WEBVTT - Dominic Dupont Returns to the Red Table 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.200 So I always ask, now, are you ready? I'm ready. 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:07.440 I'm ready. I try to stay ready. Sorry, come on, 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.600 that's how you kick it off. Let me get my 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:16.040 sleeve pulled up. Let me get myself because ready. This 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:19.759 is gonna be a good, high energy and high obtain conversation, 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:23.880 and I'm ready for it. Let's kick it off. Hey, y'all, Hey, 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.520 what's up? And welcome to Let's Red Table that. I'm 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:29.640 Tracy t Brow and I'm Coral Pressley and I'm feeling 0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:34.240 pretty excited about today's episode and conversation. What about you, Tracy, 0:00:34.280 --> 0:00:36.480 how are you feeling about today? In the words of 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:43.120 our guests, I'm let's Cora, I'm I love it. Hey, 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:46.839 wait till we bring them on today. Okay, listen, and 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:49.400 we're gonna have a message straight from the Red Table 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:52.800 talk host later in today's episode, So anyone listening, please 0:00:52.840 --> 0:00:56.360 do not miss that. And I mean, like for real, 0:00:56.720 --> 0:00:59.160 straight up lit. I cannot wait to hear the message. 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:03.040 I cannot wear for this conversation. I am super geeked up. 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:06.840 Super excited would be the nineteen eighties version, but super 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:10.959 super geeked is the nineties version. I'm geeked all the 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:14.360 woe geeks. But first we are going to circle back. 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:16.280 This is a real gift for us. We're gonna go 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:18.800 back to the Red Table episode about fitting All. It 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:21.040 aired in May of this year, and we are being 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:24.880 joined by guests from that very episode. We're making Virtual 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:29.080 Red Table Talk history today. Car like we should we 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:34.880 go ahead and introduce them? I I don't know if anymore, 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:38.080 So come on, come on, introduced, introduce our guest. You 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:41.720 don't have to wait any longer. Our guest today is 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:43.720 not new to the Red Table, but this is his 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:46.640 first time at the Virtual Red Table, so we appreciate 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.720 him for coming. Dominie DuPont is here with us. You 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:52.080 of course remember him from his appearance on the actual 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:54.720 Red Table Talk where he shared about his uncle Michael 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:57.880 Kay Williams and their relationship through both of their ups 0:01:57.880 --> 0:01:59.760 and downs. Don't we have them all? Right? So we 0:01:59.840 --> 0:02:03.000 arevited him on here on our Virtual Red Table to 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:05.760 dive deeper, talk more in depth about the topic that 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:08.520 he touched on at the Red Table, as well as 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:12.200 here about the reception from his uncle's book entitled Scenes 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:16.400 from My Life. So welcome, welcome, thank you, thank you 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:19.680 so much for having me how are you doing. I'm good, 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:24.560 I'm good. Every day above Ground is really an opportunity 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:28.760 to just on a Michael on his legacy and to 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:34.919 add something additional to this thing that we call life, right, 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:37.720 And sometimes life is hard to figure out. Sometimes it 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:40.280 will throw you some curveballs and you're trying to figure 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:42.239 this out and trying to figure that out. But it's 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:44.520 a good place to start at to wake up and 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.079 I have life and have breath and for your bed 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:49.080 not to be a cooling boy. So thank you so 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:51.200 much for having me. I'm excited. You just said a 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:55.440 whole word right there. Absolutely, this is an amazing opportunity. 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:56.760 So I just want to say thank you as well 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:59.240 again for just joining us today. I'm excited to jump 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:01.560 into the episode Old So we're gonna kick it off 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:12.760 with our weight what segment. Okay, this is a part 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:15.520 of the show where we reveal which moments made us pause, 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:19.880 rewind and listen again. So actually we're gonna be dipper 0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:22.000 right into a previous topic and we haven't had the 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:24.200 opportunity to have wait what with the person we were 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:27.680 waiting on the scenes. So Dominick, I'm excited because I 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:32.280 can say Okay, now wait what what? Now? Absolutely? Wait 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:39.160 what that's it? What happened? Here's what I want to know, Dominic. 