Nurah Speaks

Knowledge affords the knowledgeable the ability to solve problems, breach barriers, overcome resistance and make progress. Many can testify that in our individual lives as well as collectively, we are not as progressive as we should be. In the 156 years post the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, we are still asking government for equality and justice. Yet we have more educational attainments than ever in our history in America. What then has our education rendered if we are unprogressive and absent of universal rights? I think of the scripture’s teaching, “The truth will set you free!” If we are not enjoying the benefits of progress and true freedom, we must re-examine our application of knowledge or the veracity of the education itself! If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nura

This episode concludes my series of conversations about the role Black women - in particular - have in impacting our community. This episode touches on the impact that we have in shaping the strength and the weaknesses in our boys and men. It is not always easy to do a critical self examination and identify those areas in which we have not supported our boys and men as they need. I salute the sisters who do so and perform this audit on an ongoing basis. We have to challenge ourselves to be 'woman enough' to course correct when it is required for the improvement of our families and communities. If you have not listened to the preceding episodes in the series (Ep 74 and 75) I urge you to do so. Please let me know what you think about this conversation. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah

In too many urban areas across this country, un-informed leadership have taken to patterning themselves after a certain beggar named Lazarus who laid at the gate of the rich man desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. These leaders amplify the role of corporations and politicians to reduce crime rates and gun deaths in our communities while diminishing the role of the actual community. They scapegoat by creating a ‘bogeyman mythology’ laying fault at the politically or economically elite and deflect accountability from where it should fall first and that is in our homes. Parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, coaches, counselors, mentors and preachers should be scrutinized first, even ahead of law enforcement. It is putting ourselves in a subordinate role to suggest that companies and politicians are responsible ahead of families in creating safe communities. This is a childish, immature and embarrassing assertion and shows a lack of accountability and true leadership. W

There are consequences for children and communities when children are born to fractured homes. The discussion in this episode shares some of those consequences and the considerations we need to create better outcomes for our families and communities. This is episode is part 2 in a short series of conversations especially for Black women to help us realize the impact we have in shaping our communities. Because a Nation will rise no higher than its woman, it is crucial that we value and take seriously our contribution in shaping our people’s future. To read my blog, "Putting Marriage in Motherhood" click this link: https://nurahmuhammad.com/blog/putting-marriage-in-motherhood If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: https://NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To b

Truth hurts but it can also heal if we allow it. This episode is part one in a short series in which I discuss sensitive issues regarding black women. This installment calls on us to be accountable for our choices, particularly those involving reckless sexual behavior resulting in unintended pregnancies…and single parenthood. As I say in this episode, this discussion is shared with love, not judgement. But if we do not take responsibility for poor choices we have made, we may continue making them unaware of how we diminish our own potential to create the future we desire. Take a listen and let me know what you think about this discussion. I am interested in how this conversation resonates for you. You can also read my blog post on this subject here: http://nurahmuhammad.com/blog/victors-or-victims-of-our-own-choices. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her websit

“Somebody needs to do something!” This is a familiar refrain in response to events and conditions outrageously offensive to the general public. Gun deaths. Educational deficiencies. Youth delinquency. Drug abuse. Gang violence. Unscrupulous police activity. Neglectful parenting. Food insecurity. It is true that 'somebody' needs to do something and that 'somebody' is you! We do not need to look over our shoulders for the answer to come from someone else. WE are the answer that we have been waiting for and needing. The only thing missing is our activation. Well, this episode’s message is intended to be just that, activation. This installment of Nurah Speaks continues the show’s theme of challenging listeners to do their part to tackle issues in their communities and neighborhoods and to Be The Movement! If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpea

Cher McCall is this week’s guest on the Nurah Speaks podcast. She is a licensed social worker who works primarily with the adolescent population. Cher has extensive experience serving youth who’ve endured physical, mental, emotional and spiritual trauma. She shares her insights into practical approaches in helping youth manage their pain and fostering hope in what seems to them as a hopeless reality. This episode dives deep into the real mental and emotional labor of social work and the implications for the service recipient and provider. Cher tells the audience how she came to find herself in social work, the rewards of social work and how others can get involved to ‘Be The Movement.’ Cher can be contacted at CherMcCall@gmail.com If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPod

