In My Humble Opinion: Recent Episodes
In My Humble Opinion Talk Show
In My Humble Opinion talk show is hosted by Charles Lewis, Maxicelia Robinson, and Razor, along with special guests.
Charles Lewis: Welcome to First Person Cville, the podcast. I'm Charles Lewis, your host, and also the co-host of In My Humble Opinion, from 101.3 FM.Marian Dixon was born in Charlottesville. At 80 years old, her wisdom and insights are an inspiration—even if her experiences haven’t always been uplifting. See, Marian knows about intense grief.
Marian Dixon: Everybody has their own way of grieving. Some people can get over it faster than others and some of it takes a long time to do. It affects you both mentally and physically. It really does.
Charles Lewis: When Marian was just 19 years old, her infant daughter Varinia suddenly died.
Marian Dixon: It was just a shock, you know, to play with your baby, nurse her, and then go back to get her up and she's gone. I hadn't cried through our daughter's death. I hadn't cried through making arrangements, the funeral, the burial, none of it. I had not cried. I went from them telling me she was gone into this -- the best I can explain it -- it was like I was in this room inside of a room, and it was like I could see everything going on around me and what everybody was doing, but I was not a part of that. I was just in limbo. I was just there. I wasn't hurting anybody. I just wasn't functioning. I had been going through what they classified massive depression for a while it had been, I guess, a couple of months. And I was standing at the window in my glass box, my invisible glass box, looking out the window. And our oldest daughter, she came into the house and I was standing and she grabbed me by my dress. And she told me, “Mama, [daughter’s name?] is gone, but you still have us.” That was all she said. Which was really shocking to hear a six year old say that. And when she when she said that it was though someone just really hit me in my stomach and I start screaming and crying and I cried and cried. I don't know how long I cried A couple of hours. About two or 3 hours, I don't know. But I cried and cried and I could hear my mama say, “Just leave her alone. Let her get it out. Let her get it out.” And a couple of days after that, I was back to myself.
Charles Lewis: So what do you believe is the lesson in all of it? You know, especially when you think about I'm going through grief and depression to that to that level. Like, do you feel like there was a lesson to learn?
Marian Dixon: Not necessarily a lesson, but it's just something some time we have to go through. And it does make us stronger on the other side once you get through it. And it's been a lot of things that, as far as my family is concerned and the deaths in my family that I had to go through, but I was better equipped to accept them after going through what I did in the past. It makes it easier for you to deal with other things, especially if something else happens. That fear was there for a while, quite some time. And not realize that we don't have no control over how long a person lives or anything like that. Two years later, we had our middle son. And it was sort of like, we all spoiled him. We were thinking something was going to happen to him. So, we spoiled him. All of us did, is, you know, every time he went to sleep or anything like that is this is sisters and his brothers was looking at him to make sure he was all right, you know. But after that, after, you know, the fear left in that extra fear that was in the back of your mind and left after he began to grow and be with the rest of them.
Charles Lewis: Baby Varinia’s death wasn’t the only time that Marian would wrestle with grief. She’s also buried two of adult daughters—and her husband of 60 years. Marian admits that, even though she’s a woman of strong faith, she used to be angry with God.
Marian Dixon: I had to humble myself and ask for forgiveness. It was years later when our youngest daughter at that particular time died and I was angry with God. I mean, Rinia was a baby, you can kind of accept that that she was younger. But when your children grow up, you expect them to bury you, not you bury them. We've had to bury two of our daughters as they've been grown. I was more able to with Barbara, I guess, the way she was, she had just started pastoring and all and I really get angry, you know, and I didn't realize it at first. And I had to ask God's forgiveness. Who am that who he created to get mad with him? And then with my, our oldest daughter when she passed, I was more ready to accept it because of the fact she was a pastor, too. I was more able to accept the death of my husband after 60 some years. Yes, I miss him. You know someone about half your life and we were teens when we got married. But I just thank God for the experiences that I have been through. And still might have to go through. Because tomorrow's not promised to you. Next second isn’t. But I thank God for where he already brought me through and where he's taking me.
Charles Lewis: One of the reasons the story is so pertinent is that clinical depression is at an all time high. And so what's your words of encouragement to those who are in the middle of it and don't see a way out?
Marian Dixon: You know, if you feel yourself getting into a state where you would want to do your self harm or you worried about this one because they're gone. Be able to talk about it. Don't leave it in you. You know, because when things stay in you and you don't talk about them, it's like a cancer and it eats at you. If you need help and you're going through things and it's bothering you, seek help. Seek help.
CL: You can find Marion’s story at vinegar hill magazine dot com.We want to hear your story and tell the story of our community together. Share your perspective with First Person Cville at cvilleinclusivemedia.com/projects. The First Person Cville podcast is a production of Charlottesville Inclusive Media. It's hosted by me, Charles Lewis, and the In My Humble Opinion Talk Show.Like what you hear? Subscribe and follow us at imhotalkshow.org.
This episode was produced by Kelly Jones. Music for this episode came from Epidemic Sound. IMHO music was from God Vamps by Miguel and Morse with NYC bangers on production. Episode Notes
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Charles Lewis: Welcome to First Person Cville, the podcast. I'm Charles Lewis, your host, and also the co-host of In My Humble Opinion, from 101.3 FM. One night—while visiting a friend in New York City—photographer Marley Nichelle had a weird dream.
