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Raised By Her Podcast
Raised By Her is a mother–daughter podcast exploring the lessons, love, and lived experiences passed down through generations. Hosts Ro Nita and Donnica share honest, intergenerational conversations about womanhood, identity, family, and leadership - and the wisdom we inherit (and sometimes challenge).
Part humor and all heart, Raised By Her is a reminder that every generation has something to teach—and that the stories that raise us continue to shape who we become.
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Raised By Her Podcast
Cyrus Carmack Verdict, Eddie Murphy’s Honor & Serena’s Huge Return
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Deep-dive into soul food history, Serena Williams’ massive tennis pivot, and the shocking South Carolina store verdict.
Welcome back to the couch. In this episode of Raised by Her, we untangle the complex history and internal biases tied to cultural cuisine, breaking down why soul food is an intentional celebration of flavor and resilience rather than a burden of stereotypes. We switch gears to look at the competitive psychology of sports, analyzing Serena Williams’ thrilling doubles comeback with Nike, her physical evolution with GLP-1 health discussions, and how icons like Simone Biles prove that playing for pure joy unlocks peak performance. Plus, we pull back the curtain on media accountability, dissecting Craig Melvin’s aggressive Today Show interview of First Lady Jill Biden regarding her new memoir, View from the East Wing. Finally, we tackle a viral moment of accountability and decorum when a Chicago high school graduate's stage antics lead to a harsh life lesson.
🎤 New episodes every week. Honest conversations between mother and daughter on family, womanhood, and navigating life across generations.
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TIMESTAMP:
00:00 – Why the Algorithm Loves You (Like, Share, Subscribe)
00:23 – Mid-West Summer Weather Check-In
00:56 – Lizzo, Mary J. Blige, and the Jingle Backlash
01:26 – Internalized Racism & The Soul Food Stereotype
03:00 – The Black-ish Dinner Table Rule: History vs. Culture
04:33 – Secured the Check: Ad Rant & Industry Opinions
05:50 – 2026 NBA Finals: Young Spurs vs. New York Knicks OGs
08:29 – The Politics of the Playoff Courtside
10:13 – Serena Williams Pivots Back to Tennis
11:45 – The Simone Biles Method: Finding Joy in Competition
13:44 – High School Drill Teams & 20 Hours of Training
15:11 – The Venus Factor: Making a Doubles Comeback
15:50 – GLP-1s, Muscle Mass, and Elite Athlete Training
18:13 – Reviewing Netflix's AFI Tribute to Eddie Murphy
20:09 – Playing Every Character: The Nutty Professor Secret
21:48 – Getting Lifetime Awards Before Your 90s
23:25 – Sponsored Break: PureMD MedSpa Special Offers
24:41 – The Cyrus Carmack-Belton Verdict Explained
27:40 – Breaking Down the Columbia Jury Demographics
28:48 – First-Degree Malice vs. Second-Degree Charges
31:14 – "The Talk": Black Mothers, Sons, and Survival
35:44 – Systemic Funding: Business Dynamics in Black Communities
38:20 – The Stage Split: A 3.5 GPA Graduation Drama
42:35 – Grandma Rosa’s Life Lesson on Accountable Moments
44:30 – Class with Class: Decorum vs. Respectability Politics
45:40 – Jill Biden's View from the East Wing Press Tour
46:52 – Craig Melvin's Controversial Interview Strategy
50:08 – Marriage Dynamics: The Meghan & Harry Trigger Point
53:55 – The Crown Season Finale: Monarchy & Royal Titles
55:37 – Live a Life You Love: See You Next Week!
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Thank you so much for joining us on the Raised by Her podcast. It really helps us out. If you download, subscribe, like, and love. And also please leave us a review. Welcome back to Raised by Her.
SPEAKER_01Well, my beautiful daughter, how are you doing on this beautiful summer afternoon, even though it's not summer yet?
SPEAKER_02It's not summer yet. It finally feels like summer. And it also feels like it's not going to immediately drop 30 degrees tomorrow. That we have some consistency.
SPEAKER_01That is true. We are hoping that it does not drop 30 degrees, but it's gorgeous say out. So wherever you are and listening to us, we hope that your weather is good as well.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes, it's true. Do you want to hear some feedback from some of our well, one topic from last episode?
SPEAKER_01Sure. That sounds good.
SPEAKER_02All right. So we got um some commentary about our commentary on the Lizzo jingle, the new Lizzo jingle, chilies jingle, um, and our comparison to it uh to Mary J. Blige's um chicken jingle.
SPEAKER_01Chicken chicken. So ribs versus chicken is what you're saying here.
SPEAKER_02Okay, all right. So um this gentleman, I'm gonna read his comment, but he got a lot of pushback from folks in the comments. But I still thought it was like an interesting perspective that I wanted to share. Okay, so he said the reason why black people are upset by Mary's and Lizzo's commercial is that it's internalized racism regarding food. We've let ourselves be ashamed for having an association with foods that we eat like everyone else. We've we should have released ourselves from that racist burden.
SPEAKER_01So racism tied to food consumption or particular kinds of food. I'm a little confused by I think what he's talking about is the stereotypes. Okay, of a certain kind of food. Yeah. Such as fried chicken or to black people, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I'm not gonna go down all the stereotypes of different foods in different races. But you know, the chicken and then the black people.
SPEAKER_01But um I I believe that there is a uh a very positive relationship that uh we as a culture have with the kind of food that we we like. Now, you know, I I don't eat chitlins, but I know a lot of people who did, and um I'm not a fan of pig feet, but my family and your family has has eaten those kinds of I'm so grateful you raised me as vegetarian. Well, but that had to do uh that that really had to do with um the research that my mother was doing, Rosa blessed her heart, who believed that how we eat and what we eat impacts our health. Right. And so that's what uh I was trying to make sure that you were healthy and that I was healthy, and we were hoping that that would be something beneficial.
