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Home, y'all. This is Angela Rai. It is a Native Land Pod solo pod day, and I'm really I don't know if I'll call it excited, but it is an important conversation that we need to have. I think that we continue to see in our comments this divide between black folks who understand, appreciate, and want to be mindful of what's happening with migrants from all over the world in this country right now, and those who want to turn a blind eye to it because for whatever reason,
they're not able to tap into their humanity. I for one, think that it is really important when we have these conversations about what's happening with people who have been in this country, have you know, paid their dues, whether it's military service, contributed to a college, environment, our hard workers in their community, or whatever else, that we have the opportunity to really have the conversation and name the individuals.
So today, what we are going to do on Native Lampod, on this solo pod is dig a little deeper into what is actually happening with the migrant CSIS crisis and the random ice raids we're seeing in communities throughout the country, especially when that city is led by a progressive or a black mayor. And so here we are today. There was a conversation we had recently with Anana Jomfi, who is over seeing the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. She was on with us recently and really shed a lot
of light on this. But Nana hasn't stopped there. She continues to give us names of people who have been adversely impacted by this country's really treacherous immigration policies. And this one today strikes a completely different cord in a lot of ways. And I want you to hear from Rodney Taylor's fiance. We will be joined by Mildred Pierre.
So I'm going to invite Mildred Pierre on to talk about who Rodney Taylor is, to give you all some background of about him, his story, how he's been impacted by ice raids and detention, what he's waiting for, what he needs from all of us, and what the path forward might look like. We can't continue to have these conversations in a vacuum, so I'm not going to give you a stat and you determine how the stat doesn't
apply to you or why this doesn't matter. There are a ton of people in this country who have contributed to black history. My best friend and I were mentored by someone named Carl Mack who came up with a calendar of Black Facts. And this calendar of Black Facts had the contributions of Black Americans, black folks throughout the
diaspora every single day. And when you go back through a calendar like those filled with black facts, and you go back through some of the people who have contributed to hip hop and inventions and civil rights, you're going to find that many of those people were either immigrants themselves or they were the children of immigrants. So as we continue to wrestle with what actually is and not what we wish it would be, I think it's important that we have this conversation in earnest and we have
it with the eye towards humanity. So we're going to bring Mildred Pierre to the stage. Hi everyone, Hi Mildred, thank you so much for being here and being bold enough to come forward and tell the story of your fiance Rodney Taylor. I would love for you to tell us who Rodney Taylor is, where you all are located, and we'll go from there.
Rodney Taylor is my fiance. He's a forty six year old man that was born in Liberia. He came to America when he was two. He a community leader, an advocate, he is a master barber. We live in Loganville, Georgia Metropolitan that's the Atlanta metropolitan area, about a hour away from Atlanta.
And when you think about Rodney outside of his contributions, because so often, and this is something that Nana has told us as well, we talk about people in terms of their work and not necessarily who they are as human beings. So talk to us about the type of human being Rodney is.
Rodney is a giver.
Little background.
So Rodney came to America for medical seeking medical help and he received that medical help from Shriner's Children Hospital and all his medical expenses was free, it was covered. And so he always have this thing to give back, God bless me. I have to give back. So from the beginning of from I think from the time he was sixteen is when he got certified and got his
barber schooling out the way he's been giving back. He's the first step was his mom is a nurse, so she would have these patients with their hair grown now and she will tell him, hey, can you please come cut my patient's hair because these patients are identified as HIV AIDS patients and nobody wants to cut their hair,
so Rodney will go in cut their hair. He did that for years as a young man, and then that continued into him now, you know, going to senior centers where now they expect them to come cut their hair for free, and attending back to school events and cutting underprivileged communities with free haircuts. He's especially sensitive to single women that you know, have multiple boys that needed haircuts in you know, we only have enough for one kid and that the other three.
He also give back. He fundraised with Susan G.
Coleman. His mom is a breast cancer survivor and so for the past two three years now he's been fundraisings for Susan G. Coleman, giving back in that manner, connecting with the community by joining the walk here in alliancea metropolitan area. He is a very kind man and a very patient man. We are he blended family. I come with five children. He has two. One of the biggest thing that was important with dating Rodney or trying to see if he qualified.
You know what I mean?
Does he have the patience to deal with a woman with five kids? And he has proven himself time and time and again. My youngest daughter calls him daddy. Her dad is physically absent, the last two physically absent, and he has taken them by his wings, and they see him as a father. Rodney is caring. He's giving spiritual men praise many times when I am feeling weak in this moment. While he's detained, he calls me and pray for me, and when I should be doing that the
way around, selfless man. Even now, while he's detained, he gives out free haircuts in the detainment center. He makes sure that these big detainees are at least looking nice before they go home to their to their native where they were born.
