All Things Election and More
Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Grits and Glitter. I'm Rev Skip. I am an author, a speaker, and a activist, and this is the podcast that gets down with the get down.
Terry:We do. That's what we do. Hey, everybody. I am Terry Dyer, also author, activist, and speaker. And this really is the podcast where we we really just get with the black folk.
Terry:That's what we do. And we amplify, we uplift, we bring our people
Rev Skip:to the light. That's what we do. That's what we do. Alright. Is about.
Rev Skip:And we're back in the saddle. It's been a minute, t. It's been a minute.
Terry:We are. We are. We just took a summer break. That's all.
Rev Skip:It's a long summer break, child. That was in July. We did
Terry:take a little and we are a new podcast, so I'm hoping all you you listeners and fans out there that started with us, you still around because Yes. We did take a little hot minute off for the for the hot boy summer.
Rev Skip:Well, we had how many people ask us wherever we traveled? It was like, when y'all doing another episode. So here we are in demand, and I'm grateful to be back in the saddle with you, brother. How you been? I'm so Catch up Absolutely.
Rev Skip:Catch up time. A lot has happened.
Terry:It has been a lot has happened. A lot has happened. We have been traveling all over this country trying to bring our people together from a health care perspective. We have been speaking. We have been singing.
Terry:We have we've done it all. You know?
Rev Skip:We've had 2 hurricanes too, y'all.
Terry:We'd have been through hurricanes. We'd have been through breakups. We'd have been through moves. What else we got?
Rev Skip:I know. Wow. So let me just ask you because you're in Florida and I moved to LA. I did a big move to LA. I've been talking about it.
Rev Skip:How was the hurricane? What was it like going back to back hurricanes in Florida, which I did not experience?
Terry:Yeah. I think for me, it was more so the seeing on the news, of course, the tornadoes. You know, I was born in Kansas City, Kansas. We were accustomed to tornadoes. And that's right.
Terry:Me and Dorothy. Me and Toto go
Rev Skip:Surrender, Dorothy. That's right.
Terry:That's right. We I was I was shocked by seeing that here in Florida, the tornadoes on the news and everything. But, you know, again, I'm I'm in South Florida as you know, so we didn't re we just got hit with hard rain and winds. The winds were a little scary. You know, I was sitting in my bed last night working on the laptop, and the winds was, like, shaking the window a little bit and loud whistling.
Terry:I said, wait a minute.
Rev Skip:Who's got outside my window? Is there a man? Yeah.
Terry:You trying to get in my my my window? You whistling? I know I'm cute, but is you whistling through the window? What's happening?
Rev Skip:And the hurricane a hurricane will tell you you have not talked to your family in a bit because I had cousins from Alabama saying, are you okay in Florida? And I have to go, oops. I'm sorry, because I didn't tell you. I moved back to LA.
Terry:Right. You did.
Rev Skip:I know. Yo, Ronnie cousin Ronnie was like, you you and you didn't call me, and I'm I'm like,
Terry:oh, yeah. You're bad. You're bad.
Rev Skip:My bad. But it was amazing being not amazing. Let me put it into perspective. When people would reach out to me and and say, how are you doing in the middle of the hurricane? Or even people coming up to me right now going, you know, thank goodness you're here.
Rev Skip:My whole reply has been and now we get to pray for our brothers and sisters on the West Coast of Florida because Fort Lauderdale is pretty okay. I mean, there were flooding, there was winds, and everything. But Tampa? Child, Tampa.
Terry:Everybody basically on the that the West Coast side of the state really got hit hard. So, hopefully, again, praying everybody's okay. I definitely had some friends text pictures of their homes and posted on social media, their homes and trees down and that sort of thing. I will say my new building that I just moved into Yeah. There was a couple of trees down across the across the street here at the at Hagan Park.
Terry:So that was a little surprising to see.
Rev Skip:Oh my goodness. Well well, let's catch up. We both went through a breakup. How's that for you?
Terry:Now, y'all.
Rev Skip:I I know. I gotta say for me, we're we're still pretty kinda good friends and we kinda chat on text and all that, and it was I called it a conscious uncoupling. We both knew it was time for us to separate. I knew I was coming back to Cali. He was gonna come to Cali.
Rev Skip:We weren't really coming together the way, you know, couples do. It was this time.
Terry:Yeah.
Rev Skip:So it was easy, but there were moments here in California where stuff started to come up. And my whole experience, oh, that's here to heal me. So maybe times of missing or times of anger or whatever. So I'm in this place of I'm still learning lessons about me and who I am and the type of relationship I want to be in. So, yeah, it was it was a time of learning, a time of of of growth, spiritual growth for me.
Rev Skip:What was your breakup like, brother?
Terry:I I want you to tell me that tell us the the title of what you called it again because because I haven't I don't think I've ever heard that before. So I hope y'all out there listening. Y'all are watching. Y'all catch that. That's a good that's a good name for it.
Terry:What is it again?
Rev Skip:A conscious uncoupling.
Terry:Uncoupling. I feel like AKA. You should say you should follow that up with, like, indubitably or something like that.
Rev Skip:You know, you know, and and all all the black folks that listen to me, he done broke up, y'all. I'll just tell you what it is. He done broke up.
Terry:Right. Right. That's all that is. That's what that
Rev Skip:broke up. Right. Conscious uncoupling.
Terry:I like it. I like it. You know, my breakup was, a bit abrupt, a bit shocking. We went through the last few weeks, went through a few things or whatever. I will say in the last few weeks, I have found myself being, you know, processing.