SPEAKER_02There's this amazing episode of Blackish, the show Blackish, um, where they're at the dinner table and somebody was complaining about something on the table being racist, and Andre, the father, yes, um, said everything is tied to race in the United States. And so they started going through each piece of food on the table. And they, yeah, but obviously the writers had done the history, but they were able to tie like every single thing. Okay. Um I mean, yeah, and so it's it's it's because the history, you know, the history be history.
SPEAKER_01Well, it and it is cultural. It has, I think, a lot to do with not only how you're raised, what you had access to, what you liked in terms of your family, what you could afford in terms of the dinner table. Right, because black people ate chitlins because we wouldn't we didn't have access to the other parts of the pit. Yes, that's absolutely true. Yeah. Uh but um fried chicken was not something that we had because of or that we consumed on Sundays after church because it was something that uh we didn't have access in terms of food. It was something that we really liked as a culture. And we still do.
SPEAKER_02Now you think about it, whether it's I'm confident that there is some marketing and some reason that it's tied to us the way it is. There's always a story.
SPEAKER_01Soul food is is something that I think touches the soul and it's really good. I mean, macaroni and cheese and candy yams, and we I mean, just that's true. You think about it. Yeah, it's also an excellent movie.
SPEAKER_02You can tell I like to consume a lot of it. Okay, okay, all right. Um, another person said, I don't believe Mary J Mary J. Blige at all that jingle was a rendition of her own song, why? She was just mad at the outcome, and the outcome was not what what she expected. She still got her check.
SPEAKER_01Um, so that's why Lizzo said that she went forward and did this commercial because she got her check. So uh I I'm not going to speculate what was in Mary J. Bly's head when she was doing the commercial. So uh okay.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's all I can say.
SPEAKER_02Everybody, okay. I don't know if I think that everybody's entitled to their opinion on some things that we're about to get into later on in the episode, but we uh but we do appreciate the engagement and the commentary and the perspectives that you all um uh give to us. And we love the fact that it feels like you all are right here on the couch with us. Absolutely. So thank you. And please continue to comment, like, subscribe, review, all the things.
SPEAKER_01All the things. And one of the the uh things that we talked about during our production meeting is we appreciate the fact that we have a growing audience, that there are more people who are not only um listening to us and watching us, but engaging with us. So absolutely makes us feel good too. So thank you.
SPEAKER_02Oh, so you've been watching the NBA. I have not been watching the NBA final finals, but I feel like everyone, everyone everyone, some people, let me not be extremely.
SPEAKER_01They have now uh one when we are uh taping this particular podcast, uh they uh the San Um San Diego, San Diego, oh my goodness, San Antonio, excuse me, San Antonio Spurs Spurs are down two games to one, so uh we have a long way to go. Uh some people think it's going to go all the way through the playing the New York Knicks. Donica, I'm rooting for the Spurs. Oh, okay. But everybody else I know are rooting for the Knicks.
SPEAKER_03Oh, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_01So you're that person. I am that person, including your husband. I had a great conversation with one of my cousins earlier this week, and I mean he's all into the Knicks, and oh, after the first game, he called me three times. Oh wrong. To rub it in. But uh the game that was uh we're taping this on Saturday, the game that was Friday night. Okay, it was a a really good game. Both games were good, but this was a really good game because they were playing uh in San Antonio and they continued. San Antonio would go up by 10, uh, 12 points, and the Knicks would catch up. And then the Knicks would go up by so many points, and then San Antonio would catch up. So who had a better fans? Well, I was I was telling another um friend of mine that it sounded like in San Antonio that the Knicks brought uh five car loads and three busloads of folks too, all the way to San Antonio, uh, Texas. But I think the Knicks probably would say that they have the best flan, uh the best fans in terms of support. Uh, but it's been a good series, and and that's what I I really wanted to acknowledge here. And for those who love sports and love basketball, uh, this is almost the best there is because you have uh the Spurs who are a young team, and you have uh the uh Knicks who are the uh the OGs. The guys have been playing for yes, well, yes, but they're not the old elders. They have young speakers. Yeah, well, at some point probably, yeah. And the the style of basketball um is the kind of of basketball that that we like because it's uh it's fastball, it's uh well executed, it's not predictable in terms of we know that this is going to happen and this is going to happen. We know it's going to be a good game, and it's been a great series so far. So go next.
SPEAKER_02My goodness. I um so I the reason that I know anything about the fact that the finals are going on is because I heard that um Andani, uh the mayor of New York, was going to attend, and people had some questions about that. And then at some point Trump had mentioned that he was going to attend a game.
SPEAKER_01And so but but for the political aspect of the So I have to say, because we know we have um podcast listeners from all over, so you're not gonna say go spurs. You well, you did, and right. That uh that's so very important, and it's uh it allows us at a time when things are not going well in this world, when the environment seems to be challenged. Uh, we are so well, okay. The environment is challenged when gas prices and the price of milk and food and and so many people are having so many different problems. To be able to take a couple of hours and to relax and to enjoy a good sports game with two dynamic, talented uh teams, I think is is good. So Wimby Who is on the uh Spurs, um he is over seven feet tall, and he is a phenomenal uh player. And uh and then Brunson on the Knicks is a great player as well. So I'm just I'm just all into it. When's the next game? Um it'll be early next week. Early next week, okay. Yeah, so they and the next game will be in New York. Okay, so these last two games. So two games in uh San Antonio, two games in New York, and then they start one one and we'll you can let me know how it goes. I will. Yeah. You you and everybody and everybody else. So um so good luck to uh all the basketball fans out there. And yeah, you're hoping that their team wins whoever their team is, whoever their team is. But you know, talking about sports, we had another big sports story this uh this week that sort of surprised me. I don't know if it's surprised everybody.
