Practical Education Philosophy with Diane Allman Episode #63

The perspective of a very intentional mother is what we get the privilege of hearing today. Diane Allman is a mom of 4 who has been intentionally teaching academics that does not ignore African  heritage.  
Book List from Diane:

Black Pioneers of Science and Invention by Louis Haber

You Have A Brain by Ben Carson 

Birders of Africa, by Nancy J Jacobs 

How To Turn $100 into $1,000,000 by James McKenna and Jeannine Glista with Matt Fontaine 

Miles Moralez, Spider-Man, by Jason Reynolds 

A People’s History of American Empire, by Howard Zinn, Mike Konopacki, and Paul Buhle

Tristan Strong Punches A Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Little Black Girl: All The Things You Can Do by Kirby Howell Baptiste 

Little Black Boy: Oh The Things You Will Do by Kirby Howell Baptiste and Larry C Fields III

African Icons : Ten People Who Shaped  History by Tracey Baptiste 

The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love, and Truth by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

An Indigenous People’s History of the United States for young people by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz, adapted by Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese

Video Version:
https://youtu.be/pFzaipGiuQM

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Transcript

Unknown: 0:28

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us, hey is Black History Month. And you might want to see some of our thoughts we have about the fact of Black History Month going back earlier in the episode. But we do a tradition here episodes in the past, but we do a tradition here where we kind of highlight names of people, events and stories from Black History specifically. And so this month is going to be no different. Take a little bit of pause from the education side of things and moving this direction. Let's start off with something of a light question. In fact, this is going to be a unique light question. The brothers have no idea what direction I'm going. And here's what I'm going to ask. In fact, this is the first I don't know if this is like the first brothers bet that I've ever done before. But I think that you cannot get this that off air, I will give you a $5 gift card to Starbucks. If you can answer this question. And I know that you possibly think you might know, but it came to my mind. It's silly, but let's just go ahead and go that. Here's my question. All right. Is y'all have seen family matters right now. And who are families watching it every day? And so when it starts that theme song off, you know, I'm starting to sing and tab of those like you're not seeing it right. So it then made us go and google the words to family matters. Do not Google them right now. Or you eliminate yourself from this competition, right? But you start off and it goes like you start it's a rare condition this day and age and it goes through 3d Good news and newspaper. Love and tradition are the grand is I heard some people say it's even hard to find. Alright, then it gets you. Well, then there must be some magic clue. So I'm just joking thinking brother. Clue inside these two walls? Because all I see is a tower of dreams. Real love bursting out of every scene, then it goes out and what are those words? That that when it's real love are sent out of every scene? What is those words? Either one of you know, five bucks. Starbucks on me. I'll get you half a drink, but it'll get you something. If you go, what are those words? And then it says we're gonna fill our house with happiness. And then it continues. What's those four words? I have no idea. Do you not watch really matters and time? If I'm being honest, it's not really. vaguely know. Like, when I know the show. I know Steve Urkel. I've seen I've seen the great movie. I mean, the great. Carl's the policeman. He has the talk. I've seen those episodes. I'm not a fan so no clue. Honestly, when you started singing I was thinking of the full House theme song which I know a lot better. seems to know this you kidding me? Wow, okay, wrong brother to ask him that. Aaron TGI Fridays Of course you remember going to Granny's house watching family matters. And you see the song you kind of seeing it? What is those words? Really love bursting out of every see it's the greater love in the family is the second of our but I don't know the first part and maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I've always wrong. Exactly. That middle part is I don't. I don't. I thought I thought it was like de so fine. We're gonna fill our house with happiness. But actually, as days go by or the forwards, no money. No money. Anton. You're not even close. You kept singing I was like, No, that's the only part no, stop singing when you're gonna ask this. Like, what's the theme song? The news one newspaper plus Listen, some fresh prints. Maybe next episode, we'll go to fresh prints or something like that. But sorry, but no, we just brought back some memories. I can't do fresh prints. Because see, mom wasn't allowing us to watch those kind of shows until you came along. And that's very true. Very true. It was like that's the only rap song I ever at least that one. We started turn it down turn it down. Mute that bad boy mute. Anyway, sorry, this is digression. But now but anyway, so much for