She now uses those same skills polished as a hiphop music promoter to get the word out about hiv and aids. Joining us today, maria davis. Hi. Thank you. So nice to meet you. And its very nice to meet you, too. And thank you for coming on this afternoon. Thank you for having me. You know, reading your story, you know, first you get angry, you know, about how you contracted the virus from a man that you loved. Mmhmm. And then you want to stand up and cheer because you really did not let it define your life. Absolutely. Absolutely. Im gonna you were doing something that you really loved the Music Industry. Youve said that it was in your blood. Yes. And then you got this diagnosis that im thinking, at the time, you felt was a death sentence. Yes, it was. I did feel like it was a death sentence, because when i was first diagnosed in 95, i found out through a Life Insurance policy, and i didnt think that i had the virus because then we thought it was a gay white mans and, you know, lo and behold, so many africanamerican women today and africanamericans we make up the we are very impacted by hiv and aids. I mean, more than 50 of the cases. New cases of hiv aids are young africanamerican men and women. Yes, absolutely. And, you know, i couldnt talk about it then, you know . Everybody said it was a monster. And, really, you didnt even know where to go to talk about it. At all. And there were really no outlets at all. How did you what did you finally do . What made you finally say, okay, i got to get it together here. I just cannot let myself wither away and die . What was the catalyst . My two children. Excuse me. My two children. You know, i didnt get in on a treatment plan immediately, and so i was involved with an Organization Called friends in deed. Mmhmm. And they took me into crisis said to me, miss, if you do not start having a doctor in your life, if you dont start accepting this diagnosis, you will not see your children. And thats when it hit me. And i said to myself, wow. Not seeing my children . I hadnt even thought about that. That was the simplest thing, but i never thought about it. Well, you were too, really, focused on just this disappointment and heartbreak, really. Yes. Absolutely. Now, your hiv morphed into yes. Mmhmm. So, i was diagnosed in 95, and then by 1998, i contracted what they call an opportunistic infection, and i had five tcells, so i spearheaded right into being diagnosed with aids. I was very, very sick for a long, long, long time. So, it was kind of part of my journey, you know. People can look at it either negative or positive, but i looked at it positive because im a better person today. And it helped me become the spokesperson. I had the Music Industry thought that god wanted me to be on, he really was setting me up to be on this stage to talk about hiv and aids and empower people. And, you know, im working with a very wonderful project called i design. Its the mercks national hiv campaign to empower People Living with hiv to speak out and have a voice. And i understand the focus of this campaign is really to put people in charge of their own lives and their own cares, even when they talk with their doctors. It helps you to know what questions to ask, how to ask not only about the virus but some of the other opportunistic illnesses that come along with having the virus. And, you know, because we im a longtermer. Thats what they call me. 20 years now. And so, my concerns have shifted into now ive been here 20 years, so my focus is not so and we just conducted a survey that also talked spoke to that, that people with hiv are now who are living 10 years or better, now their focus is their other health issues. Yes. That come along. You know, im over 50. That come with the virus and the hiv. Absolutely. So, im over 50. My concern is arthritis. My concern is menopause. You know, and other peoples concerns are different, because, you know, hiv is not one set. Its not fit. Its differently for everyone. Now, you have maintained industry. Yes. And has that helped you industry . Been . Well, you know [ chuckles ] its a funny thing. [ both laugh ] i dont want to say, you know, that people were banging on my doors, like, maria, let me help you, you know. It was very trying. You know, eazye was the only that had passed on from complication of aids. Magic johnson was who we knew that contracted hiv. So there were not a lot of africanamerican and there were not a lot of women that were talking about it. Yeah. We had it, but we werent talking about it. So it wasnt like anyone was banging my doors down to come and help me be the voice, so i had to kind of get, you know, the anger, my compassion, really is what spearheaded me into, guess what . This message is very important. Its a preventable disease. You need to know your hiv status, and not only your own status, but your partners status. You know, whoever youre dealing with, whatever sex you want, you know, that you deal with, you need to know your status. Is it easier to get that message out today, and are more people, you