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, because she had been so Serena announced her return to tennis. She did. And I think maybe supposedly really it wasn't a I mean, her and Nike did that little um right, yes, yes, clip. I don't know, short commercial, whatever you announcement is announcement, that is and yeah, I was surprised because she had been um non-committal when people were were asking her directly about her return. And so I think a lot of people were like, oh, you know, this is amazing, this is great, which is my feeling about it, but also um a questioning kind of like the why to like why now.
SPEAKER_01I I I think from the articles that I I read during her retirement, especially the article in in Vogue magazine, and she was talking about moving her life forward in a certain way. She wanted to be able to have uh to evolve, and she felt like this at that time, four years ago, when she was stepping back, that retirement was something that she was exploring because of where she was then. And now today, uh with the announcement uh with Nike, um, I think it's a decision that she's making in terms of how she feels about her life today. One of the things that that uh we both embrace is being able to explore lots of different ways to look at your life. We love a pivot. Yeah, and and so I feel for her that this is a pivot. I think the last four years, I think she's missed tennis. I think that the competitive side of her is just uh wanting to get out there and and and do it again and do it again. And I think at this moment she's just gonna do it for fun. If I win, yay, yay. But I I don't think it's going to be one of those moments where she just decides, you know, I have to win this. There was so much competition and so much uh, I think pressure on her during the end of uh her her season then because there were uh some titles that she was uh really trying to I I think uh go after and she was trying to to make a certain kind of mark and all that pressure. Now I think she's gonna say, you know what? I'm in my 40s, I feel good, I look good, I look great, as a matter of fact. I'm just gonna go out there and have some fun with this.
SPEAKER_02I hope so. I mean, we were actually in a meeting earlier this week where uh we were talking to a colleague, um, a new colleague of ours. And, you know, once we get through the meeting, we're talking about like, oh, you know, how are you spending your time? What you're what are you gonna be doing this summer, blah, blah, blah. And she has a daughter who's been really um involved in gymnastics. And but then she uh was talking about um how mentally challenging that sport is. And so as you were, and how she's working with her daughter and and all that type of stuff in terms of trying to um not take out the competitiveness, because I don't think that ever leaves a competitive person, sure, but also continue to reintroduce the the joy and the doing it for fun, because when you are doing it for fun, it unleashes um another level for you. And um part of that conversation was going back to the very transparent, which we appreciate, Simone Biles, who was talking about her journey in gymnastics and how once she went through all of what she had to go through and she came back and did for fun, she was able to execute at an even higher level.
SPEAKER_01Many times I've asked individuals how they feel about uh an individual sport and individual sport versus team sport. So because I was not an athlete, as you know, I have not been. Um, not really. I did. I was I was uh in the drill team for on the drill team for many, many years. And that's a form of sport. It well marched. I marched I marched, yes. Yes, there was movement. Um but it was well, you know what? Now that I think about it, there were a couple times we were in competitions. Now I hadn't hadn't thought about that. So maybe there is hadn't thought about it like 50, 50 years or something. A little bit more than that. A little bit more than that. I was I was uh five or six when um I was on the American League uh drill team as a little five-year-old, six-year-old little girl. And so then being able to uh grow up and um be on the uh my high school team. So that was that was my sport. But the the competitive side that you were talking about that is so very necessary in terms to in terms of being able to grow your own talent and to be able to be committed. I mean, the little girl that you were talking about, 20 hours a week, she was already into her sport because she was very good, she's highly ranked in the state, you know, in the country, and so and now she's she's backing off at at that at this age because um she wants to and she needs to because of some challenges.
SPEAKER_02I also wonder in terms of Serena, because her sister came back um to the sport recently as well, like within the past few years. And so I'm wondering if she's watching like her sister's journey and was like, oh, okay, this is this is also a good option. She's not coming back as a singles player, she's coming back as doubles, because I did see a lot of commentary about age. So I feel like we always see commentary about women's ages, whatever. But um, you know, kind of what how is that gonna impact her her ability to do all of what she might want to do in terms of the competitiveness in the sport?
SPEAKER_01I think I think she'll be able to do what it is she wants to do at this moment in her life. She is a goat. Yeah, she she is. Uh and when you're the greatest of all time. There's also some dialogue about how her weight loss um that that uh Serena has had over the last uh year or so will impact the sport and for the um GLPAs and how that impacts you mean young P1s. Yeah, you can call them GLPAs if you want, just there might be one version out there that's one A G G L P ones, how that impacts uh the muscle mass within a one's body. Oh, yeah, because she's very muscular. And because she, yes, she's very muscular, and so the question is will this help her to be stronger or will this really have some impact on her health and her well-being? And will it impact her muscle mass in such a way? Yeah. But but you know, she's been training and she is still, I think she knows her body better than anyone else.
SPEAKER_02She's surrounded by the best of the best doctors. Like I'm sure she's not, I shouldn't say I'm sure, because you never really know. But I would be surprised if she's dealing with some of the muscle loss that people sometimes talk about when they just do those drugs and they choose not to also weightlift and make sure we're getting the ample protein and things of that nature.
SPEAKER_01So this is looking forward to uh to her next chapter.
SPEAKER_02I'm excited for not just her to be all of what she wants to be in this next chapter, but also it's reintroducing her to a new generation of young girls. Um, because I grew up with um Serena and Venus during my uh teenage and high school tennis days and even college tennis days. Um, but you know, that was that was now I can say it was a little while ago. And so I love the fact that this new generation of um young girls, young black girls in particular, but young girls are gonna get a chance to experience the Serena and Venus of it all.
