Host Haywood Fennell discusses the politicians responsible for Veterans Affairs and Services in the City of Boston.
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[ Music ] >> Good afternoon, good afternoon and welcome to the other page radio program, WBCALP102.9 F.M. Boston. Good afternoon again and again, folks. I'm so happy to be here. My name is Haywood Finnell, Sr. I'm a veteran and I'm proud of it. Folks, I want to talk a little bit before we get into the show about two of my friends that passed recently that were on my program a few times. Lauren Earl Roberts, you may remember him back in the day and Lowell Ward out of Cambridge, both of them moved on to be with the Lord. And both of them were involved in our community on many levels, both of them were saving lives based on the things that had gone on with them before they changed their thinking and to be involved using their education, their college degrees as I'm doing to interface and bring hope where there was no hope to bring the reality that we must save ourselves and not wait for someone else to come along and change us and save us. It doesn't work that way. So I just want you to know that this is not a time of sadness, this is a time of gladness because I had some two men to help me realize that I'm a winner. Today, we want to talk about first, congratulate what are your street community health center and Dayton Farber Institute for coming together to bring a research project, if you will, around cancer and treatment. You know, that's big. Every now and then we get up. Some of the staff from including the president on our radio program is sometimes even on our television show. So we are really, really impressed and enthused that we have such a strong team of medical advice and medical services that continues to grow. And we continue to heal at Woodier Street, 617-427-1000. That's their number 617-427-1000. Are you a veteran or do you know a veteran who is struggling with housing due to COVID-19? Veteran Zinc can help provide support services, including assistance with rent, deposits, utilities, as well as emergency housing, including hotel stays to eligible struggling veterans. If you or someone you know is in need of services, please call 1-800-482-2565 or go online to www.veteransinc.org. Put a frog in boiling water and it'll jump right out. But put a frog in cool water and slowly heat it up. That frog will boil. As veterans, we tell ourselves the lie that we can handle anything. We let the water boil. You are not a frog. If you or a veteran you know needs support, don't wait. Reach out. Find resources at va.gov/reach. That's va.gov/reach, brought to you by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Ad Council. You know, we here at the other page, we don't care about veterans. And we're involved as much as possible. And I was at a virtual meeting yesterday. I'm on this research team trying to put together a strategy to get the word out about this program that deals with African-American veterans and lung cancer. You know, this is really, you know, we're talking about Whittier Street and Dana Farber. And now I'm talking about another program to deal with disease that seems to be kind of prevalent in our community out of the cancer group. You know, now we're talking about lung cancer. And then there's also breast cancer, prostate cancer, and our good friend owner, Robert, who passed and is no longer with us yet, stage four. As a cancer provider, myself and prostate, I'm beginning to feel the importance of disseminating information about cancer awareness and what it is, what it isn't, and what we can and must do to take those numbers down. It's all about the numbers, you know. Folks, last Saturday, July the 20th, the Oscar Michelle family theater program. Let me just play this for you. Let me just play this for you. The Oscar Michelle family theater program is a Boston nonprofit. They hope to teach the importance of community service through the art of theater, looking to establish a year-round community-based family theater organization with full theater productions by people from the community. For more information, you can visit www dot Oscar Michelle rep dot tripod.com. Now that he said that, let me give you another website. T-H-E-O-M-T-C dot com T-H-E-O-M-T-C dot com. That is where you will find information about a theater company that was created by primarily volunteer veterans who are making a different and theater arts in the city of Boston. T-H-E-O-M-T-C dot com. You know, I don't know what people are thinking, but veterans have served and deserve to be served. Veterans are an overlooked and underused community resource. I have been invited tomorrow, Thursday, July 25th at 10 a.m. to come down to the Boston City Hall in the I-Nuller room to talk about veteran services provided by the City of Boston. That's going to be at City Hall tomorrow at City M sponsored by Ed Flynn, former president of the Boston City Council and a veteran to talk about what needs to be discussed, I think, when it comes to veteran services and service delivery for our veterans. I'm not going to bite my tongue because I'm a total tooth. I would be, you know, remissive if I didn't tell you that I am not afraid to tell the truth about how our veterans are not treated correctly. And I'm going down there and I'm not angry with anybody because I'm trying to help