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:41.720 When you shared you were living with Michael's mom, I 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:45.160 just thought that was beautiful. My understanding is that you're 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:51.080 actually living with Michael's mother. She's an amazing human being. 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:56.280 She's ninety four years old, and her grit, her strength. 0:03:56.600 --> 0:04:00.200 You know, I see what Michael got it from. How 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:04.320 did living together affect both of your grieving journeys. Yeah, 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:09.000 so unfortunately my grandmother, Michael's mother, passed away July fourteen, 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:15.960 and so it's sort of like moves into this important 0:04:15.960 --> 0:04:21.080 conversation that we're having about how things can impact people 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:24.240 and can affect people. And that's why you heard me 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:28.480 begin this conversation by talking about how grateful I am 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.320 to have life and breath and to have hope, because 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:33.280 one of the things I realized is when you don't 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:36.680 have those things, you are hopeless, and that is a 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:40.760 dark place to be. And I realized that in ways 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:44.240 that a lot of other people may not have really 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:48.480 understood the brevity of what that means and how that feels. 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:52.480 And to just think about some of those things, I mean, 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:55.760 like you said, I was living with my grandmother, Paula Williams. 0:04:56.040 --> 0:04:59.839 That happened for me about two days after Michael died. 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:04.560 I immediately left Brooklyn. Took me two days to coordinate 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:08.960 with the Medical Examiner's office here and officials to have 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:12.560 his body transferred to Harrisburg, where he was ultimately laid 0:05:12.600 --> 0:05:17.440 to rest. At What happened was two weeks after that, 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:21.800 Michael's brother, my father, had torn a yota uttery, went 0:05:21.839 --> 0:05:25.839 into the hospital and unfortunately he passed away on the 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:30.560 second week of November. That impacted my grandmother greatly to 0:05:30.720 --> 0:05:34.880 lose two of her children's, one September six and one 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:37.800 in mid November. You know, you asked me, I think 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:40.240 she really passed away from a broken heart. So I 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:45.360 stayed there from September to July, just taking care of her, 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.680 making sure that she's good. We had other family members 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:52.520 and support that were there, and like I said, ultimately, 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:56.200 the same way I went upstairs and found Michael deceased 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:58.960 is the same way that I went upstairs and found 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:03.039 my grandmother deceased in July four team. She was suffering, Yeah, 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:04.840 she was suffering. She was going through a lot of 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:08.520 Alzheimers in dementia had set in at a rate that 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:13.279 was unprecettented in my mind, and one she was ready 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:17.600 to go. She made that clear, and to she just said, 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:19.960 I want to be with my boys. So we went 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:22.880 through that. I am still back between New York and 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:25.960 Pennsylvania where my grandmother was living in where Michael we 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:28.719 call that michael second home, and that is now where 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:34.520 he rests that right with his brother and his mother 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:37.640 in the same place. So this she has been rough, 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:40.480 but I'm grateful. I'm hopeful. I see Michael winking at 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:44.280 us often about the work that needs to continue. Well, 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:48.680 let me say that I offer my sincerest sympathy to 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:54.520 you and your faith because having been in the position 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:57.359 where you were to find your uncle and then have 0:06:57.560 --> 0:07:01.840 to suffer through the loss of two others so close 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:05.640 and near and beloved family members, I just can't even 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:08.159 imagine your grief. Thank you. At the same time, I 0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:10.440 could tell through just your stories and how you speak 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:13.680 of them, that Joe family has a strong legacy that 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:16.240 will be upheld, and I'm grateful that You're able to 0:07:16.280 --> 0:07:18.680 be here and speak it, spread their joy and spread 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:21.280 their love and everything that they meant to you. Thank 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:23.360 you so much. Thank you for picking up the mass 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:26.680 Soper Import Dominic and carrying that torch to have that 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:30.360 strong family Williams legacy lived through you. Thank you so much, 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:32.960 Carla and Tracy. I wouldn't have it any other way. 