Terry:I went through a move and and all that type of stuff, and work got crazy. I was in the hospital on one of our trips, as you know. Yes. So things got a little crazy. But but over the last couple of weeks, I've started to process the the breakup, and I will say some you know, somebody's real heartbroken.
Terry:I will, you know, admit it to all y'all, as as strong as I'd like to pretend that I am sometimes or exude that level of strength and confidence. You know, she was very heartbroken about it. Mhmm. I definitely thought that, you know, we were heading toward futuristic plans, and I was heading back to California to be with him and all that kind of stuff. So, this one was very tough.
Terry:So, hopefully, I don't get choked up right now because I can feel myself getting a little bit, but, you know, that one was, that was a hard one for me. So Yeah.
Rev Skip:So our I believe everything happens
Terry:for a reason. So
Rev Skip:For my follow-up question for both of us and gotta get real honest with this. Are we ready to get back out into the field? Are we ready to play that game again? I know I'm not yet.
Terry:Mm-mm. You know? And yours was a lot longer than mine. Right? Mine
Rev Skip:was just was like Listen. I'm sorry. That breakup was long time coming.
Terry:Right. Right. But I think for me, no. I'm not ready because, obviously for me, I'm still not over. This is still very much brand new.
Terry:It happened just over a month ago that we split up. So for me, I am 100% not ready to head in any direction. I'm not over him at this point. So until I'm officially, like, at that space, and hopefully, I do get to that space because I don't know about y'all, but I don't say the l word or say that I'm in love with somebody if I don't mean it. And I said those words, so that's I don't know about y'all out there.
Terry:Relationships can get a little complicated for us black folk, but, you know, for me
Rev Skip:For all of us folks.
Terry:That's my soul. That's my I'm I'm saying this because I believe it wholeheartedly and with my mind, body, spirit, and soul. So I think sometimes because life gets you, you get busy, you are working hard, and sometimes folks feel like they're not getting the attention that you need to be giving them or whatever, but it's like you're still working to to to maintain that relationship. And we were 3,000 miles apart, so that makes it an even more difficult to to maintain when you have the type of lifestyle and schedule that I have. So, that was a big part of of the breakup as well.
Rev Skip:You know, you mentioned something, so I'm gonna go back. Just take a step back. You mentioned something about the l word, and I am on the opposite kind of spectrum on the polarity experience of love because as a minister, a new thought minister, you know, science of mind, we teach everything as love. We're in a field of love. We're walking in a field of love.
Rev Skip:Love is all that there is. Excuse me. So a friend of mine here, Nelly, says, you know, you overuse that word love because I will be the first person to go, which I love that or I love that person or I love that experience. And it's coming from a place of recognizing that we're in the field of love, but I've been very, I've been contemplating how and when do I use that word love? Because we did say it very early And I did feel it, but I said it.
Rev Skip:I and I shared with him, and I was very vulnerable in that moment. And he did share with me and he we did so we've been we were saying it for early. Is there a time that you feel that it's right for us to say the l word?
Terry:It's a good question because, you know, one of the things that I'm around a lot of friends that are married or in these long term relationships and so forth. And I always think when I see someone, especially us gay folks, right, we get into the relationships, we're like, oh, we all in love. Girl, it's been 5 minutes since you've been in this relationship. Okay. What you know about love after 5 minutes of this relationship?
Terry:Okay. But I feel like for me, it takes me some time, and I've known this for years. Right? I definitely and and it's gotten, better for me as I've gotten older and understanding who I am as an individual because I'm a firm believer, and you can't be right with somebody else if you're not right in the eyes of God and and with yourself. Right?
Terry:I'm a firm believer in that. So for me, I have finally come to that space where I'm good in my own skin. I'm comfortable. I know who I am. I know what I stand for.
Terry:And so I feel like I'm now ready to take on someone else's space in that capacity. Right? And so I for me, I just felt like this is my person. Like, I there's a lot of love. There's a lot of respect.
Terry:There's a lot of joy. There's a lot of admiration with this person. So for me, I felt like I was ready to jump in that direction with him. But, again, you know, everything happens for a reason, and so this was another learning lesson.
Rev Skip:Yes. You know? Another
Terry:learning lesson for sure.
Rev Skip:I love it. Yeah. Well, you know, we're we'll still catch up in our next shows coming up, and, I'm grateful that I have you as my brother, that we can walk this journey together and go through these ups and downs and love and all that too. So
Terry:so hear that? She used that
Rev Skip:l word once again. Whatever. Whatever. Whatever. So our did you know I listen.
Rev Skip:Everybody knows about it, but I I thinking that it's timely because this is our election, everything election, but we have a couple of things we're gonna talk about before we dive into the election because that's where we are right now. But my did you know can I say the d word? Diddy. Did you know?
Terry:Did you did it did it did it.
Rev Skip:But this might not what everyone might not know of this. I'm gonna read this off right here and this is after my research because I wanted to get very clear of what I did not know. Here are the charges y'all. Racketeering, sexual trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, physical abuse, drug possession and distribution, obstruction of justice, using firearms. I didn't know all these charges Mhmm.
Rev Skip:Was dropping onto him and Bad Boy Enterprise.
Terry:Yes.
Rev Skip:And I believe that, like, I I I don't like like TMZ. I don't like the gossip rags. I don't watch but this is stuff that I need to as a podcaster, and we talked about current event, I need to find out what the charges were. My mouth dropped to my lap. I'm going, okay.
Rev Skip:I didn't know it was all this. And Mhmm. I stayed awake because I'm a YouTube. You know me. I love to go into the whole of YouTube.