Marley Nichelle: In the dream it was this woman telling me that I was a messenger. She said, You got to send out the message. And I was like, What message? Like? What is she talking about?
CL: The next morning, Marley didn’t have much to do. So they started going through their harddrive, organizing old photos.
Marley Nichelle: And as I was going through all my photos, I was like, while I. I really got some nice portraits of a lot of Black people like we are not opposed, like and that's when it hit me. I said, that's it. And I realized my whole career I have been creating work that surrounds things that are not oppressive. And that's the message.
CL: Marley decided to put together a photo essay to capture that message—in Marley’s own words, they wanted to “create a narrative of liberation and healing for communities of blackness by showing them power through language and visual arts.” And they called the series: “No, We Are Not Oppressed.”
Charles Lewis: How have you used your camera to self liberate as well as liberate others?
Marley Nichelle: Through the stories I tell. As artists, it's our job to evoke emotions. I had to be taught that and not be afraid to. You know, tap to my emotions and how I'm feeling, because honestly, that is what helps me create the world. Liberating work is not just for people, it's for me too. And I feel like every artist should have a way to where they take their pain and trauma, their negatives, their bads, their pain, and make it something beautiful. It’s so important for me when I navigate through my emotions and my healing is like, how do I take these things and put it into art? And a lot of times when I have conversations with people just in Charlottesville, I hear, like I say, hearing people's stories is so heartbreaking and I'm so compassionate because I don't want people feeling that way. Like I don't want Black people here to feel like they can't thrive or they can't succeed because it's so oppressing. And it's like oppression is a mindset for real. It's really a mindset. Llike, when I realized that, I was like, okay, I feel like the easiest way to help people is through art. And I hate that my work only pertains, like a lot of people do tell me like, you only do work for Black people. I your work is just around like, so run around Black people only like why don't you, you know, have it diverse? And I'd be like, because this is a real life reality of my life. Like this is how I was raised, this is how I grew up. This is all I know. HBCU life, all of those things, like just being around blackness is all I know. I don't want to change that because I benefited from that. Like, I can go anywhere and know that I belong, especially with a camera, you know, and I want to just show other Black people, that too. And you can go anywhere and belong. And I get to tell those stories behind my lens, and that's why I create those liberating stories. And that to me is, is empowering because it's like, yes, figure it out.
Charles Lewis: Now when you have you would people considered oppression In Charlottesville. How has it been different than what oppression may look like in the Gullah Geechee community?
Marley Nichelle: You know, this is why I always encourage people to leave away from home, because you get to see a different perspective of oppression. And when you live in Gullah culture, we really are self-sufficient culture like, land is important to us. Surviving is like we don't depend on anybody. You know. To provide for us. We just do we have a do it ourselves mentality. And so being raised like that and coming here, like a lot of times I would look at Black people and be like, Well, why don't you just do it yourself? And some people will get offended by, you know, like, and I wasn't I, I wasn't meaning it in like a just like a negative way. I was really trying to say, like, you can do it yourself. You know? And I realized a lot of people around here don't hear that a lot. It's really a big thing and coming here. Seeing people being gentrified, like displaced and living in the standard that they live in and stuff in Charlottesville was really triggering for me because I'd never seen a thing like that. And so I had to be there here seeing like, okay, Black people here, they're losing their land here to just like they're losing their land in the Gullah Geechee corridor. But I also see how we continue to stick together, you know, because we look at it from a cultural perspective. We want to keep the culture going. My Gullah community raised me to be and to show Black people, No, we're not oppressed. Like we can do this if we want to. There's power within ourselves. So I feel like we have similar issues from a racial perspective, but it's still different culturally. It's just different culturally. I'm trying to connect Gullah culture, show the similarities in Gullah culture in a lot of way, but use my culture because it's a liberating and rebellious culture. I'm using that through the No We Are Not Oppressed series by documenting these different Black and brown people from different cultures of blackness to show diversity. Because a lot of Black people don't know that within blackness we're diverse. They think everybody Black, we all are the same. And it's not that's not what it is. And so, No We Are Not Oppressed shows the differences in our cultures within blackness, while also showing that we too still belong, although that we are culturally different.
Charles Lewis: Now, speaking of which: culture, land. You recently took a trip to Ghana to take pictures of the experience and work to translate it back here in Charlottesville. So can you share more about that work, including like, what does oppression look and feel like in that space?