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:35.040 And I know that God has a reason and a 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:37.920 purpose for me to just be involved in this process 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:39.800 the way there I am. And the reality is I 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:44.400 just walked by faith. Understood. Understood. You speak so holly 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:46.480 of Michael. We heard you say that he was an 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:50.320 amazing human being. People are gonna be listening, They're gonna 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:52.760 be watching, They're gonna be saying to themselves, if this 0:07:52.840 --> 0:07:55.240 can happen to an amazing human being like him, it 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:58.000 can happen to me. And if we can prevent that, 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.800 then we're doing the right thing. A lot of us 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:05.240 were entertained and amazed by him, right, But you got 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:08.600 to get that additional personal insight, like can you share 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:12.080 a story just behind the scenes, another legacy piece that 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:14.560 just demonstrates what you saw and your uncle, or what 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:17.440 you'd like to just share about his legacy that people 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:19.600 don't know or people need to know. One of the 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:22.400 things that was incredible about Michael is that he found 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:25.920 the way to breathe life into his characters, and a 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:31.320 lot of that was because of his ability to turn 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:34.839 his pain and his trauma into art. And a lot 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:37.839 of people don't know that Michael went through a lot 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:41.520 of challenges. That was one of the purposes that we 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:44.560 thought it was so important to bring light shed light 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:48.959 on his new book, Scenes from My Life. Those things 0:08:49.000 --> 0:08:54.240 that you hear about are the catalyst to conversations that 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:58.319 developed as Michael worked on healing himself and dealing with 0:08:58.360 --> 0:09:03.079 the struggles of life, soro on life's terms and understanding 0:09:03.160 --> 0:09:06.280 that there are points in our life where at times 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:09.360 we feel worthless and that is a difficult place to 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:14.440 be at. But through that all, Michael was committed to 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:19.880 helping people understand that they matter. And one of the 0:09:19.920 --> 0:09:24.400 things that Michael was committed to was just ensuring that 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:28.400 people know that he was there to support them. And 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:30.800 one of the stories that I have, personal stories that 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:33.800 I have, and pretty recent right before he passed away, 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:38.120 we were shooting a docuseries that Michael had produced called 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:42.079 black Market. It's this idea that when the system fails you, 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:46.680 you create your own systems to survive financially and in 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:51.079 other means. We were leaving a pretty well known seafood 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:54.640 restaurant called Jimmy's. You know, they make pretty much like 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:58.240 the best crab cakes in Maryland. They are like in 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:02.080 the top two, and we could never find ourselves from Baltimore, 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:05.360 Maryland without stopping there to eat. Of course feed you well, 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:08.080 they take care of you. So everybody collecting their doggy 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:10.720 bags and getting them ready, and we had ordered a 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:14.400 few extra crab cakes to take home with us. We 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:19.080 saw this individual who didn't have a place to stay, 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:22.319 and they were looking for food, and it was clear 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:25.280 that they were suffering. Michael said, everybody pull a car, 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:26.839 but pull a car when we like, you know, we're 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:29.480 in Baltimore, Like, what's the matter? What happened? What's going on? 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:33.240 And he said, pulled up, car over, and we pulled 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:36.199 the car over, and he looked at everyone and said, everybody, 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:42.720 give me your bag, and he took stuff that was untouched, unopened, 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:46.960 and we we fed that young lady. But what was 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.720 even really more interesting to me, Michael didn't just like 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:54.040 throw them a bag and give them some cash. They 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:56.160 pulled over, he said, Hi, how are you doing? What's 0:10:56.160 --> 0:11:02.480 your name? And I just looked yeah. The person said Janine, 0:11:02.600 --> 0:11:05.520 and he said, Janine, how you doing? My name is Michael. 