Real Reading Talk

WHEN YOUR CHILD'S GIFT MAKES OTHER PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE, WHAT DO YOU DO? Imagine being just THREE YEARS OLD and already dominating the soccer field with extraordinary talent, only to have parents from your own soccer team reportedly call the POLICE on you! That's the story of a young soccer phenom out of Nevada, and in this episode of The Reading Is Freedom Podcast , I'm sharing why I...

🔥 WHO DECIDED WHITE APPROVAL WAS THE STANDARD FOR BLACK SUCCESS? Jay-Z recently made a comment about AfroTech being a “subset” because it isn't part of the mainstream. He even compared it to the Negro Leagues, which operated outside of Major League Baseball. But here's my question: Since when does being outside of white-controlled institutions make what Black people build any less powerfu...

“I got whupped and I turned out fine.” But did you turn out fine because of the whuppings—or IN SPITE of them? That’s the conversation I had with my father, and that’s where this episode begins. We have got to stop calling whuppings, yelling, threatening and intimidating our children Black culture. We have to be willing to examine where these behaviors came from, how they were passed down, and the...

A Texas teacher broke down over his 17- and 18-year-old seniors who, according to him, struggle to read and write. But my question is:  Was it just they didn't know how to read or are they disconnected from the literature that they are being asked to read? In my latest episode of The Reading Is Freedom Podcast , I dig deeper into this conversation. Because we cannot talk about Black children s...

What if rest isn't a luxury—but a form of liberation? In this episode of Reading Is Freedom , I explore the powerful connection between literacy, history, and our right to rest. Drawing inspiration from Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey, we examine how centuries of anti-Black racism conditioned Black people—especially Black women—to believe our worth is measured by how much we produce. This...

🚨 Podcast Premiere This Tuesday | Reading Is Freedom 🚨 If you don't understand racism/white supremacy what it is and how it works then everything you think you understand will only confuse you.-Neely Fuller, Jr. In this upcoming episode of Reading Is Freedom , I discuss why we must be willing to name racism when we see it and acknowledge the lasting impact of anti-Blackness in America. We al...

Reading teaches more than words—it teaches wisdom. When most people think about reading, they think about phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension. While those skills are important, reading also helps us develop life skills that can shape how we navigate the world. In this episode of Reading Is Freedom , I discuss how reading helps us build self-awareness , recognize and trust our intuition , and le...

Freedom Requires Options: A Conversation with Sis Ayisha on Life Beyond America What does it look like to imagine a different future for yourself and your family? In this powerful episode of The Reading Is Freedom Podcast , I sit down with Sis Ayisha to discuss her inspiring journey from America to Ghana and the faith, courage, and vision that helped her make that life-changing decision. Sis Ayish...

🎙️📚 NEW EPISODE ALERT: The Reading Is Freedom Podcast 📚 What if the biggest thing standing between you and success isn't your ability—it's your mindset? In my latest episode, we're talking about the difference between a growth mindset and a lack or fixed mindset . Too many children—and adults—have convinced themselves that they're "just not readers," "not smart eno...

Summer is a time for fun, relaxation, and family memories—but it can also be a time when children lose some of the reading skills they worked so hard to build during the school year. In this episode of The Reading Is Freedom Podcast, I explain what the "summer slide" is, why it happens, and how it can impact your child's reading growth. One of the easiest and most effective ways to c...

What happens when faith, literacy, racial trauma, and liberation all collide in one powerful conversation? I recently sat down with New York native Dr. Yusuf Malik Frederick, author of the groundbreaking book I Love Islam but I'm Tired of Muslims: How Spiritual Abuse and Racial Trauma Intersect to Cause Psychological Distress Among African American Muslims. This wasn’t just an interview. This...

