WEBVTT - Olivia Jade Speaks Out 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:02.720 Hey, fam I'm Jada Pinkett Smith and this is the 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:06.080 Red Table Pop podcast all your favorite episodes from the 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:10.239 Faithful Watch Show in audio produced by Westbrook Audio and 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:13.360 I Heart Radio. Please don't forget to rate and review 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:19.680 on Apple Podcasts. It was the scandal that sparked national outrage, 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.200 landed her famous parents in prison, and tore her life apart. 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:28.360 In March nineteen. Olivia Jade was a successful lifestyle and 0:00:28.400 --> 0:00:33.000 beauty influencer, with major brand deals, even her own makeup line, 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:37.000 This is Olivia Jade. But during her freshman year at 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:41.360 the University of Southern California, Olivia's world came crashing down. 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:45.519 Her parents, actress Lori Laughlin known to a generation as 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:49.960 Aunt Becky from Full House, and fashion designer Massa Mogia Newley, 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:56.800 were arrested. I'm definitely ready to address some things. Her 0:00:56.800 --> 0:01:01.000 parents were among dozens charged for bribing and cheating to 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:04.160 get their kids into top universities. We're here today to 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:08.800 announce charges in the largest college admission scam ever prosecuted 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:12.600 by the Department of Justice. Lori and Masimo had hired 0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:17.240 college counselor Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the illegal college scheme. 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:20.800 The couple allegedly paid five hundred thousand dollars to get 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:23.880 their daughters in the USC. Olivia was at the center 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:28.200 of the scandal. She was vilified for her entitlement, fired 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:32.520 from brands, and removed herself from public life. Her parents 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:36.760 are now in federal prison. Today, Olivia is finally ready 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:40.480 to break her silence and address the controversy. Do you 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:43.759 have any understanding of why I would be upset at 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:55.120 your being here? It's like, child, Please, we are about 0:01:55.160 --> 0:02:00.120 to meet with a young lady, m Olivia Jade. A 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:01.960 lot of people are gonna have a lot of opinions 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:05.720 about her story. She called and I wanted to come 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:10.000 to our table, um, and we all had very different 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:13.480 feelings about it. Yeah, yeah, you know. I fought it 0:02:13.560 --> 0:02:20.280 to the nail. I just found it really ironic that, Um, 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:25.880 she chose three black women to reach out to for 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:29.560 her redemption story. I feel like, here, we are a 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:32.720 white woman coming to black women for support when we 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:36.080 don't get the same from them. It's just it's it's 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:39.280 bothersome to me on so many levels. Her being here 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:42.080 is the epitome of white privilege. Privilege to me, I 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:45.040 understand where you're coming from. But let me just be clear. 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:47.560 I never want to be the thing that was done 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:50.359 to me by white women. I never want to be there. 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:53.639 I also believe that these are the kind of attitudes 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:56.480 that feed the same thing that we're fighting. It's like 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:59.640 people look at us, they say you're black and your female, 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:02.720 and they automatically put us in a category. So looking 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:05.760 at her as being white, young, and privileged and then 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:08.560 putting her in a category, it's the same thing. So 0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:12.320 I just see it as this cycle. It's not our 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:16.000 responsibility to raise her consciousness. There's gonna be lots of 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:20.240 people that agree with you, and we're gonna get heat. Yeah, Yeah, 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:22.600 we're gonna get heat. I also feel like this is 0:03:22.639 --> 0:03:25.720 a practice of compassion. To me, this young girl is 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:29.440 reaping the repercussions of some actions of her parents. When 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:33.120 I heard her story, it just reminded me of Jaden 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:36.320 Willow and Trey. It didn't remind me of them at all, 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:39.640 it did for me as a parent. I'm like, oh, 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:42.920 I've been in that position with me thinking I know 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:46.120 what's best for my kids, and then they suffered the 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:48.960 consequence of it. So you think that she didn't understand 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:50.960 what was going on because they did the same thing 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.280 for her sister. Bottom line, we can't act like we 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:55.760 know exactly what happened. At the end of the day, 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:58.920 I really feel like she's gonna be okay, you know, 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:01.160 and she's gonna be harb But whether her aunt was 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.839 sitting at this table or not, maybe maybe not, that's 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.720 not something that we could say. It's like this, just 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:09.880 because you have privilege, it doesn't exempt you the fact 0:04:09.880 --> 0:04:14.600 that Willow for so long suffered in silence and even 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:17.839 turned to self harming herself because she didn't feel like 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:22.080 she had a right to be hurt. I've had to 0:04:22.120 --> 0:04:25.240 deal with that part as well. People go, your kids 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:28.200 are gonna be fine because they're rich. We don't care. 