know, 20 years later, and are more people more willing to help . Im gonna be honest with you. Mmhmm. Become so complacent, because the people are living with it. Because people are living longer. Youre not seeing those scary images that they saw back then in the early 90s and the 80s. Youre not seeing people looking like they were zombies. So, people do not take it seriously. Like, when i go and i speak to young people about hiv and aids and i tell them im living with aids, theyre like, stop lying, miss davis. Youre not living with aids. Get out of here. Nothings wrong with you. They dont take it serious because of the way that i look. But it does make them sit up and listen once you start telling your story. Yes. Can i ask you . And were running out of time. Theyre giving me the you got to go, you got to go. [ laughs ] 20 years later, was that diagnosis a blessing in your life now, obviously . Absolutely. Absolutely. Because im still doing the Music Industry. Im at a club in harlem called the shrine. Influential with me, partnering with me, and getting the message out to the harlem community. And then being a spokesperson for the i design campaign. And all of this together has really empowered me to be able to do the work that im doing today. All right. Maria davis, such a pleasure to meet you, to talk to you. Best of luck. Projectidesign. Com. Yes. All right. Best of luck to you. Thank you. Up next, Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph working to erase the stigma of hiv and aids africanamerican men are eight times more likely to become infected with hiv than whites, and thats according to the centers for Disease Control and prevention. For 25 years, the diva foundation, founded by actress and hiv activist Sheryl Lee Ralph has focused on hiv and aids awareness, erasing stigmas and providing testing. Joining us today, tony award Sheryl Lee Ralph. Welcome back to here and now. Thank you. It is good to be here with you right now. Always a pleasure to see you. And youre always so much energy and looking beautiful. Thank you very much. I think i owe it to myself to be the best me i possibly can be. I look in that mirror, and ive got to love what i see. [ laughs ] and we love what we see. Oh, thank you very much. Now, weve just marked another World Aids Day this month. 27th. 27th annual international aids day. And i looked on three major newspapers, and nothing not a red ribbon, not a mention nothing. That. Well, it was big news here in new york. There was a lot of talk, a lot of reminders the state put forth a lot of money toward educating. 24 million. Yeah. 200 million hes gonna actually ask the legislature for in january. I love it. 2. 5 million the state has already focused on the issue. To eradicate it by 2020. Yes. Which is very, very possible. And, of course, you jumped in early on, as we said, 25 years ago, the diva foundation. Yes. Divinely inspired, victoriously aids aware. I love to hear you say it. Thats why i never say it. I love to hear you say it. Thank you. And you really said you got involved in this fight because you lost so many dear friends. Oh, my goodness. You remember there was a time when folks had a phonebook . You had a phonebook and you would write peoples names and numbers names, address, and number in it. Well, it got to a point for me where i just could not cross out one more friends name. I just couldnt. It was so sad for me to hold this constant reminder that they were all no longer here. And so many of them died under stigma and shame. And there was so much silence around it, and the silence and it was horrible. And i was a young woman, and i just thought to myself, you know, we can do better than this. Judge not, lest ye be judged. And are you happy with what youve managed to accomplish in that 25 years . I mean, i know that you have worked at getting at this issue through the arts. You know what . I believe in the transformational power of the arts. You know, people may not listen to a speech. They may not listen to somebody preach. But they will they Pay Attention to a singing, bighaired diva with attitude to match, you know. And when we started with divas simply saying, that was, you know, using the arts to change peoples minds. When we created the diva tshirt, diva with the red ribbon, and, you know, really got people to understand that you could be divinely inspired, victoriously aware, alive, awesome, in celebration of raising awareness around hiv aids. Create those kind of movements that continue, i feel good. Mmhmm. But at the same time, when i hear of another young person, you know, becoming infected with any std, you know, which includes hiv, im like, oh, dear god. Whos not getting the message when another young person dies, you know . Im still. Ooh and i dont know why i take it so personally, but i do. And it just hurts my feelings, you know. Two years ago, it was what . 30,000 . 