Two Men Talking

to the show. He's a friend of mine. We've only met a few times, but the times I have met him, he is a man field with grace, grace and intelligence and integrity and vibrates. This man has energy and I want to welcome him to the show. He is the host of Access, Hollywood, Access Daily, All Access and also NBC's hit series World of Dance. Undoubtedly you have seen his beautiful face on television. Mr Scott Evans, have you ever heard of ac Man blush? If yeall? Have you?

If you, I don't know, maybe it's just maybe it's just me, But rather think it is so good to be here, so good to thank you for for um, for initiating this conversation. You know what I mean. I think there's there's something even to be said in the um in the unknowing how to perfectly um or or what to say exactly, but the initiation UM, taking that

first step. Brother, I, I appreciate you for for for miss an opportunity to really have the kind of conversations that are uncomfortable perhaps UM, but I said, are so necessary, especially where we find ourselves right now. By one, we just spoke before we started this podcast. But we just spoken. I just said, I commend you, um one, I just sent you love. This is what I've been doing with all people of color in my life. I have just been reaching out and just saying I love them. I

love them as friends, as human beings. I love the impact and service that they have given to my life and how they have touched my life. UM. And then also I commend you as well for coming on to have this discussion. Like you said, this is a very sensitive issue, but it's a very necessary issue. It's a vital issue. It's one that we must address, UM and I'm looking forward to one listening to you, Scott. I.

I've also been doing that, reaching out to people. As I understand, I'm a white I'm a I'm a Canadian, and I'm a white man. I'm a white male from Canada. I grew up in rural Canada. We maybe had two or three Native Americans living in our town, but the nearest the nearest black person would have been about two hours from me. So I didn't grow up with any kind of I didn't even know racism where I grew up.

But my parents taught me to love everybody, and so when I didn't look to a bigger center, my hometown was only six d people. And when I did move to a bigger center, I was very easily able to adopt any person into my life because they have a heartbeat, they are of the human race. I never saw them as different. I loved our diversity and celebrated our diversity, but they were a brother and a sister to me,

and I've always lived my life like that. Um And I want to say, just off the top, that I am vehemently opposed to any and all forms of racism. And I want to also say that I'll never understand what somebody who experiences racism really goes through, but I will say I want to listen more in this conversation than I speak. I am here to listen to you, Scott, to share, to open this up to have this to be a platform for you to share your experiences, your outlooks and educate me on how I and assist and

support the movement to drive lasting change. Yeah. Well, first, I think first, even without necessarily being asked a question, I think there are a couple of things I would just want to like point out and maybe just just I don't know, necessarily, maybe the rhetorical questions, maybe the questions you um are prepared to answer could answer. I don't know, but um, you know, we I think that

we keep coming to this conversation. We keep coming to these kinds of conversation with this underlying feeling of like, you know, this is a sensitive topic and I want to be sure to say the right thing, so I maybe won't say exactly And this is not certainly not saying necessarily to you Brooks, but like, um, I want

to make sure to say the right thing. I want to make sure I don't say the right thing, And so sometimes that prevents us from saying the thing that we're actually thinking, the thing that so many others are thinking, the thing that could probably probably or possibly lead to some real groundbreaking kind of uh peeling back up some layers of some some programming even that we've all kind of um uh fall fall under. And so I want

to say like that it's really not that sensitive. I mean, it's it's it is significant, it is important, it is um potentially even hopefully impactful in some sort of way. But we gotta get past the sensitivity. You know what I mean that the city is it's like we can continue to shield our our sensitivities and our insecurities and our our life so under right or from miss speaking um or for saying the thing that leads us to some higher thought, or we can really breakthrough, you know

what I'm saying. Um. And so I think one of the one of the one of the things I heard you say was like, while while black people weren't necessarily a part of your every day growing up, when you encounter people of color, your heart was human, not necessarily Native American, not necessarily black, not necessarily um, Middle Eastern

or Puerto Rican or Asian. Right the crazy part. I know that this is gonna sound crazy, but like the that's not the majority of us, right, that's not the majority of that's not the that's not that's a rarity that um a white person living in a pretty homogeneous experience doesn't have hang ups around um, black people, and so like, thank you for just being existing, you know, like thank you for being out there. Um, I'm just saying because because we we we we need you, we

need you more, we need you more than ever. And and I don't I don't mean just black people. I don't mean black people. I mean we humans need to know that that is like this should be the default. Um. You know, I've had some conversations with my mom lately, and she's like, I don't know how I feel about necessarily feel necessarily taking on the responsibility of teaching people how to not be racist, right, or teaching people how

to treat me better. It's it's really is as simple as like, treat me the way that you would want to be treated, you know. Yeah, I mean, it's it's really that, it's really that basic. It's really that basic. It's like if if if when if you were walking to it's from things as small as if you were walking to a the first class cabin of a plane and you wouldn't say and you wouldn't want someone to say, hi, excuse me, or you lost? This is first class Yeah, then perhaps that's not the thing you as a as

a white person say to a person of color. You know, oh well I just thought you were lost. Why it's a plane. Yeah, I'm just trying to get to my seat. You know, these are experiences. These are experiences that people have on an everyday basis. It's not like it's not that racism or um racist acts have to be these grand um gross uh uh flagrant or uh you know um attacks on a person's blackness, you know what I mean.