Rather, Yeah, that's.
Rodney does he Has he been mildred? Has he been back to Liberia since he left when he was two?
No, he doesn't even know what Liberia looks like. Rodney came here when he was two and never been back. He has no idea what that like.
And I'm asking that because I think that for many of us, we would understand, right, somebody that I don't have any memories. I don't think from before I was three, So a lot of people, you know, when you contextualize it in that way, you're like, oh, wait, I don't actually have a election of that place. And this is where he calls home. He's made it his home through
service and so many other ways. You talked about the patience he exhibits as a father, But I also want to talk about when you all got engaged in, how you all knew that that was going to be your next step.
So I had a fortieth party, and I've always wanted this fortieth and I'm like, I want affordieth because I haven't celebrated my birthday.
God knows, I can't remember it.
And so had we had a five year plan, we'll get engaged at a five year mark. Well on my fortieth that was the third year mark. So that's not what I was expecting at all. So my family members, I'm originally from Florida, they drove up, they flew in, his family came, friends, colleagues, everybody showed up.
It was a party. We had a blast. Why aybody looking at me?
I know, I know I am the you know, it's my day or whatever.
But while they have me on stage or whatever, I don't know what the MC is doing, but they nim do his.
Thing and I look in the corner of my eye and I'm.
Like what, Oh my god. He had a box and the ring he had it opened, Like what you're doing.
We're not at the five year mark. What are you doing? I'm like, are you sure? And he was like yeah, And then everybody's waiting for me to say I do, but I'm still our. I do yes to the ring and I'm like, I'm still shocked, Like we're not We're not at the five year mark yet. So that was pretty cool. That was an awesome surprise from then. Uh you know, I was still on my little high of being newly engaged.
And eleven days later he gets detained. That was very, very hard. We had just decided on a date for our wedding.
What is the date?
February twenty eighth, twenty seven, twenty twenty seven, so to twenty eight, twenty seven, and his family from Liberia called and was like his stepdad rather, so we need your measurements. We gotta you know, fit you and.
What it's only been a couple hours.
That was pretty cool, But that that came to a very quick, short lived moment of.
Excitement when he got detained only eleven days later.
So eleven days after he proposed to you, you all just set your wedding date. One thing that stood out to me too, Beldrid, as you said, you know, he calls you from the detention facility and praise for you. Can you talk about you know, it's now been almost seven.
Months, in eighty seven days, one.
Hundred and eighty seven days, So talk about that impact. You guys have seven kids together with your blended family, talk about the impact on you. Rodney's mother and your children.
Rodney's mother, Rodney's sister, Rodney's brother, Rodney's aunt, cousins, uncles, nieces, nephews, clients, Oh my god, it's clients. Some of them have not gotten in America since the last time he touched their head. They refused to cheat on him, right, they don't want to cheat on his Barbara and the Barbara the community. But then we'll start at home. His kids, they didn't
believe it. Our kids, we didn't believe it. I thought it was like a scene from a movie, like who are these people and why they why is.
The car surround it?
I didn't know much about ice until he got picked up. This was a learning curve for us. Emotionally, it was like, uh, he'll be home soon, It'll turn around us temporary m My son took it the hardest, him and my two youngest daughters. I've had to seek therapy for him. He's my only son. Rodney took him as his own and separation anxiety. Ethan started acting out. And Ethan is an
A plus student. His GPA is like a four point zero three and the boys in the tenth grade and his study habits started to change and try to understand whyse because Rodney's not here, It's like, Mom, does that mean I have to be the man of the house.
I know his.
Children, you know, it's been really hard for them to cope, Like is my dadd ever coming back? For my two younger children that call him dad, you know, it was hard for them too. They didn't know they saw him get detained in front of me, in front of you know, it happened as on the way to school.
They cried and cried. I remember the school called me.
He was like, is everything okay? Because you know, and I'm like, you know, I have had to tell them what happened. And to this day, like recently, my one of my daughters, she went to summer camp.
There was a gentleman there that looks just like Rodney.
She cried, she thought that was him, and when she quickly realized that was him.
She's like, oh my god, I missed my daddy. Mommy, when are we going to go see him? And is he okay? When is he coming home? Like why every time we go see him, he doesn't come with us. And now they mad at me because they think it's my fault and he's not coming with us.
