GirlTREK

Once upon a time, Wangari Maathai saved Planet Earth. When people say they want to “diversify” the environmental movement, I cough on the arrogance.  Black women, indigenous women, and women of color around the globe are saving the planet.  Like, right now.  Like this actual second.  Planting, cultivating, harvesting, carrying, selling, cooking, composting, turning over soil, and doing it again.  And no disrespect to the card-carrying climate change activists – the Paris Agreement is essential – but please understand that while you are carrying protest signs, millions of African women are carrying seeds and meticulously tied bundles of the harvest to markets (with no carbon footprint) where they will sell locally.  Those same women will cook into the night, and compost what’s left, to grow what is needed the next day to save their nations. Today’s walk is dedicated to the legacy of Wangari Maathai for organizing women to plant 50 MILLION TREES to save Kenya from the brink of environmental devastation.  Her “Green Belt Movement” changed the very air, the earth,  and the water of the continent of Africa forever. We are proud of that.  But we are prouder of how she did it. How she showed up in the quiet moments when no one was watching.  How she survived the Mau Mau Uprising.  How she protested to free political prisoners. How she summoned the courage to stand in the front of bulldozers and speak on camera with a bloodied face. Oh, and she won the Nobel Peace Prize. But I guess she should’ve been at the climate march. Join today’s conversation so that I can fix my attitude. Let’s breathe some fresh air, sing at the top of our lungs, and rally ourselves to all be a little more like Wangari.Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music and speech excerpt played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y.:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8cHxydDb7oTaking Root The Vision of Wangari Maathai:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5GX6JktJZg&feature=youtu.be

They killed him.  The official death report said natural causes but in a recent exhumation, his young body was riddled with bullet holes. Thomas Sankara was a folk hero.  He championed the people over the powerful.  He encouraged newspapers to tell the truth and - in an act of solidarity during his presidency - sold off the government's fleet of Mercedes and made all ministers ride in the Renault 5, the cheapest car sold in Burkina Faso at that time.  They called him the African Che Guevara. At 33-years-old, Sankara became the President of the Republic of Upper Volta. As a powerful first action, he changed the country’s colonial name – which was The Republic of Upper Volta – to an indigenous name - - Burkina Faso which means "Land of Incorruptible People". And incorruptible was his goal.  He refused foreign aid.  “He who feeds you, controls you.” He pushed African nations to collectively reject illegitimate debt from their colonizers.  He nationalized land and mineral wealth (which made the IMF and World Bank go bananas). And led a national campaign for self-sufficiency which included a literacy crusade, vaccinations of 2.5 million children, reforestation of the Sahal by planting 10 million trees, redistribution of land from feudal and tribal chiefs, community-built hospitals and schools, and women’s rights (outlawing female genital mutilation, forced marriages and polygamy).  The country thrived.  (Burkina Faso is the 4th richest gold producer in Africa).   When he was asked why he didn’t want his presidential portrait posted across Burkina Faso like other African leaders.  He said.  "There are seven million Thomas Sankaras." Let’s walk, talk, and learn more about Sankara, an icon of revolution, as we meditate on our own blueprint for liberation and social justice.  What do we really need? What’s on our agenda in 2020.  And what can we learn from Burkina Faso today?  30 years later, they are in a state of crisis.  100,000 people are internally displaced by extreme poverty, climate change, and terrorism. How did that happen? Is there a way to organize without centering a charismatic leader?  Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music excepts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Fela Kuti - Zombie:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj5x6pbJMyUBob Marley and the Wailers - War / No More Trouble https://open.spotify.com/track/7esv0HaNOrjRWJgyxqJ4c1?si=D0LPou-fSlmvpg0gO4kPbg

“Go back to Africa” They meant it as an insult. He meant it as a rallying cry. Today’s walk and history lesson is dedicated to the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Some might call him the original African giant. Black, proud, and preaching the gospel of self-determination, Marcus Garvey hailed from St. Ann’s Bay Jamaica. The youngest of 11 children, Garvey was a political activist and entrepreneur, who spent his life helping to define the Black Nationalist and Pan African Movements. His vision -  big and scary to those invested in the oppression of marginalized people throughout the world - was to unite African, and people of African descent, across the diaspora and allow us to develop our own cultural, political, and economic systems free from foreign domination and outside influence. Now you know a vision this radical had to be met with opposition. Can we say FBI? These are the stories they don’t want us to tell. They don’t want us to realize that there is already a blueprint for this work. That blueprint includes a vision laid out by Marcus Garvey at a gathering in Harlem in 1921 that included thousands of delegates from more than 22 countries. On today’s call, we’re going to talk about what went down that at this international convention and how Marcus Garvey’s work and legacy live on today. Today marks 133 years since the birth of Marcus Garvey. Throw on some red, black, and green on top of that superhero blue and get ready to walk and talk with us as we celebrate and discuss his legacy. You KNOW this is going to be a good one.Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music and speech excepts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Nas ft. Lauryn Hill - If I Ruled the World:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlp-IIG9ApUMarcus Garvey, A Virtual Forum: 100th Anniversary of Convention of the Negro Peoples of the World:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvBPLY9xJD0