Rev Skip:I love spiraling down. And whenever YouTube would come up, I just skipped over because I'm like, okay, it's going to happen, whatever. But then when I looked it up, I'm like, dang. The other thing that got me was a 100 bottles of baby oil.
Terry:A thousand.
Rev Skip:Oh, a thousand. Excuse me. A 1,000 bottles of baby oil. Now check this out. And he says they got it at Costco, and Costco called up the federal defense and says, listen.
Rev Skip:We don't even sell baby oil. I'm like, what? Now it's it's used
Terry:now. Costco. Costco came back and said, wait a minute.
Rev Skip:Wait a minute. That's not what we do. I'm like, okay. I mean well, whew. Mhmm.
Rev Skip:I I'm I'm sweating thinking about it. But, you know, a great another podcast, and we talk about vibe check all the time. They talked about this, and they said, you know, sex parties happen.
Terry:Yes.
Rev Skip:So part of this conversation that we're having, I I'm not listen. Sex parties what it it's a part of life right now. But what I am saying is that we do need to talk about trafficking. We're gonna need to talk about the women that were in this space and were not in men. Some were not saying yes.
Rev Skip:There was no consent. And if you're moving people from country to country to have sex, come on.
Terry:You know you're doing something wrong if you're moving people from country to country. Come on now. Come on now. Listen. Listen.
Terry:I have a very these types of situations, especially in black culture and the black community Yes. This hits home for me. Right? There's many people that have read my book know, like, I am a survivor of sexual abuse as a teenager, right, from a church going, church fearing religious person. Right?
Terry:So when I started hearing about this, my immediate thought was, why are we surprised? Why are we surprised? These things have been happening in every culture, sure, but especially in black communities. We've talked about this on our podcast before. T.
Terry:D. Jakes, Scott, you know, is wrapped up in this stuff. There's all these big name famous people that we have been looking up to, that we have put on these pedestals that are in Hollywood and musicians and authors and all these other things. Right? We we've put them at that elevation, and they've been doing these things behind closed doors.
Terry:These freak Nick freak off parties or whatever they were called, these are things that have been happening for years. And we and people knew about it. People knew about it. Jay z is also named as being there. Beyonce's named as being there.
Rev Skip:But they came back with a lawsuit, and now we gotta allegedly we're gonna say don't sue us, Beyonce. Right. But they but they got and they had to put an apology up there.
Terry:Right. Right. So I'm not surprised. I think it listen. I'm a firm believer.
Terry:If you doing the dirt, then you need to be caught and you need to be prosecuted. I don't care who you are. Right? Like, right is right, fair is fair, and the law is the law. You had people living in his home like Usher when Usher was a young child.
Terry:You had which is why what's that boy's name that I don't really care for? Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber separated himself from Diddy, helped him with his career, but behind closed doors, we didn't necessarily know what was going on, and Justin Bieber was a child. So Justin Bieber separated himself and then went a little cuckoo. Why do you think he went a little cuckoo from time to time?
Terry:He had that on his spirit and on his mind. Man. This is just my own.
Rev Skip:This is his name is Terry Dyer, yo.
Terry:Shush it up. Listen. Listen. I can go on and on and on about this this topic, but I'm saying you did the crime. It's time for him to do the time.
Terry:That's all I'm saying.
Rev Skip:Oh, well, you know, I am and and before we close out this, Mike, did you know we dropped into yours? I am find myself praying for all the those who are victimized.
Terry:100%.
Rev Skip:And I and I wanna hold the the high consciousness and the the that they get the help they need as they're going through this very challenging time. And then I me, personally, I question, like, there's so much bad boy music that I love.
Terry:I know.
Rev Skip:I love by so many artists, Mary j Blige, you know, 411. I mean, there there's a lot of different you know, Biggie. Biggie. Mhmm. So
Terry:Yep.
Rev Skip:Alright. Yep. Time for us to move on. What's your did you know, brother?
Terry:You just got my skin crawling about mister Didier topic. Alright. So my did you know is we've talked about, athletics a lot on our podcast, and we've talked about, you know, one of the biggest issues in athletics is the transgender community and the transgender issue. So did you guys know that there is another transgender athlete issue in the NCAA? The last one we talked about was the swimmer, and, she unfortunately lost her cases against the NCAA.
Terry:But this time, it hits a little home, for me because it's not only one of my very first sports and what I went to college to play is volleyball, but it involves San Jose State, which is very close to what I call home in San Francisco. So her name is Blair Fleming, and she is a red shirt senior outside right side hitter. People probably don't know what that means, but that's okay. Now, obviously, as a senior, she has been on the team for several years now. So why why is this an issue now?
Terry:All y'all been playing against her for the last few years, and now all of a sudden it's an issue. So not one single person has complained over the last few years about playing against a transgender person. People knew this. So my question is, what's the issue all of a sudden? Right?
Terry:So here's the other point that I found very fascinating in some of these reports and what people were saying on online. She's not even one of the best players on the team. Right? So it is reported that she's, like, 2nd or 3rd best on the maybe 3rd best on the team. So universities in San Jose State's conference are now forfeiting all of their matches this season against San Jose State.
Terry:So what do you think about this?
Rev Skip:I think it's number 1, let me let me speak to why this is a hot topic right now because of the fact that we were leading up in the Olympics, and this was a hot topic with our swimmer. Mhmm. Thomas, her last name is Thomas, Leah Thomas. And it it got really it got really, really hot. And then it really exploded to the space where we wrote about it in our column.
Rev Skip:There was CNN reported. All the news was reporting about this because the women the the US women's swim team said we're we're gonna walk away from this, allegedly. So I guess the media blew it up, but it was it's still a topic where if we really begin to look at the issue, there is a need for inclusivity. And how do we include no matter what gender you are, what gender you identify as, everyone should have the ability to participate. How do we begin to make a, I wanna say a league or we we a conference in in double a c p or not in double n double a c c or n n c double a.
