The Black Perspective: August 30, 2026

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Join us for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 55th Annual
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Legislative Conference, September 16th through September 20th in Washington, D.C.
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This is the moment we are made for as we
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identify forward-looking solutions that empower communities and inspire change. Be
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a part of the conversation. Register today at cbcfinc.org.alc. That's cbcfinc.org.alc.
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It's August 30th, and on today's program, Alexandra Icamoni talks
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to the founders of the ATL Labor Day Classics, Devon
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Baker and Jerry Freeman, as they get ready for September
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5th when Morehouse takes on Clark Atlanta University. Next month,
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health care providers are teaming up for one mission, aiming
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to save lives in the fight against prostate cancer. Katie
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Gray reports. Next, a Nashville mom watched her son's eyes
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every morning for a sign that no test could give
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her yet.
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Dr.
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Lemaitre Scott and pediatric hematologist Dr. Hadar Frangel talked to
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Esther Dillard about the game editing therapy that's giving families
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a real shot at a cure for sickle cell disease.
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And this almost never happens, but lightning struck twice, killing
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the mother and her toddler. In a BIN exclusive, senior
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anchor Vanessa Tyler speaks with the father who was right
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there when it happened. And Doug Davis is back with
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part two of his conversation with Complex Magazine's new vice
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president of brand partnership, Mike Tresvin, as the two continue
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talking about branding, the emergence of AI in media, and
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how attending an HBCU provided him the necessary tools to
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make it big in the world of media advertising and branding.
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These stories are coming your way on today's program. Welcome
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to The Black Perspective. I'm your host, Mike Island.
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Welcome to The Black Perspective, a weekly community affairs program
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on the Black Information Network, featuring interviews and discussions on
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issues important to the black community.
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Good Sunday and welcome to The Black Perspective. The historic
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rivalry between Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University is bringing
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people from all over the country to watch.
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It go down.
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But now the ATL Labor Day Classics is a part
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of the mix. The Black Information Network's Alexandria Ikemoni spoke
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to the co-founders.
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What's up, guys?
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It's your girl, Alexandria Ikemoni. In the studio, iHeartRadio with founders, co-founders,
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Devon Baker.
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Yes, ma'am.
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How are you today?
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I'm awesome.
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How are you doing?
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Doing well, thank you. And we also have Jerry Freeman
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in the building.
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How are you?
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I'm good.
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I'm great. Fantastic. Glad to be here.
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We're happy to have you. Great things are coming. I
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know we're almost into September right now. September 5th, a
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fun event is coming our way. You guys are the
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co-founders of that event. Tell us more about it.
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Absolutely.
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It's the ATL Labor Day Classic happening September 5th, as
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you said, at BT Harvey Stadium at 1 p.m.
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At Morehouse College.
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And that's an HBCU football game between Morehouse College and
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Clark Atlanta University. They play every year. They rotate home fields.
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This year is at Morehouse University. And they've been playing
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since about 1900. But this is special because we moved
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that game up from the end of the season to
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the beginning of the season. Home opener, Labor Day weekend,
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that hopeful beginning of season energy. So we're looking forward
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to a great time and all the events that are
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around the Classic.
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Now, tell me more about the events, because this is
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a new HBCU tradition. It's the inaugural Labor Day Classic.
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What exactly is it? What can people expect that's different
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than the traditional or normal, you know, game against the rivals?
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Well, we have three experiences. Yes.
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The first experience is just the general admission game experience
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in the stadium, watching the game and enjoying that. Then
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the next level of the experience is. It's what we
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call our fan zone fan fest area where we have
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DTLR and other people that sponsors out there with live entertainment, DJs,
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all those things happening out there. It's going to be
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a great time. And then we have. The VIP experience
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that's on the bluff or the hill overlooking the stadium
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and includes all three things. So you have the VIP
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experience where you have the lounge seating. We have the
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we have a couple of bars out there. So the
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nice cocktail libations. And then you also have, you know, food.
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So you get the whole experience.
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I love that.
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And the experience, you mentioned three different ways. I mean,
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it sounds like it's going to be a great time there.
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But I am just curious, why is Atlanta finally getting
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its own Labor Day classic?
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It's about time, right?
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It is.
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It is.
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And so the time is right right now to do this.
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Like I said, we're moving it forward, wanting people to
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have that classic experience. And I just think the athletic
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departments of the schools saw the opportunity and said, hey,
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let's do it. Let's move it forward. Let's make it
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Labor Day. Let's involve the community. Let's involve the students.
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Let's involve the alums. So we're making it a big deal.
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It's not homecoming, but we like to say it's the
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AUC homecoming. coming because we got Spelman College, Morehouse College,
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Clark Atlanta University and Morris Brown is going to be
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in the house.
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It's going to be a time for sure.
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I think so. I love that.
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Now you're talking about the community involvement, et cetera. Talk
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to me more about the cultural and the economic impact
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that a game like this or an event like this,
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I should say, will have on Atlanta, but specifically that pocket,
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if you will.
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Well, I mean, this is a community driven thing. When
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you think about the AUC, you think about the West End,
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you know, the AUC, Morris Brown, Clark, Atlanta, Spelman, ITC,
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Morehouse School of Medicine. You know, it's just a big
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community and fellowship. And it's all about love.
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Right.
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So when you think about all those schools, think about
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the community, because you have many people who work at
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those schools, who their kids, grandkids, whomever. Nieces, nephews also
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attend those schools. So it's a great impact, not only
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for the schools, but Atlanta. And I think about it
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like this. The AUC helped create the ATL. Think about
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all of the alums that came from Spelman, Clark Atlanta,
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Morris Brown, who's done great work, not only in Atlanta,
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but also globally. So the AUC helped create the ATL.
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And in fact, 100,000, over 100,000 of those alum from
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the AUC remain in Atlanta.
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So it is the mecca for AUC alum.
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And not only that, it's the number one place where
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HBCU grads come after school.
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Right.
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So Atlanta is the right stage for this. It makes sense.
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So that's why it's the right time. Absolutely.
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It makes a lot of sense to have this here.
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And you're talking about how we're essentially the hub for this, right?
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So let's talk about the fact of this is the inaugural.
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This is the start.
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What is the vision because of the impact and the
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influence that the culture has here?
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Well, we certainly have this vision of making this a tradition.
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You circle Labor Day on your calendar and you know
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that the ATL Labor Day Classic is happening and you
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know to make your plans to be there. So we
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certainly want that tradition that every year we're coming back.
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We're going to have our reunion. We're going to have
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our friends there. We're going to have the people we
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want to be with. And we're going to party while
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we do the game. You know, I always talk about
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how during homecoming and, you know, some of these big games,
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you're partying so hard at the tailgate, you never even
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make it to the game.
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That's true. People are like, hey, what happened in the game?
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Who won? Rich reminds me.
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Make sure to get your tickets at ATL Labor Day
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Classic dot com. That's ATL Labor Day Classic dot com.
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You always got to put that in.
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But in this game, just to finish that thought, the
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party is during the game. You don't have to choose
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between the game or the good time.
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Right. You can choose your experience, whether it's VIP or
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Fan Fest.
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Do both. Be a VIP. But you party during the game.
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And that's what this is all about.
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Absolutely. Any last words you would like to leave?
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I know you mentioned where people can get tickets, but
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anything else you would like to leave with the listeners?
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Again, it's all about love.
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And it's more than a game.
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It's more than the game.
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Absolutely.
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One more time. Where can people get tickets, the dates?
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And if they're traveling from out of state, I'm sure
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people are interested in coming to. What are the details
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for them?
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Yeah, it's a big weekend. It's Labor Day weekend in Atlanta.
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So a lot will be going on. So there will
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be people coming from out of town. There will be
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all those folks that live here from all of those HBCUs.
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So on September 5th, Labor Day weekend, game day, 1 p.m.
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B.T.
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Harvey Stadium on the Morehouse College campus.
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Get your tickets at ATL Labor. I'm sorry. Let me
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get it right.
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ATL Labor Day Classic dot com. Get your tickets. Come
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to the VIP experience. Come to the fan fest. You'll
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see artists like Zeddy Will, like YK Nisi, like we
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have even an audition trailer for Wildin' Out. Nick Cannon
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is going to be in the house. That's breaking news,
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by the way.
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That's exciting.
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Wait, you got to tell me a little bit more
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about the Nick Cannon. You can't just slide that in
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at the end and not give me more detail. Tell
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me more about Nick Cannon and the Wild N' Out situation.
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That's exactly right. So Wild N' Out is having a
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new season upcoming. Nick Cannon called and said, hey, I
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heard about this Fan Fest. We want to be a
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part of it. We're going to bring our audition trailer
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to the Fan Fest. So if you got lyrics, if
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you can spit, come and try out audition for Wild
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N' Out this season.
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Absolutely.
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Any more surprises that's going to be happening this weekend?
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More to come.
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You got to stay tuned.
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You have to stay tuned. You have to come out, apparently,
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in order to get all the good stuff. So that's
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really exciting. Thank you guys so much for joining me
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in the studio to talk about the classic.
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Thank you for having us.
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Awesome.
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Thank you.
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Once again, Alexandria Ikemoni with co-founder Zavon Baker. and Jerry Freeman.
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Thank you, Alexandria, Devon and Jerry. The ATL Labor Day
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Classics goes down September 5th in Atlanta, Georgia. Now we
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get commentary from James T.
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Harris.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in this commentary.
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Are I'm James T.
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Harris, and I have something to say.
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Gary, Indiana, 76% black. Mayor, black. City council, all black.
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City clerk, black. The electric company executives, black. The police department,
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57% black. The people shooting at the electric company, black.
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The excellence, black. The blame, according to Don Lemon and Gary, Indiana,
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Mayor Eddie Melton, white. Let that sink in. Every lever
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of power, every seat at the table, every decision maker
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in that city looks like us. Has looked like us
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for years. And Gary still looks like a war zone.
