Nurah Speaks

In this first episode of the Know Your Numbers series, I discuss why understanding your basic health numbers can help you make informed decisions before serious health problems develop.  The focus of this episode is blood glucose (blood sugar)—what it measures, why it matters, and practical steps you can take to maintain healthy levels. In This Episode: •Why knowing your health numbers is an impor...

As July 4th approaches,  I explore what independence looks like. I discuss the importance of building strong communities that can educate our children, delivering adequate healthcare to our families and developing the means of sustenance rather than entrusting our needs entirely on outside systems.   I also reflect on the vulnerability that comes with dependence and why preparing today is essentia...

Episode 275 begins by honoring fathers, father figures, and the men who make meaningful contributions to their families and communities. As we celebrate Father's Day, I reflect on the irreplaceable role fathers play in providing guidance, protection, encouragement, and wisdom across generations. Then I turn to the tragic case of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton, who was killed in South Carolin...

In this episode of Nurah Speaks , I challenge the idea that Black progress can be achieved through moral appeals to the powerful or through political victories.  As I reflect on the sacrifices made during the Civil Rights Movement and the political realities we face today, I question if we have placed unrealistic expectations in systems that repeatedly prove limited. Our problems cannot be solved...

In Episode 273, I explore the growing trend of extravagant prom culture and how prom has evolved from a school dance into a highly performative social event fueled by social media, status symbols and public presentation, particularly in low income communities.  From luxury shoes,  jewelry and cars to elaborate prom send-offs and even helicopter arrivals, this episode explores the social and emotio...

In this episode, I speak directly to the health challenges facing the Black community and show the clear connection between lifestyle choices, food and chronic disease. This episode explores how generational eating habits, modern processed food and targeted marketing have contributed to widespread health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. It is emphasized that while th...

Are your choices empowering or holding you back? Let's talk about the hidden impact of what you eat.  Our lifestyle choices shape our health in ways we often overlook. From childhood, we are influenced by the foods we consume.   We must educate ourselves and our children about real nutrition versus manufactured "food" that just looks appealing.  The truth is, our choices are informed...

In Episode 270 I reflect on a compelling conversation I attended featuring Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey and Donna Brazile, hosted by the Center for American Women and Politics. Being inspired by their discussion, this episode I explore the realities of public service, the misconceptions surrounding elected officials and the importance of community involvement beyond the ballot...

American broadcasters and political pundits employ fear and anxiety concerning national and world affairs to persuade the Black community's political leanings and economic actions. It’d be better to compel us to unite our talents and knowledge towards the common needs in our local communities.  It’d be better to acknowledge the urgency of unity as a necessary component to address these collect...

This week’s episode of Nurah Speaks is a Special Tribute Rewind in honor of Munir Muhammad, whose birthday we celebrated March 27th. Brother Munir was the business manager and co-founder of CROE (Coalition for the Remembrance of Elijah Muhammad). He was also known as the chief archivist and historian of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. This interview was recorded on December...

Harriett A. Washington is featured this episode for her incredible work in cataloguing historical and present day medical abuses experienced by Black patients within the medical industry.  Her research provides the stark reality of how practically racial biases are applied everyday in medical offices, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.  Often Black patients’ suspicion of doctors is dismissed as hy...

This episode celebrates the conviction of Zora Neale Hurston in holding to her principles in spite of pressure from both the literary world and leaders within the Harlem Renaissance to write in a fashion that was both palatable and expressive of the black grief and pain of American racism. Though Zora acknowledged that Black Americans experienced hardships associated with prejudice, she did not be...

On the morning of April 12, 2015 Freddie Gray was taken into custody by Baltimore Police officers.  With his hands cuffed behind his back and feet in shackles, he was put in the back of the vehicle and transported without being secured with a safety belt. During transport, Freddie sustained a fractured neck with 80% of his spine was severed. Several days later he went into a coma and on April 19,...

On February 1, 1951 Henrietta Lacks walked into John’s Hopkins Hospital with a complaint of vaginal bleeding and a painful lump.  When tissue samples were collected and examined, they became the marvel that changed medicine forever. Henrietta’s ‘Immortal’ cells were retrieved without her consent or knowledge and scientists were in awe at their unusual ability to survive and grow unlike other cells...

In this concluding Black History Month Episode, I provide an abbreviated sketch of the great history of the Nation of Islam under the leadership of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad with present day work happening in Camden, New Jersey. Huey P. Newton, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson Sr….we have heard mention of these incredi...

Mississippi Appendectomy refers to the involuntary and forced sterilization of Black Women in the southern United States from the 1920’s through the 1980’s.  This procedure was bolstered by the practice of Eugenics whereby scientists and political leaders enacted state control through sterilization laws to govern the population growth of Black people not unlike that which occurred on the slave pla...

The Covid-19 pandemic and the uncertainty of many Blacks towards the Covid-19 vaccine was a stark reminder of this nation’s historical mistreatment of Black patients and their resulting distrust in the medical industry. The Tuskegee Experiment, also called the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, is the most commonly known medical malpractice of physicians towards a vulnerable Black population in the U.S. Thi...

Black History Month derived from Carter G. Woodson, a journalist and historian, who established Negro History Week in 1926. Negro History Week was created, in part, to develop pride amongst Black Americans for their heritage and contributions to this nation. In February 1976 President Gerald R. Ford became the first president to issue a Presidential message urging the nation to recognize Black His...

This episode of Nurah Speaks is a deeply personal reflection on love, loss and what I've learned from grief. In Episode 260, “Losing Ellen,” I chronicle the story of losing my grandmother, Ellen, and walk listeners through my experience before and after her passing along with what grief has revealed to me along the way. Losing my grandmother was an excruciating loss—filled with agony and heart...

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Episode 259 features an excerpt of Dr. King’s Sermon ‘Unfulfilled Dreams’.  While Dr. King is most commonly known as a leader within the Civil Rights Movement, it is important to remember that Dr. King was a pastor and concerned with the moral fiber of his people.   In ‘Unfulfilled Dreams’ King speaks on the substance of our hearts, our character and inclina...

In this episode, I reflect on my experience running for elected office and share key lessons learned from the journey. While the outcome wasn’t a win at the ballot box, the experience reinforced that the work of service never stops. Before running for office, there are important questions that must be clearly defined and questions I confronted prior to running: Why – Why are you running, and what...

Well, I am elated to be back at the microphone hosting Nurah Speaks.  I know it has been a while so I take this episode ‘Back From Loss’ to catch everyone up with the events of the past several months and what is new with the podcast. I want to thank everyone who has continued to support me and this project.  Welcome to Episode 257! If you would like to engage with the podcast, submit your listene...

I am elated to be back at the microphone hosting Nurah Speaks.  I know it has been a while so I take this episode ‘Back From Loss’ to catch everyone up with the events of the past several months and what is new with the podcast. I want to thank everyone who has continued to support me and this project.  Welcome to Episode 257! If you would like to engage with the podcast, submit your listener ques...

Black History Month 2025 comes at a time in this nation wherein we need love amongst ourselves more now than ever.  But we must advance the notion of Black Love beyond affection and recognize that love is a verb.  Love is doing good and bringing no harm.  Love is elevating each other, teaching and encouraging and even correcting each other.   Black Love is more than a slogan or rhetoric on tees an...

This episode revisits a discussion about neutrality and our tendency to be noncommittal despite real challenges impacting our communities. We cannot be on the fence forever being neither this nor that, never having made a commitment or obligating ourselves to one direction or another.  Indecisiveness is obstructive to our personal development.  It is time now to be accountable and this comes with...