Marley Nichelle: So the experience that was my second return to Ghana and the first time I went, it was…I had just gotten into photography and I was actually learning how to…I'm self-taught. So like I teach myself how to take pictures. Really for real. And I was just like, Well, I'm going practice. And when I did, I was like, okay, this is a different vibe. But the second time I went as an actual professional photographer, like mastering the knowledge of photography. And this time it was different because I actually had a different eye vision and I could like literally feel the oppressiveness within Ghana, not through not through race, but politically. I do feel like there's a big disconnect between Africans and African-Americans. Our realities are always displayed through the media in such dangerous ways to where a lot of Africans look at it like we're ungrateful and, you know, we are spoiled and we don’t…and I understand where they're coming from, from their circumstances and them not having the resources that we do. But then I also look at our reality, too, and I have to sometimes tell them it's the same because of politics. And once I started recognizing that deeply more going to Ghana, like my second return, I was able to like communicate with other Ghanaians by learning like I just haven't how I did here when I moved here just getting to know the community. I did the same thing when I went to Ghana. Like I'm not here to just vacation and have a good time. I'm here to learn. Like, what knowledge can I take back home to help? Or how can we reconnect to, like, just hear each other's stories? That trip really showed me the importance of connecting with Africans and Africans connecting with Black Americans and how we can just together figure out a way to like show each other and hear each other's stories. Because both perspectives, honestly, when it comes to the transatlantic slave trade, are valid. It's not just Black people in America. It's not just our trauma it’s Africans trauma too right, and we have to listen to each other.
Charles Lewis [00:05:59]Like, what does it look like to to navigate, quote unquote, oppression for you as a Black person who's openly part of the LGBTQIA-plus community? [8.7s]
Marley Nichelle: Oh, that's that is a really good question, because I have never felt oppression from a racial perspective, but I've always felt it from being queer within the community, though. And that's the community of blackness. And then for me, like I've been queer my whole life, so trying to even grow up and understand it was kind of hard. And so me now, though, in the space that I am, you know, through, I'm really big on healing, like that's why I created the No We Are Not Oppressed to be a narrative of healing, to show perfection in imperfection. A lot of people may not believe it because I don't carry it. But I do feel pressure sometimes in certain situations, especially being queer. But I never try to show it because it's I feel like I can overcome it. It's just navigating, trying to figure out how to overcome it, to be able to be like an example for the next person.
Charles Lewis: What advice would you give a young person who wants to work at this intersection of photography and social justice?
Marley Nichelle For real for real the best advice I could ever give a younger person is to never think too deep into it and to always stay true to yourself when it comes to your beliefs, what you feel, what you stand in, and always give yourself room to grow. [19.1s] [00:26:36]Everything is is…I tell people it's a process. And even though four years seems like a short amount of time to do a lot of things with my photography, for me, it feels longer because. I put in a lot of work. And when I say that, like I want people to really understand like that is the key to success and being able to like take risks and and believe in yourself and confident and not expect “Yes” every time. Know how to navigate when being told no, because it can be hard. Like I told people I would like. I get so upset when I get so No for a grant. It feels so sad. You know what I'm saying is like, oh my gosh, I really want to do this. But it's just, you know, a part of life you have to figure out and navigate, you know, your way to to get to where you want to go. And for people who are young, like if you're a young, give yourself some grace. You've got a lot of time to really grow and really grow and see your art have a purpose in everything you do and just be intentional in it like. Don't be afraid of what the world sees. And just like dream big.
CL: You can find Marley’s “No, We Are Not Oppressed” photo essay at vinegar hill magazine dot com. Their portfolio is on Instagram at: marleys creative world We want to hear your story and tell the story of our community together. Share your perspective with First Person Cville at cvilleinclusivemedia.com/projects. The First Person Cville podcast is a production of Charlottesville Inclusive Media. It's hosted by me, Charles Lewis, and the In My Humble Opinion Talk Show. Like what you hear? Subscribe and follow us at imhotalkshow.org. This episode was produced by Kelly Jones. Music for this episode came from Epidemic Sound. IMHO music was from God Vamps by Miguel and Morse with NYC bangers on production.
Marley Nichelle wanted to “create a narrative of liberation and healing for communities of blackness by showing them power through language and visual arts.” And they called the series: “No, We Are Not Oppressed.”
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Charles Lewis: Welcome to First Person Cville, the podcast. I'm Charles Lewis, your host, and also the co-host of In My Humble Opinion, from 101.3 FM. Today's episode features India Sims, author of: “India Sims can do everything you can do — just sitting down.” India describes herself as “a woman in a wheelchair” and she wants you to know that she can speak for herself.
Charles Lewis: When someone thinks of India Sims, what strengths come to mind?
India Sims: That girl can do anything that she puts her mind to. Like if she says she's going to do it, she's going to find a way. She's a go getter. At the end of the day, my children, they don't see their mom as struggling. Right. Right. They see their mother as. Okay. Well, this is a goal. What–how she's going to overcome this today? So let's see! That's how they describe me, as a go getter.
Charles Lewis: When she’s not fishing, swimming, skydiving, or bungee jumping, India is working to change how able bodied people treat disabled people. Her mission is to get the City of Charlottesville—and its residents—to recognize that wheelchair accessibility is just an everyday reality. But so far: no one is listening.
Charles Lewis: How do people interact with you when they see you?
India Sims: Oh, lordy. So. First, when people see me, they look at me like I'm this foreign object like. Disrespectful. Walk past. No politeness at all. That's how they see me as just a creature. But when people. Talk to me and get to know me and I'll speak to them. They'd be like, “Oh! She can speak. Oh, she doesn't need help.” Then they start grasping who I am. And understanding a little bit that, “Oh. She's a human.” Charles Lewis: So we know that that you and your husband are looking to purchase a home and touring them was a barrier. Can you explain what what issues you faced?