that question that fell flat felt like a lead balloon, but whatever. So what we're going to do in this episode jumping into the real content, is we're going to look at a story a name or event from black history. And so when we go through, we're going to talk about it first, pretty much it's going to be a little bit of a solo piece for each brother to kind of tell what the story is that they want to highlight. There might be some follow up questions. We made this ask for clarification. But just understand the story because we're learning as well. I don't know the stories my brothers are going to bringing up and they don't know the events and people I might bring up. However, after that, we'll just ask the question, hey, what lesson can we learn from these stories, and then call the day. So let's start off with Aaron, if you don't go ahead, start off, let's give me a name a story from Black History educate us as we get ready to get started this episode. So my person is, I was gonna say he's probably a little more hidden than he was recently. Because he's actually the reason I'm picking it is because they just came out the movie devotion, which is Jesse Brown. So Jesse Brown is the first naval pilot to see action, I believe in the Korean War. So he walked through life, he, well, I feel like this is gonna crush everybody who watched the movie. So spoiler alert, if you do not want to hear go ahead and pause the podcast and fast forward a little bit. He dies like it right at 24. So he lives a full life. He's, he goes through all the racing that you'd expect. But he graduates from Ohio State. And when he graduates from Ohio State, there's so many people that told him, a black person would never be able to fly a plane in combat. Number one, probably because they they couldn't. And he walked through all these things, walk through menial tasks, menial jobs to where he was able to fly. And his book, the book that I read before devotion by Adam, because I would say there's a moment where like the book in the movie, you go through the arguments, but I believe the movie was well done. But I still would say read the book. I read the book a couple years ago. And Jesse Brown is one of those guys that when you hear his story and the amount of opposition racism that he felt, he still walks forward, and he just keeps doing what needs to be done to be better. And then see the accolades that he wins. Like, he loves his family. He seems like as you read through this, the story to the book, devotion, you see, like his love for his wife. And all this happened in 24 years. Like when you start looking at how fast life goes and how much he accomplished, he live life to the fullest through all the obstacles, but he still did something amazing. So I won't tell you how he died, just in case you want to watch the movie. But I would say like Jesse Brown is one of those guys, as we look through history for me that jumped off. And this particular year, especially my wife just watched a movie, but I had read the book a long time ago and I referenced it to a friend and they started reading it and they enjoyed it. And so we had had this conversation about Jesse Brown. All right, what's the name of the movie? Erin? I just saw that he's born in 1926. died in 1950. So what what's the name of the movie? Exactly? Devotion. The book is devotion. And the movies devotion. The books. Okay. Oh, acts are you mentioned that I just thought I thought when you said devotion, I thought you tell us sometimes the devotional book or something like that. I apologize. Okay, I see what you're saying. So Jesse Brown, I have used talking about him being more common the news and stuff like that. Apparently, I probably should pay more attention because I did not know that. A piece of information. It's not about that Jessie manga, you know, some runners never things like that. So Jesse Brown Anton era, we're gonna come back about what lessons we can learn. I think we've already kind of even summed up a couple of things already. But Anton, do you have an event or name for Black History specifically educate us? Yeah, my name is Shirley Chisholm. Um, I think again, give a little whatever, that I think a lot of times in Black History Month, which is why trying to whittle it down to one month, it's so hard. We don't give Black women their due as well. We always go with a lot of black men. So I wanted to bring up Shirley Chisholm. She was born to immigrants. Parents, one November 30 1924. In Brooklyn. She's of Guyanese descent and Barbadian descent. She moved to Barbados from Brooklyn when she was five live with her grandmother. She says, that was in her formidable years, something that she always remember to connect it to. So she always considered herself a Barbadian American. When she returned to the United States at age 10, she finished her schooling, went on to go to college to get a master's, she worked on the campaign of several black officials. First, being a woman, it was not a big thing for women to be running for public office at the time. But then after one of those officials lost their election, she actually stepped up and became the first black woman elected to the New York state legislator, she would then be elected in the United States House of Representatives. During that time, she actually got a lot done help with unemployment, actually working some