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Still can't keep the lights on. Still got people so
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mad they're shooting at the power company. But somehow, somehow,
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this is still white supremacy's fault. When do we start
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looking in the mirror? When do we stop doing the
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Wakanda pose over a burning city? We got the representation.
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We got the reparations conversations. We got the black excellence hashtags.
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What we don't have is results. What we don't have
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is safe streets. What we don't have is functioning infrastructure,
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but we sure can find someone to blame. This is
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what happens when you prioritize skin color over competence. When
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you celebrate first black everything, but never ask if they're
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actually good at anything. Gary's should be a shining city.
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By their logic, by the logic of the race hustlers,
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this should be paradise. No white man blocking the bridge.
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No systemic racism holding back the electric grid. Just black leadership,
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black power, black failure. But say that out loud and
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watch them come for you. Because the hustle requires a villain.
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Even when the villain left the building decades ago. Even
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when the only people left to blame are staring back
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from the city council photos. So next time you hear
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somebody cry about systemic racism, remember, Gary, remember that system
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is us. The oppression is us. The failure is us.
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And the fix starts when we admit it. I'm James C.
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Harris for the Black Information Network.
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Thanks, James. And stay tuned for commentary from Roland S.
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Martin later on today's show. Every year, about 300 to
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400 people are struck by lightning in the United States.
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Most survive, but 20 to 30 of them are killed
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by lightning, like in the case of a black mother
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and her child. The Black Information Network's Vanessa Tyler has
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the story of a family torn apart by a deadly
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strike from the sky.
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Mike, thanks.
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You know we cover so many tragedies, but this one
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stands out. Picture this, a black family getting out of
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their car last week, rushing into the house because it
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started to rain, when the mother and daughter were struck
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dead by lightning. Hard to believe what happened to 31-year-old
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Kenya Glasgow and her 2-year-old daughter Kennedy. But husband and
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father Cameron Glasgow was there. He saw it and felt it.
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Joining me from Florida is Cameron Glasgow. Cameron, welcome. And
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on behalf of the Black Information Network... Our deepest condolences.
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Thank you. Thank you.
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Tell us what happened.
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You had just arrived for family dinner last Sunday at
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an aunt's house in Margate near Fort Lauderdale, and it
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just started to rain?
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We saw the storm coming in, and we just did
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what everybody else would do. One year, just trying to
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get out of the rain before it starts. We got
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out of the car, just started packing the girls up,
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and Started to run and all of a sudden I
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heard a loud boom and I was thrown back from
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the residual voltage from the lightning hitting the ground. And
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once I came to, I looked to my right and
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saw my wife and daughter on the ground. Initially, I
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ran to them and then I could barely run actually
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because my body was still adjusting from the voltage that
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I had received. Initially, I ran to them, and then
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I ran to the house to try to get help
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from the rest of my family. Oh, my God.
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There were reports that there were 200 bolts of lightning
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near Margate last Sunday and five cloud-to-ground strikes within a
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mile of where you guys were. You said you felt it.
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Did you see any lightning coming out of the sky?
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Yeah, on the way there, we definitely did. But, I mean...
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We're so used to seeing things of that nature that
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we didn't think anything of it.
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I know you are worried, especially about Kinsley, because if
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this isn't tragic enough, you and your wife had twins.
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So two-year-old Kinsley is mourning her twin and her mother.
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Yeah, unfortunately, yes. How is she doing?
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I know she's got to be asking for them by now.
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Yeah, she has, and.
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As her father, I've stepped in and just started preparing
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her for what her life is going to be going forward.
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And I mean, we started saying, hey, mommy and sissy
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is in heaven. And we point up to the sky
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and say, hi, mommy and sissy. And we point to
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our hearts and say they're in our hearts as well.
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So we're going to adjust and we're going to make
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the proper things to do. When she starts asking more
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questions for her mom and her sister, we're going to
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make sure that she knows she was loved and Her
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mother and sister would never leave her like this. There
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was not a choice by them. They would never leave her.
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How are you processing this? Many of us, when we
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lose a loved one, we say that's God's will. How
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do you wrap your head around what happened?
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Unfortunately for myself as well, I lost my father three
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years ago. So dealing with grief and battling depression, in
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a way, is something that I've worked through. This year,
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most importantly. And I know that God makes no mistakes,
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but I'm also asking him, like I asked with my father,
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what is it that he wants me to do? And
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what's the big picture here? Because things have changed drastically
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for us in a matter of seconds.
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Tell us a little bit about Kennedy. There's some footage
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I saw of her singing karaoke online.
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Oh my gosh, my live wire. She's the energy. She's
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the energy. She's the one, the mischievous one, the one
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that gets kids where they get into everything. And ironically enough,
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she's the younger one of the two. They're two minutes apart.
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So anytime they were up to some mischief, like going
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in the refrigerator and taking some food out, taking a
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snack out, she'd always say, come on, sissy.
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Come on, come on.
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Get you some too. Get some too. So They were
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two peas in a pod, and she was energy, just
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like her mother, just a ball of joy.
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Like her mother, who was the love of his life.
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They literally grew up together, met in high school.
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Funny story, the day we met, I was actually skipping class,
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and I ended up in her keyboard class with some
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of my buddies. And that's when I pretty much had
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the opportunity to be introduced to her and After that, we,
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ironically enough, ended up in chemistry class and ended up
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having chemistry in chemistry. So that's where it all started.
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I know our listeners would want to help. You have
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set up a GoFundMe. It's titled Love and Support for Kinsley.
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In there, you can see the most beautiful photo of you,
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your wife, and the girls. It just breaks my heart.
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So people can contribute to support Kinsley.
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It's going to be one day at a time, but
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everything that, that is coming is a, is a huge blessing. Um,
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I'm kind of going against how my wife typically moves, but,
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and I was upset with myself initially for setting it
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up because she doesn't, we don't, we, we've never had
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our hand out for help. And my, what my wife, especially,
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although she loves to give help to everyone else, she
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never wanted to receive it back. So we'll process it.
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We'll see what, as time goes on, what she needs and,
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We'll make sure it's used for her and make our
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situation as comfortable as possible and as normal as we
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can make it.
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Oh, there's a lot going on as you prepare for
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the double services. Have the arrangements been made already?
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Yes. The arrangements are set for September 4th and 5th
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here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We don't have to go
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through this alone. We can cry together. We understand it.
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massive situation. My heart is completely broken. This is my
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best friend. This is all I know for the past
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15 years of my life. So I just want to
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make sure everybody else has the space to get their
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feelings out as well, because I'm going to get mine out.
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We've seen Cameron Glasgow's immense grief. Soon after it happened
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last week, he gave the most heart-wrenching news conference as
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he stood before reporters and He didn't hold back the tears.
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No one could.
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But I'll be okay because I have to because I
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have another beautiful daughter that's inside there. But for her
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to lose her twin sister, words can't describe that feeling.
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Because I know she can't even fathom it right now
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that she lost her best friend.
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I feel my feelings just like everybody else's. But I
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also know that you have to remain positive. You can't
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look at the negative things. Remain positive and just ask
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God for guidance. So that's what I'm doing now.
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Well, you are definitely in our prayers. Thank you for
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taking the time out to speak with me.
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No problem at all. Thank you.
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Cameron Glasgow, a young Black father dealing with the unimaginable.
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I'm Vanessa Tyler with the Black Perspective on the Black
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Information Network, your home for Black News First. Mike, back
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to you.
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Thank you, Vanessa.
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And again, that GoFundMe, if you would like to help,
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is titled Love and Support for Kinsley Jade. Katie Gray
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talks to the doctors involved in the Race for Paces
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5K as they offer free health care and prostate cancer
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screenings on September 12th.
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So for people who are listening and they have no
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context and they don't understand the drive of this organization
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and even your part and why you are a part
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of it, do you mind speaking on that a little bit?
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Absolutely, Katie. And so ACES as an entity, as an organization,
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has now been around our city for about two and
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a half years. And we kind of came together with
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a collaboration that now involves about 25 other entities, mostly
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clinical entities. that is essentially volunteer-led. And the whole idea
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is to try and give clinical services to people who
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are uninsured in our community, folks who are underinsured, and
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more importantly, the unhoused. And that is a new terminology
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now for the homeless. They're not called homeless anymore. So
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the unhoused in our community that need clinical services, we
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started two and a half years ago at Woodruff Park.
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And we went there with other clinicians, to render those
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services at no cost to them. And these are services
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that was volunteered with people volunteering their time and talent.
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We were overwhelmed.
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We had over 500 men and women and children who
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were unhoused in this space that needed clinical services. So
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we gave blood pressure screening. We did diabetes screening. We
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did cholesterol screening. And we also were able to offer
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prostate cancer screening, the PSA, which is a simple blood
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test that men can have for prostate cancer. In terms
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of screening to find out if they're at risk and
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if they need to have follow-up testing. So for every
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man out there who is over 40 years old, African-American,
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the guideline is that you need to get that simple
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blood test every 12 months. If you're non-African-American, the guideline
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is 50, except if you have a family history of
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a brother, a dad, or an uncle, who was diagnosed
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with prostate cancer before age 65. They need to start
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it a little bit sooner. Simple blood tests that will
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tell whether the PSA, which is a prostate-specific antigen, it's
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a hormone that the body makes, that the prostate makes,
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that goes into the bloodstream. And if it's high, it's
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an indication that we need to do additional testing. A
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lot of men know about the PSA. Some of us don't.
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But the bottom line is that it's not a foolproof test,
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but it's a very, very, very useful tool that helps
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us to tell who needs additional testing. So the whole
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idea behind the PACES is prostate cancer community engagement and
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screenings because prostate cancer, Katie, is the most diagnosed cancer
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in men in America and worldwide.
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The most diagnosed.
