Answering the Why

Richard Dodds — 00:03 :
This is still talking black, a show about giving awareness and perspectives to issues that minorities face every day. I’m your host Richard Dye. So as we get closer to the end of the first season I just wanted to come on and first of all say thank you to everyone that’s listened to. All of the people that’s reached out to me and giving me words of encouragement. I just really appreciate everything that each and every one of you’ve done. Even if you’ve just listened. Even if this is your first episode listening, I just wanted to say. 

Richard Dodds — 00:36 :
 Thank you today. I really just kind of wanted to talk about the why did I start still talking black why? Why do it in a podcast form? Why me and why it’s important? If you’ve listened to pretty much any of the episodes i talk about it frequently. The day that I felt like things needed to change was when George Floyd was murdered. For the first time in my life, I felt like it was no longer OK for me to be silent. 

Richard Dodds — 01:10 :
 And that it was time for me to take a stance in whatever way that meant. It was time for me to do something. The thing I decided to do was to use my voice. I felt like I had a unique perspective because of all the people that I know and all of the experiences that I had. It all started with a speech. Is it because I’m black? If you listen to the first episode, I say the whole speech, or if you look on social media, it’s there, but the breakdown of the speech is it used to be funny. When I was out with my friends that weren’t black, when things would happen, I would joke and say oh is it because I’m black? And there was this a big punch line and we were all alive. 

Richard Dodds — 01:54 :
 And the world got to a point where it was no longer funny. To laugh at that question because that question went from being a joke and a hypothetical to being something that was seriously the case sometimes was I getting treated differently because I’m black all the way that we as Black people carry every day. Just started really weighing on my shoulders. And it was just really too much for me to bear, so I really wanted to share. My emotions and my feelings with. My diverse group of friends and let them know how I’m feeling and kind of be a mouthpiece of people that think like me. 

Richard Dodds — 02:37 :
 So in thinking of the podcast, the reason that I really wanted to start the podcast was not only to be a social media activist, but to also learn more about my community because growing up neutral is something that I say a lot. It’s not that I didn’t know that things were going on in the world, but I think a lot of times we get complicit. 

Richard Dodds — 03:00 :
 And things that are going on around the world that don’t affect us directly. If our world is good, then everybody else’s world must be good as we know that is not the case while planning. Still talking black, I was on a friend of mine’s podcast, not your enemy. Speak out session with Shannon Reynolds and Jared White. And I had the opportunity to speak and one of the things that they ask is from a creative standpoint. How has the world. 

Richard Dodds — 03:26 :
 And its current state been. All my mental more or less. They said a lot more eloquently than I just did, but and one of the things that I said is that after George Floyd was murdered. I felt like it was necessary for me to speak out in a way that I had never spoke out before because I have such a unique experience on life just because of I’ve been around so many different people. So many different religions and I just felt like I had a unique perspective, so I wanted to share my perspective because. There’s so many times that people aren’t being rude, but they just don’t understand that people’s circumstances are different than other peoples. 

Richard Dodds — 04:08 :
 The example that I gave is that. As a Black person, we carry all kinds of weight and the example that I gave was that I was at my nine to five and I was talking to two of my white coworkers and we were talking about racial inequality and that if we both left here at the same time and you guys got pulled over that you would be mad because you don’t want to get a ticket. 

— 04:32 :
 You would be worried about what’s going on. You don’t know how to pull you over. I said, on the other hand, the weight that I carry as a black man is that I have to worry. Whether or not I’m gonna end up on a hashtag or T-shirt And the looks on their faces show me that that’s a perspective that had never had to deal with. And that was just something that they were ignorant to just because they really didn’t affect them. It really wasn’t a reason for them to have to think about that, but when I put them in a perspective of where I come from and what I have to endure is just from my skin being melanated, it gave them a whole new insight on what a lot of us as black people have to go through on a daily basis. 

Richard Dodds — 05:17 :
 A lot of times we don’t understand issues unless they affect us, so I have a perspective that my non-Black friends they don’t have and I felt like it was my duty to share that perspective with other people and helped them to at least see and also learn more about my community and start intelligent conversations that hopefully can lead to something more. That was the beginning and the middle of still talking black. 

Richard Dodds — 05:43 :
 After that podcast, I finally got myself together because I really dragged my feet on this. Just I can remember just releasing the first speech. Is it because I’m black? It was so much worry that I had just because when you put your words out, you’re you’re making yourself so vulnerable and I didn’t know how people was going to take it and I didn’t know how much of myself to share. So being on our podcast really reinvigorated me to continue on the on the mission on the purpose that I feel like that I’ve been the calling that I’ve been called to. 

