Racism In America

be saying. I mean, that's the norm. So you know, we we ain't gonna get into our usually back and forth, you know how we usually get it in. But we're gonna talk about that a little later. Maybe next episode. I'll tear you up like I usually do. Now, Yeah, no, we I think we should have we should do a specific interview on all the things that we don't. I'll tell you up and you upper cuss now. But it's good to be on listen New Year two. I'm all about just positivity. Just clear the air, make it make

it strong. Whatever we're in, let's do it and do it well. And we are, you know, really looking at how Street politicians as a brand is going to become even stronger and become even more of a cultural influence. It looks like there are you know, are folks who are invested in us rebranding UM, and you know we're thinking through what that's gonna look like. So I'm happy too. But it's still no matter what we call it, it's still gonna be me and you not agreeing on a

lot of stuff. Yeah, we don't agree. That might be the we don't agree to my son don't agree because we agree. We agree a lot. We agree for the most problem, but we just don't. We come at it from two different perspectives. That's it, I think. So. So it's a lot happen in Mice. I mean, you know, you've got issues like Rikers Island in New York is a big issue. It's like it's so much for us to get back to work on Rikers Island is an issue. Voting rights is still an issue. No just George Floyd,

justice and police and act. I mean, there are so many different things happening. And I think one of the things that we as a as a as a as a social justice movement, we have to take a step back and look at how we're approaching all of that. And so today we're talking a lot about racism in America is still a real things. Two don't think that or we left that in twenty one that we had

some convictions. We know we're still in a society and a time where racism is alive and well, and we're starting to really talk about what steps do we need to take, like aggressive steps to gather our people and begin to educate ourselves and do more collectively um to make a change. So I'm all, I'm really really optimistic and excited. There's an energy about this new time that we're in that even though it still might be a

little difficult, I think we're actually people. I hear it, and I see the energy within my friends, within our friends, the people we work with, where folks are like, let's go, let's go, let's go. Yeah. I think we we we had a lot of rest, you know, everybody's been resting throughout the holidays, and I think people realize we've got to get back to work. Like you said, there's so

many different issues going on out here. Man. My main thing is just this violence in the streets that you know, a week ago fourteen fifteen young teenagers just got swept up in indictments from everything from murder too, bracketeer and all these things. And I really do not want to continue to see these young boys just throwing their lives away, man.

So that's really what this world Card Black Murder thing is really a focus on minds, man, because I really think that we have to impact, and in order to impact, we have to really go to our community is to sit down and iron out and pull the weeds back and and be able to have hard conversations and be able to tell how the kids cuts us out and and come back even after they cuts us out, and not to be like, you know what, they don't listen

like we we can't. We don't have the right or the opportunity to sit back and just allowed us continue to go on like it is. So you know, that's where I really want to focus on. Whether it's so

much so much? It's so much, and um, I think we should really be thinking about interviewing some of the district attorneys from across the country that are dealing with this gun violence issue, and a lot of them are trying not to prosecute certain low level offenses so that they and and but also shifting these young people into programs so that they can deal with at risk youth.

So all of that, you know, and how we work unconventional, non traditional ways and methods of saving our young people is so important and not and you know, I know that that's what boycott Black Murder is all about. So there's a lot that can be done with street politicians. And so you know, my my thought of the day today, after sitting for the last week, you know, leading up to January six. Now we're a week later after January six, and we watched all of this coverage about the insurrection.

Every which way you turned, they were talking insurrection, insurrection, insurrection. And then President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris they went somewhere and and and vice the vice president was the speaker, and they talked about all of these things that you know, the criminal acts of those people who participated in trying to overthrow the government, and you know what the insurrection means. And President Barack Obama put out

a statement, powerful stuff. Why is it? I'm just trying to understand or let me not even ask why, because I already know why. To me, it is a waste of time to talk for, especially for elected officials, to speak about the insurrection and focus just on those, you know, individuals who were there who participated, and not call for the prosecution of people who are in government who were

a part of it. So if you're not taking the time to when you're standing Vice President Harris, President Obama President, why not say there are congressional members who opened the doors of the capital basically gave people tours, knew what they were doing. They knew what these people were doing.

They need to be prosecuted. So why what is the problem with I don't know if it's the Democrats or just the way politics work, And maybe I need to be re educated, but it feels so disingenuous to me to listen to these people make powerful speeches and they say all these things, but not place to blame squarely on individuals who are elected. A crazy person who's running up the side of the wall, Yeah, that person needs

to be prosecuted. But what's more important is who powered that behavior, who is behind who is responsible for why that person thought it was okay? And there are congressional members and and people who are in the Senate, and no excuse me. They are members of the House who are who incited a riot. We already know we have, of course Donald Trump, but we've dealt with that. That is what it is. But there are others lower hanging fruit that I don't even hear what I'm talking about.

So my thought of the day today is like, am I bugging that? I feel like all the speeches that were made, all the statements they put out last week should have culminated with a call for um accountability for people who were elected to office that are basically committing

treason on this country. When you sit and know that there are people who want to destroy the foundation of our nation and you do nothing about it and or help it, help the aid to make it happen, I mean, you're not bugging, but that's not the conversation that people want to have. You Look, you look at government right

now and see how it's how it's torn. How does bipartisan you know, how the government is trying to be ran bipartisan league, you know, and people are comfortable with talking about Trump and the old menustration but not talking about current people who actually contributed to those things, right, because they want to get some type of support from them. They want to make it seem like we're trying to

do something different. They don't want to call out, you know, their colleagues right now because we're in the state where it's it's damn sill. It's like a standoff. So this administration strategy for success in tails being cool with those same people who actually contributed to that reality. So at this point they can't even call him out because he already got mentioned who don't said fuck y'all. And then when when you know he's pretty much on the side,

you know, and you got to send them money. You got all these people. So they cannot continue to wage all of these wars because they don't even have a strategy to do it. They don't have a strategy to hold anybody accountable. America's not has never been about holding white people accountable. You look at the tens of thousand people,

they don't even got tickets. And you know, I've seen the thing where they to the guy said he got ten years from being a lookout, and these people will never spend a day in jail for for crimes that we Peterson, that was Marlon Peterson, that's our guy who said Marla Peterson. So when you when you when you when you look at the reality of that. Right when you look at during the George Floyd protests, people are out there getting five years and ten years and all

types of ship for for protesting against injustice. And these people who who stormed the Capitol or not even going to when you look at that reality, tell of them. But it's a handful. There's a hand literally, not even like when you said a handful, it's literally a handful of people. It might be it might be twenty people. I don't know. We haven't done in numbers, but it

certainly isn't the thousands exactly that were there exactly. So when you understand that reality, then you understand what America is built on. Then you understand what this administration said it can do and what it is trying to do in the strategy that is utilizing to try to do it. Then you understand that, of course they can't do that.

They can't continue to make more enemies the administration is they lost right now like then we thought we had a little we can't continue to make more and more. And even though it's on the side of justice, even though we know it's the right thing to do. We gotta try to win some of them over. So politics is a fucked up thing. The politics, it's fucked up. Politics itself is a bunch of bullshit. You gotta deal with this, you gotta take this, you gotta you gotta

compromise a bunch of ship. And when you don't know that, right, when you're just looking from the outside and you're just looking in, you're like, damn, I don't get it. Funk all that. But when you start to really realize it is not designed for us. Politics is not designed for us people of you know color, people who are living in poverty, who live in communities of color. It is not really designed to benefit us. We are the things that are used to fuel it. So we're want us

go over. But two things can exist at the same time. It's not designed for us. However, we have to exercise our political power because and that's what we have outside it's not designed for us. So it's like we have to continue to take it over from there. And that's why when you know, that's why I understanding how important

voting is. You know, voting is a point because you continue to rip away fibers of it by putting new people with new ideas that can challenge old structures and challenge old laws and old concepts, constantly putting something that says, you know what, this low don't really make sense. I want to implement this. This doesn't really make sense. I want to implement this. So that's why voting is a point.