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The only cancer that is diagnosed more so than prostate
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cancer is skin cancer, which a lot of folks oftentimes
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don't refer to as a major cancer because it's not
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a major cause of death. But prostate cancer is the
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most diagnosed cancer. So in America this year, there will
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be 300,000 men that will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
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And of those 300,000, Katie, 35,000 will die from prostate cancer.
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The numbers are large. But the good news, again, this
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is why we're big on it, Katie, is because if
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you diagnose it early, 100% cure it with survival over
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five years is what the data shows.
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Absolutely.
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Just to piggyback off that a little bit, too many
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people in underserved communities are diagnosed with chronic diseases and
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cancers too late. And that's one of our major factors,
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making sure that we can provide that preventative care versus
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reactive care. Another thing I want to piggyback on, in
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the African-American community and the male community period, a lot
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of individuals postpone or delay or avoid getting PSA screenings
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because they're still under the assumption that it's a DRE,
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which is a digital rectal exam. So that allowed, well,
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that caused many individuals to avoid the process, which ended
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up They ended up with prostate cancer or a cancer
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that's too late to be treated or it's just been
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too advanced just because they didn't want to do that process.
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What Dr.
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Akintobe is explaining, we now have a blood test that
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00:24:48.230 --> 00:24:52.099
needs to be. plain and simple. It's now a blood test.
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00:24:52.140 --> 00:24:54.859
The screening for prostate cancer is now a blood test. Now,
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after that, if those numbers come back elevated, then there
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are other exams that will be performed, whether it's the
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DRE or whatever the case may be. But to get
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the initial screening, it is a blood test that needs
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to be made plain and simple so that men will
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not be afraid. And it's just like any other blood
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exam that you're going to receive. And then ultimately, we
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can avoid these issues where it's a complicated scenario of
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cancer where it could have been easily prevented.
486
00:25:23.130 --> 00:25:26.549
Well, and it's interesting because it also sounds like a
487
00:25:26.569 --> 00:25:29.980
big piece of this is trying to add clarity over
488
00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:34.859
what these processes look like and also how accessible the treatment,
489
00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:38.940
like the screenings are. That's the two goals, it sounds like.
490
00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:42.869
So the screening tests, they have come a long way.
491
00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:45.170
They have changed their processes over the years.
492
00:25:45.950 --> 00:25:46.430
Absolutely.
493
00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:48.579
Absolutely, yes, it has.
494
00:25:49.019 --> 00:25:51.500
Let me say very clearly here today that we're probably
495
00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:54.000
maybe two years or maybe a year to two years
496
00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:56.880
away from being able to do one blood test that
497
00:25:56.920 --> 00:25:59.619
might test for multiple cancers. We're not there yet, but
498
00:25:59.640 --> 00:26:03.019
the technology is moving very rapidly because as we speak now,
499
00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:06.180
you can do another blood test for colon cancer screening
500
00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.480
that's been FDA approved.
501
00:26:07.509 --> 00:26:07.789
That's right.
502
00:26:08.299 --> 00:26:09.839
So just like you can do it for prostate, you
503
00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:10.920
can do it for colon.
504
00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:11.500
And guess what?
505
00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:13.460
There are other cancers now too that you can do
506
00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:16.190
those blood tests for. We're just waiting for the FDA
507
00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:20.069
to say, yes, go ahead and start to offer those tests.
508
00:26:20.490 --> 00:26:27.460
So simplicity, one makes it, and then accessibility, and then affordability.
509
00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:29.700
Being able to access this test and being able to
510
00:26:29.740 --> 00:26:32.900
get the testing done and then follow through on what happens.
511
00:26:33.829 --> 00:26:36.750
But the PSA has given us a tool that makes
512
00:26:36.869 --> 00:26:40.630
it easy enough to get the testing done. Rapid PSA
513
00:26:40.670 --> 00:26:43.380
testing means that you come on in and in 12
514
00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:45.539
minutes on this mobile unit that will be there with
515
00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:47.740
us on the day of the race, you can get
516
00:26:47.779 --> 00:26:50.559
your results. within 12 minutes. You don't have to wait
517
00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:54.279
24 hours or 36 hours or 72 hours to get
518
00:26:54.299 --> 00:26:58.960
your test results. So the technology is improving on the
519
00:26:59.009 --> 00:27:04.470
day to make this testing easier and easy to interpret.
520
00:27:04.809 --> 00:27:07.029
And more importantly, to tell us too that oftentimes when
521
00:27:07.089 --> 00:27:08.829
something is abnormal with this test.
522
00:27:09.349 --> 00:27:10.490
It does not mean it's cancer.
523
00:27:10.549 --> 00:27:12.410
It just means you go on to the next stage
524
00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:13.839
of evaluation.
525
00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:17.819
And I think it's important to also state we don't
526
00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:20.650
just screen people. We actually connect them to health care.
527
00:27:21.490 --> 00:27:25.109
So whenever we as as a team, as aces, whenever
528
00:27:25.150 --> 00:27:28.509
we're in the community, whether it's a church, whether it's unhoused, underserved,
529
00:27:29.710 --> 00:27:32.509
it's truly about the continuity of care. So once we
530
00:27:32.650 --> 00:27:35.619
do our perform our screenings, whether it's blood pressure, blood glucose,
531
00:27:35.650 --> 00:27:40.880
colon cancer, colon screenings, PSA. Once we receive those values,
532
00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:43.359
we don't just allow you to leave and go and
533
00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:45.279
willy nilly. You just take those numbers and you don't
534
00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:46.440
know what to do with them. You don't know what
535
00:27:46.460 --> 00:27:49.160
they mean. You don't know how to interpret them. We
536
00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:51.880
have a team of individuals that actually interpret your numbers
537
00:27:52.259 --> 00:27:56.750
and contact you once we have evaluated everything. That's highly
538
00:27:56.789 --> 00:27:59.789
important so that you aren't just in the community. You
539
00:28:00.170 --> 00:28:02.470
go to a health fair, you receive some numbers, and
540
00:28:02.490 --> 00:28:06.509
then it's just like, OK, that's it. No, we ultimately
541
00:28:06.609 --> 00:28:09.470
connect you to a broader health care system, whether it's
542
00:28:09.490 --> 00:28:12.269
a specialty, a specialist that you need, a pharmacy that
543
00:28:12.289 --> 00:28:14.950
you need, anything when it comes to health care.
544
00:28:15.190 --> 00:28:16.750
That's what ACEs is here for it.
545
00:28:17.190 --> 00:28:19.829
We have a team of individuals that actually interpret your
546
00:28:19.849 --> 00:28:24.619
numbers and contact you once we have evaluated everything. That's
547
00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:27.980
highly important so that you aren't just in the community.
548
00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:30.539
You go to a health fair, you receive some numbers,
549
00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:32.579
and then it's just like, OK, that's it.
550
00:28:32.700 --> 00:28:32.859
No.
551
00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:37.180
We ultimately connect you to a broader health care system,
552
00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:39.980
whether it's a specialty, a specialist that you need, a
553
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:43.230
pharmacy that you need, anything when it comes to health care.
554
00:28:43.450 --> 00:28:45.890
That's what ACEs is here for is to provide the
555
00:28:45.930 --> 00:28:51.670
screenings and then connect you to an ultimate network of physicians, clinicians,
556
00:28:51.789 --> 00:28:56.710
practitioners that are going to see you obtain the outcomes
557
00:28:56.730 --> 00:28:58.789
that that will actually improve your life.
558
00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:03.920
And so if you're listening and you have a primary
559
00:29:03.940 --> 00:29:07.880
care physician and you're 40 years and over, please ask
560
00:29:08.099 --> 00:29:11.480
for the PSA test if that hasn't been discussed. Because
561
00:29:11.559 --> 00:29:14.500
an anal physical, which is a comprehensive checkup, is like
562
00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:17.619
driving your car to the dealership and say, guess what?
563
00:29:17.900 --> 00:29:20.460
Please check this thing out. I've been driving this car
564
00:29:20.859 --> 00:29:23.839
for two years. It's the same thing with the human body.
565
00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:26.900
Imagine the human body is a machine. And at times
566
00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:30.039
doing some testing on the inside tells us a lot
567
00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:33.230
more about our health. Whether it's checking your blood sugar,
568
00:29:33.690 --> 00:29:35.609
even if you don't know that you might be borderline
569
00:29:36.329 --> 00:29:39.690
diabetic or pre-diabetic or diabetic. When you do those tests
570
00:29:40.109 --> 00:29:42.890
early enough, you'll be able to get answers to those questions.
571
00:29:42.930 --> 00:29:46.319
So that checkup is very important. So if you do
572
00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:49.359
have a primary care physician, you need to be sure
573
00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:52.980
that you're getting an animal physical, male, female, whatever age
574
00:29:53.140 --> 00:29:59.730
or race. However, our group is to provide for those
575
00:29:59.769 --> 00:30:02.730
who may not have a primary care physician or who
576
00:30:02.769 --> 00:30:07.349
may not have insurance or who may not have access
577
00:30:07.849 --> 00:30:10.329
to say that there is another opportunity to be able
578
00:30:10.369 --> 00:30:13.710
to do that. So our collaboration allows us to do that,
579
00:30:13.750 --> 00:30:16.210
to be able to provide this for men, create a
580
00:30:16.259 --> 00:30:19.150
safe space for for them to come out, get the
581
00:30:19.210 --> 00:30:23.440
testing done, and then almost immediately know the results, and
582
00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:25.339
then to have the follow-up that is necessary.
583
00:30:26.940 --> 00:30:29.500
Well, especially when we start talking about a series of
584
00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:33.549
different tests, there are a lot of people that are
585
00:30:33.589 --> 00:30:36.289
concerned when it comes to the financial piece to it,
586
00:30:36.809 --> 00:30:41.549
when you start adding in different types of experts. So
587
00:30:41.569 --> 00:30:45.240
is part of the initiative also to allow access and
588
00:30:45.299 --> 00:30:49.529
resources to Also, to try to ease stigmas around the
589
00:30:49.569 --> 00:30:50.490
financial burden.