Richard Dodds — 06:18 :
 Is to do this podcast so. From some of the people that I hear from, I see that purpose is paying off and I like I said I really appreciate hearing from everybody. The reason why I chose the podcast medium was one because it has something. It is something that I have already started doing. I have found some success in another podcast that I had done previous to starting this one and I saw the kind of connection that you can build just from having a voice and talking to people’s ears and being able to have conversation. You know, usually you know I get on the mic and it’s a one way conversation, but I have so many conversations based off of the stuff that I say with my guests. 

Richard Dodds — 06:59 :
 And with my friends and with fans of the show that it just opens up wonderful dialogue and I feel like podcast is an emerging media and it’s excellent to be able to have a whole show that I don’t. I can produce myself that I can edit myself. I can do it from the comfort of my home and I don’t have to have like a TV contract or a radio contract to be able to do it. So even with the podcast. I always been wanting to move more towards media because media plays such a large role in our world. 

Richard Dodds — 07:38 :
 And ownership was important to me, so I wanted to make something that I owned and I controlled. So that I would be able to tell my story and be able to help share other people’s stories that in typical media back in the day, the way it used to be, it was harder for us to get our voices out. Podcasting is one of the ways that is easier to get your message out and your voice out. For me this has never been easy. This is never. Where I thought I would be sitting and talking about social justice issues, you know, for so long. To be honest, I was really content with just sitting back and focusing on my immediate world and knowing that injustices and other things were happening. 

Richard Dodds — 08:25 :
 But thinking that things were we’re going to get better, especially after Barack Obama was elected president in the United States. I was like, oh wow, things have changed so much. We have a black man as a president. But so much has changed since those days and maybe that was the beginning of the end, and that’s how we found ourselves here. It got to the point where. You couldn’t be silent anymore, and now we’re at the point where it’s not even enough to talk about it. 

Richard Dodds — 08:52 :
 We’re getting to the point where action is needed. Just because there is so much injustice in this world. And if we’re quiet, nothing will change. There’s way more that I really want to be able to do in the future, but this is my first step and hopefully in invigorates other people to join me in trying to make this world a better place for all people. I was listening to something the other day, and I and I actually think it came from Waka Flocka Flame. 

Richard Dodds — 09:22 :
 The rapper it was crazy. He said that black and white only exists in America and he says when he travels the world he could be with his Jewish friend, his Hispanic friend and his black friends. And when he’s overseas they’re not calling them black and they’re not calling his Jewish friend, Jewish or white or any of those things. All of them are just American and other people, so he said it’s crazy that when we leave the country they see us as Americans, but in our own country we’re so divided. 

Richard Dodds — 09:57 :
 A lot of people think that the issues that are happening in the black community is a black community thing, but it really is a people thing and. All of us need to come together in order to fix this thing. That means it is happening inside of our community, but it’s also happening with allies outside of our community and some at some point, all of us need to really get together. And admit that we have biases and work towards fixing a broken system. Or as some people say, to rebuild a system that was never built for us in the 1st place. It’s so important to be able to get other people’s voices and be able to hear other people’s opinions. 

Richard Dodds — 10:40 :
 It means so much to me that people that I get to talk to on a weekly and biweekly basis just because there’s so much that I learn and I feel so much growth comes from intelligent conversation. I hope that the things that I bring and I present to you, the listener, is really valuable and that you find value and meaning and that it helps you grow in some way. Because I can truly say that I’ve grown a lot, and even when I’ve tried to run away from this calling that I’ve have to do this, I never quite feel comfortable until I’m back at it. And even when I’m trying not to talk about stuff from the show, I always find myself sitting and talking about. 

Richard Dodds — 11:26 :
 Social justice wherever I go. So this is something that’s become a bigger and bigger part of my life. So with all of that said, I still have some big shows that I’m working on for the conclusion of season one, and I have some good stuff that is coming soon. I cannot wait to share it with you. But for right now, that’s all that I have. If you like the show, please be sure to rate it on whatever podcasting app that you use. 

Richard Dodds — 11:57 :
 And if you find value in it, please share it with someone else that you think will find value in it as well. So again, I would like to thank everyone for listening. Still talking black as a Crown Culture LLC production. It’s produced by me, Richard Diaz and our theme music was created by the DJ Blue. You can find this show on Instagram and Facebook as still talking black and you can find my personal account at Dazzle and that’s DODDSISM If you are so inclined, you can find out. Give me more information about still talking black and StillTalkingBlack.com But until next time, keep talking.