It's not like the only way that you are racist is if you use the N word, you know what I mean. I've I've had conversations with a group of a group of friends of mine on this group chat, and and I had to remind them that because our friends doesn't exclude them from the kind of work that's

required right now, that is necessary right now. Because they know me and maybe several other black people or two other black people who they call friends, doesn't exclude them from the responsibility of expanding there there there notions about black people, and they're there, and it doesn't exclude them from from really examining how they handle and deal in

various situations. Yes, I agree with you. I agree with you on Scott, I agree with you on everything you just said there, right, I agree that it's so two things. I have two thoughts in this one. I agree it's not it's not enough for us to just be I just want to end racism. We need to be anti racism. We need to seek we need to seek and dismantle racism. It's not just enough to say I'm opposed and I'm against it and have that be the end of it. We need to seek out and dismantle systemic racism or

racism in any form that exists in society. What does that look like for you? Like? What does that? Um? How do how does that? When you're right? Like, that's that? That's the idea that it is. It is more than this passive I'll never say the in word right, it's way, it's way more than that. But like for for you in particular, this this uh notable figure, this larger than life guy, Um, kind of literally and figuratively. Um, you know what I mean? Anyway you are you are an

extract fella, you know what I'm saying. So what does what does that look like for you? Your participation in this anti racism shift. Yeah, that's a one, Scott. I want to I just want to say thank you for asking that question. That's a real and truthful and and thoughtful question, and it's something I've been asking myself and truthfully to be fully transparent and honest is I don't know yet exactly what that looks like, but I will

tell you how I have started. I have started by contracting people of color that are friends, family, in my network, anybody that I know that is a person of color, and just reaching out and saying I love you. I love you as a person, I love your heart, I love the impact you've made on my life. I love your presence in the world. I love you. And then secondly, can I listen? Can I just listen to what you

are going through? How are you, how you are feeling, how this has impact impacted your life, how you have experienced any forms of racism in any way. Can I just listen to you, to your story to try to get a deeper comprehension of what you were going through. Now, I've been doing that with people in my community, but I have not yet then figured out where to go with this next This podcast is coming up, so I've been reading a lot, I've been digesting a lot of information.

But now I'm even myself. I'm looking for my next step, as in, what can I do, like I said, to seek and dismantle racism, And so truthfully, a lot of people are posting on their Instagram, Um, you can donate here, you can sign this petition. You know, here's some politicians to look out for that maybe we want to vote

out of office, or here's days to vote. There's a lot of different organizations and links and stuff being flown out there right now, but I don't know which one I wanted to vote my time and resources too, I don't know which direction to go with it yet. UM. And that's just being fully honest and transparent. There's a lot coming at us right now, in which is great.

There's a lot of people trying to help, UM. But I want to just let people in my community, my friends, people I love, let them know that I love them, I support them, I stand with them, UM, and then I'll figure out what sort of action comes from here. So I apologize, I don't have more to give you right now on that spot, But that's truthfully where I'm at. No, I mean That's that's the is it? This is not

like that wasn't meant to be. I hope that didn't seem like some sort of quiz or anything like that. It's just like it's It's just the thing I want people to really start thinking about is like when when we talk about UM, the goals that we have, when we talk about the ideal and the idea of living in a UM society that is not bound by UM the systems in place where one race UM succeeds by the destruction or the confinement or the um uh defacing

of another. Right, Like, what what are we actually doing? You know? One of the things that the conversations I've been seeing online has to do with like, uh, you know, we we keep having it's pretty to the choir, right, Like we keep having the same conversations with people who agree with us. We're having the same conversations with similar conversations about our feelings and about our perspective with the people that um um agree with us, either politically, UM,

you know whatever. That the part where outreach, the part where growth happens, is when you start having those conversations with people who are outside of your you know, of your um uh um red, red or blue, um, gay

or straight, uh servative or liberal. Right, it's when you're able to come to one have a conversation that is is meant to be one um grounded and centered in love and compassion first, no matter how intense the conversation may turn, or or what kind of things may bubble up to the surface, because I think what you also, what we also have to realize is that there are people UM living with generations of hurt, not even understanding

necessarily why they feel this way, why they think this way. Um. And like like black people have had this kind of generational programming, so have white people, right, and so to pretend that it's gonna be this switch that now George Floyd is gone, or now the four police officers have been charged, that all of a sudden, right, we're good, right, We've now we're black, we're racism is we're done. There is no racism, and it's it's just it's just not

the case. And so you know, I think to to help that conversation along with you know, what do you do now? I think one, and this is gonna sound probably crazy, but like white people, I think need to get okay, with being called a racist. I think that um um, for lack of a better word, like pussy footing around or tiptoeing around um, the being called racist, it's just not going to allow us to get to the actual work if you're not if you're if you're unwilling to own the fact that not I'm I'm talking

about you've never used the N word. I'm not talking about you've um always been kind or or courteous to two people of color. I'm not talking about that. But but certainly you can you can agree that being a white person, no matter how difficult your life is, no matter the hurdles and the obstacles that you had overcome or the challenges that may have come your way, you're being right allows you to benefit from a system that

boosts you right. And so that in and of itself is that's that is the racism that we're up against, right, And so if you can get okay with I realized that that meet my being born white, my being born into the family that I was born into, or adopted into the family that I was adopted into, allows me to move through this life with a with a certain amount of benefit. And that benefit is not something that

people of color have. And so I am I realized that my privilege, um is not something uh that should prevent me or separate me from getting to this work. And so yeah, okay, I might be racist now thinking about the business of changing, that business of rectifying and healing.

