WEBVTT - Boycotting the Boycott of DEI (Part 2)

0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:02.480
<v Speaker 1>Keep on riding with us as we continue to broadcast

0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:04.760
<v Speaker 1>the balance and defend the discourse from the Hip Hop

0:00:04.760 --> 0:00:06.960
<v Speaker 1>Weekly Studios. Welcome back to Civic Cipher. I'm your host,

0:00:07.040 --> 0:00:10.240
<v Speaker 1>Rams's job. He is Ramsy's job. I am q Ward.

0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:13.160
<v Speaker 1>You are tuned into Civic Cipher, Yes you are. And

0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:15.520
<v Speaker 1>we have the one, the only, Jevin Hodge with us

0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:19.720
<v Speaker 1>who serves as the president of an NAACP branch representing

0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:23.040
<v Speaker 1>nearly two million people. With his branch, he's currently leading

0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:25.319
<v Speaker 1>one of the nation's most historic and influential civil rights

0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:29.960
<v Speaker 1>organizations and advancing equity, opportunity, and community empowerment. Previously served

0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:33.440
<v Speaker 1>as a state representative and a former congressional candidate, and

0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:36.879
<v Speaker 1>he will be having a discussion with us concerning the

0:00:36.880 --> 0:00:43.360
<v Speaker 1>boycotting of the boycott of DEI And for those that

0:00:43.400 --> 0:00:45.040
<v Speaker 1>missed the first part of the show, we had an

0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:48.760
<v Speaker 1>interesting conversation about his role in the NACP and their

0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:54.280
<v Speaker 1>role in local politics as of the Trump administration, and

0:00:54.360 --> 0:00:55.959
<v Speaker 1>so for those that missed to be sure to check

0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:58.840
<v Speaker 1>that out as well. Before we move any further though,

0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:01.640
<v Speaker 1>it's time to be a become a better allied Baba,

0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:06.360
<v Speaker 1>and today's Baba comes to you from Center for Blackequity

0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:10.360
<v Speaker 1>dot org, so I'll share from their website. They help

0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:14.399
<v Speaker 1>improve equity in three areas. One economic equity allowing black

0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:18.840
<v Speaker 1>LGBT people to compete effectively in the marketplace. Two social

0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:23.280
<v Speaker 1>equity allowing black LGBT to achieve fair access to livelihood

0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:27.600
<v Speaker 1>and education, full participation in the political and cultural life,

0:01:27.640 --> 0:01:31.240
<v Speaker 1>and self determination in meeting fundamental needs. And three health equity,

0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:37.280
<v Speaker 1>allowing black LGBT people to thrive physically, behaviorally, environmentally, and spiritually.

0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:41.479
<v Speaker 1>Their mission is to promote a multinational LGBTQ plus network

0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:45.520
<v Speaker 1>dedicated to improving health and wellness, opportunities, economic empowerment, and

0:01:45.520 --> 0:01:49.040
<v Speaker 1>equal rights while promoting individual and collective work, responsibility and

0:01:49.080 --> 0:01:52.960
<v Speaker 1>self determination. And their vision is to build a global

0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:57.560
<v Speaker 1>network of LGBTQ plus individuals, allies, community based organizations, and

0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:01.360
<v Speaker 1>prides dedicated to achieving equality and social justice for black

0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:06.840
<v Speaker 1>LGBTQ plus communities through economic equity, health equity, and social equity. Again.

0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:09.960
<v Speaker 1>You can find out more at the Center for Blackequity

0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:13.000
<v Speaker 1>dot org or you can follow them on social media

0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:18.280
<v Speaker 1>at ctr for Black Equity, Black spelled Out Equity spelled

0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:22.280
<v Speaker 1>out once again at CTR for Black Equity and for

0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:23.480
<v Speaker 1>is the number four.

0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:24.880
<v Speaker 2>And.

0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:30.200
<v Speaker 1>We wanted to make sure that we highlighted this organization

0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:32.720
<v Speaker 1>A because we haven't been able to get to them.