India Sims: So first of all, when I got approved, I explained to them that I was looking for a unique home because I'm the only disabled person or unique person in the house. And they were like, “Oh, that's fine. You know, you can come and look at some homes. You know, fine.” But when I went to go look at the home, I had to stay outside because it was all steps. There was no way for me to get in. So I called. Nobody answered. I blew the horn. Nobody answered. I'm like, “Okay.” Then somebody looked through the door and they were like, “Oh, can I help you?” And I was like, “Hi, I'm India.” And they were like, “Oh, hi, Come on in.” And I'm like, “You remember? I don't know who I spoke with, but you remember I told you I was, you know, in a wheelchair.” And they were like, “What do you want me to do about it?” Wow. And I said, “Excuse me?” And they was like, “There's steps here.” I said, “Well, I'm by myself. And y'all knew that I was by myself. Y'all help me.” “Oh, I can bring some blueprints to you.” I said, “You mean blueprints as paper?” And they were like, “Yeah.” They were like, “Well, you can figure it out that way.” I said, I would refuse to do that. And they were like, “Well, I don't know what else to tell you.” And they walked away. Charles Lewis: So what would have been, in your opinion, the ideal response?
India Sims: So the ideal response is, “Okay, this woman has a disability. There's going to be more people that may have disability. So let me figure a way before she gets here, let me figure a way for her to get into the building.” Whether it is to get a portable ramp or either have some people help me up there, I shouldn't have to have someone near me in order for somebody to understand me and to grasp that I need assistance on certain things. And I say key word: certain things. Right. Um, so that would have been the ideal. So they should have already been prepared for me to come there instead of wasting my time and disrespecting me. Charles Lewis: Talk about a time where you were denied accommodations or experience an undue burden in other places around the city.
India Sims: Oh, my gosh. Don't even get me started. You can't go to a restaurant without being frowned upon. Shopping the same way. You know, you don't make any kind of accommodations for you. Downtown is impossible because you have bricks, which I understand. Fill the bricks in, make it a little bit more easier for people to get in. Or push. Or if they're in a walker, it doesn't have to be a chair. There's no accessibility around Charlottesville. I know so many people around the world. A lot of people that are disabled are afraid to even show their face. I get contact like thousands of people contact me that are disabled, and they'd be like, “Hey, how where do you live?” I don't even tell them where I live. And that's sad. I would tell people not to come. Because I don't want them…because there's a lot of people that are disabled that are not going to be as strong as I am. Charles Lewis: So you're also a professional businesswoman stylist. But because of your physical disability, you run into discrimination. What can you share with us about that experience?
India Sims: At first they wouldn't even accept me in the school. They wouldn't even take me into cosmetology. And it makes me so sad and it makes me want to cry sometime. But um Herman Key from the Charlottesville Cardinals, went into that cosmetology school and was like, “You're going to accept her and you're going to allow her to be who she wants to be.” And I took on my own as being a massage therapist and institution and now tech. And I took it and I ran with it. I was like, you know what? I'm going to have all these degrees and I'm going to make a building and I'm going to make it accessible for people that are disabled. And there's nobody going to stop me, but there is somebody that's stopping me. Charlottesville. They didn't care. I went to all these people asking for their help. They wouldn't help me. So then I went myself and I started a go fund me. So I am still doing it. I am still trying to raise money. I am still trying to get a building. It's just. With my business. I got to prove to people that I can do it. With my home, I got to prove to this that I got this and I got that. It doesn't matter if you have good credit. It doesn't matter if you have a deposit. It's so much and….Charlottesville. I'm going to say it. Charlottesville put this big persona that they love everybody and they accept everybody, and they'll do whatever they want for everybody. I'm here. Start on me. Start on someone that actually wants it and will work for it. I was thrown away after the doctors paralyzed me. So if anybody knows how to how to salvage and put things together and hold it in place, that's that's me.
Charles Lewis: So for the people listening to this podcast, if they could take one thing. What would you want it to be?
India Sims: Actually. Listen. Look. The way that you want to be heard and the way that you do things. We want to do it the exact same way. Stop judging. Stop. Thinking that we can't be who we want to be. Just because you don't see many of us that are disabled, does it mean that we…we don't exist. Just because you don't believe in it. There was somebody that didn't believe in you one time. It was somebody that you had to start from the ground up at one point. That doesn't mean that it's impossible. So stop judging.
CL: India Sims is on TikTok at one unique chair girl—that’s the number one, unique chair girl. She is actively raising money through Go Fund Me for her accessible salon. You can find her First Person Cville essay at www.charlottesvilletomorrow.com. We want to hear your story and tell the story of our community together. Share your perspective with First Person Cville at cvilleinclusivemedia.com/projects. The First Person Cville podcast is a production of Charlottesville Inclusive Media. It's hosted by me, Charles Lewis, and the In My Humble Opinion Talk Show. Like what you hear? Subscribe and follow us at imhotalkshow.org. This episode was produced by Kelly Jones. Music from Epidemic Sound. IMHO theme music is from God Vamps by Miguel and Morse with NYC bangers on production.
