Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Today we will be talking about environmental justice and social justice with Sustainable Georgia Futures. I am Al Qibulan and my first guest today is Ty Wilson. And this is the Impress the Empress segment, which is also in conjunction with the Freedom, justice and Equality topic. How can we create more freedom, justice and equality for our people? And so I have Ty on the phone right now. Before we start, we always give thanks and praises to the Creator. So I'm going to do a quick grounding. We were a little delayed with starting, so I appreciate those who were patiently waiting. We give thanks and praises to the Almighty Creator. We give thanks and praises to Mother, Father, God, the Creator of all things in the universe, Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. We honor and we thank you for all that we have and all that we will continue to receive. Will you please continue to cover us? All those who are listening over the airwaves, we ask for a special hedge of protection and the covering so that we may be inspired, enlightened and renewed to continue to walk in the path of righteousness and be on the path where God goodness is conquering evil. We thank you in advance. We thank you for our angels and our ancestors that continue to guide us on our journey. And we ask you to continue to activate us so that we may shine our lights brightly into the world. Amen. Aso. Namaste again. Greetings, family. This is the AliB radio show. Welcome to the Empower Hour, and I have my first guest welcome. Waiting on the line, Ty Wilson from Sustainable Georgia Futures.
[00:01:56] Speaker B: All right.
[00:01:57] Speaker A: Hi, Ty.
[00:01:58] Speaker B: Good morning.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: Thank you so much for coming.
It's a pleasure and an honor to have you on my show today.
I'd like for you to introduce yourself after me.
This is Ty Wilson and she is program manager of Sustainable Georgia Futures.
I've had the opportunity to work with Ty on a huge campaign called Weatherize atl and I've learned so much about how the social justice, environmental justice movement is connected to what the civil rights movement was to the 60s for us.
And Ty, I'd like for you to feel free to just speak from your heart, however spirit moves you and to share with us what environmental justice is about, what it means to you, what Sustainable Georgia Futures has going on, how you all are actively on the front line creating a better quality of life for our people.
[00:03:04] Speaker B: Welcome, welcome.
[00:03:07] Speaker C: Hi. Okay. Thank you so much for having me.
And I'm actually joined by our executive director, Adrienne Rice as well.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:03:19] Speaker C: We're so glad to be here.
And a little bit about Sustainable Georgia future. So the Organization was founded in 2019 by Adrian Rice and then began programming in 2022 at the beginning of the year with a particular mission in mind to connect communities of color more broadly, but specifically black communities, to the green economy and create pathways that are sustainable generation to generation, for black communities to enter into and advance within the green economy, whether that's through entrepreneurship or through transitioning their career to a different job doing organizing work like we do, working in policy and in the government.
So whichever ways that black folks want to get involved in sustainability, in making sure that the world is cleaner and greener, not just for us today, but for generation after generation after generation, that opportunity is there.
And it's been the joy of a lifetime to be able to work with such a dynamic team.
Black women led. And we do have one black brother with us, and he holds it down, you know, so it's been really great.
Something that we've been working on lately is the Weatherize APL campaign.
And the Weatherize APL campaign is one from the city of Atlanta, where any of the, like, small energy efficiency upgrades that homeowners need.
The city has a pocket of funding for the highest energy burden homeowners to receive these energy efficiency improvements for free, up to about $4,000.
So I think we can all kind of remember if you were born in the US or raised in the US for any amount of time, and you have like a grandparent who would be like, hey, close the door. Don't let all my good air out. Stick a towel underneath the door so that none of the good air gets out.
Make sure that all the faucets are all the way turns off. And all of those things, all of those are small kind of weatherization things that they would ask you to do sometimes without even realizing it. And what weatherization does is it keeps what's on the outside and what's on the inside inside.
So that includes your air. That includes, you know, anything that's outside that's an allergen, like pollen or mold or anything. It keeps that on the outside.
And when a home is properly weatherized, you're able to increase the health of your family, especially those with asthma or eczema or other kind of respiratory or autoimmune thing.