0:02:33.040 --> 0:02:34.799
<v Speaker 1>We have a new org every week and we've never

0:02:34.880 --> 0:02:39.840
<v Speaker 1>repeated since we started the show. So we're talking hundreds

0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:42.520
<v Speaker 1>of do gooders around the country. But these folks in

0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:47.119
<v Speaker 1>particular are addressing the concerns of a very vulnerable population,

0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:51.079
<v Speaker 1>especially nowadays. So one more time, that's Center for Blackequity

0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:54.040
<v Speaker 1>dot org. If you feel so inclined, please give them

0:02:54.080 --> 0:03:01.280
<v Speaker 1>your support. Okay, So here we are. Maybe there is

0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:04.079
<v Speaker 1>something we can do for those of us who want

0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:13.840
<v Speaker 1>to do something boycotting those who are boycotting DEI. I'm

0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:16.120
<v Speaker 1>gonna share a bit and then of course we'll discuss it.

0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:19.440
<v Speaker 1>But this comes from the Black Information Network. Reverend Al

0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:22.960
<v Speaker 1>Sharpton is urging the public to boycott companies that are

0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:28.400
<v Speaker 1>cutting their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or DEI programs. Sharpton

0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:31.760
<v Speaker 1>said his organization and the National Action Network is calling

0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.920
<v Speaker 1>on all Americans to boycott companies that no longer support DEI.

0:03:35.520 --> 0:03:39.560
<v Speaker 1>McDonald's Meta, Walmart, John Dear, Harley Davidson, Lowe's and Ford

0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:42.280
<v Speaker 1>are among the major companies that have rolled back their

0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:46.160
<v Speaker 1>DII policies amid right wing pressure. I'd like to add

0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:49.080
<v Speaker 1>that there are more companies that have rolled back their

0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:52.600
<v Speaker 1>DEI efforts since then, So that is in no way

0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:56.720
<v Speaker 1>an exhaustive list. I'll continue reading quote why do we

0:03:56.760 --> 0:04:00.760
<v Speaker 1>have DEI. We have DEI because you deny this diversity equity.

0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:03.680
<v Speaker 1>You denied his inclusion. DEI was a remedy to the

0:04:03.760 --> 0:04:09.840
<v Speaker 1>racial institutionalized bigotry practice in academia and in these corporations. Now,

0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:12.160
<v Speaker 1>if you want to put us back in the back

0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:14.040
<v Speaker 1>of the bus, we're going to do the doctor King

0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:17.279
<v Speaker 1>Rosa parks on you, Sharpton said Monday to a group

0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:22.880
<v Speaker 1>of supporters gathered at Metropolitan Ame Church. Sharpton said a

0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:25.279
<v Speaker 1>council will hold a ninety day study of what companies

0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:29.159
<v Speaker 1>have abandoned DEI and their margins of profit. Following the study,

0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:32.280
<v Speaker 1>two companies will be specifically targeted in the boycott. The

0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.839
<v Speaker 1>reverend said he would be supporting companies that have doubled

0:04:34.880 --> 0:04:38.159
<v Speaker 1>down on their DEI practices, like Costco amid the boycott.

0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:48.200
<v Speaker 1>So I want to say something first here in twenty

0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:50.160
<v Speaker 1>twenty when.

0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:53.400
<v Speaker 2>I was.

0:04:54.880 --> 0:05:01.880
<v Speaker 1>Out protesting like many of us, and I was interacting

0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:06.000
<v Speaker 1>with a lot of people who didn't look like me.

0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.080
<v Speaker 1>I want to be very clear. You know, we're based

0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:11.880
<v Speaker 1>in Arizona. We were certainly here in twenty twenty, Q

0:05:12.000 --> 0:05:21.279
<v Speaker 1>and myself and Arizona. The population in Arizona, it's not

0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:22.880
<v Speaker 1>like a place like Atlanta. It's not like a place

0:05:22.920 --> 0:05:27.360
<v Speaker 1>like Louisiana where there's a significant amount of black people.

