GirlTREK

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Cosmonauts | Day 6 | Nefertiti Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

Let’s face it. Any time anyone mentions the name Nefertiti, we all picture the beautiful Iman in the Remember the Time video - or maybe you immediately go to the gold-plated knocker earrings that celebrate her glorious profile. ...but what do we reeeeally know about the Queen? Tune in today to learn exactly why there was a Nefertiti revival in every Black neighborhood in America circa 1991, precisely 3,000 years after her dramatic death in ancient Egypt. Roll your shoulders back and adjust your crown queens, this tribute Walk & Talk is going to be gooood.
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech except played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) | Digable Planets:
https://bit.ly/3sSUz7T

How Many Mics | The Fugees:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2lOnbK3gm1N6keYkUD3mis?si=cuTVy2QVRm6HcPfLjUT0LA

Cosmonauts | Day 5 | Gladys Bentley Mar 06, 2021

Show notes

The original. Before Nikki, before Cardi, before Kim. Long before Young M.A. was seducing women out of their Fashion Nova, and Meg made that congressman clutch his pearls over WAP, there was Gladys Bentley. An open lesbian, a cross-dressing performer whose raunchy act and lewd lyrics were both the talk of the town and the hottest ticket around. A darling of the Harlem Renaissance, Gladys Bentley was once the richest Black woman in America. A blues singer who got her start singing at rent parties, she was a woman brave enough to love and live as she wanted - until the politics of the time and a brutal system of oppression, that has denied so many of us the opportunity to live in our truth, forced her back into the margins.
Our stories are complex. Difficult. Not always redeemable to those who live in the black and white. Not always deemed worthy to be told if not pristine or above reproach. But not in this space. Here, amongst a tribe of women who come bearing our own scars, we make space for every story. And today we tell the story of Gladys, because it is spectacular and because it serves as inspiration for those who will come after her to plant their own flags in planets yet discovered. Can’t wait to walk with you today. Tune in live. This one will be worth it.

Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
Worried Blues | Gladys Bentley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptIBk2PZK74

Back to the Streets | Saweetie
https://open.spotify.com/track/3MEruRteiUZXkStfTlZqRn?si=Qrepmax0TcuH4odrXBeeRw

Cosmonauts | Day 4 | Celia Cruz Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

Her mother told her that she was singing before she could hold her head up. Calling at birth. An air bender. And on any given Sunday, if you walk through the right neighborhood at precisely the right time, you’ll hear it. ...just behind the smell of fresh laundry and the sizzle of Sazón, you feel it coming. "¡Azúuucar!" Every sound system must bow. The clap of her voice is more ancient than the rivers of Benin. Celia Cruz gave us pathways home. She was our clave, the pulse of our diaspora, our mother's lullaby, and Oya’s cry. “The Queen of Salsa'' stoked our collective imaginations and taught us to fly. And for that, we dedicate today’s walk to this cultural cosmonaut.
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - 21 Cosmonauts at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 women who were ahead of their time.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech except played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
Quimbara - Zaire, Africa 1974 | Celia Cruz & The Fania All Stars:
https://bit.ly/3sSUz7T

Bemba Colora Live | Celia Cruz:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4fn2fJjnuu5vxR2sRw5D5t?si=fcVlBk4HTsSGBm6C40vLSA

Prayer Edition | Day 20 | Bishop Tutu Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

We watched him forgive, for all of us.
Today, Bishop Tutu is 89 years old and is still changing the moral climate of the world.
In 1996, this spiritual titan - who is a survivor of Apartheid - proceeded over the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. Together, we listened to gruesome stories of torture and unthinkable confessions of death squads. The entire concept was radical - truth for freedom. Let go of retribution to restore justice. Bring mass healing for all.It was a master class.
Bishop Tutu received a Nobel Peace Prize. Yes. But more than his achievements, I am struck by his laugher. It's brilliant. And after a lifetime of resistance to the repression and violence of Apartheid, his laughter proves that there is a God. Some of the most beautiful moments in the last decade are between Bishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama. The two men charged with smiling eyes, praying hands, and foot-stomping laughter, show us the bounty of spiritual enlightenment.
We are humbled to honor this living legend. His daughter, Rev. Naomi Tutu will join us today live.
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - The Prayer Edition at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with prayers, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 spiritual warriors.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excerpt played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrica - Gospel Train:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5HiC1rsHmXbrh5zy7cG5LS?si=sJpd8UeIQr6v1Mop6BAp5A
Forgiveness: "What do you do to forgive someone?" - Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo2LGGqtjqM&feature=youtu.be
Bo Noo Ni - Joe Mettle:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7eirw5Zy1bUWOka5g2HWrb?si=847jZABmSrmkRP1NNzuxBQ

Prayer Edition | Day 19 | The Mandela Family Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