Why are we leaving him behind? I remember the first.
Time I five to rolled through a tantrum, she put herself on the floor and nasty, dirty floor. Mommy, He's got to come with us. Why is he behind the wall? And the wall is you know when you do the visits is it's a it's a clear glass and it's the phone that was hard to financially our income. You know, we feel it emotionally, it's you know, you finally find love somebody you trust that your kids love because I had. I went through my kids first. With Rodney, I went
through my kids. I said, do you guys like this man? If you guys don't, we could close this chapter. The kids love him, so he got it to put in the door with me because of my kids.
Kids.
I absolutely love him, and so it's hard financially, it's hard emotionally.
I don't want to carry my house.
That's a man's job.
A so.
And then romantically, I had purchase tickets to go on dates in advance, and those dates has passed him.
Praying for me is trying to hold the household?
Is like when Moses couldn't hold up the tablets anymore, and then Aaron had to come. Other folks had to come help support his arm up as prayer. Is that support up to help me carry this family?
You know, I want to go Mildred back to the day I had. You know again, people, when they write these stories, it's you know who this person is in terms of their occupation and the fact that they were detained by ice. And sometimes they'll tell you for how long. But in this instance, you're saying that he was detained in front of your children. And can you take us back to that day and what happened.
We were getting ready for school a Wednesday morning, January fifteenth. It was about seven forty five in the morning. We pulled off. But the day before there was a gentleman that was in my driveway and he was looking at my mailmarks. He was looking at one of my vehicles that I drive. I walked up to him. I said, sir, it's everything okay. I noticed he had a gun on his hip.
I asked him.
I said, are you law enforcement?
He said no.
I said, okay, well who are you? And he was like, well, this vehicle looked like it was an accident. I said it clearly, it was not an accident. There's no the car's not hit. So how might I help?
You said, while I'm looking for someone, do you know Rodney Taylor? I said I do.
He said, okay, he may have driven this vehicle. I said, nobody drives his vehicle. Only I drive this vehicle. And then so he was just asking me questions about Rodney, and I'm like, well, who are you? He never identified himself and he quickly left, jumping the car left. The next morning, I live like near a call to sack. I look to the corner of my eye, I see the car parked in the call to Sack, but I didn't think nothing of it. So what we get in
the car? We drive off with the same car gets behind me and there's two more cars that blocks me from the front, so I can't go up, I can't move forward, I can't move backwards. And the same gentleman from the day before, get out, get out, Rodney Taylor, get out. Guns drawn. It's like five six men armed, get out, get out, Rodney Taylor, get out. Granted, the cars aren't marked. These people aren't marked. Nobody. It doesn't say ice, it doesn't say police. They weren't black and brown.
And I'm like, who are these people?
Well, you're being arrested for And they didn't really give They just said you're being arrested and who were you guys?
Taking it Ice Atlanta? And I'm like, what is that?
What is ice? The kids are crying, Mommy, they're taking daddy while they're arresting him. I don't like the police. And my daughter straight asked one of them because they came to my kids window too, because they were sitting He was in a passenger passenger, seeall was driving? Were you taking my daddy? Why are you taking my daddy? And uh? One of the Ice guys actually felt bad and it was like, we were just taking your daddy.
Your daddy would be okay. And they were crying.
They were crying, and I couldn't cry as much as I wanted to because I had to kind of like put up the front to be calm but really clear my mind about who do I call?
Now?
Where is Ice?
What does that mean?
Do we have a phone? Umber asks the gentleman for the car, like, who were you? Never gave it to me? Rodnie was like, call his lawyer. So I did googled Ice Atlanta and that's how I learned where that is and what that means. It was horrible that morning the kids. I still dropped him off to school because I didn't know what to do. I still had to go to work, pretend like nothing happened. Called his lawyer and then shortly thereafter, the teacher calls me, what's going on with Abigail? What's
going on with Annie? Two different schools now, two different directors calling me, and the same thing. The kids are inconsolable. Can you speak to them?
And I did.
I spoke to both of my girls, and the kids thought by the time they got home that he would be home. So when I picked him up from school, they was like, so, where's where's daddy? Is he here? He looked him on the whole house looking for him. They thought it was some type of joke. Mommy's when is he coming home? Can you go pick him up? Why he's not home yet?
I didn't know what to say. I think that was the hardest thing, Like what do you say?