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Welcome to First Person Cville, the podcast. I'm Charles Lewis, your host, and also the co-host of In My Humble Opinion, from 101.3 FM. Today's episode features trans advocate Charley Burton, author of: “He used to sneak to the back of the library to learn about who he was. Now, this trans advocate has his own book.”
When he was eight years old, Charley would climb the big brick steps of the Gordon Avenue Library and sneak into the adult section to try to figure out why he felt like a little boy when everyone else knew him as a girl.
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Episode NotesWelcome to the First Person Cville, the podcast. Today's episode features trans advocate Charley Burton, author of: “He used to sneak to the back of the library to learn about who he was. Now, this trans advocate has his own book.”
cvilleinclusivemedia #cvilletomorrow #vinegarhillmag #imhotalkshow #charleyspeaksnva
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Charles Lewis: Welcome to the First Person Cville, the podcast. I'm Charles Lewis, your host, and also the co-host of In My Humble Opinion, from 101.3 FM. Today's episode features chef Antwon Brinson, author of the article, "You Get What You Focus on, Antwon Brinson's Vision of Using Food to Build Community."
Antwon is the founder and owner of Culinary Concepts AB, a business that trains people in the occupational and social skills they need to get jobs in central Virginia's hospitality industry. He says that after 15 years of traveling internationally as a chef, he knew Charlottesville was the right place for something like CCAB.
Antwon Brinson: Charlottesville has over 500 restaurants in a ten mile radius. That's equivalent to New York, San Francisco, and D.C.. Right? And it creates, this “Rob Peter, pay Paul” mentality. I'm going to steal your dishwasher and pay him $0.50 more because there's no other dishwashers in the area. Right? So it's a very competitive landscape. And the reason why is so competitive, is because there's no other option. And I recognized earlier on that if I created this, like, this will be THE option.
CL: Antwon's journey to entrepreneurship wasn't always so clear cut, though. He spent years in the culinary industry and his feelings towards it are complex. His love for food and gathering people around a table has grown. But he's also seen the ugly side of hospitality.CL: All right. So, Antwon. Well, thank you, first of all, for being a part of this podcast.AB: Yeah, I appreciate you having me here.
CL: Absolutely, man. I'm proud of all your work. Got to say that off top. Let’s talking about hitting the streets of Charlottesville, right? And talking to restaurant owners about training chefs, so on so forth. What was that experience like? And did you get some door slammed in your face?
AB: All right so here's here's like the straight raw, right? So, you know, when I first decided I wanted to launch a company, I had never done that before. So I ended up taking a program – shout out to CIC, Community Investment Collaborative – I took a program with them and it's about, you know, creating a business model. Part of that is customer discovery. And customer discovery is where you go out and you test out your concept. So I'm like, all right, so I put down, you know, put I put a little survey together with some questions on there. And essentially the questions were, you know, “If there was a training program looking for people, identifying talent and training them, giving them certifications, would your restaurant hire them? And what are your needs?” And, you know, I decided that I was going to go out in the community and I wasn't going to tell them that I was a chef. So I, like, literally had on like a button up, you know, And I had my clipboard and a pen, and I'm just showing up to restaurants like, “Hey, can I have a, you know, a couple of minutes of your time? You know, I got a survey I'm doing trying to help, you know, with this workforce development program that we're developing.” And man, talk about humility! I mean, I had people say, “Get the hell out of here.” You know, “We don't we don't want a program like that” or, you know, “What do you know?” Like it was it was tough. And I mean, you know, I'm not gonna lie, man. I'm a proud chef. You know? I'm like, “These…these motherfuckers…” But, you know, I would say, like, out of out of, you know, maybe 40 or 50 restaurants, I got 25 to say yes. And so that was one side. Alright, so I found employers. So the second side was like, “Alright, we need to get people in this program.” And in the end, our first program, we end up getting six folks that, you know, were willing to, you know, to sign up for this pilot program. And it was 100% success all the way around. We got all of them to the finish line. They all finish and pass their certifications and all of them got jobs. And, you know, you fast forward, you know, we've diversified our programing. We've helped over 100 students find employment in Charlottesville. You know, we've we've worked with a ton of different employers all over. And it's constantly growing. And it's been a game changer. And I would say it's it's been extremely rewarding being a part of so many people's journey and just seeing the transformation.
CL: I noticed you started your writing by stating, “In my younger years I was full of misplaced energy and lacked focus. And the expectations facing me and my friends—young Black men, many of us from single parent homes—were not high.” So. Question: what was young Antwon getting into?
AB: Well, I think that, you know, it's all in the context of where you’re from. I grew up outside of Buffalo, New York. And, you know, the community that I grew up in, it was coming out of the crack epidemic. You know, you had a lot of old heads that was pimps and players back in the days. And those were the role models. Those are the ones that, you know, we looked up to. We had a community center and I learned to box at a young age. I'm like a skinny dude in the in the community And I'm a I'm a quiet, you know, I've always been–I'm a I'm an introvert, right? I'm a quiet type. But like, you push somebody hard enough and you keep pushing them, they, you know, let go. So I would just blow up. So I became known. I would like…fight. I would get into fights. And it was just misdirected. It wasn't like I was fighting because I was trying to like, be a bully or, you know, prove myself or something like that. It was just, it was survival of the fittest, you know, that was the expectation. You know, like either you going to show up or you going to get knocked out.CL: Hmm. So can you tell us more about the process of moving from a kid with misplaced energy to your internship in the Caribbean?
