Nurah Speaks

Some identify slavery as the destruction of the black family.  During this atrocity in American history, were not permitted formal marriages and the sacredness of our ties (and our bodies) were broken anytime the slave master wanted to have his way with the woman, girl or even our boys.  Yet we still tried…though how difficult it must have been to be a man and endure the abuse of his woman and girls.  How difficult it must have been to be a woman or a girl and live without the safety of a father’s, brothers husbands protection.  Besides this, the selling and buying of black children during slavery further broke the bonds of familial ties. Some suggest that feminism played a role in increasing single mother led households by suggesting that marriage or the nuclear family was male domination or patriarchy. We have witnessed the intrusive policies of social welfare systems  that promoted the  single woman led homes.  Additionally, poverty by way of jobs moving away from black dominated communities contributed to

A wise teacher once said that we, black descendants of American slavery, have been made ‘a degree below nothing.’  Harsh as it is to say and hear this, the truth yet resonates in the statement and relevant to us in our community and especially to us, Black women. As a modern collective of women, we find ourselves loudly and proudly celebrating our savage behavior including parading nearly nude in public, using foul and vulgar language, costuming ourselves in wigs, weaves and makeup and not to mention the free and liberal way in which we engage in sexual relations. And not only do we heap generous praise on our sisters in doing so, but we also viciously attack any who dare encourage us to be virtuous.   We think being humble is weak, being modest is repressive and we misidentify our value in sex or 'hustle.' We have been made to be a degree below nothing because we do not know ourselves so we misappropriate behaviors, thoughts and attitudes that do not align with the great intrinsic value of a blac

It is natural to seek acceptance from one’s peers and social group.  This is a normal part of life that even very independent people need.  Interpersonal activities and relationships were the means of achieving external validation before the advent of social media.  Now, in this social media/virtual world, the pursuit for external validation has hit overdrive.  But do clicks, follows and likes from individuals actually alien to us have any real meaning?  Have we abandoned interpersonal for the virtual? If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website:  NurahSpeaks.com. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email info@NurahSpeaks.com. Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

I had the recent privilege to participate in a mental health forum facilitated by young community leaders.  I wanted to continue that conversation here because it is simply impossible to say everything in a limited timeframe when sharing the stage with other fascinating speakers. I find that most discussions on mental health focus on how to improve mental health, ways to heal, ways to cope and manage.  However what I see often ignored is what contributes to the erosion of our mental health.  And frankly, I observe normalized aspects of our own culture degrading the mental wellness of our people. If we take a careful inspection of our media, our families and our education, we find aspects of each that create anxiety, grief, fear, alienation and insecurity.  Couple this with the availability of degenerate food, drugs, alcohol and toxicity in our air and water, we must accept that there is more than a person’s singular traumatic experience that impact the mental welfare of our communities.   The saying goes,

Nurah Speaks is a podcast in service to the Black Community.  The aim of the show is to remind and inform our folks of the value that we have to ourselves and the world. However without this knowledge of self, knowledge of our capability and knowledge of our responsibility, we surrender our obligations to others to serve our needs and repair the damage done to our people. Nurah Speaks is in service to the Black Community and if one listens you will find a message here unlike that which mainstream broadcasters convey to their listeners.  There is no apology offered for the message nor for the show’s objective, to resurrect the consciousness of our people.  For we, the descendants of American slavery, are a very special people, with specific needs and warranting a specific message. Nurah Speaks podcast will continue in service to and addressing these distinct needs.   If you would like to watch a video of the podcast, visit my Youtube page. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit yo

Child predators wear many faces.  They are not only the creepy neighbor or leering street vulture.  They are also the respected leader, esteemed clergy, youth group leader and praised honors student.  So - since we cannot rule anyone out, we must employ appropriate safeguards, limit others access with them and be especially communicative with our young folk.  This means telling them about appropriate and non-appropriate conversations, behaviors, touching and proximity. It involves, letting them know that they have permission to disobey in circumstances they feel are uncomfortable. It also includes teaching them not just about 'stranger danger' but also of the potential for hazardous acquaintances and being offered foods or beverages that can be laced. And just as important, we must assure them that we love them and accept them and that they can tell us anything, even the things that are hard to hear and even harder to say. It may also prove beneficial to advise them, that even if they are afraid to

The experience of Black descendants of American slavery is far more American History than African American History.  Though Black Americans have impacted and been impacted by this nation, we have never set the course of this country.  That has always been the responsibility and right solely of White Americans.   It is in fact American History, rather than African American History, that our fore-parents were purchased, traded and used like merchandise.  This is as much African American history as it is the mule’s history when it was rigged up to plow the farmer’s field.  Both our fore-parents and the mule were mere objects used for the desires of the master in the development of this great nation.  In other words, the achievement of the slave is truly the achievement of his master. Therefore, what proponents of African American History or AAAP (African American Advanced Placement) curriculum want established in schools is simply American History.    The lessons about the resilience and determination of Afric

