Street on 67' - India Heath

Street167 podcast is hosted by India Heath and affiliated with Elephant State University. In this episode, they discuss what it means to be black and share personal experiences. The guest speaker, Ermesha, talks about embracing black culture, the importance of unity within the black community, and the need to support and uplift each other. They also touch on the influence of Haitian culture and the resilience of the Haitian people. Overall, the conversation highlights the power and strength of the black community and the desire for positive change in America. Street167 is hosted by India Heath and made by the Hornet Tribune, and we are in affiliation with Elephant State University. Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Street167 podcast. Street167 is a place where young adults like us can talk about our experiences growing up. So today, by the time that I am recording this and uploading it, it will be Black History Month. I love Black History Month so much, it is honestly its own holiday for me because I love learning about what it means to be black for different people. Especially as a young adult, still growing, still learning things, I love talking to people and their experiences and what they've done in their lives and what they've learned. And today, we're going to talk about that too. So everyone, before we get into our next segment, I did promise you guys that I was going to have a guest speaker and I have kept up with my promise. And today, we have... Hey everyone, it's Ermesha. I'm super excited to be speaking to you guys today. So Ermesha, tell me, what does being black mean to you? Being black to me just means being unapologetically yourself, just loving your melanin, just embracing... Just our story, because you know, being black and coming from where we came from, our story, just to begin with, is just... Alright, so being black to me just means just being unapologetically you, loving your melanin, and just embracing the journey that, you know, we all have to go through. And just understanding that we're beautiful people, we're strong people, and we're literally destined for greatness. So what are some events that have happened or things that you've experienced in your life that kind of highlight, I'm black, whether that be good or bad? I would say definitely some things that highlighted just me understanding, like, who I am as a person. I kind of grew up in, like, from when I was in elementary school up until like the ninth grade of high school, I was... I wasn't really surrounded by people that really looked like me, if I'm being totally honest. So I had a different demographic growing up, so then when I finally did transition over, that's when I started to realize, like, this is my culture. Like, certain stuff that I just wasn't exposed to, I was finally exposed to. And it just felt good to just be in the presence of others who looked like me, who acted like me, and who still had the same type of mindset I had. Because even though I loved the friends that I did have growing up, and I still had those friendships, it's just something very special just knowing that you have your own community to yourself, which is exactly why I decided to come to HBCU as well. Because it's just something about being in the presence of others like you that just feels very welcoming. Yeah, that's why I came to HBCU too. I always knew that I wanted to go to an HBCU, so it just depends on which one I wanted to go to. Because I love my culture, I love black culture, and I love being around people where it's an environment where we've all experienced different things, but kind of in the same category. Definitely. So we can all be like, oh yeah, I understand you with that, I understand you with that. One thing that happened to me, which is kind of a bad thing because no kid should ever have to do this, but growing up, I was taught what to do if a cop came and pulled me over. Like you were caught too? Yes, I was taught that. So my dad taught me, show your hands at all times, make sure that you're not making any sudden moves, and hearing other people and stuff that they've been through, luckily I've never had a bad experience with a cop, but hearing things like that and what other people have gone through, it's just really eye-opening. But on a good note though, I love hearing how people have shared their experiences and them trying to reach out and branch to other things to bring more black culture, since a lot of what is put out kind of has a negative connotation on that. So speaking on black culture, what are some things about your culture that you like? I would say for sure, hands down, the creativity. Whether it's music, sports, it don't matter what it is. Anytime we put our mind to something, it's like we take over. We just have it in us to be good at being creative people. But definitely my favorite thing that highlights black culture for sure would be music. I love how we can do rap, country, hip-hop, jazz. We can honestly do any genre. We can do anything, we can do hard rock, we can do pop, we can do anything. And it's like anything that we try to do, we excel at it, especially when it's in the music category. So that's definitely something I feel like we thrive in too. And a lot of black people, we are perfectionists. So if we're going to put something out, it's going to be good. It is. It never fails. It literally never fails. So another thing that I want to touch on, you are American born, correct? Yes, I was born here, but my background, I'm Haitian. My parents were born and raised