590
00:30:51.289 --> 00:30:51.789
That is correct.
591
00:30:51.809 --> 00:30:55.009
Katie, you bring up a very, very, very valid point.
592
00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:59.119
And people out there listening understand what we're talking about
593
00:30:59.559 --> 00:31:00.980
when we talk about the fact that.
594
00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:05.410
Another thing I want to piggyback on an African-American community
595
00:31:05.430 --> 00:31:08.680
and male community, period. a lot of individuals postpone or
596
00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:13.609
delay or avoid getting PSA screenings because they're still under
597
00:31:13.619 --> 00:31:16.369
the assumption that it's a DRE, which is a digital
598
00:31:16.450 --> 00:31:22.450
rectal exam. So that allowed, well, that caused many individuals
599
00:31:22.470 --> 00:31:25.589
to avoid the process, which ended up, they ended up
600
00:31:25.630 --> 00:31:28.329
with prostate cancer or a cancer that's too late to
601
00:31:28.349 --> 00:31:31.450
be treated, or it's just been too advanced just because
602
00:31:31.470 --> 00:31:32.789
they didn't want to do that process.
603
00:31:33.069 --> 00:31:33.329
What Dr.
604
00:31:33.410 --> 00:31:36.710
Akintobe is explaining, we now have a blood test. That
605
00:31:36.750 --> 00:31:40.660
needs to be plain and simple. It's now a blood test.
606
00:31:40.700 --> 00:31:43.400
The screening for prostate cancer is now a blood test. Now,
607
00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:47.319
after that, if those numbers come back elevated, then there
608
00:31:47.539 --> 00:31:50.490
are other exams that will be performed, whether it's the
609
00:31:50.509 --> 00:31:52.369
DRE or whatever the case may be. But to get
610
00:31:52.410 --> 00:31:54.869
the initial screening, it is a blood test that needs
611
00:31:54.910 --> 00:31:57.490
to be made plain and simple so that men will
612
00:31:57.549 --> 00:32:01.799
not be afraid. And it's just like any other blood
613
00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:04.299
exam that you're going to receive. And then ultimately, we
614
00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:08.829
can avoid these issues where it's a complicated scenario of
615
00:32:08.869 --> 00:32:10.950
cancer where it could have been easily prevented.
616
00:32:11.289 --> 00:32:13.940
Well, and even just looking at data over the last
617
00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:17.430
couple of years, One part of the big conversation is
618
00:32:17.470 --> 00:32:20.470
that people are noticing that we are having an increase
619
00:32:20.509 --> 00:32:22.809
in the number of people that have been diagnosed with cancer.
620
00:32:23.470 --> 00:32:27.900
But with that same statistic said, more people seem to
621
00:32:27.940 --> 00:32:30.240
be surviving it because earlier detection.
622
00:32:30.579 --> 00:32:32.519
Katie, you raise a very valid point.
623
00:32:32.599 --> 00:32:35.589
It is 3 million survivors in America today, cancer survivors,
624
00:32:35.589 --> 00:32:38.890
3 million. That is bigger than the size of some countries.
625
00:32:39.269 --> 00:32:43.710
Three million cancer survivors in America today. And so, yes,
626
00:32:43.930 --> 00:32:46.349
this needs to be celebrated because it means that the
627
00:32:46.369 --> 00:32:50.880
technology is now available. The key is early diagnosis. When
628
00:32:50.900 --> 00:32:53.019
you are able to pick this thing up very, very early,
629
00:32:53.140 --> 00:32:55.079
and you know that cancer, whatever the type, is staged
630
00:32:55.099 --> 00:32:57.339
from stage one to stage four. Stage four is when
631
00:32:57.380 --> 00:33:00.420
it's really, really, really bad. Stage one is early stage,
632
00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:03.309
meaning it's just beginning. If you nip it in the bud,
633
00:33:03.910 --> 00:33:06.690
you move on with your life. Any form of cancer.
634
00:33:06.710 --> 00:33:11.049
So 3 million, over 3 million cancer survivors in America today.
635
00:33:11.309 --> 00:33:14.549
So it's a whole huge population. And we're hoping, of course,
636
00:33:14.589 --> 00:33:18.200
to see men and women who are prostate cancer survivors
637
00:33:18.599 --> 00:33:20.819
and breast cancer survivors. I have tons of them in
638
00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:24.920
my practice who are willing to tell their story, to
639
00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:28.059
know that men can see them and understand that there
640
00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:32.269
is life after that diagnosis. Yes, there are always concerns about, okay,
641
00:33:32.569 --> 00:33:35.269
how do you navigate all of that when you're a survivor?
642
00:33:35.970 --> 00:33:40.279
People now live 5, 10, 20, 25, 30 years after
643
00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:44.019
their diagnosis. So there's no question to your point. We're
644
00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:48.160
diagnosing more, but many more are surviving as well. And
645
00:33:48.220 --> 00:33:49.680
so when you look at the number, and we say
646
00:33:49.720 --> 00:33:53.700
that for prostate cancer specifically, 300,000 new diagnoses every year,
647
00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:58.269
and about 10% will die from prostate cancer. We're saying
648
00:33:58.289 --> 00:34:00.950
that that number needs to be much less if the
649
00:34:00.970 --> 00:34:04.200
diagnosis is early. And that's exactly the point. Let's push
650
00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:09.599
prostate cancer survivorship. Let's push those screening tools. Make it affordable.
651
00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:13.840
Make it accessible. And let's simplify it every way we can.
652
00:34:13.909 --> 00:34:17.010
And I think with the technology improving every single day, we're.
653
00:34:16.929 --> 00:34:19.289
Very close now, Katie. Mark this word.
654
00:34:19.309 --> 00:34:21.389
We're very close to where we can say you do
655
00:34:21.409 --> 00:34:24.130
a simple blood test and it can test for multiple cancers.
656
00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:27.619
Well, OK, so let's talk about September. Let's talk about
657
00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:28.400
the 5K.
658
00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:29.940
Absolutely.
659
00:34:30.019 --> 00:34:34.480
So September, September the 12th, 2026, ACES is hosting our
660
00:34:34.659 --> 00:34:40.300
first inaugural race, Race for Paces, Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education.
661
00:34:41.269 --> 00:34:44.030
It is once again, September the 12th, 2026. It will
662
00:34:44.050 --> 00:34:45.969
be hosted at the West Side Beltline Center.
663
00:34:46.469 --> 00:34:46.699
Dr.
664
00:34:46.739 --> 00:34:48.780
Akintobi and I have ran that a couple different times.
665
00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:52.380
It is a beautiful course, very flat, good for anybody
666
00:34:52.420 --> 00:34:56.980
who's a beginning runner or an advanced runner. We're actually
667
00:34:57.019 --> 00:35:00.000
hosting a 5K, a 10K. You can walk, you can run,
668
00:35:00.420 --> 00:35:03.179
either one. We just want any and everybody to come
669
00:35:03.239 --> 00:35:06.510
out to this race to support. especially if you are
670
00:35:06.530 --> 00:35:09.710
a survivor of prostate cancer. We have discounts for you all.
671
00:35:10.190 --> 00:35:12.769
For any students who want to participate who are in college,
672
00:35:12.809 --> 00:35:15.590
we have discounts for you all as well. All you
673
00:35:15.610 --> 00:35:27.820
have to do is register today at www.a2aces.org. That's a2aces. org.
674
00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:28.460
You can also go to Run Sign Up where you
675
00:35:28.500 --> 00:35:30.639
can look for our race, which is Race for Paces.
676
00:35:30.679 --> 00:35:31.469
That's p.a.c.e.s.
677
00:35:34.860 --> 00:35:37.480
And you will be able to find our race on
678
00:35:37.519 --> 00:35:40.090
that site as well. Feel free to donate if you
679
00:35:40.139 --> 00:35:42.670
can't actually run on that day. But at the end
680
00:35:42.710 --> 00:35:45.150
of the day, we're just looking for support because ultimately
681
00:35:45.170 --> 00:35:48.449
we want to increase our scope where we can actually
682
00:35:48.489 --> 00:35:51.829
provide more prostate cancer screenings and potentially go into some
683
00:35:51.909 --> 00:35:54.760
other cancer screenings in the future. But ultimately, right now,
684
00:35:54.820 --> 00:35:58.340
we're focused on prostate cancer as our inaugural race. And ultimately,
685
00:35:58.420 --> 00:36:00.300
we want to show out. So we hope to see
686
00:36:00.320 --> 00:36:00.559
you there.
687
00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:03.719
Thanks, Katie and the Race for Paces 5K team. The
688
00:36:03.760 --> 00:36:07.190
Race for Paces 5K goes down September 12th at the
689
00:36:07.250 --> 00:36:10.900
ATL Beltline. Now we get commentary from Roland S.
690
00:36:10.949 --> 00:36:11.309
Martin.
691
00:36:11.409 --> 00:36:15.550
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
692
00:36:15.590 --> 00:36:19.300
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
693
00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:23.530
of BIN and its founding partners and employees. Now it's
694
00:36:23.570 --> 00:36:25.739
time to bring the funk with Roland S.
695
00:36:25.880 --> 00:36:26.280
Martin.
696
00:36:26.559 --> 00:36:32.179
A number of suspicious deaths, including African-Americans, found hanging in
697
00:36:32.199 --> 00:36:35.800
a number of southern states has caught the attention of
698
00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:40.679
the Legal Defense Fund. Janae Nelson, the executive director at
699
00:36:40.820 --> 00:36:44.719
council who leads the organization, says that they sent a
700
00:36:44.820 --> 00:36:47.960
series of letters to members of Congress and the United
701
00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:53.250
Nations demanding an investigation. Many people have suggested that at
702
00:36:53.329 --> 00:36:59.190
foul plays at play because African-Americans typically don't hang themselves
703
00:36:59.710 --> 00:37:01.389
when they commit suicide.