Modern urban music is peppered with hate speech but not the hate speech you think I’m referring to. “Kill kill kill, pill, pill, pill, money for sex, sex for money, money over love, money over love!”   Music for urban listeners can be summed as explicit content containing harmful language promoting violence, drug use, and the objectification of individuals.  Industry experts understand that music has the ability to influence attitudes and behaviors. One should question why lyrical content expousing drug and alcohol abuse, self hatred and violence is produced en masse for the urban listener.  If you enjoy Nurah Speaks, please share it with friends, family, and colleagues who could benefit from our content. Every time you share, you help the show’s growth. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website:  NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nura

Nurah Speaks is BACK from an extended hiatus and it is so great to be back in action.  Accept my sincere gratitude to the loyal listeners who patiently waited for the show’s return. Your support means the world. During the break, I reflected on what changes were necessary for the show’s ongoing success and how this new chapter can benefit the show’s listeners.  In this episode, which is the 200th episode of the show (WOW) I share what listeners can expect from the podcast moving forward.  Your input matter to this show. If you have specific topics or questions you'd like addressed, please reach out on social media or send me an email.   If you enjoy Nurah Speaks, please share it with friends, family, and colleagues who could benefit from our content. Every time you share, you help the show’s growth. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website:  NurahSpeaks.com or re

‘Pink In Da Hood’ is the passion project of Evita Ali, breast cancer surviver and thriver. In this great conversation, Evita opens up about her own experiences with the diagnosis, the ensuing conversations and the subsequent decisions that all patients must confront. She discusses medical self advocacy as the patient and as a caregiver, the importance of knowing our family medical history and the cultural habits that interfere with this. We also discuss the challenges family and friends have in relating to cancer patients and conversations that most patients simply do not want to have. Evita is transparent, charismatic and assertive and one could presume that these traits aided her recovery. She was fortunate to have great support throughout her diagnosis and recovery and she founded ‘Pink In Da Hood’ to support other women who are experiencing the same.  This October 1st she is hosting the 3rd Annual Pink In Da Hood Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness.  On Facebook visit @PinkInDaHood or email Evita

Many of us have experienced the feeling of 'being stuck' - and this can relate to so many things in our lives including: Writing an Paper Starting a Book Getting Out of Debt Organizing Our Homes Getting Fit We may have the goal in mind but there is a wide gap between the idea and the outcome and that gap can be filled with positivity such as: strategic effort, activity, study, confidence, optimism.  Or that gap can be filled with negativity: worry, procrastination, doubt, anxiety and distractions. So what do we do when we get stuck? In this episode I share several strategies to get unstuck and get productive! ____________ “I think America is doing a lot of good for you and I and then I think doing a lot of harm. They take and give to you soup if you do not have work; they give to you bread if they don’t have work for you. They know you are lazy. They know you don’t think for yourself. They know you depend on them to think for you. So since you are so in love with them and trust and have so much confid

Real ‘Juvenile Justice’ is having a culture that promotes stability and wellness for our most vulnerable population, our children. The injustice is that the modern norms of our culture promote dysfunction that we expect social workers, clinicians, judges and juvenile justice staff to repair. Studies show that most children within the juvenile justice systems have experienced adversity in their childhood as evidenced by ACEs (Adverse Childhood experiences) surveys. Adverse Childhood experiences are preventable. But unless we promote stability and safety to the families in our communities we will keep relinquishing our children to the care of the state to fix what could have been prevented by advocating for strong families. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodca

In an era popular with youth task forces and social programs serving ‘at risk’ youth, we must ask what we can do to head off delinquent behaviors in our young people. In this episode, I suggest that ‘Family Is The Best Social Program’ and I have research that I share to support this assertion. The research indicates that, “Children born to unmarried mothers generally receive lower human capital investments because the contractual partnership between the parents is less stable, and sometimes nonexistent (**Becker, 1981).” In other words, we increase the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes for our children when we do not anchor them in families to provide them the needed moral, social and economic supports. Frankly, we cannot reasonably expect to make a healthy community when a large segment of our children are conceived by people who neither parent likes or desires to create a family with. Families are the beginning of life lessons that cultivate us to interact within our broader community and nation. So if

