1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Still living in manually taking notes. There is a better 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 1: way to start the new year with auto dot ai 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:09,040 Speaker 1: automatically get meeting notes. Auto dot ai works for virtual 4 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:11,719 Speaker 1: meetings like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. Sign up 5 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: on the web for free or download in the app 6 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: stores auto dot ai. That's O T T e r 7 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: dot Ai. This podcast is sponsored by Better Help Online Therapy. 8 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: I'm Michlene Maloof and I'm Nadiadesi, licensed therapists and hosts 9 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: of Getting Better Stories of Mental Health. Join us for 10 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: discussions with Megan Trainer, Chris Bosh, Rebel Wilson, and more, 11 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: from discussing motherhood to immigrating to general mental health. Our 12 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: guests are awe inspiring. We all struggle with the same things, 13 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: so let's talk about it and de stigmatize them. Find 14 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: our new podcast, Getting Better Stories of Mental Health on 15 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: iHeart Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Sticky notes, email alerts a 16 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: string around your finger. They're just not big enough. So 17 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: here's a big reminder from the California Lottery. Tomorrow's Mega 18 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: Millions jack potties over three million play now. Please players 19 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,839 Speaker 1: eight years older to purchase blay Fine. Welcome to money 20 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: making Conversation. I am your host, Rashon McDonald. Each Money 21 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: Making Conversation talk shows about entrepreneurship and entertainment, I provide 22 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: the consumer and business owner access to celebrities, CEOs, entrepreneurs 23 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,959 Speaker 1: and industry decision makers. I recognized that we all have 24 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: different definitions of success. For some, it's a sizeable paycheck. 25 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: Mine is helping people wake up and inspiring them to 26 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: accomplish their goals and live their very best life. These 27 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: are my passions and that's what I'm going to do 28 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: for you. As you listen, I want you to stop 29 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: tripping over small challenges and prepared to rise above bigger obstacles. 30 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: The life is going to present to you. The Money 31 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,479 Speaker 1: Making Conversation interviews provide relatable information to the listener about 32 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: career and financial planning, entrepreneurship, motivation, leadership, overcoming the arts, 33 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: and how to live a balance life. My next guest 34 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: is a More Halls graduate and he made history of 35 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: two thousand and six when they're twenty two years of age. 36 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: He defeated the twenty six year income with state presented 37 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: to become the youngest member of the South Carolina State 38 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: Legislature and the youngest African American elective official in the nation. 39 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: In ten, he was named Time Magazines forty Under forty, 40 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: and fifteen he was named to the group one hundred 41 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: Most Influential African Americans. He practices law with a strong 42 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: law firm in Columbia, South Carolina, one of my favorite cities, 43 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,959 Speaker 1: by the way, and it's a political commentator at CNN. 44 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: He is the author of a great book that I 45 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: read this week, and he will be talking about that 46 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: during our interview, My Vanishing Country, a memoir. Please welcome 47 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: to Money Making Conversations, my man, but Cary Sellers Man, 48 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: thank you so much for having me on this platform. Brother, 49 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: it means a lot to be here with you today, man, 50 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 1: So thank you so much. First of all, Um, thank 51 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: you for coming on the show, and thank you for 52 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: you know, let's talk about We've got two breaks, but 53 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: eight minutes to talk because it's a lot, man, because 54 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: you're you're presenting information to our lives down that I 55 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: didn't have when I was growing up. Books like this, 56 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: you know, these are these are these are important books. 57 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: And uh like we talked about big country, the difference 58 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: between country country folks, and I was I was sitting 59 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: on my front porch and I had my love, I 60 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: had my I had my tomorrow bottle of water. I 61 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: read this book on my front porch, and one evening 62 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: this week. This in fact, that there's no Memorial Day. 63 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 1: That's why I spent my moral day with your book 64 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: for card, because that's that's that's all you needed. With 65 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: some ball peanut, and we had a full thing, hey, 66 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: my man. And I was feeling good because you know, 67 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: when I read this book, there was there was a 68 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: couple of things that were missing in the book for me. Okay, 69 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: the book is great, by the way, this is not 70 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: a negative, but I was I needed some pictures in here, man, 71 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: I needed some pictures. I gonna lie to you, man, 72 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: I'll go. I needed to see the picture of your 73 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: six ft two sister. I needed to see the picture 74 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: of two sut next to your five ft three inch 75 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: tall wife. I needed to see a picture of pop. 76 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: I needed to see a picture you Mr q Tip 77 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: skinny dude with the a frow. I needed to see 78 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: a picture of your dad with the a frow when 79 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: he was younger. Yes, yes, yes, I we we tried. 