A. Philip Randolph was arrested in the streets for treason.  He was a young man demanding rights for Black workers - or else.  W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington agreed on one thing.  They could not stand the "new radical negroes" like A. Philip Randolph!  He was a socialist.  A rabble-rouser.  A labor man.  They called him every name in the book.  Today, we call him the single, most impactful social, political, and economic activist in Black history.  Receipts you ask?  You've got to listen to today's episode.  But here's a little teaser. He unionized Black workers. Done. Leveraged that power to walk into the Oval Office and force President Roosevelt - by threat of mass demonstration - to desegregate the federal government and hire Black people, effective immediately!  Done.  Fair Employment Act.  Randolph won a million new jobs for Black people. The middle class was created. Done. Then, Randolph stood toe-to-toe with Truman and audaciously told him that Black people would NOT fight in his war unless he desegregated the military.  Truman hated Randolph.  Didn't matter.  Executive Order 9981 abolished segregation in the armed forces.  Done. Power ya'll.  (Press play on Nina Simone right here.) Then it happened.  The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  It was the largest political demonstration in American history.  A. Philip Randolph was the originator, strategist and chief spokesperson. The demonstration was intent on two demands from Kennedy, then Johnson. The Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965. He won both.There would be no Martin Luther King without A. Philip Randolph.  While King raised the moral consciousness of a nation, Randolph secured the bag - a decisive political and economic defeat against American injustice.  It's no wonder a U.S. Attorney General called him "the most dangerous negro in America."  We'll be that.This is gonna be a good conversation.  Before you dial in, look hard at these 5 photographs that only exist because A. Philip Randolph was born.Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music and speech excerpts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:The Impressions - Keep On Pushing:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU-mEsCk3D8PBS Documentary Film about Randolph:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQy6PRVVzQ&feature=youtu.be

An educator, writer, political campaigner, and activist. Today’s walk is dedicated to the bravery of Mary Church Terrell, a woman who played a central role in every major movement to advance the rights of Black people in this country, including suffrage, anti-lynching, and desegregation. Coining the term, “lifting while we climb”, Mary Church Terrell was one of the first Black women in the U.S. to earn a college degree and later went on to help found the NAACP and the National Association of Colored Women. Her resume alone would make her worthy of celebration, but it is her courageous defiance, put on display in two pivotal incidents – including one where she faced-off with one of history’s favorite heroes, Susan B. Anthony, that will be the central focus of today’s conversation.This is for every Black woman who has given up on intersectional feminism (because #tired), and for the ones who keep pushing to find common ground. We’ve got some stuff to talk about and a lot to learn from our foremother. A woman who was always willing to say the hard stuff, Mary Church Terrell.Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09ZSKE38lTURihanna - Bitch Better Have My Money:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToE26b2JyNc

Can we talk about radical praise? Can we talk about transcendent faith?  A Spirit that stretched from Africa to a tiny street in Los Angelos, California. Do. Not. Miss. Today!  Take a praise break! I’m about to shout right now.  God, I thank you for your grace. Today's walk is dedicated to the unsung heroes of the Pentecostal Movement.  ...to actual spiritual warriors.At the turn of the 20th century, America was at the height of lynching. Terror gripped Black homes. But they didn't run.  They grounded down - took to the woods - and prepared for spiritual battle.  Tent revivals, tarrying, drums, call and response. Hand clapping. Foot stomping. A revival of heart, mind, and body - night after night. A conjuring of justice. Gratitude for God’s Grace. Bigger. More connected. We chanted 2 Timothy 1:7. More power, more love.  You won't take our minds. It’s how we survived.  The fire reigned down. Healing. Protection. Insight. Divine peace. Ultimate resilience.  Harriet was born of that fire.  Fannie was born of that fire. King was born of that fire.  We are that fire. Here’s what you need to know. The biggest religious movement in American history was started by Black people. It happened in 1906 in Los Angeles. On a tiny street named Azusa. The Pentecostal movement was born. Newspapers came out, took photographs, and debated publicly about people speaking in tongues and being overcome with spiritual fervor. What they didn’t know then but we understand now is this -  that fire wasn’t born on Azusa Street. It was born in Africa. God covered our babies when men with guns came to destroy.  We are only here today because of the prayers of our foremothers in the bellies of slave ships. Our dance was perfected in Congo Square. But it was on Azusa Street that Black people made public the spiritual inheritance of Africa that lit a fire across America.  We've always been directly connected to God. They called it Pentecostalism.The Holy Ghost rained over this country in the fastest-growing religious movement in history.  A few important pioneers who believed that full sanctification or a supreme union with God on this earth was possible - being baptized in the Holy Ghost and filled with tongues - they believed that we ourselves could be Saints. In the beginning, it was intently and plainly called the Church of God to purposely shed all trappings of past religious distinction.  We are just God's church - that's it.  All are welcome. It evolved into what is now many beautiful denominations from COGIC to Apostolic. Today’s walk is dedicated to all of the unsung heroes who rallied an army of spiritual warriors to intercede at the height of American terror. Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Charles G Hayes & Warriors - Jesus Can Work It Out Remix:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRoe3iExVjUKirk Franklin - Stomp (Remix):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JqBBpZvF4k