704
00:37:01.710 --> 00:37:02.489
It isn't common.
705
00:37:02.550 --> 00:37:05.130
I mean, what it all harkens back to is, as
706
00:37:05.190 --> 00:37:07.170
I said, one of the worst periods of our history
707
00:37:07.230 --> 00:37:12.679
from 1877 to 1950, where 4,000 black people were lynched,
708
00:37:13.260 --> 00:37:17.980
many of them in Southern states, many of them by hanging.
709
00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:22.360
And we define lynching as an extrajudicial killing of that
710
00:37:22.449 --> 00:37:23.800
is a public act.
711
00:37:24.480 --> 00:37:26.940
And we don't know whether these are lynchings.
712
00:37:27.039 --> 00:37:28.980
I want to be very clear that we are not
713
00:37:29.019 --> 00:37:32.500
going to rush to judgment. We're not going to ascribe
714
00:37:32.559 --> 00:37:37.440
particular labels without having the correct evidence. But the pattern
715
00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:43.929
certainly should give rise to some serious investigation, data collection,
716
00:37:44.050 --> 00:37:48.570
and tracking. And that's precisely why we have a Congress
717
00:37:48.670 --> 00:37:53.510
that has investigative authority. Our Congress has pulled together commissions
718
00:37:53.570 --> 00:37:58.300
and task forces to study various policy problems and concerns
719
00:37:58.360 --> 00:38:01.340
in this country. And the Legal Defense Fund has flagged
720
00:38:01.719 --> 00:38:05.139
the increasing number of black people dying by hanging under
721
00:38:05.219 --> 00:38:12.079
suspicious circumstances as a policy public problem that needs federal
722
00:38:12.159 --> 00:38:13.679
government attention.
723
00:38:14.260 --> 00:38:17.099
This is also why the midterms matter, because Republicans can
724
00:38:17.139 --> 00:38:17.860
control Congress.
725
00:38:17.880 --> 00:38:18.699
They can ignore this.
726
00:38:19.360 --> 00:38:22.360
But if Democrats were leading the House and or the Senate,
727
00:38:22.900 --> 00:38:26.500
they likely would take action. I'm Roland Martin on the
728
00:38:26.539 --> 00:38:27.619
Black Information Network.
729
00:38:27.719 --> 00:38:28.340
Thanks, Roland.
730
00:38:28.739 --> 00:38:31.380
Make sure you listen daily for commentary from James T.
731
00:38:31.400 --> 00:38:32.440
Harris and Roland S.
732
00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:35.989
Martin right here on the Black Information Network. A gene
733
00:38:36.090 --> 00:38:39.570
editing therapy just expanded by the FDA to children as
734
00:38:39.610 --> 00:38:42.960
young as two. is giving families living with sickle cell
735
00:38:42.980 --> 00:38:45.469
disease a real path to a cure. Here's the Black
736
00:38:45.489 --> 00:38:47.030
Information Network's Esther Dillard.
737
00:38:47.190 --> 00:38:50.349
One morning I got up and my husband was sitting
738
00:38:50.389 --> 00:38:53.730
next to me and I just nursed him on.
739
00:38:53.769 --> 00:38:56.739
The arm and I was like, look, look at his eyes.
740
00:38:57.739 --> 00:39:01.719
His eyes were white. The whites of his eyes were
741
00:39:01.900 --> 00:39:06.570
actually white. And we hadn't seen that in years.
742
00:39:07.860 --> 00:39:10.579
A mother was watching her son's eyes every morning for
743
00:39:10.599 --> 00:39:13.199
a sign that no test at the time could tell her.
744
00:39:13.219 --> 00:39:16.300
Sickle cell disease has been in the medical textbooks for
745
00:39:16.340 --> 00:39:20.409
more than 100 years. It disproportionately affects black Americans and
746
00:39:20.489 --> 00:39:24.789
Hispanic Americans, people who share ancestry with the African diaspora.
747
00:39:25.190 --> 00:39:28.030
For most of that history, doctors could manage the pain,
748
00:39:28.389 --> 00:39:31.730
but they couldn't change the disease. That changed when the
749
00:39:31.869 --> 00:39:35.489
FDA approved a new gene editing therapy, first for patients
750
00:39:35.489 --> 00:39:38.599
12 and older, and this July for children as young
751
00:39:38.639 --> 00:39:39.079
as two.
752
00:39:39.699 --> 00:39:39.960
Dr.
753
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:43.679
Lametra Scott is a pharmacist. She's also the mother of Ricky,
754
00:39:43.900 --> 00:39:47.010
one of the first commercial patients to receive treatment At
755
00:39:47.050 --> 00:39:52.150
the TriStar Centennial Children's Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Hadar
756
00:39:52.190 --> 00:39:54.809
Fagul leads the program that treated him.
757
00:39:55.670 --> 00:39:57.690
And I'll never forget this. So my baby was born
758
00:39:57.730 --> 00:40:01.800
in September. I get a phone call the day before Thanksgiving.
759
00:40:01.820 --> 00:40:04.119
So this is in November now. So I get a
760
00:40:04.139 --> 00:40:06.659
phone call the day before Thanksgiving and she says, oh,
761
00:40:06.699 --> 00:40:09.760
I've got great news. Ricky doesn't have sickle cell disease.
762
00:40:09.800 --> 00:40:11.719
He only has sickle cell trait, just like you and
763
00:40:11.739 --> 00:40:14.650
your husband. So everything is fine. At this moment, I'm
764
00:40:14.710 --> 00:40:17.210
excited because we didn't tell anybody in our family that
765
00:40:17.250 --> 00:40:19.949
this was a possibility because we didn't want to prematurely
766
00:40:20.010 --> 00:40:24.179
worry people. We didn't even know. So we waited and
767
00:40:24.380 --> 00:40:26.659
I'm excited. I'm like, oh, thank you, Jesus. My baby
768
00:40:26.679 --> 00:40:30.639
doesn't have sickle cell disease and we're moving along our
769
00:40:30.699 --> 00:40:34.719
happy way. I get a phone call from the health department.
770
00:40:34.820 --> 00:40:39.010
She's a case worker. And this is probably a little
771
00:40:39.030 --> 00:40:42.750
bit later, maybe about the 12 week timeframe at this
772
00:40:42.809 --> 00:40:45.889
point in time, I get a phone call and she's saying,
773
00:40:46.250 --> 00:40:48.829
we need you to bring your child in for confirmation screening.
774
00:40:48.929 --> 00:40:49.690
And I was like, why?
775
00:40:49.730 --> 00:40:53.349
And at this point, I'm like, people at the health department,
776
00:40:53.369 --> 00:40:55.869
there's too many people, too many eyes in the fire.
777
00:40:56.280 --> 00:40:58.679
We've already done this. I took him to his primary
778
00:40:58.719 --> 00:40:59.400
care doctor.
779
00:40:59.800 --> 00:41:00.380
He's good.
780
00:41:00.400 --> 00:41:03.409
And she says, No, Ms. Scott, he's not.
781
00:41:03.750 --> 00:41:06.969
Based on the newborn screening that we did, he has
782
00:41:07.050 --> 00:41:10.849
sickle cell disease type SS. And we need to bring
783
00:41:10.869 --> 00:41:13.800
you in for confirmation screening to get him connected with
784
00:41:13.860 --> 00:41:19.340
a hematologist, the whole bit. So needless to say, it
785
00:41:19.380 --> 00:41:21.760
felt like somebody had knocked the wind out of you.
786
00:41:22.519 --> 00:41:27.650
Because at that moment, it's almost as if there was
787
00:41:27.690 --> 00:41:32.429
a stopwatch. for your child's life, just because of the
788
00:41:32.610 --> 00:41:35.730
impacts that sickle cell disease has on a person's life
789
00:41:36.030 --> 00:41:40.989
and the ability that it has to basically make people
790
00:41:41.030 --> 00:41:41.550
die early.
791
00:41:41.769 --> 00:41:44.269
Lemaitre's stopwatch has a name in medicine.
792
00:41:44.510 --> 00:41:48.050
People with sickle cell disease in 2026 have a life
793
00:41:48.130 --> 00:41:51.679
expectancy in the mid to late 40s, which is significantly
794
00:41:51.739 --> 00:41:53.219
lower than the general population.
795
00:41:53.530 --> 00:41:58.369
That's Dr. Hadar Frangoul. He directs the Pediatric Hematology, Oncology,
796
00:41:58.489 --> 00:42:03.170
and Stem Cell Transplant Program at TriStar Centennial Children's Hospital,
797
00:42:03.429 --> 00:42:04.969
the doctor who treated Ricky.
798
00:42:05.239 --> 00:42:08.219
And the reason why is because it affects every single
799
00:42:08.320 --> 00:42:10.619
organ in the body. It affects the brain, it affects
800
00:42:10.679 --> 00:42:16.030
the lung, the heart, the kidneys, the bones. and it
801
00:42:16.070 --> 00:42:19.969
affects overall health. So individuals with sickle cell disease actually
802
00:42:20.869 --> 00:42:24.219
continue to suffer from these complications throughout their life, and
803
00:42:24.260 --> 00:42:29.380
it is cumulative. The older they become, the more complications
804
00:42:29.440 --> 00:42:35.280
they have. Having said that, in now probably close to
805
00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:38.960
30 plus years ago, we discovered there is something called
806
00:42:39.019 --> 00:42:41.719
bone marrow transplantation, which is a transplant of the bone
807
00:42:41.739 --> 00:42:46.300
marrow cells from a family member, a brother or a
808
00:42:46.380 --> 00:42:49.639
sister that are not affected can potentially cure this disease.