That that's powerful, Scott, that's powerful. One thing I did think of and one thing I have been um committing time to is because they said earlier in the show that my parents told me to love heart, you know, just that a person has a heart and to love there. And God bless my parents, Jane and Harold. I have wonderful parents. Then so much of my life is just is just a result in the product of them. So I don't even pay credit for it. They are just

They're exceptional examples to me. Um. But one thing I've been I've been really trying to do is I'm trying to bring awareness to any of my actions that maybe in any way could have even slightly been a form of discrimination or like, is there are I'm trying to find areas of my life thing like even just what you said that somebody asking you are you looking are you looking for first class? Like that's not a huge

racist action, but it's it's a discriminatory action. And so I'm trying to I'm trying to really look at my life and and replay conversations and friendships and if there ever been any way where I have inadvertently, unknowingly, maybe subconsciously implemented or or or had anything to do with discriminating somebody. And just hearing you talk about how the system being white the system boost us, I've never known being black, So I've never known somewhat of a I've

only ever known my struggle. I've never which is just signed the speed and just like we're all trying to do our best in the world. The world's a competitive place, but I've never known a struggle based on my race and then a struggle against the competition. And so like I'm I'm trying to bring more awareness, and I'm listening to you talk and I'm like, wow, I don't know that other side. I don't know how hard that is. I don't know that I don't know that maybe I

have benefited. I've never looked at it that way, you know, And so I want to I want to bring more awareness in my life like that and really deep dive into me and and then see how I can be a voice of impact and of service and really make sure that myself first before I'm speaking to anybody else, make sure that myself first, that I am leading with love and doing all that I can to help bring change.

So it's a journey for me. I'll say that, Scott, I love listening two the discussion, and I'm on my own journey to make this better in any way I possibly can. But yeah, it's really it's really such a it's really such an important time in our lives. Man. It's like, I just thank you for being honest the president in this phone call. You know, I want to. I want to. I want to give you an example. I want to give you an example of like not even you may not even know right the um I'm

in the third grade. It's the it is the the point in learning math that you start doing long division and you know the carrying over and the remainders and all that stuff. Math has never necessarily been my strong suit, much stronger as an English student, much stronger even as a science student. UM. But that some of the technical like the formulas, the memorization of math, I just couldn't connect the memorize, the memorization and the actually showing your work, right.

So I was talking to was remember raising my hand, and I went to a school that was pretty mixed, predominantly white, but but I would say probably white and um uh white and percent black and then the rest was kind of mixed, right, So it was a pretty good mixture of students when it goes when you go through schools. So I raised my hand to to to signal my teacher. My signs to sign my teacher's attention. And he comes over and he's like, hey, what's going on.

I was like, I'm having a hard time with the fractions also have remainders and carry over with the having some problems. And he said to me, Wow, all the black kids seem to be having problems with this. That's crazy. And then, um, I've never told this story before. Um. And then like I remember trying to think about math, and all of a sudden, I'm thinking about black people don't do math well, like I didn't. I Hey what in the third grade? And so I like, I'm not

a small personality. I'm not that sunken kind of kid. I'm not a kid who like pouts and walks around. But later in the class, another young girl and I can see it like I happened, like like just minutes ago. Another girl raised her hand and was having some issues with whatever, and he walks over to her, bends over to hear her question, and then he goes Scott look

another one. And I remember how like crushing that was, but not really knowing what to do with it, because I don't believe Mr Lloyd this teacher was a mean guy. In fact, he was one of the most beloved uh he's since passed away, but one of the most beloved teachers in our school. UM. He and his wife both

taught at this particular elementary school. And while there's maybe nothing necessarily wrong with as a as an instructor identifying that there is a there is, there is more needed with this group to tell a third grader that that way was just I remember being like, this isn't right, And so I went to my science teacher, who was a black woman, and said to her, I didn't know that black people we weren't I didn't know that we weren't good at math. And she was like, what are

you talking about? And I shared with her the conversation and what would lead to Mr Lloyd being UM a disciplinary action against him. I remember my mom talking about it with my science teacher because he said, should I have said the African American kids? He just didn't quite get He didn't understand his actions at all. He just didn't quite get it. And our our principle was also a black woman. Um uh. And so it just was.

It was one of those situations where it's like, at some point, I think, you just gotta you gotta, you gotta read right, you gotta understand that your experience isn't the only kind of experience in this country. I was listening to this conversation with UM. This girl that she posted it blew up on social media. I think last night, this girl on social media talking to what seems like

her parents. I think her name is Haley, and she's explaining to them the the glaring pitfalls in her parents thinking about around the Black Lives Matter movement as a as a a real sincere push for change UM, and the state that black people find themselves in and all over this country that that UM make it much more difficult to do really anything in recent cases, uh, going a job um, you know, or sleeping your your your apartment, and so without this sense of constant could it be

me h? She was trying to explain to her parents. You know, no, this is not this is this is what you're thinking. What you're saying is not okay. And at some point you can you take a break in in in and sharing this and say do I have this right? At some point? How many times does someone have to say to you no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no, this is this is hurtful, this is wrong, this is damaging before you say okay, while it is

what I think. Can I even entertain hearing you as you scream from the your lungs, or as you protest peacefully in the streets, or as you sing uh your hearts despair, or as you paint the the pain that you see in front of you. At some point do we say you can't possibly be collectively hurting for nothing. I can't possibly have it all figured out if you're If everyone is collectively hurting, this can't just be a ment uh an effort in politicizing or affecting uh an election.

