GirlTREK

We’re in a mission to serve the “1000 Blackest neighborhoods in America.” And this mission is led by you! See it and claim it with us. 1000 Black neighbors rising! Here’s the plan: We are asking the brave, the hopeful and the committed to walk out on faith and text a sister to walk with you. Start a crew. Listen to this podcast and read our field guide at girltrek.org. It’s everything you need to know to become a crew leader.Can you see it? Crews in every Black neighborhood in America - strike that, around the world!  We can see it!A crew? You plus on or two is a crew!  A crew walks together at least once a week to encourage each other to stay committed to the daily journey of living our healthiest, most fulfilled lives.At least 1,000 of you will succeed in walking with your crews at least 10 Saturdays this year. See it with us.Hit play and learn how you can get your crew rolling today. 

"There is one thing you have got to learn about our movement. Three people are better than no people."- Fannie Lou Hamer By November of 1963, activists in Mississippi were exhausted and discouraged. Their efforts and strategies had inspired a movement, but not increased the number of Black voters. Refusing to back down from their fight for liberation, organizers went back to the drawing board in search of inspiration. And, in the Summer of 1964, they emerged with a new plan that not only galvanized the movement but changed the course of history. They called it the Mississippi Summer Project, also known as Freedom Summer. This student-led movement was a powerful demonstration of organizing, and it centered the leadership of two women; Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer. Today we bring that summer back to life. Examining the strategies at the center of this pivotal moment in history. More than a telling of a story, this is a celebration of brave, bold Black women who aren’t afraid to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done. We walk in their footsteps.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts reference or played during this broadcast. You can find original content that was referenced or played here:I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free | Nina Simone:https://open.spotify.com/track/5CKHhg31HcYYhwUeeGqvhq?si=a36d36b0659d4b8eThis Joy | Resistance Revival Chorus:https://open.spotify.com/track/4CJFOJoOVLWeWqwnoCd8wk?si=7a0e19cd5d0942de

There is a rumor that the Lone Ranger was a Black man.  His name was Bass Reeves.  One legend says he won a card game.  …against his slave “master.” …during the Civil War.  And when the white man got mad (we BEEN knowing how to play Spades!) and started an altercation, Bass opened a can of beat-down and escaped to Indian Territory where he lived among the Cherokee, Creeks and Seminoles. He learned their languages, studied their ways, earned their loyalty and - at the emancipation of a nation - Bass Reeves rose like a Phoenix to become the greatest American hero of the West.  Meet the real ranger: Bass Reeves. Deputy. Gunslinger. Law man. Free. Protector of Black towns. Apple of every woman’s eye. Cheered by children. Outlaws beware.  Bass Reeves has been featured in more movies than we can count and yet most people don’t even know his name.  So today we say it.  And he wasn’t some fictional solo actor - that’s a Hollywood lie.  He had a crew - a network of Indigenous Americans, Black townspeople, trusted informants and U.S Deputies, so he could nab THOUSANDS of bad guys and ride into the sunset.  Get on your horses ladies, and let’s take a ride through time.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts reference or played during this broadcast. You can find original content that was referenced or played here:Bedstuy Parade and Funeral March | Jay-Z:https://open.spotify.com/track/01da6Nb55VXzvS14CzbLjY?si=cf81686b82654d14The Harder They Fall | Koffee:https://open.spotify.com/track/6AxSYAHq0U6fKykB7uScPl?si=89af4fb441b04f22

