Real Talk, Real Solutions By cover art

Real Talk, Real Solutions

By: WKMG and Graham Media Group
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Ginger Gadsden takes a deep dive into the issues impacting the Black community in Florida and how you can be part of the solution. It's a frank conversation about our schools, police, voting rights, mentorship, entrepreneurship, homeownership, finances, and more. Hear directly from our community leaders about all the work that has been done and what still needs to be accomplished.
    Produced by WKMG, in cooperation with Graham Media Group.
    Show more Show less
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT
Episodes
  • Orlando author creates comic book superheroes he dreamed about as a kid

    Orlando author creates comic book superheroes he dreamed about as a kid
    Feb 28 2023
     When Jaylen Christie walks into a room, he is all smiles, handshakes and even hugs. He’s not afraid of going all in—Christie describes himself as a full-time extrovert and hardcore nerd. Growing up, being called a nerd was hardly a badge of honor. Nowadays, Christie has embraced the moniker in all its glory. On Real Talk, Real Solutions, he opened up about how as a young boy, he decided to just be himself. “When I was a kid, being a nerd was not cool even though I fully embraced it,” Christie said. “Being a nerd now is also a part of my brand. I am on Instagram as thesuperflynerd. That’s my handle. Fast forward to 2023 and Black nerds are affectionately referred to as ‘blerds.’ I am a card-carrying blerd through and through. I make no apologies.” Christie also makes no apologies for creating comic book characters who look like him. For 10 years, he has been working to make “Stink Bomb Man and The Brain Kids: Vol. 1,” a reality. It’s the first in a planned six-volume series set to be released as Black History Month comes to a close. Now, this public relations expert-actor-motivational speaker hyphenate can add the title of author to his extensive resume. Christie, who grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, has always loved comic book superheroes, what they stood for and everything they represented. He said the one downside was that so few of those superheroes represented him. In elementary school, he took pen to paper and created a world where he could see himself, his family and friends represented. “Stink Bomb Man was invented when I was in the third grade. The Brain Kids were invented when I was in the first grade,” he told News 6. It’s pretty heady stuff for a kid in elementary school, especially when you consider “The Brain Kids”—Jesse and Brittany McBrilliant, who are siblings—don’t use their hands to fight crime. “They fight crime using their aptitude—science, technology, engineering mathematics. STEM,” Christie said. Even Stink Bomb Man who is an intergalactic peacekeeper has a unique way of diffusing tense situations. “Whereas other superheroes from Marvel and DC, they fight using their hands, their fists, Stink Bomb Man uses his stink bombs to diffuse situations because he’s a peacekeeper,” Christie said. But Christie wants to make clear his goal wasn’t to just shine a spotlight on African American characters. He wanted everyone to see a piece of themselves with every turn of the page. “Diversity, equity and inclusion are important. I think that representation is important so even though my leading characters are Black, I was sure to include characters across the dimension of diversity,” Christie said. “For example, the Brain Kids, their grandfather, Dr. Beaumont McBrilliant is a proud and openly gay man.” Jesse McBrilliant has a friend, Elle Yamamoto, who is a young Japanese-American girl who attends James Baldwin High School with the Brain Kids. Her best friend, Trish, is disabled. Jesse’s best fiend Riley has two dads and Brittany’s best friend, Fatima, is Muslim. “I try to include as much diversity as possible,” Christie said. “There are also characters of different body types as well.” “Stink Bomb Man and The Brain Kids: Vol. 1″ will debut Feb. 28. It is the first in a series of six volumes available on Amazon, barnesandnoble.com and at jaylenchristie.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    18 mins
  • Retired colonel talks decades-long civil rights fight in Florida