Rev Skip:N c double a. Too many damn acronyms. You know how many acronyms I gotta remember these days?
Terry:At some point, Josh.
Rev Skip:But but here's a story. And watching this and how the women are dominating in in college athletics, I believe it's going to continue to be a hot topic until we look at this. And some people are saying we should have an all gender league where every gender, no matter what it is, can participate.
Terry:So here's what's also fascinating. Right? The NCAA, supposedly tried to create a separate division for trans athletes, and none of the trans athletes felt safe or comfortable to start competing in a completely different division. That's like saying and I'm going there. I'm going there.
Terry:That's like saying, we got this white sport called tennis, but all you black people go play over there. Am I am I mistaken? Or is this like
Rev Skip:But, you know, here's but here's the truth. And my father was a professional baseball player, and he was only allowed to play in the minor leagues. He made it triple a. And he played for Temba Temba Bay Islanders. And he was which is was a farm team for the, for Saint Louis Cardinals.
Rev Skip:He was able to he was so good, and they denied him to go up into major leagues because they've already had the quoted number.
Terry:The quota.
Rev Skip:Yeah. The Negro League was created because they didn't have the opportunity to play. And and so I'm not saying it's right, but what I am saying, we have to have a conversation of how do we include everyone and give them the right to play. Listen. I believe creating a separate league is another form of of of segregation.
Rev Skip:But what do we do?
Terry:Agreed.
Rev Skip:And if we're not willing to have this conversation in the midst of our athletes and saying, what what do you think the the we're getting this conversation, and it feels like we're not really talking about what is the solution. Right.
Terry:I think that's it. Right? Like, nobody's really coming up truly, with a solution for this. Right? It's basically like this is what it is.
Terry:Like, you can either take this or or not. Right? Yeah. The other thing that I find very fascinating is we covered this when we were when the Olympics were were coming up. We did.
Terry:American middle distance runner, right, specializing in the 1500, Nikki Hitz, Hiltz, excuse me, came out and said that she identified as a a transgender athlete. Like but we still supported and and she went to the Olympics and all the other kind of stuff. Nobody said anything. Right? The world indoor championship, she won a silver medal for the United States.
Terry:Y'all didn't say nothing about that then, did you? So where do where's the divide here? What what's equal? What's not? What's fair?
Terry:What's not?
Rev Skip:But as we close down this segment, one thing I do wanna say is as we continue to evolve, I had this incredible, download, reverend Michael Beckwith. He is our spiritual leader here in in at Agape where I'm a, a minister, part of the Agape community. And he said that we must be willing to have an expansive thought. We are expanding. And as we continue to expand in these conversations that have never been really spoke about in public, this is where we're going to land in.
Rev Skip:The work is, are we willing to continue to expand or push it under the closet or push it back in the closet? What are we willing to do?
Terry:I mean, essentially, times have changed, and we as individuals have to change along with those times.
Rev Skip:Yes. Indeed. Let's take a breath here, and y'all, we're gonna take a little bit of a break. But when we come back, we're gonna drop into the grits and glitter of this episode. We talking about everything election.
Rev Skip:So
Terry:It's that time.
Rev Skip:Hey, y'all. Welcome back. Oh my goodness. Terry, are you ready for this election season? Because we already in it.
Rev Skip:We are already in it. Child, I'm nervous.
Terry:That's what I am.
Rev Skip:What what are you nervous about? Talk to me. What are you nervous about?
Terry:Listen. This is one of the closest elections. It is there's a lot of different dynamics. There's race. There's, gender issues along with this.
Terry:There's misogyny. There's all these issues, right, around. There's some there's policy issues. There's this. There's that.
Terry:There's just so much that is encompassed in different dynamics in this election, so it makes me nervous. Right? Keep following CNN and the points here, the points there. Who's it? Who's not?
Terry:Makes me nervous.
Rev Skip:I think the great thing is that we're willing to have a conversation about this election. Everyone's talking about it, but I thought it would be very important, especially this episode and the coming up episode, we're gonna be talking about the election and the aftermath, the readiness of after the election. But couple of things I wanna read for you right here, a couple of the things that I've done a little bit of research, and it says this, as of October 2024, the political race is extremely close, and that's where we are. We all we know that. Everyone's been saying that, you know, this race between vice president Kamala Harris and, of course, formal president Donald Trump.
Rev Skip:And the polls are both showing this that they're neck to neck in the votes. And that, like, blows my mind. I I'm, like, going, how can you be neck to neck with what's going on? But, it also says his Harris holds a strong advantage among non white voters and women, which we know that. And while Trump is still leading with white voters and men.
Rev Skip:Most significantly, the election is, winding as is winding down, the gap is winding down, is extremely close with congress and what's happening with congress. And it's like, you know, neck to neck. This race is going to be defined. It says it's going to be defined by undecided and independent voters.
Terry:Agree with that. We are
Rev Skip:in this space, and this is what my conversation to me in my head is I don't see what y'all not getting. If you're undecided and you are not, you know, listen. Listen, Linda, as we like to say on this show, you can either vote for a felon, someone who has been convicted, someone who is a misogynist, someone who has has has has has been convicted for, you know, sexual improprieties, fraud, I I don't get these men who are saying it's okay. The other thing that gets me is as
Terry:It's also it's not even just the men. It's also women that
Rev Skip:are Well, I'm gonna bring that up.
Terry:Right?