… A tree was chopped down
and the fruit was scattered
I cried
because I had lost a family
the trunk, my father
the branches, his support
so much
the fruit, the wife and children
who meant so much to him
tasty
loving as they should be
all on the ground
some out of his reach
in the ground
the roots, happiness
cut off from him.
- Zindzi Mandela
This is an ode to Black love. The love that survived and the love that didn’t.
This is an honoring of the sacrifice of Black men who could have loved more tenderly and Black women who could have received more softly if only the world wasn’t content on destroying them.
This is an honoring of the lovers who sought refuge in each other and found it, if only for a moment.
This is a space where we honor the gray area of relationships. A space that knows no blame. A space that honors that there is no manual for how to love during wartime.
This is a conversation and an exploration of the life and love of Winnie and Nelson Mandela.
Our heroes were humans and they gave at great sacrifice. Today we honor that sacrifice and look for the lessons by diving deep into the Mandelas' powerful legacy.
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - The Prayer Edition at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with prayers, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 spiritual warriors.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
Soweto Blues - Miriam Makeba:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7qb0KJZ0iXtS8LMSXCH353?si=t5ZnQGQjRiydvR4uzTBY_w
Let's Stay Together - Al Green:
https://open.spotify.com/track/63xdwScd1Ai1GigAwQxE8y?si=79Zk_xL5Ss6hoNLeUOipMw

Prayer Edition | Day 17 | Malcolm X & The Shabazz Family Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

“I say this to you, as I say to myself: If Malcolm and his message, so strong, so bright and so pure, was too good for those of us who have already reached manhood, there is a generation who is not yet spoiled, not yet degutted, not yet de-bold, not yet emasculated, who when they come into the light of this truth will rise up and redeem him and us and all the rest of the world. That is the meaning of Malcolm X.” - Ossie Davis
We are that generation.
We are ready to rise up.
Join us live on today’s walk for a historic conversation about the life and legacy of Malcolm X and the Shabazz family.
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - The Prayer Edition at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with prayers, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 spiritual warriors.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
Pharoah Sanders - Hum Allah Hum Allah Hum Allah:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWghTVdDGDM&feature=emb_logo
Malcolm X’s Fiery Speech Addressing Police Brutality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_uYWDyYNUg&feature=youtu.be
Ossie Davis's eulogy for Malcolm X (The ending of the Malcolm X movie):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2PQ3XY_j2E&feature=emb_logo

Prayer Edition | Day 16 | The King Family Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

21 million of us may lose healthcare. 21 million. Rather than folding into rage, arguing perspectives, or waxing philosophical, let's get in the streets. Join us today, for a special edition of Black History Bootcamp to listen to the words of one of the most brilliant political organizers in history. Dr. King called us to love one another AND demand "a radical redistribution of political and economic power." He said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.” In this pivotal moment, as we strengthen our bodies for the days ahead, we'll share the part of his final speech that they do NOT want you to hear. It's a blueprint for labor organizing, economic withdrawal, direct action, and radical love.
"There is a certain kind of fire that no water can put out."
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - The Prayer Edition at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with prayers, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 spiritual warriors.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
Oh Freedom! - The Golden Gospel Singers:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3O9lB0cF1EC2cA6RwkO2NF?si=g42phSemTO6zpk3Sg8-tsg
The Anthology 1957-1968 - Mountaintop Speech - Martin Luther King Jr.:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6VmSiL5dAz0iui79svT1XE?si=HfSCtWfRRWSfmcCwkHZu0g

Prayer Edition | Day 13 | Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

Prophecy
I sing of a new American
Separate from all others,
Yet enlarged and diminished by all others.
I am the child of kings and serfs, freemen and slaves,
Having neither superiors nor inferiors,
Progeny of all colors, all cultures, all systems, all beliefs.
I have been enslaved, yet my spirit is unbound.
I have been cast aside, but I sparkle in the darkness.
I have been slain but live on in the river of history.
I seek no conquest, no wealth, no power, no revenge:
I seek only discovery
Of the illimitable heights and depths of my own being.
- The Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray
Spiritual Warrior of the Day:
This is the story of Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, she was the #daughterof Cornelia, who was the #daughterof Harriet, an enslaved woman who was forced to bear children with her owner. This is the story of what would not die and what could not be stolen – our mother’s hopes and dreams for our lives. This is the story of the Black woman in America.
The Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray lived one of the most remarkable lives of the twentieth century. She was a civil rights activist, a pioneering feminist, a labor organizer, a lawyer, and an Episcopal priest. Her legal arguments and interpretation of the Constitution helped to dramatically change the laws of this country Her steadfast and fearless pursuit of justice led her to break down gender and racial barriers across the land. We are indebted to Pauli Murray for her unwavering devotion to her people, for her bravery, and for the personal sacrifices that she had to make along the way. It is our privilege to talk about her life story on today's walk and to honor her legacy through a walking worship.
We do it today in honor of Cornelia and Harriet because they endured so Pauli could live. And in honor of our grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers who did the same.
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - The Prayer Edition at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with prayers, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 spiritual warriors.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
The Best In Me - Marvin Sappr:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1B5NWdLAt8GC4WKTPUCrLM?si=207hYhMRS6ePEjbIfOIrbg
Up Where We Belong - Bebe & Cece Winans:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6hjuzceBTUL1kv5H6Uw2Th?si=4LCL92eHTtG5JC1b9HLviA