809
00:42:50.579 --> 00:42:54.760
But unfortunately, 80% of people today with sickle cell disease
810
00:42:54.800 --> 00:42:57.659
in the United States do not have a brother or
811
00:42:57.679 --> 00:43:01.219
a sister that's a match to them. So that leaves
812
00:43:01.219 --> 00:43:03.599
80% of the people with sickle cell disease with no
813
00:43:03.639 --> 00:43:08.400
curative option. So what we did in the first patient
814
00:43:08.460 --> 00:43:10.800
in the world was treated in our hospital. Her name
815
00:43:10.860 --> 00:43:13.900
is Victoria Gray and she is very famous. She gives
816
00:43:13.980 --> 00:43:17.050
talks all over the place. I'm not violating HIPAA because
817
00:43:17.090 --> 00:43:19.769
she tells her story all the time. And she came
818
00:43:19.829 --> 00:43:22.230
to us because she wanted a very, very high risk
819
00:43:22.329 --> 00:43:26.920
transplant from her half brother. And she got scared about
820
00:43:26.940 --> 00:43:29.690
the complications because when you don't have a full match,
821
00:43:29.750 --> 00:43:32.849
there's a lot of complications. So we were running this
822
00:43:32.949 --> 00:43:36.369
trial here and she was the first patient in the
823
00:43:36.429 --> 00:43:40.690
whole world to receive this treatment. And this treatment in
824
00:43:40.789 --> 00:43:43.820
basic words is we take the stem cells out, we
825
00:43:43.920 --> 00:43:47.659
collect the stem cells from the blood of individuals with
826
00:43:47.679 --> 00:43:52.099
sickle cell disease, gene edit them using this CRISPR technology
827
00:43:52.809 --> 00:43:56.099
telling the cells to make high levels of fetal hemoglobin
828
00:43:56.780 --> 00:43:59.559
and put them back into the patient. Now, when we
829
00:43:59.579 --> 00:44:03.340
put them back in the person receiving them, we give
830
00:44:03.400 --> 00:44:06.449
them four days of chemotherapy to kill their cells that
831
00:44:06.530 --> 00:44:10.190
are making sickle. And those new cells start making high
832
00:44:10.210 --> 00:44:15.400
levels of fetal hemoglobin more than 40%. So the individuals
833
00:44:15.420 --> 00:44:20.119
with sickle cell disease become basically at trade with fetal hemoglobin.
834
00:44:20.619 --> 00:44:23.090
And what we have seen when we did these trials
835
00:44:23.139 --> 00:44:28.630
since 2019 is that individuals who receive this, the symptoms
836
00:44:28.710 --> 00:44:31.929
related to sickle cell disease totally go away. For example,
837
00:44:31.989 --> 00:44:36.860
Victoria Gray, again, as an example, Prior to receiving this therapy,
838
00:44:36.880 --> 00:44:39.920
she was hospitalized seven or eight times per year, and
839
00:44:39.980 --> 00:44:43.659
now she doesn't have any hospitalizations. She's never been hospitalized.
840
00:44:43.699 --> 00:44:47.099
She's taking care of her kids and enjoying life as
841
00:44:47.860 --> 00:44:52.750
somebody without the disease. So I think it's transformative in
842
00:44:52.809 --> 00:44:56.349
a sense that it allows every individual with sickle cell
843
00:44:56.389 --> 00:45:01.489
disease to to have a potential curative option for their disease.
844
00:45:01.809 --> 00:45:04.130
That science felt a long way off when Ricky was
845
00:45:04.190 --> 00:45:07.760
three years old, fighting for his life in a different way. Well,
846
00:45:07.860 --> 00:45:11.300
there was mention of a blood transfusion after an acute
847
00:45:12.079 --> 00:45:15.380
chest syndrome when Ricky was three.
848
00:45:15.739 --> 00:45:17.139
Can you walk me through that moment?
849
00:45:17.420 --> 00:45:19.429
What were you told and how did it change how
850
00:45:19.469 --> 00:45:21.050
you managed his care afterwards?
851
00:45:21.900 --> 00:45:25.039
Well, when babies or kids have sickle cell disease, it's
852
00:45:25.239 --> 00:45:28.889
oftentimes understood that if your baby has a fever, you
853
00:45:28.929 --> 00:45:33.210
take the baby to the hospital immediately because it's an emergency.
854
00:45:33.969 --> 00:45:37.849
And that's oftentimes because a fever may be the only
855
00:45:37.969 --> 00:45:42.849
sign that there is an infection brewing under the surface. Well,
856
00:45:44.329 --> 00:45:49.130
in his case, he had a fever, but that was it.
857
00:45:49.869 --> 00:45:54.389
Nothing else was wrong. He didn't have cough. He wasn't fidgety.
858
00:45:54.530 --> 00:45:58.940
He wasn't complaining about pain. And most times, if a
859
00:45:59.199 --> 00:46:01.599
person sees that their baby has a fever, it's like, oh,
860
00:46:01.659 --> 00:46:04.239
I'll just give them some Tylenol or some ibuprofen and
861
00:46:04.280 --> 00:46:06.800
let it go. Well, in sickle cell disease, I knew
862
00:46:06.820 --> 00:46:10.550
that that was not the correct option to undergo. And
863
00:46:10.610 --> 00:46:13.670
it's basically because people who have sickle cell disease, they
864
00:46:13.710 --> 00:46:16.130
have a compromised immune system.
865
00:46:16.150 --> 00:46:19.119
And babies and children... Pretty.
866
00:46:18.900 --> 00:46:21.619
Much acute chest syndrome is the leading cause of death
867
00:46:21.699 --> 00:46:24.800
before the age of five. So that's all the more
868
00:46:24.840 --> 00:46:27.179
reason why if a fever starts, you need to take
869
00:46:27.239 --> 00:46:30.800
them in immediately. So I took him into the hospital
870
00:46:31.099 --> 00:46:33.739
and they asked me what were the symptoms that he
871
00:46:33.820 --> 00:46:36.530
was having. And I was like, well, he only has
872
00:46:36.570 --> 00:46:36.969
a fever.
873
00:46:37.429 --> 00:46:37.820
That was it.
874
00:46:37.829 --> 00:46:39.530
That's the only reason why he's here is because he
875
00:46:39.570 --> 00:46:42.750
has a fever and this is the protocol. Well, because
876
00:46:43.070 --> 00:46:46.849
of that fever, they just decided, let's just, hey, let's
877
00:46:46.869 --> 00:46:50.739
just do a chest X-ray. just to see how things
878
00:46:50.860 --> 00:46:54.639
are going. And from that chest x-ray, you could see
879
00:46:54.679 --> 00:46:58.090
that he had infiltrates in his lungs. And that was
880
00:46:58.360 --> 00:47:03.690
a sign of acute chest syndrome. So with acute chest syndrome,
881
00:47:04.449 --> 00:47:07.090
that actually is when you have sickle cells that form
882
00:47:07.250 --> 00:47:10.110
in the lungs and they are able to reduce the
883
00:47:10.170 --> 00:47:14.349
amount of oxygen that happens. And in his case, his
884
00:47:14.389 --> 00:47:18.250
hemoglobin levels began to drop beyond what their baseline levels were.
885
00:47:18.750 --> 00:47:21.449
And that is what triggered the need to have a
886
00:47:21.489 --> 00:47:22.389
blood transfusion.
887
00:47:22.889 --> 00:47:25.500
That was Ricky at three years old, a decade of
888
00:47:25.559 --> 00:47:27.980
fights like that one were still ahead of him.
889
00:47:28.820 --> 00:47:33.079
I knew that organ damage was imminent. I knew that
890
00:47:33.179 --> 00:47:35.800
the risk of him having a stroke was as, you know,
891
00:47:35.840 --> 00:47:38.480
it didn't reduce over the years. It was actually, you know,
892
00:47:38.519 --> 00:47:43.219
just compounding. I knew that, um, sickle cell disease would
893
00:47:43.239 --> 00:47:45.519
begin to impact his life more and more because it
894
00:47:45.539 --> 00:47:48.659
doesn't get better as people get older. It just compounds
895
00:47:48.699 --> 00:47:52.829
and gets worse. So that's when I turned back to
896
00:47:52.869 --> 00:47:53.670
gene therapy.
897
00:47:54.730 --> 00:47:55.289
Did it work?
898
00:47:55.750 --> 00:47:58.369
You'll hear what LaMetra saw with her own eyes and
899
00:47:58.389 --> 00:48:01.030
get a full conversation on the Color Between the Lines
900
00:48:01.090 --> 00:48:05.320
podcast on iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
901
00:48:05.800 --> 00:48:06.559
I'm Esther Dillard.
902
00:48:10.869 --> 00:48:13.949
For more information on gene therapy for sickle cell disease,
903
00:48:14.289 --> 00:48:20.500
visit TristarHealth.com. That's T-R-I-S-T-A-R-Health.com.
904
00:48:20.780 --> 00:48:21.599
Thanks again to Dr.
905
00:48:21.659 --> 00:48:22.800
Lemaitre Scott and Dr.
906
00:48:22.840 --> 00:48:23.559
Hadar Frangel.
907
00:48:24.079 --> 00:48:26.320
Coming up, Doug Davis is back with part two of
908
00:48:26.380 --> 00:48:30.530
his Your Black Business conversation with Complex Magazine's new vice
909
00:48:30.570 --> 00:48:34.969
president of brand partnership, Mike Tresvant. Today's conversation will center
910
00:48:35.010 --> 00:48:38.269
on how companies can build a strong brand, the growing
911
00:48:38.329 --> 00:48:42.449
role of AI in media, and how his HBCU experience
912
00:48:42.530 --> 00:48:45.030
helped prepare him for success. Doug?
913
00:48:45.239 --> 00:48:47.159
Hey, thanks, Mike. I am Doug Davis, and this is
914
00:48:47.199 --> 00:48:48.119
Your Black Business.
915
00:48:48.159 --> 00:48:52.440
We continue our conversation about branding with Complex Magazine's new
916
00:48:52.480 --> 00:48:55.500
Executive Vice President of Brand Development, Mike Trezvan.
917
00:48:55.559 --> 00:48:56.440
Brother, welcome back.