And it also allows your energy bills to be lower because there's less of a need to turn up the AC all the way or to close or turn down the AC all the way if everything is properly sealed. So that's what the Weatherized APL campaign is officially about.
And SGF we have the wonderful opportunity of going into Atlanta's most energy burden communities and talking with folks about this program.
Pretty much the same thing that we just said here.
And it's been an incredible experience and we've been so grateful to have you along with us. Akiva, Life, it's been wonderful.
[00:07:27] Speaker B: Thank you so very much, Ty.
This program is actually the first of its kind.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: And my segment impressed the Empress is.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: All about those people who I've met along the way who have really touched my heart, inspired me as far as the things that they're doing. And I didn't know that you and Adrienne were on together, so I'm really honored. Adrian Rice is the founder and executive director. I hope I'm getting my titles right, but she's the executive director of Sustainable Georgia Futures.
So I'm wondering if, Adrienne, would you be able to check in with us and tell us about your vision and how you started on this journey?
[00:08:20] Speaker D: Yes.
Thank you, Akibalan.
Ty just did such a wonderful job with explaining what we're doing currently.
And you don't ever have to worry about titles with us, because that's not the point.
So with sdf, the reason why I created and developed SDF is because my background, I've been an organizer for more than 20 years.
And all throughout the country, different parts of the world, but Atlanta is home.
I was born in Chattanooga, but I was raised here and in Chattanooga by extended families.
And whenever I would be organizing throughout the world or throughout the country, you know, I'd always come back.
And so this last time that I tried to come back, it was difficult to come back, A and B, because of the cost of living, because of, you know, noticing that there's tons of changes that are happening, not only for me, but my family.
And I come from poor working class black people who are from the South.
And it was, you know, I'm noticing that they're working, you know, two and three jobs now. They can't, you know, during the hospital crashed, many of them lost their homes. You know, all of the things that we statistically and that is talked about is happening with my community of family and friends. And I'm noticing this. But not only am I noticing this is that I'm noticing that as I'm coming back that there is an issue, that there is a problem.
So me being the organizer that I am coming out of labor, wanting to start a company here because I saw this green economy as a new emergent economy.
And I wanted to make sure that black People in general was not locked out of it.
And as I started to do the research about the racial wealth gap that is here, which by the way, for every black family, we're talking about 28,000 to 80, something thousand for the average white family here in Atlanta, we experience the highest amount of income inequality in the country and have done so for the last 10 years. I started to do this research around this new emergent economy, the green economy, and notice that black people, dead last feet and non existent and many of these jobs, good paying jobs with benefits and the entrepreneurship aspect of it.
So I decided, you know, if we were going to be a part of this economy, we needed to be intentional about being inclusive. Because one of the reasons why we were not a part of this economy and and many other economies is for systemic issues.
And nothing is more truer than that case for Georgia in the South. Right. So there's a lot of systemic issues. But what I also find with organizing through labor and being in the Midwest.
[00:11:57] Speaker E: And the west coast and the east.
[00:11:58] Speaker D: Coast, New England, that those systemic issues and problems, they are pervasive when you're talking about white supremacy throughout this country and different parts of the world.
And so what we're trying to do at SDS is like, yes, of course we want to get people into these green jobs. We want to help people with entrepreneurship because we do. It is about the planet, it is about the people.
However, we want to do this thing where we are creating power within, you know, the black communities that are throughout Georgia so that they can have a voice to speak to a lot of the ill that is connected to environmental injustices and you know, help them with, you know, developing the voices so that they can create their own platforms and you know, their pathway.
And so, you know, we feel like we are part of that journey with you by you being an ambassador with our program with Weatherprise APL and everything that we do is connected to building power and so that we can shift, you know, the systems and break down these systems of oppression that really locked us out and you know, like redlining education system here, but also the good old voice system that is still pervasive here, you know.
So yeah.