0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:32.000
<v Speaker 1>In Phoenix, you know, we'd go out to a protest,

0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:34.440
<v Speaker 1>a Black Lives Matter protest as they were known at

0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:38.080
<v Speaker 1>the time, and there might be ten percent black people there,

0:05:38.360 --> 0:05:41.599
<v Speaker 1>but there were thousands of people. So that meant that

0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:46.320
<v Speaker 1>all of the other groups came out to support us,

0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:52.520
<v Speaker 1>and I ended up having a lot of conversations with

0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:56.200
<v Speaker 1>people that didn't look like me where we were happy.

0:05:56.279 --> 0:06:01.520
<v Speaker 1>When companies announced they were going to be paying closer attention,

0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:03.560
<v Speaker 1>they were going to be promoting, they were going to

0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:08.719
<v Speaker 1>be hiring, they were going to allow black voices to participate,

0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:17.120
<v Speaker 1>they would be incorporating DEI policies into their employment curriculum,

0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:21.040
<v Speaker 1>if you will. And to a person like me, where

0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:24.800
<v Speaker 1>that is something that feels like movement, it feels like

0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:27.680
<v Speaker 1>it's not nothing. It feels like growth. To a lot

0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:31.359
<v Speaker 1>of the activists that didn't look like me, they pushed back,

0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:33.960
<v Speaker 1>and these are in a lot in many instances, these

0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:36.720
<v Speaker 1>were white people, white women, and a lot of instances

0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:40.640
<v Speaker 1>pushing back. They're just doing that because it's performative. They're

0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:42.400
<v Speaker 1>just doing that because it's the order of the day.

0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:44.680
<v Speaker 1>They don't really feel that way. It looks like a

0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:50.120
<v Speaker 1>copy paste of the company before them. And I remember

0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:54.760
<v Speaker 1>feeling like, well, look, it's not nothing, it's something. I

0:06:54.800 --> 0:06:57.400
<v Speaker 1>remember that feeling. And they were like, ramses is performative.

0:06:57.800 --> 0:06:59.560
<v Speaker 1>What you want is real change. You want people that

0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:03.320
<v Speaker 1>are really committed to sharing resources, people that are really committed.

0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:05.800
<v Speaker 1>And they had this whole thing, and I'm like, Okay,

0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.760
<v Speaker 1>they're new to this. You know, they're you know, they're

0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:10.320
<v Speaker 1>they're they're still angry, and they don't they don't have

0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:13.720
<v Speaker 1>anywhere with the anger to go. So I was naive.

0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:18.480
<v Speaker 1>Here I am four years later, four year. It wasn't

0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:21.400
<v Speaker 1>five year, it wasn't a decade, it was four years.

0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:29.080
<v Speaker 1>The same live we remember that you said that target Walmart,

0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:31.760
<v Speaker 1>We remember that that was four years. We don't have

0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:40.480
<v Speaker 1>that shorter memory. So it was particularly heartbreaking. Not only

0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:44.280
<v Speaker 1>that they rolled back their dei uh and and there

0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:46.360
<v Speaker 1>let me let me say it the way Q says it.

0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:49.560
<v Speaker 1>They rolled back their diversity, their equity, and their inclusion.

0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:55.800
<v Speaker 1>Thank you, because that's important. They rolled that back. But

0:07:55.960 --> 0:07:58.120
<v Speaker 1>it also breaks my heart to know that all those

0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:01.080
<v Speaker 1>those people, those those activists that we're trying to support

0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:03.440
<v Speaker 1>black people, in that moment, they were right. It was

0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:09.720
<v Speaker 1>just performative. And the part that feels like a gut

0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:13.920
<v Speaker 1>punch is that it's almost like, and I've said this

0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:16.080
<v Speaker 1>on the Black Information Network before with Q, but it

0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:20.680
<v Speaker 1>feels like, Okay, so Donald Trump's going to be in

0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:24.080
<v Speaker 1>office for four years. Black people are going to be

0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:28.680
<v Speaker 1>in this country for a lot longer than that. And

0:08:28.720 --> 0:08:31.280
<v Speaker 1>as we've established, our memories are not that short. Now,

0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:32.640
<v Speaker 1>I know you want to say something, you so why

0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:34.959
<v Speaker 1>don't you let you off the leash?