30,000 new hiv infections in america . This year its 50,000 so it is still the issue is still out there. One of the ways that youre hoping to get peoples attention is this first home rapid hiv test. Its called oraquick. Oraquick is doing. You can go right down to the cvs, the walmart, and pick up the oraquick athome hiv test kit. People are afraid, you know. They dont want to prick their fingers, draw blood or anything like that. Swab your mouth with, like, a fat, flat, rough qtip. Swab your mouth, put it in the solution, and in 20 minutes, you can have your own, in the privacy of your own home, results. If you come up negative, we want you to do everything to stay negative. If you come up positive and youre a little bit shaken, you dont have a connection to a doctor or healthcare, there is a number in the box right there for you to connect to, to get help 24 7. We want people to realize that knowledge is power, and knowing your status, your hiv status, is very important. Now, i know youre working down south. Youve worked with quite a few than aids campaign. Were partnering with oraquick Orasure Technologies or with the oraquick test and greater than aids. I am going to make sure that we get 10,000 test kits distributed throughout the south, where people are being hindered by poverty, lack of access, lack of healthcare, lack of receiving the proper information, and i want them to see this test and know that i love you so much and you matter so much. Youre important. Take the test. Know your status. Sex should be something that people enjoy, enjoy in a wonderful way. cause when its good, its good, right . [ laughs ] but it should not be hindering your life. It should not be cutting your life short. It should not be giving you health problems. Know your status. And if you come up positive, get into treatment. Thats what early treatment, early testing, Early Intervention looks like. It can happen. Yeah. Your message is great, and thats why were always so great to have you, happy to have you back. Before we let you go, just fill us in on your projects. Oh, listen, life has been good. Instant mom with tia mowry and myself one of the best familyoriented shows out there. We will be on air until the end of the year. I encourage people to just tune in saturday nights at 8 00. You can find it on your cable channel. Great show. My musical that im producing with Kendrell Bowman and Anthony Wayne mighty real. Should say. Well, thank you. Sylvester. Sylvester was the sylvester was the original disco queen, and he was amazing. The show is doing well. We thank all of our broadway angels who have been helping us on kickstarter to keep moving were gonna do it our way, and we are going to do it. Mmhmm. I think god sees us back on what . Broadway, baby [ laughs ] all right. And we expect to see you back on here and now, as well. Show. Im glad you all are here. Thank you so much. Thank you. Sheryl lee ralph, always a pleasure to see you. Thank you. Still to come on here and now, empowering young women of color. A Leadership Academy with ivy league connections. Stay with us. What makes this simple salad the best simple salad ever . Heart healthy california walnuts. Heart healthy california walnuts. The best simple dinner ever . Heart healthy california walnuts. Great tasting, heart healthy california walnuts. So simple. At the well conferences focuses on empowering young women, especially those of color. Its young womens Leadership Academy held in the summer on the campus of Princeton University offers a curriculum to High School Girls that encourages Critical Thinking and problem solving and stresses academics. Joining us this afternoon is the founder, jacqueline glass, and two students, sorvina carr and ashley codner. Welcome to all of you. Thanks for having us. So happy to see you. Jacqueline, such a great program. Weve heard such wonderful things about it. What was your inspiration behind thats a very good question. The inspiration for starting it, the program, actually it began out of some hardship. I was looked over for promotion at a job that id held for maybe 30 years. Mmhmm. And instead of being negative about not being promoted, i took that energy and put it into the Nonprofit Organization at the well conferences so that i can pour into others that were younger so that they wouldnt have to feel the way that i felt. And, you know, they would have more opportunities. So that was the inspiration for at the well conferences. And then i know that you started out, i guess, focusing on women, and you quickly decided that girls, young girls, particularly high school age, could really use this kind of encouragement that you were offering. And so this academy was born. Its a twoweek academy in the tell us about that. What is it that you, in that two weeks, youre hoping to instill in these young women . Well, the academy was born from at the well conferences. In 2009, we hosted a sort of a womens conference along with the component of a teenage girls conference. And the teenage girls, it was just such a need to do more. So, from 2009, our focus primarily has been on young girls. 