The Real Lives Of Strong Black Men

After a brief hiatus due to COVID-19 and now in the midst of a far dangerous pandemic called ANTI- BLACK RACISM....we rejoin you with a conversation that is for Black Men who want to stay alive.  It all starts with breathe. Our guest today is Michael Okech, founder of New York Stretch Therapy which provides wellness strategies for crazy times like these through a focus on fitness, nutrition, and health.  Today Michael and I talk about the current reality of being Black in America and the unchecked threat it poses for Black men in particular.  Michael teaches a virtual class on "deep breathing" to his growing list of global clientele and has a lot to say about how to develop a plan for self-care and survival....should it come to that when Living While Black.   Thanks again for tuning in....  Toby

In this "Off My Chest" session of The Real Lives of Strong Black Men Podcast, I share some of my own thoughts in response to some of the conversations that I’ve either bee listening to from black people in the community about the COVID-19.  I offer some of the unique things that we should be thinking and do right now as we go through this crisis as  Black people and a Black community. I would love to hear your thoughts on this as well  and invite you to please share any knowledge that you have with this listening community. Together we will get through this ...much love Toby

AT THE TENDER AGE OF 17, MY GUEST, "WILL ICON"  FROM THE HOUSE OF ICON, WAS ABANDONED BY HIS FAMILY BECAUSE OF BEING GAY. LIKE SO MANY YOUNG BLACK AND BROWN KIDS OF HIS ERA, HE FOUND HIS WAY TO CHRISTOPHER STREET IN THE WEST VILLAGE OF NEW YORK CITY. TO BE AN ABANDONED CHILD, LEFT TO HIS OWN DEVICES, TO SURVIVE IN THE STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY IS TOUGH ENOUGH.  BUT TO DO THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF A GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS THAT WAS KILLING BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE OF ALL SEXUALITIES, WHILE BEING YOUNG, POOR, BLACK, AND GAY...WELL IF THAT DON'T MAKE YOU STRONG...IT WILL KILL YOU.  BUT FOR MY GUEST...LIFE BECAME A BALL WHEN HE MET ANOTHER LGBT YOUTH WHO INTRODUCED HIM TO BALLROOM LIFE.  NOW YOU MAY HAVE SEEN A FEW EPISODES OF "POSE" OR REMEMBER MADONNA'S CHART TOPPING SINGLE "VOGUE," ALL OF WHICH ONLY GIVE US A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES OF YOUNG URBAN BLACK AND BROWN GAY MEN IN  NEW YORK CITY, BUT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO THIS STORY.  

My next guest is a friend and neighbor who I met several years ago at the local Starbucks.  You know the type,  Bold, Dark, Quiet Yet Intense?  No I am not talking your favorite blend of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee... I am talking about that particular kind of brother who no matter where he is....he can never be invisible.  Cornelius Harris is such a brother!  An veteran who served our country in Afghanistan, a man of unleashed and unapologetic style, a man who upon first approach appears hard to speak to ...that is until you do.  Cornelius shares some of the life experiences that are a part of his first upcoming memoir which is tentatively titled," The War Within."  Join us as two friends chill and talk about life on a Sunday afternoon above a storefront church in Harlem.

As always thanks for tuning into The Real Lives of Strong Black Men Podcast. This podcast is hosted by Anchor.fm, a free podcasting platform that brings many voices to the world.  Download the app online and sign up for this podcast.  This is a special podcast feature that I will be producing from time to time called "OFF MY CHEST."   In this brief monologue, I share my reactions and thoughts about topical social events and commentary that impact the lives of Black Men in the world.  Take a listen and also share your thoughts. Let me know if you want to get something off your chest in a future episode of The Real Lives Of Strong Black Men podcast. 

Sending Love,  Toby

Thanks for listening to The Real Lives of Strong Black Men. We publish a new episode twice a month hosted on Anchor.fm, Spotify, Apple,  and most other platforms . Take a moment and download the free Anchor.fm  app so you can hear future episodes. Today's podcast continues our conversation about self-reclamation and the interior work that we must do as Black men to achieve inner joy, outer happiness, and uncompromising success.   Today I am talking to my friend "Jay" about his own recent decision to step away from social media for a while and take a look at what was not working in his life.  "Jay" is figuring it out as he goes along his life journey and in this very vulnerable conversation between friends he shares what and who is making it possible for him to become the truly Strong Black Man that he deserves and wants to become.  As always, thanks for listening and share this podcast series with at least one Black Man who you love!

Season 1: Episode 2  So much of what we experience as Black men is due to how the world responds to our physical nature, to our bodies. It is within our bodies that we must find ourselves, defend ourselves, and love ourselves.  My guest Edafe Okporo and I discuss his experiences and thoughts as a refugee Black man who moved to the United States two years ago and how being a Black man in the United States has refined his thinking about what it means to be a Strong, African, American, Man.

The Real Lives of Strong Black Men podcast explores the inner lives of Black men, their experiences, stories, and realities. Toby's interviews with Black men from all walks of life gives the listener the opportunity to hear the truth about what it means to be Strong, Black and a Man.