"The Network" with Michael Prejean

Chandra Hampton joins us for Episode 18.  Just a fearless girl from Baton Rouge, Chandra has given herself permission to live and helps bring joy to other people through the medium of dance.  Voted DC best dance instructor in 2017-2019, Chandra is bouncing back from a breast cancer diagnosis--she's cancer free btw--and regaining her form and strength and no doubt will DC's best once again.  

Facebook: Chandra Hampton or Champion Lifestyle Fitness

Instagram:  @CHamplifestyle

Twitter:  @CHamplifestyle

Webpage: www.champlifestyle.com 

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but...

"Drink plenty of water."

Grambling State University graduate Jakeithia Prejean is in the house for Episode 17.  She shares the wisdom behind R.E.S.E.T with J along with her journey from Lafayette to Grambling and back to Lafayette.  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/resetwithj

Instagram:  @reset.with.j

Twitter: jkprejean

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but...

"Stop, pause and don't be too busy to re-evaluate."

"You can't tell everybody everything."

"You can't put everything on social media."

My sister, Michelle Tatum, joins me this week on The Network to talk about death, grief and coping.  Michelle is a proud alumnus of Dillard University in New Orleans and a NICU nurse.  Unexpectedly, while working as a NICU nurse, she ended up in NICU as she and my brother-in-law Moses lost their first baby to premature birth a little over 10 years ago.  She talks about losing my nephew, MJ, and how she dealt with, and continues to deal with that experience.   

Facebook: MIchelle Prejean Tatum 

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but...when someone has experienced a loss: 

"Don't tell them it was for the best...offer your condolences and move on."

Chief Visionary Officer of Dopeaholics International, LLC, Super Cool guy Rod Hinton Esquire joins The Network to converse about cannibis.   

Instagram: @dopeaholics420 

Facebook: Rod Hinton

Website:  www.dopeaholics.com 

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but...

"Learn the law."

Akira M. Leblanc, Educational Consultant and newly minted author joins The Network to talk, you guessed it education!  Not just any type of education, but 'culturally responsive education,' the direction education must move towards to remain relevant for our kids.  

Twitter:  @Litlady22 and @AkiraLeBlanc

Facebook: @The 7 Traits of Talented Teachers

Website:  www.akiramleblanc.com

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but...

"Do one thing, do it well, then do the next thing."

"Ego Interrupts Progress."

"Parents, we still need you."

"Love Should Always Precede Learning." 

The 10th president of the Houston Area Urban League Young Professionals joins The Network for episode 13.  We touch on everything from playing tennis in the hood to raising the next generation of community leaders to recognizing if you're a nerd or not.  Great conversation.  Thanks for listening.  

Instagram: @mr_president_haulyp

Twitter:  @whynotdeion

Facebook: Deion Dorsett

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but..."Stop offering your opinion if you're not willing to develop or support solutions in your community."

The Network expands into the midwest this week as we have an outstanding chat with Tony Dugas, (pronounced doo-gah), principal of O'Keefee Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin.  Tony communicates the need for the educational system to have a clear mission for addressing the needs of all children.  

Instagram: @tonyrdugas

Facebook: Tony Rivera Dugas

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but..."Travel and Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable."

Terrell Robertson, also known as Dig of Dig Deep Fitness LLC joins The Network.  His story exemplifies his toughness, discipline and ability to overcome in the face of loss and hardship.  A humble, hard working brother, Terrell also shares some dietary and fitness hacks you don't want to miss on this episode of The Network.  

Instagram: @DigDeepFitnessLLC

Facebook: Terrell Robertson/Dig Deep Fitness

Website:  www.digdeepfitnessllc.com

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but..."Man Up."

"Ya Didn't Ask"...but these guys in the NBA are tired too.

Being black in America is effing exhausting.  Life has enough challenges of its own, but the challenge that comes with being black is different and tiring-mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually tiring.

Everyone has an opinion on what NBA players, perhaps the most visible members of our community, should do with their platform.  Play, don't play.  Protest, don't protest.  Take a knee, don't take a knee.  Leave the bubble, stay in the bubble, they never should have gone to the bubble.

These guys are living out their dreams, as professional ball players nonetheless, and now some have the expectation that these professional ball players should take the mantle and lead the way in the decades long fight for human and civil rights.

There are no excuses.  These gentlemen chose to train their bodies to pivot, finish at the rim, drain threes and make stepback jumpers.  They then, in the spirit of the athletic ancestors who came before them, took it upon themselves to train their voices to speak against racism, injustice, police brutality, etc.

Being black in America is effing exhausting and these black men are tired.  They should be.  Black women in the WNBA are tired too.  So tired that some decided not to play this season.  Maya Moore hasn't played for multiple seasons...because being black AND fighting for black people AND playing ball is too much right now.  Black women often see it first.  The black men of the NBA are starting to recognize it too, so they took a couple of days off.

What happens now?  None of us can predict it.  We'll get an NBA champion out of the bubble.  We'll get a WNBA champ as well.  Sick and tired is a real thing and black fatigue requires days off.  I'll end  with a popular summary of why we're so doggone tired...

“We can't jog - Ahmaud Arbery. We can't relax in the comfort of our homes - Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, Breonna Taylor  We can't ask for help after being in a car wreck - Jonathan Ferrell and Renisha McBride. We can't hold a cellphone - Stephon Clark. We can't leave a party to get to safety - Jordan Edwards. We can't listen to loud music - Jordan Davis. We can't sell CD's - Alton Sterling. We can't sleep in our beds - Aiyana Jones. We can't play cops and robbers - Tamir Rice. We can't walk home with skittles - Trayvon Martin. We can't get a traffic ticket - Sandra Bland. We can't lawfully carry a  carry a weapon - Philando Castile. We can't go to church - the Charleston 9. We can't allegedly whistle – Emmett Till.”

"Everyone expects us to go out and play. I get it. But we needed some time....We needed some time to refocus and understand that we can do that. We're human..."

~ Chris Paul

We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot. We’re the ones that were denied to live in certain communities. We’ve been hung. We’ve been shot. All you do is keep hearing about fear...It’s just ridiculous. It just keeps getting … It keeps going. There’s no charges. Brionna Taylor, no charges, nothing.

~ Doc Rivers

"We're tired of the killings and the injustice,"

~ George Hill

"My house has been burned to the ground, animals tortured and burned as well," Rivers' son Austin, tweeted out earlier. "Along with anything we ever loved, and held treasured, because of the color of my dad's skin. We lost everything and had to start over."

~ Austin Rivers

Kori D. Crampton, Educational Consultant and Certified Trauma Practitioner joins The Network to detail the premise behind From Dust to Rainbows.   From Dust to Rainbows is a professional development platform aimed at improving the knowledge competence, skill and effectiveness of administrators, teacher and other educators in identifying and understanding how traumatic life experience negatively affects learning and what can be done by the educator to help foster resilience.   A native of 3rd ward Texas, Kori's hope is to help educators see beyond the “dust” and trauma of their more “difficult” kids, and help those same kids discover their own rainbows. to derail some of educators current worries and reach a point of peace.     

Instagram: @from_dust_to_rainbows 

Twitter: @KoriD_Crampton 

Facebook: @fromDusttoRainbows 

Website:  www.fromdusttorainbows.com 

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Finally, "You Didn't Ask," but..."Parents, fight the state test war!"