Today’s walk is dedicated to Nat Turner, the leader of the most famous slave uprising in the history of the United States.Nat Turner believed in signs and heard divine voices. On a summer night in August 1831, following a solar eclipse, Nat Turner, a Black man who had been sold three times in his young life, decided to take his destiny into his own hands by leading one of the bloodiest insurrections the country has ever seen. Some called him a villain, many others called him a hero. Today, we call him an ancestor and we honor his fight for freedom and seek true understanding from his story. We ask ourselves the hard question – how far would we go in the fight for our own liberation? Today’s conversation is for every person who has ever had a vision that you just could not shake. For every person who has ever stepped out on faith, despite fear crawling up your back. For those of us who believe that our steps are ordered and who are prepared to march into battle if called. Everything that you think you know about this story will be challenged. There is so much to discuss and learn!Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Mali Music - I Believe :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onNPKbOn8uUSunday Service Choir - Ultralight Beam:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTgzYv7LLmc

“Mr. Chairman... my name is Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, and I live at 626 East Lafayette Street, Ruleville, Mississippi, Sunflower County, the home of Senator James O. Eastland, and Senator Stennis. It was the 31st of August in 1962...”And that’s how it began. The most harrowing account of our hero being beaten in a jail cell by officers. Arrested for trying to vote. Her words so powerful, her eyes so honest and spirit so bright that the president of the United States of America, Lyndon B. Johnson, was terrified that she would so deeply move the nation in her national broadcast at the Democratic National Convention that he interrupted her testimony with a fake press conference. But he couldn’t stop her. Listen, when God is for you, who can be against you. We already knew that Fannie came to play zero games when she brought her white purse to the front of the convention and sat it on the table. Black People: bring your full selves to this movement and you will be unstoppable.No matter how you look, where you are, how you feel, you can do this. Join us today as we listen to the actual testimony together of one of the greatest in the game.Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excerpts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Casey J - If God / Nothing But The Blood:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaS59ddVkaoAudio of Fannie Lou Hamer's Testimony:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML3WaEsCB98

Today’s walk is dedicated to Claudette Colvin and every Black woman who has ever felt invisible or who has ever been asked to labor on behalf of a movement that did not welcome or celebrate you. Thank you for your service and the way you show up for your people. Today you are seen and appreciated. On March 2, 1955, Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old student, boarded a bus home from school and on that ride changed the course of history by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman. Her actions set in motion a critical legal battle. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his political debut fighting her arrest and Claudette became one of five plaintiffs in the first federal court case to challenge bus segregation in the city of Montgomery. But this isn’t the story that history has told. It would be Rosa Parks whose name would ultimately go on record as the woman whose single act of courage inspired the most effective political and social protest campaign of the civil rights movement, The Montgomery Bus Boycotts.   So why wasn’t 15-year-old Claudette Colvin given her proper due? The reasons will outrage you, but the story is necessary to tell. The lessons to be learned are critical if we ever want to build a world that truly makes space for Black girls and women to show up as we are. This is going to be a conversation that you don't want to miss! We will be serving up truth, a whole lotta love, and a little bit of justice. All in the name of our good and faithful sister, Claudette. Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excerpts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Chantay Savage - I Will Survive:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMyCXqM8AKM2005 Claudette Colvin and Dr. Marion Woods at the San Francisco Public Library:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNoCdzYpDgE&mc_cid=b79cda97c8&mc_eid=b187d8127e

ROOTS CHANGED EVERYTHING, PERIOD.Today’s 30-minute walk is dedicated to the exact moment that millions of Black people held their breath, waiting...  "Your name is Toby! Now, what's your name boy?"  Beaten, drenched, but unbroken, he threw his head back and inhaled. We inhaled with him. "KUNTA.  KUNTA KENTE"Roots changed everything.  A generation of Black babies protested in their mama’s bellies refusing to be called a slave name.  If your name starts with a K or ends in -isha, -anya or -yonce, you're welcome. Cicely Tyson became the patron saint of the natural hair movement with her epic braid pattern. Maya Angelou became everybody’s griot grandmother. Lavar Burton went straight to teaching a nation to read. John Amos became my baby's daddy (and Florida Evan's baby daddy on Good Times).  Black was in. Swoon.SO MANY juicy behind-the-scenes FACTS about this cultural phenomenon!  Did you know ABC tried to bury this movie!?Roots became the most successful film franchise in television history. The mini-series was watched by 130 million viewers - more than half of the U.S population of 221 million in 1977. “It was the largest viewership ever attracted by any type of television series in US history as tallied by Nielsen Media Research.Join the second edition of GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories and explore the pivotal moments from some of the most powerful movements in Black history.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excerpts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Arrested Development - People Everyday:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGusP7aCCYcThe story behind the filming of "Roots" - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQw4qf2aG-Q&feature=youtu.be