SPEAKER_01And I think she'll have a chance to not only mentor, to your point, other young tennis players and be a role model, but those other young women who are out there, like the Coco Golfs of the world, I think can feel like you know what, I may be able to at this point in my life play, play There's no limits.
SPEAKER_02I can do it whenever I can take a break if I want to, I come back if I need to, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right. So um, so more power too, or yay. Yes, shout out for being a living example. Yay, hey. We like that. We like that living example.
SPEAKER_02So another thing that's come out, um, I don't think it came out this week, I think it came out last week, but uh, we just recently saw the the tribute to Eddie Murphy on Netflix.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, you had mentioned that before, and I did have an opportunity to take a look at it. And okay, so first um you've now been able to redeem yourself after recommending the watch watch that uh uh Kevin Hart rose because this was a celebration uh of Eddie Murphy's lifetime achievement by the American uh Film Institute. Yeah, AFI. And uh this AFI Lifetime Award was just well done, well produced. It was magnificent. And the individuals who were there doing special tributes to him, some of everybody.
SPEAKER_02Everybody. So like Martin Lawrence, Keenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan, I mean, that um just breath of excellence in comedy and acting. And I loved their tributes to him, but then I also liked the breakout parts of him talking about his life and his career from his perspective.
SPEAKER_01I thought that part of the production was was outstanding. Uh he was going through sort of a mental retrospect of his life, and there were movies that I had not thought about in a long time. So uh the Trading Places uh movie, which was my boy, probably.
SPEAKER_02Oh, was it? I need to go watch that because you need to watch it.
SPEAKER_01Okay, it is so funny, and it it's typical Eddie Murphy, but how they put it together was was wonderful. And Dream Girls, I had forgotten that uh he was singing and performing. I hadn't forgotten that one. Yeah, that's that was that you know, excellent. It was what I call my James Brown moment that Eddie Murphy uh did that. But um and then he talked about his inspiration for that.
SPEAKER_02And um another part that I appreciated because the whoever was asking him the questions, they were like, what was going through your mind when you decided to play all these different characters and the nutty professor? Because like who does that? And then he was able to go back into his inspirations. He was like, Oh, well, I was inspired by Chaplin and like all these other people who you just otherwise wouldn't be comedians, great comedians who you just otherwise would never have known.
SPEAKER_01It was well done. I thought that the person who produced this particular award show was different than the host, was different than the roast. Very different from the Netflix roast. Yes, that that is that is true, but also they spent some time making sure that it represented the person themselves. Yeah, for sure. When you have someone like Eddie Murphy who's multi-talented, highly creative, but also he could talk about the fact that when he was acting at different times, they gave him the license to be able to be innovative and be spontaneous. And so he the best of him was able to come out at various times. I also appreciated the special tributes from people whose careers that he helped. People we knew, and then some other people that I was not familiar with. Yeah, he mentored. Yes, yeah, yes, uh Jennifer Hudson. She did a uh song tribute, a couple of songs she sang, but a tribute to him, and that's just beautiful. So I'm excited for what to see um Ed Murphy's gonna be doing in the future. What is he going to do? He's 65 years old, and his family was there, and his kids, and he said he has some grandchildren now. And he said, I'm living the best life that I possibly can. I have all of these things, and he was very glad that they recognized. Him at the age of mid 60s. That's around.
SPEAKER_02He said the previous year, the previous time they'd given the award by somebody who was in their 90s. Well, he he did.
SPEAKER_01He said most of the time they give the awards. He was like, Oh look. But then he was funny when he said, I thought the award was bigger than you. He said, Yeah, he okay. Did you all re reduce this just because it's me or whatever? So it was great. And uh congratulations to Eddie Murphy and we want to keep laughing and we appreciate um the excellence. Um so yeah, it was good. It's gonna cause me to go back and watch Shrek because I also love Donkey.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that was one of my favorite characters, and I had forgotten that because it was the last time I watched a cartoon.
SPEAKER_01No, I I didn't know that that particular um movie was one of the highest grossing at the time. It broke all kinds of records and uh and so it was cute. And then the person who was recognizing him, I don't remember now what the comedian's name was, but he came out in the Trek in the Shrek. Oh, he was Mike Myers. Yeah, that's right. He came.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that's hilarious.
SPEAKER_01Yes, he yes. He said, they made me do this when I said I would uh participate in this, and he said, that's why I'm dressed like this, you know, a tuxedo with uh with a shirt. Some great moments, so excellent moments. Thank you for that recommendation.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I'm glad I've redeemed myself. Yes, you did, but I'm not giving you the caveat, but I'm glad that you could actually watch this thing in totality that you enjoyed.
SPEAKER_01I I did, but there wasn't any way that you could have really prepared me for that. Oh, for the other, for the other for the other thing. Yes. Uh-huh. Um to our sponsor, Pure MD Met Spa, the Premier Mid Spa in the Midwest.
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SPEAKER_02Switching gears to something that has been really devastating, um, this case in South Carolina where a 14-year-old was shot and killed, and his shooter was just found not guilty. And people are floored by that decision.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Uh this was in Columbia, South Carolina, and there was uh and the the case just was decided, but uh this happened what was it 2028?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so the the shooter, his name was uh or is Rick Chow, he's 61. He shot a 14-year-old boy whose name was Cyrus Carmack Belton in the back on May 28th, 2023, after chasing the teenager, believing that he had stolen four water bottles from his shell station that he owned in South Carolina.