You're not gonna just completely change the structure, but gradually what you do is you create something new from the inside. You're not gonna tear it up because you're yelling at the build and say, yo, I don't gonna fox that. I don't want to know. You have to go in and take ship out and say we're gonna throw this away. We're gonna throw this away, We're gonna build this this infustray, We're gonna rebuild this room piece by piece. And that's

what it is. And I think in Minnesota we saw an example of that by having um, you know, Keith Ellison to be elected as an attorney general. Now you have Lee Merit running for attorney general in Texas. We gotta put people and and and by the way, those are some high level positions. We got Shanique Chal's running for Assembly UM in New York City. Uh, in New York State, you have Jamanni Williams running for governor. So some people it's like, how can he be governor? Why not?

Why you any be governor? You know? So there is there. We do have to make sure that while you, like you said, you tear down and build up at the same time, but you never divest and just completely walk away from systems that we actually functioned as part of. So I think those things, you know, all of these things matter, and that's what really kind of we We've got to stay focused and today you are focused. So as promise today we had with us I would resident

brand expert LaToya Bond. She's gonna be doing a full recap of some of our best small businesses throughout the year. LaToya, how are you doing today? I'm doing good? How y'all doing doing good? Than because they happy? Yeah? Happy? Is that? Thank you? Black Queen as I am, Yes from That's one of the swatter is actually from one of our small black businesses, Black Woman's Lost Matter. I'm gonna girl.

Jamility Davis has a lot of bombs shirts. Make sure that get one need a black king, one black We need some many, we need some real energy we need, Toya. We gotta get some black men, some men up here to give us some good products, some small because they out did. I agree. That's my goal, my golden years, to find more men friendly topics because all y'all run everything, y'all got all the clothes, y'all got all the topics. You'll be jumping me up here, you know, every week.

So I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try to make this a little more minute up here. Yeah, maybe one of the topics could be like, why is it so hard to find them in the mail? You know, black old male businesses, because the women you're gonna instagram, they're like boom boom boom boom, how bing bang for the mail if you gotta go search them, hashtag them. So, Mike, she's gonna help us to do better with that in twenty two. That's my that's my goal, man. So Toyo,

we know that you are resident brand experts. Were letting people know, like what do you do in totality? Tell them how how much of a black queen you actually are? I love that. I love that too. Okay. My name's LaToya Bond. I am brand strategists. Um I help women mainly and some men build seven figure brands, UM, whether that brand is a tangible brand, or it's a service based brand, or it's a person that is a brand.

And I do that through a system that I like to call a I S model, which is authority, influence and strategies. So we we make a strategy to help them build authority in a niche, and then we use that authority to build influence, and then you monetize that influence which helps you build a seventh figure brand. Okay, and I smart, he's not smart, And certainly, UM, you have worked with me for the last seven years. How long have we been working It's been a long time.

We've been working together since I think twenty six, like officially before the Women's March. Absolutely, and then at some point you acquired my son, UM and so many people

around we all come to you for business ideas. For UM, you to be our layers on to work with people, because especially for me, I either won't ask or don't want to be bothered, like you know, just because I have the fear of um, you know, not wanting to ask for money, the fear of what people will say when I demand pay for compensation, for my time, for

my ideas, for my energy, and working with you. That's been one thing that we have conquered together is that no, if you're going to be a part of a project and there is money in the project, I should actually be compensated. Because too many of our black leaders have died without without resources, without money, And we said, we do not what you call is subscribe to that model. We do us teacher ship. That's not you're not doing

exactly and and and being compensated. Well, you know, if you're if you're part of a project that's generated millions billions of dollars you and you're the main talent or even you know, one of the main talents, you should be compensated well for that project. And there's nothing wrong about that. There's nothing that you should feel guilty about that. And then the other thing is being able to monetize some of your influence and reach and create a business

for yourself and your family, your mom. You have parents that an agent that you're gonna have to take care of. You need to be able to have an income so you can take care of your family. And there's nothing that you should feel guilty about ever, I've been trying to tell her that for years. I'm glad you've got it. Period, like the younger people would say, on period on period. So tell us about these businesses that we watch this video. We see all the businesses that you bring to us

every week. Um, you know, we're soliciting others to send us their businesses, and we always say, make sure it's a real business. Like if you tell some of our people, they say they got a business, but they want you to cash at them for the we need. You need, you need to account, You need all of your information in order so you can really you know, so we can really actually support So talk about some of these businesses. You have to talk about all of them, but a

few of the brands that we saw. Okay, So I will say, first of all, this this started from you and my son as an extension of your activism because you wanted to make sure that we highlighted black businesses. Because when we're talking about a path to black people getting the hand, entrepreneurship and building wealth is one of the main ways that we're gonna be able to build

power in this country. And then using your platform to be able to highlight some of these small businesses is one way that you guys can't give back and that you do choose to give back. UM. So we have a few businesses that we've highlighted over the years. I'll talk about um some of them. UM. One of them is called Just Breed. The owner's name is Precious of Bocleia Evans and UM. That brand is only about mental wellness and self care, which is something that we talk

about a lot and that we all subscribe to. And it's a it's a box that basically help people, UM meditate, you know, it helps you feel comfortable meditating because a lot of people think that meditation and and you know, crystals and that and that whole realm of things goes against spirituality, and and it really doesn't. They both they really work, Um, they really work hands in hand together.

And that's what her brand is about, is showing you that this is not something that's separate from it is something that you can use in conjunction with your spirituality to just really help you take a mindful moment for yourself and just breathe, you know. So it's a it's a it's a self care box. It includes the eye pillow, that you can heat or cool to kind of help you relax. It includes like a starter bag of crystals

that you can carry with you in your purse. And really it just helps you deal with like anxiety or moments when you're not feeling quite well. You know you can you you kind of learn what the testimer is doing. You take those moments to help round you. There's also a lot of other things in a box what I won't go into all enough because we have, but check it out. We have, we don't have a little bit of time, but make sure you guys check it out.

No Precious, you know we've had her on the show and I've actually worked with Precious personally for mental health issues as well as professionally. She's really the jack of all trades. But her specific um passion to help us be more mindful. It's so important. We just learned that a very close friend of ours um that his daughter

committed suicide just in the last few days. And you know, these these are people who are very progressive, They are very you know, they are spiritual, they are their activists, they are smart, they're great family and yet still they lost their child to something that folks generally would say, well, no, if you have it together, suicide won't be an issue

in your family, and that's so not true. And Precious has been trying to help us understand that we have to be able to to to get rid of these negative thoughts in our mind that says if you sit with yourself, if you meditate, if you use your crystals, if you use your sage, that you're crazy or that you're weak, crazy, and wicked. Because those are some of yes, wicked, Yes,

shout out to Precious child. Um. One of the other brands that we have that's been actually one about very very popular episode is called Candlelucks and it's a smoking accessories brands, and Um, the owner of this brand, wanted to find a way to get into the legal cannabis industry and doing her research her name is Tory owens Um, and doing her research, she realized that the licenses were extremely hard to get from black people, of course, and

extremely expensive. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment if you want to do like a dispensary. So she figured out a way to get into the business in a way that was attainable. So she started art Deco Smoking Accessories line, which looks like basically looks like furniture or art pieces or home decor um. It's a line of accessories and includes ashtrays and pipes and things of that sort, a lot of accessories that you can use to indulge and it's pretty dope and it

has been doing really, really well. And her goal is to use the profits from that to not only sustain her family, but also to save enough so that she can get into the dispensary business because she feels like, you know, as people of color, we have been we have gotten the worst part of the of the cannabis industry for so long. So now that it's legalizing, it's becoming a multibillion dollar industry, we need our seat at