0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:39.920
<v Speaker 3>And then, Jevin, we'll get your thoughts too. When you

0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:45.680
<v Speaker 3>grow accustomed to getting nothing, people can get away with

0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:50.959
<v Speaker 3>doing the least to appease you. That's fair, Yeah, right,

0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:54.840
<v Speaker 3>The Black Square on Instagram, all those companies, this is

0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:56.959
<v Speaker 3>back when woke was a good thing. All those companies

0:08:56.960 --> 0:09:05.320
<v Speaker 3>are woke. We are so used to corporations, specifically institutions,

0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:12.280
<v Speaker 3>doing nothing for us. So companies instituting something like DEI

0:09:12.320 --> 0:09:17.000
<v Speaker 3>Initiatives on their company website as a splash page, spending

0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:20.800
<v Speaker 3>no actual money, doing nothing to actually give back to communities,

0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:23.840
<v Speaker 3>but you know, it looks good at that moment to

0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:27.160
<v Speaker 3>be a company supporting black people, because the entire world

0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:30.880
<v Speaker 3>for a brief moment, felt some empathy for us.

0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:33.240
<v Speaker 1>Following that.

0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:37.760
<v Speaker 3>I remember I was a national speaker for Clear, the

0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:42.119
<v Speaker 3>company that you guys see at the airport, and DEI

0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:45.240
<v Speaker 3>is what I was speaking on. And I refused to

0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:48.280
<v Speaker 3>get on this national stage for their entire sales team

0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:50.600
<v Speaker 3>and all their executives and all their market directors and

0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:54.360
<v Speaker 3>regional directors and vice presidents, etc. To have a conversation

0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:59.600
<v Speaker 3>about DEI If they weren't doing anything tangible. I wasn't

0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:03.960
<v Speaker 3>going to be face of your fake PR campaign. So

0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:10.520
<v Speaker 3>I actually did that event because I did the research

0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:16.280
<v Speaker 3>and realized that their women CEO important to say out loud,

0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:22.640
<v Speaker 3>their women CEO actually cared about DEI. A large percentage

0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:25.920
<v Speaker 3>of her workforce worked for that company. Because the CEO

0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:28.839
<v Speaker 3>was a woman and she understood the importance of that,

0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:34.120
<v Speaker 3>and they're hiring practices reflected that they cared about DEI.

0:10:35.080 --> 0:10:38.080
<v Speaker 3>You know, every level of management reflected that they cared

0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:44.600
<v Speaker 3>about DEI, right, and then working on making those executive

0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:47.480
<v Speaker 3>vice presidents in that c suite more diverse across the

0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:52.400
<v Speaker 3>board for all companies. But starting somewhere with actual actionable

0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:56.319
<v Speaker 3>steps is a big deal. A lot of major corporations

0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:59.320
<v Speaker 3>just rode out some good pr Let's take some pictures

0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:02.280
<v Speaker 3>with ramses and thank you. Let's have your favorite black

0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:05.559
<v Speaker 3>celebrity come to our headquarters. Let's roll out a commercial.

0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:09.520
<v Speaker 3>But what schools, what communities, what initiatives, what nonprofits, what

0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:13.720
<v Speaker 3>organizations actually benefited from you deciding that it's a good

0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:17.760
<v Speaker 3>look to participate in DEI. So those allies that marched

0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:19.560
<v Speaker 3>with us, that were in the streets with us, that

0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:24.880
<v Speaker 3>showed up to those protests, they weren't being cynical. They

0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:29.080
<v Speaker 3>were being realist. They were saying to us, hey, black people,

0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:32.760
<v Speaker 3>you guys should not be impressed or pleased with these

0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:37.240
<v Speaker 3>companies doing the absolute least with regards to actually showing

0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:40.480
<v Speaker 3>up for you. But the truth is when you starve,

0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:43.480
<v Speaker 3>And I think Eddie Murphy said this most eloquently. A

0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:49.880
<v Speaker 3>cracker is everything when you starving. So when we are

0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:56.760
<v Speaker 3>used to companies, this country, organizations, legislators, politicians doing nothing

0:11:56.840 --> 0:11:59.600
<v Speaker 3>for us, then people can show up and do the

0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:02.800
<v Speaker 3>apps to the least and we will applaud it. And

0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:05.040
<v Speaker 3>I think that's where we found ourselves four years ago.