Patriotism is a great quality to have and experience. National Pride. National Affection. National Devotion-everyone should have this for their own nation. It is unnatural to not. Blacks in America are in a strange ‘in between’ in which some of feel American patriotism, some exhibit Pan Africanism, some are just indifferent and some others regard American patriotism or national pride as racism. In this episode I discuss what I think is our misunderstanding of patriotism and the entitlement of white Americans to their national pride. “If you had known the history of yourself you would not have been made a slave.  And you won’t be a slave now if you have a knowledge of yourself.  It’s hard to enslave a person who has equal knowledge as you.  You just can’t do it.” Food For Thought With The Honorable Elijah Muhammad If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her w

There is nothing normal about social media wherein children have access to millions and millions of people and ideas all in the palm of their hand. No reasonable parent would acquiesce to their child entering the homes of random strangers at will. And no reasonable parent would permit their child to entertain strangers or allow them in and out of their children’s bedrooms. However this is exactly what social media is.  It is a mechanism that creates access to any ideology, predator, media or lifestyle and all with a simple click. And beyond all that - we do not have the depth of what our children are accessing (and who are accessing them) because apps have technology to prevent parents from surveilling their children’s online activity. Social media puts our youth at risk to Increased irritability. Increased anxiety Diminished self-esteem Cyberbullying Online Predators Sharing of Personal Information Dangerous Viral Trends Developing Tics/movement disorder  Even cigarettes comes with

Social media, podcasting, blogging-each provides a platform to be heard and seen. But what qualifiers have entitled us to a platform? What problems have we solved, what have we accomplished, what foundations have we built that justifies us having an audience? In an age where just anyone can be a coach, speaker and social media ‘influencer’ we should not bypass the process of growth. Before we speak, we should listen. And after we speak, we should listen again and continue listening. The learning is in the listening. And if we want to have longevity and a firm foundation, we will need to input more than we output. “The lack of knowledge of self is one of our main handicaps. It blocks us throughout the world. If you were the world and you were a part of the world, you would also turn a man down if he did not know who he actually was. If we, the so-called Negroes, do not know our own selves, how can we be accepted by a people who have a knowledge of self?” Food For Thought with The Honorable Elijah Muhammad I

What is the metric by which we measure progress in Black America? What is the gauge and how would we define our progress or success? It can be difficult assessment to make if there are no clear markers. In Episode 194 I explore these questions and how we can compare the way we analyze an adult's success in using his skills, knowledge and means to live an independent life with the ongoing conditions in Black America. What are your thoughts? How would you say that our progress should be measured? “What I want to get over to you is this: due to the lack of the knowledge of truth, you feel satisfied today to be here and satisfied to remain here while your fathers were not satisfied in coming here nor even to stay here. What has made you to be well-satisfied to be here and to remain here? It is this: the destruction of the knowledge of yourself and your God, your religion and your kind by the slavemaster has now made you satisfied in what the slavemaster says is his , while you have nothing whatsoever that you

Episode 193 continues as the second part of a two-part series of guidance that we should share with our girls and our adolescent women. This part addresses 'Speaking and Language' and 'Education and Career.' In this installation I share ways that we can support our girls and adolescent women to be successful by enabling them to be effective communicators, understand how to manage the work environment and understand the connection between education and their future aspirations. We certainly cannot exhaust the wisdom that we must share with our young women but we should exhaust ourselves in our efforts to enlighten them. Remember to pick up or order your copy of Barracoon by Zora Neal Hurston. Be sure to support Black-owned book retailers. Here are a few below: LaUnique Bookstore - Camden, NJ Uncle Bobby’s - Philly Ida’s Bookshop - Collingswood, NJ Harrietts Bookshop - Philly' “You are too proud.You have your diploma and your education and you think that you should be white. You are too proud. The white man

There are some key life skills that our girls and young women should know before leaving our homes. If when we see them, and they are not showing a capacity to manage basic care tasks, it is a sign that we need to continue our training of them, or begin the process. We cannot fault them for what we have not taught them. “Help us to make our beautiful young girls that which they should be. You are the most beautifulest women there is on earth and I saw several girls and women out of the nations over in Asia and Africa.  And I have not found any of them as beautiful as you are.  On a whole, you are the most beautifulest people there are.  You don’t think so, but you are.” Honorable Elijah Muhammad If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebo

Do we notice how they insert our adverse economic, health or educational outcomes whenever the leaders of this nation have a new political argument? For the COVID 19-vaccine-they said we should be vaccinated because the Black Community has substandard health outcomes due in part to the poor access to quality care. For the abortion debate-they said restrictions are an unfair penalty against Black women because Black women do not have the same means to take time from work to travel out of state to receive an abortion like white women do AND that additional children will cause additional economic hardships. These same pundits make no argument to tackle the root causes of our health and economic disparities.   So I question, do Black women really matter except to exploit our condition to advance a political or social agenda?  There certainly is no argue over the cultural influences that help maintain these disparities. They are just another mechanism that promotes these same conditions but our main