Prayer Edition | Day 12 | The Coltranes Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

I listened to John Coltrane all night ...and woke up singing the old gospel song, "I Hasten to His Throne." I didn't fully understand the connection until now. Isn't that what this is all about? Hastening to what is greater?
Spiritual Warriors of the Day:
For John Coltrane, it was at his lowest moment, in a cold fight against heroin, on his bedroom floor, he experienced God's Love. From that moment, he dedicated his life to a fervent practice of spiritual awakening. And because God is good, this awakening came with a spiritual guide from Detroit, a woman named Alice. Together, they created A Love Supreme. More than a ground-breaking album, it was an ethos. A dissertation on love. They improvised connecting with God day after day. She once meditated continually for weeks. It was this devotion and discipline that gave the world one of the purest languages of love imaginable.
Love, for them, was not a falling. No. It was a practice. A habit. A discipline. A lifestyle. Maybe even a religion. It was a love note on the kitchen table kind of love. A harp for Christmas kind of love. Four babies in four years kind of love. Be still and hear God speak kind of love. And when John was in deep, delivering his 4-part musical masterpiece, Alice was meditating, raising the boys and beaming with anticipation. She said, "Before I even met John, there was something in me that knew there was a divine connection - there were things that he said to me, they weren’t spoken with the human voice."
The Coltranes lived with edgelessness. They were expensive. Their music, healing. In one of the most beautiful articles I've ever read, Carvell Wallace said that John gave the soul a place to sing. He writes, "There is something about a saint that makes it safe for all of us to get lost in the swell of being human." And in a brilliant story for NPR, Sydnee Monday called Alice's music "spiritual preservation." She became the matriarch of Black meditation. Her transcendental music helped millions of us find enlightenment. And he is arguably the greatest musician to ever live. Together, they transformed the world.
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - The Prayer Edition at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with prayers, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 spiritual warriors.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
I Love The Lord - Whitney Houston ft. Georgia Mass Choir:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2xrXUa8o1JJtz8nobY2UsY?si=xodi35yOSgyQubts4kqSOA
A Love Supreme, Pt. I Acknowledgement - John Coltrane:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0CLbmkYmQIWiEwnsbOkLpd?si=Ur4Bfxm8RR2ruZKT2Dk0ug

Prayer Edition | Day 11 | Thomas Dorsey Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

Precious Lord, take my hand. Be with me this week as I walk in my purpose. Show me where I’ve lost expectancy. Deal with the places in my life where I’ve settled, gotten off track, or completely lost my way. Help me to trust your promises. Teach me to walk with wisdom and discernment. I am an heir. Teach me to act like one, pray like one, and believe like one. Give me holy gumption. Give me the presence of mind to be a witness through all of my words and actions. Let me never be blinded by the limitations of my physical circumstances. Help me to see beyond. Put a song in my heart as I walk through the day, welcoming and receiving with open arms the goodness that I know you have in store for me.
Spiritual Warrior of the Day:
“There is no music like that music, no drama like the drama of the saints rejoicing, the sinners moaning, the tambourines racing, and all those voices coming together and crying holy unto the Lord. I have never seen anything to equal the fire and excitement that sometimes without warning, fills a church, causing the church … to rock. – James Baldwin
This is a story about the father of gospel music. This is a story about a man who carried the rhythm and blues of southern pain all the way north to Chicago and combined it with the scripture of God to create a new sound that would express the joys and sorrows, hopes and despairs, and most of all - the collective faith - of Black people.
This is a celebration of the spiritual warrior, Thomas Dorsey.
Thomas Dorsey introduced the world to a new genre of music that would forever play as the soundtrack to the worship experience of Black people. His legendary life included authoring one of the most celebrated songs in the history of music, Precious Lord, written after losing both his wife and newborn son during childbirth. In that dark moment, this man called out to God in anger and God answered back, pouring into him a love song that would forever soothe the world.
That’s how powerfully God can transform your pain into purpose. Today’s walk will be a timely reminder for anyone who had forgotten. You might be in your darkest hour right now, but Thomas Dorsey’s story teaches us to keep holding on. There is life after death and in each day, always, a possibility of goodness.
Come get everything that you need today. We will be on the virtual sidewalk ready to walk and talk it all out.
Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - The Prayer Edition at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with prayers, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 spiritual warriors.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
He Brought Us - Delois Barrett Campbell and the Barrett Sisters:
https://open.spotify.com/track/03xqTwXIQ8l1dhFK9GmbUQ?si=KJ-g77Y0R12H1L915ExerQ
Precious Lord - Thomas A Dorsey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlmCflPD2s8
Precious Lord - Aretha Franklin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpFq9gxBxhk

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