the table as well. So you can smoke, So you can smoke every No, her is not to feel guilty about, you know, it's the time when you feel guilty about indulgence. Should be should be something of the of the past. Indulgence that word get you a little week for your nerves, for your nerves, for your mental health, for yourself care, all of those things. Another brand we talked about is Black Woman's Loves Matter, which is UH lifestyle brand that

uplifts and profiles black women. And then they and they also have a lot of account that goes along with that. Super dope comfortable hoodies and T shirts and um the owner's Humility Davis, which has she has a really really, really good story. If you guys know her. If you don't, make sure you google her and make sure you support that business as well. Black Women's Lives Matter. Listen, I don't have one of my sweatshirts on today if you

go back and check. Last week, I had on a green sweater that said I Love being a Black woman. And I went in my closet and just happen to find these green uptowns and I was like super flied, Like, you know, all of my Black Women's Lives Matter sweatshirts that I have T shirts and sweatshirts their real moments when I'm walking the streets, when I you know, fix it up with my whatever, your your little skirt, your

jeans or whatever. It's a high low option and it's fly and fashionable, but yet it has a message that we can get out to the world. And so I support Black Women's Lives Matter with everything and it's and it's a silent statement. And they also have a tribute shirt to our own to mek A D. Mallory, which is their number one seller, So make sure you guys check it out and compito. It's okay to wear a sweater that says something that is positive about black women.

You can't put where the one that says I love being a black woman because clearly you're not. How but you know? And that's that's a conversation because even sometimes I think about it and I make myself do it anyway, Like when I'm going to certain places, I'm like, do I want to be walking through the airport in Texas? You know where I love being a black woman sweatshirt? And it's like, if you even have to think about doing that, that's even more want to do it? Yes,

good tell jall, I need my package. He's been sending me a package. I just got this for christ Okay, okay. Next up as Rhythm, which is mother spelled backwards. We love Rhythm because it is a lifestyle brand for moms that on the weekends, you know, you have to be a soccer mom or a basketball mom. A weekend mom.

We'd like to call them, and a lot of times you gotta be on the go, right, and so you still want to look cute, or even if you have to go to like a game after work, you don't want to necessarily show up in your suit, but you still want to be cute and fashionable. So Rhythm is a lifestyle brand that creates really cute, um stylish pieces for mom that are comfortable and functional and easy to throw on and still be cute and still be cute. So I wore this finally, finally vest the other day

with some silver um. I don't know what those are called? My song, what are those sneakers called? I wear two different kinds of sneakers. I wear air Max, I have some all silver air Max. I had this on with a little white sweat suit, and I was you, honey, you. And the thing is that she has a lot of loungewear and streetwear, but she also has pieces like that that you know would be considered casual, that you can't wear to work and that you can't wear to the office.

So we're to like a business meeting or something like that. So she's really good. Check them out. Hym there spell backwards, So she get some fathers collaboration happening, this collaboration. Yeah, we have to tell it could be a collaboration. No, no, no, we got daddish. That is just the other version of rhythm. That's the that's the bad version of rhythm. Okay. Next up, we have one of my favorite favorite products. It's called

shampoo tom Bat. This is actually an innovative invention inependent Um product that was developed my mom that has a beautiful daughter with a lot of hair, and shampoo tom was just horrible for her, Like she just her daughter would cry and it was something that she was dread and doing. You know, she would go weeks without watching her daughter here because it was it was just such turmoil.

So she created Matt. The Matt kind of fits on your countertops so that you could comfortably reclined into the sink like you would do in a hair salon. And then it has uh, it has a piece that you put over it which is easy to put together, and you can attach your iPad or iPhone to it or any or android. And so the kid is entertained while washing it here and they literally forget about it. I saw the mom hit me up and said, you know I haven't evention. I want to know what you think

about it. By the time she went to text me something else, I had a ready ordered one because as soon as I saw it, I'm like, oh my god, I gotta have this. But I was having the same problem. It literally took off like hotcakes because it's a it's a product that sells itself. Any woman of color, viracial mom, you know of a viracial child that sees this product is gonna buy it in five seconds exactly. Yeah, because you said, most of all getting our hair washed when

we were it was abuse. They they should have been somebody should have been locked up for the way that we were treated to watch. They didn't have a mat, they didn't have all this new technology. You had to stick your head which ever kind of way, and that's see. And if you didn't back right to the to your forehead, can't breathe. The water is in your face. You'd better not cry, just dr it. Just what it hurts. And

so I love that product. When I first saw it, I don't have any a daughter, but when I saw the product, I was immediately like, oh, I know everybody is going to want to purchase this if they have a daughter, especially a young daughter, and they have to wash their own here. So I love that product. She launched in April of the pandemic and by the end of the year she had already made a quarter of a million dollars in sales. That's just how great the

product was with with no no page. She didn't pay for any advertising, any marketing, just word about and people seeing the product in love it. It's definitely a hero product. Abolutely love it. Love it. Unto Freedom is one of the products that we featured this year and this okay, see, that's a product that gives back. So part of activism is being able to have money to do the things

that you guys calling them to do. When you say I want you to fly to Texas or Alabama or Mississippi or Boston or whatever to come help me and my family, it takes money to do that. They have to have income to be able to fly to these places, to um whold rallies, which could sometimes course hundreds of thousands of dollars. In order for them to activate, they

have to have the finances to activate. And we always like to say that you guys should invest in until Freedom a way to invest in Alto Freedom is to support their business, which is the Until Freedom merch which is a collection of really really fly streetwear and loungewear that is comfortable and it's fashionable and it's great quality, and it gives back. That money goes directly to Unto Freedom to help them with all of the things that they do for us every day freedom. That's what I'm told.

I love my Until Freedom sweatsuits. I love my unto Freedom stuff too. Yeah, I'm wearing it with heels. I'm wearing it, you know, dressed down, dress up, and people are loving it. Everywhere I go. Folks want they want it, and you know, and I think also it is a message until freedom means something, whether you're a part of the organization and or just being somebody who's out here in the world that says, until freedom, until freedom, we're

fighting until freedom. We just we out here, we exist. So, you know, if you want to support our work, as LaToya has said, do what you can to well, I think what's important is that you get something. It's not like you're just giving your money just investing in our lives. You also get a product. How are you got surprised by how well the merchant has done. Nic Soon is not surprised and so lives in faith. He walks, so

he walks into right. I just believe. I believe, you know, the cause of until Freedom itself is something that's so big, you know, and that more people once they see what it is that we do and acknowledge and understand what it takes to do it, they're gonna want to be involved with it. But I just also feels like I was symbol you know, the clothing itself is something that people like, you know, I like it. I don't really like a lot of stuff, and most people that I

that I that actually have our clothing like it. So I was like, you know, we this is something we need to focus on. So I'm definitely not surprised, and I think it's gonna go up this year. Yeah. It's a It's a conversation starter too, because people usually asked, like, what's until freedom? Then you get to tell them all about themselves and why they need to buy it. That's right.

So we are continuing this for two. If you are a business owner with a real business, you know, meaning you write your business right, because the one thing we don't want to do with feature of business and then get our d m s and emails flooded because we recommended a business that didn't right by the customers. If you have a viable business, DM the atreet Politicians DM and we'll tell you how you can submit your business

to be featured on the show. Absolutely. So to your point about promoting businesses that don't take care of their customers properly, that's something we have to talk about. You know. We often try to kind of like hide certain things, like right like we don't want I don't want to we want you to support black businesses, so we don't really want to talk about the negative experiences that people have. But I have to talk about it because the truth is the truth. There are businesses that I have tried

to support and the customer service is trash. The way you're treated um also the time in terms of how you receive your product, like people who are really slow at getting their product out, the way the product comes, how you can't get in touch with people, it's it's it's a disaster like and by the way, and and that is just for products, but service says like going to a salon to get your hair done, having to

wait for hours and hours on end. You know, people canceling appointments thinking that they are more important than you when you're the one paying for the service. There's so many things. I have a nail, a young lady who does nails. She is incredible, incredible. I would put her up against whoever you name it, who cartis nail. It doesn't matter who's nails. She can't be on time. She can, she just cannot be on time. So, as a brand manager, how are you encouraging people to tighten up the business?