0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:07.559
<v Speaker 3>And for those who thought it was nonsense and didn't

0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:10.520
<v Speaker 3>think it was real, they've just been proven right. I

0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:13.880
<v Speaker 3>don't think these people are cracking under pressure. I think

0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:16.719
<v Speaker 3>they started those initiatives because of pressure. It would have

0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:19.679
<v Speaker 3>looked crazy in that moment to be the company that

0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.240
<v Speaker 3>didn't put the black square up. It would have looked

0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:24.720
<v Speaker 3>crazy to be the company that wasn't riding with black

0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:28.200
<v Speaker 3>people when the whole world was. I don't think these

0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:30.840
<v Speaker 3>people are being pressured by the right. The man's been

0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:34.120
<v Speaker 3>in office for a week. Some of these rollbacks started

0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:37.640
<v Speaker 3>before he was inaugurated. They were getting ahead of it.

0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:41.839
<v Speaker 3>Who won't got to do that no more? Ah, I

0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:45.720
<v Speaker 3>was tired of parading around here pretending. Now that we've

0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:50.120
<v Speaker 3>owned the woke libs, we can stop pretending that we care.

0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:53.680
<v Speaker 3>I don't think they were pressured to make any changes.

0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:56.600
<v Speaker 3>I think they could just finally act and show up

0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:57.640
<v Speaker 3>how they really felt.

0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:05.480
<v Speaker 1>That's a hold on brother Cue.

0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:10.280
<v Speaker 2>Yeah yeah, my brother and I was saying, and we say,

0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:12.480
<v Speaker 2>it's a call and response.

0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:14.280
<v Speaker 1>Okay, we all.

0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:17.840
<v Speaker 2>We got the other one replies, but we all we

0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:21.640
<v Speaker 2>need And that's really what it comes down to, especially

0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:25.640
<v Speaker 2>in this moment. We have to stand up to protect

0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:30.320
<v Speaker 2>our people. We have to protect our dollar, we have

0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:32.680
<v Speaker 2>to protect our time, we have protect our talents, we

0:13:32.720 --> 0:13:37.120
<v Speaker 2>have to protect our treasures. We have to protect our people.

0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:41.600
<v Speaker 2>And and like you just said, brother Cue, we are

0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:45.400
<v Speaker 2>seeing time and time and time again that they did

0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:49.160
<v Speaker 2>what was popular in the moment, Those organizations, those corporations

0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:52.160
<v Speaker 2>did what was popular in the moment, but reverted back

0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:56.040
<v Speaker 2>to doing exactly what it is that they wanted to

0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:59.720
<v Speaker 2>do all along, and when it was popular, when it

0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:02.920
<v Speaker 2>was good for profits, they did what they needed to do,

0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:08.080
<v Speaker 2>and they're going to continue to do the exact same thing.

0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:13.400
<v Speaker 2>I want to highlight something though, before we get too

0:14:13.400 --> 0:14:19.360
<v Speaker 2>far into this conversation, and I think Democratic Leader Hakim

0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:27.320
<v Speaker 2>Jeffries for bringing this to light. D E and I Diversity, equity,

0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:33.040
<v Speaker 2>inclusion are American values embedded in American society. It is

0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:40.760
<v Speaker 2>who we are e ploribus, unham out of many one, diversity,

0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:46.880
<v Speaker 2>the Fourteenth Amendment, equal protection under law, equity. We pledge

0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:50.720
<v Speaker 2>our allegiance every single day the children in our schools

0:14:50.840 --> 0:14:53.760
<v Speaker 2>to the flag. We pledge our allegiance to the flag

0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:57.920
<v Speaker 2>right that we are one nation under God, indivisible with

0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:04.800
<v Speaker 2>liberty and justice for all that is inclusion. These are

0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:11.200
<v Speaker 2>the values of American society. But because they want you

0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:15.360
<v Speaker 2>to believe that it's not, and they're flooding the airwaves

0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:21.200
<v Speaker 2>with misinformation and disinformation and fake news. We now have

0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:26.000
<v Speaker 2>a society of people who believe that what is being

0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:30.160
<v Speaker 2>spouted out is accurate. And this is where we come in.