SPEAKER_01So this is a convenience store robbery, and there had been several of them in that that area. Um, and what the police said at the time, even if this young man had stolen the water bottles, there which there was no evidence. There was no evidence of kind of video footage that was presented. Um the the police, the sheriff's witnesses and and witnesses uh indicated there is no reason to shoot a 14-year-old child in the back for stealing, stealing anything, really. I mean, Mr.
SPEAKER_02Chow had said that Cyrus had pointed a gun at his son, and so he was acting in self-defense of his son. And the big question, well, I think there's several questions, one of which is how are you acting in self-defense when a 14-year-old child is running away from you?
SPEAKER_01There was a gun found at the um at the crime site, and there was, I think, conversation about He wasn't holding it by the way.
SPEAKER_02No, he fell out of his backpack. So he wasn't, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And when he was running, I his shoe came off, and then uh he fell down, and then he got up. The uh young man got up and continued running. And so it was not necessary to to be able um at that point to I think take the law into your own hands. So when I was when I was looking at this case, I thought this is really racial profiling at its worst. This is a young man who is obviously doing something wrong that he should not be doing. This is a young man. Was he doing anything? Well, I when he came into the the store, whatever the there was an interaction, but he had been in that store before because uh there was some interaction with the um the store owner. Okay, because that's why he ended up running. I I don't know what that that interaction was.
SPEAKER_02Well uh a part of my challenge, I have several with this, um, is that like I mentioned the jury found Mr. Chow not guilty. And this was a jury composed of three black men, three black women, three white women, two white men, and two jurors of other backgrounds. And so I'm like, what could we possibly be missing here? Like what evidence are is not being shared about or shared with the general public with the public that that can help justify this. Now yes, two two things have kind of um three things actually have kind of come out as I was doing a bit of a deep dive on this. One is that the jury several times um asked the judge for clarification, and so people are like, maybe there was some confusion in the jury um debate and discussion.
SPEAKER_01Now, when you're talking about clarification, are you uh indicating clarification of what the charges were or clarification of a point that was the prosecutor made or the defense attorney made? I'm not sure. It could be any of those.
SPEAKER_02I can't remember the specifics, but there's several times at the jury. They debated for eight around eight hours. Okay. Um, another thing is that first degree murder in South Carolina requires malice and a state of mind. And so there's been some discussion around well, maybe that wasn't the right charge to bring in this particular case because um, because of the evidence that was presented. You know, had they gone for second-degree murder um or another charge, perhaps they would have been able to get that across the the finish line versus going for first degree murder.
SPEAKER_01Okay, well, you know, that now that makes a at least a little more sense had they gone.
SPEAKER_02Had the prosecution gone for a different charge. Makes some sense. Um and then the third is that, and this is this one really floored me, but first of all, he had excellent attorneys, uh, Mr. Chow. He uh has been involved in two prior shootings. And that that evidence was not, that background was not allowed in uh in the court. So the jury wasn't able to hear about it, they weren't able to consider it in making their overall decision around the verdict.
SPEAKER_01And of course, when the verdict came out, they said in the courtroom the family of the young man was uh was devastated and the uh that there was been an outpour. Of course, when the crime happened, there was uh a lot of looting and rioting in uh in South Carolina around the store, and then they had to have police protection. So the community, and it's a predominantly uh African-American community in that part of uh of South Carolina, really reacted to the the shooting at the time that it occurred. And now again, the verdict has um has been shared. There is just an uproar. I'll go back to what I was saying before: racial profiling. That is, you have a young black man that is in a situation doing whatever he was doing. Maybe he wasn't doing anything. I, you know, I'm I'm saying there is no justification for you taking out a gun and shooting a young black man in the back.
SPEAKER_02It is a part 130 yards away, no less. It wasn't like this is all happening in the store or something.
SPEAKER_01He was absolutely running away. He was running away. So obviously, you are not being threatened at that point. Your life is not being threatened, your son is not being threatened. Uh so which is why I'm like, what is everybody? I think we will miss yeah, we have to take a maybe a deeper dive here too. But it reminds me of uh my friends who have um sons who tell them from a youngster when you are out and about with your friends, when there is a situation and you are approached by a police officer, by any person that is in that authority space, you have to just take what it is that they are actually accusing you of at the moment, and not have a reaction so that there is not an overreaction of some kind of aggression that your life could be in danger. Yeah, your job is to stay alive. Your job is to stay alive. That's an excellent way to put it, Donica. And I I had thought about that often. I mean, it's not a conversation that I had with you as a young woman. I I didn't say, you know, make sure that that you don't have these kind of confrontations. There are other conversations we had uh throughout your life, but listening to black mothers talk about how they have to have these conversations with their sons, not just once, not just twice, but on an ongoing basis. And it's their mother's worth worse fear.
SPEAKER_02Oh, oh my gosh. You talked about the reaction in the family, the because I did watch a part, I couldn't watch the whole thing, of the video of uh when the verdict was read and like the the sound that came out of the mother's mother's yeah, it was devastating.
SPEAKER_01Well, I mean, come on. Her son was murdered. Yeah. Her son was murdered.
SPEAKER_02There is absolutely no justification. Um, I do wonder what a 14-year-old boy was doing with a gun in his backpack.
SPEAKER_01Yes. That well, those are the questions that that really need to be answered, but there's still no justification. And this reminds you of, I mean, we hear these stories often in in terms of the crime rate and violence against uh young blacks. We also know that gun violence is one of the the uh the killers of of of young blacks uh in general in this country. It's it's uh more than car accidents and uh and diseases. So this is this is a problem, and violence is a problem, but we have to protect our young people. That is our job as adults. That is a part of our job.