Rev Skip:I I was gonna It is women. But here's the thing too. As a reverend, it's Christian church folks.
Terry:Of course.
Rev Skip:And and and so this is the thing that's been boggling my mind that, you know, you have people who wanna be followers of Christ, but yet you can vote for someone who's unlike, so close, not like Christ. So that's, that's, that's what has been really looming around me. I'm like going, I I don't get it, but yet I do get it. One thing I did hear, it was Nikki Giamani said this and also, doctor Joy DeGruz says this, that this is a reactionary. Trump was a reactionary to Obama.
Rev Skip:So the reaction to we had 8 years of, you know, brother in the White House. We're gonna revert back to something
Terry:safer Correct.
Rev Skip:Which is not that safe.
Terry:Correct. I will never understand the level of support that people can give someone that is clearly going against you as an individual. Right? Yep. This man is, as you stated, a convicted felon.
Terry:Like, he he is he is touched women. He is sexually assaulted. He is abused. He has done this this. We just talked about Diddy, and everybody's ready to throw him under the jail.
Terry:Right? Yeah. But we're not doing that with this person. Power, money, which is begs the question too. Did he has money?
Terry:Did he has power? So why is good for what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander? We ready to crucify Diddy, but we're not ready to crucify this man? I don't understand it.
Rev Skip:So how does this election brother, we need to let's talk about this. How is this election so important for black queer folks in your eyes?
Terry:I mean, we know that he's got all of these, you know, things that he wants to put into legislation to take away the rights of people that look like us. Right? What he wants to take away from the transgender community and health care and all these other things. Right? We we have to stand up.
Terry:Right? We will be going, like, 30, 40, 50, 60 years backwards if this man is elected. Right? Project 2025.
Rev Skip:Mhmm.
Terry:Right? We know. We read it. Oh, and then in the election, oh, that's not my people or I didn't write that. I didn't.
Rev Skip:Yeah. So the dangerous that is a dangerous part of project 2025 because when you read it, you're going, well, this can't happen. And people going, oh, this is not there's no way he can do this. There's no way he can wipe out congress or or wipe out the congressional side of policies. No way.
Rev Skip:Don't we get and guess what? It is possible. And I think the biggest what was that movie? I think it was Reservoir Dogs that the greatest, the the greatest thing with the devil that can view can can convince people that it didn't exist. I I forgot.
Rev Skip:I'm gonna I love that movie. I should know that, but that was the greatest thing that we're thinking it can happen and watch it does happen. For me, I believe and we have it's already been said by judge Thomas that the next rights are going after they went after women's rights. The next rights they're going after is going to be queer rights. And then after that, it's gonna be black rights.
Rev Skip:You know? So this is about rights. This is about our right to live. I am so in with Beyonce's freedom on this campaign campaign. And it's okay.
Rev Skip:I am it's okay for us to say, we are in alignment with Kamala. I am in alignment with Kamala. This podcast is in alignment with Kamala. It's okay to say We are.
Terry:We We stand with her. We stand with her. 100%. Yes. I I really this is I will say, I've not always been the biggest political person, but this year, I have been and it's funny because not funny, but when his first you know, I still call him Cheeto.
Terry:When he first had his first, assassination attempt, when he was standing on the stage and the bullets grazed his ear and he stood up and see it. You ain't black. Put your fist down. That we claimed that. Put your fist down.
Terry:I wanted to reach through that TV screen. That is not your moment. That is John Smith in the put your fist down. So I, for some reason, my political mind and interest completely switched from that moment forward. I my friends and family were like, you okay.
Terry:It's enough. Like, you've become obsessed with find like, tracking and watching everything that was coming after, his attempted assassination. Right? I think this man really wants to to put us in this space of, like he wants to be the last person in power. He wants to be the almighty God himself.
Terry:And and, again, what gets me is that there are people in this country that are supporting that effort. They're supporting that thought process. They are supporting his approach to, democracy. It blows my mind. It blows my mind.
Terry:So for me, I am like, what do I need to do? What who do I need to talk to? What do I need to rally? I just signed up for HRC's phone bank in a couple of weeks. Like, what else I gotta do?
Terry:Because this is there is going to be so much ramification negative ramification if this man gets into office, and I don't think people are thoroughly, like, reading between the lines in terms of what will happen if he gets put it back into office.
Rev Skip:Yeah. You know what? This is a great segue to talk about what we can do to make a difference because it's we can speak about it in a podcast and you were signing up for a phone, bank. I'm also part of the, social media team. So I've dropped into the trainings.
Rev Skip:I've been going through trainings and how do we engage online. And part of the things I gotta be honest with you. A couple of the first posts that I did engage or did did post had some negativity and it scared me. I'm like, oh. Oh, okay.
Rev Skip:So how do I engage in that? But it it's it's worth it because and I look at my family's from Selma, and they were there at the Edmond Pettus Bridge. And some of my family were trampled on and beat up for the rights. And I can't be afraid to give a little post on social media because this is the vote for our life. We're voting for our life.
Rev Skip:We're voting for the freedom to love who we love. We're voting for the freedom to have an economic equality because there's a disparity in in in our economy. Absolutely. And so we're voting
Terry:the health care for trans people. Right? We're voting for that equality.
Rev Skip:Women's rights.
Terry:Women's Women's rights. Y'all hear that? Women, this man wants to take away your rights. Like, I don't it it it boggles my mind that women want to support and put this man in office.
Rev Skip:You know, I I love this idea, and I love I love coach Waltz. I'm in. Coach, I'm in. But he said something that was very important to me because I've always felt this. It doesn't matter what my personal view is about abortion or, you know, whatever.
