Purpose. Over. Pointless. Excuses. This is what is being discussed in this very first episode of season 3 of Real Reading Talk. Mark this down as one of the best episodes that I have ever done because this awesome guest Mr. Demont Pope was absolutely here dropping mad jewels, gems, nuggets and dimes! We talked about everything from his family background, the unfortunate trauma that he grew up with and the ways in which he turned that pain into purpose. He most certainly talked about why he decided to write his much needed book Purpose Over Pointless Excuses which by the way he used his last name Pope and turned into that dope acronym. We discussed how he got into motivational speaking and being an advocate for our youth. When you listen to this episode you will find out how he understood the assignment that God put him here for. Please be sure to grab your notebooks and pens because this is an episode you will need to take notes from. 

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In this last episode of season 2 I talk about the concept of reading is freedom and how this message is at the very core of this podcast. I discuss the importance of being intentional about putting reading high on our value ladder in the Black community. Last I give 4 easy ways we can consistently implement reading daily in our lives. 

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Oh yes ya'll in this episode I talk about the quote that Kyrie Irving said when he was being questioned by the media in regards to a link to a movie he posted on his personal social media platform. I'm addressing the how made it clear that he understand as a 30 year old why it was said if you want to trick a Black person then you put it in a book. He then, talked about how reading is a superpower. I also give tips on how we can be sure to teach our children about the superpower of reading and learning about our Black history and not starting with slavery. 

In this episode I talk about the what I call the 3 R's of Freedom Resistance, recovery and resilience. What made me choose this topic is because I thought about how my own children need to know how to recover whenever they are faced with trials and setbacks in the event I'm not around. So then, I realized this was an aspect of being a Free person. That's when I decided to add the other components to freedom which are resisting the negativity and oppression and resilience being able to push through and persevere even when times get tough. So I hope you all make sure to grab your notebooks pens and anyone who is looking for a podcast that talks about empowering the Black community through literacy unapologetically. 

This episode is a check-in to make sure parents are equipping their children with the necessary tools of empowerment that is needed when they are going to these "schools" that are in many cases like a battle zone. I also talk about how we must be real with our children in regards to the racism that they are faced with daily and what that looks like inside the classrooms. I give real examples of how the classrooms are headed by white women and they act as police officers in a sense monitoring the behaviors of our Black children and making sure they don't get out of line. As we are very well aware of the labeling and medications that are pushed in our faces to give to our children who are not complying with the docile expectations they have of them. This is definitely an episode you do not want to miss.

In this episode I show a number of titles of books for all ages that not only have I read but, I truly believe you must have in your home library. I give brief summaries of what each book is about and how these can help build confidence, knowledge of self and teach the history that our children are not learning in the classrooms. You most definitely need your notebooks and pens for this episode. 

Like I promised Ebony Donley and I took a deeper dive into why it's important for our children to get their writing skills up to par. Ebony gave practical tips on how we can help our children write more and write well. She went beyond talking about they need writing to pass these state tests she linked writing to empowerment and how it is great tool that can be used to get the things you need and want. Of course I had to bring in the reasons why our children aren't able to come up with the words to express themselves due to the conditions of injustice that was created by white supremacy. However, in this episode we did not just focus on the problems we also talked about the solutions. Please make sure you have your notebooks and pens for these jewels and nuggets that were being dropped. 

Oh yes she's baaack!!! Intervention specialist, literacy advocate,  tutoring business owner, certified life coach and author of 2 books Ebony Donley is in the Real Reading Talk house! She is sharing her rich experiences about how she grew up in a very loving, supportive and literacy filled, high achieving home. She is also giving insight as to how her upbringing led her to choosing education as her profession. Then, we bring all together by talking about the importance of developing those writing skills in addition to the reading skills in our Black children. This conversation was exciting, fun and extremely important. This is an episode you don't want to miss! 

I'm just scratching the surface in this almost an hour episode, in which I talk about the 4 tools we can implement daily that I believe can help us to decolonize our minds. For it is our mindset that must be changed in order for us to change this low level literacy path that we have been plagued with for decades in the Black community. You must grab your notebooks and pens so you can write down these tools and begin to implement them in your homes daily. 

 In this episode I talk about the importance of being unapologetically Black. I'm reminding us of how aspects of our culture like helping our grandparents or grandparents cook, visiting our family down south or having those conversations with our elders in the garden , is not only building literacy skills it's also preserving our heritage. I'm also going down memory lane by sharing some of my memories of the times I spent with my late grandmother Gloria Sallee Rice. She was an integral part as to how I started to become more conscious and I began to develop a love of Black history. I also talk about different forms of literacy and how it's not just relegated to reading and writing only. Finally, I tie everything together with the foundational core of this episode which is having confidence in ourselves, knowing who we are and loving who we are which is one of the tools of linking reading to freedom.  So buckle your seatbelts because I'm taking y'all on a Black empowerment journey!