This debut episode of Period Dot! with Sweetbaby J’ai brings a jazzy, unflinching mix of politics, pop culture, and punchlines. Our host frames the mic as sacred ground—where erased stories get center stage and the side-eye is both a look and a vibe. From book bans and DEI rollbacks to voting rights and immigration raids, the conversation cuts through the noise with humor as medicine. Comedian and activist Mimi Gonzalez joins to riff on free speech, Kamala’s new book and momentum, Beyoncé’s country pivot, and the power of artists to translate outrage into action. We detour through farm life and Detroit roots, remember Nina Simone’s Mississippi Goddam, and honor the Michigan Women’s Music Festival and master drummer Edwina Lee Tyler. Threaded throughout: how to use our digital “oracles” for truth, not propaganda—and why laughter keeps us brave. You’ll leave seen, fired up, and ready to clap back—with rhythm in your hips and steel in your spine.

Takeaways:

• Humor as medicine for hard political truths
• Censorship, book bans, and disappearing DEI budgets
• Voting rights erosion and why participation still matters
• Free speech, clapbacks, and using platforms with purpose
• Kamala watch: energy, shade, and a book to dissect
• Beyoncé’s “country” moment and Black roots of cowboy culture
• Immigration raids, community fear, and standing in solidarity
• Lineage of resistance: Nina Simone, festival legacies, drum circles

#PeriodDotPodcast #SweetbabyJai #UnitedAmericaNetwork #RiversideCountyDemocrats #FreedomOfSpeech #BookBans #DEI #VotingRights #KamalaHarris #BeyonceCountry #ImmigrationRaids #ComedyAsMedicine #SideEye #NinaSimone #MichiganWomensMusicFestival #QueerVisibility #LatinaVoices #PalmSpringsPride #SunsetMusicAndComedyFestival #ActivismAndTruth #MimiGonzalez

Legendary Los Angeles journalist Marilyn F. Solomon—five-time Emmy winner, television pioneer, and fearless truth-teller—joins entertainer, artist, and activist Sweetbaby J’ai for a rousing conversation about media, movement building, and moral courage on the Period Dot! podcast. Raised in Detroit by activist parents, Solomon traces a family legacy that ran through unions, civil rights organizing, and community care. She recalls breaking barriers at KCOP-TV, where a showdown over LGBTQ representation led to her launching My Turn, one of L.A.’s earliest programs to center queer stories. From redlining to corporate news, from local reporting to global conflicts, Solomon connects history to now, urging listeners to reject isolation, reclaim local power, and stand in multiracial solidarity. They dig into “boots on the ground,” women’s leadership, the film Origins, cultural flashpoints like Bad Bunny’s halftime show, and why truth still beats spin. Stay to the end for community calls-to-action, Pride support, and Sweetbaby’s new book, Sing Your Life.

Takeaways:

• Activism is inherited: Solomon’s Detroit upbringing fused union power with civil rights.
• Local news matters; corporate consolidation buries community stories.
• My Turn helped normalize LGBTQ voices on TV—despite threats.
• “Boots on the ground” means organized, nonviolent, community collaboration.
• Women’s leadership and coalition-building are essential to win conflicts.
• Reject silos: build multiracial, cross-issue solidarity.
• Understand power beyond “race” frameworks—see caste and class dynamics.
• Culture battles (e.g., Bad Bunny) are distractions; focus on material rights.

#PeriodDotPodcast #SweetbabyJai #UnitedAmericaNetwork #MarilynFSolomon #RiversideCountyDemocrats #LosAngelesJournalism #LGBTQHistory #CivilRightsLegacy #MediaAccountability #BootsOnTheGround #CommunityPower #WomenLead #MultiracialSolidarity #DetroitRoots #KCOPTV #MyTurnTV #UnionMovement #CasteNotRace #TruthTelling #BadBunnyHalftime