GirlTREK

“Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders.”- Diane Nash On this special episode, we're walking and talking with Diane Nash, one of the most influential activists of any generation - co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and organizer of the Freedom Rides. This historic conversation commences on the Blackest day of the year - Saturday, August 28th. This day marks the anniversary of the abolishment of slavery in the UK, the murder of Emmitt Till, the March on Washington, the Presidential nomination of Barack Obama, and the day that our beloved Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman departed this earth. We mark this day because we do not believe in coincidences or happenstance, but in sacred forces and synchronicity, in supreme math and divine signs, and as a movement we join arm in arm with revolutionaries from around the world who stop each year in August to pay homage to the countless organizers and activists who sacrificed their freedom and lives in the struggle for Black liberation.This is an opportunity for the whole family to gather and experience living history, to walk real-time in the footsteps of a Civil Rights legacy, and to celebrate the Black women who paved the way and continue to do the work. We who believe in freedom cannot rest. Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Booker T and the MGs | Green Onions:https://open.spotify.com/track/4fQMGlCawbTkH9yPPZ49kP?si=A2YEDouTQaaLp_WVtIv1mw&dl_branch=1James Brown | Get Up Offa That: Thinghttps://open.spotify.com/track/0nyrltZrQGAJMBZc1bYvuQ?si=mrM0uXPBSSyB9UPfmnFqGw&dl_branch=1

Monday, May 31st will make the 100th anniversary of one of the worst incidents of mass racial violence in the history of this country, the Tulsa Race Massacre. Over the course of two days, more than 100 residents of one of the most thriving and prosperous Black neighborhoods in the country were massacred by a violent white mob. They came seeking to destroy what these proud men and women had built – a community organized around shared values and cultural pride with deep economic roots and political power.This Monday, as a tribute, a rallying cry, and a call-to-action we invite you, your loved ones, and your community to take a walk with us in this special edition of our viral walking podcast. Together we will spend 60 minutes calling in the ancestors, honoring what was lost in Tulsa, and discussing how this movement plans to lead the rebirth of 1,000 Black neighborhoods starting this summer.This virtual walk can be experienced from wherever you are and will be led by GirlTrek Co-Founders, Vanessa and Morgan along with a special guest, Tamika Mallory.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Ella's Song| Sweet Honey in The Rock:https://open.spotify.com/track/0MTTqcQmbLW94gMLYMl95k?si=d4c79d0411914eeeA Meditation for Black Women | Monet Marshall and Nia Wilson:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgf2COTsFUAValarie Kaurs' Prayer:https://www.today.com/video/what-if-this-is-not-the-darkness-of-the-tomb-but-the-darkness-of-the-womb-watch-valarie-kaur-s-speech-917892675740

“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion." - bell hooks If you are like us, you are sitting with a deep ache in your heart. Just as we’d begun to shake off some of the weariness that we’ve held while watching the verdict come down in the murder of George Floyd, we see Ma’Khia Bryant’s video pass through our timelines and read the news that a 16-year-old Black girl has been shot four times by police.   Sisters, we know this feels relentless. It is relentless. And that’s their strategy. The pressure is on to keep us in an exhaustive state of grief that robs us of our joy, our will to organize, and our collective faith. We must resist. And we must reject the urge to hold the rage. And we must keep moving forward with our collective healing as a people because on the other side of healing is liberation. In that spirit, and in honoring GirlTrek’s legacy of healing Black women through the ancestral tradition of walking, you are invited to join us for a National Walk and Talk. Together we will spend 60 minutes moving through grief, honoring our dead, discussing the path forward, and connecting with the divine power that guides us all.  Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Stand by Me | Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir:https://youtu.be/AyFlLjdNqk8Amazing Grace | Lizz Wright:https://youtu.be/bBrucMaLNBQ