This has got to be something different, considering it's been the same thing since you and I have been alive. Yeah, so yeah, it's just it's it's like, at some point, I think the think after you look at yourself, I think you then get busy with UH. And after you look at yourself and after you let the people who are in your life know that you love them and that you were there for them and that you support them,

I think then you get active in supporting them. And that doesn't necessarily mean UM signing a petition or UM writing a letter to UM a local official. It could, and it's and and if it does, it is helpful. But it absolutely does mean that the next time you're on a plane and a person, a white person says to the black person approaching their seat in first class, are right, this is first class? Are you lost? Excuse me?

That's actually highly highly insensitive and inappropriate. Yeah. I mean if it were as you would if it were your significant other or your brother. YEA true, very true. That its I don't know if it's a quote from the Bible, but it's a quote I remember. Evil only triumphs at the indifference of good men. Exact and exactly what you're saying there. It's it's the same with anything else, I mean any other form. If if somebody was mistreating a lady,

somebody would step up. You know, you're mistreating anybody, people would step up, And and we need to do it in any form of racism as well. I agree with you completely and certainly I hope people are on high alert to make that change and be bold enough to inject themselves two to bring awareness to what happens when those instances arise again, because we're all after the same thing.

We want to end it, you know. And so I like, if I say anything on this call, even Scott, please make me aware of anything that I'm like that I might have said that might even I'm not aware of. Yeah, of course I'm asking my friends to make me aware of any actions that might even be walking the line of potentially you know. Um, I don't want to say it's not racist, but it is in a way. I don't know, it's discriminatory. The better word for me, I just I don't know why. Um, now call it what

it is. Call it what it is. And and and I say that to say it should make you uncomfortable, it should be. It should the word should be a word that, when in your mouth makes you, makes it feel gritty and makes you want to brush your teeth and makes you want to like it should affect you. It's it's absolutely should. We can't become desensitized. We can't. We can't seek comfort before we see healing, right, we can't seek to be to be soothed before we're willing

to address why we're hurting in the first place. You know what I'm saying, and so call it exactly what it is, call it and and and be mad and said that that's what it is, and that's what it feels like. UM. One of the things that I have I've noticed is um uh like the kind of quiet support that's happening with people right like it's it's kind of behind the door, behind the closed doors. I think there's there's some there's some UM insecurity wrapped in it,

or expect in some in security. I think some of it is also just wanting to be UM sensitive to people's thoughts and feelings and maybe even what they're um you know, particularly on social media with their social with their followers may think or how that conflict. But one of the things that I heard that was it was like game changing for UM. The requirement that I made of my friends because it did. It did end up like before it even they had the opportunity to mess

it up. I just said, this is what it's gonna be. And if you can't do this, then then we need to take a step back from our friendship because this is not what I thought it was. But the reason why we want people to be. The reason why you want people to be loud about what they feel and about what they uh, the support that they have, and the and the acknowledgement of where we are and their desire their commitment to expanding their awareness is because people

who are actively racist are super loud. Yeah you know what I mean. Like I go through my d ms

on Instagram and don't even open the messages. I just delete them, Like you wouldn't believe how many messages might over the last two weeks and just simply saying black lives matter, how many messages that I've got not just with all lives matter, but that with in word to me and so yeah, and so the reason why the reason why I was like, you gotta, I don't want you to just call me and then that's your phone call.

I want you to get on social media and say, I just had this conversation with a friend of mine and it was difficult for us. You know, it brought up some things from there how they didn't even know they were dealing with. And it made me emotional to know they've been potentially hurting this way and I didn't even know that hurt for them. Because I think other white people need to see, okay cool, So this is I can expect that, Okay cool, this is not out

of the norm. Okay cool, We're all doing this and that's amazing. Wow. I like it you're bringing about like you're you're bringing about emotions in me, Scott, because it's breaks my heart that you get d ms from people that don't know you, because I know you and your vibrance is the world needs more of it. And people d M you that do not know you, have not met you, trying to tear you down. It breaks my heart, like it's it's my my blood is rushing, like I

almost want to almost want to cry. Yeah, I just I've stopped crying at the N word because it's like you don't have anything better, you don't have anything true, Like come on, that's that's the best you've got, but it is it's disheartening because that's the response to um the desire for like significant change in that people's lives just be met with respect, you know what I mean, That people's lives just be met with UM, the mutual kind of um uh care and consideration that you would

give any human being, that any human being deserves right. And so yeah, it's it's it's unreal. It's unreal, but it's also like not unreal, you know what I mean. Yeah, I UM exactly what you're saying. Like, I had a terrific conversation with two dear friends of mine last night, UM and he said he's been praying to God to see the world through God's eyes. He's been praying it's just saying, take away my bias, take away my perspective, take away my experience, and let me see the world

through your eyes. And I just thought that was so powerful. And I've been just thinking on that for the last twelve or fourteen hours. In how do where I was raised, who I was raised by, the culture, society, the demographic where I was raised, How does all of that shape so deeply my perspective on the world and on people and I'm trying to actively even undo that, to see the world in a just and true, more truthful way

without my only interpretation of it, you know. Um. But I don't know where that's going for me yet, Scott. But I also I also want to, I just I want to have that kind of a a grace when perceiving things while maintaining the fire to make change because I know the world is not right. Does that make sense that I can choose myself to make myself feel better, you know, by looking at the world like that? But