people raise the dignity and respect for our veterans. They raise their hand. They said, I'll go. Just tell me where, when? And some did and some died. For a long time, a long time, African American veterans, they didn't have any voice. Some had a little choice. And they went through some rigors of racism that you would not believe. You're just recently, just recently, they just had a, a coverage on all these Navy guys, they got sent to jail and got bad conduct discharging because they were wrongly accused. It happened over 40 years ago. I think they said in 1944. And this year is 24, 80 years ago, and they still trying stuff that we can't have. We can't accept it. We can't accept it, folks. Let's recognize these veterans. Let's treat them right. The other page radio, my name's Hailey Finn. I strive for veterans league program. We just want to make people feel comfortable with the truth because sometimes when people hear the truth, they, you know, they get the twitching and everything. They don't know, man. We got to bring it to you so you'll know that you won't be twitching or switching. We served this country. We raised our hands. You saw the pictures of nominee invasion. Did you see the pictures that you see the people in the amphibious machines jumping out into the water, going up, getting shot at, getting killed? All the people was white boys, white veterans. Because the, the black veterans, they, they were there, they were in Normandy. They were in France. But because of the rigid racism and segregation that was going on, then. African American veterans were working in the quartermaster building bridges and engineering and stuff like that. And then paratroopers were segregated. Not anymore. My brother was a paratrooper and an officer. Become a long ways, but we got a longer way to go because you know what today is. If I'm not mistaken. Today, the United States government, the United States government, and I was invited to a program by the office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding the Korean War. The Korean War. That was being held before during the time of Harry S. Truman. When he decided to put that, I think it's 99. Eighteen, edict, about desegregating the military. You know, you can have laws on the book and people take their time and enacting those laws. Career was held for the African American veteran. As was a lot of those other countries too, because when they came in to serve and to fight for the freedom of other people, they didn't even have freedom themselves. And we still don't have freedom. We got to move in the direction of better understanding the significance of the contributions of African American veterans to keep our country free. We can't have people running for elected office, the highest office in the land who considers veterans as losers and suckers. Losers and suckers, that's what he said the veterans are. And he wants them either both for him and some will. But more will vote for Kamala Harris, the nominee from the Democratic Party should become the first African American president of the United States of America. Boy, did they get mad. We'll be right back. Potentials everywhere, it's in every child in every community. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts works to transform communities by empowering, defending and igniting the potential of youth across Eastern Massachusetts, ensuring every child has the support from caring adults that they need for healthy development and success in life. Big Brothers Big Sisters fosters one-to-one mentoring relationships between child and adult, helping the youth in our communities achieve their fullest potential. But at any given moment, there are hundreds of children in our region in need of a caring adult whole mile. Do you have what it takes to become a defender of potential? You can learn more at Mass Bay Big Sisters. That's what I'm talking about, information board. And let me tell you what happened. I was telling you all, and I didn't finish, I apologize. So much that I want to talk to you about, but we don't have all day to talk about it. You know, but look, on January the 20th, the Oscar Mitchell family theater program in concert with the T.R. S Incorporated, which is a help program, helping young people, helping old people. Up in between people with issues, dealing with mental health, staying, social matters, just trying to help people. And so we had a in awards program and the TRS awarded a man, 85 years old now, about the name of Mel Springer, who was the coordinator of a program at MCI North Fork called the Fellowship. And that was when Wilbert Brown, who's the founder of TRS Incorporated, and I were incarcerated at MCI North Fork. And seeing Mel King, I mean, Mel Springer, come up with this family and be recognized by a few people that were in MCI North Fork at the same time that Wilbert and I was unbelievable, unbelievable. And then he was presenting an award and I was ready to go to the other part of the program and they gave me an award. Well, Brown is a hell of a guy. He's an amputee now, but he's still going. With the 1544 Project over there on Columbus Avenue, 1544 for Columbus Avenue, stop by and see him sometime and see what he's doing. You'd be surprised because this Saturday program, I'm still feeling it and I talk to people and they're still thanking me and they really shouldn't thank me. I