I think that that is the foundation of building a business and really branding, right. So when you talk about building a brand, and that's why I always say that we're looking for brands, We're not just looking for people to have like a side hustle, because I don't think that they're looking at the brand as something that's scalable and that's gonna be around for a long time. When you talk about building legacy businesses and that all of those things matter, that the pact, it didn't matter the

shipping type, the ship and time matters. Being transparent with your consumers and letting them know it's gonna take X amount of time to receive a product before they buy

is going to save you a lot of headaches. So I think that with social media, right, I want to say, there's two things that have helped us as a culture um gain power and be able to gain wealth, right, and one is hip hop and one is on social media because social media allows us and hip hop allows allows us to get a lot of influence and then we're able to monetize that influence. So with social media, you have direct, direct access to consumers and you're able

to start a business. I have a lot of people that come to me and they're making seven figures in

their business. They don't even have a tax ID number, right, so they you have to go, well, have to go back to the ground floor with them and really give them the funds and fundamentals of starting, launching, running the business, and just creating a sustainable business model so that you have repeat buyers and you have return customers, because you can't sustain a business if everybody is a one time customer.

You need customers that's gonna come back again and again and again and recommend you to their friend in order for you to get to a point where that business is something that is going past the point where you're making six figures, because that's one of the things you always see. All of these are stats that says black women are starting business is faster than any other any other demographic. However, a large percentage of our business I want to say, like maybe something for said, don't get

past the six figure marks. They don't exceed making more than a hundred thousand dollars a year. And the reason why is a lot of things, a lot of the things that you're talking about. But with that, I would say that people should give small businesses a little bit of grace too, because they're not Amazon. Amazon is a beast right that is a multibillion dollar in fire that can get you products in a day. A small business

is not gonna be able to do that. They're not gonna be able to get you products, especially a business that's starting not that's in the negociative business. They're not gonna be able to match up with the Amazon. So it's unfair for us to want to deal with them that same way, same way we want to go to the Amazon page and leave a customer service question in the d M. You shouldn't do that to a business either, like they may not have the capability to respond to you in a d M. You know. So I think

that it's two folds. Number one, the business owners need to really go into business wanted to run their business like a business. And then even if you started, and there has to come a point where you realize that in order for me to sustain this business, I kind of gotta do some homework and and do some cleaning up and make sure that you community communicate that to

your customers. Customers love good brand story if you're transparent with them and you say I messed up, you know, I know it hasn't been the best, but these are the things that I'm doing to make it better and I want you guys to stick with me a lot of time. Those customers are going to appreciate that and

stick with you. Good information. Well, I think there should be I want to start a school that you know, I have a million, thousands, a thousand ideas, but you got that, Hey, I want to start at school that focuses on customer service and also cleanliness. Right, Like, I go to so many restaurants and places and just just in general and just be like, why can't we be just do a little bit better. And I think some

people just have never learned. They don't They think that they can treat their business the way that they treat the conversations that they have with their friends, and actually you can't. And there is the challenge of taking your friendships into a professional round. Yeah down the way in which we were when you used to just you know, hook me up with some hair. On the side, I don't want to be treated the same way when it comes to now your prices have gone up. Now I

have to come to a salon. You're not just doing my hair in your kitchen sink. So you're supposed to treat me a certain way, and I, as the customer, should treat you a certain way as well. And I think there's there's not enough conversations about that happening where people can check themselves, both the customer and the provider. So I think that's something else that you should include in your bond brand management sphere. MEK a school of

great customer service. And I will say this, if you can to me happy myself, you all gotta worry because her level of excellence, it's gonna be tought. Not if you get her as a happy customer then you're gonna be You're gonna be good, you know. But but I think that's okay you speaking me, because she'll be happy for five seconds. You'll come to a place this is just nice, and then she'll come back and like, I don't like this place anymore. It's dirty. I saw it.

I saw it a little. I've seen a little roach. No, I'm the same way though, it comes to stuff like that. And the thing is the good thing about it is that when you do get good customer service, like when I go somewhere and it exceeds my expectation, like this cabin, for example, it was better than the pictures, like they had let cusett on pots in the kitchen, you know, like everything was like five star, top notch. And I'm like, okay, I'm about to come here every time. We gotta break

because it's the service was that good. When you exceed somebody's expectation, you gotta get a lifelong client, and that is where that's worth. You put in the extra effort into making sure that they feel appreciated and that they get the service. Yeah, and that's what that's That's what I said to my son. Don't say little because I don't look and be like, oh, it's one little thing.

It's a whole experience. And also, I do not feel that I should have to spend my money for people to bring me silverware that has food left over on it, glasses that has someone's lipstick on it. I don't want to have that. That's not fair to me that I have to drink and eat behind the customer before. And there is a way to make sure that that's not the case, because other people do it, so you have to figure out how you do it as well. It's

a little extra work. It may require you to have a different type of you know, spend more money on a solution or whatever. But to your point, as a customer, I'm coming back and I'm bringing the village along with me. So thank you the Toivan, thank you guys for having me here, for being for being here in farted A my star know so my started that that that matters. But I will say that it's the going with the expectation, right. If it's not a five star place, you can't expect

I star service. You know. Tomka to Maka might disagree with that, but the service at a five star hotel is gonna be different from a three star hotel, you know, and a real truth star hotel. You and I go in with that mindset, like if I know we gotta stay, that can't do end because that's the only place in the area you might find it. Head on the floor, but she cannot be. No, I don't need toist family dirty, but you might. I don't here on the floor in

the baskett. I don't even accept that because I know that there are some places that they don't they don't do that. I think they're you should we should not ever be okay with um, dirt and things not being clean. Now. I understand if that means you don't have like a kitchen where you're able to do twenty four hour room service.

I understand if the furniture is not you know, freaking up today today and you don't have when you call it frette um bed sheets, and you know, I get all of that, but it being me going in the shower and having to deal with somebody's left over hair that's not okay. Well so so cleanliness should be the basis, the basics. Anything you've got it, Thank you, We love you,

love you too, love peace. I don't know why you always want to try to like diminish my or or make fun of me when I say that things need to be clean. I just don't get it. I'm confused that I think my that your I don't get it is my issue with you today. Yeah, I don't get it is your issue with me. I don't even get it. I still don't get it. It's not that I try

to diminish. I just think that, like I tell you, all the time, I was in jail, Right so, my expectation, tolerance for certain things and understanding that most time ship is not gonna be what you wanted to be is different for you. So I don't I don't think I

have as high expectations as you do. Right, So, especially if if we go to places where just regular places, I don't most of these businesses and things we go to that somewhere in the hood or not in five star areas is because they operating off a shoestring budget, right, So a lot of the people there are not being paid well enough to do all the things that you think or believe. They're not being paid. They're not saying like they might be working at this job for two

or three weeks and quit. You know what I'm saying, They're constantly trying to find people to work. This is not it's not what they don't really have. Most people don't really have job stability, especially if you're looking through the pandemic right now, most people ain't even working in inside of the you know, into the industries that we're talking about, like you know, hotels and in in eitheries and all these things. So my expectations is way different

in yours. But yours has always been this way. It's always always so that's just who you are. So I think, I think my life experience in your life experience have us looking through different lenses. And I'm not mad that you do it. But for me, it's just it's not that serious. I'm not trying to diminish. It's not as serious for me as it is for you. What I'm saying is, first of all, I didn't go I didn't grow up in and I mean I didn't go to prison,

so I appreciate that. But I grew up in the projects, which is his own little prison, and I stepped over pe and and all kinds of nastiness and crack files and everything on a regular basis. But my mama kept the inside of our house clean. She didn't have the mindset that just because we lived in this environment that it meant it was okay for the buildings, you know, for our apartment to be run down and so. And