of the first meaningful education reform in the United States in 1971, to being a founding member of the what we think of now is congressional black coffee Caucus as well as the National Women's Political Caucus. She was the first black woman to run for president for a major party ticket that out They came up a lot as Kamala Harris just black woman to win. She had a very drive to get things done again, it's kind of like I guess I put Malcolm X a lot of other black people in this category of she did a lot to get things done. And for that a lot of people dislike her for multiple reasons. Whether it's because you work with people like George Wallace, the segregation or whoever, to try to get things done or whether she worked with complete socialists, because again, she was definitely very liberal, especially on issues like abortion that we would disagree with her on. And I think a lot of that adversely affects her image over time. As the political landscape changed in the 70s and 80s. We get into Reaganism and stuff, and she had so many personal issues going on. She was dealing with a divorce at the time, her new husband actually had health concerns, and she stepped away from politics to kind of focus back on education routes. That's what she would do it until her death. She never actually got to work at Medgar Evers College, which was a dream of hers, because she was blackballed for so many things in the past. But yeah, and I guess if I had to just pick in I'm a quote, person, something that kind of sums up her to me. I want history to remember me not just as the black, the first black woman to be elected to Congress, as the first black woman to have made the bid of presidency of the United States. But as a black woman who lived in the 20th century, and dare to be herself. Wow, well, powerful quote, the medical ever college situation. I didn't know that that she was rejected from that. Apparently, she did she make enemies on both sides of the fence that Anton? Oh, yes, I would say they didn't. That's why I don't think what it said to me. And I guess this is probably a controversial statement to make. But I think there are people and I think put Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X in the same category in that we like Phoenix is that burn bright, and then burn to death, like just burn up and they're gone. I would say that of Martin and Malcolm. But the people who burn right and live, I think at times have a far harder life. Because I think if Martin was still here, as I've said many times, I think a lot of people would not have loved Martin 20 years later the way they do now, because they kind of just have edited the parts of Martin they don't like and the parts of Malcolm they don't like I think in the was surely because she lived a full life. I think we just don't appreciate all the good things she did. We just kind of focus on some of the things that are more negative. I say, anyway, yeah, that's a good point. I didn't know that she had run and make sure I'm saying this right. Did she You said she ran for president or vice president or something. She ran for president. She was the first black person to run. She was the Democratic she ran for the Democratic nomination. Wow. That's cool. Any questions for Anton before I give my story? No, no questions i i enjoyed hearing, I've never heard of her. Absolutely. This is the point educating ourselves in these in these areas. So y'all both did names. I'm going to echo a little bit when Anton said about black women in history specifically, and you're going to probably see very strongly, especially during the application portion of why it is the story that I'm going to be talking about has a lot to do with it. But I'm not gonna do a person but I'm going to an event from black history. It's called the Tuskegee experiment. Now there's argument about the naming of this project that it was sanctioned by the Public Health Service Tuskegee does not claim credit whatsoever for this, however, is believed in the Public Health Service, use the Tuskegee name, to be able to get more volunteers. But that is a debate I am sure that historians will be talking about for years to come. Now, let's just set the story. groundwork first, is that historically, black people could not really get health care, we're talking slavery times, movie and it century did not get health care unless there are two things going on. If they couldn't work, or if they could not have children. That was pretty much the only time health care was available. If you think about the health care system today, and how people desire still to make sure they have quality health care, you would understand then, in a time of segregation and other things that health care was something that was very much valued in 1932, which are now right after the Great Depression. There are 600 men that were living in Macon County, Alabama, that were approached with the offer of free health care. This will be what was going to be termed as the Tuskegee experiment coming in the future. The 600 men were not given any information except for the fact that if they showed up for certain appointments, that they would be given health care and given a free meals on the day that they would be at the place for longer than a certain amount of time. The study was initially on syphilis. And what was happening was the