thank them for coming. I thank them for being supportive. I thank them for understanding what veterans do. And, you know, like I say and I keep saying it all the time, veterans have so much experiences that they can share to make our communities better, to make our communities safer, support our veterans. We're not beggars. You know, we care about our country. We serve our country. You know, we're not losers. We're not suckers. Boy, did he say something? Well, let me tell you something. I'm not afraid to tell the truth. He is not going to win my friend. He is not going to be anywhere near his boisterousness, his loud noise. Those ladies, those three, those one, two attorney generals, and the other one is a district attorney for Fulton County in Atlanta, Georgia. Well, three black women, you know, he mad now. You mad, you can't get the Supreme Court fast enough. And I'm just my understanding that Joe Biden is going to be as the president, he's going to be working on that. Just he doesn't have to run for the president anymore. He's got a Kamala Harris, former United States senator, former attorney general, former district attorney out there in California. Alicia James, the attorney general for the state of New York, was $445 million on this guy. Want to thank Joe Biden for standing up for the last 50 years. And we want to thank you being our guest today here on the other page, radio. You know, that weekend thing was nice, but I want to take time to knowledge, the work that's being done by so many people in the community. You know, God, people talking about they want to run for elected office and stuff like that. Whatever you're telling me, all those stuff out. I only got one vote. I'm a vote though. And I hope that you're going to vote. And if you're not registered, get registered. We need you now. We need to make sure that we don't get that. 20, 25 doctors document. Put on us by the Republicans to take away everything and continue to give us nothing. Now we can't do it that no more. We got to have hours. We can't wait for reparration. We got to reparrate ourselves by liberating our thinking and demand that better to be treated right and that we get what we got coming. Along with respect, we want the benefits. Boy, they must have a good time up there and sell them. They had a veterans event there selling last Saturday. Darling, wait boy, she works hard. She works hard to get it done, but she did it. You know, people don't people don't people don't like the health veterans. They see us in different ways and stuff. But I'm going to tell you something. When I saw those men. January the 6th, moving like they were in mountain climbing school when I was up in Fort Greeley, Alaska. I knew those were veterans. And they was climbing in walls and it was busting in the buildings and breaking out windows and a couple of them got shot. You saw it on TV, you know, you saw it. And they was doing this here because a guy that said they was losers and suckers was telling them to do it. And they was following that fool. Well, how they feel today? You get ready to get old man. They're going to be in for a big surprise, man. These Democrats are going to put it on, man. I'm just, I'm not a politician, but I have a vote. And I know right from wrong. And I know you all haven't been treating veterans good. And I'm going to be there tomorrow. I'm going to be there tomorrow. God will know I'm going to be there tomorrow. So I'll see you all. You know, I'm going to have my say tomorrow. I'm tired of people who say they veterans are not taking care of veterans and the men that they're supposed to. We need housing, we need health care, we need to be respected. We need everything. We're going to get it. And we could get freedom for somebody else in another country, thousands and thousands of miles away. And we can't get freedom for ourselves right here in the country that we was born in. Come on, man. They try and hear that. They try and hear that. Are you a veteran or do you know a veteran who is struggling with housing due to COVID-19? Veterans Inc can help provide support services, including assistance with rent, deposits, utilities, as well as emergency housing, including hotel stays to eligible struggling veterans. If you or someone you know is in need of services, please call 1-800-482-2565 or go online to www.veteransinc.org. Put a frog in boiling water and it'll jump right out. But put a frog in cool water and slowly heat it up. That frog will boil. As veterans, we tell ourselves the lie that we can handle anything. We let the water boil. You are not a frog. If you or a veteran you know needs support, don't wait. Reach out. Find resources at va.gov/reach. That's va.gov/reach. Brought to you by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Ad Council. [Music] [Music] I just wanted to say that this is the other phase radio brought to you by Triad Veterans League and in cooperation with being in media services. WBCALP102.9 FM Boston. I'm grateful to be here today and I just wanted to play those PSAs and the little music again. Because, you know, I'm looking at the veterans and I'm saying to myself, you know, why don't they get it? Why don't they get it? Those people that are supposed to be the powers that be. Do you know there are so many veterans that are incarcerated as a direct result of not being able to get the medical assistance, mental