On September 12, 1992, Mae Jemison, became the first Black woman to fly into space. This Black woman genius, who can trace her family roots back to the plantations of Talladega County, Alabama, flew 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds, and orbited the earth 127 times. Listed among the items that she carried with her was a poster of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, a West African statue, a picture of pilot Bessie Coleman, and a banner reppin’ Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Mae Jemison is truly her ancestor’s wildest dreams. Her life is a masterclass in excellence, sprinkled with Black stardust. Come to this walk with anticipation. There is much to learn from this pioneer! Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Alvin Ailey "Cry" with Yolanda Adams "Right on Be Free" | Black Girls Rock 2018:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIAbeGLbXlcSaturn | Stevie Wonder:https://open.spotify.com/track/5RgWdJs6H52nMyZFQspQWH?si=ad8c70fbe3a84a20

On the very spot where the transatlantic slave trade began, in modern-day Angola, the most epic fight for liberation in our history was waged between the entire Portuguese Empire and one Black woman. Standing toe-to-toe. Them and her. Queen Nzinga. Say her name. We are the #daughters of Queen Nzinga Mbande. Queen of the Ambundu Kingdoms of the ruling family of Ndongo and great sovereign power of Matamba. Ohhh that’s delicious. Let it roll off your tongues: Nzzzzinga, Nzingha, Njinga. Her name alone defies the English alphabet, spelled differently across history. No matter how you spell her name, one thing is certain, trained in military precision and political warfare, young Nzinga defeated the colonizers, protected her people for 37 years, and set into motion a liberation movement that would ultimately defeat the colonizers. We will not be your slaves. Adjust your crowns queens, we’re going in. This is the greatest story never told. Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Summertime | Angelique Kidjo:https://open.spotify.com/track/6ZoY4JuMpnTkQTLE8tYP5k?si=9f4aa8cf123f439dTry Me | Tems:https://open.spotify.com/track/2DYp6Gfu2JguZra6xL8IAV?si=9b3d681841e04baf

Today we tell the story of The United Order of Tents. A secret society of Black women that has operated for more than 100 years, providing shelter and services to people who were unable to care for themselves. It’s the story of Black women’s survival and resilience throughout time. When we look back to our grandmothers and ask, how did they make it? This is how. By relying on each other. By lifting as they climbed. Through mutual aid and support. This is the truth of who we are. Kind. Generous. God-fearing. Steadfast. Join us today to celebrate this legacy of sisterhood.Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Completely Yes |  Sandra Crouch:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1L3k9_q1S8Déjà vu | Teena Marie:https://open.spotify.com/track/7ecCOdHyhkWrQWbzDnHm6m?si=bIt-uAhVQdWAF_eB4SX6Vg&utm_source=copy-link

In 1965, Harry Belafonte said that Mahalia Jackson was "the single most powerful Black woman in the United States.” She could channel God’s power, transform a room, soften the hardest hearts, move the masses, and light fire to the faithful. That’s power. We are the #daughtersof Mahalia Jackson...and her voice rang louder than bullets and billy clubs. Crystal clear. Equal parts lullaby and lightsaber. Mahalia Jackson was our moral high ground - a spiritual portal. A “beam me up” before Star Trek had a name.  She mastered the ability to take us to a Rock that was higher. She rode a praise - in primordial tongues - through halls of injustice, and confused our cross-burning enemies. Singing “I'm gonna lay down my burden, down by the riverside.”  Singing, “I ain't a-gonna study war no more.” Singing, “Soon it will be done. Trouble of the world.”  Singing “Elijah Rock, shout, shout, shout. Elijah Rock comin' up, Lord.” Singing, "How I made it over,” and “You must be born again.”  Bearing the very souls of Black folks. Teaching us. Healing us. Actual pain medicine. Soothing the saints and the sinners alike. Reminding us all of our divine connection and of a transformational power that is bigger than fear. “I think fear is a sin,” she said. “And I can’t live in fear.”If you are wavering today. Walk with us. If the evidence of your life - your job, your health, your mind, your money, your man - is overwhelming your faith, walk with us. Listen to the clarion voice that mobilized our mothers and resolved our father’s fears. Black people have practices. We have methods, potions, and powers that connect us to Light in the darkest of times. We need those now. Keep the faith. Grab your sneakers. And come sing with us…Today, we walk in total agreement - as our foremothers walked before us in the Montgomery Bus Boycotts - for the total liberation of Black people everywhere. Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excerpts played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Coming In Hot | Andy Mineo, Lacrae:https://open.spotify.com/track/1kVYXfxTWSftIZtmYr6yH8?si=7asQJMgISNmsZYJu66ADaQElijah Rock - Live | Mahalia Jackson:https://open.spotify.com/track/4zYchkXbGeXtJ3T7Tq1elD?si=SY48AZn9QP6p7uVRcxgZwgNever Seen Before Footage of Mahalia Jackson and her Funeral:https://youtu.be/53A6DPWZ_i8How I Got Over | Mahalia Jackson:https://youtu.be/l49N8U3d0Bw