918
00:48:56.820 --> 00:48:59.599
Last week's conversation was so insightful, I felt it was
919
00:48:59.639 --> 00:49:02.409
really important for us to bring you back. But before
920
00:49:02.449 --> 00:49:06.690
we get into more branding conversation, you graduated from HBCU
921
00:49:06.730 --> 00:49:10.150
Clark Atlanta University. How did the school prep you to
922
00:49:10.190 --> 00:49:12.000
become the business leader that you are today?
923
00:49:12.420 --> 00:49:14.500
I think, well, there's a number of things. I think
924
00:49:14.519 --> 00:49:21.099
there's the core curriculum is tailored specifically. to really prepare
925
00:49:21.159 --> 00:49:26.380
you for not just the fundamentals in biology, mathematics, but
926
00:49:26.400 --> 00:49:28.440
it also opens up and gives you a sense of
927
00:49:28.500 --> 00:49:33.110
a brighter world that understands the African-American contributions in all
928
00:49:33.150 --> 00:49:36.090
things in science, media, art, and all the things that
929
00:49:36.190 --> 00:49:40.889
often are overlooked. In PWIs, I think it's obviously mostly
930
00:49:40.909 --> 00:49:44.239
celebrated of like European history or in the terms of
931
00:49:44.320 --> 00:49:47.920
history that is a historical landmark, as opposed to like
932
00:49:47.940 --> 00:49:51.840
the contribution of the African-American experience as it relates to
933
00:49:52.059 --> 00:49:52.920
all things in the world.
934
00:49:52.980 --> 00:49:53.159
Right.
935
00:49:53.199 --> 00:49:57.610
And I think that part sort of formidable years is
936
00:49:57.670 --> 00:50:00.789
an important part of like becoming very proud of who
937
00:50:00.829 --> 00:50:03.429
you are, especially, you know, as a black person living
938
00:50:03.449 --> 00:50:05.769
in America. I think that part of it was really
939
00:50:05.809 --> 00:50:11.369
important and eye-opening and sort of something that you can't
940
00:50:11.429 --> 00:50:13.460
really know that you needed it until you get it.
941
00:50:14.719 --> 00:50:17.980
And I think that the second part of it, sort
942
00:50:18.000 --> 00:50:21.280
of personally, which, you know, they're obviously very intertwined, was
943
00:50:21.320 --> 00:50:23.519
that it was the first time for me going to
944
00:50:23.579 --> 00:50:25.909
a school I was just a kid going to school.
945
00:50:25.929 --> 00:50:28.159
I wasn't a black kid going to school, right? I
946
00:50:28.199 --> 00:50:32.000
didn't feel other ever. Like the teachers were black, the
947
00:50:32.039 --> 00:50:35.199
janitor was black. And they required us a lot more
948
00:50:35.260 --> 00:50:39.340
higher to overachieve with requiring things like internships. Like it
949
00:50:39.380 --> 00:50:42.219
was a requirement to graduate. You had to have internships
950
00:50:42.579 --> 00:50:46.239
in your field. So like that put me as a
951
00:50:46.300 --> 00:50:49.139
leg up when I was in the marketplace looking for
952
00:50:49.179 --> 00:50:51.199
a job that a lot of people I realized coming
953
00:50:51.239 --> 00:50:53.599
out of college, even to this day, I have, you know,
954
00:50:54.610 --> 00:50:57.710
nieces and nephews and godkids that struggle to see, like, okay,
955
00:50:57.730 --> 00:50:58.929
I don't know what I want to do. I was like, well,
956
00:50:59.010 --> 00:51:00.469
by the time I was a senior, I was like,
957
00:51:00.489 --> 00:51:03.829
had already worked two internships in my field and had
958
00:51:03.849 --> 00:51:05.929
a better understanding of what I want to do versus
959
00:51:05.969 --> 00:51:09.500
this constant theoretical, I don't know what I want to do,
960
00:51:09.539 --> 00:51:10.880
but I have a lot of experience. I have a
961
00:51:10.920 --> 00:51:13.159
lot of theoretical knowledge that I don't know what to
962
00:51:13.199 --> 00:51:13.579
do with.
963
00:51:13.900 --> 00:51:14.460
Yeah, man.
964
00:51:14.480 --> 00:51:15.179
Very well put.
965
00:51:15.199 --> 00:51:17.980
I'm a product of an HBCU as well and got
966
00:51:18.019 --> 00:51:19.760
my first job in television right.
967
00:51:19.639 --> 00:51:22.409
Out of school. You know, it was actually... a career
968
00:51:22.489 --> 00:51:23.550
fair that helped get me in.
969
00:51:23.570 --> 00:51:25.780
But like you, you know, I had to have an internship,
970
00:51:25.820 --> 00:51:28.559
you know, I had to have some practical something on paper,
971
00:51:28.739 --> 00:51:30.980
you know, and it really helped. For those who may
972
00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:34.030
be listening right now, you know, even current business owners,
973
00:51:34.070 --> 00:51:36.489
you know, who just, you know, may not know, but
974
00:51:36.690 --> 00:51:42.449
what are brands still misunderstanding about the relationship between culture
975
00:51:43.130 --> 00:51:43.820
and commerce?
976
00:51:44.360 --> 00:51:47.719
I think a lot of brands miss the ability to
977
00:51:47.780 --> 00:51:51.130
be agile or quick. I think what happens in a
978
00:51:51.170 --> 00:51:54.480
lot of larger organizations as they want to be like,
979
00:51:54.500 --> 00:51:57.989
you know, it's really hard to keep up with the
980
00:51:58.050 --> 00:52:00.769
speed of culture. And, you know, there's a few brands
981
00:52:00.809 --> 00:52:02.929
who have done it well. There's a few brands who struggle,
982
00:52:02.949 --> 00:52:05.869
but I think that's where most larger organizations look to
983
00:52:05.909 --> 00:52:08.570
do is like some, they hop on a trend or
984
00:52:08.650 --> 00:52:10.989
they want to be a part of something, but there's
985
00:52:11.070 --> 00:52:14.570
either bureaucracy internally that gets in their way that doesn't
986
00:52:14.610 --> 00:52:17.809
allow them to be free and then attached to something.
987
00:52:17.849 --> 00:52:19.570
And by the time they get all their ducks in
988
00:52:19.610 --> 00:52:21.820
a row to attach to something, it's already moved on
989
00:52:21.840 --> 00:52:24.739
or Or it's oversaturated and they just become another person
990
00:52:24.800 --> 00:52:29.710
and they actually are working against the trend itself. Or
991
00:52:29.750 --> 00:52:32.170
they haven't taken up a time, I think, to think
992
00:52:32.250 --> 00:52:35.769
about what their POV is in a space.
993
00:52:35.829 --> 00:52:36.050
Right.
994
00:52:36.090 --> 00:52:38.170
And what I mean by that is just like you
995
00:52:38.210 --> 00:52:41.070
don't need to insert your large brand into culture for
996
00:52:41.110 --> 00:52:43.949
the sake of that. You really, as I mentioned before,
997
00:52:43.989 --> 00:52:46.969
like the younger generation is always going to be about authenticity,
998
00:52:47.010 --> 00:52:49.710
no matter what generation you look at. Young people are
999
00:52:49.750 --> 00:52:53.090
looking at the definition of what's defining them and people
1000
00:52:53.179 --> 00:52:54.920
and brands that they're going to be associated with for
1001
00:52:54.960 --> 00:52:58.420
their life. And that is a really big, intimate, emotional thing.
1002
00:52:58.880 --> 00:52:59.420
Connection.
1003
00:52:59.739 --> 00:53:02.280
And so your point of differentiation has to come from
1004
00:53:02.380 --> 00:53:05.219
something meaningful, but it also has to be providing an
1005
00:53:05.340 --> 00:53:09.070
additive portion to the person's life or profile. And I
1006
00:53:09.139 --> 00:53:12.809
think if you spend time crafting that thing out, you
1007
00:53:12.849 --> 00:53:16.150
will find we have always worked with clients who take
1008
00:53:16.190 --> 00:53:18.809
the time to really find out what they stand for
1009
00:53:19.269 --> 00:53:21.329
from the inside out, which is always going to be
1010
00:53:21.429 --> 00:53:24.170
help in creating when you come to our sort of
1011
00:53:24.230 --> 00:53:27.570
portion of intersection with the audience of like that storytelling
1012
00:53:27.659 --> 00:53:31.489
that matters. Versus sort of wedging yourself in there without
1013
00:53:31.989 --> 00:53:33.329
a lot more thoughtful curation.
1014
00:53:33.889 --> 00:53:34.150
Right.
1015
00:53:34.710 --> 00:53:38.030
What do young Black audiences, what do you think they
1016
00:53:38.090 --> 00:53:42.170
want from media outlets like Complex and brands that they're
1017
00:53:42.210 --> 00:53:43.710
not getting enough of these days?
1018
00:53:44.190 --> 00:53:46.380
I think they I mean, we always look to say
1019
00:53:46.449 --> 00:53:51.840
that we're trying to continue to elevate voices in the fray.
1020
00:53:52.610 --> 00:53:56.280
An audience in subcultures that maybe not that people are
1021
00:53:56.320 --> 00:53:58.539
not as familiar with. I think that's the sort of
1022
00:53:58.579 --> 00:54:00.929
the benefit of this generation is that they have found
1023
00:54:00.949 --> 00:54:03.190
each other. In all parts of the world and all
1024
00:54:03.210 --> 00:54:06.190
parts of the country and have created a larger community.