Rev Skip:Every woman has the right and the government does not have the right to go into the bedroom saying this is how we need to to do it. We have to keep because and I know part of my personal experience around this has been ingrained since me growing up in the church. And so when you get down to and you talk about your personal feelings and you don't believe in this, fine. If you don't believe in abortion, don't have one. But what I do believe is an absolute freedom to love who you love, to take care of your body, the right to buy homes where you wanna buy homes.
Rev Skip:And and and so part of this is is about freedom. For me, it's about freedom.
Terry:I agree. At the end of the day, nobody should have a say over what you do with your body as a male, female, whatever you wanna call it. Like, nobody has the right to make that decision for you. That's my big that's my big thing. So I agree.
Terry:As Beyonce says, let's freedom, honey. Freedom.
Rev Skip:So So let's talk economy. Were you better off were you better off under Trump's administration or, you know, here's here's what I always say. The Obama years were good to me, y'all. The Obama years was so good, and I believe that part of this economy for me, I saw more growth under Biden than under Trump. Trump, it didn't do none for me.
Rev Skip:In fact, I was unemployed. I was like, what what's what's going on here? And we also went through, you know, we went through COVID, the beginning of COVID, and and now, you know, but here's the thing too that I believe the economy I love her policies on having a tuck a tax cut for small business owners, new business owners, having a cut for, you know, for for
Terry:people who are
Rev Skip:buying a house. And I gotta say this. I know some people are not gonna agree with this. My student loans were forgiven. Thank you, Biden.
Rev Skip:And it was so funny. It was so funny. I was I had a conversation with our producer, Denise, and I was saying at at this conversation is that I just wish Biden would just just forgive my loans. And, she sent me this whole thing, this whole joke, and and, and this whole stand up around, you know, Biden forgiving loans and this and that and not forgiving loans and and someone taking on their ex's loans, it I just, you know, laughed. I went home and I prayed because I'm a praying I'm a praying minister that I said, lord, Let me tell you something.
Rev Skip:I went home that next day, that Monday, and I went to my student loan student financial aid, the thing that houses everything. And I was okay. I'm just gonna see what it is and it might not be done, but whatever. Clicked on, it said, your balance is 0. I screamed.
Rev Skip:I went, what? I think I text you. I danced. I went home by God. I texted my family.
Rev Skip:My family were all shouting. I've been paying student loans since I graduated in 1992. Right. And I had all these loans that were not good, percentage, you know, the the the interest. I was paying on those loans.
Rev Skip:I paid almost $200,000 since 1992, and I still had 75,000 to pay. And I'm looking I'm going, lord, have mercy. And, lord, have mercy. Ciao. It's too long.
Terry:Thank you, Biden. The same my brother did the same thing, and I have yet to take advantage. I know it's still there. I I know I heard that you can still do it. I need to get on the bandwagon, honey, and get mine done because she has multiple degrees.
Terry:So that
Rev Skip:is Yes.
Terry:Multiple levels. The scholarship money only went so far, honey. Yes. Yes. Yeah, honey.
Terry:So yeah. No. I agree that that needs to be you know, we we we I would say from an economic perspective, I agree with you. I think we have seen what the economy how it's how it grew under Obama, and then, you know, it's come back a little bit under Biden and that sort of thing. But let's be real.
Terry:Obama was handed a plate of problems, crap. Right? I wanna say the s word, but I won't curse on our podcast. And then, you know, we
Rev Skip:We can get the e rating if you want to.
Terry:We went through 4 years of Cheeto. Right? And then Biden came in, was handed crap once again. Right? So it take people don't thoroughly realize it takes time to clean up.
Terry:Right? Things don't happen overnight. You know, I watch these debates, and they're talking about, oh, you've had 3 years to do this. You know how these economic turnarounds, how long that takes? It's like changing culture.
Terry:Right? It's like being in a workforce and trying to change your company culture. Those things take years. Right? And I think people are forgetting that these aren't miracle workers.
Terry:They're not gonna come in and and, wave a wand like, Harry Potter and just be like, poof, he's gone. Like, it don't work that way, people. Right? Like, it takes time. And I
Rev Skip:I agree 100%. Yeah. Like, you know, brother
Terry:change in head in headways, but
Rev Skip:Yeah.
Terry:Again, like, that's what happens when you have some a dictator in place that that changes and flips things out on their head. Right?
Rev Skip:Hey, brother. Hold that thought because we're gonna take a break. But when we come back, we're gonna talk about the challenges that Kamala will have for winning and after she wins. And I'm claiming it. Absolutely.
Rev Skip:You know, my mama once said, you know, claim it. Claim it, claim it. Come on, auntie Matt. Claim it.
Terry:My auntie Matt.
Rev Skip:You don't your time. And your time. So here we go. We're we're gonna take a little break. We'll be right back after this message.
Rev Skip:Hey, y'all. Welcome back to Grits and Glitter, the podcast. And we're talking about everything in election. So Kamala's challenges, that's what we're gonna dive into. What do you feel are these challenges that Kamala has going into this position.
Rev Skip:Of course, there's never been a female president before. But I'm saying we're breaking we're breaking some grounds here. What do you think of some of the challenges that we see, and how can we overcome those challenges?
Terry:The big you just said to me, the biggest challenge. She's a female. She's a female, and we have not
Rev Skip:Not that she's black or not that she's multiracial?
Terry:I think it now they'll they'll I think it's both. Right? Okay. But I think because we've already had a person of color in the in the head seat, like, we've we've shaved off or we've kinda turned the corner just a tad with respects to Obama, being multiracial. But then we we her her next her coming along is she's got the fem the gender, part of it.
