WEBVTT - IDKMYDE: Charles Jackson French

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<v Speaker 1>On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to tell you about a hero you probably

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<v Speaker 1>won't find in most history books. His name was Charles

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<v Speaker 1>Jackson French, and in nineteen forty two, during World War Two,

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<v Speaker 1>he did something that movies are made of. But the

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<v Speaker 1>crazy thing is most people don't even know his name.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't know. Now, before I get into it, let

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<v Speaker 1>me ask y'all, who remembers the Montgomery brawl. Yeah, y'all

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<v Speaker 1>remember that viral moment when Buddy was on the dock

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<v Speaker 1>in Montgomery threw his hat up in the air and

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<v Speaker 1>did the black signal, and then black folk came through

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<v Speaker 1>with them chairs and beat the wheels off them white folk.

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<v Speaker 1>Y'all remember that one black dude they called Aquamaine because

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<v Speaker 1>he swam across the water ready to throw them hands. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>imagine a real life version of that, except wasn't no chairs,

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<v Speaker 1>and instead of swimming to a fight, the man was

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<v Speaker 1>swimming to say lives well. Charles Jackson French, he was

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<v Speaker 1>the original black aquaman. Picture this. He was just twenty

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<v Speaker 1>years old. He was a US Navy sailor on a

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<v Speaker 1>ship called the USS Gregory, and then the Japanese forces

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<v Speaker 1>attacked it. They tore that ship up. Sailors were left

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<v Speaker 1>stranded in the middle of the ocean, some of them wounded,

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<v Speaker 1>floating on a life raft. Now this is where French's

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<v Speaker 1>story gets legendary. He didn't panic, he didn't run. He

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<v Speaker 1>grabbed a rope, tied it around his waist, and then

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<v Speaker 1>started swimming. And I'm not talking about for a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of minutes. I'm talking hours. He pulled that life raft

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<v Speaker 1>full of injured men through dangerous open water. And to

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<v Speaker 1>make it even more insane, these waters were known for

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<v Speaker 1>having sharks, hell of them. Think about that. Imagine swimming

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<v Speaker 1>in the dark, exhausted your arms and legs, burning, knowing

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<v Speaker 1>at any moment something could be lurking right up under you,

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<v Speaker 1>and still he kept going. French wasn't just fighting off sharks.

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<v Speaker 1>He was dodging the enemy too. Japanese forces were patrolling,

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<v Speaker 1>searching for revolvers to capture or kill the men on

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<v Speaker 1>the life Rapper was telling him stop, begging them to

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<v Speaker 1>let him go, but he refused. He swam until they

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<v Speaker 1>made it to safety. Now you think someone that brave,

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<v Speaker 1>that selfless will be celebrated like a hero, right, But

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<v Speaker 1>back then America wasn't exactly handing out medals to black men,

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<v Speaker 1>no matter how heroic they were. His story almost got drowned,

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<v Speaker 1>but we're here today to make sure his name is remembered.

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<v Speaker 1>Charles Jackson French showed us what real courage looks like.

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<v Speaker 1>He ain't wait for someone to save him. Nah, he

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<v Speaker 1>became to save you. And if it's anything you're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>take from this story, let it be this. When it's

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<v Speaker 1>your time to step up, don't hesitate. Be the hero,

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<v Speaker 1>even if nobody's watching, even if it's hard, even if

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<v Speaker 1>you don't get the credit. Do what's right. Because history

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<v Speaker 1>may not always recognize you at first, but the truth

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<v Speaker 1>never fades. So today, let's remember Charles Jackson French a

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<v Speaker 1>real one, a legend, a hero, someone that I didn't know.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you didn't either,