0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:33.000
<v Speaker 2>And this is why you all are so important.

0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:34.160
<v Speaker 1>Y'all.

0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:37.760
<v Speaker 2>Two are so incredibly important because you're speaking truth to

0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:41.600
<v Speaker 2>power every single day and you're continuing to do so.

0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:47.920
<v Speaker 2>Target It's up to us though, right you know. So,

0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:51.960
<v Speaker 2>my challenge is to whoever that inspired listener is, no

0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:57.000
<v Speaker 2>matter where you're at right now, New York City, Dallas, California,

0:15:57.120 --> 0:16:02.480
<v Speaker 2>somewhere California, a great state of Arizona, exist, Georgia, South Carolina,

0:16:02.640 --> 0:16:07.240
<v Speaker 2>no matter where you are at, find a friend. Go

0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:10.360
<v Speaker 2>make sure to the register to vote and get them involved,

0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:14.400
<v Speaker 2>get them involved, even if that starts by subscribing to

0:16:14.440 --> 0:16:20.880
<v Speaker 2>this show. But we all have to band together, you know.

0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:25.160
<v Speaker 1>I think that what I'm learning in this moment, well

0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:31.160
<v Speaker 1>said both of you. I feel like, as I continue

0:16:31.160 --> 0:16:33.880
<v Speaker 1>to find my way through this, this moment in my life,

0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:38.440
<v Speaker 1>in this moment in our country's political history, it's conversations

0:16:38.440 --> 0:16:41.000
<v Speaker 1>like these. It certainly helped me along my way. But

0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:46.040
<v Speaker 1>what I'm gathering is that we are you know, your

0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.560
<v Speaker 1>point was well made, Jevin, that we are a country

0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:52.280
<v Speaker 1>of diversity, equity, and inclusion. That those are the founding

0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:54.720
<v Speaker 1>principles of this country, and it of course had to

0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:56.080
<v Speaker 1>be expanded to include us.

0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:57.520
<v Speaker 2>But for.

0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:04.720
<v Speaker 1>Everyone's life time and the lifetime of up to i'd

0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:10.400
<v Speaker 1>say their grandparents, that definition has included all of us, right,

0:17:10.440 --> 0:17:12.200
<v Speaker 1>And so this is the country that we are now,

0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:14.240
<v Speaker 1>We've grown here and this is where we are, okay.

0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:18.359
<v Speaker 1>But the intersection of the values of this country with

0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:26.399
<v Speaker 1>the forces of capitalism qle like this and the I

0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:33.280
<v Speaker 1>guess the perhaps the the fear fear is not the

0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:38.080
<v Speaker 1>word I want to use here. Perhaps the power, the

0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:43.680
<v Speaker 1>power high or what the wickedness? I don't I wouldn't

0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:46.320
<v Speaker 1>know what to call it, but it's white supremacy. So

0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:51.840
<v Speaker 1>there's an intersection of this country's values, or what this

0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:55.719
<v Speaker 1>country's values should be, intersecting with the forces of capitalism

0:17:55.840 --> 0:18:02.679
<v Speaker 1>and the forces of white supremacy. And we have to

0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:07.400
<v Speaker 1>hold the line and when we are met with okay,

0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:13.960
<v Speaker 1>So this current administration stands opposed to teaching black people's history.