Tuskegee experiment, honestly, was to see what happens if people were to go on treatment for this disease, these men did not realize that they were actually being withheld medication that could have been saving their lives. These men died from mental health condition. I mean, sorry, they have suffered from mental health conditions. At the end of their life, many of them died with different ailments and lost limbs and other horrific things that were taking place. For those that understand what syphilis then penicillin was the drug to be able to use to treat it. It was not known at that time that penicillin was actually the cure, but they still were other alternate ways to be able to give health care to these men. So the they were totally ignored these things, half of them entering the study, half of them about had syphilis, half of them moreso did not have syphilis. And basically, they're doing these exploratory methods on these men. Now, the thing that I'm echoing is from the Tuskegee Institute, I mean, experiment events shed light upon what was happening, and the OB category as far as with women. Remember the two things that people were given health care for? What if a person could not work or if they could not have children? This is moving clear into the 19th, the 20th century, this is 1932. It wasn't until 1972 that Peter Buxton began asking questions about what this practice was all about. These people didn't even know they were part of any type of medical study, they didn't even know that they there could have been life saving drugs giving to them. The National Research Act in 1974, began the input, increasingly more pressure upon those people that were being experimented upon, then the acknowledgement of what the horrific things that were done to these communities, mainly to the ones that Tuskegee Institute was acknowledged by former President Bill Clinton and a national apology in 1997. It then began to show for that the modern OB system that we have today was literally built on the exploitation of black women basically being used as test subjects, Native Americans as well enter into this equation, those on reservations, medical testing, that was never to be was never get clearance to be done at any hospital was being done on the most vulnerable of a society. And this is during the days when obviously fair treatment, and when they're supposed to be an equal rights that was supposed to be across the board. The Tuskegee experiment stands as an absolute violation of human rights that happened squarely during the mid 20th century. This is Shane to that is even that is even part of history. But I think it does need some attention to be brought that this is stored. This is a story. That is definitely key in black history. Specifically, before I go into what lessons we can learn from this. Aaron, Anton, any questions about the story? Did you know about the Tuskegee experiment, anything you'd like to add or disagree with? If I could add one thing. I think that it's also very important with the Tuskegee experiment, to acknowledge the fact that the federal government, I would say, I think it's 250. I know it's over 250 of those men went to be drafted in World War Two. And actually, the federal government knew what was going on and did nothing, and didn't deny those men treatment. So again, the idea that it would just some people in the South would I think a lot of people like to write it off as such. That is simply not the case. There were so many federal agents who were complicit in that experiment, which is why again, the it goes all the way up to the president apologizing for that it was not something that happened in you know, the South that no one else knew about. Wow, good point. I didn't even realize that aspect about the people being drafted during that time. Aaron, anything to add? I would say I'm learning how many of these things even happen here in Baltimore. So as moving here, getting assembled in how many of Black History things happen here in Baltimore, and even like John Hopkins, the hospital here, how many things happen to people? I think we talked about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Yes, a couple of years ago, like some of these experiments, and it is it is a tragedy. Yep. Since this is fresh on the mind, it obviously brings up a conversation that we're probably not going to flush out for sure during this episode, but it does put some light on some of the national health issues that do arise specifically within the black community. I always just read statistics between the pregnancy related mortality death by race and ethnicity and per 100,000 and births. 