2011 was the first year the inauguration of the summer program, and we have 32 girls. And sorvina carr was with that first group. She was a talented she is a talented, but she was in eighth grade. [ laughter ] she was an eighth Grade Student that we took earlier because, you know, of what she represented. But i want to focus because we have a short amount of time during this conference, its two weeks, what are the things that you work with these young ladies on . Okay. And i havent forgotten about we work with them on standardized exam preparation. The approach is interdisciplinary. We do critical reading, writing, college level. The work is hard. We are, you know, very tough academically, which im sure the girls can agree to that. Shes right. Yep. But we also want to build them up as young women. We want them to know that theyre not alone in the world to be smart, to be beautiful. Oftentimes, theyre the only minority in their class. Theres no one that gives them, you know, confidence, and theres no one that they can relate to, sometimes. So, to be in an academy with 75 girls that are bright, brilliant, you know, its inspiring. We had one young lady who was at a camp at one of the Ivy League Schools in the south, and she came to us and she just blossomed. And its just so many Success Stories from the girls in terms of the impact that the program makes, and we you know, we that were doing. And you two guys are two of those Success Stories. Sorvina, ill start with you. Youve attended the academy twice. Yeah. Tell me, what do you think is the difference in sorvina before and after being a part of this . Well, the camp just stresses a lot about leadership. When i went in, i was young, and being a young black woman, growing up in, you know, america today, you dont learn the things that you might have to do differently than others or ways that you might have to advance yourself in order to promote yourself and to, you know, be the young, proud, beautiful, strong woman you can be in this country. So, coming in, i was freshminded, and leaving, i left with an incredible perspective, my brain, knowledge, just everything blossomed so much. More confident . Oh, yeah. 100 more confident. And gears i needed to know to make it. And, ashley, you attended the academy for the first time this past summer. Yeah. Yeah, last summer. And what are you enjoying most about being, you know, for two weeks, with a bunch of girls you didnt know but girls that, like sorvina, are as smart and brilliant and as beautiful as you are . Coming into it, i guess, i was feeling sort of deprived, you could say. I wasnt learning about queen nzinga in class or ella baker. But i go to at the well, and im learning about all these amazing women and im learning about them with amazing young women that have kind of its not only, i guess, the content, but the character that im building and the company that im keeping. I think thats really what made the difference. Well. [ chuckles ] make you feel good to hear the girls say this . Absolutely. Now, i want to ask you, because we want to make sure we get the information out. You are going to start taking youre taking applications for does that start in january . January 1st. We begin taking applications for 2016. Our focus is on current students grades. Okay. And we will be introducing a weekend intensive for 9th and 10th graders. Its something that were doing new, so its sort of like a short, truncated form of the full twoweek program. And were going to launch that. And they can apply online. Thats atthewellconferences. Org. Atthewellconferences with an s dot org. And whos eligible . What are you looking for . And its not free. It is not free, but i think you do give scholarships to some. Weve given scholarships up to a full ride and up to 1,500 towards tuition. Weve had a funder in the past, the fish foundation, and the vinegar factory here in us out with food. But we are in need of funders so that we can continue to reach out to girls that cannot afford this program. We dont want it to be a program for just those that are privileged, that can afford to be there. We want girls that are bright, beautiful, but you know what . They cant afford this program. And we want to make sure we at least reach 30 of those students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Thats important to us. How many girls did you have last summer . We had 49 girls, but that was intentional, because the year before, it was 76, and the year before, it was 74. And it was just very difficult to manage 76 girls. [ laughs ] so we said in 2015, we want to sort of level it off at 50. Well, thats not hey, look, thats not a bad problem to have, okay . You guys are a perfect example. And if people are interested in finding out about the program, helping you with funding, or signing their daughters up, theres a list of what you know, some of the things the kids need to have in order to qualify. Mmhmm. On the website. Yes. In order to qualify, we ask that the students have a b average. We ask that they submit a twopage essay. Usually its about who inspires them, but theres a