Old School Thoughts

Martha and I spend a lot of time conversating and reflecting on what made us Old School. What I mean by that is that we spend a lot of time attempting to understand the history of our ancestors and how their struggles and triumphs are/were understood by those that followed up to today. I remember singing the titled song, as a little boy, without understanding the message and the amount of degradat...

Martha and I were blessed to have Rudy, as a first time guest, to talk about his journey through discovering family members during his research. As he stated, he talked about his ancestry journey, shame, surprise, and sovereignty.

How often do you catch yourself doing or saying something that reminds you of your parent, aunt, uncle, or other adult person? That is what this episode is about. I was happy to have Martha join me in this discussion. Again, thank you for your support. Be good!!

Influences/influencers come into our lives in so many forms. They can be negative or positive. They can build you up and they can delay your growth. Martha and I are leaving a conversation that talks about avoiding influences. I am blessed to have had God in my life to protect me from the influences of no return. Martha reflects on the influences that came from her mother. I hope you enjoy this Ol...

What are your expectations of how you will be cared for when you reach the cycle of losing your independence? This is what Martha and I have agreed to talk about as we become our parents. We tried to present the seriousness of the conversation along with some humor. We would love to read or hear your comments. Thank you for your encouraging words. How should we show our elders that they significan...

Martha and I have spent the last six weeks talking about the purpose, scope, brick walls, and relationships associated with starting and refining your family tree. We really thank all of you for your incredible support. This episode focuses on the present and future challenges to prepare for. We hope you enjoy the episode and that you share it with others. What are your thoughts?

This episode is focused on how we, as family members, sometime dismiss cousins based on their degree of kinship. We place a number on cousins that eventually leads to extraction from the family. Martha and I are asking you to consider our thoughts and share your opinions. Thank you for your support.

During one of our conversations, Martha posed a question/statement about family that made a lot of sense. She wondered if Africans, throughout the diaspora, fully understand what a family is? The question also became a statement as we assessed the question and realized that the slave trade and other migratory events always put us in the side of division and loss. What are your thoughts?

This is our third episode of the Family Tree series. Martha and I used this time to share how starting our family tree impacted our views and personal lives. Though Martha and I approached our research from a different perspective, the research lead us to discover our own relationship as cousins. What are your thoughts?

Working on genealogy require that researchers constantly check for sources to validate what they know or what they think they know to be true. Blurred truths can lead to inaccurate information - that leads to assigning the wrong people as relatives. Martha and I are committed to this podcast and this series because they are worth our time and pursuit of leaving a valuable legacy. Let us know what...

Martha and I approached this episode attempting to get our audience to focus on the truth. One must become prepared to accept the truth about relatives and the effectiveness of the “Village.” When you decide to pursue your ancestral history, we all must realize that our family is not ours to own. We are branches to a larger tree that was planted many years and generations ago. Let us know what you...

Martha and I have agreed to stay on task to talk about starting a family tree. This episode is also based on a request from Martha’s niece. This is our opening to the topic. We hope you find the information interesting enough to start or improve your research. Let us know what you think.

I have really enjoyed this two-part conversation with Martha about the PBS documentary: Talking Black In America - Riots. We made an effort to draw in previous episodes to keep our listeners reminded of previous thoughts/assessments. We have to pay attention to languages, cultures, and ethnicities. We are one, but we get distracted. I hope you enjoy this episode. Give us your thoughts. Until next...

This episode is basically an introduction into our next topic: Black While Talking. Martha and I would like to get us to think about how our African culture and languages faded and are fading with each generation. We have also given up and abandoned communication that once created solidarity. Today, some Africans in America are okay with friends of other ethnicities calling them by derogatory name...

This episode concludes Martha’s three-part series on “We’re Not Merchants!” This episode has a lot to do with the importance of marketing and knowing your product well enough to accurately pitch it. These are two pitfalls to transforming an idea or dream into a sustainable business. We love you and be good. Please pass it on.

Last week, Martha led our conversation with her knowledge and description of a “Merchant Class or Society” as it pertains to African American communities. This is Part 2 of the same topic. We opened this episode with a short discussion about what should we take away from the observance/celebration of Juneteenth. Let us know your thoughts.

Martha and I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with Dr. LaTasha Jones Adams to learn about her initiative to start a charter school in Columbus, Georgia. The proposed name for the school is Dominion Purpose Academy. Though she is at the early stages of the process, Martha and I invited Dr. Adams to the podcast to share with all of us her purpose behind the initiative and other considerations. I...

Welcome to another episode of Old School Thoughts! Thank you for all of your support. Like always, I really enjoyed recording this episode with Martha. We’re Not Merchants has to do with strengths and weaknesses to survive as a business class. I hope you enjoy this episode and pass it on to friends and family.

In this episode, Martha is leading us through a series of thought provoking situations that we should analyze beneath the surface. She used bugs and slugs, metaphorically, at one point, to get her message across. Please pass this episode on to others.

Growing up, I would hear adults saying, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” I never understood why I would keep my enemies closer than my friends. Martha and I revisited that saying after listening to a speech delivered by Killer Mike titled: Free Speech Lets Me Know My Enemy. His spin on the topic was spot on. It showed his maturity.

Our parents have always told us, in many different ways, to “Keep your eyes open”, “Pay attention” and that “You better smell the coffee.” Which meant that you better keep your sense about yourself. We all have to learn how to slow down what we see to reflect and assess. If we don’t, we will let too many important things slide while turning the other cheek. I am all outta cheeks.

Martha has led us into an episode for the archives. Most of our discussions are surfaced for discussion amongst larger groups - then some episodes go beneath the surface that might cause some of our listeners to step back. Those are the episodes I see as a recording for the archives. The archives are left for others to discover.

Martha opens this episode by exploring a repetitive mantra often used in the African American community, We are caught or stuck between a rock and a hard place.” We have repeated this phrase without ever assessing its meaning in layman terms. Here we go with another significant discussion. We hope you like it and add it to your collection. If you like it, please share it.

This episode is a door blaster because Martha and I have reached a new horizon when it comes to analyzing why our parents sent us out of the room when “Grown Folks are talking.” Martha hit the spot when she stated that, as adults, we represent those adult conversations that took place in the background. What a profound discovery! Let us know your thoughts. Thank you for your support.

When it comes to the African American experience, Diaspora is used to address the dispersion of Africans throughout the world. During this episode, Martha and I are applying the Diaspora to our voluntary migrations and generational gaps.