SPEAKER_02And young people, you also must do you protect yourselves as well. And when I say that, I'm not saying go out and get a bunch of guns. I'm saying, and you know what's really difficult about that though, because there's nothing that you can, there's really nothing that you can do. You can be as calm, you can be as respectful, you can do the best you can to mitigate to your previous point um escalating any situation. But you know, when folks are intent on doing harm, that's just so much such a wild thing to do because some of the people, um, in terms of their reactions, they're like, why didn't he just call the police? Yes. Like, I mean, you have other options. It is very extreme to take a gun and chase somebody anyway.
SPEAKER_01We are in this we are part of a society today that really feels that gun violence is an acceptable way that you one can protect themselves and shooting other people doesn't seem as if people it doesn't seem as if they understand that this is taking someone's life and this action. He knew this 61-year-old man who's done it before involved in prior shootings. But uh it it just brings up all of the all the previous cases and all the the memories of uh my father growing up in the south and telling me how difficult it was uh to be a young black man in the 30s and 40s, and here we are now, all these many years later, and we're still dealing with the exact same thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there's certainly no easy time to be a black person, but we are resilient people.
SPEAKER_01We are and we the strong survive, um, we overcome, but we have to be mindful of what the situation is. We have to protect ourselves. So this is why it's important to know your history and to be able to make sure that um you're doing the right thing. Often we say to young people, don't go any place by yourself. Yeah, you know, and it's it's terrible to have to have that kind of a uh an edict, but you need to be able to understand that in this society today there are a lot of people who really do racial profiling, a lot of people who don't want you in their place and space. But open a store in a black community if you don't like black people.
SPEAKER_02I mean, yeah, just do yourself a favor. Take your shit.
SPEAKER_01There are a lot of convenience stores and a lot of businesses that are owned by other cultures and other people who really probably don't care about us in the way that we love ourselves.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm. I mean, I was um, I think my husband's actually, as we when we were talking about the case, he was asking me, had I heard about it earlier on, and he was giving some context for me in terms of how like why there are so many um Asian uh stores. I mean, nail just yeah, yeah, why there's such a heavy Asian business. The nail salons and all of these different businesses in our communities. Black communities, yeah. And he was saying that um in the past, and he had all the information. I'm not remembering all the information, but um there were specific loan programs and small business programs, um, especially for uh other other races to be able to build their businesses in the black community because they didn't want them in the white communities. Oh, I didn't know that's show loan programs that the federal government is one of the contributors to why there's such an influx and continues to be. So as I said, as we were talking, there's a reason for everything. There is a reason things don't just happen. Um, from my perspective. Like if you follow the threat, actually, if you just follow the money, then you know what happens. Then you can you know what happens. I very quickly find what's happening.
SPEAKER_01So just just you know be careful and make sure you advise your your young people, your sons and daughters, but uh, and just watch what you do and watch where you go, and also just make sure that you're just doing the right thing too. Even when you do the right thing, there are no guarantees.
SPEAKER_02There are no guarantees. So um But our prayers really, really go out to that family um as well as that community.
SPEAKER_01Car Carmack Car Belton uh family, because um to you Cyrus Carmack Belton. We understand that uh you're hurting and you're grieving, and you're a part of uh one of the articles I read said you're a part of uh a club that no one wants to be a part of, and yet know that there are just a whole lot of people that are a part of that club. Yeah. So and every day we we see it in our own uh our own community that there are a lot of shootings on a regular basis.
SPEAKER_02So protect yourself as often as you can. Um so moving on to something that's a little lighter. Um Thank you. Well, I mean, you're you you're gonna side-eye this one too. Okay. So there it is graduation season.
SPEAKER_01It is, it is. We've mentioned that before. We were mentioning graduation speeches uh on a couple of our podcasts, and so that's uh that's a good and positive thing. Celebrating the achievements of young people and being able to feel good about accomplishing a milestone in your life. So there was a young um woman who went viral.
SPEAKER_02She was an eight or is an 18-year-old Chicago graduate who performed a split on stage. Her name is Tyveon Campbell. And um she, the the administration of her school pulled her, did not allow her to receive her diploma at that time due to the fact that she did a split on stage. And so then she went to social media and talked about how unfair that was, and how there was no specific rule that said she couldn't do it, and how the school had taken away that moment from her. And the school was like that graduation is a moment for everybody, and that behavior was inappropriate.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so this graduation day, you are in your cap and gown, you are walking across the stage to receive your diploma, and you decide that you're gonna break out into a dance step and do a do a split before you receive your diploma.
SPEAKER_02Uh-huh. And it was a little more than a split. It was like one of those stripper moves where you drop and you pop, and then you she got back up.
SPEAKER_01What is it? Drop, pop, and lock or something. I don't know what it's called.
SPEAKER_02Okay, okay, all right, all right. And I'm talking about those are some 18-year-old legs too. Okay, like drop, pop, and then but anyway, no.
SPEAKER_01She said she told everybody she was going to do it. Now, obviously, she didn't tell the top administration. She feels like her friend and then family and everything. And I don't know if she told her family because well, people were cheering in in the uh in the video I watched where she decided to do this. So the question becomes what's appropriate? What should be allowed? And did the administration act act appropriately in deciding when she walked further across the stage, when she got up and walked across the stage, not to give her the diploma. I think that they had the right not to give her that diploma. I think that they decided that you can't have this moment. This is a moment where we're celebrating all of the graduates. This is a moment that, yes, we were wanting to give you that which you deserve, but now you're saying to us, you stole my moment. No, you didn't do what was appropriate for that moment because we have all these other, I don't know, hundreds of graduates that could have done the same thing or taken their moment. We didn't.