question that we give special attention to that theyll get extra brownie points if they answer the question. What can you do in your community to make it better . And i believe sorvina answered that question when she was in eighth grade. We want to know what you can do, what your thoughts are in terms of helping, because we want this program to be those girls that are local but also thinking on a global level, because theres a sorvina, ashley, i am looking forward to see what you guys do in the future. Im already impressed. Thank you so much, jacqueline, for being with us, and best of luck. Thank you so much. Up next, a retired Police Detectives new career path, a magazine geared toward theres no limits to reaching the top. Thats the subtitle under the masthead of skii magazine, geared toward entrepreneurs. Its the brainchild of retired nypd detective anngeannette pinkston, who wanted to inspire readers of color. Shes joining us today. Thank you so much for being with us, ms. Pinkston. Thank you for having me today. So, skii magazine is that the skys the limit . Yes. Correctly. Thats why you see the tag, theres no limits to reaching it, because there isnt. What inspired you to start the magazine . I mean, what did you see that the one that needs to do this . Well, i was working i just retired from nypd last year. And back in 2009, i was working behind a desk, and there was, like, a lot of magazines piled up. It was really high. So, i might have knocked it over somehow reaching for Something Else. And once the magazines fell on the floor, i had to pick them all up. So it was a lot. So, as i was picking each and every one of them up, there was just piles and piles on the front cover of famous people. Now, i know famous people had to come from somewhere. You know, they started somewhere. But it was just famous people. No entrepreneurs, like myself, because i wanted people to know who they are. So, thats basically what motivated me to start this magazine. At that moment, the light went click. So you wanted people that were on their way up. Yes. You wanted to help give them some exposure. Yes. Them and famous people, because my model is with the famous person. I would like to know, what roads so that we as entrepreneurs, i want to know, what roads are you taking towards your endeavors to becoming famous . And maybe you could follow those famous people and follow their guidelines. Follow in their footsteps. Right. Basically. And i do see that in the magazine, you know, your interviews those are the kinds of questions you ask. You seem to want to know with your subjects, you know, what motivates them to get up every day, what why they do what they do and how they go about they and, you know, are you hoping that by sharing that story perhaps it gives someone else the courage to do what they always dreamed of doing, like you have done . Exactly. Yes. With sharing their story, i would like to allow other people to read their story and be guided by their story, because a lot of people dont know how to pursue their dreams, you know. And my magazine is actually helping people, a lot of people. And so the first time you your first issue, first time you saw your magazine, it was all done, what went through your mind . I was shocked and i was excited, because, well, my first issue of my magazine was just know. I gathered them together and i interviewed them, too, to find out, you know, what are you guys doing . What motivates you guys to do the things that youre doing . Mmhmm. And only famous person at that time was lenny green. He was the only famous person, cause i knew him personally. But i put them in it, and when i actually saw it on print, i was like, wow. I couldnt believe it. My name, the title of my magazine. Now, you were a police officer. You were the nypd for 21 years. Thats correct. You retired as a detective . Thats correct. This is so different. [ laughs ] yes. This your, you know, your followup journey after being in Law Enforcement . Well, when i first well, before coming on to the job, i always was in the acting and cause from back when, i was an actress, singer songwriter, and things like that. Ive always been in the entertainment field. But when i joined nypd, you couldnt really do the things that you really want to do because they have so many guidelines and stipulations where, you know, you sort of like put on the backburner but youre still doing Little Things mmhmm. But once i knew when i put in my paperwork that i was going to retire finally and put in 21 years with the nypd, thats what made me decide, you know, this is the time. Not that my retirement date is getting closer and i was on terminal leave, you know, i could actually launch the magazine at a perfect date, perfect time. And i launched it in july. And whats the hardest part about doing this . Subjects . Basic you do most of the work yourself. Pretty much. I was doing a lot of the work myself in the beginning of my magazine launch. And up until id say about, well, up until january, when my daughter, naisha and i have another person working in california with me, latrice. Naisha does the writing blogs with me. And i have another person in california. Shes into the p. R. Business, too, so she gets to meet and greet people out there. I get to meet a lot of people out here, so im doing a lot of promoting out here and press, so. How often does the magazine how many issues a year are there . Oh, 12. Yes. 12. So its every month. Every month. And how much does it sell for . Well, right now the magazine is 6. 