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:08.439 How you doing, sister? And she said things are tough, 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:11.600 but and Mike said I know, I've been there, and 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:13.280 he said, since, I have this for you, and he 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:15.720 gave a nice amount of cash and he gave up 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:19.840 some food and he said, I'm praying for you. And 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.720 that next day, when we went back and we saw 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:26.480 the same individual, Mike told over again and said hi, Janine, 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:31.360 and she looked and her eyes lit up, and he said, 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:33.760 do you remember my name? And she said, of course 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:37.520 I remember your name. Your name is Michael. And you 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:40.320 know why I remember that, not because you was on 0:11:40.360 --> 0:11:44.080 a wire, not because you're a TV star. I remember 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:47.719 that because a lot of people who stopped and make 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:50.760 thrown me a few quarters or feel sympathy for me. 0:11:50.840 --> 0:11:53.480 I didn't feel that from you. I felt the person 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:56.439 who cared enough to ask me what my name was. 0:11:56.840 --> 0:11:59.319 It don't matter how I looked, or that I didn't 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:01.680 brush my teeth for a few days, or that I 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:04.199 didn't have money or food, or that I didn't look good. 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:08.360 And I was like, this is amazing, this guy right here. 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:13.120 It's just amazing and to see his humility and to 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.000 see how much he cared. Most people, like you said, 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:19.720 they just know him from how he breathed life censer characters, 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:23.840 and Mike was just such a genuine, amazing human being 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:27.600 and that really humbled every person that was in the 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:30.720 cars with us that he thought as much. There's a 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:33.520 ripple effect that happens from that because you get a 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:38.400 chance to witness the humanity of human to human connection. 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:43.520 And he actually saw, affirmed and loved Janine and let 0:12:43.559 --> 0:12:45.920 her know that she mattered to him as a person 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:50.000 in real life, in real life, not just something to say, 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:52.400 not just how are you? You know, we rushed through 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:55.120 the journey so fast, but he was able to slow down, 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:57.640 like I love that. I appreciate you for sharing that. 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:00.600 And that's why these conversations are important so we can 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:03.240 continue this legacy. Right. Yeah, that was definitely a wait 0:13:03.280 --> 0:13:07.360 what because Michael kay Williams said wait what when he 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:13.200 saw the name, what are we gonna do? Said? And 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:20.080 then it was like wait, like what, like somebody say something, right, 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:23.880 we just the true mission that we all have service 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:28.840 true example of leadership. Yeah that's good, absolutely, all right, 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:30.840 We're going to take a quick break, but when we 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:34.280 come back, we'll ask Dominic all our burning questions. Plus 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:37.800 we'll share that surprise message from the Red Table Talk host. 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:40.600 So you don't want to miss the rest of today's episode, 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:51.720 stay tuned. Let's get back into the rest of this episode. Dominic, 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:55.080 what did you think about this episode of Red Table Talk? Overall, 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:57.880 and just as a reminder of where the nation is 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:01.520 at with drug abuse? Provisional Day from cdc s National 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:07.280 Center for Health Statistics indicates that from April through a 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:10.960 drug overdose deaths increased by twenty eight point five percent 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:14.640 as compared to the previous years. So clearly, COVID has 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:18.440 made an impact on drug abuse. I think just drugs alcohol. 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:21.720 We were struggling. We still are struggling, Okay, sitting all another. 0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:26.760 Synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:29.800 Even in small doses, it can be deadly. Over one 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:32.880 hundred and fifty people die every day from overdoses related 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:36.440 to synthetic opioids like fitting all according to the CDC. 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:40.560 How do you feel overall about continuing to spread the word? 0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:43.880 How are you feeling, Dominic? Yeah, thank you, thank you 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:47.400 for asking that that is so important. I think it's 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:50.320 really important that we make sure that people are aware 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:54.320 that they're conscious of the decisions that they're making, how 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:57.960 it can impact them, impact the people who love them 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:02.160 that are closest to them, and impact the overall community. 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:05.440 You know, we all suffer when we lose someone, but 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:08.400 if it just things just a little bit more when 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:13.960 it's preventable. We know that overdoses can be prevented. We 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:16.960 know that test kits and some of the other things 0:15:17.040 --> 0:15:19.880 that people like in groups like a SAP Foundation are 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:23.560 working on where they provide pentlone test strips and communities 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:27.200 to ensure that people, if they are going to engage 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:29.560 in that type of behavior, that they do it safely. 