health included, when they needed it and committed crimes with many of them, long prison sentences and still not getting any kind of services and still in need of services, but they're getting pills. You know, you really got to know what's going on. I mean, it's unfortunate that I gleaned this information from when I was incarcerated and talked about it with some other people that was incarcerated too. How they treat us in prisons, man. No, they don't care nothing about us. They want to make sure we locked up. All they want to do is make sure that they got a job. Now, people, people up there in Norfolk County, they was over there at the Base State Prerelease. The Base State Prerelease is right next door to him. See how Norfolk and they wanted to take the migrants and put them in there. And so people in Norfolk and that area, they was protesting and everything. No, no, we don't want them there. We don't want them there. It was a prison. Then you see people in the prison system. That building was closed, that could have made that a prerelease and train our veterans to come back into society. Why they didn't do that? So then they say in the report that the incarceration level is going down. It's going down. Would you believe it? It's going down. And the other day, they reported that the last person incarcerated at M.C.I. Conquered was gone and that the prison was closing down. The prison is closing down and our veterans are still in the prison and they're not getting the care and the services that they need. Why? You're going to let that building sit up there and you could take our veterans out of those other places with those non-veterments and begin to help them with a program established. For our veterans. You know, people don't understand that veterans, when they went into the military, some of them went into the wall. You know, they didn't come back to correct. They didn't come back the right way. They used to have a term called Sheel's shop. None of them called it PTSD. Drama, drama, drama, unable to deal with either. Self-medicate, use drugs, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, drink something. But you know, I can't take it. That's what they say. We've got to work with them, we've got to work with them. People coming up, join this, join that. I'm not joining anything until you join us and understand our pain. The other page is radio. Both of you got to try it. Veterans League, we're really proud to be here today to talk to you about the importance of the services of veterans, male and female. You know, people don't realize, man, these families, they're suffering, they're, you know, connected to the pain of their loved ones, or their daughters and their sons. You know, we've got these illnesses and things like that. And people are not understanding that a lot of that stuff comes from stress, which is a mess. And they think that they can heal themselves and end up in a room with no help that will become a tomb. You give a man a room and no help and no he need help, what you're giving him, what you're giving her. We must begin to be more understanding and respectful of the men and women who wanted to be military involved, because when you, when, when, when you see all the benefits and everything, you ain't got no job and all of that stuff, then all of a sudden you say, well, maybe I'll try this. And you go in there and you get exposed to some of the things that's going on in the military. It's going to affect you in some way. You're not going to forget those experiences. You're not going to forget those body bags. You're not going to get, forget those racial slurs with those racial conflicts that we have among ourselves. And then we go back into the barracks and stand for the morning count, act as though nothing ever happened the night before. When you was down in one of them villages and you could buy yourself and somebody jumped on you and beat you up real bad. And then you wanted to revenge and have them a lot of times. Let's see ourselves so we can better deal with ourselves. Let's suspect our veterans and the work that we do in the community. We ask them to show family through the program company is created by a triad veterans lead to teach kids how to understand the struggles that can be overcome to understand new history. This is not a mystery. You know, I want to thank those people that were involved in the programs in my life to stand the Jones Clean State Project, a thank tank project that deals with solutions driven ideas for social justice and court reform. Lorne Earl Roberts, low war, low war founder of building Black better. Lorne Earl Roberts, two master degrees working in communities with families. They're going down those two. What about you? What are you doing? Are you a veteran? Do you know a veteran? 