Host Haywood Fennell discusses Veterans Affairs and resources within the City of Boston and the African American Community!
WBCA Podcasts
The Other Page Radio
I'll get this rolling and good man. Hey, thank you so much, brother. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Hey, good afternoon. Welcome to the other Pays Radio brought to you by Triad Veterans League and Association with BN in Media Services. We're here at WBCALP 102.9 FM Boston. We're really ready for you. Ready for you. Glad to be here. Everybody, I certainly hope you're doing well. Some of them hot days, boy. I don't know what to tell you about them. I hope you're taking care of your body and drinking plenty liquids and just trying to stay out the heat. So you're going to be beat down and beat up. See all them people down there and Hurricane coming up and everything. You know, it doesn't seem like a lot of velocity when you hear the say that the Hurricane is traveling five miles an hour, but I think we need to really understand that five miles an hour, water, wind, you know, or something. So we pray for them and that they hope they be all well and everything. We want to just say again that this is the other Pays Radio over here today to honor our veterans and let you know that veterans count, that we are trying our best to get the word out on what veterans can do given the opportunity. But of course, veterans are overlooked in underused community resources, even though they do a lot still beyond the uniform. You know, case in point, so I would be remiss if I didn't thank Mr. Brenner O'Connell over at the-- and Thomas Miller over at the William Johnner Institute at UMass Boston for their resourcefulness and sharing those resources with the upcoming program in November for the United States commemorated postal stamp strategy implemented by Triad Veterans League to gather signatures on the national level for this proposal to create these images of African-American veterans until a commemorated stamp series so that we can educate and empower people about the overlooks that have occurred with the African-American military veterans experiencing in wars that-- in battles for-- ways for the freedom of the United States of America to keep America great, not to make America great again, because America is already great. We want to make sure that the participation and the history is raised another notch or two with this United States commemorated stamp-- postal stamp series that we will be honoring veterans and have the exhibit on-- in November this year at the William Monroe Trotter Institute and the William Joiner Center in collaboration with Triad Veterans League. We're going to have those images, those paintings done by young people from the Artist for Humanity program over-- over 10 years ago. And they did such a wonderful job. You know, that exhibit has been to the State House and with the help of the former State Representative Gloria Fox and Mary Beth Tuit. It's been at the Brookline City Hall. It's been at the Roxbury Public Library branch on Geneva Ave. It's been at the Stran Theatre in Dorchester. And it's been one or two other places. But what we're trying to do now is trying to build capacity for people to appreciate that which the veterans, particularly African-American veterans, have done, particularly-- particularly when we talk about people like Christmas addicts who was the first casualty of the American Revolution when he was slain by the British. And then later on, we have the 54th Volunteer Regiment, all black of regiment that fought in the Civil War for the Fort Wagner in South Carolina. And they were gallium and everything, but they didn't succeed and take it over. But they put a dent in the Confederacy and it's noteworthy. And it should be a place of honor for African-American veterans and the history that's involved. So we want you to be aware of that. And what we're trying to do with that is trying to build a support strategy that deals with creating a curriculum that we can make available online and in some manner to the public schools so they can understand the depth of patriotism and come well for Massachusetts because that's where they were from, the 54th and Christmas addicts. He died in downtown Boston where he killed by the British soldiers. This is the other page, Radio WBCALP, 102.9 FM Boston. We hear today because we need to be here today to talk about things that are going on in our community and the impact that it's having on our veterans. So folks, I was a couple weeks ago, maybe about a week or two ago. I was on the-- invited to City Hall to be a part of a panel brought on by City Council Ed Flynn that dealt with veterans. And the other people that were on were the Commissioner of Veterans Services for the City of Boston, Robert San Diego, and the DAV official Coleman Knee, who I've known for quite some time now, and myself. And we had a couple other City Council members, you know, Ed Flynn and Eric Murphy, City Council Anderson, and City Council Benjamin Weber. And they came in, you know, and they sat down and listened to what had to be said. And I said when some of the things was disclosed, like the benefits that the relatives or veterans can get from the DVA, I didn't know anything about that. And so what we have was a-- what we have is a lack of dissemination of information