I want to. I want to, you know, through God's eyes, I believe everything is equal and every life matters, and and so I want to see the world that way. But I also want to be very current and very present with the topic at hand. That black lives matter. Yeah, you know, yeah, so it's so the you know. One of the one of the criticisms of black Lives Matter, as commentary hashtag and um voice to the the the movement is the one of the typical responses is all

lives matter or blue lives matter. And it's like, of course, right, of course, all lives matter. And if you believe that all lives matter, black is included in that right and it was it was described this kind of way, and it made a lot of sense. And this may be redundant for for people who listen to your show, because I feel like, in order to even come here, you have a certain level of awareness, a certain level of um um uh grace that you give not only self,

your significant others, but those around you. You know what I mean. The kinds of conversations you have on this radio show, um on this podcast reflect that kind of growth um so you know, one of the one of the So in order to even come to this show, I think you have to have a certain level of awareness and you deal with people in a certain level

of grace. So this may not be a message specifically to them, but perhaps maybe a tool to use when they when they see other people responding All lives matter to those who say and believe understanding by Black Lives Matter as a movement and believe if you were on uh, if you were in the armed forces and you're let's say you're at war, you're on the battlefield and as a medic you go to um heal or address the needs of a wounded soldier right he's on the ground

he's got a hole in his chest, and he is he needs rapid help immediately. If while you were going to UM give him the attention that was necessary, someone grabbed your hands, stops you and said, but wait, wait, all soldiers need help. That is the kind of energy, that is the kind of interruption that the all lives matter response um UH shares because of course all of these, all of the soldiers on this battlefield, and any soldier

ever matter, would need help, deserve healing. But at this point I'm looking at the one who needs it right in front of me, and so why not medicate myself in the belief that all soldiers matter, that this one does too, and in particular right now, because I'm standing here with an opportunity to serve. Yes, yeah, you know,

I agree. I agree with you completely. Another example of that that I heard it if you go that you went to a a UM fundraiser for breast cancer, somebody wouldn't stand up and say, yeah, but what about lung cancer? You know, you know, you're like, yeah, well that matters too, of course it does. But we're here tonight to raise funds for breast cancer. And so I agree with you, and I believe that. Yeah, And it's just bringing awareness

to like I believe that. I don't believe that the people who are saying all lives matter are are bad people are are inherently trying to two um water down the Black Lives Matter um uh like movement. But yeah, because I know people in my old life that have said, I know, like I know people are saying all lives matter. And then when you share that sentiment, it's like, yes, all lives matter. We can all agree on that. Nobody

ever said, nobody ever said they didn't like that. That's the thing, though, Brooks like, it may not be their intention. It may not be one's intention to water or muddy or um distract from the conversation the moment that we find ourselves in now, but it does. It is an interruption of building uh you know what I mean, um of energy. And so you know, it's like it's like, of course, and but now what it's like when we when we're having the conversations about the protests that I

was in, I walked. I walked at this protest gathered in California. Um, it was it gathered a block away from my house, and then it got on the move. Now, did I know it was gonna get on the move? No? But did I get on the move with it as

it got yes? Um? Yeah. You know I watched people talk about, Um, I watched the narrative shift from the reason why people were protesting to um, the looters and the violence, and it was like, yeah, it is unfortunate that these people who own these these businesses, these these uh people who own this real estate, this property, it is damaged or destroyed. Yeah, but that doesn't deserve more a commentary and coverage and energy then the reason why

people are protesting in the first place. It's like we we we rushed to address the symptom, you know what I mean, Um, we rushed to address the the We put a band aid over a open wound, you know. Um yeah, Yeah. There's been a lot of attention on the There's been a lot of attention on the effect, not the cause, not the cause, not the cause, because that then that then separate that can that's in way out right, Like that's that's your opportunity to be like, well,

they're they're looding, So I'm done. That's it's violent and I don't agree with violence, and so I'm I'm I'm out of this fight. And it's like, well, if you don't agree with violence, and certainly you don't agree with the lives being lives people people's lives being ended the way that they have, and certainly that is the reason why we're here in the first place. So you know, it's just like, at some point, I think the shift has to go from here is my here is only

mult effective. Here's what I think and what I think is right because I think it, and instead what can I do to help? Instead of the place of even I have to understand it all right away? Um uh, it has to also be my walk, right, Maybe it can just simply be what can I do to help? Man, I'm writing, I'm writing so much of this down, so much of what you said, I'm writing down because they're just You're just You're drain of three pointers. My man. You ship, um you are you are on inspired Like um,

I wrote this down. I've just been circling it. We can't seek comfort before we seek healing. Like I just I thank you so much because I'm learning so much and I just listening to you talk. I wanted to write down this question or ask you this question. I want to ask you this question because I want to gain more insight and more understanding, and so I want to ask you a truthful, hard question. UM, what is the hardest part of being a black person in America?