[00:13:45] Speaker A: That was so well said, so eloquently said, Adrienne. And I'm just really grateful for your vision.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: And I remember when I met you, the first thing that I thought about was, you know, a lot of times on a grassroots level, we are not able to see how far the reach is. And with Weatherize atl, it creates a foundation for something that the whole country needs, let alone the state of Georgia. So I really applaud you for having the vision and being wise to create a strong team, because with such a huge, you know, responsibility, they say to whom much is given, much is required. It really does take a team. And so I do want to acknowledge the fact that you were able to spearhead and bring on people from different walks of lives, all ages and generations.
As you mentioned, I am a part of Weatherize ATL as an ambassador, and I have had the opportunity to meet community leaders, social activists who are really on the front line, doing things in the community and bringing people together and having the team. With Ty Wilson, Drew Barnes, Leah Rocha, Camille Wisby, I'd like to shout out the Sustainable Georgia Futures team.
It feels like a family. It doesn't feel like a job. And so I'm very grateful to have an opportunity to see a model of building community where you're out here making a difference and you're touching lives. And anyone who crosses the path of Sustainable Georgia Futures gets an opportunity to raise their awareness, tap into resources. It's really beyond and bigger than just one campaign what you all are doing, going out and touching the highest energy bur in neighborhoods. It takes a lot to not forget the underdog, to remember that there are people who really are struggling and they need the resources. And oftentimes they may not be tapped into social media or the Internet. And just the whole vision, it's beyond what words can describe.
And I do 100% support this platform and vision and would like for you and the rest of the team to feel that you always have a place on my platform so that you all can use this platform as a tool and a voice to continue to promote something that we need throughout the whole world. It's not just in the United States of America, but we have listeners throughout the whole world. And environmental justice is a big deal. Like, whenever we litter and pollute the waters here in America, it hits the Caribbean islands in Africa, and we don't recognize how connected we are. How, you know, these landfills and these waste areas and the plastic. It's just so much to talk about in one show. But they say, how do you, you know, eat an elephant? Although I don't eat meat, you, you know, you do it one chunk at a time, one bite at a time. And that's what you. You all are doing. You know, you're taking on such a large responsibility and task, and yet you're doing it in a way where you can see results sooner than later. And so I really applaud what you all are doing. And if you like to share how people can follow, how they can donate, sponsor, volunteer, please share how we can continue to support this endeavor.
[00:17:39] Speaker D: Ty, I'm going to leave that to you.
[00:17:43] Speaker C: Absolutely. I think the best way honestly to stay involved and stay connected is through our social media.
So if you're on Instagram or LinkedIn or usually our best platform, Facebook is also a good one. And we post about every week and we do highlights of the canvas ambassadors for the Weatherized program. We talk about our climate justice education meetings, which are monthly meetings that will kick back up in 2024 in February. But we talk about different topics pertaining to the green economy like waste and pollution and how the hyper consumerism and pollution in the US contribute to climate change. We talk about how in Georgia, built to rent programs go into effect or have gone into effect throughout the state where houses are being built with biohazardous materials that are highly don't really insulate properly and don't allow for families to build generational wealth because they're rental properties.
We talk about just a full gamut of things. Community, solar, we've talked about water before. So any kind of topic that you are interested in pertaining to climate change and climate justice and environmental justice, please join us at those meetings.
You can find us also at our website, which is www.sustainablegafutures.org and all of our updates are mission statements. Why we do the work that we do, how we do the work that we do on some levels, like how you can get deeper involved. All of that is on our website as well.
So those would probably be the top three ways to engage further and keep up with how the weatherized campaign is going and what we're doing in the future.
[00:19:55] Speaker B: Okay, that's wonderful. And that's sustainable GA futures with an S.org is that correct?
[00:20:03] Speaker D: Correct.
[00:20:04] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:04] Speaker B: Okay. And also on Facebook and Instagram, is this Sustainable GA Futures? You know, I should know this by heart by now. Please forgive me.
[00:20:15] Speaker C: Oh, you're good. It's Sustainable Georgia Futures.
[00:20:19] Speaker B: Okay, so it's actual world.