41.4 of those belonged to the black category 41.4%. So 13.7 of the infant mortality rate 30.7, white 41, Black 11, Hispanic 14 Pacific Islander, and the next one that's close to will be the American Indian Native American will be 26. But blacks pretty much triple in that infant mortality, I'm sorry, in the pregnancy mortality rate, the maternal maternal mortality rate 68.9% in 2021, maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births 26.1 for white 27.5 for Hispanic, as far as risk factors and things that go on specifically the infant maternal mortality rate, per 1000 live births, 4.4 for white 10.6 for Black 4.7, Hispanic 7.7 for Native Americans, what we look at these percentages, and we look at these numbers, and just the about live births and different things, I understand that it's the medical field is a field where you can have, you know, plausible deniability, because the human body functions differently. And so you can't necessarily put it on a graph, I'm sure some people would say, but for a percentage of people that don't even make up how many percent within the United States that are literally doubling, doubling the mortality rates in infants in and as far as live births. And as far as maternal deaths, preeclampsia, and all these different things. There's not even a comparison, like the these are numbers that are like, like, this is unfathomable. Now, is there a way that these numbers can be bit Anton, in your opinion, to be able to see that there's, you know, what the answer is, that's to be researched in, and then I'm sure some great people are doing study upon it. But this is certainly a staggering, or is it just me reading the numbers the wrong way? And talk? Oh, no, I think you're exactly right. Um, again, I know, we're not gonna be able to flush this all out. Right now, I would just say that if you look at the numbers, for other people that again, you would consider the ancestry of blacks, for example, the best doing Nigeria, like places in Africa that also have black populations, our numbers are so close to theirs, although our medical system is so much more advanced. And they're slightly lower. So the idea that, again, it's simply race or it's simply genetics does not really give an accurate representation of the problem. And again, as we've talked about before, just investigating our history tells you we have marginalized several groups of people. And again, if you notice the leading categories of the people, we've done the worst to African Americans and Native Americans in this particular country. They lead the world. And I mean, they lead our nation and there's there's a reason for that. Yeah, I don't think it takes too much of imagination to be able to understand that something's not right here. And that you can look back and say, Well, if that happened, then I'm sure that fill in the blank fill in the blank fill in the blank would also be a situation I want healthcare right now, you know, trying to get insurance for my family, and middle class America. So I can't even imagine what it was like for somebody who was we are known marginalized, looking for health care during that time. And the exploitation that the probably took place is probably mind boggling. And Aaron, anything else to add concerning this specific day before we move backwards and go to Anton story? No, I think we can go a long ways down a road that I don't know if we have time to. Yeah, yeah, let's pull back. Let's pull back. That was a big one. And I'm sure at some point, definitely want to revisit these issues specifically. But err and side going back to Shirley Chisholm, anything, any type of applications lessons to learn from the story there that you want to highlight? Um, actually, you're already doing it. So to me, the highlight for Shirley Chisholm, is she makes the comment a lot of times both in her book and speaking that she was I guess disrespected and a lot of cases more so because she's a woman than separately country's black. I think I do not like, again, everything that has to do with intersectionality. But I think trying to understand the especially in this particular country, what black women specifically have gone through and the barriers they've had to break on themselves having what we would consider almost two knocks against them from the very beginning, especially when you're trying to work at it from a governmental perspective that she's working obviously, in the law. I guess I would give my tip and tools since we're already here. That's okay. It's her book unbought and unbossed. Egg again, it's my kind of my kind of book because it's an autobiography. I don't like a lot of hearsay. And I appreciate what she does in that book because for people for example, I'm Man, obviously for people who are not black or alien, I mean, if you're a white man, you're you fit into these categories, right? Trying to understand what someone would have to navigate to get where they are, I think it's a, it's a great look at that. I think as what Adrian is talking about, we really have to do a better job in this country, of understanding everyone's unique situation, and actually trying to make accommodation for that unique situation. Because to look at the statistics, which again, we're not to go all the way down that road, you have to know that something is happening to black women in a way that is not happening to other people, like you either would have to come to the conclusion that something is just wrong with black women, inherently, and there's nothing you can do about it, or we are doing something to them. And if you come to that secondary conclusion, which is where I would say I think a lot of us are, what do we do about that? I think well put, as far as specifically even you know, the book, I'm just going to be in the show notes just for everyone to be able to know but as you I'm interested in that, because that's a classification that, I hope, if anything to be able to shine a light on the most vulnerable our society and when a person has, sadly enough how women have been treated in the