AB: So I grew up–my cousin was like my brother. Like me and him, we did everything together. You know, we won together, we fell together. We was in trouble together, was out of trouble together. And, you know, I ended up catching this case. And I'm not going to get too into the details, but like, we was looking at like 25 to life, it was intense. And I made a promise to myself. I was like, “If I beat this,” I was like, “I'll take whatever I have left over and I'ma do something with it, I'm gonna go to college, I’ma do something.” And by the grace of God, you know, I end up beating this case. And I kept a promise to myself, man, I started going out, looking for culinary schools. And I went to CIA which is the Culinary Institute of America. And I remember applying for I'm looking at it I'm like, “Man, I could never afford this. This this is out of my price range.” And I'm like, “You know? Fuck it.” You know what I mean? What do I got to lose? I'm gonna apply. I made a promise to myself, right? And um, they gave me a full ride scholarship for college. And that’s how I ended up going to culinary school. So, you know, like, you get a blessing like that, you're not going to squander it, right? So, we had this room in college where you can, like, look at internships all over the world. And everybody wants to go to New York, D.C., L.A., you know, go to the top restaurants. I'm like, “Yo, I'm getting the hell out of here. I'm going to the Caribbean.” Like, “I'm going left,” right? And I found a property in St. John. Shout out to Canille Bay. I think– I don't even think they open anymore. And, you know, I applied for an internship there, I got in, and then the rest was history.[music]AB: I didn't have the goal of being an executive chef when I was early– earlier in my career. I just wanted to learn. So I remember I had this book, this Forbes book, and it had all the five star restaurants in the world. And when I was in the Caribbean, I would circle on the different islands, the top restaurants, and I would go to these different islands and I would show up and work for these chefs for free. And then they ended up paying me in food or they paid me cash. Right? And I would just learn. I would learn. And I ended up building this crazy network of chefs just just by doing that. So I've been extremely fortunate to align with the right people in the culinary field and people that genuinely wanted to pour into me, people that genuinely wanted me to succeed and win. That experience changed me because it was it was the first time in my life that I seen people that look like me in positions of power, like I had never seen an executive chef in a fine dining restaurant that was Black. It fuck with me, right? Because I'm like, “Is this real? Like, is this, you know, is this a thing?” You know, once you get past the insecurity and like once you're able to break down that barrier and you're like, wow. Like, there's another way. And, you know, it completely changed my perspective on what was possible.
CL: Man, so, I got to imagine that your HBO experience had, you know, has to be a highlight of your journey. But…or maybe not! But, you know, HBO’s “The Big Brunch.” Please, if you would, share that experience and what that exposure means for you and CCAB.AB: So 2022 started out, you know, as I do every year with my team, we set audacious goals. Shout out to the CCAB team. And, you know, I get a call in they’re like, “Hey, you know, you got accepted to be on this TV show. And by the way, we need you to leave everything and come to L.A. for an entire month.” And I did it. And the show was HBO Max’s “The Big Brunch,” created by Dan Levy.Dan Levy: Brunch is the ultimate connector. The perfect convergence of food, comfort, and friendship. So we built a show to celebrate ten chefs, each striving to improve their communities by connecting people with food…AB: It was an amazing experience, man. I mean, like, at the end of the day, the show was all about highlighting, you know, chefs that were doing amazing things in their community. And for me, I saw it as an opportunity not only to highlight the community, but to highlight the work, you know? Like, culinary concepts was an idea, you know, now it’s a movement. You know what I mean? Like now we got people all over like, I have people reaching out saying, “Hey, can we open up another Culinary Concepts in Alaska? Can we open up in Ohio?” And it's just like, it’s crazy! It's crazy that it's turned into this. And this is like what the show did for the organization was it gave us a microphone, man. That's one side of it. And the other side, you know, I would say the show was a journey of discovery. Like when I first started cooking, I was like, cooking classical French, like, super technical—because that's what we teach, right? And then in like, you know, halfway through the show, next thing you know, I'm cooking Ethiopian, right? And it was the question, it was like, you know, “Create a dish that represents where you are in your life right now.” And for me, the last ten years, I really, you know, been on this journey of like learning more- I'm half Ethiopian, my dad's first generation. I didn't grow up with Ethiopians, you know what I’m saying, I grew up with my mom's side of the family. So, like, I've been on this journey of self-discovery for a while, just learning more about my culture, more about the heritage, more about the cuisine. You know, I've mastered all these different cuisines, like, why haven't I mastered Ethiopian cuisine yet? You know, I've been cooking for 25 years, and never once have I ever put a Ethiopian dish on a menu. And then I go on national TV and I'm just like, you know, I'm cooking Ethiopian food like I cook at home. And it was like a happy place for me, man.CL: What about your journey would you change, if you could?