What is truthfully the hardest part. I'm going to share something with you that, UM, I don't know how I'm going to be able to necessarily get them already getting there, I don't know how I'm going to be able to get through it without um, yeah, becoming undone, because it is, it is incredibly UM. It's tied to the core of everything, this requirement of us to change how we handle each other. UM. I was interviewing this woman, h Lauren, her last name

is escaping me right now. I was interviewing this woman who had put out this video UM that has since gone viral, and she talked about the question that the primary question in the video was when did my baby become a threat? Right? And so she had these young people, these little kids, these little boys, these little black boys, UM,

asking when did I become a threat to you? When did I When did my little cuteness become something that was returning to you in a way that my life didn't matter, um, And so in this conversation, I was saying to her, you know, when did this even start for you? Like this is you? It was it seemed like a rapid response to what what we're what we're dealing with, and what we're More and more people are seeing, maybe for the first time. How where did this come

from for you? Her son is three and a half years old, and she was talking about being trying to take a breath. She was talking about being in the doctor's office when the their their doctor told them the gender the sex of their child, and she had been hoping and praying and wishing for a girl, and when the doctor told her that she was having a boy, Um, she starts to cry. And her husband was like, baby, no,

it's good, kind of comfortable. Baby, No, We're good. We're having how fee beautiful baby bullen crying And she said to him, I'm crying because how we're on earth? Are we're gonna him? How on earth are we going to keep him safe? This world is not kind, this world is not does not see him, will not see him this way? What are we gonna do? And to hear a black mom as a black son to a black mom,

a single black mom. I can't imagine. It just made me go back through all of the conversations my mom my MoMA had about don't be out too late, or don't drive on that side of town, or who all is gonna be there or all of those questions. I was like, mom, why are you tripping so hard? You did now and you asked me, what is the hardest part about being black in America? It is It is the constant fear and the need to constantly reassure yourself

that you're gonna be okay. You need to be alert, you need to be aware, but you're gonna be okay. I hope you're gonna be okay, and nobody should have to me. You know, when when a mod are Y was um uh murdered on a run, black people did what black people always do when stories like this hit mainstream. We share it and then we adjust. I was talking to Kei Drin Bryant, this young boy who sang I just want to Live, a song that has since also gone viral and shared written by his mom. After a

prayer um of what do I do? What can I do with the gift that you have given me to help in this moment after learning of George Floyd's death. She told me that when um Ahmad Aubrey died, her son, who is a track athlete and often runs around the neighborhood to get his and keep his endurance up, especially and while we're in quarantine, keep his endurance of his activity up and his speed training going. She told him

he would only run in front of their house. He could only run hundred meters in the culta sac and that she needed to be sitting outside with him, watching him, somewhere she could see him. And she realized that like after a few days of that, here we are again adjusting our existence out of fear of death while the men responsible. At that point we're free. And so you know, there there are I don't I don't think myself a victim. I don't think myself a um a person who is

unable to reach goals and the my heart's desires. I also realized that as a privilege that I have that is not afforded to every black boy, That that mindset, that thought process is not, unfortunately the process of every black kid. So if if if I had to try to articulate, the hardest part is that it it is. It seems that we often just have to continue to adjust to what is a worsening and maddening experience of being black in this country. Scott. That is thank you

for sharing. It is thank you for your courage, thank you for your honesty and your openness, your willingness to share. I just sat here listening, just listening, and just trying my best to understand, just listening. Um, okay, and I the magnitude I don't I don't know that as a white person, I will ever be able to grasp the magnitude of those feelings and emotions and had the weight of that. You know, I truly don't believe I'll ever be able to understand. Um, but I feel you my

friends like I feel you. I feel your hurt, and other dear friends that I've spoken to, I can feel their hurt. And this is making me amotion right now. Um. I just I hate it. I hate it. I hate when people hurt. I just hate when people hurt. Mhm.

Your inspiring being press here, if you're really inspiring me with your words and your story to be better for you, my friend, for you, for my other friends of color, and for every person to any person, any person on earth, deserves a fair shake, deserves equality, deserves you toity, deserves appreciation and love. Yeah, Scott, Wow, he changed me. Thank you? Are you still there? Yeah, man, I'm here. I'm just

you know, it's um, it is it's um. It's a I can't pretend that I am not a black man talking to a white man about this and hearing you say how much this hurts you to to know and to hear and to even try to understand, Like that's a that like that's um, this is probably this may sound weird, but like that even that is like shocking, and not that you feel that way, but that like this white man is willing to step out of what he thinks, he knows, what he sees as his reality,

to acknowledge the reality of another, and to be willing to say, even in my sincere effort, that I'm I'm I probably have gotten it wrong in the past, and that I am committed to doing right better in the future. You know. That's um, that's not that's not an easy While it's the desire, it's still a hard thing to take,

still a hard thing to think about. Like that's where here is where we are you know that here is where we are, um, And so I just I would, man, I would just urge you with your with your sincerity, in your authenticity and your awareness and your ability to show up as your whole self and not this idea of who you should be happened in the past or what you might stand for, to really live that and when you see ain't right, address it in the moment, in the face of it, and and and call out

how uncomfortable it may be, how unwilling you are and allowing it to continue, and that this is not how a person should be treated. Yeah, yeah, yeah, man, I just want to give you a hug. Dude. I wish I'm shure I could just give you a giant hug right now. You are a light, my friend. You are a source of joy, and you are a lighthouse for