    Retired colonel talks decades-long civil rights fight in Florida
    Dec 14 2022
    At 76 years old, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Herman Cole will tell you he’s experienced things that most people will never. When he was in high school, he marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “As a child in Charleston, I saw the Ku Klux Klan come out and burn crosses in front of my neighbor’s homes,” Cole said. Growing up in the segregated deep South, he witnessed to horrors of racism firsthand, but at a young age, he realized the power of unity. “When I was in third grade, my aunt was an elementary school teacher and they would plan trips to Charleston Air Force base,” Cole said. He tagged along on one of those trips and saw Black and white people getting along, a rarity in 1954. “It was not something you saw,” Cole said. That trip to the Air Force base changed Cole’s perspective and his life. It’s part of the reason he’s been able to build relationships and rise through the ranks in the Air Force during his 26-year military career. After high school, Cole attended Tuskegee University and went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force. His military assignments took the Vietnam War veteran all over the globe, from London to Saudi Arabia. When he retired in 1994, he held the rank of full colonel. But his service did not end there. Since 1994, Cole has served on numerous community and civic boards, taking up roles like chairman on the Board of Directors of Parrish Medical Center and president of the Titusville Rotary Club. In 2019, he created the Humanity Task Force for Social Change. “I see us reverting back to the ‘50s and ‘60s, so I formed this Humanity Task force,” Cole told News 6. His focus now is to continue his service in his community in Titusville, where he’s currently running for city council. This Juneteenth, Cole’s mission spans beyond just service—he wants to share his knowledge with the next generation in hopes of getting closer to equality for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    27 mins
  • Photojournalist uses skills to mentor adults, kids

    Photojournalist uses skills to mentor adults, kids
    Nov 29 2022
    When you think of leaders, who do you think about? A CEO, an elected official, someone with a specific title or lots of money? It turns out you don’t need any of that to impact your community. Sometimes helping others is all about identifying your passion and tapping into it. That’s exactly what News 6 investigative photojournalist Corie Murray did. You may remember him from a promotion News 6 ran on-air and online inviting viewers to get to know its employees. During the video Murray talked about his passion for his work, capturing the important moments in Central Florida, and bringing them to viewers. That includes covering big trials and devastating hurricanes. He also talked about the importance of giving back. During an episode of Real Talk Real Solutions, Murray explained, for him, that means being a mentor to kids and adults. He helps with “teach-ins” at local schools and also started a podcast to help build generational wealth. It’s called Black Men Sundays. Murray says the two go hand-in hand. “I do teach-ins at Dream Lake Elementary,” he said. “The first instinct came from there was a little girl. I thought she was one of the best finalists for the shake competition that they do in Atlanta every year, but when I got the picture back the little girl that I really wanted to be there wasn’t there and I said why didn’t she go, they said well she didn’t have the money to go, so that’s when I started thinking.” To make sure qualified kids aren’t left behind, Murray says he now helps provide funding as the president of the National Engineering League in the Orlando District. As part of Murray’s podcast, which he does separately from his role at News 6, he focuses less on poverty and more on building wealth. “I feel like I am basically giving you the journal to financial success,” said Murray. Part of that journal/podcast includes a conversation with former president and chief executive officer of Graham Media Group, Emily Barr. Murray said he asked Barr to talk about retirement on Black Men Sundays when she stopped by News 6 as part of her retirement tour. After listening to the podcast, Murray says Barr was on board and willingly gave valuable nuggets on what it takes to retire well. That includes this tip about saving money, something she has been doing since her very first job. “I wasn’t making very much money back then. I think my salary was $11,000 a year or $11,500. It seemed like a lot at the time. So, what I did was I made myself save something every month. Even if it was $25. It didn’t really matter. I had a separate savings account and I put that money in the savings account every month. It was like a discipline thing I made myself do and that’s how I started saving money,” said Barr. In addition to Barr, Murray says he has sat down with real estate experts, accountants and financial advisors. “I asked a financial advisor that I had on the show, I said so I had you on the show for two hours, how much would you charge me for a private consultation? He said, ‘Oh $200 to $300 bucks,’ so think about it, I am giving you gems every week for free,” said Murray. To learn more about Murray, his commitment to the community, and how he is using his passion to get results during his free time, listen to Real Talk Real Solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    23 mins
Politics & Government
Show more Show less

What listeners say about Real Talk, Real Solutions

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available