Okay. Yes. And so I am so grateful. Adrian Rice, Executive Director and Founder. Ty Wilson, Program Manager of Sustainable Georgia Futures. And please know that this is not a Georgia thing, this is a global thing. What we do is we act locally and we think globally. And we do want you all to be encouraged to be the change that you wish to see in the world. Everyone deserves a high quality of life throughout this whole world. Every Single country, every single town, every single family.
So please look to sustainable Georgia futures as a model for what needs to happen globally. And don't look at this as just a Georgia thing.
And so with that, I thank you for being guests on my show. I look forward to you all coming again.
And as we get new updates and new information, I will be sharing it. But I am a staunch advocate in the environmental justice arena. And these are those women who are helping, you know, to groom me and to teach me how I can be the change that I wish to see in the world. And I thank you. Adrian Rice, thank you so much for coming on. Would you like to say anything in closing?
[00:21:46] Speaker D: You know, Akebala, you are such a light, and we are so happy to, you know, we're so happy, and we're so blessed that people have met you and for you to be a part of our family. And thank you so much for all that you do.
[00:22:04] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. I'm so honored. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.
[00:22:09] Speaker D: All right, see you.
[00:22:11] Speaker B: Thank you, Adrian. Thank you, Ty. Blessings.
[00:22:14] Speaker C: Thank you.
Such a pleasure.
[00:22:18] Speaker B: All right, take care.
[00:22:21] Speaker D: You too.
[00:22:23] Speaker B: Okay, we have another caller. I think that may be Drew Barnes calling in.
[00:22:30] Speaker E: Yep.
[00:22:31] Speaker B: Yes, you are right on time, my brother. Greetings.
This is Drew Barnes, and he is the masculine energy that we so always need. We always like to big up our brothers and our sisters because we need the balance. And Drew, we just had Adrian and Ty on. Your timing is impeccable. And as I claim for all things, everything is in divine order.
I've had the opportunity. My first day as a weather rise ambassador.
Drew was my trainer, and he is on the leadership staff as well. And Drew has been really instrumental in certain ways. I'm kind of switching gears, but I want to shout out Drew for helping me start my YouTube channel and supporting my children.
Everyone has such a generous heart with sustainable Georgia Futures, but I feel like a connection with Drew around, you know, just being on a front line as a brother who is very conscious. And, Drew, I know you're going to be doing some things in addition to sustainable Georgia futures, and I want people to know that I plan on having you come and spotlighting you as being one of the forerunners and on the front line for our black men doing positive things.
And so with, you know, all the.
The flavor that you bring to sustainable Georgia futures, I'd like for you to introduce yourself and tell the listening audience about the role that you play in the environmental justice, social justice field, how you came to be a part of this mission and what it means to you and anything that you would like to just say from your heart so that you feel that this is just a natural conversation.
[00:24:27] Speaker E: Okay, well, thank you for such a warm welcome. First of all, I'm happy to be here, and I really can go ahead and start talking about Sustainable Georgia Futures and how I became a part of the organization. So this past spring, actually, I graduated from Morehouse College.
And before I graduated, I was actually a part of the Sustainable Building Futures Green Fellowship program.
And essentially what that was was just kind of takes all of the fellows through a series of trainings on environmental justice and how to organize in your community.
And I can say that from actually the very beginning of the fellowship, and beginning since I've met Ty as the first person I met, I really had just felt like I found a tribe essentially, kind of like a group of people that I felt like I could be myself, you know, holistically, and with all of my controversial ideas, you know, in today's world, and really just expand, explore that with them. And really been invaluable, to say the least.
But to talk a bit about my role in Sustainable Georgia futures, I think it's been mentioned a couple of times that I'm the only male member of the team, and I actually love that because I get to learn so much from the intelligent women around me. And it really has put into perspective advocacy and activism in our communities and how much black women have been at the forefront of that. So I always want to help lift our team and how often they are in our communities and really just speak to the power of black women in our communities.
And so I think if I'm going to answer the questions in order here, I think the next question was, how did I learn about then what you're in the future?