0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:19.840
<v Speaker 1>This current administration stands opposed to initiatives that were meant

0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:23.240
<v Speaker 1>to bring about equitable treatment and equitable hiring, and equitable

0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:26.480
<v Speaker 1>education and equitable housing and so forth and so on

0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:33.680
<v Speaker 1>of marginalized historically marginalized communities, including white women. This administration

0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:36.840
<v Speaker 1>has established that it is opposed to a lot of

0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:42.320
<v Speaker 1>the progressive ideas which black people have. We've leaned on

0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:45.920
<v Speaker 1>progressive movements to gain the rights that we have right now,

0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:49.800
<v Speaker 1>and we are indeed leaning on progressive ideas to create

0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:53.480
<v Speaker 1>equitable outcomes with respect to the criminal justice system, to

0:18:53.920 --> 0:18:58.440
<v Speaker 1>environmental racism and all kinds of things. Right So, now

0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:03.560
<v Speaker 1>that we're here and all the levers of government, as

0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:05.680
<v Speaker 1>Q would say, are in the hands of the people

0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:09.280
<v Speaker 1>that stand opposed to what looks like progress to us,

0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:17.520
<v Speaker 1>this emerges as an idea, this boycott. I'll start with you, Q,

0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:21.000
<v Speaker 1>because I know you had something to say here. Do

0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:21.920
<v Speaker 1>you think this can work?

0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:27.800
<v Speaker 3>I think the idea of a boycott as one of

0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:32.399
<v Speaker 3>the largest consumer groups in the world and trants, but yeah,

0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:35.440
<v Speaker 3>well we are the trendsetters, so that's a whole different conversation.

0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:38.160
<v Speaker 3>You want to make sure you entire world for all

0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:38.639
<v Speaker 3>of history.

0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:40.880
<v Speaker 1>What's cool? Yeah Walmart, Yeah, that's.

0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:44.639
<v Speaker 3>But as the largest one of the largest consumer groups

0:19:44.680 --> 0:19:47.120
<v Speaker 3>in the world, even if we don't make up most

0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:50.520
<v Speaker 3>of the world's wealth, we definitely make up most of

0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:58.200
<v Speaker 3>the world's spinders consumers. I think the idea is fantastic

0:19:58.400 --> 0:20:00.879
<v Speaker 3>and could be a very very strong lever that we

0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:04.280
<v Speaker 3>could pull. However, it's the difference between could it.

0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:05.720
<v Speaker 1>Work and will it work? We got to be on

0:20:05.800 --> 0:20:06.280
<v Speaker 1>the same right.

0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:10.280
<v Speaker 3>If you place us in a food desert and the

0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:13.840
<v Speaker 3>least expensive way of getting food on our kids table

0:20:14.080 --> 0:20:21.080
<v Speaker 3>is Walmart, it's very hard to say boycott Walmart. If

0:20:21.080 --> 0:20:24.320
<v Speaker 3>you take away fast food, right, they have a special

0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:26.879
<v Speaker 3>knowledge McDonald's. You can speed you can feed a family

0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:30.040
<v Speaker 3>of four for twelve dollars or something crazy like that.

0:20:30.800 --> 0:20:33.440
<v Speaker 3>It's hard to boycott McDonald's when that's the only place

0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:35.160
<v Speaker 3>to eat, when you can get a meal for twenty

0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:38.920
<v Speaker 3>dollars for your house, and the healthier food from a

0:20:38.960 --> 0:20:42.560
<v Speaker 3>place that might be riding with us is too expensive

0:20:42.600 --> 0:20:46.320
<v Speaker 3>for you. There's also this issue with us in solidarity.

0:20:46.840 --> 0:20:50.000
<v Speaker 3>It's become hip to be a contrarian, to push when

0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:52.479
<v Speaker 3>all of us are pulling, because we're sheep and you're not.

0:20:52.520 --> 0:20:53.800
<v Speaker 1>And you want to impress us.

0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:57.120
<v Speaker 3>With your brilliance and your free, independent thought, even though

0:20:57.160 --> 0:21:00.600
<v Speaker 3>all your talking points are from the MAGA playbook. So

0:21:01.280 --> 0:21:01.639
<v Speaker 3>can it?

0:21:03.119 --> 0:21:08.640
<v Speaker 1>Could it? Sure? Will it different? Question? All right? Thirty

0:21:08.680 --> 0:21:10.440
<v Speaker 1>seconds before we go? I know that's not a lot

0:21:10.440 --> 0:21:10.760
<v Speaker 1>of time.