in Haiti. So I'm Haitian-American. How is that having ties from Haiti? Because I don't have any ties back to where my family is from. Which is where? I don't know. I don't know. So that's another part of me where I've always wanted to find out. I'm pretty sure if I asked my grandma, she would tell me. So that other part of your culture, how do you incorporate that to your life now and also kind of make it your own? I feel like definitely one thing I will say is just growing up Haitian, my parents always instilled in me structure. But that's definitely something that we do have. We have to be very structured, very organized, and we're definitely overachievers. We love to just, anything that we do, we want to do well at. So I feel like definitely structure was something I definitely grew on. That's something that was very important to my parents, and it kind of transcended onto me. Another thing is, I will say definitely about my country too, where I'm from, we're very strong people. We're very endearing. We can take a lot of stuff and still overcome a lot of things as well. We don't let anything, like some stuff that we go through, like for example, how Haiti had that terrible earthquake. And what did you see? Everything was ruined. And I tell you, these people, they sat here and they literally built their country back up by themselves. They did have assistance, but it's just something beautiful to know that we're so strong. So I feel like that's definitely two things I really want to highlight that I learned growing up. Just having structure and just being strong individuals. That's something that definitely played a major role in my household and how I am as a person today. No, that is strong, especially coming from something like that. Some countries can't recover from that, and it was quick for Haiti. They bounced back quickly. And it was a lot of hard work too, but they made it. One last question before we end this episode. From the recent things that you've seen that have happened to Black people, what do you want to change here in America? I feel like honestly, the one thing I really, really, really wish I could change or just see a change in is just more unity with us. Like that's just always been my number one thing. We already have so many people, like so many outsiders that's already preying on our downfall and doing so many to just try to make us look bad and feel bad and just, you know, just put a negativity on us. And it's just like I really want us to come together. Like it's so much power in numbers. And I feel like everyone sees the power that we hold, but it's like we don't fully understand how powerful we can be. We just all come together and just unite with each other and stop trying to like fight each other and just, you know, be there and support each other. I see so many cultures and like no matter if you're in the same family, just because y'all are part of the same race, y'all are going to stick to each other. Y'all are going to hold down each other. And I don't see that a lot in the Black community. Like I see a lot of opportunity. I'm going to take the opportunity for myself. Gatekeeping. I see a lot of gatekeeping. Gatekeeping is so like that's in right now. Like it's like why are we gatekeeping this? Let's put each other on. Right. And I understand you want to have your opportunity, especially since it's so hard for us to get on that come up. Exactly. But you can't do it alone. And you also can't hold people back. Or be like selfish in helping others. Like that's another thing. Like honestly, it's not all like that, though. Like it's a good amount. Like we fight for each other. We support each other. But I feel like it's not enough. Like it can't be better. And once we realize that, we won't be unstoppable. Like it's no stopping us for real. It only really happens in like an extreme circumstance. But in everyday life, like it doesn't happen. And we need to be unified. Especially since, honestly, we're one of the main targets. We got to stick together. Because if something happens, we can't all disperse. Yes. Or try to fight each other on it. Right. Or look at each other as the enemies. It don't need to be the Hunger Games. Literally. So that is all the questions that I have for you today. I really do appreciate you coming and being on our podcast. I had, even though it was a little short, I actually had a great time. No, me too. I had so much fun. This was my first podcast. I enjoyed myself. I hope to be back as a guest again. But I had a lot of fun. And the topics were amazing. Like this is one of the things that I really like the most that I want to put on this podcast. Because, again, I've expressed it multiple times. I love talking to people and learning about them and what they've been through. And you guys will definitely see more of this. So, one last time, give it up for Misha. Yay! And thank you so much for being on this episode. Thank you for having me. Thank you. Okay, everyone. That is all the time that we have for this episode. But I want to wish you all well. And happy Black History Month. Please share some facts about Black people and the impact that we've made. On this generation and other generations. Everybody, please stay safe. Drink a lot of water. Eat all your meals. And have a great day. And I will see you next week on the next episode of Street on 67. Street on 67 is hosted by India Heath and made by the Hornet Tribune in affiliation with Alabama State University. Thank you for our guests for appearing today. And thank you for our editors who helped make this possible.