1025
00:54:06.230 --> 00:54:08.119
I think one of our, you know, we don't we
1026
00:54:08.159 --> 00:54:11.789
talk about this sort of you know, live experiences, but
1027
00:54:11.829 --> 00:54:15.050
really that is community, right? Like live experiences really are
1028
00:54:15.070 --> 00:54:17.909
a reflection back of community. So whether it is a food,
1029
00:54:18.429 --> 00:54:21.230
our food festival, or whether it's ComplexCon, it's really talking
1030
00:54:21.289 --> 00:54:23.349
about people who enjoy the same sort of things. And
1031
00:54:23.389 --> 00:54:26.170
I think that is what, you know, especially for a
1032
00:54:26.210 --> 00:54:28.650
young Black audience across the world and even in parts
1033
00:54:28.670 --> 00:54:32.989
of the country where they aren't heavily populated, you know,
1034
00:54:33.530 --> 00:54:35.690
I think Complex is always going to and tries to
1035
00:54:35.750 --> 00:54:41.159
be that moment that feels like they're being inspired and recognized,
1036
00:54:41.960 --> 00:54:44.820
which is really the human side of our brand.
1037
00:54:45.159 --> 00:54:48.590
Great segue into my next question. How does Complex use AI?
1038
00:54:48.610 --> 00:54:52.190
I think we use it more as a resource to
1039
00:54:52.230 --> 00:54:55.869
sort of not just, like while AI can help us
1040
00:54:55.929 --> 00:55:02.420
resource and pull information about stories or information or subjects,
1041
00:55:02.559 --> 00:55:06.460
it doesn't allow us What AI can't do and which
1042
00:55:06.500 --> 00:55:10.750
is complex as always has been its its superpower is
1043
00:55:10.869 --> 00:55:16.530
taste and curation and understanding why something is important and
1044
00:55:16.590 --> 00:55:19.659
not just reporting it back as something that's happened. I
1045
00:55:19.699 --> 00:55:24.980
think our brand equity is largely rooted in our perspective
1046
00:55:25.619 --> 00:55:30.820
and our. deeply rooted understanding of both something that is
1047
00:55:31.800 --> 00:55:35.489
nice aesthetically, but also why it's nice aesthetically and the
1048
00:55:35.530 --> 00:55:38.210
historical origin of where it comes from, whether it's music
1049
00:55:38.269 --> 00:55:42.889
pieces through samples and the origin of like artists and
1050
00:55:42.929 --> 00:55:45.630
where their perspective, or if it's from a fashion perspective,
1051
00:55:45.690 --> 00:55:48.849
I think a media company in today's world is only
1052
00:55:48.889 --> 00:55:52.030
going to be as good as its true understanding of culture.
1053
00:55:52.409 --> 00:55:54.610
And that comes from the inside out, which is why
1054
00:55:54.690 --> 00:55:58.389
AI can help us understand and curate, I mean, pull
1055
00:55:58.429 --> 00:56:01.070
things together. It cannot help with the actual curation.
1056
00:56:01.349 --> 00:56:02.130
Right, right, right.
1057
00:56:02.349 --> 00:56:04.449
Hey, let's segue real quick before we wrap up and
1058
00:56:04.489 --> 00:56:07.760
talk about your 10th anniversary of ComplexCon coming up.
1059
00:56:08.199 --> 00:56:11.840
ComplexCon, yeah, so it really truly is the convergence of culture.
1060
00:56:11.920 --> 00:56:18.599
It really surrounds itself from all parts of intersectionality. I think,
1061
00:56:18.760 --> 00:56:22.320
you know, on the top line, it's headliner big brands
1062
00:56:23.030 --> 00:56:26.030
that are coming to really have a sort of a
1063
00:56:26.739 --> 00:56:35.039
first-to-market interaction with consumers, either it's existing one-of-a-kind collaborations in
1064
00:56:35.099 --> 00:56:38.030
ways of a number of collaborations from a celebrity or
1065
00:56:38.070 --> 00:56:41.949
streetwear perspective where consumers are allowed to finally get a
1066
00:56:41.989 --> 00:56:48.170
limited edition collab from their favorite streetwear brands. But it's
1067
00:56:48.210 --> 00:56:52.030
also allowed for brands to show up with their innovation
1068
00:56:52.070 --> 00:56:55.369
and creativity and have consumers interact and intersect with their
1069
00:56:55.409 --> 00:56:58.179
brands in a way for the first time and get
1070
00:56:58.219 --> 00:57:00.699
a better understanding of like, not only do I like,
1071
00:57:01.179 --> 00:57:03.380
you know, for example, a pixel, but this might be
1072
00:57:03.420 --> 00:57:05.139
the first time that I get to actually interact with
1073
00:57:05.219 --> 00:57:07.110
one and see what they really stand for. And I
1074
00:57:07.159 --> 00:57:10.050
think that is really sort of at the crux of
1075
00:57:10.090 --> 00:57:14.030
what ComplexCon is. It's, you know, it's, it's the, it
1076
00:57:14.150 --> 00:57:17.250
is the commerce sort of hub while the lifestyle is
1077
00:57:17.289 --> 00:57:19.150
sort of sprinkled all over it. I think there is
1078
00:57:19.170 --> 00:57:22.250
a celebration of sneakers. We have conversations. So it's really
1079
00:57:22.429 --> 00:57:26.190
like a three part sort of experience. There's the shopping experience,
1080
00:57:26.210 --> 00:57:28.150
which is the larger part of it. There's the musical
1081
00:57:28.210 --> 00:57:31.289
performances that happen at night. And then there's the conversations
1082
00:57:31.389 --> 00:57:34.289
with the panels that are happening throughout the day that really,
1083
00:57:34.809 --> 00:57:38.579
you know, heighten and elevate the conversation about culture. And
1084
00:57:38.599 --> 00:57:40.840
then the sort of the fourth leg of that is
1085
00:57:40.900 --> 00:57:45.320
where the brand partners show up, where you have brands, again,
1086
00:57:45.760 --> 00:57:48.579
either interacting and collaborating with some of the artists and
1087
00:57:48.619 --> 00:57:52.050
celebrities or other brands. to give consumers things and products
1088
00:57:52.090 --> 00:57:54.929
and experiences that are really sort of valuable. And it's
1089
00:57:55.090 --> 00:57:57.650
all done through the lens of culture. And this is
1090
00:57:57.909 --> 00:58:02.030
sort of really how it happens at this ComplexCon, which,
1091
00:58:02.090 --> 00:58:04.150
you know, excited it'll be in Los Angeles. It's October
1092
00:58:04.250 --> 00:58:07.989
3rd and 4th. It's our first time at the convention center.
1093
00:58:08.010 --> 00:58:10.170
So we're excited to be back in Los Angeles. We
1094
00:58:10.789 --> 00:58:12.389
historically were in Long Beach and then we took it
1095
00:58:12.409 --> 00:58:15.429
to Vegas for a couple of years. The first couple
1096
00:58:15.449 --> 00:58:18.280
of years when we took over Complex and now we're
1097
00:58:18.340 --> 00:58:20.199
back at Los Angeles and we're super excited.
1098
00:58:20.809 --> 00:58:23.469
Mike Tresvon, any relation to Ralph? You know, I had
1099
00:58:23.489 --> 00:58:24.030
to ask.
1100
00:58:24.050 --> 00:58:25.349
Yes, there's the question, man.
1101
00:58:25.369 --> 00:58:25.750
Come on.
1102
00:58:26.110 --> 00:58:27.130
Took you too long to ask.
1103
00:58:27.170 --> 00:58:27.809
Come on.
1104
00:58:27.849 --> 00:58:30.030
You know, I had to get to the good stuff first.
1105
00:58:30.050 --> 00:58:31.820
You know what I'm saying?
1106
00:58:31.880 --> 00:58:33.099
No, that is Mike.
1107
00:58:33.139 --> 00:58:35.500
Like, so our grandfathers were brothers?
1108
00:58:35.900 --> 00:58:38.980
Yeah. And so Brunswick, Georgia, small town.
1109
00:58:39.400 --> 00:58:41.119
I thought I was the only Tresman in the world
1110
00:58:41.179 --> 00:58:43.659
until I went to Brunswick, Georgia. And I was like, oh,
1111
00:58:43.719 --> 00:58:46.409
here we are. Like, he's from Boston, so I'm not
1112
00:58:46.449 --> 00:58:48.489
going to pretend to know him, but we are cousins.
1113
00:58:48.630 --> 00:58:48.869
Wow.
1114
00:58:48.949 --> 00:58:49.590
How cool is that?
1115
00:58:50.010 --> 00:58:54.239
Mike Tresvant, Complex Magazine's new executive vice president of brand development.
1116
00:58:54.619 --> 00:58:56.780
We appreciate your time, sir. This is Doug Davis on
1117
00:58:56.820 --> 00:58:58.840
Your Black Business. Now back to Mike Island.
1118
00:58:58.940 --> 00:59:03.059
Thanks, Doug and Mike. For more information, go to complex.com.
1119
00:59:03.820 --> 00:59:06.400
That's it for today's show. For more on these stories,
1120
00:59:06.500 --> 00:59:09.619
listen to the Black Information Network on the free iHeartRadio app.
1121
00:59:10.139 --> 00:59:13.559
or log on to BINnews.com for all of the latest
1122
00:59:13.639 --> 00:59:16.440
news impacting the black community. We'd love to hear from
1123
00:59:16.480 --> 00:59:19.440
you about the black perspective. Log on to BIN's Talk
1124
00:59:19.480 --> 00:59:22.010
Back Live feature on the iHeartRadio app as well as
1125
00:59:22.070 --> 00:59:25.909
the new feature on BINnews.com to share your feedback. Also,
1126
00:59:25.929 --> 00:59:28.170
be sure to follow us on social media at Black
1127
00:59:28.210 --> 00:59:31.570
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1128
00:59:31.949 --> 00:59:34.860
Make the Black Information Network first on your car radio
1129
00:59:35.059 --> 00:59:38.139
and iHeartRadio app preset. We'll see you next week with
1130
00:59:38.179 --> 00:59:40.619
a new episode of The Black Perspective with stories from
1131
00:59:40.679 --> 00:59:43.590
our great team of BIN anchors right here on the
1132
00:59:43.619 --> 00:59:44.849
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