Sirius XM

2023 marked 20 years for Holy Culture Radio  and on April 21, we celebrated one year on Sirius XM!  Everybody got to share their favorite moments.  As I was watching the live stream, I started thinking about some of my own favorite moments.  So, as Trig says, I’m going to parlay my platform!

My intro into CHH

I didn’t come on board until July.  And when I did, I was still a newbie in the space.  Yes, Datin was my intro to CHH.  But that was late 2018, early 2019.  I was late, late.  Every time I edit one of the new school artists’ interviews, and hear their story of how they didn’t know CHH was a thing.  Me neither.

You know how YouTube gives you the sidebar with the recs?  After I watched Datins’ video, I started clicking and was introduced to a whole new world.  Thank God for real though.  It changed my life.  In a real way.  Thank you, Trig.  Real Talk.

Obviously, that’s my first favorite moment.  Getting the job!  But one of my others has got to be getting to know the squad.  I guess this is more of a collection of moments.  Learning that DJ D-Lite could sing on one of the live streams.  Hearing a fire mix from the DJs.  Seeing everyone in their element is inspiring.

America your sins are showing

Another one of my favorite moments is being a small part of a bigger purpose.  Remember the Resurrection event for the residents of Parchman Farm.  When I researched it, my mind was blown by some of the stories attached to the state’s oldest penitentiary.  As I clicked on article after article, I knew why it was needed.

Dig this.  Parchman Farm is the blueprint for the prison industrial complex.  The following was taken word for word from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History website.

“In January 1901 the state of Mississippi purchased land in Sunflower County for a prison. The Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm or simply Parchman, became the main hub for Mississippi’s penal system.

Parchman Farm was in many ways reminiscent of a gigantic antebellum plantation and operated on the basis of a plan proposed by Governor John M. Stone in 1896. By 1917, Parchman was separated into twelve male camps and one female camp, and racial segregation was considered of paramount importance.

The convicts worked ten hours a day, six days a week, and slept in long, single-story buildings commonly called “cages” that were constructed of bricks and lumber produced on site. Most male prisoners were employed in farming, but some also worked in the brickyard, sawmill, cotton gin, and prison hospital.

The female camp produced clothes and bed sheets for the entire farm. On Sundays, the convicts would attend religious services and often formed baseball games between opposing camps.

Because of the remote location and vast size of Parchman Farm, a sophisticated system of walls and fences was considered unnecessary. Prison officials would employ convicts they considered trustworthy as armed guards. These prisoners were known as “trusty guards” or “trusty shooters” and were separated from the general prison population.

These two photograph collections, designated PI/1996.0006 and PI/PEN/P37.4, showcase photographs taken at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in the early twentieth century. They document Parchman facilities and activities from 1914 to the early 1940s.”

I knew there was a reason I don’t like to watch the movie Life.  It never sat right in my spirit.  Two black men, naw scratch that, all of them black men unfairly getting obscenely long sentences.  I never saw the humor in it for real, for real.  Nonetheless.  We thank God that E.I. the King and Trackstarz were able to go and minister inside.

What am I looking forward to in the second year?  Continued healing and fruitful work.  Effectiveness.  Enjoy the celebration.  And if you haven’t downloaded the app yet.  What are you waiting for?!  iPhone or Android.  We got you.   Listen to our podcasts, shop our online store, and find an event near you.  And of course, you can listen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on HCR 154, Sirius XM.

In gratitude and in faith, God bless.