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:32.880 But that's painful and it's not true exactly. I feel 0:04:32.920 --> 0:04:36.680 like Olivia deserves a space. Obviously you do because I 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:39.320 thought it. And guess what, she's gonna be sitting right there. 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:42.240 That's what this table is about. This table is about growth. 0:04:42.360 --> 0:04:45.000 What I'm trying to do listening to both of you guys, 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:49.039 is I'm sitting in between the two truths and going, Okay, 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:52.919 there has to be a way that these can blend. 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:58.400 Just a little bit because both are a hud, valid 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:01.400 and true in their worlds. Feelings are what they are, 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:09.800 and that's okay, totally Yeah, so let's carry on to 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:18.640 the red table. All right, let's should we bring a chair? Hi? 0:05:20.440 --> 0:05:25.000 My heart is racing out of at the table? How 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:29.520 is everybody? I'm nervous. You guys should feel my heart. 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:36.159 It's like, but I'm excited. I think I'm definitely ready 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:39.520 to address some things and I can't think of a 0:05:39.560 --> 0:05:42.120 better place. So thank you for having me. Yeah, what 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:45.479 made you want to come to the table? I think 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:49.560 that this has been like a really eye opening experience 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:51.640 for me in situation and although there's a lot of 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:54.800 negative around it and there's a lot of mistakes and wrongdoings, 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:58.000 it's led me to have a completely different outlook on 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:02.520 a lot of situations. I also felt like I wanted 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:05.719 to be somewhere where I I didn't feel like attacked 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:08.200 and maybe I could feel more understood. I've watched the 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:10.599 show and I think you guys are all amazing and 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:13.800 it feels really safe, but it also feels honest, and 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:15.479 it feels like we're going to all lay it out 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:17.640 here and it's going to be like an open conversation, 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:20.279 which is really important to me as well. I got it. Yeah, 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:24.680 your mom's been in prison for a few weeks. Your 0:06:24.760 --> 0:06:28.880 dad just went, Yes, how's that been? It's been hard, 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:31.880 I think for anybody, no matter what the situation is, 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:34.080 you don't want to see your parents go to prison. Yeah, 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:37.160 but also I think it's necessary for us to move 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:40.400 on and move forward. So before they went, did you 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:45.359 all not have any conversation about the circumstances and what 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:50.920 went on? We definitely did. Um. I think that what 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:55.880 hasn't been super public is that there is no justifying 0:06:56.200 --> 0:06:59.599 or excusing what happened because what happened was wrong. And 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:01.920 I think every single person in my family can be like, 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:05.320 that was messed up. That was a big mistake. But 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:07.520 I think what's so important to me is like to 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:11.080 learn from the mistake, not to now be shamed and 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:14.320 punished and never given a second chance, because twenty one, 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:17.480 I feel like I deserve a second chance to redeem myself, 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:19.800 to show I've grown. Can you talk to them while 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:23.640 they're in prison? I actually haven't spoken to either of them. 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:27.680 There there's a quarantine phase just because of COVID, So 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:30.120 I think that is the reason, but I'm not too 0:07:30.520 --> 0:07:34.080 I just haven't heard anything, so I'm just waiting. Wow, yeah, 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:38.600 how does that make you feel. It's so I've never 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:41.880 gone that long with that. I'm super close with my parents, 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:44.760 especially my mom. She's like my best friends. So it's 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:47.160 definitely been really hard not being able to talk to her. 