The Other Page Radio

0:00dummy Welcome, welcome, welcome. WBCLP102.9 FM Boston, Boston's Community Radio Station. The other page radio program is here right now. I'm Haywood Fnail, senior I'm a better than I'm glad to be here today to talk to you. I got a lot to say and just sit back and relax and we're gonna talk a little bit maybe have a music. Maybe we might get a drop in

1:02visit for my good friend C. S. Brown back on the air waves here at BNN. We are getting ready. But just let me say this here folks, about veterans, you know this program is dedicated to honor veterans, particularly African American veterans because they have gone through so much disparities since getting out of the military and while in the military they served on a very harsh and racist condition that affected their performance in certain situations. And we just want to try to get that straight now. So on November the 5th,

2:062026 at the Strand Theater, we planned Triad Veterans League and our collaborators with BNN Media involved on the Beyond the Uniform Initiative. Listen to it now. Beyond the Uniform Initiative is they start. It is an initiation of a collaborative coming together as one. You know, you know collaboration is right? That's an action that we are taking because we took an oath. We took an oath. We took an oath. And that oath involved our service to our

3:09country and how we would respond to that oath and with that oath. We said in the United States Military oath that we would follow orders to protect our nation and our nation's constitution. We said that. We raised our hands when we said that because that was an obligation that we had to take on if we were to represent the United States of America and where the uniform. I'm invited to speak to the Boston City Council and this will be my second time speaking regarding

4:13veterans and veterans rights and how those rights are not being treated right. Health disparities, lack of culture sensitivity and then other oaths that was taken by elected officials. The elected officials had an oath and I don't know specifically what that oath was other than they swore to protect our constitution. As the veterans did, swore to protect the constitution of the United States of America. That's a big oath and it has to be big because the United States is big and we have been all over the world fighting and dying for a freedom

5:25that we still do not have. Say what you want to say but beyond the uniform initiative is a call for all veterans' sensitive to the needs of equity for United States military veterans. Try add veterans league a few years ago with the help of Northeastern universities school of public health and some other veterans namely Dr. Joseph Warren, a naval officer now deceased but a member of the staff at Northeastern University and he worked in community service

6:26department. Ron Amstead was in the United States Navy during Vietnam and he got out and became involved as an advocate and a researcher that came out to be the congressional black caucus brain trust for veterans. Ron Amstead is at home now here in Boston. It is my understanding that he is not able to move as he once did working across the country solidifying and bringing about a thrusts and tools activities with HUD. HUD was involved and he was involved in trying to

7:34get veterans involved so that they could have their benefits and one of the guys and one of the organizations that Ron worked with was the veterans benefits clearinghouse founded by Ralph Cooper worked closely with minister Ernest Branch and Ernest Washington a combat United States Marine during Vietnam. Ralph Cooper was the leader and the voice often heard speaking for veterans including myself when I was involved in the court matter Ralph Cooper and minister Gunny Branch he was a gunnery sergeant in the United States Marine Corps came to the court more than one time

8:41in my situation as I was incarcerated couldn't make bail and I believe that the charge was drug-related nonviolent but nobody said give him a bail. I stayed in that potential pitotetry called Walpole and Green Haven I mean Northfolk when I said Green Haven I mean New York excuse me and they maintained communications with me and I started a chapter for veterans while incarcerated in MCI Northfolk. I'm still advocating for veterans now that I'm out in the street no longer a substance abuse addict no longer with that behavior that would drive me back into incarcerated status and I did it because I believe we were worth it I did it because I

9:56prayed and other people did the same thing for an outcome that would be a mechanism for veterans to be heard. Triad veterans league is a community-based research and policies learning for changing to improve the status of veterans. Female and male female and male will be right back. Dear grandma I can't wait to see you we can bake your special cookies play cards look at all those old photos of you and grandpa when you still add hair three out of five of all home fire deaths occur in homes that don't have a working smoke alarm I hope you like the

10:56picture I made of us if your smoke alarm is over 10 years old replace it go to mass.gov slash DFS because there are more memories to make whether you need it to cool off after a workout or warm you up in a hot bath your tap water is there when you need it it is even used to produce your morning coffee the clothes you wear or cleaning the fruits and veggies you like to snack on your water utility works hard around the clock to ensure high quality drinking water is there when you need it on demand to learn about your water's journey from source to tap contact your local water provider visit drinktap.org to learn more this message is brought to you by the American Water Works Association and back is Haywell Fennel host of the other page radio WBCALP one over two point nine FN Boston Boston's community radio so let me just say something bad I want to thank the leadership here