boats to find. You are just like you are. If I knew this is gonna be powerful, um, when Danielle and Amy and Torry told me that you were going to come on, because I know our our history as brief, but I also think I have a very good gradar at sometimes for people, and and I knew this was gonna be because you're always thoughtful one, You're always I'd like to do another show with you because this has been a really heavy and like and because I want

people to know the members of our community who you may not know you, I want them to know you. Other slide of view that it's so lovable too, um, but man, just like you've you've opened my eyes so much, and you've in a loving and gracious way challenged me to be better, and not in just a not in a selfish way, in a way in a you've done it with such a grace of like, in a way for humanity. Like truthfully, if that's what I desire, equality, unity,

respect and love across humanity, I need to be better. Um. And it's okay, just even people listening to this, it's okay. It's not okay that our past aren't perfect. There aren't. But what I'm saying is we can be better. Don't be don't let your future be defined by your past. So even even if you've never been at a racist bone in your body or anything like that, we can still be better moving forward, you know, Like you said, address things in real time, be proactive, do not stop

until this is dead and gone, you know. Um, You've really Scott, You've really inspired me. I have a lot to think about. I have a lot to learn and continue to educate. But I feel like I know some of the answers. But maybe is there any other way that I'm not aware of? Or we have a discussed that eye splash we can best support and serve the

mission mission of ending racism? Is there anything anything that we haven't touched on yet where you're like, this is a really powerful thing to be cause the sense of awere off. We can take action here, this is what we can do. I kind of just want to open it to you too, um to offer some advice to us. Well, well, everybody drink yeah, um. Well, and the primarily because you ask, I'm gonna say, Um, you know they're they're just in a just in a in a moment or just a

moment ago. It can be something as as small as as this, right, and a signal that's cast. And I know your intention, I know what you were saying, and I know what you I know what you mean, right. But um, the invitation to come back, and I would have I would love to come back. The these kinds of conversations, whether they're wrapped in um, the the kind of pleasantry of UH pop culture or or real significant deep um social issues. I'm down whenever you want, I'm down, UM.

But even the invitation to come back to show my more lovable side or the reason my lovable side and sending us may send a signal to someone that this somehow is not an act of love, that this conversation, us sharing this moment right now could not be UM love demonstrated right. And I know that you what you were saying was I want to come back and have

some fun with you. I want to come back and laugh with you, and and and joke with you, and learn with you and grow with you talking about something else and show a different slice of you, you know. But this is like, this is um, this is like the signific it can work. We've got to do right now. And of course, man, yes, I will come back any time. And I wasn't gonna say anything because I do know

that your intention was. But what I'm saying is that it can be sometimes something that small where you could be like, how do I say what I really mean? Um? You know, how does that third grade teacher say what I really mean? Because there's power in the words that I say, and I love you and you like the fact that you're even willing to have these conversations is to me, Like for some people, I think they're they're like, well,

that's the base, that should be the bare minimum. But I realized that sometimes getting back to the bare minimum is a significant what I mean, a significant thing. Um. But what I would also say to people who are out there UM trying to figure out, like what's the piece of advice is that like, like, we learned so much of the other things that we become really aware of. Like we like we seek knowledge in UH and practice in other things we want to be champions of and

um the best at we practice. We UM educate ourselves. We expose ourselves to opportunities to enhance our skill. Um UM. We learn from those who have uh come before us and are known as experts. We seek the council of coaches and um uh teammates and partners. UM. I would urge anybody listening not to necessarily don't put the work off on your black friends or your coworker and say, what's the what are the books to read? Or um

who should I vote for? Or uhum, what's the conversation here, it's really about like how if you're gonna, if we're if we're seeking to learn, then it's it's a process. And be committed to the process, and include your black friends in your process, but also include your white friends in your process, your family members, your parents in that process. Share what you're learning and the layers um of growth and expanding that you're that you're experiencing. Like show people

where you are, be willing to be seen and learning. Yeah, Like be willing to be willing to be seen in learning because like, no one is expecting you to be perfect in anything. You know, when you're when you're when you connect with a partner and you you decide you or you commit that this is this is where I'm gonna be you or who I'm going to spend um as the significant portion of my being and my energy and my effort. You demonstrate that. You don't just say

I'm an ally. Yeah, you demonstrate you demonstrate that moment. I've always said, well done is I've always said and always agreed with us, well done is better than wealth, said boom baby. Always yeah, I've always agreed with that. Yeah. Yeah. And the thing, the thing that I love about you, Brooks is this is like, this is how I know that to be true for you. You could have easily when I said to you about the lovable personality part, you could have easily been like, no, no, no, that's

not what I meant. That's not that's not what you didn't. You didn't. It's not about you being right. It's not about you, um proving me wrong or correcting me. You're actively choosing to listen, actively choose. And it may have been like you may have wanted to be like no, no, no, of course that's not what I meant. But what you allowed was for another person to hold that space and just share yes, thank you stuff. Yeah um yeah. Manly,

I'm I'm on a journey. I'm on a journey to really to really learn more, Like truthfully, it's important to me and I hope to be a father one day and I hope to have the world be a better place for them, you know, for for kids one day, and to affect the world as it is today and know that every life in across the world, every life

and especially black lives matter, like they just too. To look at the world and feel that a human being feels like or there are actions present in the world that could make a human even think about that or feel that way. Is just despicable to me, and it literally breaks my heart. Like, dude, I don't know how many shows we've done, maybe sixty seventy shows or something, and that's only that. That's the second time I've cried on this on this platform, on this show. One was um.