AB: You know, my dad passed away last year. And, you know, like I feel like in life we feel like we got time. You know, we always like, “Yeah, I’ma do it later or I’ma get to it, I’ma put this off, I’ma do it next year.” And you know, for like ten years, me and my dad kept saying we're going to take a trip to Ethiopia, we're going to take a trip. But, you know, the apple don’t fall far from the tree, you know, I work like crazy. He work like crazy. You know, we just never put it on the calendar. We just kept working. And and then unexpectedly, he finds out he has cancer, and six months later, boom, he's gone. Right? And I would say if I could change anything, I woulda took that trip. I woulda took the trip with him.
CL: What are you most proud of?
AB: You know, man, I would say: I'm a proud dad. Business aside, you know, I'm proud to just be on this journey with with my family, man. And watching them grow, you know, watching my kids develop. And, you know, I try to make sure that I equally pour into the people that are in my inner circle and the way that I do to, you know, the people that I'm training. And I'm just–I love seeing my kids, you know, on their journey developing and growing and trying new things and learning from their mistakes and winning and then, you know, being able to grow from from those experiences. And just watching them interact with each other, you know, I just think it's a blessing, man.
CL: Antwon Brinson is a chef and founder of Culinary Concepts AB. You can find his First Person Cville essay at vinegarhillmagazine.com. Follow up on more of Antwon's work at his website: www.culinaryconceptsab.com.We want to hear your story and tell the story of our community, together. Share your perspective with First Person Cville at cvilleinclusivemedia.com/projects. The First Person Cville podcast is a production of Charlottesville Inclusive Media. It’s hosted by me, Charles Lewis, and the In My Humble Opinion Talk Show. Like what you hear? Subscribe and follow us at IMHOtalkshow.org. This episode was produced by Kelly Jones. IMHO theme music was from “God Vibes” by Miquel & Morris, with NYC Bangers on Production.
Find out more at https://in-my-humble-opinion.pinecast.co
Episode NotesWelcome to the First Person Cville, the podcast. This episode features chef Antwon Brinson, author of the article, "You Get What You Focus on, Antwon Brinson's Vision of Using Food to Build Community." Here's an audiogram about hitting the streets of Cville.
cvilleinclusivemedia @cvilletomorrow @vinegarhillmag @imhotalkshow @culinaryconcepts_ab @chefantwonbrinson
Find out more at https://in-my-humble-opinion.pinecast.co
Episode NotesCharles Lewis: Welcome to First Person Cville — the podcast. I’m Charles Lewis, your host, and also the co-host of In My Humble Opinion from 101.3FM.
Today’s episode features writer and librarian Katrina Spencer and is based on the essay she wrote for First Person Cville called, “Public Violence, Our Trusty Companion.”
"Public Violence, Our Trusty Companion" was written following the May 2022 Uvalde shooting at Robb Elementary in Texas. The audio prepared to complement this written piece was recorded preceding the November 2022 shooting at the University of Virginia.
Katrina was born and raised in Los Angeles and has lived in Charlottesville for about two years. But her thoughts about public violence are timeless and global — they apply to everything from the Rodney King beatings in LA in 1991 to the Westgate shopping mall shooting in Nairobi in 2013. To the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017. Or bomb threats called into our local synagogue. Or recent shootings across town.
Figuring out how to deal with violence…might just be what it means to be a person right now.
In this episode, you’ll hear Katrina talk about what it’s been like to grow with public violence as a constant but unwelcome presence. Along the way, she started to notice that the news media prescribed emotions for everything from pop culture icons to mass shootings. Today, the amount of public violence and emotions she’s told she’s supposed to feel have left her overwhelmed.
A quick warning: because Katrina’s talking about public violence, some of this content might be difficult to listen to.
Katrina takes it from here, starting with growing up in LA in the early 1990s….
Find out more at https://in-my-humble-opinion.pinecast.co
Episode NotesWelcome to “First Person Cville” — the podcast.Here’s the promo for Episode 1 which features writer and librarian Katrina Spencer.“Public Violence, Our Trusty Companion" was written following the May 2022 Uvalde shooting at Robb Elementary in Texas. The audio prepared to complement this written piece was recorded preceding the November 2022 shooting at the University of Virginia.Figuring out how to deal with violence...might just be what it means to be a person right now...#cvilleinclusivemedia #cvilletomorrow #vinegarhillmagazine #imhotalkshow
One thing's for sure: Dr. Kevin McDonald is a heavy hitter when it comes to challenging and changing the status quo in racial equity. With that in mind, the man has got a lot on his plate when it comes to bringing together the community of Charlottesville with an institution so steeped in racial inequity such as the University of Virginia. In this episode, the IMHO crew talk to him about his plans and the tools he will use to make this happen.
Is it fair to ask where VP Kamala is? In this episode, the IMHO crew breaks down the whole question.
Charlottesville's Music Resource Center is a valuable place for any community youth interested in the music. In this episode, the IMHO crew talk to the new Chairman Lester Jackson as well as the Executive Director Alice Fox.
On paper, Angilee Shah is an unlikely choice to be the first Editor-in-Chief for a local online news organization such as Charlottesville Tomorrow. As a journalist covering international news and as founding editor of PRI's Global Nation she has covered conflicts across the map. But dig deeper and you find someone completely devoted to the local news cause. In this episode of IMHO, hear her story and hear her plans to include more of Charlottesville's diverse community in the editorial process of Charlottesville Tomorrow.