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:48.840 But I know she's strong, and I know it's a 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.440 good reflection period. I'm trying to look at the positives 0:07:51.440 --> 0:07:54.320 and situations, you know, and I know that it's a 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:56.480 positive that she's in there right now. She gets to 0:07:56.680 --> 0:08:00.160 really rethink everything that happened, kind of figure out know 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.120 when she comes out, what she wants to do with 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:05.040 what she's learned through all of this, and I think 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:08.240 that hopefully will be a blessing in the end. When 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:13.520 you first heard about your parents arrests, you were on 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:18.720 spring break, right. I just remember getting a call and 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:21.160 it was like, hey, liv have you talked to your mom? 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:24.160 And I was like, no, why, And they were like, well, 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:27.120 I'll just let you talk to her and then call 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:29.120 me back. So I hang up the phone and I 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:31.240 had this really weird gut feeling. I didn't know what 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:33.680 she was talking about, but I was like, I'm just 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:36.840 gonna search my mom's name up. Then it's everywhere. And 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:40.880 I was sitting with a group of friends, and I 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:44.079 knew any second everybody was going to know too, if 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:48.520 they didn't already. And I remember just like freezing and 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:52.000 feeling so ashamed. I went home and hid myself for 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:54.880 probably like three or four months, and school was still 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:57.560 in session, like I was technically after springbreak, I was 0:08:57.600 --> 0:09:00.960 going back to school, and I felt so ashamed and embarrassed. 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:04.520 And although I didn't really understand what just had happened, 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:07.200 because there was a lot that when I was applying, 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:09.880 I was not fully aware of what was going on. 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:13.600 So when I got home, I just felt so ashamed. 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:16.520 I was like, I can't go back there. This is wrong. 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.760 But I just remember feeling embarrassed, ashamed and getting the 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.040 hell home. And did you go back to school or 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:24.800 did you decide not to return? Yeah? I never went back. 0:09:24.840 --> 0:09:27.920 I was too embarrassed. Yeah I was. You know what, 0:09:28.040 --> 0:09:30.040 I shouldn't have been there in the first place, clearly, 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.319 so there was no point in me trying to go back. 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:36.760 What was some of the repercussions throughout this whole situation, 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:41.480 Because you're a beautiful, young white woman who's been born 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:44.800 into privilege, right, and so there would be some people 0:09:44.920 --> 0:09:48.760 that would feel like she'll be fine, Like I feel 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:54.000 that way right, clearly, I feel like you will be fine, right, 0:09:54.120 --> 0:09:57.520 and that there are other people that wouldn't be fine. Right. 0:09:57.800 --> 0:09:59.679 That's why it's hard because I'm not trying to come 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:02.800 across it is like all this situation, like, I'm not 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:05.200 trying to victimize myself. I don't want pity. I don't 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:07.720 deserve pity. We messed up. I just want a second 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.280 chance to be like I recognized I messed up, and 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:12.680 for so long I wasn't able to talk about this 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:15.720 because of the legalities behind it. I never got to 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:18.600 say I'm really sorry that this happened, or I really 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:21.440 owned that this was a big mess up on everybody's part. 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:24.080 But I think everybody feels that way in my family 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:27.000 right now. What do you think has been the most 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:31.640 hurtful for you emotionally in this whole situation, I felt 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:35.520 mostly like embarrassed and ashamed of everything that's happened and 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:38.360 things I've lost. I guess just from looking as an outsider, 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:40.280 you could say I lost brand deals, I lost followers, 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:44.680 or whatever it was. But I really felt most moved 0:10:44.720 --> 0:10:48.440 by the fact that we did all of this and 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:50.760 we're so ignorant. And I feel like a huge part 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:53.760 of having privilege is not knowing you have privilege. And 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:55.800 so when it was happening, it didn't feel wrong. It 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:58.360 didn't feel like that's not fair. A lot of people 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:00.240 don't have that. I was in my own little buble, 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:03.280 focusing about my comfortable world, but I never had to 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:05.760 look outside of that bubble. But I also I felt 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:09.199 very misunderstood the picture that has been painted of me. 0:11:09.280 --> 0:11:11.040 I feel like it's not who I am. I'm not 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:15.000 this gratty girl that doesn't want to change anything. Also, 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:17.040 I understand why people are angry, and I understand what 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:18.960 people say hurtful things, and I would too if I 0:11:19.000 --> 0:11:20.520 wasn't in my boat. And I think I had to 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:22.400 go through the backlash and the stuff because when you 0:11:22.400 --> 0:11:24.640 read it, you realize that there's like some truth in it. 