11:58at B&N Media they are on top of everything with this program for veterans no other station I believe has gone out as much as B&N Media to serve the veteran to involve the veteran and to have a program for veterans we just want to acknowledge that we just wanted to let people know about B&N and its services community based radio station day here at the other page radio we feel that let me just tell you what's going on first of all everybody our last Saturday and the Derby Park area is the David Ramsey Park they had an event and one of my colleagues and a producer here

13:09at B&N TIE RE S Brown Brown was in the E and I went to a beautiful outstanding performance of community artists and boy I'm gonna tell you something I know you wasn't there but I can only tell you that you missed it you missed a good show and if you go on the Oscar Michelle Family Theater program Facebook or my Facebook Hey with FnL Facebook you will be able to see what TIE RE Brown captured when you see his video those people were so talented and one fellow by the name of Fred Woodward

14:12played the violin and the material whoo wee it was amazing it was so tasteful it was so good and you weren't there I believe that I'll be coming back another time and I hope that you will find the time and we will be able to let you know through the radio and fly us that they're coming back because they hooked that up real good real good and we want to talk a little bit about midnight masses and rights review responses they receive from the school to segment of their previous show now this is a program I'm not I'm looking at the notes but this is a script from Rita and I thought that I was just let you know the concert was hosted by sparkling

15:18spin arts and culture incorporated it's a strange name but let me say it again sparking spin arts and culture incorporated where the folks that sponsored the event that was held last Saturday and the David Ramsey Park he was out of sight I'm telling you we're going to try to get some people involved in some of the work that we do and let me just say something you know try and veterans they really really involved we really involved in a lot of stuff I mean not stuff but when it comes to health we had a young lady of Bernie gethers who came on and talked about breast cancer or lung cancer I'm sorry lung cancer and didn't are on our television program before her

16:21we had a photographer by the name of Kevin Fisher come on with some ladies and they talked about breast cancer and I'm on a co-designing committee now and we're talking about black males with lung cancer so you don't have to smoke cigarettes to get lung cancer and we've just been trying to reach out to the community to let them know if you haven't got tested testing will be available so that you can go in and get checked out because one of the sessions that we did the lady had lung cancer went got what she needed medically and a year later she's out speaking about getting involved we do more you know prevention than intervention we take medicines when if we get the test

17:28we might not even have to take medicines so let's try to prevent lung cancer breast cancer cancer by getting tested getting tested you know a lot of veterans I was speaking to a lady that knows more about veterans and better veterans benefits than I do and she was talking about veterans don't want to go to get their benefits after this for denied the first time and the importance of going back the second the third or the fourth time and getting things straight now because a lot of those discharges dd4m214 showed the classification used to deny

18:30benefits but if you go lower further into the denial you'll find out that the veteran can appeal that denial and fairness involved get his benefits or hurt benefits the fight is on we have to be strong and long youth line is a resource directory connecting Boston's young people to hundreds of resources and opportunities throughout the city these include after school programs job opportunities team spaces scholarships financial assistance mental health support and more need resources to get connected you can visit boston.gov slash youth line email youthline at boston.gov call 617 9616981 or stop by the youth line resource desk at 1481 tree monts street in the bcyf tobin did you hear that

19:33you know we give a not information listen try add veterans league as a community based education and cultural enrichment program that is seeking us military veterans interested in the arts and literacy enhancement interested you can check out our website at try add veterans league boston.com that is try add veterans league boston all one word dot com veterans are an overlooked and underused community resource and thank you for your service you know i just want to just basis again this is the other page uh radio a57204-531-711 the city hall plasma or the standdown is going to be city hall plasma September 11 now stand down i know a lot of you already know but some of you might not know it was a strategy to give guys that were on the front line an opportunity to be a wave

20:39and remove for a little while where they were safe and didn't have to fight i don't want to say that they were relaxed and i'm not a combat veteran i'm not a combat veteran so let me make that clear i don't speak for combat veterans and their conditions i speak for veterans in the conditions that they came home with a lot of them can't even talk about what went on when they were in places that were not safe and the trauma and the drama and the racism and the deteriorating mind set that when they came back to stay side they couldn't talk about it and they had to go to the VA what he got to the VA the VA wasn't equipped to deal with the lack of culture sensitivity you know sometimes they got a statement about mohamid going to an amount instead of the mountain going to mohamid we need to be more mindful of what's going on with this PTSD and these other

21:49debilitating mental illnesses that people are trying to cope with notice i say to cope with but not live with when you're dealing with a person that has psychological difficulties and or here's her life you better know what you're doing you better understand that these people cannot talk about what happened to them because a lot of them are filled with shame imagine that going to the United States military and putting on the uniform and then going through all the training all the preparations and supposed to go to one differentiation and you don't go that it's in you to a situation where a combat is in the area you 20 years old 21 years old bushy tail you know bright eye ready to die all I'm one ready to die