Terry:Right? So Yeah. For me, I think that's her biggest challenge is people can't get past the fact that she's female. And and it it again, it blows my mind that females aren't saying, I know what we're capable of. Let me help a woman get into office.
Terry:We know how to run stuff. We this. We that. You should be helping your gender get into office to run stuff like we know she can do. Right?
Terry:She's clearly proven herself as a female prosecutor. She's proven herself as a multiracial woman. We just I don't think that my opinion, I don't think that America is ready quite yet for a female president. I don't think they can get past the fact that she's female.
Rev Skip:And, listen, I'm gonna push back on this. I think we are really ready. I think I I here's the thing that I I I believe, and everyone's saying it's gonna be close. It's gonna be close. Yeah.
Rev Skip:I am so optimistic. We gotta work for it. Trust me. Do not stop working. We gotta work.
Rev Skip:I'm in a place where we're going to be surprised how many people actually show up because the message is getting out. The message is getting it's getting out there, you know, and and I believe her from me, her challenge is going to be in being California, and I have been a fan of Kamala for so long. She was one of the greatest senators our state has ever seen, one of the greatest, you know, you know, prosecutors we've ever seen. And she I remember I was in a predatory loan for my first home, and I was in a balloon predatory loan. It was going to expand and she I saw what she did for the people.
Rev Skip:I believe that part of her problem is going to be her own voice. Because everyone keeps saying, we don't know anything about her. What? What do you mean? She's she's been doing everything that she says she's gonna do and she's been doing, and now she wants to do more.
Rev Skip:So I I don't know if they're not ready for a woman president. I don't think they're giving her the opening to to to do what she wants to do. I mean, how she's going to her policies, if she if I hear one more person say, I wish she would speak more policy, I'm gonna shake them. I'm gonna shake them. She's been talking policy.
Rev Skip:She's been talking policy. I saw her on The View because, you know, I love me some View. I love me some Whoopi. She was magnificent. I am so loved how she carried herself, and I love her laugh.
Rev Skip:And, I love and they showed the clip of Maya Rudolph. Have you seen the clip on Saturday Night Live? I love it. I I love it.
Terry:She does is I think she, to me, is very similar to Obama. She knows how to speak to people. Your everyday average Joe Schmo on the street. Kamala does an incredible job of reaching those folks. What she has to do, in my opinion, what you know who is out there doing is he's helping the rich get richer.
Terry:He's helping the rich stay rich. Right? So I think she's gotta figure out how to speak to those people and change their mindset about the type of economy that she's going to run. Right? That's what I think also has to happen.
Terry:I will also say and I've had this conversation a few times over the last couple of or the last few weeks since her, one and only debate with Cheeto. I loved that debate. I know you did too as we talked about it. Right?
Rev Skip:Oh, yeah.
Terry:That she was was fantastic. The only thing and this is me nitpicking and griping just a little bit. Right? Because I don't want anybody to be like, oh, there's that. Right?
Terry:Oh, there's that. I didn't want her to necessarily poke at him because I don't ever want her to come across as the angry black woman. And I feel like again, my opinion, there was a couple of, like, her kind of nudging and edging him and poking him a little bit. And, you know, when he would say something or or she would have a facial reaction to it, I'm like, don't give him that. Don't give him that because they're gonna look and be like, oh, there she goes.
Terry:Look. We can't have somebody in office like that. Oh, look at her making fun or or having a facial expression. No. No.
Terry:No. And let's be real. We obviously know he was doing it. Right? We know he was making fun and rolling his face or his eyes and, you know, make he of course.
Terry:But we expect that buffoonery from him. We don't expect that from her. And so that was my only little
Rev Skip:Yeah. It was And we
Terry:we give them any ounce.
Rev Skip:We've talked about it. I loved it. There was a meme that was going around Michelle Obama just like, I'm so glad we went from when they go low, we go high to girl, and she's pulling off our earrings. Next. Let me where's my earrings?
Rev Skip:Because I believe here's here's me about that that we are always taking the high road. We are. It's not landing with people going, well, why isn't she fighting? Some things were so damn ridiculous. And I almost
Terry:got the
Rev Skip:e rating. Like, they're eating the cats and dogs. And I got a problem with that. People on Facebook and on on on on on TikTok dancing to that. Stop dancing to eating the dogs and cats because you are taking this racist rhetoric, remixing it, and you're putting on social media, and now we're making fun of it.
Rev Skip:It's not funny. So when she gave me that face like, am are you kidding me? She gave me that that that are you kidding me face. You can't put rhetoric out here in lies, and he's still lying. Sometimes you gotta give that sister look.
Rev Skip:Like
Terry:Agree. Don't you be wrong.
Rev Skip:I know. I know. I know. I know. I know.
Rev Skip:This is like
Terry:You know, I
Rev Skip:I loved it. I joke sometimes. That's it. Go, girl.
Terry:Look. I joke sometimes and tell people, look. Don't let the prettiness fool you, honey. She was born in a project. She will take these earrings off and You know.
Terry:Get it crunk if we need to. You don't. However, I know. I know. I listen.
Terry:And and you talked about coach coach Walls. Listen. I don't think coaches coach Walls did an incredible job at his, debate. I think what I did love about the debate is the level of respect. There was a sense of mutual respect between the 2 of them.
Terry:It they played nice. That's what I loved about the debate between the 2, running VPs. Right? Like, they played nice with each other. They kept it at a respectable level.
Terry:They they didn't agree on everything. They did they obviously disagreed in on certain things or whatever. But even in the end, they came back and and kinda closed it with this level of, thank you so much, you know, heard you, blah blah. I loved that because that told me there is still a sense of integrity and grace and dignity that can be had in this in this election.