[00:26:37] Speaker B: Yes. Like, how did you start on this journey to get to where you are right now? And, you know, any inspiring moments that you had that you like to share that keeps you wanting to be on this path?
[00:26:51] Speaker E: Absolutely. So I'll take it a little bit back further to the start of the pandemic.
So, as a freshman in college, I was a biology major and I wanted to go into medicine, actually. I actually wanted to do orthopedic surgery so I could stay in contact with athletes and watch them grow and recover from certain injuries. But after the pandemic, I kind of started to realize that there was a deeper need for some social doctors, if that makes sense. Kind of like some people to in the community and actually address some of the problems that affect us every day, and not just athletes.
And actually, it was the age of Donald Trump, and there was a lot of Black Lives Matter protests and just so many things going on. And me being at home outside of college, I had nothing to do but to learn about everything that's going on in the world. And it really changed my perspective.
It gave me a sense of purpose that I need to be doing more in my community, that I owe my community a lot more than I've been giving them.
I actually felt more like a moral obligation that people that are studying this type of stuff actually changed my major to economics as a result. But people that are studying things in the world have a moral obligation to not only educate people, but to do things, you know, that align with your beliefs and really stand on that. And it turned to Pan Africanism.
And I really can say that Pan Africanism has been the true light of my life since becoming a college student, as I found so many avenues of purpose, I guess you could say I really love the fact that.
And Africanism really emphasizes the importance of community love and unity. And I really felt like that struck home with me, and I've been going on that path ever since. And not until I was a junior in college did I actually find community organizations that I could be a part of. And it was the most fulfilling thing. It really was, like, reassuring for me because I was kind of scared to jump into, you know, the nonprofit thing or, like, community service, because, you know, everyone says there's no money. But I will be here to tell you guys that there is definitely a career in community service, and you definitely should look into it. Wherever you are, whoever you are thinking about trying to jump in, thinking you can't do a lot in your community. Trust me, there's so much just from your perspective and your experience, experiences that you've had your own life that you can share with your community, that would really push the needle to where it needs to be, towards change.
[00:29:52] Speaker B: Awesome.
That was so well said. Oh, my gosh, Drew, I knew you were a natural. And I, too.
I too, am a Pan Africanist. And I like to, you know, remind people that one of our goals is to break the cycle of poverty in our community for all the people who profited off of the free labor of our ancestors and still continue to, you know, try to rob, pillage, and rape. All the resources that we bring, whether it's physical resources, intellectual labor resources, anything that, you know, is in sustainable energy, green jobs, those are the things. STEM jobs that help to Break the gap and, you know, break that cycle of generational poverty and to start creating generational wealth. So I thank you for reminding the listening audience how, you know, we can not only make a difference, but we can also create wealth for our generations to come, including ourselves.
And I'm so happy that you came to be a guest on my show today and I look forward to possibly having you on the King's Corner segment or Freedom, justice and Equality.
But I do know that you are someone special.
You said yes to that.
[00:31:22] Speaker E: Absolutely. This is not the last time I'll be on this show.
[00:31:25] Speaker D: I love.
[00:31:26] Speaker B: Okay, well, I'm really, really grateful that I have the opportunity to be in service with you and the rest of sustainable Georgia futures. It is so honoring and humbling to be with people on the front line. And as you say, you feel a moral obligation. I truthfully feel the same way. I think as a people that we really have to be activated to open up our hearts and minds to do more because it's like kind of anticipated that we're going to be apathetic. It's simple things like, you know, not littering, not throwing garbage out your car, but, you know, keeping your community clean or when you're walking for those who are pedestrians, you know, don't just throw garbage around. Pay attention, you know, to our environment and how we can clean up ourselves. Healthy and clean living. It also is about the environment that we live in and what we can do to make a difference and is sometimes very simple, like recycling, you know, turning, you know, a new leaf and doing solar energy or, you know, wind power energy. There's so many ways that we can be empowered and I know it's just an intro to that on this call. And so I look forward to empowering our community with more information.
