TANYA TALKS™

Sometimes when a song ministers to me I play it over and over and let it wash over my soul, speaking to every crevice of my being. I discovered the song Love Myself , sung by Tracee Ellis Ross in the movie The High Note on January 3, 2021.  Tracee Ellis Ross Singing Credit: Glen Wilson / Focus Features And the song quickly became my anthem for 2021. When I first heard the song while watching the movie on HBO Max  I quickly looked it up on YouTube and played it over and over.  Culture & Society With the world in an upheaval from the COVID-19 virus and America destined to relive every ugly part of her racist past by systemically and systematically killing Black people for: sleeping in their own beds  playing video games in their own homes  watching TV in their own homes  Driving While Black  Calling the police for assistance  just breathing, existing   Then the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021 at the nation's Capitol, the s...

 My Hamstrings I have tight hamstrings. I have had tight hamstrings for this entire millennium, so 20+ years. Why do I have tight hamstrings? I have had sedentary jobs and I live a sedentary life.  Hamstring Muscles by Harold Gibbons I honestly just thought something was wrong with me as I aged out of my 20s into my 30s. I thought these tight hamstrings were an indication that something was wrong with my legs and I was doing something wrong.  Car Accident 2001 In 2001 I was hit by an 18 wheeler tractor trailer while driving on I-78 in the Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania. I was on the side of the mountain, and thank God in that particular stretch of the road they were doing some road construction, which meant there were guardrails, otherwise when my car went into a spin it would've spun off the side of the mountain. Yeah, that happened and still does frequently on that stretch of the road . Heck my accident was so commonplace it didn't make the news because I wasn't maimed or k...

Why the Rebrand? I rebranded the the blog to reflect more of what is driving me to write and soon podcast. The previous title  A Voice Crying in the Desert was more a reflection of my spiritual growth, calling, and evolution. However, my blog postings really revolved more around lifestyle and social issues. Spirituality encompasses all of that, but the name, Tanya Talks  is more a reflection of what I am doing with this blog. And it does not constrict me from branching out to different topics. Will I Discuss Spirituality? Definitely, I am not a woman who lives in compartments. My faith is not a cloak I put on and take off as it pleases me. So when warranted I will touch on matters of faith, or rather matters of the heart and conscience. Look I get deep and this blog will reflect that. I also like the lighter side of life and at times I will blog about that. This is just an eclectic space and I hope you join me for the ride and enjoy the ride. Tone I want this blog to be a casu...

I had this dream on Sunday, May 17, 2020 that I just pondered over for days. On Sunday, May 24,2020 I sat down and recorded the dream. One day after that recording on Monday, May 25, 2020 two major events occurred; both involved a person calling the police on a black man. One ended badly for the person, Amy Cooper, who made the call in Central Park, NYC and the other ended in a public lynching of the black man, George Floyd, by the police in Minneapolis, MN. This sparked nationwide, and now worldwide protests. My entire life shifted and our focus shifted from the highly contagious and deadly virus COVID-19 to something more insidious that has killed & terrorized untold numbers of African-Americans for centuries: racism, deep entrenched systemic racism. Everyone who saw that video, including the cop's wife who immediately filed for divorce, was sickened and angry. Yet again, we are exclaiming, as George Floyd did: I Can't Breathe. Monday, June 1, 2020 Donald Trump all but de...

Today, June 1, 2020, the President of the United States did the unthinkable. He in essence declared war on American citizens. After running scared to an underground bunker when protesters marched outside the White House on Pentecost Sunday May 31, 2020 which lead to the trending of these hashtags: #BunkerBoy #BunkerTrump #BunkerBitch, and #BunkerDon. Trump decided that he had to show strength and gave a speech that declared war. Excerpts from the speech:    That is why I am taking immediate presidential action to stop the violence and restore security and safety in America. I am mobilizing all available federal resources civilian and military to stop the rioting and looting to end the destruction and arson and to protect the rights of law abiding Americans, including your Second Amendment rights . Therefore, the following measures are going into effect immediately. First, we are ending the riots and lawlessness that has spread throughout our country. We will en...