As the new Republican Governor steps into office there are many questions about how he will proceed with mask mandates. Charlottesville Tomorrow journalists discuss this and other topics such as the new redistricting lines drawn in the Commonwealth.
Episode Notes Maxicelia Robinson, Tina Thomas, Patty Medina, Sherica Jones-Lewis, Joyce Stevenson, Carolyn Terry-Mcclain, Mary Butler Coleman
Episode Notes Maxicelia Robinson, Tina Thomas, Patty Medina, Sherica Jones-Lewis, Joyce Stevenson, Carolyn Terry-Mcclain, Mary Butler Coleman
Episode Notes Maxicelia Robinson, Tina Thomas, Patty Medina, Sherica Jones-Lewis, Joyce Stevenson, Carolyn Terry-Mcclain, Mary Butler Coleman
Episode Notes Maxicelia Robinson, Tina Thomas, Patty Medina, Sherica Jones-Lewis, Joyce Stevenson, Carolyn Terry-Mcclain, Mary Butler Coleman
Episode Notes Maxicelia Robinson, Tina Thomas, Patty Medina, Sherica Jones-Lewis, Joyce Stevenson, Carolyn Terry-Mcclain, Mary Butler Coleman
Episode Notes Maxicelia Robinson, Tina Thomas, Patty Medina, Sherica Jones-Lewis, Joyce Stevenson, Carolyn Terry-Mcclain, Mary Butler Coleman
Episode Notes Maxicelia Robinson, Tina Thomas, Patty Medina, Joyce Stevenson, Sherica Jones-Lewis, Carolyn Terry-Mcclain, Mary Butler Coleman
Episode Notes Maxicelia sits down with Trina Murphy for a candid conversation following the finding of the remains of her niece Alexis Murphy.
Episode Notes Charlottesville's Mayor Nikuyah Walker speaks with Charles regarding her description of her city that made national headlines.
Episode Notes Charlottesville's Mayor Nikuyah Walker speaks with Charles regarding her description of her city that made national headlines.
Charlottesville's Mayor, Police Chief, & reformer discuss solutions to the city's spike in crime with In My Humble Opinion & Charlottesville Tomorrow on 101 Jamz. Recorded on January 8th, 2021.
City of Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker
City of Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney
Shadee Gilliam
Editor of Charlottesville Tomorrow, Elliott Robinson
Lead Reporter at Charlottesville Tomorrow, Jessie Higgins
Hosted by Charles Lewis, Maxicelia Robinson, and Razor
Charlottesville's Mayor, Police Chief, & reformer discuss solutions to the city's spike in crime with In My Humble Opinion & Charlottesville Tomorrow on 101 Jamz. Recorded on January 8th, 2021.
City of Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker
City of Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney
Shadee Gilliam
Editor of Charlottesville Tomorrow, Elliott Robinson
Lead Reporter at Charlottesville Tomorrow, Jessie Higgins
Hosted by Charles Lewis, Maxicelia Robinson, and Razor
Charlottesville's Mayor, Police Chief, & reformer discuss solutions to the city's spike in crime with In My Humble Opinion & Charlottesville Tomorrow on 101 Jamz. Recorded on January 8th, 2021.
City of Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker
City of Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney
Shadee Gilliam
Editor of Charlottesville Tomorrow, Elliott Robinson
Lead Reporter at Charlottesville Tomorrow, Jessie Higgins
Hosted by Charles Lewis, Maxicelia Robinson, and Razor Episode Notes
Charlottesville's Mayor, Police Chief, & reformer discuss solutions to the city's spike in crime with In My Humble Opinion & Charlottesville Tomorrow on 101 Jamz. Recorded on January 8th, 2021.
City of Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker
City of Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney
Shadee Gilliam
Editor of Charlottesville Tomorrow, Elliott Robinson
Lead Reporter at Charlottesville Tomorrow, Jessie Higgins
Hosted by Charles Lewis, Maxicelia Robinson, and Razor
Episode Notes
drcameronwebb #covidtaskforce #covidvaccine IMHO addresses the fears, myths, as well as our people's valid reluctancy to get vaccinated with Dr. Cameron Webb of Biden White House Covid Taskforce.
Episode Notes
drcameronwebb #covidtaskforce #covidvaccine IMHO addresses the fears, myths, as well as our people's valid reluctancy to get vaccinated with Dr. Cameron Webb of Biden White House Covid Taskforce.
Episode Notes
drcameronwebb #covidtaskforce #covidvaccine IMHO addresses the fears, myths, as well as our people's valid reluctancy to get vaccinated with Dr. Cameron Webb of Biden White House Covid Taskforce.
Charlottesville's Mayor, Police Chief, & reformer discuss solutions to the city's spike in crime with In My Humble Opinion & Charlottesville Tomorrow on 101 Jamz. Recorded on January 8th, 2021.
City of Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker
City of Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney
Shadee Gilliam
Editor of Charlottesville Tomorrow, Elliott Robinson
Lead Reporter at Charlottesville Tomorrow, Jessie Higgins
Hosted by Charles Lewis, Maxicelia Robinson, and Razor