SPEAKER_02And we have decorum, like in this ceremony. And this is a moment of, I mean, I don't want to get too much into like respectability pro politics. And so I don't want to say like a respectable ceremony, but this is not the appropriate place to to to dance around and do, you know, you there's a way that graduations kind of go. And so to step out of that and do, I mean, she she did it for a response. Otherwise, why would you why would you do that? And it's not like the school took away um her diploma period. You know, she like she she still goes she's still going to college, she still got the diploma, right? Right ultimately, and the school also, I mean, I'm sure that that wasn't in the rule book because they never had they could not anticipate somebody doing that.
SPEAKER_01She said it wasn't a written rule that I couldn't do that well. Yeah, okay. Um good student, 3.5 um grade point average. And so my thought is that uh there's there's intelligence there. Why would you decide to have the the the focus the focal point just on you at that moment? Okay, so if you did that, then you have to take the consequences. See, this is one of those lessons that you know, this is one of those rosa life lessons. Mommy, I appreciate you telling me that you can decide, as she said, go crazy for the moment, but you are going to suff, you are going to suffer the consequences of your crazy moment. That's what she used to say to me. Accountability. You know, accountability and and think about the reaction or what's going to happen after you decide to do something that is totally inappropriate for the moment. But what happens after I do this?
SPEAKER_02What are the possibilities before I engage in this act? Yes. It's a good lesson to learn at the age of 18. That's true. You know, so she ideally doesn't have to keep learning it at 25 and 35 and 40. You sound like Grandma Rosa. Yeah, I mean, the yes, yeah. Well, I mean, I would never have thought to even do that, but I knew that I knew what the consequences would be, not just from the school.
SPEAKER_01Well, I was gonna say that there are repercussions in other places. Yes, yeah, yes. If you want to have a what we call an insane moment, then go ahead and do that. But uh there will be consequences. I used to laugh because I would tell my friends some things that mommy would say, okay, you could do this or you could do that, but let me just tell you what the real deal was. And then after they got to know my mother, they said, you know what? That little four foot eleven, she went to me wasn't about playing. So um I I think it is a good life lesson here. And to to uh your point about if you learn it at 18, then hopefully you'll be able to go through your life and uh think about some of the consequences of of your. Reactions.
SPEAKER_02Because clearly she hadn't thought about it before because she she went online and complained and said that the school was wrong. So um I guess it was a lesson that she had to learn because even after doing it, she didn't realize the error of her ways.
SPEAKER_01I'd really like to think um and know what our listeners think about this. Me too. Yeah, I think listeners and viewers of the city. Yeah, let us know. Yeah, let us know about that. So wow. The world is a crazy place, but uh have fun, enjoy your moment and the the moments of celebration for graduation within within the quorum. So I remember going to graduations when they first started sort of yelling and screening and all of that. Because back in the day, back in the olden times, we didn't even have that kind of celebration.
SPEAKER_02Oh, you're right. Well, I okay. Remind, I because I think at my college graduation, um they had those rules outlined, like do not shout, do not. I mean, maybe you could clap a little bit, maybe. Yes, yes, but then like you clap at the very end once we get through all those names.
SPEAKER_01Because they didn't want the ceremony to continue going on and on and because it does delay, it does, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And shout and scream and do all the crazy stuff um at home at the graduation party that everyone goes to after the ceremony.
SPEAKER_01Yes, because it's not just your graduation, it's not just about you, yeah, it's about all of us who have accomplished the class. There you go. The class with class. The class with class, yes, yes. So I'm telling you.
SPEAKER_02But shout out to all the graduates of 2026. Yes, yes, it is exciting.
SPEAKER_01We're proud of your accomplishments.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and enjoy your life. Enjoy your life. Enjoy your life with Niticoro. Yeah, yeah. Um, okay, the our last topic. Did you see the interview of Jill Biden by and she's been on a press tour around her book, so she's done a ton of interviews over the past week or so. Um, one that I saw folks just talking about, and I was like, what is going on? Was her interview, one of her interviews on the Today Show with Craig Melvin. And so I was like, why are people roasting Craig Melvin? I watched it and I was like, oh, that's why.
SPEAKER_01I did see that interview. In fact, I saw it in real time. And uh I happened to be watching TV when Jill was um going around to all of the different talk shows and um sharing her uh book. Um, what's it called? Something East Wing. Yeah, tell me a second. And she I thought was doing an outstanding job of answering questions about her life with Joe, her life as uh the second lady, and then her life as the first lady. I think she was doing a great job in being able to talk about not only their relationship, some of the challenges that she had, of course, when uh her son Hunter Biden had um this addiction problem with drugs. I mean, there are a lot of heavy topics. And in addition to the city, she's also lived. She has lived. Yeah. And uh uh she and Joe have been married for 49 years. He is dealing at this moment with uh with cancer. And she said, you know, I'm not living um now doing all the things that we thought we would be doing after he uh retired and or after he did not he chose not to run. Craig Melvin's interview was trying to dig deep into Joe's decision to leave the presidential race at the time and then Kamala Harris moving forward. And he was he was asking Jill, why didn't you say something to him? And she said, My husband and I have uh an understanding. I support his decision. It was his decision to stay in the race, it was his decision to move out of the race at that point, but Craig wouldn't let it go. He did not let it go.
SPEAKER_02And I'm like, if you have all these, ask him, like, get a uh presidential interview with him, you know, because this is for her to talk about her memoir, View from the East Wing, is the name of it. And it's packed to your point of so many interesting things. I mean, she was the first lady to work outside of the White House, right? Yes as a college professor.
SPEAKER_01Community college and college professor. She said, What was interesting about that is uh they kept saying, you know, you really don't want to do this. And she goes, Yes, I do. And then they said, Well, you really can't do this. And she said, Yes, I can. So it's the you know, the interviews were great, but creative.
