Real talk, Real people

The spending power of black people in 2018 was estimated to be $1.9 trillion. But you would never know that when you go into black neighborhoods. Most of it did not go to black businesses. It is time black people start making a commitment to spend more of their money in black-owned businesses to get some of that money into black communities.

My guest today is businessman Howard K. Hill, the owner of Howard K. Hill Funeral Services.

We have been gaining listeners since we aired our first episode on Oct. 25, with our podcast listened to hundreds of times. But we know new listeners may not be aware of the conversations we've had. Here are snippets of what people in Connecticut are talking about.  

Why do I love my country but at the same time hate it so much? The conversation is about systematic racism within police departments and the protests around the US. My guests today are Wes Johnson from Danbury, Clyde Nickerson from Bridgeport and Miche'lle Sanders of Shelton.

Why do I love my country but at the same time hate it so much? The conversation is about systematic racism within police departments and the protests around the US. My guests today are Wes Johnson from Danbury, Clyde Nickerson from Bridgeport and Miche'lle Sanders of Shelton.

The country is at unrest over the killing of another unarmed black man at the hands of police. My guest is Greg Johnson, president President, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Ansonia Branch. The conversation is about George Floyd and the ongoing murders of black men by police.

It’s no longer a secret that blacks and other minorities are being hospitalized and dying at a higher rate than whites from COVID-19. 

I discussed this with my guests, Dr. David Hill and Dennis Brown, two professors from Quinnipiac University.  But it is no secret it is due to what has plagued minorities for decades: lack of access to health care, low-level jobs and poor working conditions, along with crowded and inadequate housing. 

As the number of people who are unemployed due to COVID-19 continues to rise, thousands of people here in Connecticut and tens of millions nationwide are facing hunger. And that is happening as food prices soar and the food supply chain is breaking down. That is leading to  competition to feed people. 

My guest is Nancy Coughlin, the executive director of Person-to-Person in Stamford, a nonprofit that has been around since 1968. She will talk about how her agency is helping put food on the table during the pandemic.

My guest this week is Brock Bacote, a New Haven resident. He had just been released from the Brooklyn Correctional Institute 3 days when this conversation took place about 10 days ago.

I didn’t bring him on to talk about his crimes or what led to them, (for more on that kind of conversation, listen to our Nov. 4 podcast with Seymour resident Jimmie Kave on the benefits of a revamped justice system and turning your life around).

But I wanted to talk to Brock to get an idea what it is like being locked up and in close quarters with other inmates after learning about COVID-19.

You know folks, there are a lot of healthcare workers who don’t feel enough is being done to keep them safe from becoming infected with  COVID-19.

Some of them work in prisons where the number of people infected with and dying from  COVID-19 continues to rise.

COVID-19 has produced a crisis unprecedented in our times but still, Connecticut has been shameful in its slow response to stop the spread in nursing homes and prevent it from further spreading in prisons. And people are paying for it with their lives.