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.600 I understood that people were upset and angry, and maybe 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:29.600 it took me a little bit longer to understand what for, 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:34.839 But man, am I glad I did realize for ever. 0:11:35.080 --> 0:11:38.320 So what have you learned specifically when all this first 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:41.760 happened and it became public. I remember thinking, which my 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.280 thoughts are completely different than that, but I remember thinking, 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:46.720 how are people mad about this? Like I know that 0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:48.880 sounds so silly, but in the in the bubble that 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:51.199 I grew up and I didn't know so much outside 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:53.040 of it, and a lot of kids in that bubble, 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:57.000 their parents were donating to schools and doing stuff that advantage. 0:11:57.240 --> 0:11:59.600 There are so many advantages. It's not fair and it's 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:01.680 not right, but it was happening. And so when this 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:03.480 first came out, I was like, I don't really understand 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:06.040 what's wrong with this, Like I'm not I'm not understand 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:08.960 that this was because what was going on look like 0:12:09.040 --> 0:12:11.160 to you that it was just this is what happens, 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:14.960 like everybody does. But I don't realize at the time 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:18.240 that's privilege. I didn't I didn't put those two together. 0:12:18.320 --> 0:12:20.640 I was like, well, this is what everybody does, and 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:22.880 my parents worked really hard and I don't understand, but 0:12:22.920 --> 0:12:25.679 that's not that's not how it should be. And unfortunately 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:28.520 that's how it was. And I'm grateful for the situation 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:31.280 to see that big change and that big difference in 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:33.960 my own mind to know, like okay, Leivia. The fact 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:36.079 that you were on YouTube and you were saying stuff 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:37.760 like I don't want to go to school. I I 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:40.200 just want to go party at school. I don't know 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:42.240 how much of school I'm going to attend, but I'm 0:12:42.240 --> 0:12:44.079 gonna go in and talk to my deans and everyone 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:46.360 and hope that I can try and balance at all. 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:49.960 But I do want the experience of like game days, partying. 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:53.840 I don't really care about school. Like the fact that 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:56.120 you even could say those things just shows how fortunate 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:58.040 you were that you don't have to worry about that, 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:00.040 that you knew you were gonna be okay without it, 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:02.400 And that sits with me and makes me cringe. And 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:04.920 it's embarrassing that I ever said those types of things 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:08.840 and only said them, but edited it, uploaded it, and 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:12.240 then saw their response to realize it was wrong. There 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:15.240 was no like malicious intent behind it. I was never 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:19.320 trying to hurt anybody or say those things to brag 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.560 about my life. It was just I was oblivious and 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.280 just a level of unconsciousness. Yeah, completely. And it's like 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:28.920 I sit here now and I'm like, well, how don't like, 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:31.400 how don't you realize stuff like that that's embarrassing that 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:33.840 that did fly over your head. But so let me 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.360 ask you, if you have a clear understanding of what 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:42.360 white privilege really is. Now, I understand that I just 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:44.760 based off my skin color, I already had my foot 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:46.760 in the door, and I was already ahead of everybody else. 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:50.920 I can recognize that going forward, I do want to 0:13:50.960 --> 0:13:53.520 do stuff to change that and to help that. And 0:13:53.559 --> 0:13:55.960 I had a really cool experience a few weeks back 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:59.040 where I went downtown in the Watts area and I 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:02.080 got to work with some kids in this after school program. 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.640 And it was kind of just shifted my whole mentality 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:06.959 because when I was sitting with them and talking to them, 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:09.040 and they were they all were so little, but they 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:12.080 were so grateful for that education, that after school place 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:14.240 that they could go away from their neighborhood to come 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:17.040 back and have a little freedom and focus on their schoolwork. 