I know your mama keeps our house clean. So the fact that you went to jail should not be an excuse for people not providing cleanliness and positive attitude when somebody is spending their money with you. I just don't

I don't see that. And I think in line with this cold conversation that we're having today around racism in America and how do we get to the next level, we as black people are gonna have to raise our standards if our cause is going to be more economically focused, where we're gonna look at how do we strengthen our businesses, how do we become you know, we we have to have an excellent mindset that even with a little bit right when when I went to Haiti, even after an earthquake,

roads all broke up, streets you know, streets split open, no food fan in, all kinds of issues. Heavy single morning when we got on that bus, we ride through towns where people had their children hair bowls together, clothes looking me. Every single day, those kids will going to school on the way cleaned up, even though they might have to go around because the street was split in

their neighborhood. It's something about having a level of excellence about yourself that we will have to take with us. We can't just tell people support our businesses. We have to also have a mindset of good customer service and not being and not diminishing somebody or or you know, or or making it seem like somebody like me is crazy because I'm asking for a certain amount of service when I'm committed to giving you my money. Well, I think I think it's in different regards, right, I think

we all hold different things at high standards. Right. For me, it's about respect, right. I think we move around y'all tolerate more disrespect than that. Somebody can say or do something that I have very zero tolerance and relaxed, relaxed, that's not that serious. And and for me, I'm saying, no, don't it is that serious. People shouldn't do this. People shouldn't do this. So the way that you feel about cleanliness and you're giving your money, I understand. I'm just

saying that's not my pet peeves. We all have different pet peeves, and we all seek a level of excellence in in different fields. I think for me, the way people talk and the way people treat you and the way people handle you is way more than if something you know, the folk got food on him. I'm I can watch that off, right. I don't know if it's intentionally. I don't know if somebody yo, it's hella disrespectful to

have to eat and drink behind somebody else. But you also don't seem to really get upset when people are nasty in the restaurant. You'd be like, oh man, I'm just hungry, like it's the food good. So I don't think I have expectations in these type of indu treats right,

and in those regards, I just think my expectations. But in my personal life and close proximity and people around me, there's different expectations of certain things, So I don't I don't think I have the same expectations of those things. So we can agree to agree, but disagree because I get it. You have a standard for certain things that you like, and I have a standard for certain things

just in different areas cool. Well, again, I think as we go into this next conversation, we need to be thinking. While we understand all the things that's wrong with society, we also have to take an examination of what will help us to grow and be more stable UM. And I think one one of those things is this idea that we have to walk with excellence in mind. And

I'm not just talking about business owners. I'm talking about even me, even in the way that I communicate in the things that I do, we have to have a level of excellence in minds. So I think that brings us to this next interview. And I'm you know, I'm about to learn some stuff Like I'm all about two.

I want to be learning and filling myself with information and just getting stronger and being able to speak UM from a from A from a higher level, you know, and that and that comes from learning from people like our next guests. Well, let's get to the interview. So on January fourteenth in New York and l A, something really really important is happening. A documentary UM that has been produced by our next guests will be coming out

really digging into this issue about racism in America. Now there's some of you who say, why are we still talking about it? Either we know racism exists and or they'll say there is no such thing. We had President Barack Obama, so racism doesn't exist in America anymore. Um. But I think we are from the mindset that if we do not constantly revisit history, and not just history of yesterday, but history of what is happening in this moment um, that we will lose sight of the direction

that we need to be traveling. And we have to constantly remind this country, this nation, remind ourselves as black folks, remind white folks of their history, and also others who are looking in and participating in our society of what is happening. Um. And also make sure that our children are raised in a world where they know the truth, They know the truth about themselves, the truth about oppression. And again that we all take on the cause and

the courage to fight to change it. And so our next guest, Mr. Jeffrey Robinson, has produced a documentary called who Are We? A Chronicle of Racism in America, and he's also the head of the Who Are We Project? And we are really really grateful for you being with us on Street Politicians today, we want to get into this conversation and learn about your project and why you actually decided to put a film like this together. Well,

thank you for the introduction, and uh, it is. It's very interesting because it's actually who we are a chronicle of racism in America and we are we are project. But even coming up with that title was something that took a lot of work because you kind of said, you know, we can say, oh, we all know about racism, what are we still talking about it for? And the

fact of the matter is that's not really true. And if you think about America's reaction to the murder of George Floyd and put the fact that it was on videotape and everything like that aside, but when people heard about it and people were just so outraged and so shocked, it was like something like that has never happened before. And I'm not talking about Eric Gardner five or six years ago. I'm talking in until in nineteen fifty five.

I'm talking over four thousand black people who were lynched documented lynchings between eighteen seventy and nineteen fifty five or so. So not knowing history allows you to think that a problem that you're facing has roots that only go back a couple of years, and so when you try and deal with those what i'll call young roots, you think you've solved the problem, and then five years later it's the exact same thing, and everyone's wondering why didn't this work?

And it doesn't work because we have never addressed the root of the problem, going back to the beginnings of America. So who we are is a statement about the truth about American history. It's a question about who we are really as we think about the good and bad of our our history and America and who we want to be, and that last one about who we want to be. You can't get on the path to who you want to be as an individual or a nation without coming

to grips with who you are in the moment. So so that's so that's a very good point, and it brings me to a question that I have. We've been hearing a lot about critical rece theory lately, and there's this big, you know, argument whether it should be told in school, whether kids need to know, And based on what you're saying, it would it would be an atrocity for us not to teach about the history of America

and its totality. So what why why do you think that white people see to be so against racial critical race theory in schools and actually just admitting that racism is even a part of America. I think that, like anything, uh,

difficult conversations make people afraid and reluctant. If you can think about the most difficult conversation you have ever had with someone who is close to you, and think about how long it took you to bring it up, how nervous you were about talking about it, and then take back on a much grander scale, what we are talking about here, in my view, is the power of narrative. The narrative of America is an incredibly powerful thing. We

are talking about our origin story. We are talking about things that have been fed to all of us since we were literally, you know, coming out of the wound. One of my favorite bands has a line that says, you know, it's in my honey and it's in my milk. It's like, this is how the narrative of America has been fed to us, and that narrative is a narrative of equality, of heroism, of a problem with slavery. But the Civil War solved that, and then there was the

Civil Rights movement and everything spine. We elected Barack Obama and letting go of that narrative, a narrative that you have been fed since you were an infant, is really hard. So you know, let's just accept that when you are challenging a narrative that has taken four hundred years to build, don't be surprised if people get really frightened when you

start shaking some of the foundation of that narrative. But I think people then say, well, I don't want my child to feel guilty, and I don't want to feel bad. I don't want to get blamed for something that happened a hundred and fifty years ago. One of the things that I think it's it's so important to understand here is that critical race theory is a law school curriculum,

has nothing to do with teaching history. Conservative think tanks came up with a strategy to call everything about the history of anti black racism in America critical race theory and then to attack it as critical race theory. And you can find you can go and find the people who wrote about this. So why would a parent of a fourth grader be screaming at a school board meeting. Don't teach my client critical race theory when it's not

being taught. We're talking about is fear. And so the way I would start this discustion, this discussion is simply with any parents from any political view in America, can we agree that we should tell our children the truth about history? And if the answer is yes, then we don't have a problem because now it's just about telling the truth. And if we go and look at what has been hidden in plain sight in all of our

historical documents, the truth is undeniable. Look, America has demonstrated, and I said this in the film, America has demonstrated its capacity for greatness again and again and again. And America is one of the most racist countries on the face of the earth. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. And until we reckon with the latter part of that, we are not going to move to who we are, who we want to be, who we claim to be

as a country. So I really think it is fear of a difficult conversation and fear that the narrative in America is going to change now. But you know, I would go a step further and saying, because you said that if you are close to someone, it's difficult to have a certain type of conversation, I would say, also, if you know you have wronged that person, if you know you have done something um to hurt them, it's even harder to go and sit and have the conversation.