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:34.000 How did I feel about the overall episode? I loved it. 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:37.520 I love the fact that I was able to connect 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:41.880 with people who had similar experiences, that we could tap 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:46.040 into that for each other and with each other. And 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:49.920 it was also really just humbling to meet other people 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:56.080 who had what I identify survivor's remorse and some aspects 0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:59.520 felt guilty was hoping that they could do more, but 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:04.520 also people who just acknowledge the importance of this issue 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:09.760 and are using their platforms to tell these stories about 0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:13.960 how not to be in situations like us and our 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.480 families have been. It's preventable. We can do better, we 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:20.800 should do better, right. I love that the transparency of 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:25.760 your story through your uncle's story is going to help 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:29.080 someone not have to relive what you're living through. Now, 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.400 that part that's a that's big though, Tracy that you said, 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:35.640 because I think a lot of times people think of 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:37.960 the person who has the addiction, and I mean, that's 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:40.640 always something to work on, but the people closest to them, 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:43.800 family members, are directly impacted as well, and how can 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:47.120 we continue to share it and give them the support 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:50.840 that they need? Or absolutely absolutely one of the things 0:16:50.920 --> 0:16:53.640 that is on top of mind for me from the book, 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:57.920 which I absolutely love and encourage anyone who can hear 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:00.440 me to get this book because it is a amazing. 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:04.239 I have notes throughout that I've made that we're just 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:08.800 absolutely resonating with me, and one of them was about 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:11.800 addiction and how he said that his mother told him, 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:14.320 you know, you gotta be careful because we got alcoholics 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:17.520 running through our family, and the part that he said 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:21.560 that before he even smoked crack, he was an addict, 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.200 that addiction was just as much a part of him 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:26.240 as the sound of his voice as the color of 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:29.880 his skin. When you hear that and read that, how 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.360 does that impact you as a family member? Are you 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:35.399 super conscious and careful now to say? Now, hold on 0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:37.159 a second, not only do I have this legacy, but 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:39.720 I gotta really be careful about what it is I 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:43.000 indulge in and make sure that I'm careful about any 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:46.320 kind of anything that I've exposed in myself to Yeah. No, 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:49.040 that's a great question, Tracy, And the answer is that 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:55.760 I don't indulge in drinking or drugs at all at all. 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:58.920 I never have. And the reason why I never have 0:17:59.160 --> 0:18:00.880 is because of a come a ssation that I had 0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:04.639 with Michael and an elevator as he was coming down 0:18:04.760 --> 0:18:08.240 from being high and in an argument ensued at our 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:13.760 apartment in the Vanderver States now currently known as Flatbush Gardens, 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:15.800 and he Michael looked in my eyes and said, don't 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:19.840 you ever use drugs? Dominant? And I think a huge 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.600 part of that conversation that he had with me when 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:24.840 I was seven years old and a project elevator was 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:29.879 because he never wanted me to be experiencing the things 0:18:29.920 --> 0:18:35.280 that he was experiencing. How control substances, how it will handcuffy. 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:37.440 It will take you farther than you want to go, 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:40.400 it will keep you longer than you want to be kept. 0:18:41.119 --> 0:18:45.480 And that's how it works. So I was always conscious 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.320 of that, and that is the reason why to this day, 0:18:48.480 --> 0:18:53.399 I am hyper sensitive to making sure that I do 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:57.600 what's necessary to stay away from control substances, and I 0:18:57.680 --> 0:19:02.760 encourage other people who are deal with this sickness to 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:06.040 to get the help that they need. I know it's difficult. 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:08.959 I acknowledge that it can be with you, it can 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:11.639 draw you in, and I want to be sensitive to that. 