0:21:10.800 --> 0:21:16.679
<v Speaker 2>But discipline? Can we be disciplined? How bad do we

0:21:16.720 --> 0:21:19.600
<v Speaker 2>want it? How bad do we want equity? How bad

0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:24.760
<v Speaker 2>do we want to be treated equally, fairly, justly? And

0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:27.480
<v Speaker 2>if we've learned anything from our four mothers and four

0:21:27.520 --> 0:21:32.040
<v Speaker 2>fathers is that they were disciplined the Montgomery boycott, bus boycott.

0:21:32.200 --> 0:21:32.720
<v Speaker 1>Look it up.

0:21:32.880 --> 0:21:35.920
<v Speaker 2>If you don't know about it, we can do it,

0:21:36.600 --> 0:21:37.720
<v Speaker 2>but we have to be disciplined.

0:21:38.320 --> 0:21:42.520
<v Speaker 1>I like that. I'll take it. Listen, don't be goofy.

0:21:43.720 --> 0:21:46.640
<v Speaker 1>You know that this was wrong. You know for those

0:21:46.680 --> 0:21:48.679
<v Speaker 1>contrarians out there to Q called out. You know that

0:21:48.720 --> 0:21:51.600
<v Speaker 1>this is wrong. You know that the people that you love,

0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:55.320
<v Speaker 1>your people are hurting and will continue to hurt. Don't

0:21:55.359 --> 0:21:58.320
<v Speaker 1>be goofy, get on board, and we're gonna have to

0:21:58.400 --> 0:22:00.640
<v Speaker 1>leave it right there. As always, I'd like to thank

0:22:00.640 --> 0:22:03.159
<v Speaker 1>you for tuning into Civic Cipher once again. I've been

0:22:03.200 --> 0:22:05.719
<v Speaker 1>your host. Rams' jah he is rams this Jaw, I

0:22:05.760 --> 0:22:08.919
<v Speaker 1>am q ward. Once again, Thank you guys for tuning

0:22:08.960 --> 0:22:12.280
<v Speaker 1>in and allowing us to share our thoughts with you

0:22:12.320 --> 0:22:16.280
<v Speaker 1>about some topics that, as you guys know, are incredibly

0:22:16.320 --> 0:22:19.160
<v Speaker 1>difficult to live through an experience and you know sometimes

0:22:19.160 --> 0:22:22.280
<v Speaker 1>even harder to talk about. Yeah yeah, Jevin, thank you

0:22:22.440 --> 0:22:24.560
<v Speaker 1>of course for coming back on the show and sharing

0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:27.679
<v Speaker 1>sharing your brilliant mind with us once again. Make sure

0:22:27.720 --> 0:22:29.520
<v Speaker 1>everyone has your social media and how they can keep

0:22:29.600 --> 0:22:31.639
<v Speaker 1>up with you. Hey, I love YouTube brothers, and so

0:22:31.880 --> 0:22:32.800
<v Speaker 1>just thank you so much.

0:22:33.119 --> 0:22:33.960
<v Speaker 2>Y'all. Are y'all?

0:22:33.960 --> 0:22:35.040
<v Speaker 1>Are you know? Y'all?

0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:37.480
<v Speaker 2>Y'all, y'all are my brothers forever, and but I just

0:22:37.480 --> 0:22:39.000
<v Speaker 2>want you to I'm glad to share.

0:22:38.880 --> 0:22:40.520
<v Speaker 1>Y'all with the country. Let's get it. I'm glad to

0:22:40.520 --> 0:22:41.359
<v Speaker 1>share y'all with your country.

0:22:41.400 --> 0:22:43.359
<v Speaker 2>You can find me at Jevin Hodge this j E

0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:50.400
<v Speaker 2>v I n h O d g E on all platforms, Instagram, Facebook, x, Twitter, threads,

0:22:50.520 --> 0:22:51.000
<v Speaker 2>you name it.

0:22:51.040 --> 0:22:52.800
<v Speaker 1>And you can find us at Civic Cipher on all

0:22:52.840 --> 0:22:56.480
<v Speaker 1>platforms as well. And until next week, y'all, peace, stay up,