In the midst of a highly contagious and deadly pandemic (COVID-19), American Citizens rise up to confront a much deadlier virus, a contagion so deadly that it threatens to destroy the very fabric of our republic, and that contagion is systemic/structured police brutality at the hands of those who have sworn to serve and protect. However, that protection seems to never be afforded to black and brown people in the United States of America. Dr. Martin Luther King, spoke eloquently in the 1960s that We Shall Overcome, and folk singer Joan Baez sings the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement to an audience in Europe. How apropos as we march in protest to the horrific murder of George Floyd, who died at the hand of an evil rogue police officer in Minneapolis, MN on Memorial Day May 25, 2020; this officer who took a knee on George Floyd's neck.  Governor Andrew Cuomo (NY), stands with the protesters, as they march all across this country and the world exclaiming: I Can't Breathe, No Jus...

Post Traumatic Stress Injury, collectively all of black and brown America has it. A 17 year old girl recorded the live death of George Floyd as a hate filled racist police officer took a knee on his neck in all his blue lives matter glory. That racist cop was fired and protestors want him and the other three cops in Minneapolis, MN charged and convicted of first degree murder. She is 17. A child. And if what she recorded traumatizes you as it does me, imagine what it’s done to her. Imagine what seeing their loved one killed in the street would do to #GeorgeFloyd ’s family. Did any of those officers consider that, even for a moment? https://t.co/EI7SmCY25i — Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) May 28, 2020 A Message to White America, The Majority You have the power to fix this problem, a problem of your ancestors creation and your perpetuation.  "We are really just battling one problem. America as a tale of two cities," says @ch...

There is a scene in the first Marvel Avengers movie where the Black Widow is talking with Loki. At the conclusion of the conversation, the Black Widow gets on the radio and says that Loki intends to rile up the Hulk. For decades white racists/supremacists have planned for the inevitable race war. They are the only ones planning for it. But, filled with blood lust they do everything they can to provoke us, rile us up. They insult, oppress, and kill us. They are so full of blood lust that they will burn the country to the ground to get their race war. Every mass shooting or police execution, we march and protest - crying out for change - nothing happens. So we weep, we kneel, we pray, we run for office, we educate ourselves and become lawyers and judges. We try to work within the system to improve and change the system. But if you keep poking the bear the bear will eventually strike back. #minneapolisriots I hear nothing but facts pic.twitter.com/ge2HtUZN0Q — JTP...

Memorial Day, a day started in the 1800s by African Americans to honor their fallen soldiers. It morphed into a national holiday as a day of respect for all fallen soldiers. Instead of being a day of respect, honor, solemnity, and family togetherness, this day started with an extreme act of violence when #CentralParkKaren called the police on a Black man who asked her to obey the law and put her dog back on leash. Thankfully Christian Cooper has his life and Amy Cooper (no relation) no longer has her dog, her job, nor her reputation.  George Floyd Sadly, things did not go that well for George Floyd in Minneapolis, who lost his life when a group of police officers decided to Take a Knee  on his neck and publicly lynch him. His crime, he allegedly forged a document, which is code for paying with a check while Black. Regardless if he did or did not commit a crime it was a non-violent offense and did not warrant a violent response from 4 armed police officers. Those co...

I had to run some errands this evening and stopped by Kroger's, the grocery store, on the way back home. I live in a suburb outside of Houston, Texas. As I left the store there were three workers, looked like teenagers, black, congregating by the door with no masks on. When I walked past they laughed. I don’t blame them for laughing, because as you can see I look quite funny. But, I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around, walked back over to them and said, "I have an aunt on a ventilator, she’s been on it for two weeks, my brother was in the hospital for two weeks, I have a cousin who was sick and another cousin who just died. So, I might look funny, but at least I am Fucking safe." I loaded up my car, just filled with anguish. I was so angry that they were by the door close to customers passing right by them, no masks, just congregating with no regard for their lives. When I stopped for the second light I just started crying. I was crying for my aun...