What do you say? His son he found out when he went to the barbershop. We didn't even get a chance to tell him. And I was able to contact one up because Rodney had a client to waiting before haircu Yes, right, you got people waiting for his services and they were trying to figure out where he is. And I had to find a way to communicate with his clients to let them know that he's not available.
And then who who to call? Who would you trust to know?
Is this a setup?
How and why did they pick him up?
It was a lot when they when you when you dig into how and why did they pick him up? Did they ever tell you that it was about a case from when he was sixteen years old that he's been pardoned for. When did you find that out?
I found that out two days later.
Well, how did they give you any explanation for it? Like normally, and I've done more federal losstuff. I worked in Congress. So a pardon means that it is not on your record. It means it essentially is like, I'm not guilty now for what's happened. If they're resting the entire basis for a potential deportation of Rodney Taylor on a case that he was pardoned for from when he was sixteen years old, how are they relying on that? Now? What is your attorney saying?
That is wild?
Right?
Rodney is so rare. His attorney never seen an undocumented person within it with a pardon. Rodney was accused of burglary. He pleaded guilty back in ninety seven. He was seventeen. He was a child, he was a kid.
It's almost thirty years ago. For those of us who have a hard time with math, right, it's twenty eight years ago, correct.
And he was profiled Who's railroad? He was a black young team in an area home. As a matter of fact, the day before. He had just came from Shriner's Hospital in South Carolina for treatment for his prosthetics, and he was home waiting to go register for his parents to register him for school m because he had just moved down to Georgia, and so he just so happened to be home. There was a burglary that happened in the neighborhood and they saw him sitting on the porch. They
accused him. They said, you have you did it because you're you're home. He was scared. He was alone, no parents, his parents are not available at the time, and they picked him up and so they told him, if you don't plead guilty, you're didn't do five years.
He was scared. Pleaded guilty.
Well, he did about nine months and he only died.
Probation until.
Years later he gets he's now looking to get his get his documents in order, and so he cannot because of this criminal situation, and so he goes and seek a pardon.
Through one of his lawyers from back then, and they.
Gave him the pardon because back then, let's be honest, the cab had a lot going on, the Cab County, and I believe they really saw the injustice there, they really saw what happened with him, and it granted him a pardon. And so the pardon, which is wild because it's an unconditional pardon. If you look it up online, it says unconditional pardon, yet it seems not to apply to him. Why does it not apply to him? Just
doesn't make any sense. I can't go into the legal aspects of all that, but he does have a pardon, and ICE is not recognizing that.
And I guess my my question is what what what did they say triggered there? Like I guess, I know, I can't even like find the words, but it to me, what's baffling is there are people on the streets right now who are migrants who are committing active crimes, not you know, twenty eight year old's offenses that it sounds like did not even happen. He just was in the
wrong place, wrong time, right. But if you are talking about people who they're trying to get off the streets, who are violent, dangerous criminals as they've been branded, what does Rodney have to do with it? And like, why were they utilizing him to make an example of that? Is what's mind blowing to me. You talked about when he was sixteen, he just came back from a medical appointment for his prosthetics. Can you talk about that, because I think that's also important context for this.
Rodney is a double amputee. He came here from my beer when he was two because of his medical condition. Rodney was born with cub his left foot cubbed I'm sorry, left foot missing, right foot cubbed. Shriners was in neighboring country, Ghana, and they so happened to go to Liberia and they saw Rodney in his condition in the hospital.
Well, fun fact, it's horrible.
But when you're born in uh in Africa with disability, you considered taboo.
You consider that you're born of witchcraft.
Most often children are mutilated murdered because they believe that you have some type of spirit on you. So they you know, they don't want to be around you. So his mom hid him for two years, hit him from society for two years so he won't get kidnapped and murdered.
And so knowing all of this, Shriners just so happened to be in the neighborhood, I guess or and he was there for treatment because he did had two of his first surgeries in Liberia, but they couldn't continue, and so Shriners saw that he was fit to he could handle. We want to try to give him a better life,
so let's bring him to the States. They couldn't even do a MARI, they couldn't do an X ray because those machines and devices do not does not exist in Liberia, right, And there was a civil war, huge civil war where the president at the time was overthrown. His dad was part of the legal legal the political party there that went into hiding and was arrested because he was part
of the It was a lot. So mom goes into hiding, Dad gets arrested, put in jail, and during all of this civil war happening, he has his medical condition and so Shriner approves him to come to the States for medical care. He gets here and he had his first surgery maybe six months after he arrives in nineteen eighty two.
He arrived in eighty one, and.