by these agencies to community-based agencies that deal with veterans. We need to be able to improve that. And so I got the Coleman's Knee's email, but the email belongs back. And then I don't have the phone number, Ed Flynn. And then I call San Diego, Robert San Diego, to Commissioner. And he's never there to answer my questions. And so when I try to reach out to other members of the Boston City Council, the only person that I hear from is City Council Anderson's, one of her staff. Otherwise, I get a, you know, a memory of graft email saying, "Thank you. Your message has been received, but I don't get any vocal response regarding my concerns." And I think that we need to go over that. I'm getting all kind of complaints, and I didn't say anything when I was at that table, because I didn't want anybody to think that I was trying to discredit the testimony, I guess that's the word, that they were given about the services or the lack thereof from their specific departments. Now, here you have an agency that does benefits that impact a disabled veteran's relative, and it's not everywhere. It's not on the buses. It's not in the neighborhood. And people don't just go downtown and say, "What do you got for veterans?" In fact, they don't even know where the DAV office is located, most of them. So I think we just need to be mindful of that, not getting information to the veterans. WBCALP102.9, FM Boston. We're going to be here a little while. I'm going to be speaking to you, not just about veterans, but we've got to really pull ourselves up when it comes to the veterans. The other day, August the 1st, was one year since they unveiled the General Edward O'Gordine statue down across the street from station two in the park now dedicated to African-American veterans memorial park. So that was a year ago, and like five days, five, six days, five days, I believe, since the days of six, that they unveiled that statue. And when I went down there, I didn't see anybody honoring that anniversary. A couple of people were sitting in the park. But I want people to understand that their park is there, not just for veterans, but that's there for you, because the veterans are for you. When they raise their hand and say that they're going to do what they are ordered to do, that order included protecting you. And we've got to protect the veterans, because the veterans right now are overlooked and underused and forgotten and the family members are hostages to being forgotten. Here the man sat right there next to me and began to tell me when they had that interview or panel discussion about the things that veterans, family members and veterans are eligible for. And I didn't know about it. And I got a radio program. I got a TV program. I need that information for our viewers and our listeners. They need to be informed about what's going on, because they know right now there ain't too much going on for our veterans. Missing something about stand-down, getting ready to happen again. But they distracted me when they said that they were going to have it again in City Hall Plaza. That's not what you're supposed to have with stand-down. That's what you should have with stand-up. As a direct result of having stand-downs in communities that can accommodate the veterans and their needs. You got our open space down there. You bring in the tents and everything. And it's like, we can do better than that for our veterans. It's not your comfort, but it's the lack of comfort that our veterans do not have. It's why you have stand-downs. They do stand-downs for you to go back in and get some rest before you go back out and fight. Veterans are fighting without a break. We are everywhere. Need you. Don't wave your hand like you, my friend. And you're not doing nothing for me. And you're an elected official. You're not calling me on the phone. You're not saying anything to me. You make it like it's a personal thing. But you know, what are you in the form? You did not wear the uniform. You know, so you can't equate that if that's what you're trying to do. I'm speaking for veterans because they're not. You would come up when it's time for a lesson and talk about veterans and the need for services. But veterans need services all the time. Who's speaking for the veterans that are at home alone with Alzheimer's? Who's speaking for the veterans to the lack of having veterans drop in centers all over the city of Boston? Why should we always have to go to the hill? Why can't the hill come to us? There's a lot of questions going on. But like I said, you didn't wear the uniform. So if you didn't wear the uniform, you got like, listen up. You're not doing anybody any favor. If you don't know what a veteran is or is not. You take veterans running around homeless. Why do you take that homeless? Because people have not addressed the mental health stress and mess that veterans go through and have to get out and to get nothing. Absolutely zilch. When are we going to realize that veterans are people too? I remember when they were mustering out veterans from Vietnam. Had a whole bunch of people, you know, anti-war veterans or baby killers and blah, blah, blah, you know, all that. It wasn't even talking about the mental health stuff that was getting ready to happen. Because our veterans were just getting discharged and it wasn't getting profiled around the condition of how they going to handle the trauma and the drama that they still haven't been able to deal with. That they still have not been able to deal with in a solution-driven strategy. You know, you run around and talking about elections and rejections and all kind of stuff. But you noticed that they can't say nothing. Neither camp, but he just said that the Democratic Vice President, Norman Eagle, is in the National Guard. And the Vice President for the Republican candidate, he was in the Marine Corps. But then, what are they saying about veterans? Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dr. John San Santiago, M.D. Medical Doctor invited Sonar invitation about the new increase that the governor here is going to sign in for veterans, the annuity payment, you get $1,000 if you're disabled, qualified, and if ever worried, then you get another $1,000 in August, and now they're increasing it by $500. Then they got a $20 million, being the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and announced a $20 million homeless veterans project, and I said $20 million, this is a lot of money, but it's not a lot of money when you talk about housing for veterans because, you know, you could get a house for $20 million, probably in the South end, one else. And so when you look at $20 million, designated for housing for veterans, you really got to understand the dynamics of what that $20 million means, and how do you get the housing built? And I'm looking, when I'm saying this, in my mind, I'm looking at the botlet bond where they're doing all this building, and when I asked them a couple of years ago where was the housing for veterans, they didn't have any designated housing for veterans. But yet they knew about the need for designated housing for veterans and their families. I'm not preaching today, I'm teaching today that you can't do veterans like this and think that we're not aware of what is happening. Give us what we need, not what you want us to have. Take that $20 million and another $20 million, making it $40 million and start talking about creating some space for all veterans to have to call home. Then you got these SRO single-room occupancy places where you got a little studio and no treatment, no treatment. You got to have wraparound services for our veterans because they go through so much stress and mess and they can't deal with the trauma and the drama, we got to give them treatment, we got to give them service. So add another $20 million to the housing situation for our veterans for medical care because the VA is not providing it in the manner that they should or could. It's not closely sensitive, I know that much. Let me get back on, let me get back to you. I'll be right back. The Austin Michonne Family Theater Program Company welcomes those seeking to learn about theater and performance. We offer classes that bring out your talent and improve it. Want to get involved in theater production, acting or singing? Then you can visit our website at theomtc.com. That's T-H-E-O-M-E-C.com. 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. Well, unless you know that we care about our veterans, so, you know, come on now. Understand that, man. We can't just go it alone. We're home now. We've got to be looking for people to take care of us, man. Because we took care of y'all, man. It's very simple, very easy. I want to thank the people here at B&N for being so supportive. This program, you know, and people that were smart and I see them, they tell me they like what they're hearing. But I don't like what I'm saying because I don't want nobody to think that, you know, it's personal. In a sense to me, it is personal. But because you're in a position of influence, so-called power, and if I say something about the veterans and you not being a veteran and you think that, I'm trying to make you look bad, that's not about you, it's about you understanding that veterans are unique. See, what makes veterans unique is that they raise them to have a male and female now. So when they raise their hand, they say they're going to take orders that could destroy their lives. It's so ordered. You don't know another job like that unless you're in law enforcement. It's sad, man. It's sad when a person is seeking higher office, the level of command and chief can actually open his mouth and say that veterans are suckers and losers. And then you got a lot of veterans because you can tell about the movement on January the 6th as they were scaling them walls that they had some military experience. Supporting somebody that called them a sucker and a fool. I would tell somebody the other day that every lake of official causes you don't say they need to have military experience. If you don't have no military experience, you just can't speak for the military. They just jump right up like, hey, no. You got to have worn that uniform. They have gone out on them Biffwax on them force marches with them field packs on your back and your weapon. You don't have that experience. You don't have anything near that in your resume, but you're going to tell me what I need and you have an experience, anything that I've experienced as it relates to the military. People, we have the resources to take care of our veterans, and we shouldn't be bragging about it when you make those resources available. Because you don't know what it's like to be in one of them, M60 tanks, thousands of miles away from your home and lights coming up everywhere from bomb glasses and stuff, incoming and all of that. You're 18, 19 years old. All your friends back in the States are having a good time, but you hear them crashes and them crashes. And your friend that was there Thursday, he ain't there Friday morning. He's on this way, the Delaware with a tag around his toe. I don't understand why veterans are not being treated in the manner that they should. Are you complaining? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Why? Because veterans served, and they need to be appreciated and served. Some of them are not able to articulate their needs because of the trauma that their experiences has brought on this PTSD classification. It comes anytime, not when you want it to come. You get these block memories, rather these locked memories. They keep you from forgetting. And a lot of times, we are caught up trying to treat ourselves with drugs, be it alcohol or other forms of substances that create this behavior where we say stuck. A lot of them right over there in Boston on Marlena Cash and Mass Ave. But they all over the country, you know. They all over the country. Some veterans that are homeless are homeless because they travel to different places where veterans are located and services are given that might be better than another place. I believe in the United States of America and I'm a citizen. And I believe I know we can do better than this. We must do better, people killing each other. But now they're killing themselves or trying to. I want to thank the people that are involved in just caring for our veterans. I've got to say that. I've got to say that what are your street community health centers, 617-427-1000. Several years now, they've been working trying to help veterans deal with their situations and stuff. I want to thank Ron Homestead, who is a historian for veterans, particularly African-American veterans' history. The Brain Trust founder, Black Brain Trust, used to work out an office of Korean War veteran Charles Rengel, his member of Congress in New York City. But I want to get back to something a little lighter, a little brighter, is the project that we're involved in, called the Proposal for a United States commemorated postal stamp series showing all the 12 images that are part of the Enchstone Heroes Art exhibit that was commissioned by Triad Veterans League, and it was done by artists for humanity, some students that are involved in art after school. If you could see this exhibit, and it's been shown to a few places, but when United States Congressman James McGovern out of Worcester was in Worcester with then Governor Charlie Baker, Mrs. Stacy Luster, and some other notables, they saw this exhibit. And Congressman McGovern suggested that we do what we're doing now, which is trying to get approval from the United States Department of Postal Services granting a commemorated stamp series in honor of these veterans' staff, have shown so much and given too much to be ignored. When you see this exhibit, you will understand that veterans have been overlooked, underused, and want to be involved. Triad Veterans League is real proud of its volunteer group of veterans, male and females in the area of the Oscar Michaud family theater program company, now going on 30 years of organizing, raising our culture values and cultural sensitivities and history that should never be forgotten around the Harlem Renaissance era. When you see this performance, you know, and now we have thoughts of adding to our curriculum a technical component that teaches kids how to deal with lighting and sound in theater. So when they come for the audition and they don't make that cut, we don't send them away, we keep them, be right back. 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. Hey, everything okay? Yes, I'm fine. Honey, hey, I'm here for you. Tell me about school today. When kids can't find the right words, music can help them sound it out. Talk to the kids in your life about their emotional well-being. Find tools and resources at soundedouttogether.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council and Pivotal Ventures. You know, I'm really proud to say that so many people helped me in my life from getting it together, you know. I'm going to do a television show and today was today's TV show and I had a couple of friends that passed over the last month and I just wanted to mention them here as I did there. Lauren Earl Roberts, a 30-year friend to the end. Little Ward on a Cambridge, both of them were friends of mine and I want to thank their families and say how much they meant to me and allow me to grow and flow with theater, poetry, bookwriting, play production, advocating for veterans and ex-offenders. Those two guys, we are dedicating this entire program to acknowledge their leadership, their gratefulness, and their commitment. Once they changed their thinking, as I did, because I struggled for a long time with substance as they did. And you know, what's so really beautiful about it is that they passed, they have gone now, they passed right, but the work that they have done around community and sensitizing others their importance of changing thinking so that they could begin to