This is the story of the most famous crew in the rap game.  This is the story of a dynasty.  Of hood legends.  The story of Black men who knew their worth and were willing to go to battle in any arena, from the block to the boardroom.  This is the story of money, power, and respect.  The story of America. Of making it. Of manifesting.  The story of putting your crew on. Cause where I go, you go. Ya heard? This is the story of the culture creators who transformed their pain into testimony on wax and influenced a generation, and the world.  There is no story of the crew that does not include Hip-Hop, and today we tell the story of Roc Nation. Of a family sometimes divided but always on top and making moves for the masses.  Throw up your Roc sign because they are in the building today! A walk and talk that’s sure to teach and inspire. Beyond the headlines we will talk about the holiness of their craft and how it has blessed and transformed our world.  Not just a Jay-Z story. This is a legacy story. A Kanye story. A Dame Dash story. A story that is still being written that we are happy to tell.  Lace up and tune in!Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts reference or played during this broadcast. You can find original content that was referenced or played here:U Don't Know | Jay-Z:https://open.spotify.com/track/4O7oKy8YADaBrbehcPl0kE?si=b96e5a6229da4642Jay Z Life Advice Will Leave You Speechless:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMF-pDTEhb0Legacy | Jay-Z:https://open.spotify.com/track/3p2O5DDqlWdaR1l4wsHn9R?si=8f00f9e458fc49d4

Listen, the P is for parliament and Funk for Funkadelic. Two bands united.   Under a groove.  Getting down  (for what?) …just fooooor the funk of it.  We ready.  Today’s conversation will explore the father of Black futurism as he convened a crew of bands (with a dash of Bootsy Collins), to inspire a new generation’s imagination of what was possible for children of the motherland - rejecting definitions of tragic fleets of ships of stolen progeny and setting off on a new zeitgeist of earthy soul and galactic freedom.  The Mothership is waiting. Snoop, Tupac, Erykah Badu, definitely Prince, and all of Omega Psi Phi have been dazzled by the star-shaped glimmer of this crew.  They are already onboard. Step inside. Join us today for a walk and talk.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts reference or played during this broadcast. You can find original content that was referenced or played here:Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) | Parliament:https://open.spotify.com/track/4XRkQloZFcRrCONN7ZQ49Y?si=335ef44445ed4e8eAtomic Dog | George Clinton:https://open.spotify.com/track/4cgodXjv4TfrooNQxvlO4O?si=f9f9b688fb3d4d23

The most powerful Black men in America. Then and now.  Did you know that Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, Duke Ellington, Medgar Evers, Paul Robeson, Nelson Mandela, Louis Farrakhan, and both Martin Luther King Jr.’s father and grandfather were all Prince Hall Freemasons?  And these are just the names that are on record.  Academics believe that everything we know today about Black American history has been influenced by the Black Freemasonry organization. Many people call them the unseen hand of Black America. The backbone of our progress.  There wouldn’t be a civil rights movement without Freemasonry. They have been behind nearly every pivotal move we’ve made as a people and yet, most of us know nothing about them. Until today!  This promises to be one of those blow your mind episodes where we connect so many dots in history that your head will spin. Then you’ll be calling everyone you know to let them know what you’ve learned.  Now grab your sneakers and hit the road cause we’ve got a story to tell. Don’t miss it.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts reference or played during this broadcast. You can find original content that was referenced or played here:A Solider in the Army of the Lord | James Cleveland:https://open.spotify.com/track/7rRFiSgNG9FRzT4rZLFbIQ?si=a6edfc281ddf42dbYou've Been Good to Me | Jonathan DesVerney Gospel Channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQYKs9DKTn8