And the surgery was to try to fix his foot his leg, and they fitted him with a prosthetic for his right foot, so he always had I'm sorry for his left foot, So he always had a prosthetic for his left foot. And so to give you understanding, Rodney does not have any feet. Right, here's a double amputy, one below the lean, one above the knee. So to be accused of burglary, to say that he climbed out of a window, carried a stereo system and his disability is not possible.
Rodney can't be lift me up. I'm about it.
I'll be onto my weight. I'm about one hundred and forty five pounds. He can't lift me up because of the weight that it produces on his prosthetics. So to be accused back then in the nineties, the prosthetics now that we have are amazing. Right, there's micro trip. You could plug it into the wall and charge it. It's like the fancy stuff. Well, back then they were made out of wood. They were a lot more heavier than
they are now. And so to be accused as a young man with double prosthetics that he told them in court like, there's no way I could have done this.
Look at my legs.
He showed them their prosthetics, and yet they.
Still charging with berger.
So no, I'm sorry, go ahead and make sure I apologize.
No, no, no, you're good.
I appreciate you too.
I am I'm curious now to hear what they're saying about the case. Are they detaining him indefinitely? Is their plan to deport him? What's the latest of what you are hearing.
We did a protest to last month because he had a hearing July second, and that protest was to bring awareness to what's happening to him as a UHL, as a detainee with medical you know needs. Well, we're grateful that we're able to do that protest. At that hearing, they did provide him his final hearing date. His final hearing date is August twelfth, and that's at that date is when we'll.
Know if he will be released or deported.
It's scary, but we believe God we will know at that time that don't will make that final decision at that.
Time, So August twelfth, and I guess my question for you to Madrid is what are you asking the community to do. Rodney's clients, the neighbors, the folks who are the kids and the parents of the folks who'se hair he cuts for free because he just wants people to feel good and look good. For people hearing this story for the first time. What would you ask people to do as you prepare for this hearing on August twelfth.
I want to tell people contact Congress. David Scott is our state representative here in Georgia. Call Congress, write letters. Hey, we heard what happened with that I named Rodney Taylor pushed to get him out. We are grateful that Senator Warnock. Some folks from his office came h came to Georgia and saw him. They met with Rodney a few weeks ago and they heard his concerns and escalated it. We also have a goalfundme his legal His legal expenses is
not cheap, and so call Congress. Be a little more sensitive. I have to admit myself, even though I am a first generation Haitian American, I didn't know anything about immigration until now. Be more sensitive about what other folks may be going to going through. And now you know blacks are being targeted. You know it's a lot of Latinos being profiled, right, and it's you know, before you know the thing about the Haitians getting picked up.
You know we're all a target. It doesn't matter anymore what you look like.
So try to be conscious of that just because you're not an immigrant, you could be targeted to You can be in the Rodney shoes and waiting three four days to.
Prove that you and you a citizen.
That's right.
Yeah, Contact Congress David Scott, contact Assoft office. Senator also Senator Warnock. Support the goalfundme?
How do they support their.
The goalfundme is on his instagram. Gwennette underscore one. His TikTok is the same name, Gwennett underscore one. His website pocthebarber dot com. I try to update that as much as I can. Share his story, let people know what's happening. I know there's a lot happening with the Colatino community and they support each other.
Say that for the people in the back, Mildred, do they support each other? I want to have one final question you you said your first generation Haitian American, how do you feel in this moment they have eliminated TPS for Haitian Americans, which is Temporary Protective status or Haitians who have come over from Haiti. But do you have any concerns yourself seeing what's happened to your fiance knowing that they have they are trying to undo what we've
relied upon, multi generational black folks with birthright citizenship. How are you feeling, Are you concerned at all about your own safety?
That's wild. My parents we buried my parents, Mom and dad is gone and they are rolling in their graves right now. My mom came here with status. She came to the States in the seventies, early seventies with a permanent residency already. Then Shorty became a citizen. She helped my dad get his citizen, his permanent residency. That's probably why I don't know anything about the immigrations TEP because the already have their status.
Is necessari thing I'm familiar with at all.
But it's sad because I know people that's on TPS that are Haitian.
They're afraid, they.
Don't know, you know, they established their life here, this is all they know, right and being scared to go back to a war torn country like Haiti. Can't support these people.
It's I mean, either gonna get murdered or gonna die of starvation.
Either way. It's you know, early grave being deported to Haiti. It's wild that they're even thinking about stuff like that, and I'm grateful that most of my family members are here in the States, and the ones that are in haity choose to be there for business. So it's scary. It's sad, you know, like we're targeted because we were black. It's a lot of the colored countries that are cut off with TPS or they have to travel band right, yes, No, they have to travel countries in Africa.