6. Okay. And its, like, based out in staten island, so i have a newsstand just recently allowed me to put my magazine on the newsstand, and in queens. Responded . People love it. And i have so many people, like, basically asking me to be in the magazine and wanted to be involved with it, even famous people. Theyre reaching out to me, too, which is awesome. I love it. Well, look, i take my hat off to you. Not many people have the courage to basically step out on faith and say, this is what im gonna do and im gonna make it happen, and you did. Yes, i did. Now, we can send folks to skiimagazine. Com . Skiimagazine. Com. And once they pull it up, theyll see everyone there, the stories from back then, my issues, up until now. Because, like i said, its on the website and its paper. All right. Thank you so much, anngeannette pinkston. Yes. We appreciate you being with us, and best of luck to you. Thank you very much. Well be right back. Why let someone else have all the fun . The sometimes haphazard, never boring fun. The why cant it smell like this all the time fun. The learning the virtue of sharing fun. Why let someone else have all the fun . Thats no fun. Unleash the power of dough. Before heading to the stores to do our holiday shopping, you may want to get your emotions and your spending in check. Thats advice coming from she is the Senior Editor of personal finance for black enterprise, and she is here to share her insight into avoiding the trap of holiday overspending. Thank you so much, stacey, for being with us again. You know, what are some of the reasons that we and im gonna say we that we have a tendency to spend too much around the holidays . Well. [ both laugh ] the reasons that we spend are so complicated. You might overspend and buy an expensive gift because you feel bad for not spending enough time with your child or a loved one. You might just have an image of yourself. You know, im the person who always has to buy expensive gifts. Im the person that has to send out 500 christmas cards. Advertisers are bombarding our brains with messages that, if you dont have this, youre not normal. If you dont give this to your child, youre not okay. And you have the Financial Service industry telling us that its all okay to do this and go so its really a question of figuring out what messages are pushing your buttons and what messages you want to send with your giving, because we do all this unconsciously. We dont realize that we do this. But, you know, its a lot more than dollars and cents. And, look, its exacerbated, i guess, by the holiday and all those messages, but the truth of the matter is, it sounds like this is sort of a philosophy we should be adhering to all the time if we want to get control of our finances. Absolutely. The best way to get control of your finances to start with goals. Goals will give you the motivation to stick to a plan, and theyll give you the motivation to stick to a budget. And goals need to be smart, and i literally use the word smart. Lets break it down by the letters. S specific. Sometimes people will tell me, i want to save more money, i want to spend less. But thats not specific. You want to save 1,000 in an thats something specific. Now, lets go to the m measurable. If you want 1,000 in a year, you know, in six months, you have to have 500 in an account. A attainable. We want you to set goals that you can achieve so that you can gain confidence. You dont want to set outrageous financial goals that you know youre not gonna be able to make, cause its just gonna yourself. And, again, its the emotions around money that get so complicated. Mmhmm. R relatable. You have a much better chance of achieving a goal if you tell a friend about it. You want to be able to state your goal clearly to a friend or a loved one. And t to round out smart timely. This is the year that you are buying a new house. It might not be the year that you want to take your dream vacation to europe. So really, when i talk about goals, i dont mean just physical goals. Really things that are important to you, things that are of value to you, things that represent who you are. Get specific. Thatll help you keep your spending in line. Yeah, it sounds like youre also putting yourself in the best position to succeed. Exactly. At what it is youre trying to do. You know, how are what are some of the things that we can do to sort of remind us of those goals or, you know, remind us of what it is of the end here and so that we are okay with, you know, going through the means to get to the end . Theres a couple