0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:19.000 And I was watching all of them, and I was 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.880 thinking about my situation and that I took all of 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:25.240 that for granted. I didn't think that I was lucky 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:27.640 to have that. I just expected it because that's what 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.080 I grew up around. So it was a big shift 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:32.960 in my head knowing like Okay, let's kind of start 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:35.600 recognizing where the wrongs are and that I was looking 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:39.440 for something to work with because I haven't been doing much, 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:40.880 and I'm like, I want to work with something and 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:44.480 feel good and I want to give back to children 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:47.560 who want is privileged exactly and putting time into it too. 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:49.280 And I'm just at the beginning, and I want to 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:51.640 continue doing stuff and finding more things to do, but 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:55.200 not just throw money out a problem, you know, like 0:14:55.240 --> 0:15:00.280 I want to invest myself so I can start time. Yeah, 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:02.360 I don't want to act here like I've been doing 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:05.920 all like I'm trying. I'm starting, but I'm starting. I'm 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:07.840 still learning and it's taken me a minute to do. 0:15:07.920 --> 0:15:10.440 But I also think I needed to have that understanding 0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:13.480 and that mind set switched to be genuine while I'm 0:15:13.480 --> 0:15:15.960 doing stuff. And I think if I were to come 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:17.440 on here a year ago, this would have been a 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:21.640 completely different conversation, and so I needed to learn. So 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:26.080 do you understand why um, different people in the community 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.000 would be upset? Do you have any understanding of why 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:32.320 I would be upset at at your being here and 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:36.040 what you all did. I would also left to hear 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.680 it from you because I feel like it's a good 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:41.720 learning thing. I think I can understand how wrong it is. 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:44.120 And we had the means to do something and we 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:46.680 completely took it and ran with it, and it was 0:15:46.760 --> 0:15:49.360 something that was wrong. And I think what a lot 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.400 of people not that it matters because nothing that happened was. 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:56.280 It really can't be excused like on paper, it's bad. 0:15:56.520 --> 0:15:58.640 It's really bad. But I think what a lot of 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:01.200 people don't know is my parents came from a place 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:03.160 of just I love my kids. I just want to 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:06.160 help my kids whatever is best for them. I worked 0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:08.640 my whole life to you know, provide for my family. 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:13.200 And I think they thought it was normal. And I 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:16.640 think that there was a college counselor involved who seemed 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:20.120 legitimate and ended up not being legitimate. And in that community, 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:24.000 it was it was, it was not out of the ordinary. 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:28.440 It's embarrassing to say that I didn't know. Do you 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:33.760 want to express why this would be upsetting for you, 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:36.720 just so that she has understanding, you know what I mean, 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:43.640 different perspective for me. It's like, um, there is so 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:49.360 much violent dehumanization that the black community has to go 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:55.800 through on a daily basis, right, There is so much devastation, 0:16:56.640 --> 0:17:01.240 particularly this year with the pandemic and rething being brought 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:07.520 to the table, just how there's so much um inequality, yeah, 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:14.199 inequality and inequity um that when you come to the 0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:19.399 table with something like this, it's like, child, please, no, 0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:25.359 I got that. I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted with everything that 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:27.520 we have to deal with as a community, and I 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:34.879 just don't have the energy to put into the fact 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:42.600 that you lost your endorsements, you know, or you're not 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:46.040 in school right now, because at the end of the day, 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.199 you're gonna be okay, because your parents are gonna go 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:52.200 in and they're gonna do their sixty days and they're 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:55.480 gonna pay their fine, and you guys will go on 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:58.879 and you'll be okay and you will live your life. 