Alice Walker reached all the way back to bring forward the story that would forever change us in her seminal novel, The Color Purple. With her words, she gave voice and texture to the pain of Black women, tenderly explored the depths of it at every level, and then proudly walked us through a field of purple to show us our own strength and resilience. For every woman who ever uttered the words, “I’m poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but Dear God, I’m here! I’m here!” Today’s walk is for you. Beyond a book discussion, we will journey through the life of Alice Walker, her loves, her losses, her triumphs, and her defeats. Just the conversation we all need right now. Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Maybe God Is Tryin' Tell You Somethin' | Quincy Jones:https://open.spotify.com/track/4JXiNTDq6OGkyp5aZ7X7cn?si=Ckbi4i4NQvqHXviG4uVD5QFreedom Time - Live | Lauren Hill:https://open.spotify.com/track/0kQ2DTgR9iAkIKoeoIHfn9?si=Lj9a6KFYTP2iZtF9kIMDVg

When you’ve got it. You’ve got it. And Dianna Ross has always had it, has always known she’s had it and has always known how to use it. The literal definition of Icon.  A Black woman who has dared to ask the universe for what she wants and clearly stands in expectation of receiving it. Grace personified. Elegance embodied. She rose like a Phoenix from the ashes of one of Detroit’s toughest neighborhoods to create a career and a life that has inspired millions around the world. The glamour. The movies. The romances. The clothes. The hair. The legacy of her family! Diana Ross is our royalty, and today we honor and celebrate her. Lace-up and walk with us. We’re going to do her proud. Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Be a Lion | Diana Ross:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPYAim8fGvM&list=PLKJzywEPMiCRUpFVLMGZdTZ3hAIxAK7XO&index=2Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Uncut) | Diana Ross:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6yNlSyiBLE

This is the greatest spy story never told. The story of Mary Bowser, a formerly enslaved woman turned Union spy, who helped take down the confederacy before teaching at a school for free Black children. Then she disappeared off into the sunset. James Bond who?While made-up stories of white male valor and heroism dominate box offices and take up space on every channel, real stories of real heroes, like Mary Bowser, go untold. Until today!Today’s walk is dedicated to a woman whose name everyone should know. A woman so savvy and effective at her job as a spy that Confederate President Jefferson Davis complained that his mental state was collapsing under the strain of not being able to find the leak in his network. The story runs deep and serves as a testament to the bravery and courage of Black women. Women, who for centuries, have risked it all for the freedom of their people. Come to the Walk and Talk with anticipation. We’re spilling all the goods on this wartime hero.Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:Dreams | Solange:https://open.spotify.com/track/0deHsjyrgcKGMZzIuvawq3?si=PN6sVJlwR0GIfN_QzIObtgDéjà vu | Teena Marie:https://open.spotify.com/track/7p37jbu5FjiHlkXV4wEQei?si=rD44Y4DnQemvrodnlfgkIg