And again, as I said before, this is a global thing that's going on. There's a lot of stuff going on with climate change the way that the world is, you know, just people who are in war stricken places. That's environmental justice too. And you know, it's not just a bombing, which is really important, but gunshots, people that live in environments, you know, that deal with sounds, noise, pollution that are unhealthy. So I just want to thank you for coming on and for doing all the positive things that you're doing to make a difference. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to make a living helping people, helping to make a difference and change the world.
[00:33:38] Speaker E: Yeah. And if I, if I could just say one more thing about sustainability.
You mentioned the bombings and things going on and how that is definitely an environmental justice issue.
But I just want to take it one step further and highlight that 100% of the uranium that is used to build these bombs was stolen from African land, African soil.
[00:34:08] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:34:09] Speaker E: So it's very important as Africans in America that we understand the true power of our ancestors as it relates to world history and contemporary history today.
And sustainability is just another way of saying love for our world and our people. You know, if we want to live here for a longer period of time, we can't. It's not just recycling. It's also our mental sustainability, it's our dietary sustainability, it's our community sustainability.
All of that goes into our environment and goes into environmental justice. So I just wanted to highlight that it just doesn't stop at, you know, the climate. It also is our society and everything of that nature.
[00:34:58] Speaker B: I love what you're saying. It is so true, you know, and for Caribbean Life ready on Caribbean Life tv. One thing that I love is that there is, although it's not a part of, like, the establishment platform, but there is a Pan African sense and understanding that we're all connected and that we all have an opportunity to have a voice on this platform.
And for whatever reason, it seems that, you know, within the Caribbean culture, because of the way that the migration happened.
[00:35:31] Speaker A: That a lot of our culture was.
[00:35:33] Speaker B: Preserved more in the islands than here in America.
[00:35:36] Speaker A: And oftentimes because of how I was raised with my culture, and people automatically.
[00:35:41] Speaker B: Think that I'm from Africa or the islands, you know, like my children, too.
[00:35:47] Speaker A: Because we were raised with our culture. So there's a lot of consciousness here.
[00:35:52] Speaker B: In America that, you know, with the.
[00:35:55] Speaker A: Things that the media shows, that gets.
[00:35:57] Speaker B: Forgotten, like the Civil Rights movement, the.
[00:36:00] Speaker A: Black Power movement, Marcus Garvey, being able.
[00:36:02] Speaker B: To come here and organize the largest amount of people. So there is a consciousness here from Nat Turner and the Denmark Vessi, you know, the rebellions that happened, Cato's Rebellion.
There's so much here that we who live in America, we must remember that we play an important role in the.
[00:36:24] Speaker A: Changes that need to happen on the.
[00:36:26] Speaker B: Planet, and that there is a lot of culture and revolution here to be tapped into.
So what are your closing remarks, Drew? Because I felt like I cut you off, so my apologies.
[00:36:36] Speaker E: No, no, not at all.
Closing remarks. Okay. So I'll say, you know, after everything we said, we talked a lot about problems. Right. I just want to give one little moment of black joy is what I always like to do so. The joy that I find today is that there is revolutionary optimism. As much as we have problems and things going on in the world, we can't give up because we understand as Africans that the world cannot go on without us. The world can not go on peacefully. It cannot last. We see that there's global warming, there's overproduction, people are drilling too much into areas of Africa.
If we as a people are unified, we can control that. We can essentially save the world. I don't want to sound like I'm being too hopeful or delusional, but logically, all of the problems could be solved of today with a unified Africa.
I just want everyone to understand their goals. You don't have to be African, you know, to be a Pan Africanist, to advocate for the unification of Africa and all of their people worldwide. Because at the end of the day, you could do anything. You go to your neighbor, you go to your church and talk about unification and unity. And that really. It really resonates across the entire world once you do that. And we see the Palestinian people today are.
Are basically a great example of that. You know, their homes are being bombed, they're being moved, but they're still fighting. They're still staying there, you know, And I just think that we have a lesson to learn from our brothers in Palestine, that we have to keep going, we have to do something. We can't stop at, you know, the complacence of black excellence and things of that nature. We have a job, and it doesn't stop with, you know, us in America. And that's my closing remark.
