the Dave Chappelle epic stand up performance "The Closer" that is featured on Netflix. We discuss the criticism he has received. We also discuss the Facebook book whistleblower Frances Haugen looking at this case from a 50 thousand foot view. Our feature for this episode is John H. Johnson the founder of Ebony and Jet magazine. We talk about his influence on society from the 1940s to 1990s. This media mogul had a profound impact on black culture and brought the magnificence of the culture to print. 

In this episode we talk about unwritten rules of life between people, feel good story of a 94 year black woman finally able to buy her dream wedding dress 70 years later and our feature Robert Gordon who turned coal dust into cash making a fortune in his lifetime as a former slave.  We also play the "Guess What Race Did It" game. 

In this episode we discussed "The Doll Experiment" and the contributions of Mamie and Kenneth Clark to the black community particularly in the 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education. We discuss black inferiority deliberately resulting from systemic racism. 

In this episode we discussed how systemic racism buried black communities and replaced those communities with lakes and parks.  Destroying legacies and lives to keep black communities from thriving and prospering in America. This was the result of white hatred, envy and fear of the possibility that black communities would rival white communities in economic stability and growth. 

In this episode we discussed the impact that HBCUs made in college football. We also discuss NCAA lifting rules for college athletes capitalizing finacially off their personal brands.  

In this episode we celebrated the life and achievements of Frederick Douglass Patterson, who was the first African American car manufacturer. We also highlighted the first African American female pit crew member in NASCAR, Brehanna Daniels.