One was a while ago. We were talking about a real some family stuff and um I cried. And then this time we're hearing you speak. It just made me cry, Like the emotions are real. And I think a lot of it is, too, is sadness within myself that I haven't been better, that I could do more. But there's an excitement and you've lit a fire under my ass to do more, to be better for humanity, for black people, you know, for I don't know, just ah, I have so much energy now, Scott. You just wired me. You've

literally spun me up and wired me. Let's get to it, baby, Let's get to it. You know that that's the that's the hope, that's that's and that's the thing. I think that is a real um uh signal to um this being something different than what you know some of the some of the situations that we've seen in the past. I think that people are not only waking up to the fact that, oh snap, this is happening, and it's happening in a in a in a in a um profound and and and uh far reaching way, and we

gotta do something different. And now people are actively doing something different. They're pulling in their friends. I'm seeing communities come together that I never would have expected. I'm seeing people pull their their peers and their loved ones and their significant others um together and building some in beautiful toward a better life for not only themselves, but for for other people. And then like it's it's a it's an inspiring thing. Some of the news will have you

believe it's it's one way. Some of the blogs will have you believe it's A social media commentary will certainly make you believe it is one way. UM. But yeah, man, I love that. I love the challenge that you have have put forth to me, UM, And it was something that I challenged my community with on social media a couple of days ago. UM, was that it's not good enough. It's not good enough for us to post a Martin Luther Queen or Martin Luther King quote anymore. It's not

it's not good enough to post other people's comments and quote. UM. We need to inject our own voices. We need to speak, We need to educate ourselves, We need to learn more, to research more, to take the time to use our hearts and to speak and inject ourselves and our voices and our actions into this movement. UM. I truthfully believe

that now, more than ever, is starting to happen. And I truthfully believe that's the only path when we take this as to an importance at the individual level versus just you know, I think it's an easy way to post somebody else's thoughts or something like that. But when we put our own hearts and minds behind it and our own sentiments, UM, it's impossible not to get drawn into it further. You know, you were, You were drawn into the fight when you really open your heart to it,

to the injustice injustices present in the world. And so I'm challenging myself with that, and I would love to open that to the community as well, or how intank community who are amazing and supportive, UM and engaging and hope that people out there are listening to this and they have listened to you, Scott, and that they have a fire lit under their asked as well to make a difference to be better. Um man, you are. You are a force of good and a force of nature, Scott,

my brother. I appreciate that. But this's back at you man like it's it's not it's not. It's not easy to do what you're doing, you know what I mean. It's not easy to to say like WHOA, Okay, wait, what's my part? How do I? How do I? It's just what's necessary. It's what's necessary. And if you're if you're able to as through the energy to really dive into a response to that question like what can I do? How can I be better than? You're a g You know I'm saying thing you are? You are something uh

special out here and that's what we need. That is what we all need. And yeah, man, I just appecate you have in this space, you and you holding this space for this conversation and and participating in it the way that you have, you showing up uh emotionally available, UM, willing to listen, um and and course correct you know yeah,

that's what that's about. UM. Right back to you, my friend, you've you you're exponentially better at all of those things, UM, and so I appreciate you coming on for our listeners. Are our community that UM are maybe hearing you for the first time? Where can they find more Scott Evans? Where can they find where do you hang out the most on your social Where can they get in contact with you? Follow your journey, your mission? UM? Where can

they find you? Scott? Well, right now, I'm on I'm on most social media platforms as I am Scott Evans, as I am Scott Evans, and then UM ten PMS on Tuesday, ten pm on Tuesday, UH for World to Dance, UM, and then also UH weeknights and weekdays on NBC UM for Access, Hollywood Access Daily and All Access. So yeah, man, I'm around. How at me? Get at me? If you have questions, if you disagree, UM, But if you disagree, be willing to come to a conversation where instead of

proving your perspective, be willing to share a perspective. UM. I'm not saying you've got to come willing to like Okay, I I don't I don't agree with you. But I'm willing to learn. I'm saying, like, at minimum, be willing to share in an experience aids in in a conversation. But man, I so enjoyed this, I really have. I was. I was nervous because I was like, please, don't say nothing trazy on this man's radio show. You are so emotional right now. No emotion is good, dude. Emotion is good.

Feelings are real, and feelings are powerful. Yeah, and change is only going to come when when we agree that we will not tolerate this anymore, that our emotions will not tolerate a state of the world like this anymore. Though they are powerful. And I appreciate you. You brought that. That's that. I felt it through the phone. Dude. You made me cry. Listening to you talk made me cry. I feel you. Undoubtedly our listeners have felt that as well. So. But man, um, I'm coming back to l a student.

I would love to see your face. I would love to take you out for the State dinner or something anything that. Please know that you have a brother in me. I will be better for you, um, and always at any time let me know however I may ever serve your mission. Buddy, You're the man. I do appreciate you, brother, I really do. Okay, dude, Um, everybody left his go follow Scott stuff. Man, you just you're wonderful. You are a wonderful human being, a gift to this world, my friend.

I hope to see you soon. Thank you so much for taking the time. Um, and to all of our listeners, take care of one another, love one another, and we'll see you. Right back here next week for another episode of How and In Think