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:14.240 I want to be there to help people who are 0:19:14.480 --> 0:19:18.320 dealing with trauma and pain and trying to find effective 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:22.520 ways to do that without putting themselves in a position 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:26.359 where they can accidentally kill themselves because of it, because 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:28.720 they're trying to cope. You said at the Red Table 0:19:28.800 --> 0:19:31.240 you were still processing what happened and what you saw 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:36.000 in September when Michael died. Where are you now on 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:39.960 your journey of healing and grief. I will forever be 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:43.800 affected by that. Those dates means something, that your means 0:19:43.800 --> 0:19:47.840 something to think that Labor Day is a day where 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:52.080 someone will feel free and feel joyous and just celebrating. 0:19:52.200 --> 0:19:54.000 Those are things that I think about. So, yeah, those 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:58.000 things stay with me and on the journey of healing, 0:19:58.280 --> 0:20:00.840 I just have to be mindful of of the important 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:04.320 things that I need to do to maintain my sanity 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:08.000 and not allow insanity to creep in on me. And 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:11.520 a huge part of that is staying connected to the 0:20:11.520 --> 0:20:14.560 work that Michael was doing scenes for my life, honoring 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:19.600 his legacy, and knowing that Michael is winking at me 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:23.000 when we are doing this work to help save people. 0:20:23.359 --> 0:20:25.640 I love that you said he winks at you. How 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:28.080 do you identify when you know that he's giving you 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:31.960 a wink? Yeah, so a lot of how I identify 0:20:32.119 --> 0:20:34.879 when I feel like Michael is present in the room. 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:38.600 It's almost hard to put into language. It almost escapes 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:42.720 language for me. And one of the things is when 0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:47.600 I connect with people in my space, there is something 0:20:47.960 --> 0:20:50.280 I feel like a sort of like a tug at 0:20:50.320 --> 0:20:54.439 my heart when there are things that are happening in 0:20:54.440 --> 0:20:59.080 a room, when their connections being made on so many 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:02.520 different levels that has absolutely nothing to do with me. 0:21:02.760 --> 0:21:06.200 Oftentimes absolutely nothing to do with the people who are 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:11.600 in the room. It is something beyond that has aligned 0:21:11.840 --> 0:21:15.600 us and brought us two together, and everyone who was 0:21:15.680 --> 0:21:20.200 involved in that process is an AWE is saying, wait 0:21:20.200 --> 0:21:24.000 a minute, what just happened here? And more importantly, why 0:21:24.080 --> 0:21:27.080 is it happening? And I see Mike winking, and I 0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:31.800 hear his voice saying, because I am present and I 0:21:31.840 --> 0:21:35.480 am involved in, how do we help make the world 0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:37.879 a better place? Even though I am not in the 0:21:37.920 --> 0:21:40.840 world right now, even though I'm not present here, I 0:21:40.880 --> 0:21:43.720 am in a place where I am watching over things 0:21:43.760 --> 0:21:46.280 and doing the best that I can to look out 0:21:46.320 --> 0:21:49.879 for people to help people. Where I am, the spirit 0:21:49.960 --> 0:21:53.520 is still present. And what I often like to say 0:21:53.640 --> 0:21:59.399 is God was short on a few angels and said 0:22:00.040 --> 0:22:03.840 this day I will see you in paradise. This day 0:22:04.040 --> 0:22:07.280 I will bring another one. He gives life, he takes 0:22:07.280 --> 0:22:11.320 it away. But there are things that we are involved in. 0:22:11.760 --> 0:22:15.119 And I believe as a believer that God uses us 0:22:15.160 --> 0:22:18.400 and sends angels to encamp around us and protect us, 0:22:18.440 --> 0:22:22.160 and that humbles me. And those are things that correlate 0:22:22.240 --> 0:22:25.840 with how I feel when I sense Michael's presence and 0:22:25.880 --> 0:22:29.679 when he's winking and saying I'm here, I'm still making moves. 0:22:31.560 --> 0:22:38.040 Say what right? As you continue to navigate this journey 0:22:38.160 --> 0:22:40.479 and go day to day and, like you say, encounter 0:22:40.560 --> 0:22:43.960 other people personally and professionally. How has the release of 0:22:44.000 --> 0:22:47.200 your uncle's memoir, even just months after his death affected 0:22:47.240 --> 0:22:50.119 your actual journey? Has it helped you to power forward? 0:22:50.480 --> 0:22:54.520 Tell us how you feel unequivocally absolutely, yes, I have 0:22:54.720 --> 0:22:58.919 been empowered. I've been made more aware, more sensitive to 0:22:59.520 --> 0:23:03.520 the core, alling all my life and how I can 0:23:03.520 --> 0:23:07.120 serve be of service. Michael was about all of those 0:23:07.160 --> 0:23:11.480 things his book. Scenes from My Life are true. Scenes 0:23:11.520 --> 0:23:15.240 from his life are true experiences, They are true things, 0:23:15.760 --> 0:23:19.639 real things, transparent things. Mike went deep, he pulled the 0:23:19.720 --> 0:23:22.920 layers back, and he did the same thing with his characters, 0:23:22.960 --> 0:23:27.880 and the reality is those things, doing those things. Being 0:23:27.960 --> 0:23:32.720 that transparent, being that vulnerable helps people because they say, 0:23:32.720 --> 0:23:35.360 if Michael Kay Williams can do it, if he can 0:23:35.359 --> 0:23:37.600 be that vulnerable, if he can be that transparent, he 0:23:37.640 --> 0:23:42.320 can talk about his struggles, then so can I. And 0:23:42.400 --> 0:23:47.199 that is the first start to healing, communicating, talking about it, 0:23:47.280 --> 0:23:52.000 getting it out, addressing whatever those issues are so that 0:23:52.040 --> 0:23:56.040 you can move forward and do that in a way 0:23:56.280 --> 0:23:59.720 that's consistent with your vision and your purpose for your life, 0:23:59.720 --> 0:24:02.640 and no one should know that better than that individual. Yeah, 0:24:02.640 --> 0:24:04.800 now that's true. We're going to take a short birth 0:24:04.920 --> 0:24:07.360 right now, and when we returned, we'll be back to 0:24:07.359 --> 0:24:16.879