In this powerful episode of the Reading Is Freedom Podcast, I sit down with Bronzeville native and author Abdullah Rasheed Muhammad to discuss his new release,  Hood Coma . This conversation goes far beyond the pages of a book — it dives deep into the realities many Black communities face, including poverty, alcoholism, drugs, and the absence of fathers in the home. But this episode is also about...

There are books you read… and then there are books that  change you . In this powerful episode, I’m breaking down five books that didn’t just inform me—they transformed how I see myself, my history, and what freedom truly means. From The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley, to Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Joy DeGruy, to Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederic...

Creating generational wealth and learning about financial literacy has been one of the most talked about conversations in the Black community over the last 20+ years. We have become more conscious about breaking free from the financial generational trauma that was created by design ever since the inception of this country. This is what esteemed author Kerwyn Phillip is doing with both of his books...

In this episode I'm addressing the recent article done in The Harvard Gazette that talks about the driving decline in U.S. literacy rates. Of course they mention things like the rise of electronic devices, children not being taught phonics anymore or not seeing adults around them reading. However, I take it a step further by going into the root cause of this decline that really has hit Black,...

You tired of not trusting your gut? Do you second guess yourself a lot? Are you constantly having to ask other people what to do before you make decisions? Well in this episode I break down where that lack of trust in yourself and the ability to make sound decisions come from. This is one of the core reasons as to why I wrote my chapter Escaping the Fear Trap House of our book H.E.R. Healed Empowe...

There was an article written in the Black Wallstreet Times that talked about how reading for pleasure has gone down about 40% for Americans within the last 20 years. For Black people that number looks even more dismal. Well if you've guessed the main reason are the internet, social media and electronic devices you are absolutely on point. In this episode I'm talking about how pleasure read...

Picture books are typically associated with young children. We assume because they are filled with illustrations that you must be 8 years old or younger to read them. That is quite the contrary. These books teach us how to have empathy, to have a higher level thinking and they usually have a wide vocabulary. This is why people of all ages can enjoy a picture book. In this episode I talk about how...

"When you don't understand racism/white supremacy what it is and how it works then everything you think you understand will only confuse you."- Neely Fuller, Jr. This is the quote that I think about constantly when it comes to the deficit, disparities and lack that Black people have been dealing with ever since the inception of this settler colonial project we call America. We can&#3...

In this episode I'm addressing the article that The Grio wrote entitled, Trump Abolishing Education Department spells doom for Black America. I'm reminding us of how we should not be surprised or scared not one iota of what the president elect and his cabinet plan to put in place and take away because their actions are aligned with the white supremacist values that America holds so near and dear t...

In this episode the esteemed educator Ebony Donley and I are discussing what cause and effect is and how this is one of the foundational components that is needed to have strong reading skills. We also show you our creative and artistic way to teach show what cause and effect is for your child or students. As always grab your pen and paper for the gems and jewels that are being dropped in this epi...

Yup you read that read that right. Alot of students from elite colleges like Stanford and Columbia are struggling to read the books that have been assigned to them in their classes because they did not develop the skills that are needed to read a book in its entirety. In this episode I'm talking about the article that I read in The Atlantic that is bringing awareness to the fact that a lot of thes...

One of the most talked about movies of this year so far is Inside Out 2. This movie in my opinion gave a good description of what emotional intelligence looks like. It was very relatable and on time especially during these very challenging times where we're seeing an uptick in mental health issues. In this episode I'm talking about how I learned three important things from watching this mo...

You betta read the book and don't mess up on no words or I'm gonna give you a whuppin! What's your problem why can't you figure out that math problem?! How many times have we went off on our children because, they didn't get their homework done right? How many times have we threatened them for not completing their homework? What happened to us leading with love, grace and mercy...

In this episode I'm on my solo box talking about the beauty and power of being silent. This topic came about because of a question that a teenager blurted out in a quiet classroom which was "why is it so quiet?" I remember I wanted to address this issue because I wrote it down in my notebook the day it happened which was April 17, 2024. This notion of having to have noise, distractio...