80 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: We I tried to paint a picture with my words. 81 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: But as you as you laid it out. Man, you 82 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,239 Speaker 1: know the imagery that we laid out of my vantaging country. 83 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: I think this special. And you know these stories we 84 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: have down here in the South, Man, it's important that 85 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 1: we tell them with our imagery and tell them without words. 86 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: And you're doing it. You're doing it. That's why I 87 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:31,479 Speaker 1: want to see them because of the fact that you 88 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: know that when you talk about that picture that was 89 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 1: taken on stage with you and president of Brocker Ball 90 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 1: and Kara Washington and Chris Tucker and Ussha, I want 91 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: to see that picture. I want to see it because 92 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: you're like, man, I should wish I could see that 93 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: picture because you're such a good In the paper book, 94 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: in the paper books, in the paper book section, I 95 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: will talk to my my people over Harper College that 96 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: you know very well, and I will tell them that 97 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: I was having a money making conversation and one of 98 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: the suggestion was we asked the picture. I s to you. 99 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: I swear to you because you are This is such 100 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: a great book because of the fact it's historical. You 101 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: lived that you live as a young man. You live 102 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: you know like you said you was, you was like 103 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: said you was a little political baby. You know, all 104 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: the black people, all the pologists comes there. They had 105 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: the hug liber Carly, come here, look cute, little come here, 106 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 1: take a picture with you know, use the little picture 107 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: take a baby and so and but let's let's let's 108 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: go back a little bit. But the first thing I 109 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: want to talk about is you've been a more Halls graduate. 110 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: Talk about that HPCU experience and the importance of it. Man. Look, 111 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: so we're going to the Morehouse College. And I was 112 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: really young when I went. I was only sixteen years 113 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: old as but the experience at Morehouse, the experience at 114 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: Morehouse told me a few things. One one, I could 115 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: be unapologically black, be comfortable in my own skin. But 116 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: it also taught me I could compete anywhere in the world. 117 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: You know, Morehouse, as they say, your places crown above 118 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:53,159 Speaker 1: your head, so you can grow into it. And it 119 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: just sets that level of expectation. And so being a 120 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,920 Speaker 1: black man and you know, uh Rashaun right now, as 121 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: we're going through just the tragic in our country, the 122 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: grief that it means and you carry as a black man. 123 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: Um you know, going to more House that helped me 124 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: have a sense of pride and make sure that, um, 125 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: you know, I speak for those whose voices sometimes go 126 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,479 Speaker 1: and heard and I rise. I rise to that level 127 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: of expectation. And so more House was was was amazing 128 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: and helping me feel comfortable in my blackness and going 129 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: out and being able to have pride in that and 130 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: in my everyday life. It's really important because of the 131 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 1: fact that it was in the book when you're talking 132 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: about which I which I always found so relatable. When 133 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:35,919 Speaker 1: you're talking about that, you know, the guys from different 134 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:37,600 Speaker 1: parts of the country. You know, the Houston boy. I'm 135 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: from Houston, So so I took the Houston board to 136 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: water Polo books. You know what I'm saying. And that's 137 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: if you get into college right man, and you get 138 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: on campused you do. I had my boars from New Orleans. 139 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: That was the same all boys. I had my boys 140 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: from from New York. You know, they dressed a certain way, 141 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: and I had my boars from Chicago, they dressed a 142 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 1: certain way. When you get that college experience. I always 143 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,160 Speaker 1: tell people go to college. I always tell young people 144 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,599 Speaker 1: go to college. It defines who you could be, who 145 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 1: you could be, and that's the diversity that the diversity 146 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: that people don't even imagine exists. You've got You've got 147 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: people who are coming the brightest from all around the world. Um, 148 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: you know what they're saying. All boys, they still are. 149 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: You know, they wear them letterman jackets their entire life. 150 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: They forty years old still wear the hon let him 151 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 1: in jacket. But um, you know you still have You 152 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: get a chance to learn and cultivate. An iron sharpens iron, 153 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: and you're able to grow with each other and those 154 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: friendships last for a lifetime. And so I was very, 155 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: very lucky to be able to go to more House. 