8572045312. That's for you. If you want so. I'm going to give you that number the next time so that you can call the office of Boston City Councilor. I mean, City Commission for Veterans Services, Robert Santiago, get his number. Find out why he's not doing more for our veterans. I'm going to look up his number right now. Get yourself a pin and a pencil so you can write his number down because we're going to have to kind of help that fellow out, man, because he ain't. He's not listening. He is not listening. This is the Commissioner of Veterans Services for the City of Boston, retired from the United States Navy, and he doesn't do anything. I don't think so for veterans. I've called him several times, and I've suggested that other people call him, and he never responds to the needs of these people, and I think that that's something that we can't have. We can't deal with that. So here's his number, folks. Here's his number, 617-869-5713. If you need help, this is available for you, and here definitely you got 635s at City Hall, 3037-635-3037. Okay, Robert Santiago, letting you know you heard this, heard from me, and I suggested that you call him, because sometimes you got to go to the top to give him a button in the bottom. Does that make sense to you? It makes sense to me. You got to take care of yourself. God bless you. You know, because we need help, and we got to get it from where we can get it at, and that's at the top. Again, I'm so proud to be here today. We're getting ready to wrap things up, but that's how it goes on time. I want to let you know that we're getting ready to do some more editioning for our November performance. It's part of our 24/25 performance season, and we are collecting signatureism for the competition drive to create a United States commemorative postal series that reflects the images of African-American veterans participating in the military from the American revolution up to World War II. That would be the Tuskegee Airmen. So, we putting that together. That takes a little time, but we're organizing. That's what you got to do. You got to know how to organize, and sometimes you got to organize or organize, especially the elected officials, because they don't seem to get it, man. They talk all the talk they want to come around you when it's time for them to get elected, and they tell you how much they've done for the veterans. It's just going to add up. It doesn't add up, so we got to try to help them out and show them what we need, because we can better deal if we better heal. We shouldn't be talking about housing for veterans. We should have everything that we require to live, and if we deal with PTSD, we should work with that. Don't leave them out there walking around, asking them if they have veterans, and they tell you no, but you know because you know the way they move. They go all down the state street and you see veterans sitting around outside the wearing the shelter for homeless vets. That's been going on for years. Let's find something for veterans to do. You go down there. They're Marlena Cassin and Mass Avenue. I know that there's some people that are standing around in there wearing them army caps and something that has a logo of the military on them. Why are they down there? Who's in charge? Who's in charge? Let me tell you something. You know, PTSD is the type of situation that it comes when it wants to come, not when you call it. And the sound effects, you know, apprehensive, can't sleep, stressed out anxieties. All of those things, man, a lot of vets must be sitting up in the church and the pastor don't say nothing. The pieces don't talk about that because a lot of pieces have been in the military too. But they won't say nothing, man. We have got to speak up, speak out for our rights as veterans. People are not doing us a favor. We did them a favor. Our behavior turned antisocial when we realized that we have 400 countries and the country is not fighting for us. Does that make sense? It makes sense to me. It makes a lot of sense to me. I'm a fight because I believe I am right. Don't treat me like this, folks. I'm not an African-American veteran. I'm an American. I'm a veteran with some conflict, with some African heritage in me. But I am first an American demanding that I be treated with respect because I show respect. I raise my hand and my friends raise their hand and you don't take my hand. You ignore my demand. We can't have that. That's got to change. CHA-N-C-E. That's what Obama started with. That was his word when he ran for president. I hope you don't mind. I'm using his call. All those that support our veterans out. Come help us. We helped you. Choose on the other foot now. God bless America. Land of the free. Home of the brave. Not the slave. God make it happen, folks. It's been a real good day today. I got a chance to get up on this radio station and just say a few words that I hope that you heard and share with some other people and know that we're going to be here for you and guide you. But if you can, if you can make it tomorrow to the city hall at 10 o'clock in the eye of another room for the hearings being sponsored by our friend Ray Flint, son Ed Flint. You know Mayor Flint. Raymond Flint. Well, he was serving us as the mayor. His son was serving us. As a United States naval member. He retired now. He's in the politics. That's good. I don't know. I don't know. He might run for mayor. He didn't tell me that though. I'm just saying. Thank you so very much, everybody, for allowing me to be in here today. God bless you. Don't forget, veterans are an overlooked and underused community resource that needs to be involved. Not on the table or under the table, but at the table. Sharing his experiences, his skills to build as we are doing with triad veterans league. The sponsor of this program this evening, this morning, this afternoon. Thank you again. God bless you. See you soon. [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]