It’s the SEASON 1 FINALE and I’VE GOT SOME FEELINGS. I feel since I won’t be posting up any episodes on the Festivus, so I figure NOW would be a good time to air my grievances (Seinfeld fans know what’s up). I’ve learned a lot in these talks and I know I haven’t even scratched the surface. I CANNOT WAIT for you to hear what’s coming up in Season 2.
Some of you like my solo convo tangents so buckle up. I’m talking about some causes that mean something to mean because they mean a lot to those I am close to.
November is a BUSY month.
Though we often associate November with Thanksgiving and the 3 Fs(Football, Family, and Food) there are numerous causes to be highlighted, but today I wanna talk about few
so I’m going to just dive right in.
First and foremost, November is Native American Heritage Month. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush would establish this month to recognize Native Americans as the first people of this nation, celebrate their heritage and honor how integral they are to the existence of our nation (United of State of America). They don’t all look like they live on the reservation.
What makes me kinda sad is I actually never knew November is Native American Heritage Month and I don’t know nearly as much as I should about Native Americans culture past what I was taught about Thanksgiving (which now that I’m an adult I know my recollection of it is unbelievably inaccurate).
And I want to name that I’m really no different than the majority of Americans who post up on the sofa to watch Thanksgiving Day football, and the most exposure they’ve had to Native American heritage is the cultural appropriation of sports teams being named after figure heads, traditionals items, tribes, etc. across major league sports, local teams, high school teams...you name it.
Just this year, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse team were snubbed from competing in the World Games despite having finished in a higher ranking than a couple teams at 3rd. It took Ireland’s lacrosse team withdrawing for the Iroquois team to play.They are the only Native American team to be authorized to compete in international lacrosse since 1990.
Not to mention they are the ones who invented the sport.
How many people when they sit down and eat their turkey are aware of the fact, that Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924 through the Snyder Act? The ones who inhabited this land first, were not considered legal citizens until “roaring 20s”. This is only 3 years after being granted health care
And did you know they did not have a say in government happenings until the Voting Rights Act of 1965? Nearly 44 years.
And that doesn’t EVEN scratch the surface of their culture, their homes, their language... being STRIPPED from them… being stripped from history
I maybe did 1 project in middle school on Native American culture on Sitting Bull...I could not tell you a thing past that today. Thanksgiving is next week. It is the day dedicated to giving thanks. For many Indigenous People...it is a day of mourning. From it’s inception the United States of America was born from genocide and oppression of Indigenous people. The story of the pilgrims getting of the Mayflower being met with open arms from the Native Americans and sitting around the table peacefully breaking bread and co-existing peaceful is one that completely (and intentionally) overlooks the millions Native Americans in lost in genocide, starvation and diseases brought from Europe all while stripping away their land, their culture, their language and their history.
This Thanksgiving, as you sit around the table (in-person or virtually) reflect on the land that you are on.
Just like anti-racism, there are various ways to support the cause of righting wrongs of our past. You can donate to charity, educate yourself by visiting a museum and/or read the work of Native American authors, support native-owned businesses...but personally I think a good place to start is acknowledging Native land. I’ll put a link in the show notes, but you can research the territory you grew up in or currently reside. You can also text your zip code or your city and state to the number (907) 312-5085.
Now like I said there are numerous causes to commemorate throughout the month of November. In November, we recognize Diabetes, Lung Cancer, Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s Disease...We recognize our Family Caregivers.
At the time of this episode being released, we are in the middle of Transgender Awareness week (Novembere 13-19). Transgender Awareness Week is the week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender gender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around the issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affects the trans community. This week leads up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday, November 20th.
Transgender Day Of Remembrance was started in 1999, by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. That day, the vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death and began an important, annual tradition providing memorial and healing space of transgender people lost to violence and ignorance.
With it being Transgender Awareness Week, I want to shine light on the difficulties transgender people face from using public bathrooms to get equitable medical care, participate in sport...Even today in 2020 it is not safe for trans people to be who they fully are.
Despite legislation like the Equality Act they still fall under a vulnerable space due to lack of societal acceptance and hate crimes. In collaboration with @humanbyorientation and @hbomax ‘Transhood’, @soyouwanttotalkabout present number relating to Bullying and Homelessness. “75% of transgender youth report feeling unsafe at school not only from their peers, but teachers and school administrators as well.” If you listened to my talk with Sarah you'll recall how we discussed the social determinants that outside factors have such a vital aspect to a student's performance in the classroom so these studies were showing that their gpas were lower and they were less likely to even continue their education.
Bright young transgender youth should be afforded the same opportunities as their cisgender counterparts to go to school without fear of being bullied for being who they are. “An estimated 20-40% of all homeless youth are transgender” This is because many trans youth end up in the streets because their families do not accept them and kick them out.
It is unbelievably disheartening that we still live in a time where hatred and commitment to misunderstanding seem to be the focal point. Take conservative right-wing commentator Candace Owens for instance.
This week she took it upon herself to criticize Harry Styles rocking a Gucci gown with lace and ruffles (please the cover art here) for Vogue magazine’s December issue.
She wrote “There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. ...Bring back manly men.”
Now while I really don’t think society can survive without strong WOMEN...here’s what stood out to me.
They never left.
Most of them just got here.
They way that the previous generation of “men” operated will soon be obsolete.
Men who belittle the ideas and efforts women in the office place by mansplaining
Men harassing their female counterparts with their advances and the expectation of a response or attention
Fathers not parenting or playing an active role in their kid’s lives
Men suffering in silence for fear of being told that they are weak… and to “Man up”
Tell ya what.. if she cared so much about human civilization and protecting the nuclear family...maybe just maybe she should be putting more of her energy into promoting organizations like Movember who aim to stop men from dying early.
But nevertheless, since she hasn’t done it I will.
Movember, also referred to by some as “No Shave November”, is a movement addressing Men’s health on a global scale. November has been a time5, men across the global grow mustaches to bring awareness to men’s health issues in Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer, Mental Health and Suicide prevention
Men are dying on average 6 years earlier than women for largely preventable reasons. The 3 conditions they target are Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer, Mental Health and Suicide prevention.
Directly from their website here, “Unchecked, prostate cancer rates will double over the next 15 years. Globally, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men aged 15-39 years of age. And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 75% of all suicides. The goal is to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25% by 2030.”
This organization has worked toward creating strong partnerships with experts in research, government, and health across the world.
To the men listening to this, here’s some action you can take starting today
Spend time with people who make you feel good.
Talk more.
Know the numbers and know your family history.
Know what “normal” for you physically and get checked out REGULARLY.
And lastly, MOVE. Add more activity throughout your day. Movement is medicine.
To those listening wanting to support Movember here’s 2 things that I want you to do:
Check the show notes for some dope individuals whose campaign you can donate to. (If you donate more that $10 using your Mastercard, Mastercard will donate an additional $10 in support of men’s health)
Push the men in your life to invest in preventative interventions to take ownership of their health.
Check out the hyperlinks within the full show notes for more information on each of the topics I discussed throughout this episode.
I am so happy with how season 1 has turned out. To all of you that have listen thank you, thank you, thank you. I am definitely going to take some well-deserved rest to reflect and digest the conversations I have had so far and cannot wait for what I have in store for Season 2. Feel free to reach out on social media if there are any topics you want me to explore and be on the look out for some cool stuff dropping during the hiatus.
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*FACT CHECK*
All facts have been hyperlinked within the transcript.
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