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:02.000 And there's so many of us that it is not 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:05.440 going to be that situation. It just makes it very 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:11.399 difficult right now for me to care this atmosphere that 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:14.800 we are in right now. A year from now, I 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:19.439 might feel differently, but right now, in the atmosphere that 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:24.639 the world is in, it's very difficult for me to 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:29.040 feel compassionate about you. I'm trying to, and it's and 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:32.119 I shouldn't say about you, because I don't want you 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:36.160 to take it um that personally. You know what I mean, 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.040 It's not really about you. But this is what I 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:43.080 am glad because what I am hearing from you is 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:48.800 that there is an interest and a desire to learn 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:53.200 and figure out where you fit in the world and 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:57.600 what your role is to try to make a difference. 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:01.240 Here's what I love about this converse sation makes me 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:05.040 very hopeful in the sense of you are in a 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:11.400 space and I have a really beautiful opportunity to come 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:17.480 outside of that bubble and use your know how in 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:22.119 your resources to serve. It may take you a minute 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:25.680 to find out exactly what that niche is for you. 0:19:25.680 --> 0:19:28.560 You know what, It's going to require your willingness to 0:19:28.600 --> 0:19:32.560 do some education on your own and to really understand 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:36.760 white privilege and what's happening in the world today. I 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:39.640 didn't come on here to like try and win people over, 0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:41.480 and I really need people to like me. I just 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:45.000 want to apologize for contributing to these social inequalities without 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:47.320 maybe not even though I didn't realize that at the time, 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:50.480 like being able to come here and recognize that I 0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:54.840 am aware, Yes, you know and that's all we can ask. Listen, 0:19:54.840 --> 0:19:58.919 we all have levels of unconsciousness, Lord knows, and then 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:02.679 something happens in my life that just smacks me on 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:06.000 top of the head, that has to shake me into 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:09.560 more awareness. And that's just what life is. But the 0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:14.320 beautiful part is that when we had these experiences that 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:17.439 shake us, we listened to the call. Right when this 0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:21.359 happened with your parents, I'm sure you were angry or 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:25.040 were you angry? We're assuming that, Yeah, that's true. Were 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:27.919 you angry or be honest, I wasn't angry, And I 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:30.240 think it's because I didn't have a good understanding of 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:33.440 what just happened. I didn't see the wrong in it, 0:20:33.560 --> 0:20:36.280 like a honestly, when it first happened, I didn't look 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:38.680 at it and say, oh my god, like how dare 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:40.439 we do this? I was like, why is everybody complaining? 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:43.480 I'm confused what we did? And that's embarrassing to admit. 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:46.440 That's embarrassing within itself that I walked around my whole 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:50.280 twenty years of life not realizing, like, you have insane privilege. 0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:52.359 You're like the poster child of white privilege, and you 0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:56.680 had no idea. And so I think that although I've 0:20:56.680 --> 0:20:58.840 had a really strong relationship with my mom and my 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:03.040 dad my whole life, I was definitely confused when this 0:21:03.119 --> 0:21:06.000 all came out and I went and confronted them about everything. 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:09.040 They didn't really have much to say except like, I'm 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:12.800 so sorry, I like, really messed up and trying to 0:21:12.800 --> 0:21:15.600 give the best to you and your sister. And they're 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:17.800 my family and I've known them since that was out 0:21:17.800 --> 0:21:21.159 of the wood, so I know they're good people, and 0:21:21.200 --> 0:21:23.239 I know that I'm not going to judge them for 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:26.400 a mistake they made, and although it's a big one, 0:21:26.720 --> 0:21:29.080 like they're they're going to pay the price for it. 0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:31.840 And regardless of what people say, I've seen them day 0:21:31.840 --> 0:21:34.320 in and day out and how they've received all of this, 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:36.320 and I know that they've struggled. Why do you think 0:21:36.359 --> 0:21:40.399 it was so important for your parents to have you 0:21:40.440 --> 0:21:44.960 go to that school? I really believe my dad has 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:49.400 attachment issues and didn't want us to leave California for starters. 0:21:49.680 --> 0:21:52.080 I think he just loves his kids, and his daughter 0:21:52.240 --> 0:21:54.639 was then one of them. Close. My mom really for 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:57.159 most of the time when I was applying to school, 0:21:57.160 --> 0:22:00.080 was in Canada shooting a movie. It was involved in 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:02.399 my whole childhood. But when it came to that, she like, Mossy, 0:22:02.440 --> 0:22:04.480 you handle it. I'm out, like I'm going to work now, 0:22:04.480 --> 0:22:06.919 because she she put off so much work to raise us, 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:08.760 so she felt like she got us to an age 0:22:08.760 --> 0:22:10.760 where we can handle ourselves, and then she went back 0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:14.040 to working. So I think having us close to home 0:22:14.160 --> 0:22:17.680 was a big one. I think knowing that he knew 0:22:17.680 --> 0:22:19.440 a lot of people that went there and how all 0:22:19.440 --> 0:22:22.840