And I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that there is there is a level of guilt and or acknowledgement that we have done something. But not only have we done it, we haven't corrected it. Still to today, we have not corrected the wrongs of our ancestors, and we don't want to. We don't want to have the conversation. To your point, we don't want

to happen. I think I think you make a really good point, and it's really important because when there is this element of guilt or responsibility, that makes it doubly harder. And and the other point you made is there is the acknowledgement of what happened, and nobody alive today owned an enslaved person. Nobody alive today was supporting slavery, but

what have we done about it? And one of the reasons that I think some parents get upset about their children being taught this information is that Johnny and Susie are gonna come home and they're gonna say, Mommy and Daddy, did this stuff happen? And what did you do about it? And what did you do about it? And what is our room doing about it? And what are we exactly and why do you call Mexicans this? And and why

do you still say nigger behind closed doors? And why do we have such and such in here working in our home and being treated a certain way like they don't. I mean, the conversation could go so deep that they don't want to have it at all. The fear, that

is the fear. But the reason why we fight. We we tussle with this question of um a power right because people will say, oh, you know, black people can be can be racist as well, and we argue all the time that that is a very it's a shaky role, if you will, because we don't have well I'm just saying we can have biases that is. I mean, I just really believe, Like as a lawyer, one of the things I learned is, uh, you can't say there was a crash, do I mean? Two cars. Do I mean

a car in a motorcycle? Do I mean a car in a person? So you have to be explicit in your use of language. Racism is not the equivalent of prejudice. I can be the most prejudiced person in any might walk into in America, but in America, I cannot be a racist, as racism is prejudice plus social power plus legal authority. That's racism. And that's why these these these foy aise into well, I don't have anything in my

mind and my heart, so I'm not a racist. I don't have racist thoughts, so I don't have any you know, everything is fine. I don't have to do anything other than that. And that reduces racism to these individual prejudices, and that makes it too easy. That's why people want to say, oh, well, that couple of those people are prejudiced and they're the problem. No, that's not the problem.

This view of mistaking individual president by prejudice and equivalent making it the equivalent of racism is why some people would say the way you solve the George Floyd issue is by passing a law that says police can't kneel along someone's neck. Now, we've solved the issue, and there are a lot of people who think that that kind of law would solve the issue, But of course it won't because that's not what killed George Floyd. That was the physical mechanism that choked the life out of him,

but that's not what killed George Floyd. So once again, this limited view allows you to come up with quote unquote solutions to a problem that will never solve the problem. But you walk away like, you know, hey, I did a great thing. I passed the no Chokehold Act, Like that's gonna change something. M That's so that's the real thing. We have conversations about that all the time. So there's two things. First, I want you to tell us of

give us a synopsis about the film. Would I see one part when you were talking to this guy and I think he had a Confederate flag and he was and he was talking about how they weren't it wasn't slavery because they treated him like family, did they treated slaves like? And when I was listening to that, and I've seen your face and you just really was looking like you are you really like serious? So I wanted to just give us a give us like, give us a give us a description, and then we'll tell us

about it. And tell us what did you during this documentary? What did you find that even shocks you, like when you were searching for things, like where there are things that you found that even shot you? Well? I think that uh uh to understand that. Back in two thousand and eleven, because of some family circumstances, I started reading about the what came to be the history of anti black racism in America. And I tell people, this isn't a brag. This is to make a point. I've had

one of the best educations in America. I graduated from Marquette University and Harvard Law School, and in my fifties, I started reading stuff that I had never heard before about the history of anti black racism in America, and I was shocked. And as I started finding more and more and more information, that led to a three hour presentation that led to people seeing it, and that led to this film being made. But the film is more than just the presentation of these facts that I found.

The film is involved with going out and interviewing people who are witness to uh the history that is has been taken from all of us. One of the things that we wanted to do is to confront the issue

about the cause of the Civil War. And I did a presentation, this three hour presentation in Charleston, South Carolina, and a woman came up to me at the end of it and she said, you know, there's some guys on the waterfront every Sunday in front of a Confederate Soldier monument there waving Confederate flags, and you should come down there for the demonstration that was Thursday night, Friday and Saturday. We did everything from go to Mother Emmanuel

Church where Dylan Ruth slaughtered nine people. We went to a plantation and saw how our ancestors lived and retreated. We went to the Charleston Slave Mark Museum, where I saw shackles that were made for three and four year olds and whimps that had nail heads embedded in the leather in order to tear the flesh. And I was sick and I wasn't. We were leaving Charleston the next day on Sunday, and Sarah and Emily Kunstler, the directors, went down to the waterfront and they called me and said, Jeff,

you've got to come down here. Uh this guy is willing to talk to us. He signed a release, and I think that was an important thing. That I was sick, and as I think back on it, I wasn't sick with like the flu. I think I was just sick from everything we had been seeing. But I got myself down there and so my energy was lower, and I think that helped me stay calmer. And I'm glad that I did, because I wanted to talk to this man and to have him explained to me what his view was.

And I'm a criminal defense lawyer and I've been trying to cross examine witnesses, and so I just listened to him, and I wanted to try and reflect back to him how Ridict feels some of the things that he was saying.

We're and so when he first started talking about moral terroiffs he's talking about I think the name is m O R R I L. It's the name of a law and some people hear it may think is he's talking about more terrorists, and he's like, no, it's moral terrorists on crops that enslaved people were essentially responsibly responsible for producing. And when he started talking about that, I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah,

that was cotton, tobacco, and rice. And so one of the things I'm doing is telling him I know this history just like you know it. And that took him back a little bit, and he didn't want to talk about that anymore, because now we were talking about the fact that enslaved people grew all those crops, and so taxes on those crops to the north. All of a sudden, that doesn't seem like such a strong Southern issue. And that's when he pivoted to, well, we treated them like family.

And I just in him to admit that I couldn't own him and treat him like family and that it would be okay. And you could just see the wheels in his head turning. And I thought, if I yell at him, which is what I wanted to do, that's what he's expecting. You. Now, I'm just another black man who's you know, having an argument with a guy with a Confederate flag. And how many of those have we seen? Wow?

But do you so you feel like this film is one that white people can watch and feel safe learning about themselves in the history, or do you feel like it's still going to be such a trigger that they may just shut just the wall comes down. One of the things that I wanted to do in the way this film was presented is to try to address the issue that you just released. Number one. I'm not looking to make anybody feel comfortable. I'm looking to tell the truth,

and the truth is what the truth is. What I have learned as a criminal defense lawyer is if I come and tell you the Constitution was filled with advantages for white supremacist slave owners, I can say that to you and you may react one way or another. But if I give you the facts, here's what this provision said, Here's what this provision said, here's what this provision said, then you have to deal with it yourself. And so, just like that guy with the Confederate flag, I said,

of these craps were raised by enslaved people. He wanted to fight about that. So I said okay, and he had to agree because he knew that was truth. And so if I say to someone, did you know that the three fifths claws in the Constitution, That wasn't just about making sure that the Constitution reflected that black people were not considered full human beings. That was about the electoral College, Because what three hundred thousand blacks in Virginia.