SPEAKER_02I had uh yeah, he spent okay, so that interview was around 13-ish minutes, 12 minutes and 30 seconds of it was him like pushing her on her husband's decisions, and like she addressed it a little bit, which was fine, but then like he just to your point wouldn't let it go. And I think people were like, why? Like, what and it he he was aggressive, he he was mean.
SPEAKER_01I felt he was mean spirited. That's what I thought.
SPEAKER_02I I didn't feel that he I didn't think he was because I I I think it was the today show, not like Fox News.
SPEAKER_01Point well taken. So um I just felt for her now again. I did watch her, she was on several other shows. She was on CBS Morning News, she was on The View. Uh she was actually the reason why she was doing the the press tour. But I I my take on uh Craig Melvin's interview when I had a chance to really think about it and to hear the response had to do with there was a point that he was trying to make, and I still don't understand what that point is. You're talking about history, you're talking about now a man who wanted to still run for president again. He made that decision with his wife, with his family. She she made that point. But why wouldn't you just accept her uh explanation and move on beyond it? Why why is it something that that you want to keep, I think, pressing? I didn't understand that part.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and yeah, right. What point were you trying to make? And it this is an irritant to me, the idea that a man's decision or a husband's decision, um that it's the wife's responsibility. Like the husband's decision is the wife's responsibility. Like I do not, I I hate it when men uh primarily try to make that point. Because I'm like, is that the point you're trying to make? It it's come up for me again, like watching the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry uh conversation and all the hate that she receives, and you know, folks are like, well, why does why did she make him move to America? And I'm like, they are a married, to your point, they have discussions, but she cannot make him do anything. That's kind of like my take on it. Like, and like even in my own marriage, like my my husband will do things. Sometimes I agree with it, sometimes I don't, but I mean he's he's a grown-ass man.
SPEAKER_01You know what I mean? Like, I right, right. I think um, well, I'll I'll comment on the the Prince Harry Meghan Markle scenario, and then we'll go kind of wrap up with Jill. But my problem with all that had occurred in terms of the final outcome.
SPEAKER_02Okay, you and I disagree on that.
SPEAKER_01We absolutely disagree on that because I absolutely think you you knew with your eyes wide open going into this particular marriage and situation what the expectations were.
SPEAKER_02You can't know.
SPEAKER_01And I know that's what you said before. You can't you cannot know. But I mean in terms of his heritage, that's what concerned me. He has had this this rite of passage for his life and his lifetime. Is he allowed to make another decision? He's he is allowed to make another decision. Is it her fault? And no, it's not her. Well I let me just say intergenerationals. Yes, yes. I I I think that um I I want I want their kids to have their rights. I particularly want their black children to have their rights. And I think having the rights of being a part of the monarchy in England was something that her her little black children um have had to give up because of the decision making. Another whole topic, another whole situation.
SPEAKER_02In that situation, though, I um obviously I don't know her, but I'm just gonna trust the mother. Like if it was her choice to say, um, I hear you in terms of like all the accolades and titles that come with being young accolades and titles, it is it is the privilege, but it's also the right that you have when you're a part of the monarchy.
SPEAKER_01When you when you look at how they go about not only their decision making, but how they uh allow you to have certain titles and how they allow you to have certain privileges when you're in that kind of situation.
SPEAKER_02She was in it long enough to understand the role that race plays in that. And so she was like, I do not want my children to deal with all of what I've had to deal with, which is why he supported her situation. Yeah, they're like, I'm gonna pick Trump's America. Well, I you know, over Yeah, and I think I'm so like spirited about it because I've spent a um some time in London and I have uh British colleagues, and you know, the Megan Markle thing, like I know that is a point where we're it's a trigger point for you.
SPEAKER_01It is like I read an article recently that said that they were having some financial challenges. Yeah, and uh so they're gonna work it out. They're gonna have to deal with it. So I thought, see, this is like everything's been paid for. That's exactly right. So, but uh, I mean it's hard because it was a racist situation. She was dealing with a lot of racism, but uh I wondered if it couldn't have been a growth moment. Okay, let's back back to Joe Biden. And perhaps it was. Well, we'll see. Yeah, well that's true. We'll see. Um, God bless them and and all the decisions that they make. The story continues to be. And what and you're right, and and what their their life is going to be in the future continues to unfold. And I want to see that season of the crown. Yes.
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_01I'm like that that will be one that I'm sure we'll have a really, I think, really good uh audience uh attendance. I'd watch it too. I'd watch it too. But but just fine on the Joe Biden um situation, when she talks about the hard decisions of being in the White House and the hard decisions of deciding to move forward or not to move forward uh in in terms of the presidential uh election, she said that it was a family decision as well. And I I think that was a really good point. She said Joe made the final decision, but it was a family decision. We you know, we talked to the kids and grandkids about it and and all of that. And so to me that was acceptable in in terms of their relationship, their marriage, and that's not what the book was written totally about. I mean, there are all these other things that were important things. So Craig, we're not understanding your interview. And I and I watch him a lot, I listen to his podcast, I don't know what he was doing that day.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, people are like just just in the future, just allow Savannah to do it.
SPEAKER_01Just that's enough said, okay, okay, just let Savannah do it.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Well, how about that? Thank you for the chat this week. Yes, yes, and thank you all for listening and watching. And we hope you enjoyed being part of the conversation. Let us know, comment, like, subscribe, and continue to live a life you love, and we will see you next week.
SPEAKER_00She's got wisdom, she's got sex, she's got questions, she's got class, two voices can lie like waves in the same moment. That's the key, always a mother mentor.