stop stinking and do some work to turn their lives around. I got that from these two guys, Lauren Earl Roberts and Little Ward. I could talk all day about me, but see, I can't talk about me without talking about them, because they were involved in my life. I open up, I open up, there are books speaking in front of the elected officials down at the state house about the Corey Law and the importance of changing. We did that. We changed our behavior, and it made us better people. And that sounded great, we just sounded better. WBCLP 102.9 FM Boston, Boston's community radio station. This is the other page radio program, and my name is Haywood Fennell, this program is sponsored by Triad Veterans League. Give me a favor, everybody. You know, write down our website, would you please? The theater website is t h e o m t c dot com. Let me say it again, t h e o m t c dot com. This is a veterans volunteer group that has been putting in some time and building this company to enrich cultural arts, appreciation, and to learn about the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most culturally significant times in American history, not Black history, American history, because it is American history. We are Americans. We are Americans. Just listen to what I'm saying. We are Americans. Then treat us like that. Treat us like Americans. Not like we're not American. Veterans wore the uniform to represent the strength that the United States military is all about. And I think, and I know that you know, that this country would not be where it is if it was not for the military. Countries can talk all that talk they want to. But boy, if you get American on you, you're in trouble. 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 lies 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, when you hit East PSA, he's also known as public service announcement. It's important for you to write the information down because they are, like I said, services for veterans and their families because I can't believe that Colman Lee said what he said, but he did say it and he welcomed people to this information. But we got to disseminate that information a little better than we're doing because veterans are not getting that. And we need to be able to see that information on buses and trains and all kind of public access transportation so that we can write that phone number down or wherever the information will carry us to so that we can get that. You got people that are going through some declining years and so saying their health is waning and they're not remembering and so what do we do for them? I'm looking at the times that I go over to the VA hospital and I see in Jamaica Plain I see everybody, not everybody, but people that are working there doing construction work all up and down because there's over 10 stories in that building and that one building and then they got some other buildings on that campus over there on Huntington Avenue. I see them and then I see the rehab for the detox. I think that's what that building is. That's what they told me it was some time ago. It's an old building, a module type structure. It reminds me of the module that they have in MCI North Fork and that's been there like it's like a temporary shelter but they pushed it behind the walls because nobody's going to say anything. But I'm saying something today about the module type structure that sits there on the campus of VA hospital Jamaica Plain. Change it. Improve it. Then prove it by providing the care and the services that our veterans need so they don't keep going back up in there. Yeah, I'm going to tell you how I feel today because it's a veterans man because I know some veterans doing a lot of work. I met some people, you know, heard some people speak in the office of veterans for the secretary of veterans affairs, man. They're serious about what they doing over there. You know, they return calls. But, but got to work with the Robert Santiago. Even those, they got the same last name. Santiago for Secretary M.D. for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Secretary Santiago for Commissioner. Something wrong there. They're not getting back to me. And I'm a veteran. But then I found out I'm not the only one. I'm not the only one. I'd like to talk to the people that sit on the city council, the ones that made their recommendation to cut the budget a couple of years ago and then the mayor overrode that cut suggestion and restore the cut. I just think that this should be an open door policy that gives veterans respect and not some personal feelings that interrupts professional and delivered services. We need to do something about that. We shouldn't have to wait for new mayor to come in. We shouldn't have to be delayed. We shouldn't have to go to a stand down for one day downtown in Park Plaza. Or even two days if they're considering that. Because the population of veterans in their knees have grown, has grown, you know, it used to be when they had the stand downs in the south end over there by where the MBTA bus garages, you know, the elected officials would come down and see what could be done. You don't need bother to come and see about veterans anymore. Because they don't care. I'm trying to argue with you. Just tell me what you've done for veterans. I know what you haven't done. And you can come on a radio show and talk about it. Come on the radio show the other page radio. And let people know that you put your money where your mouth is. But you're doing things for veterans and their families. Don't wait until it's time for campaigning for election one year round reporting. And if you can't come since somebody from your staff will report as to what it is that you're doing. Don't just act like I'm not saying anything. I'm saying everything for the veterans deserve everything. Well. 