of things we can do. Three questions to ask yourself before you buy anything. Just remember these three questions. Can i afford this . Is it in line with my goals . And if its not, why am i doing it . Can i afford this . Is it in line with my goals . If not, why am i doing it . Spending that is not in line with our goals, Something Else is going on. You might be telling yourself, i have to have this purse or something terrible is gonna happen or i have to buy my kid this or theyre not gonna love me. These unconscious messages and ask them if theyre true. They rarely are. And you also touched on reminders. Mmhmm. Put a picture of your goal somewhere. Like, i remember one year i wanted to go to paris, and i put a picture of the eiffel tower in was. And, you know, Little Things like that will really help you to stay in track. And a trick i did it myself, and i recently asked a woman to do it i figured out how much money i make in an hour. Having that number in your head and maybe even writing that number down, putting it where your credit card is, is really a reality pill. Itll help you stay on track. Because i want it is not a good enough excuse . [ laughing ] is that what youre telling me . It becomes different when you get a real picture of your goals. You know, when you say, this is the vision i have for my life. This is where i want to be. This is who i want to be with. This is what i want to be doing. You really get connected to that vision. It doesnt become so much about sacrifice. It becomes more about helping yourself fulfill that vision. And really, you know, you have to do that because our brains are not wired to think longterm, so you really have to do that. And what do you and Bigger Picture why is it so important for people to get their financial house in order . Not just about the holidays. Stress around money is not because of the numbers and the amount of money we have. Its the stress is because were not acting in ways that represents who we really are. You might feel stressed out by credit card bills because you personally dont like debt. Moneys simply an extension of who we are. I mean, its a reflection of what we value. So, getting your financial house in order you know, money can help you see some areas where you need to work on yourself. And also money is freedom to do the things that you really want to do. Financial insecurity can keep you in a job you dont want to it can keep you from really living how you want to be. So money can give you the freedom to be who you want to be and money can also serve as a great mirror for parts of your life that you might need to want to make some changes to. You are always just such a great source of information. Your website, winningplays. Org. Mmhmm. You work on Financial Literacy not just for adults, but i know that children its a really important issue because you want them to start off right. Absolutely. So hopefully people can use this Holiday Season to maybe start putting some of the things you suggest in practice. Absolutely. And be creative. Last year i had my son give one of our cousins a certificate to spend a day with her ice skating. That meant so much more to her, and they did. That meant so much more to her than a sweater she would never wear. You know, you dont have to teach your kids by you have to do it by example to give of themselves and not necessarily financially. And the gifts mean just as much and its a Great Foundation to lay for them. All right, stacey tisdale, always great to talk to you. Still ahead, celebrating the holidays at the apollo with the world premiere, the harlem based musical, the first noel. And the things that you holidays at the apollo is essentially a monthlong series designed to celebrate culture and music and family and community. Kicking off the season this year, a world premiere. The classical theatre of harlem is presenting the first noel, a harlem based holiday musical. Take a look. Change i remember life happens i remember and the things that you knew your whole life long in my heart go and change i remember life happens i remember in the blink of an eye and its a memory yesterdays gone and make us do it all and you have to move oooooon well, joining us now is the the classical theatre of harlem, ty jones, and actress lizan mitchell. Thank you both for being here this afternoon. Thank you. What the what better way to celebrate the holiday in new york city than to make a trip to the apollo . And this seems to me to be the perfect show. Right. How did the first noel come about . My friend, Lelund Durond thompson, did a play with me called emancipation. It was about the nat turner rebellion. He did the incidental music. The play was successful, and i had told him at that time weve got to do Something Else. Fast forward we took our experiences of going to regional theater and seeing that Christmas Carol was often done. And the revenue from Christmas Carol would always help with the programming of that particular theater. Were a theater. Were a small theater. We want to be able to