WEBVTT - Entrepreneurial Journeys in Africa: Insights from John Burns

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<v Speaker 1>Earners.

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<v Speaker 2>What's up.

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<v Speaker 3>can keep pushing your vision forward. This episode is brought

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<v Speaker 3>to you by P and C Bank, a lot of

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<v Speaker 3>people think podcasts about work are boring, and sure they

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<v Speaker 3>definitely can be, but understanding of professional's routine shows us

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<v Speaker 3>how they achieve their success little by little, day after day.

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<v Speaker 2>We always talk about in our space as entrepreneurs, taking

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<v Speaker 2>that imperfect action before you made that decision. One of

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<v Speaker 2>the things you're contemplaying is it do I have to

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<v Speaker 2>hit this financial globe before I do it? Or I've

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<v Speaker 2>done enough to put myself in a position where if

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<v Speaker 2>I want to take this leap and say this is

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<v Speaker 2>where my values is, this is where my purpose is,

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<v Speaker 2>I can go. What was that moment like for you

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<v Speaker 2>as you're processing it?

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<v Speaker 1>No, really good question. I think that moment was you know,

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<v Speaker 1>obviously a very difficult decision, right I think everybody's telling you, man,

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<v Speaker 1>it's the unknowns or tons of unknowns, the world's and chaos.

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<v Speaker 1>But I had a mentor told me one time, if

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<v Speaker 1>you have a fallback, you fall back. And I think

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<v Speaker 1>at that moment in time, we were so purposeful and

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<v Speaker 1>we were so passionate about the work that we were

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<v Speaker 1>going to do, and we really felt we could change circumstances,

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<v Speaker 1>we could change the world, and so the challenge from

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<v Speaker 1>a decision making standpoint wasn't as overwhelming because we believed

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<v Speaker 1>it was divine, it was our God's calling, and so

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<v Speaker 1>from a decision making standpoint, it wasn't that hard. And

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<v Speaker 1>we always knew I always could go back to law right,

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<v Speaker 1>I could always be a lawyer. I could always go

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<v Speaker 1>back to that law from environment. But I said, there's

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<v Speaker 1>a few moments in your life that you can really

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<v Speaker 1>take a leap and believe in yourself. And that was

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<v Speaker 1>that moment.

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<v Speaker 4>So let's talk about Africa. And you said, you've done

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<v Speaker 4>a lot of work in Africa, and that's something that

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<v Speaker 4>you know, I think a lot of people are interested in.

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<v Speaker 4>We went to Africa, we went to Egypt, went to Nigeria,

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<v Speaker 4>but specifically Ghana, went to gone On two times this

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<v Speaker 4>year and we are working on some business out there.

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<v Speaker 4>So the opportunities is endless. But a lot of people

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<v Speaker 4>don't know where to start. So talk about can you

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<v Speaker 4>walk us through your journey on the continent, Like where

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<v Speaker 4>did you start, how were you able to scale, what

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<v Speaker 4>challenges did you have, and what do you see the

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<v Speaker 4>future of entrepreneurship?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah? No, So number one the power of partnership. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>you can't do anything from a business entrepreneur standpoint without partnerships.

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<v Speaker 1>And so I mentioned my brother was the cof of

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<v Speaker 1>Fortune five hundred company proorst launching the Burns Brothers. That

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<v Speaker 1>company happen to be a company called Conduit, and Conduit's

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<v Speaker 1>the largest call center company in the world. My brother

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<v Speaker 1>had thirty eight thousand employees across sixteen countries. But them

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<v Speaker 1>we're in Africa, and so these are his real relationships.

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<v Speaker 1>We got into Africa through a partner he had known

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<v Speaker 1>and took us to South Africa about ten years ago

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<v Speaker 1>and said, hey, I want you to meet these guys

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<v Speaker 1>are doing great work. And the work wasn't necessarily call

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<v Speaker 1>center per se. It was call center, but the work

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<v Speaker 1>was providing opportunities for black people. I don't know if

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<v Speaker 1>you all know, and those general vs. Gentlemen probably know,

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<v Speaker 1>the unemployment rate across the kind of Africa for skilled

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<v Speaker 1>Africans is outrageous. And these are young, talented, hard working

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<v Speaker 1>people that just have done all the right things. They've

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<v Speaker 1>gone to school, they got the degrees, but no opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>comes to them. And so we thought, what could we do,

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<v Speaker 1>not thinking of it from like a business standpoint, but

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<v Speaker 1>from a human being standpoint, what can we do could

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<v Speaker 1>change those circumstances. And so we became partners in that

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<v Speaker 1>organization with the premise that we had American company relationships

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<v Speaker 1>that we could drive business that would create jobs and opportunity.

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<v Speaker 1>And so look at a lens of advocacy, a lens

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<v Speaker 1>of like cultural change and impact was ultimately was the

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<v Speaker 1>driving force. But then obviously from a business standpoint, through

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<v Speaker 1>that we were able to build more busines, this relationships,

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<v Speaker 1>and then through that we built war business relationships and

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<v Speaker 1>grew the company across the continent. And visa that company,

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<v Speaker 1>we're able to now open our membership club HQ in Nairobi,

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<v Speaker 1>Kenya in four months. And so God is great, the

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<v Speaker 1>blessings are abundant, but I think it's always leading with

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<v Speaker 1>the lens of advocacy first and impact and then the

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<v Speaker 1>entrepreneurship kind of second.