past, even their biblical times, specifically, the tragic things of not being honored as a image bearer, Lord Jesus Christ, and then we knew that blacks marginalize that double dose, I just, you know, it's one of those things where yes, we need to do better and not being aware is not helping anybody along those lines. Aaron for your you can do a tip to tool if you like, or if you could just give us lessons learned. You brought up Jesse Brown, and you know, his inspiring life of how he lived fully at the age of 24 dying at the age of 24. Anything you'd like to add before we close this out. Um, I think for mine with Jesse Brown, the one of the reasons I want to bring him to the table, I would say is because I believe and I don't mean this in a negative way. So please don't take it that way. But that this is low hanging fruit. For black history, like the movie just came out great movie. The book is an easy read, that you can just pick up and enjoy the story. But one of the big takeaways that I will say on a different this is just a different perspective on Black history is Jesse's friend Tom is Tom. In the, in his story, his women, like he's a white guy, just he's a black guy and reading through their story of finding out what it is to like, again, for those of you listened. This is a white guy who will never understand what it is to be Jesse never understand what it is the hardships that he had to overcome when they didn't want him to pass the Naval Academy, and all the hard things he worked through. But he was still willing to walk through with Jesse through all the hardships. And I feel like there's a lot of people who listen to this podcast who like, like Anton said, We're never gonna know this perspective from someone else. Because I can't, I'm blind. I don't know the perspective of black woman. Like, Jesse has a story that I'll never know. But Tom doesn't have to live that way, but chooses, hey, he's with me. We're gonna go through this together. I feel like there's something to say for them in black history for the people who are willing to say, you know, I can go a different direction. I don't have to. But I'm willing to walk with you. And we'll be friends. And I won't understand at all. I won't even make this some times where Tom makes some dumb decisions that affect Jessie and he apologizes and Jessie, connect, reconnect and go through it. But it's just that going, the willingness to walk beside and say I don't understand. But I'm not going anywhere. I think there's something to be said for that. And so I feel like Jesse Brown some low hanging fruit for Black History, because we have I was joking with somebody the other day, I was like, man, whenever somebody looks for Black History, quote, like you got five people they look at, like, it's gonna be George Washington Carver. Hey, this is a low hanging fruit. You've got a movie you can watch. It's a fun movie. I mean, a good not fun. But it's a good movie to watch. An easy to read book by Adam because and I think it's low hanging fruit for Black History Month. Eight. Well, that's the point of this podcast is kind of open our eyes to some things that maybe we had not thought of before. And as Black History Month is here, we definitely want to think about some of the stories that do need to be highlighted things that, you know, sometimes it's not fun to talk about things like this or be reminded of certain situations because for whatever reason, it makes us uncomfortable, but I do think there is a health to it as well. So this has been a good conversation are all hearts and minds clear. Gentlemen, before we close things out. I'm gonna say one thing. Sure. It's the same thing I said from Malcolm X, you are not going to agree with surely Chisholm, I just want to throw this out there, that I do not agree with everything Shirley Chisholm has ever said or done your life. I am merely saying, it's a perspective that I think a lot of us overlook, because it causes us to both feel guilty. I mean, it's a way of looking at the world that this we're just being honest, most of us have just never done and that I'm just encouraging you to look at a new perspective not to swallow all the new perspective or believe everything. The new perspective says, that's all I'm trying to say. That's yes, good qualifier, and different things with it. And so I, I would like to think that our audience would be one that would definitely be gracious to have an understanding of where this person is coming from, and that there's something for us to learn in all of these situations. So Aaron, anything specifically, are you good to go? Nope, I'm good. All right. Well, hey, thank you so much for joining us. Check us out at a burden for the times.com articles and different things that are there. And also continue, you can go back and listen to having all those episodes. Maybe there's one that you kind of missed out on or whatever. If you go to our podcast website, you'll see the transcripts of the episodes as well, where quotes and different things are, if you're trying to figure out what exactly did he say about that and you don't have to at this time to listen to the entire podcast, go back and check it out there. But if you have questions that come up specifically, make sure you send us an email burner for the times@gmail.com and we look forward to you joining us next time.