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. Back to the other page radio I thought I would be able to tell you that we got a sponsor for our bus trip to Washington DC to the museum down there. You know veterans don't have to pay to get in. They may not have to wait in the line with the other people but we try to put together a a sponsor trip to Washington DC that would include an overnight stay. So whenever we get all the information about how we're going to plan this and invite people stay tuned to our program here the other page radio sponsored by Triad Veterans League we're going to let you know because it's good to get together you know and ride from Boston to Washington DC and talk and take a little break along the way and just know what veterans are because you got to remember you got to remember we need each other we need each other nobody's going to come and save us if we don't save ourselves. Take the time and go and sit down in the park the joint ever old-goed gene advocate American Veterans Memorial Park take time and go and sit down and look at that statue just that is about triumph over adversity take the time and think about how you can help veterans because veterans have helped us and they don't have to brag about it no need for that but let me tell you something the mothers and the wives and the brothers and the sisters of veterans that went to war some of them came back some of them didn't come back and some that came back were not the same as they were when they left the eyes were different they talked if all differently the experiences that they went through could not be discussed unless they were in a situation where they were talking to a counselor or a clinician and they weren't all that verbalized because of the trauma that they encountered that they had never seen before think about it there are people right now that have set themselves up to terminate their lives because they don't think it's worth it anymore we can help those people but we got to be more than just smiling and not being there for them we got to be there for the veteran that's all i'm saying it's all i'm asking you to do we try to do all that we can do for our veterans but veterans need just a little bit more they need a little bit more folks some of them want to tell you but they just can't do it imagine we got let's talk it to our brother yesterday he was telling about a friend of ours that he's getting else high as then he can't get you know in health care it's not structured like that with the v8 i mean you call these people they don't have any answer they want to send you over to somebody else who doesn't have an answer you see these politicians they go blank when you talk to them about veteran situation yeah yeah that's right blank they think a pretty smile or a handshake it's all that's needed no you got to go out your way yes they went out of their way avoiding land mines when they was over there you got land mines blown up in your face now you don't even know it because you haven't shown them what they need and that's respect oh boy you know this program is brought to you by triad veterans league we got a number if you want it eight five seven two zero four five three one two that's for you take the time and find out what the name of your congressman is or your counselor city counselor and call them up and ask them about what are they doing for your brother or your sister or your uncle or your dad who are veterans call Robert senti algos office i told you that before if you don't say nothing i'm not gonna get done i'm telling you man i'm in at the winning i'm not giving up i'm not interested in whether you like me or not that doesn't have anything to do with the vice of tea in China nobody deserves to be a veteran in the manner that we are being treated ignored i said ignore it and do me no favor waving at me and telling me oh you know i'm gonna say hey what about bar now i want you to do some for our veterans do nothing for me my friend now he got all the time to see you up in this house by itself or maybe one of his friends to come by and see instead of somebody from the VA hospital off from the from the office of Robert Santiago. You know, you got to get up in there kind of loosen them up a little bit. You don't you don't run these offices the way you want to run them. You run them the way the veterans need you to run them. The way the veterans need you to run them. I want to thank Milton Hall over there at the VA and Johnny Davis over there to make a plane for the work that they doing helping veterans for years. Johnny Davis and Milton Hall, we salute you today. We're going to try to slide out of here now. Thank you for your time. Certainly hope we made some valid points with you all. Looking forward to you the next show. God bless you and God bless America. [Music] [Music] [ Silence ]