[00:38:49] Speaker B: I love it. Thank you so very much for pointing that out.
I'm actually about to do a short little info on Emperor Haile Selassie. And when he spoke to the United nations in 1970, 63, and Bob Marley created the song War, you know, it's just so apropos how, you know, through the.
It stands the test of time. The truth stands true today as it did 50 years ago, a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, that, you know, there needs to be world peace. There needs to be an end to all this war and us and really not underestimating the power that we have, because we all are connected that, you know, one of us hurts, we all hurt. When there is one injustice in the world, then everyone is being treated unjust. We cannot turn a blind eye, and we cannot think that, you know, just because it's not in our backyard, that it doesn't have an impact on us. We all have A responsibility when we walk with the light of the Creator with within us to do something, even if it's just to know our neighbors and to have dialogue in a different way than more than, you know, just what's this new sensational news that's going on about, you know, entertainment, sports, you know, and stuff like that. We really need to have serious dialogue with our youth so that they know that they can be change makers as well. So I'm really grateful for you bringing me unexpected gifts of joy today. Thank you.
[00:40:39] Speaker E: Thank you so much. And final remark, before you go out there and pick up that gun, gotta give somebody a hug and free palace.
[00:40:50] Speaker B: I know that's right. We need some more crystals. I have a brother, Hank, rising, son.
He said, you know, you gotta get a crystal. Sometimes with or without a pistol, you still need a crystal. And I'm not even quoting him right, but he made my necklace, you know, So I walk with my crystals. It's a part of my medicine bag. So I give thanks for you again, Drew, and I look forward to having you again.
Once again, everyone, I. I was speaking to Drew Barnes. This is Drew Barnes with Sustainable Georgia Futures, and he is definitely a young king on the front line representing. Thank you so much.
[00:41:35] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:41:37] Speaker B: All right.
[00:41:48] Speaker E: Saving.
[00:42:14] Speaker B: Sam.
[00:43:34] Speaker E: It.
[00:45:19] Speaker B: Thanks for listening.
Yes, a little bit of Fela Kuti for your heart, your mind, your soul, your spirit and your ears.
And so again, this is our Kibalon radio show. You can find us on Instagram, Caribbean Life Radio. You can also find us on Facebook, Caribbean Life TV, and we are now on YouTube as well.
I just started my YouTube channel. I decided that I was going to come full out. So you can also follow with Alkibulama.
And that's a L K E B U L A N M A A T. You'll find me on Instagram, Facebook and on YouTube.
And this is the Impress the Empress segment of the Empower Hour. We were honored to have Sustainable Georgia futures come through and represent Shout out to Adrian Rice, Ty Wilson and Drew Barnes. And we were not able to hear from Camille and Leah, who are also a part of the team, but I want to give them a special shout out as well. I'm so grateful for all that you all are doing to promote social and environmental justice and in the spirit of freedom, justice and equality. I would like to acknowledge that November 2nd was a holy day in the Rastafari community.
It was Coronation Day. It was the day that Emperor Haile Selassie was crowned. Power or might of the Holy Trinity is the interpretation or the translation of what Haile Selassie means. And Haile Selassie was born Rastafari.
And that is where the Rastafari community takes its name. However, on this day in 1930, November 2nd, Haile Selassie had 72 nations bow. And as it is said in Revelations, that there would be someone who would come to fulfill the prophecy of Christ being seen in his kingly character. And so Haile Selassie was crowned King of Kings, Lord of Lords. He was considered to be the conquering lion of the tribe of Judah, born in the month of July.
And he was also and is considered to be the elect of God.
Ethiopia is the own, the oldest country that we know of that has never been colonized by the Europeans.