create our own earned income, so we were like, we see that theres a possibility to do Something Like a real run of a show in harlem. And were really thankful that as we were working on the music, last year, there was a restaurant one of the flagship restaurants in harlem is called red rooster. They have a separate club below called ginnys. We showcased some of the music, and the team from the apollo happened to show up. Andre braugher was our host that night, so they gave us an email the next day and said, lets talk. And 2015, they were like shes like, wow. I didnt know that. [ laughter ] see . You learned something watching here and now. There you go. So thats what brought us here, so. Its a great thats a great backstory. And i love the idea that this musical its a premiere. Amen. In harlem and that the piece is based in harlem. Yes, it is. You know, i think ultimately the story is about how a Community Comes together one family at a time to celebrate the joy of christmas, you know, after a tragedy happens. Thats one thing we wanted to make sure we did when we wrote this play. Forgive me if this sounds a little blunt, but, you know, black folks can sing, right, during the holidays. [ laughter ] i think its i think its sang. Sang. Thats right. And, you know, we wanted to make sure we had a substantive piece, so theres a really, really powerful story that i think has a universal message to it about love and compassion, especially during the holidays. And putting the spirit back in the home. Yes. And to think about, yeah, us connecting with one another, because sometimes the idea of brians stuff for folks can overtake. The branding of christmas has changed a bit, so we want to make sure that we know that its still about, you know, that were far much more alike than yeah. And, lizan, your character, i think, is lou. Owner. She owns a brownstone. And all the families that the play circulates around live in this brownstone. And shes come upon hard times in the past few years. Still be a loving person and extend yourself and be a forgiving person in spite of whats going on around you. Yeah. And to be the source of healing rather than the source of continued anger. You looking forward to being able to perform this on the stage of the apollo at christmastime . [ sighs ] i was just talking last night, you know, to tori, who is a friend and choreographer with the show, and when i passed through the halls of the apollo, and i see all these faces that have laid the ground for us to be where we are right now, its like passing the torch on. What are you going to do not only to maintain this but to lift it even higher . And one of the songs in first noel is lift him up. Mmhmm. And that is exactly what this show does. And i want to say that it is so relevant to whats going on were experiencing a lot of unusual circumstances in the world. And since with the advent of the internet, all of us are privy to ourselves being a global family. And so how do we sustain ourselves . How do we still keep love alive in the midst of all of this . And this show gives an answer. Yeah. The first noel. And as luck would have it, Opening Night is tonight. Amen. Yes. But the great thing about it is that its running pretty much yep. 13th through 31st with a few blackout dates in there. Yeah. And if folks would like to get tickets to the show . Yes, they can go to apollotheater. Org. They could also go to cthnyc. Org. And were thrilled to have the team of brian and steve, whos directing, steve broadnax. And i tell you, were really people in profound and pleasurable ways this Holiday Season. Yeah, so and there will be plenty people sangin. Oh, they will be. But, i mean, the choreography is amazing. Amazing, amazing choreography. And these voices i dont know if youve heard of the legendary tina fabrique. What she brings to this show is unbelievable. Well, i am looking forward to it. And this music is a comb its pop, its gospel, its jazz, its live music, no recording. So theres a little bit of something for everyone. Family friendly piece, too. 90 minutes long. The orchestration that Jason Michael webb has put together, i think, will be the kind of show that will last for many years to come. Show in harlem. Yeah. Looking forward to that. Looking forward to the show. Its at the sound stage. Yeah, the apollo sound stage. Exactly. We want to make sure we know okay. Yeah. Thank you both so much. What makes this simple salad the best simple salad ever . Heart healthy california walnuts. The best simple veggie dish ever . Heart healthy california walnuts. The best simple dinner ever . Heart healthy california walnuts. Great tasting, heart healthy california walnuts. So simple. Thanks for joining us on here and now. If you missed any portion of todays show, you can watch at abc7ny. And if youd like to comment or share your story, email us at abc7ny or follow us on facebook and twitter. Im sandra bookman. Enjoy the rest of your day. Toys and lions and giants underneath my bed hide and seek and cartoons every afternoon all is quiet