You multiply that by three fists and that gets added to the population. And then when you go down to the next provision in the constitution, it says the number of electoral College votes you get is dependent on your population. And that's why nine of the first twelve American presidents were from the South, and seven of them were from Virginia. And then you here, and then you see where slave

owners are given specific protections. So as opposed to telling you what to think, what I'm trying to do in this film is giving you the facts and saying you come to the conclusion that you think these facts bring you to, and the conclusion, quite frankly, is not escapable. H is the film for children, Absolutely, It's a PG thirteen rating. And what I would say is this is not a film that I want to send my fifth, six or seventh grader in to watch by themselves, but

to watch with their parents. Absolutely. And I have had conversation with kids in middle school, with kids even younger than that, about these issues. There are very very difficult things that are shown in this film, and so the PG thirteen rating I think is very helpful. But this kind of education in age appropriate ways is completely important.

And I think one of the best things I've seen about this is everybody knows the iconic picture of Ruby Bridges, maybe as six or seven years old with her little briefcase, walking into a school surrounded by federal marshals so that she wouldn't get killed if she had to understand about racism at that age. White kids that age can learn about it. So this whole concept of oh, they're too young,

that is absolutely false. And one of the things that who we are project and this is a not for profit organization that I've established, one of the things that we're going to do is to work with experts so that parents and pre k teachers can start to talk to kids at a very early age. And how can you do that. You can do it all kinds of ways,

just by starting with the concept of what's fair. Give four lollipops to five kids and the girl with red hair doesn't get one, and ask them if that's fair, and they'll start telling you at three years old, of course that's not. This is the This is that you can start teaching kids about concepts before you get into

the actual history of of anti black racism. I'm not saying you teach that history through a first grader, but I am saying that we think our children at a very young age or not being taught about racism, and that's just a fantasy. Our society is teaching them. And the way you figure that out is you go to the most liberal monastory school in America and the kids will self segregate in the lunch room in the first grade down that for decades. Why is that they are

learning something and they're learning it from us? So the issue is not will your child be taught about racism? Because the answer to that is yes. The issue is how is your child going to be taught? Wow, I want to actually one thing before we go, because I can said actually millions, very very insightful, and you've seen to break it down. There's two things I want to know. Do you believe that we can eradicate racism in America?

That's a great question. And and if so, if not, what do you think is the biggest threat to Black America's future? What do you think is our thing that we really need to focus on if we're trying to evolve in progress and move past a lot of things what do you think. I think that I think the answer to the first question, can we eradicate racism, not just anti black racism, but racism in America? And the answer in my mind to that question is I don't

know mhm. The answer is uncertain. But what I can tell you is this, we have never in our entire history addressed our racist underpinnings and origin story. We have never addressed the issue, not just going back five or ten years, but going back to sixteen nineteen. And people say that was colonial America. Well, when they had the Constitutional Convention, all those colonies brought their riches from slavery and dumped them on the table, and people said, doubled down,

we are keeping this going. We have never addressed this issue by looking at the entire history. So we are doing something today, in this decade, in this century, that we have not done before, and that gives me hope. The other thing I'll tell you is this is January six today, one year ago today. We all remember what we were looking at. And I'll guarantee you those people think that racism in America can be eradicated because they're scared. They are scared of what will happen if the truth

is taught. It's just like that fear about critical race theory. People are afraid, Oh, the origin story is gonna be shaken. I'm gonna have to acknowledge that while I've had struggles and overcome burdens as a white person, I walked through this world completely differently than the black and brown people I'm walking right next to. And that has to change.

So the people that are screaming at school board meetings, the people that were in the insurrection on January six, they're scared, and they're scared because they see the possibility of radical change occurring. And that's one of the things that I think is really important. We are literally at a tipping point, and a tipping point in a country with a four hundred year history is not a moment, for a year is a decade. We were in this tipping point at least by two thousand and sixteen, and

we are in the middle of it now. So what we do over the next five years is critical. And to do your specific question, what areas should you focus on? There are two things to me, and they are they are interrelated. One is the economic health of the black community and the other is voting, and the two things are inextricably uh combined with each other. Why do you think that there is so much effort to keep us

from voting? Because people understand that the black community can have a huge impact not just on congressional races and Senate races, but on local races as well as races for the national offices. So I think voting is a huge, huge issue. And when I say economic impact, the thing that will give us the clearest view of that is HR forty, the bill in front of Congress right now to create a commission to study the issue of reparations for slavery and the vestiges of slavery, and this is

where the history comes in. And then to make recommendations to Congress and and so uh, those are two things that I think are examples of areas where in the next five years America is going to have to reckon with a lot of difficult things. And uh, for me, Um, I know what I'm gonna be doing for the next five years. M what is that? What are you gonna need?

We're gonna need it, We're gonna need some inside. But I'm gonna be doing for the next five years with the Who We Are Project is making sure that everyone in America has access to our true history. Think about all those states that have passed these anti CRT laws. Do they really think that a classroom is the only place where students learned? Have you seen thirteen through seventeen year olds walking around America without a cell phone in

their hands? And so we can we can get this history out to people so that they can confirm it themselves. They can go to state historical societies and find the original documents where our founding fathers are saying horrific things. And once you confirm it yourself. Knowledge. I hate to say this in the time of COVID, but knowledge is like a virus and once it starts spreading, it's really

hard to stop. It's the last thing I'll say on this in terms of the impact that knowledge can have, and why the Who We Are Project is going to spend the next five years trying to make sure of that youth, community groups and corporate organizations and government organizations are all made aware of this history because being aware of the history is what will take us to this to this different place. So that's where we're going to be focusing our efforts and Who we Are Projects, Thank

you so much, so much. We really appreciate it and you are a wealth of knowledge. I've definitely looked forward just after watching the trail, I definitely look forward to watching the movie. Everybody should go out and get it. Well, just let him know where to be showing. Thank you very much, but first of all, thank you for having me and I really appreciate the chance to have this dialogue.

And if you go to our website, the Who we Are Project dot org, uh, there is a section for the film and a section for the project, and one of the links is you click on it and it will show you a map of America, and then you click on the state where you think you're gonna be, and it will show you all of the dates where things are gonna open. So it's in New York and Los Angeles next weekend, but then it's gonna be in Washington, d C. In Chicago, in Memphis, in in Tulsa, you know,

all over the country. So uh, that's probably the best way is to go to our website and click on that map and it will give you the places where it's gonna be screening in your area. Awesome. Thank you so much. Again, we cannot wait to be well, you know, to talk about the film, to make sure that people have an opportunity to see it. I think it's so important for it to be accessible, but it will take all of us to push that info out there. So we're committed to that. UM and you, we appreciate you

for coming on street politicians. Thank you. And let me just say, if there is anything else that I can do to support the work that y'all are doing, just let me know because I appreciate what you're doing. And this is part of why I do have optimism, because this stuff is getting out there, and when it does get out there, people go, oh M, I didn't know that, And at that moment, that's when they're willing to try and think about something different. And I think we can

bring about those moments. So thank you for the work that y'all are doing. Congratulations Jeffrey Robinson, attorney, writer, producer and the Who we Are Who we Are project, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, dope interview man, Really do you know?

I think the ironic part is how with LaToya was saying about supporting black businesses and just the whole segment, and then how Mr Robinson said that is gonna be one of the essential things for us to move forward is black economics, you know, So it's it's all on points, all connected. You know, we have to be very intentional about being entrepreneurs, creating economics, creating generational wealth, you know. And I think we're on the right path. He said that.