Brick-by-brick, crop-by-crop, farm-by-farm, today’s crew of Black men did the unglamorous work to build an economic future for our people. They built an institution, an infrastructure and an entire new economy to revive the American South. They called him The Black President. He didn’t ask for dignity and equal rights. He assumed them. Booker T. Washington convinced the Carnegies and Rockefellers to invest in the economic and political come-up of his people. And while we love W.E.B DuBois, young Dubois applied for a teaching job at Tuskegee. Don’t get it twisted. Booker T. Washington was the most influential Black man of the turn of the century. And the smartest thing he did was invite a quiet-spoken genius to join his crew. At the turn of the century. Before cars were invented, Henry Ford was asking a black man named George Washington Carver for advice. Ford said Carver was “the greatest scientist in the world.” Time Magazine called him  “The Black Aristotle.” And Mahatma Gandhi praised Carter for feeding a nation. (And y’all talking’bout some peanuts.) Thomas Edison offered Carver  $100,000 to quit working with Washington and work in his lab. He said no. He was devoted to serving his people. They built Tuskegee. 700 acres of farmland, livestock, 27 vocations in industrial trades: farming, printing, wagon making, tailoring, brick laying. The students themselves built the 50-building campus - by hand. And the school has an endowment bigger than Harvard’s at the time. True progress raging across the South until Washington raised his fist at The Atlanta Esposition - his full power on display - bringing the full backlash of Jim Crow terror, lynching and distraction. These men are the most misunderstood crew in Black history - and it may be intentional because when we get economic, industrial and agricultural power.  Listen. Today we try to understand. Both men were born into slavery.  How did they rise to such power? Let’s talk about it. Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts reference or played during this broadcast. You can find original content that was referenced or played here:The Rubberband Man| The Spinners:https://open.spotify.com/track/13Mzsb8VzRSZ5w3pM48cn6?si=9584cLZQTm-56OcUToKeDw Will the Circle Be Unbroken | The Staple Singers:https://open.spotify.com/track/2XQlZQGMQKIElKRYSf5NWx?si=q4Nwb5yyTWOzZ5QYtkxhxQVisions of Sunset | Boyz II Men:https://open.spotify.com/track/6lQREztig1UKUHeyQhw7As?si=GtlyZfuHT2SH82aiFGTiAA

"The Black Panther Party may indeed be history, but the forces that gave rise to it are not.“They wait, for the proper season, to arise again."  - Mumia Abu-Jamal Throw your fist in the air and get ready to march, because Day 2 of Black History Bootcamp kicks off with an exposé into one of the most influential crews of our time, The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.  Perhaps no other crew in history had so much cultural influence, or impact on our politics, or instilled so much fear in our government, as the youngsters from West Oakland. J Edgar Hoover called them the “greatest threat” to the internal security of the country, and their 10 point plan and 35 survival programs, became the blueprint for every Black liberation movement that was to follow.  You think you know, but on today’s walk we will dig deep into the origin story of founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. We will break down the strategy of the movement. Explore the relationships that are central to the story, and talk about the enduring legacy of their work from fashion to the Free Breakfast Program.  Bigger than superheroes, this is the real story of The Black Panther Party. Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts reference or played during this broadcast. You can find original content that was referenced or played here:Say It Loud | James Brown:https://open.spotify.com/track/5h8ve1B7Gr3k4W0WXAgLxE?si=e3c1490edefa4aa1The Ghetto | Too $hort:https://open.spotify.com/track/3B6WDceNe6lUQnczntRIuf?si=aae685242edb4d31

Zora Neale Hurston, one of the founders of anthropology, discusses the vibrant artistic community called the Niggerati during the Harlem Renaissance. They named their newspaper FIRE and their ideas were foundational to the era. The chapter also explores the importance of expressing freedom openly and surrounding yourself with positivity.

Year-after-year, we have called the name of Harriet and asked her to guide our steps and this movement. We have prayed to the same God. We have taught the lessons of her liberation. We have remained faithful to our vision.Now in 2022, on March 10th, Tubman Day, we honor Harriet with a global walk and celebration. Walk 2.22 miles for Harriet as we take you on a  journey from the Ashanti Kingdom, the home of Harriet’s Great grandmother, to Auburn NY, where she walked to her freedom. It’s an experience rooted in the history, culture, revolution and evolution of Black women’s liberation.  Featuring special guest from Harriet's family:Pauline Copes Johnson, Harriet Tubman’s 3x Great GrandnieceMichele Jones Gavin, Harriet Tubman’s 3x Great Grandniece#WeAreHarriet