22:58but they did but they did come on with a flag on the casket dropped off and pulled a flag up and gave it to the naysay kid or some kid I suppose the tears not know what happened because they had actually declared that there wasn't a war going on in Vietnam and I was sentient in the far east and my barracks is right next door to a mall and you could smell the embarmant fluid so many of our young men and maybe some women were dying in a country called Vietnam maybe Laos too or Thailand because we were all over there we had brought the war to Vietnam

24:11how you think all of it and the meets people came to the United States they came because they were in a war to a country and the United States was there and trying to hold up the government but not hold up the African American veteran can't forget those guys November the 5th at the Strand Theatre starting at 5 p.m we will have a news conference we have speakers and people will be able to see our exhibit done by young people in commission commission by tried veterans leave to educate people about the importance of giving up your life

25:14and taking an oath we understand we understand apathy like I said we need to understand empathy because you got veterans walking the street and you might not know them as veterans but they know they know they don't talk about it until they someplace hiding in a bottle or in a shooting gallery or in a hallway smoking dope and trying to figure out what happened I can't talk to anybody they don't understand me I'm a black person oh that's breaking down now that's breaking down but not fast enough not nearly enough facilities for our veterans

26:19so you know like I'm going to say what are our plans to say but God has a way when you think you're going to say one thing you say something else listen to this I raised my hand to fight for my country and you school teachers raised your hand to teach my children but did you do your job did you teach my children because I fulfilled my responsibility as a United States military person I served my country and I deserve for my country to serve me

27:26it's all about understanding that we were not described in a manner that we performed over there dating back to the American Revolution 1776 July 4th I recall them saying it was our date of recognition for winning our nation's freedom and sending the British packing nobody is talking about sacrifices made by some freed and others not freed black veterans pushed the British back so far that the British negotiated for some that wanted to go back with them to Canada and freedom

28:31and they went who don't want to be free come on presser didn't want to give them guns say they were cowards there is no place in the history the United States military history that can be cited it's cowardly when it comes to African American veterans I don't believe I know that there was a time when the African American veterans came home after winning liberty and freedom for other countries were attacked let's wear the United States military uniform that's what happened to them some

29:37amazing coming back from fighting to save lives and the country and the people that you were fighting to save turned on you and said that you were coming back to take their jobs and we're going to eliminate you imagine that but that's what happened beyond the uniform initiative no 25 2026 at the strand theater this one that we want you to come out because we want to acknowledge some of the veterans that served came home and did not give up on themselves got an education got a profession and worked in the community it's a lot of them folks here in Boston

30:43Massachusetts two million for me to name but I will say that we're going to honor some a few but on to them we shall November 5th at the strand theater starting at 3pm I want to say something folks that you know try it veterans league is a server for the community we don't hold back our thoughts and we organize our thoughts and we have a theater company the y'all school me show family theater program company and we've been around a little while we even have a core of veterans that are in our technical component that raises the production value of our performances

31:49we're going to be holding auditions and we're going to let you know we're going to bring in some of the talent that we talked about earlier we're going to get some of those people that were involved in sparking spin arts and cultural and corporate and I just want to say something right here right now if you haven't heard him speak if you haven't seen him on being in main tary s brown is back he's back folks and he ain't holding no hostage is he bringing them in he was with us before and he had like health issue he's dealing with it but not like he did before he is showing people what commitment

32:57is all about dedication he's looking us up with our Facebook here with FnL Facebook and try add veterans league we got Facebook and we're going to start doing some things his way so stay tuned check us out put us online we're going to fly we're going to bring it to you are you ready because we got voice v o i c e v o i c e veterans of inner city children's ensemble will be holding auditions if you are between the ages of 10 and 14 we're going to announce the date we're going to let you know

34:01voice is coming to talk and sing about African American veterans and our history that is special your number to call you got to go online because we don't have it in front of me you got a problem commissioner robin santheago for the city of boston veteran services give him a call and someone will answer the phone but make sure you say what your issues are we're trying to create the one voice strategy to deal with a multiplicity of problems encounter because of racism because of apathy because we don't have enough empathy

35:05I could stand here all day and complain but we are not about the business of complaining we take our energy for complaining and converted into becoming solution driven we need our own voice we need to speak up for ourselves we don't need anybody with the polar tricks i said polar tricks smiling like they know what's going on don't know nothing make the kiss they don't know did at least quiet let's get together make better weather for the veterans and their families by the way pick up the base state banner i think they're going to put a story in the paper this week about the work that we are doing with beyond the uniform initiative remember we got auditions coming up remember we got to speak up and speak out command and demand

36:13we are veterans we will be respected we will no longer be pushed on the side and forgotten we die we try in our families cry we thank you for your attention and we hope that you have a good and better day God bless you