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<v Speaker 4>What are some of the challenges that you face out there,

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<v Speaker 4>Because we were out there, we saw a tremendous opportunity,

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<v Speaker 4>but there are challenges, like even in Ghana they lost

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<v Speaker 4>power for two weeks, and that's something that we can't

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<v Speaker 4>even imagine something like that happening in America. But what

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<v Speaker 4>are some of the challenges that you've been facing as

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<v Speaker 4>an entrepreneur in Africa?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think technologies one. Infrastructure is one for sure.

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<v Speaker 1>I think I don't know, cans up how many people

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<v Speaker 1>in the room of bench of the continent? Okay, so

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<v Speaker 1>a few people. I think that's one. I think sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>just the level of liaising across the whole New side

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<v Speaker 1>of the world from like an employee standpoint can be

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<v Speaker 1>challenging too. One thing that's oftentimes I thought it was

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<v Speaker 1>going to be a challenge but it's really not is

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<v Speaker 1>the level of understanding of American culture across the kind

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<v Speaker 1>of Africa. It's it's unbelievable. And so that was a

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<v Speaker 1>pleasant surprise how much they embrace American culture. And there's

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<v Speaker 1>so knowledgeable American culture. I think too, in some parts

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<v Speaker 1>of Africa, there are specific things that change, just like

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<v Speaker 1>the United States, with whatever administration is in office and right.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think that can be a challenge to making

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<v Speaker 1>sure you navigate the political landscape. But I think those

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<v Speaker 1>are evolving and I think those are changing for the better.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'll say, and I've said that for years now,

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<v Speaker 1>Africa is not the future, Africa as the present. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think from an entrepreneurship standpoint, you think about black

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<v Speaker 1>people in this country, if you're not focused on what

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<v Speaker 1>that connectivity looks like from an entrepreneurship standpoint, from the

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<v Speaker 1>outreach standpoint, with the kind of Africa, you're doing yourself

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<v Speaker 1>a disservice and you're doing the business of the disservice.

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<v Speaker 2>It's interesting, you know, you got the hqg See house

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<v Speaker 2>and most of us, you know, who travel and been

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<v Speaker 2>to places, we've seen these type of houses. We've seen

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<v Speaker 2>solo house. So I think it's brilliant that we have

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<v Speaker 2>one that's ours that we can call our own. From

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<v Speaker 2>a membership side, but I want to talk about the

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<v Speaker 2>intentionality and maybe it was done very intentional. Right, you

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<v Speaker 2>had it in DC you could have done it in

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<v Speaker 2>New York, maybe Miami, Houston, Chicago, but you chose Notiroby

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<v Speaker 2>talk about that because when we think Nairobi, and most

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<v Speaker 2>people if they've watched like The Avengers, they've seen Nairobi

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<v Speaker 2>in a film. But the tech center that has become

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<v Speaker 2>the hub that it's become for East Africa, what was

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<v Speaker 2>the intentionality in choosing specifically that place.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, a number of different factors went into that. So

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<v Speaker 1>number one, as my brother mentioned, it's an economic hub

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<v Speaker 1>brief East Africa, and it's actually the only African country

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<v Speaker 1>that has a strategic partnership with the US. So from

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<v Speaker 1>like a connectivity standpoint with the US, that was important, right,

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<v Speaker 1>And we knew that trajectory of Kenya specifically and specifically Nairobi.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm based upon just being there so much, knowing the government,

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<v Speaker 1>knowing their focus, and I'm understand the vision of the

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<v Speaker 1>US partnership too, and just the way that it's being

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<v Speaker 1>kind of placed as a singapore of Africa. So from

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<v Speaker 1>like a trade and economic hub, all that made perfect sense.

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<v Speaker 1>And then me and my brother, we've always been focused

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<v Speaker 1>on Africa and like we wanted to be those conveners,

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<v Speaker 1>those conduits connecting African Americans in this country to Africans

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<v Speaker 1>on the continent, because we believe that we can never

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<v Speaker 1>really realize our true potential if we're not connected with

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<v Speaker 1>all the amazing people across the continent. So those were

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<v Speaker 1>two things, and then the third thing was we wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to think outside the box. It's easy to go to

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<v Speaker 1>uspace like you know, Detroit, or go to New York,

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<v Speaker 1>or go to Atlanta. It's not easy, but it's easier,

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<v Speaker 1>and I don't think the impact would have been as large.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think for us, we're all about impact. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think doing something and now creating what you brothers

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<v Speaker 1>are doing too, you're creating opportunity and you're facilitating communities

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<v Speaker 1>that people could never be a part of unless you

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<v Speaker 1>were all were providing that facilitation. And so now us

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<v Speaker 1>opening the membership club in Nairobi, not only can our

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<v Speaker 1>members probably experience something that can never have dreamed of experiencing,

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<v Speaker 1>but now we can introduce Nairobians to our members. And

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<v Speaker 1>it's just a beautiful thing to be able to create

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<v Speaker 1>a space and facilitate community that you're actually not only

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<v Speaker 1>driving change, you're driving pure impact.

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<v Speaker 5>An illegal alien from Guatemala charged with raping a child

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<v Speaker 4>Sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security,