In nine days the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Tennessee eliminated its only majority-Black congressional district. Virginia's Supreme Court overturned a vote that real people cast and won. And in the middle of all of that — I went from pre-diabetic to Type 2 diabetic in two to four weeks. My A1C is at 7.1. My hands and feet have been tingling for over a week. My depression and anxiety are at an all-time high. And I am watching voting rights get stripped in real time while trying to advocate for myself with a care team I am not sure is listening. I am not stepping away. Our ancestors fought too hard for me to put this microphone down because I am going through something hard. But I owe you honesty about where I am. This episode is that honesty. Let's have this conversation.

00:00 — Disclaimer01:28 — Introduction02:55 — Mission04:33 — The Political Weight: Nine days. The Supreme Court. Tennessee. Virginia. And why I have not been able to record until now.08:05 — The Personal Truth: The diagnosis, the numbers, the tingling in my hands and feet, and what it means to advocate for yourself as a Black man in a healthcare system that doesn't always listen14:59 — The Data: Black Americans are 24% more likely to have diabetes, 78% more likely to die from it, and 2-3 times more likely to have depression alongside it — this is not individual failure, this is a systemic crisis21:43 — The Agenda and Commitment: Stephen A. Smith, Tennessee, the VRA case study, Virginia — everything is coming. Here is the order and here is why I am not stopping.26:51 — Close: Still here. Take care of yourselves. The work continues.

CDC Diabetes and Mental Health — cdc.gov/diabetes/living-with/mental-healthAmerican Diabetes Association — diabetes.org/health-wellness/mental-healthCleveland Clinic Type 2 Diabetes — my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21501-type-2-diabetesOffice of Minority Health — minorityhealth.hhs.govMental Health Support — 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24 hours)

Darren's Substack — https://substack.com/@darrenwatts/notes?r=5ez41s&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page

coffeebreakwithdarrenwatts@gmail.com

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