He said, Um, how in this the last five years, you know, what we've been doing about exploring and holding accountable and talking about the you know, the history of America and put it in plain sight so people can see it. It's never been done. He said, We've done everything else with that, so that that's gonna have a different effect, you know. And he was honest, he doesn't know if we're ever gonna see the eradication of racism

in America. Right. But you know, but as you said too, really really strong things that tied directly together some people, and I think there is another element that we have to bring introduce into the conversation as well. You got one thing, which is toyt latoy Von saying we have to support small businesses, support black owned businesses and other people of color. You have as you said, um, Mr

Robinson talking about economic empowerment. And then there's the protest component where we should not be spending our money with

certain businesses when they don't invest in our communities. And I think when you put those three things together, and of course education, we will be able to, you know, to really teach our young people because it will be the next generation that is going to be so they're so in tune with buying sweatshirts from their friends, you know, they're so in tune with going to get their facial done from their home girl. Now we just have to be able to bring it all together and let them

know you could go to the spa. Of course, you could go to a white spa downtown, but you could also go to your home girls spot and get the same type of service. And that brings me back to the point about why it needs to be quiety service. Well, that kind of brings me, you know, just the whole racism and black and all these things brings me to you know, I don't get it. You know, earlier this I think probably was last week, there was a conversation and you know, I've been I've been critical about a

lot of these bloggers and on site. You know, um individuals that just came out of nowhere got famous somehow just talking on the internet and somehow they had some level of credibility. Now this this one side I've I've seen, you know. I talked about how you know, they had DJ academics on the and he was cursing some black women out, calling her old types of names, corner bitches and all types of things because they had a difference

of opinion. And he just started really being disrespectful. But there was a conversation where they were talking about a website or some type of site where you can go on the date black women. It's called black and these two black men, one black black and another you know, um more more my complexion black individual talking about how they don't date black women and stuff and not just don't date black women. Say well, if you want to go get bake, date Shaniko or boom Kisha, that's on you.

You know, we don't, we don't like the dark met We don't we don't really engage in that, you know. And for me, I just don't understand the mind state, right, I don't. It's two things I don't understand. I don't understand First, how do we give people with that low vibration mind state any authority to continually impact, in effect

and dictate our culture? Right, I don't even understand how, because they've been they've been toxic, Like I watched, and the thing about is this show is filled with always black women at the table. Black women is sitting around and they're having these conversations and whatever whatever. This show has been made pretty much made of mostly black women that I've seen that the shows I've seen. And then I don't get the mind state that that even comes.

How you just get comfortable with saying something like that. I don't even understand how you as if you and

if you see how black this man is. I hope we have a clip of it, you know when when you see how black and dark this one guy is, he said, all, we don't, we don't do the dark me like the self hate that has to come with that, you know, the self, the self, how much you don't care for yourself to understand that your mother is a black woman, understand that your grandmother's understand the history of

your whole existence is a black woman. And for you to say that so freely is as if it's not embarrassing, as as if it's not something that you should you just to even think that you should be ashamed though, you know, I just don't get this mindset. I don't I don't get where we are in this culture and altogether is where we just have gotten comfortable with less.

We've gotten comfortable with disrespecting ourselves. We've got comfortable with allowing people who don't even value us to dictate what this culture looks like, you know. And it was real confusing to me. I heard a lot of people, you know, say things about it. I've seen a couple of people Joe Button says something about it, Roy says son about it. Was a couple of dudes you know that has said

something about it. And it just really evolved me the wrong way, you know, because this was the second situation where I've seen the violation of a black woman on this podcast. M hm. I mean, I don't have anything to add to that. I think that, you know, the first point you gave was the most important. It's like, well, we as black people, and of course led by black women, Um well, I mean maybe led by black men, say that we no longer support the show. That's it it's

really simple. I don't I'm not trying on to deliberate on why they say they said the things they said. And in fact, I didn't give it any of my attention because we already know what type of content is coming from that platform. It's not just that platform. But it was another show where they were on there talking with some young guy about, you know, robbing people like

this is a this is becoming a thing. And we talked last week about the cultural awareness that the shift that has to happen and how you and others are really trying to lead that, you know, And so I think there is we already know that being enslaved, being an enslaved people has done a doozy like it's a number that has been done on us. That is, it's really scary. But beyond that, now it's going back to

the previous conversation. People need to understand that just because so for me, I didn't click it to watch it because I don't even want to give ratings to whatever services or you know, whatever sauce sources are providing the content. I don't even want the views on the shade room ball alert or whatever to go up because I'm another person who has listened to it over and over and over again. Because your cliques equal money, like your cliques

equal resources. And there are people out there that will invest in something like that because it's controversial, whereas they won't necessarily support something that's on that, you know, the Shade, room Ball Alert, all of these, the Jasmine brand, all of these sites. They try to also post some things that are different, not like that. I'm not gonna say positive or not or whatever, because this is not about that, but just different. And the clicks and the numbers for

those things may not be as strong. And so we have to understand that the more we listen, the more we engage, the more these people become hot to those people who don't care nothing about our communities. All they care about is throwing that little advertisement on there so that they can get more eye right, so they can get more eyeballs. So it's up to you, you know what you want to see? What is it that you know?

We e street politicians. We're trying our best to give content that is not just talking about you know, we talked about we talk about black love, we talked about relationships, we talk about all of that, and those episodes do well, and that's great, and because there's things we care about, it's information we want, it's the world we live in. But we also try to talk about things like you know, bringing someone like attorney Jeffrey Robinson on. And the question

is it begs of itself? Will people actually listen and download that content because it's it's actually gonna help educate you and move you in your life to a better place, or are we just gonna focus on the trash that you know, who's sleeping with, who would, who's doing what. I'm not saying I don't like that stuff. I'm not saying that I don't also and I'm not gonna say light but I'm not saying that I don't also listen to and watch you know we call it um what

do they call it? Guilty TV? Or you know, guilty internet surfing? But I spend more of my time invested in things and listening to people who educate me. So here we go. I hear you, but I can't, you know, for the life of me, I can't invest in anything that degrades me or destroys me or demoralizes me. And I don't think that we should we should at any point be okay with that. We can have this debate another day the show is over. But I will say that I don't agree with that. I think that it depends.

It depends on how you look at it. Because all of us we know every episode of Power, we know every episode of BMF, and we know every episode out of everything Harlem uh the Godfather of Harlem. We do watch things and and are invested in things that a young person could be watching and it could actually be impacting them and making them do things that are not good.

That's but but that's that right there. To that, to me, that's a lazy argument because right if you're in your home, a young person is in your home watching Power and you're not, and you're not educating them about Hey, this is entertainment. And this is based on what do you mean if you're seventeen years old whatever, with a parent that may not be in the household or maybe you know or maybe working all the time, you think that's

seventeen year old. The parent is monitoring them, watching if you if you done it, if you're a parent, then by seventeen, you parented your child enough for them to be able to differentiate between entertainment and not entertainment, because if you look at the biggest supporters of you know, quote unquote the gangster rapping and all that, it's not really black people, White American. Okay, white America has grasped mostly right and and they're not on his shooting and

roving each other. Well, I mean that we could go down the whole rabbit hole. But here's the deal. I'm all I'm saying is Little Kim Nicki, Minaj, Cardi, b Meg, the Stallion. I listened to every single one of them. I love it, I talked to it. I'm into it. But I also understand that there are components of that that if not to your point, guided properly within a young person, a little girl or whatever, it could go

the wrong way. And they'll tell you that. They will tell you like, yo, I'm not don't, don't bring your your two year old to listen to me on my live or whatever when I'm talking. So I'm just saying that we all indulge in things for our were entertainment that depending on which way it goes, it can be harmful. It can be However, However, there are certain things that I think I do agree with you. That's more real life like, it's real life. It's not entertainment. It's real

life stuff. And so that's where it is a little different. But that's another day. We should actually do a show on that. Okay, that's a show entertainment versus real life. I like that. And with that said, another dope episode of Street Politicians. We truly appreciate you. If you have topics that you want to hear, let us know. If you think we dope, let us know. If you hate us, let us know. Just let us know and tell me you hate me. I want to hear it because I

feel I listen. I am fused by love and he I'm fused by both. So if you hate me, I have no problem hearing it. It's not gonna change me. It's gonna motivate me to be just even better person. So please let me know. Number one show, Street Politicians, the number one baby, We're coming for that crown for your ask. I gotta say, I'm not gonna always be right to Mega. Mallory is not gonna always be wrong, but we will both always and I mean always, always, always be authentic. He Lou, That's how we ow