Yes, and then you do boarding people back there.
That's wild.
That doesn't make any sense. One plus one is two, right, trying to.
Supposed to Yeah, And that's just it. I think, Mildred. What's important for us is to recognize every place that they see as a vulnerability. So being first generation potential target, you know, having birthrights, citizenship as a compromise or a target for them, the actual constitution now targeted. We are
all unsafe. And I think if I can do anything else, if I can't do anything else on this podcast, it is to help us all deepen into the points of connection so that we can be more supportive and more clear about what is not what we wish it would be, but what is actually before us. And so you know, we know that Rodney was detained before Donald Trump was inaugurated. So this has been a problem. But I think you said something so good before we came on, and it
is they knew he was coming. They knew Donald Trump was coming, so they knew that this type of behavior would not only be accepted and tolerated, it would be celebrated. So I think that you know, knowing how we can show up for Rodney, our dear brother, especially with the history of Liberia, which we didn't have time to get into, but there are so many Black Americans who went back
to the continent. The reason why brother's name is Rodney Taylor is because there's a Black American connection to that part of the continent, you know, and so.
Great great grandfather, I'm sorry to cut you off Handela was a US citizen.
He was born in the eighteen hundreds in Houston, Texas.
Case in point, there's a reason why his name is Rodney Taylor from Liberia. So I just want us to understand that our history is nuanced, it is complex, and we have to lead with compassion and with human story. So, Mildred,
I'm so grateful for your courage and sharing this. Know that Rodney is not the only one lifting up your arms like Aaron, you have a whole community behind you, sister, and whatever we can do to be supportive on August twelfth and beyond, I'm going to try to make it a point to show up to that hearing, and I'm going to encourage folks all over Georgia to do the same.
I will. I'm committing to reach out to Congressman Scott, who's one of my former bosses I work for the Congressional Black Caucus, and I will reach out to Senator Warnock and Senator Osoff as well to make sure I know that you said, Senator Warnock is aware. But those
are my commitments. We end every podcast with a call to action, so my calls are showing up August twelfth, reaching out to Congressman Scott and reaching out to Senator's Warnock and asof and if there's anything else I can do for y'all, make sure you have my cell phone number.
Thank you so much, Angela. I appreciate your time.
But I want to give a shout out to Boggie Yes Nana, amazing organization.
My god.
You know the progress of connecting with me and my family and Sharon Rodney story is not possible with all these amazing organizations and without you Angela willing to share and have me on Native land. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you all, re for Geo, thank you to my church. Thank you to my friends. His family, his sister, his mother, his brother, his children, all his kids got seven now you can't tell me you he ain't got seven kids. But thank you so much.
I appreciate your time and God blessed.
Thank you, thank you my sister. We're here for you.
Thank you, thank you. It means a while.
Absolutely, Okay, everyone, we have a lot of work to do. The immigration space is just one of those areas. Mildred touched my heart deeply. I didn't get to tell her, but my great great grandmother's name was Catherine Pierre. There are connections to Haiti and my family as well, on the Gordon side, not on the Pier side. But who knows, we might be long lost cousins. And for that reason I want to tell y'all, especially the black folks who listen to the Native lampot, we are all connected. Family,
we are all connected. We cannot afford to leave any of our folks out there hanging out to dry by themselves. We are all we got. That means we are all we got from Liberia to Ghana, to Haiti, to Brazil, to the Virgin Islands, to the United States of America, and that meaning to Canada. We know, y'all know we got some Jamaica folk in Toronto, Okay. So I just want us to understand. I should have said Jamaica too.
All that happened along the way from the continent as many of us and our ancestors were transported beyond our will, without our will, kidnapped from our families. The slave ships went to different places, and so I implore you to understand and know your history. I know books are being banned,
but I will give you a reading list. If you can't get it at your school's library or the local library, I am happy to ensure that we give you reading materials so you understand the inherent connection we have through blood and through spirit. But most important, I just asked that you stand formed. Rodney Taylor is one story. He is not the only Story's hearing is August twelfth. The
show up in mass Georgia, NLP. Let's go. And I think that we got to make sure that we show up differently in this moment with courage, without fear, and making sure that they know that they will not still and disappear our folks in front of our faces, and we won't say anything. We will show up in masks for Rodney Taylor and for so many other Rodney's all over this country. I Love y'all.
Welcome Home, y'all.
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