Rev Skip:Yeah. But I I get that. But here's the thing. When we fact check Vance, it was crazy how many lies he told. And he's a master debater from Harvard who's like and I I agree with you, but here's another lie.
Rev Skip:I agree with you. Here's another lie. And so for me, I'm listening. I'm watching this. I'm going, hold up.
Rev Skip:Hold up. Hold up. So anyway, you know, we are we're getting to we'll have more to talk about next episode, but more election, because we're gonna not leave y'all out there. We wanna support you, have this conversation. I love this segment.
Rev Skip:This is still my favorite segment. We get to do it again. Who's making a difference? That's where we are. We're in who's making a difference.
Rev Skip:Yay. Because we believe in making a difference on this planet. The one group that I'm gonna bring to light, and I love me some Michelle Obama. You know how much I love Obama? I love Michelle more than I love Barack.
Rev Skip:Amen. I love them evenly, I think. But Michelle, she just, I
Terry:love I know. I love me so much.
Rev Skip:She was so good at at at the convention. I was like, yeah. Do something. Do something. She has an org organization online.
Rev Skip:It's called when we vote. And you go to when we vote.org. And it's all about getting people excited about getting to the polls, young people. Because I believe one of the the the the services that we've ever done in education, when we stopped doing civil classes or civics classes. When we stop talking about how a bill is made, remember, Bill what was it?
Rev Skip:ABC did, Schoolhouse Rock? I'm just a bill. Only I can't sing too much because we're gonna we're gonna actually owe some money to ABC. So we don't Gotta
Terry:pay for that. Stop that.
Rev Skip:But civics classes are so important. We have to be able to teach our kids how important to prepare them. I believe we've gotten out of teaching the importance of government and your voice matters. So when we vote, it's launched by Michelle Obama. This organization is dedicated to increasing participation in every election, and we gotta vote down ballot too.
Rev Skip:Yeah. We have to vote down that. We have to vote everywhere. If it's a dog catcher, vote for the dog catcher. Your voice matters.
Rev Skip:And I was watching on YouTube. Here I am in the YouTube poll again. Just her passion for getting people to vote, your voice matters. So, you know, when we vote dot org, go check it out, get some information, and get it going. Yes.
Terry:Well, even though this is the episode about the election, however, I want to highlight because we've talked about health care, quite a bit as we were talking about the election and so forth. But I wanna highlight a new health care facility that, in my opinion, is making a huge, difference and impact in our community. They're called Mayfair Medical, and they recently opened in South Florida in 2 locations in Miami and Broward Counties. They are founded by 2 incredible, incredible, incredible, amazing individuals, Morgan and Ashley Mayfair. They see patients regardless of their ability to pay.
Terry:They are getting the most marginalized and vulnerable members of our communities the health care resources that they need, and that's incredibly important in this day and age. As we try to, you know, get past certain health care disparities, as we try to end the HIV epidemic by 22, 2030. So what they're doing is absolutely amazing for our community. The most glaring difference that I have noticed that sets them apart from other providers is that they are truly patient focused. Now we all know there are lots of other health care facilities out there that say they're patient focused, but you get there and it's number number number.
Terry:Get in, get in, get in, get out. Right? That's not Mayfair Medical, and I think that is such a huge part of what makes them who they are and what they stand for. So I kudos, kudos, kudos, and congratulations to the Mayfairs and their new amazing clinics in both Broward and Miami Dade. They're They're also opening in Atlanta, but I didn't cover it.
Terry:Yeah.
Rev Skip:I was gonna say there are plans to go to Georgia.
Terry:Atlanta as well. Yep. They're opening in Atlanta. What I've read and what I communities are. So
Rev Skip:And what I've heard, and I don't quote me on this, but I heard they're looking to go across the country. Like Absolutely. LA needs some we need we need some some focus patient focused clinics. So, celebration. This is a good time.
Rev Skip:This is a great time.
Terry:This is
Rev Skip:a great time. I am grateful grateful that this is happening. T brother.
Terry:Yes, brother. Yes.
Rev Skip:You know, this is powerful, and I do need to go probably take a lavender shower because elections get me all tied up in my fields and stuff. I need to go and relax. Like, I mean, after this show, I'm gonna actually lay up my incense and go to the dentist.
Terry:Y'all. She went to the dentist.
Rev Skip:You know, I had to I gotta go meditate. I gotta get out of my feelings in this because that's why I don't really watch election because it gets me all. But, it's it's very important conversation that we have to have. So, I'm grateful that we're back in it, brother.
Terry:Yes. We are back live and, yes, in color.
Rev Skip:In color. And and one thing I'm gonna drop into the feed, stay tuned to our socials because we're going to be in Palm Springs live. We will. Yes. We're taking the show live to Palm Springs, the end of October.
Rev Skip:More information will drop into our our program notes, more information coming down the line. And make sure you follow us on social media. We are Grits and Glitter the pod, and Grits is with a z, not an s, baby. We're on social media.
Terry:Player, honey.
Rev Skip:You know, and, website. Guess what? Hello? Check out our website. It's here.
Rev Skip:Gritsandglitterthepod.com. I'm so grateful. I'll get to do this journey with you, brother.
Terry:Yes. Absolutely. Even though we're now bicoastal, we still
Rev Skip:I know. I know. Well, peace and blessings, everyone. And as we always say, be kind. Why, Terry?
Terry:Yes. Because it's free.
Rev Skip:Because it's free. Until next time. Peace and blessings, y'all.
Terry:See y'all soon.