This was an insightful conversation with Judge Charles Dortch Jr. and the takeaways from this episode are abundant. A key takeaway is the lesson of entitlement embedded in him by his parents. He understood at an early age that he was entitled to be his best and do his best. And the encourages the youth who come before him to do the same. Judge Dortch’s impact on youth and families extends well beyond the courtroom and he has been an extraordinary asset to the Camden County New Jersey community. •••NOTE: This conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult your personal attorney for counsel. ••• To learn more about Camden County Family Courts visit: https://www.njcourts.gov/courts/family/familyvicinage.html#camden. To learn more about the JADI (Juvenile Alternative Detention Initiative)visit: https://www.aecf.org/blog/new-jersey-becomes-first-state-to-implement-jdai-statewide/ To learn more about New Jersey bail reform visit: https://www.northjers

This is Part 2 of my series for ‘National Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day.’ This episode features my other son Qahhar Muhammad. In this episode Qahhar shares thoughts on mentorship and his experiences with the criminalization of childhood that is impacting children and families nationwide. Qahhar is a member of Camden’s New Jersey’s Youth Leadership and Readiness Program, Camden Men’s Wrestling and Track and Field Teams and he is a sophomore at Muhammad’s University of Islam 20. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email info@NurahSpeaks.com Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

Since it is ‘National Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day’, I have brought my two sons onto the podcast to hear their thoughts on life. This week’s episode, Episode 70, is part one of a two-part series and features my son, Haidar Muhammad. Haidar shares his thoughts on fear, leadership, 'Dad Talks' and being reared in a two parent household plus so much more. He is a member of Camden New Jersey’s Youth Leadership and Readiness Program, Camden Men’s Track and Field Team and a junior at Muhammad’s University of Islam 20. This was definitely an interesting episode having Haidar speak on behalf of his generation and contribute his insights to the Nurah Speaks audience. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah

Jealousy is one of those social cancers that eats at the fabric of our community and the sanity of the individual bearing the jealousy. In this episode I discuss five common components of jealousy and how jealousy is manifest. Be sure to read the accompanying article to this episode which shares those five components in even greater detail by using this link: https://nurahmuhammad.com/blog/jealousy-destroys-from-within Here is an excerpt of that article: “The bearer of jealousy may enjoin all of this-the hatred, the assumptions, the disregard and the campaign-yet without so much as showing an inkling to the person of whom they are jealous. He may appear as the greatest cheerleader all the while masking his contempt and working behind the scenes to sour the opinions of others. Therefore it is incumbent upon anyone who has experienced personal and professional triumphs to continually take inventory of those closest to her. She should pay attention to the sudden or gradual shifts in the attitudes and be

We are fooling ourselves if we think we do not need a strategy to capture the attention of our youth. Corporations and organizations (legitimate and illegitimate)are competing for the minds of our young people. And they are very strategic in their solicitations. There are lessons we can learn from these strategies and this episode explores them and what we risk if we do not recruit our young people. Let me know what you think about this episode. Leave a comment, rating and review and be sure to subscribe on your streaming app. To read my blog on this subject, use the following link: https://nurahmuhammad.com/blog/recruiting-our-youth. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com and reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, e

In an instant broadcasters, social media influencers and entertainers can define our attitudes and perspectives on trending issues. We can often find ourselves immersed in the overwhelming and repetitive coverage of trending topics while matters much closer to home are left ignored. This episode is a reminder to stay vigilant; stay woke! We had better because while we are swept up in the distracting whirlwind of national issues fed to us in broadcasts and social media, our attentions remain diverted from actual issues that we can and should change to improve our daily lives and our communities. Read my blog on this issue with links to articles that deserve our attention. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com and reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as

Since there is no maximum capacity to learning, it is great to keep an open mind. Doing so avails us the great potential of learning new and useful information and applications to improve our lives. But we block those blessings, so to speak, when we make roadblocks of pride, fear or even guilt, preventing our accessing solutions to many of the problems we face. In this week’s episode, I discuss our unconscious habit of shooting down advice without any attempt to use or even consider it. This is often an inconspicuous thing and without someone bringing it our attention, we may never notice it. This episode is a reminder for each of us to stay openminded, even when thinking objectively is a major challenge. Take a listen and share your thoughts! If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com and reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah

The political season is bearing down upon us. Candidates will soon be stomping in your town seeking your vote. But what considerations do you have when choosing your elected officials? Choosing our elected officials, especially at the local level, is one of our most important acts of civic engagement because it is these electeds who will be voting on legislature that will directly impact our families and our communities. These are the folks who will be in the closed door rooms when decisions are made affecting us. We want to have folks in these rooms who will advocate staunchly on our behalf, not capitulate to access, money and prominence. Therefore, let's consider the following: • 1. Do they sacrifice consistently of their persons and resources, even in the absence of an ‘important’ title? • 2. Do they practice what they preach? • 3. Are they dignified and do they respect the dignity of others? • 4. Are they solution-oriented? • 5. Are they ‘big meeting members' or consistently a

It’s been a while since I’ve done a ‘Drive Time’ episode and this week’s 'Drive Time' conversation is about our Facebook habits. The content that we post online says a lot about our values, our character and our discipline. Take a listen to this episode as I discuss: •Why we should treat Facebook like Main Street •Content that is not good to share on Facebook •Policies your employer, organization or school may have regarding social media •Online practices to protect yourself and your children from predators •Why it is good to think five times before you post Remember to subscribe to Nurah Speaks on SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Radio Public, CastBox or wherever you stream great podcasts. Be sure to leave a rating and review. If Nurah Speaks is not on your streaming platform, please send an email to info@NurahSpeaks.com so we can get to the bottom of it. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn mor

Negative thinking is not only an impediment to personal and professional growth but also to our health and wellness. We must learn how to prioritize the good over the bad by ‘settling on the best part’ of our lives, of our families, of our communities and of ourselves. Why is it so important to settle on the best part and avoid persevering on the negative? Inclining to negative thoughts and attitudes can increase our stress levels. When our stress levels are increased, especially on a chronic basis, we cause our bodies to maintain high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone can impact the body in a variety of ways including depressed immune system, cardiovascular disease, digestive issues and increased blood sugar levels. These health impacts over an extended period of time can lead to significant health issues. Cortisol is the same hormone that is released when we are in a fight or flight situation. This hormone prepares us to react quickly in emergencies by increasing heart rate,

It was an honor to sit with this week’s guest, Andrea Lawful-Sanders. Andrea is many things. She is a writer, a wife and a mother, a child and family advocate, a mentor, a columnist, a radio show contributor, an executive director and so much more. And in all that she does, one words resonates loudly: authentic. Andrea lives her life authentically and she challenges others to do the same. Listen to this episode to learn how she is impacting students, parents, organizations and corporations in the Philadelphia region with her straight-no chaser-message of authenticity and truth. Andrea can be heard regularly on the Michele Speaks Radio Show and you can find her column in the Philadelphia Sun. Learn more about Andrea by visiting her website: www.alawfultruth.com and be sure to follow her on social media: Facebook: @ALawfulTruth, Twitter: @ALawfulTruth and on Instagram: Instagram: @islddva. Be sure to purchase your copy her book of affirmations “A Lawful Truth-Words of Affirmation: Simple Truth

Temporary responses to the permanence of racism is getting us nowhere. As it is the cycle, once the offenders of racism issue their apologetic platitudes, we are soon thereafter pacified back to neutral. We are too easily placated with interim damage control in the form of sensitivity forums, promotional opportunities and temporary access. Our short term memory of the sustained offenses against our humanity has been an ongoing problem in our community. We fail ourselves with acceptance of these cosmetic fixes. In this episode, I share six steps that we can and should take immediately. We must start the internal work of self examination and start the corollary work to create sustained change. Otherwise we will remain vulnerable to the damaging effects of racism and the clear disregard with which others have of us. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: Nurah

There is a stark contrast in what a Community Activist is and what some may consider a Community Terrorist. In general, activism is lobbying special interests, confronting inequities, challenging governmental dysfunction and persuading social change, sometimes through protest and otherwise through affirming new social norms. For purposes of this conversation, I will define community terrorism as: intimidation, character assassination, violence (or the threat of) and/or extortion in confrontation with local leaders and government officials. Community Activists activate. Community Terrorists terrorize. Activists are solutions oriented. Terrorists are often problems oriented. Personal attacks and verbal assaults interrupt the good that can be derived during public debate. We should understand how to instigate change through social engagement that is effective and advantageous. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listener