We know that the Garden of Eden, the rivers flow through Ethiopia and the Bible. So we see Ethiopia from Genesis to Revelations in the holy Scriptures. And I would just like to acknowledge that in these last days, when it said that the seven seals would be open and Marcus Garvey said, look to the coming of a king in Africa, that prophecy was considered to be fulfilled. And as I teach my sons, when we talk about the seven seals, there are seven openings. You have two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and a mouth which equals seven.
And we are living in the days where information, consciousness is on the rise. And so I ask you, encourage you to learn about your history and your culture.
Consider Pan Africanism as a possible idea to explore, because the Organization of African Unity that was also created was about Pan African.
And as I mentioned, Haile Selassie spoke to the United nations in 1963. And his speech about war is still very much relevant to the times that we're living in, especially what we see going down in Palestine right now. And so I send our positive energy to all those on the planet who do want to step forward and show their light until the world again. We encourage that 100% and to know that there are people who are suffering on this planet, that we also need to send energy out to end the suffering, to end the war, to end the crimes, to end the poverty. And so tonight I do know that there is a special root celebration in Atlanta. It's called Roots in the West End. I like to give a shout out to my brother Iras, who sponsors Roots in the West End. And this will be a special celebration tonight. It's from 10 to 3am and the doors when they open at 10, I believe queens are free before 12.
You can check Iras out on Facebook as well. I'M hoping that he would call in, but I'm not sure if I can get get him on the line to promote his own thing, but I'm definitely promoting it as well. He has a page called Great Event Productions and you will find Roots in the west in there. I'll also post it on my social media pages. Al Ma that's a L K E B U L A N M A A T and you are listening to Caribbean Life Radio and and we are found on Instagram and Facebook as well as Caribbean Life TV as well.
I do also want to give a special shout out to the City of stone Mountains Mayor Dr. Beverly Jones. She has also been on my show before and she is doing something special to honor the veterans.
November 11th is considered to be Veteran Day, Veterans Day and we give a special shout out to all of the veterans who have made a contribution to the world and have been in service. So they're actually hosting now as we speak, a Veterans Day brunch and it's going to be right here in the city of Stone Mountain and we are hoping that people will come out. It's Champion Theme Middle School.
It's kind of close to the ending, but if you are able to stop by Champion Theme Middle School and Stone Mountain, we would love to support anything that's positive that's going on in our community.
And for Roots in the West End IROS event again, it's a special tribute honoring the 93rd coronation anniversary of Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Menin. And that event is going to be located on Murphy Avenue, 680 Murphy Avenue at the playback studios from 10 to 3 tonight. And some of my favorites will be there.
Ibashaka straight from London, Farin Heights Creation, Cosmic Love Beat Sounds will also be there. Ross Irate is going to be one of the DJs there as well.
And Thunderbush Sound System will be sponsoring it. So shout out to iros Roots and the West End.
I will definitely be there as well to celebrate and be in fellowship and sistership with my brethren and my sister.
And again, I like to give shout outs to all those that are listening over the air to the Empower Hour. It is very important that you remember to shine your light brightly into the world and remember that you can make a difference. You can smile today at someone, you can have a kind word and you can show a kind gesture to someone. The most important thing that we can do is to love ourselves and to love one another.
Love is one of the most powerful tools and weapons that we can use to shift the energy on the planet. And it is so important that you pour into yourself, so surround yourself around positive people, because you cannot pour into other people when your cup is not full. And so, as my cup is running over, I would like to give thanks for all those who continue to pour into me. Shout outs to DJ Rez and to Empress K, shout out to Lawrence Prescott and all of the Caribbean Life radio and TV team. I am so grateful to feel a part of a powerful community that's spreading positivity and love throughout the planet. And so we are going to end with a remake of Still Post.
I love King Selassie. I was really proud to see that my brother Chronix joined in and he did a special remake and tribute to the King Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia. And as we end this segment, I just like to thank you all for listening to the Alkebalon Radio Show. And know that you are loved, you are powerful and you are a necessary part of the creator's master plan.
Thank you again. This is the Alkibalon Radio show. And this is the Empower Hour. Peace and greet. Peace and love. Family.
[00:55:47] Speaker E: Sa.