156 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: I tell my kids right now, you can go to 157 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: any college you want to go through in the entire country, 158 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: as long as it's an HBCU. Absolutely I didn't go 159 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: to an hp U HBCU. But I'm doing I've doing 160 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: a lot of work and promoting the brand. And I 161 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: just did that big special with ESPN with Stephen A. Smith, 162 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: who I represent, did a big broadcast for ESPN and 163 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: raised over four million dollars in scholarships and registered twelve 164 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: hundred students for HBCUs. Who was last September, And we're 165 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: gonna do it again this year. Hopefully this pandemic calms 166 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: down so we can do it again because of the 167 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: fact that I understand the value of that form of 168 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: education that sometimes gets warmed down. Yes, yes, And we 169 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: just have to make sure that especially as black folka 170 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: are not just suffering the most in terms of public 171 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: health from this COVID nineteen UM, but our businesses are suffering, 172 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: and our institutions of higher education and suffering. So I'm 173 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: grateful for somebody like you reaching out and reaching up 174 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: and giving people a hand up. I have to I 175 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:32,959 Speaker 1: have to that. That's the rules were playing, like, let's 176 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: talk about my vanishing country, you know, uh memoir. Talk 177 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: to tell us about why you wrote this book first. 178 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 1: So I will tell you this. Man. Look, I didn't 179 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: want to write a I didn't want to write a memoir, 180 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:46,960 Speaker 1: per say. I wanted to write a political book. Um, 181 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: but no one wanted to buy it. I mean I 182 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 1: I got kept getting turned down. And so I sat 183 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: down with Tracy Sharado or at Carpercollins, and she said, look, 184 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:56,599 Speaker 1: tell me your story. And I told her about my 185 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: father being shot in the orange Y massacre. I talked 186 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: about the trauma of living with with that entails. I 187 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: talked talked about being the youngest black elected official in 188 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: the country, and you know, living in South Carolina and 189 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: working in South Carolina to the hospices of the Confederate Flag. 190 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: And I talked to her about losing my good f 191 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: Inclemente Pinkney, UM in the Charleston shooting. And you know, 192 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: throughout all of those experiences that trauma. Realized that my 193 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:21,720 Speaker 1: trauma may not be your trauma. But if we get 194 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 1: a level of understanding, then we can persevere together. Um. 195 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 1: And she said, you gotta put this time, you gotta 196 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: put this down on paper. And you know, the you 197 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:33,720 Speaker 1: never know when your book is gonna come out when 198 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: you write it. And I had no idea that my 199 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: book was gonna come out during a time where black 200 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: folks were dying at extremely high rates, um due to 201 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: the coronavirus or pandemic. UM. I never really abou to 202 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: have imagine. I mean that we would have had the 203 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:52,959 Speaker 1: depths of of Brianna Taylor, the death of amd Aubrey 204 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: UM and now another death in Minnesota. UM. But UM. 205 00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: You know, so the book comes out in the words 206 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: and I'm that I'm on that page UM or those 207 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: pages that speaks to the issues of race we have 208 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: in this country issues we've never truly dealt with, and 209 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,680 Speaker 1: we have someone in the office that's often seems like 210 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:16,560 Speaker 1: he's fueling the problem instead of trying to remedy the product. 211 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: And so what that is With that being said, you 212 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 1: know you are a political commentator and this book, Uh, 213 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 1: I just wanted letter everybody know how special you are 214 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 1: as a young man. I want to everybody have special, 215 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 1: but how your parents are. Let's go to your parents 216 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 1: because that's the that's the unknown story that really really 217 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 1: just had me going from page to page to page 218 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: to page. Tell us about your dad? Who you're who? 219 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: Your friend from college? Your roommates said, he's out Martin 220 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 1: Luther King Jr. Your dad, Yeah, my dad was a 221 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 1: member of Snake. My dad dedicated as life the justice. 222 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: My dad was dedicated as life the freedom in the 223 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: pursuit thereof And so you know, February Ate, my dad 224 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: was shot UM and what's called Arngerek massacre. UM. Three 225 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,200 Speaker 1: others were killed Henry Smith, Samuel Hammond, and Delano Middleton 226 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: and UM there was a total of twenty nine that 227 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 1: were injured. UM. All the officers who fired shots into 228 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: the group of students were tried, they were all found 229 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:16,440 Speaker 1: not guilty. My father ended up being the only person 230 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,520 Speaker 1: that UM they charged, tried and convicted of that night's 231 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: violence they charged them and being the first and only 232 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 1: one man right in the history of this country. UM. 233 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,079 Speaker 1: And you know my mother, My mother helped integrate the 234 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: schools in Memphis, Tennessee. And UM, my parents, they all 235 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: came from this um worldview that you had to become 236 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: a part of something larger than yourself, that you had 237 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,959 Speaker 1: to um push this country to be a more perfect union. 238 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: And that came along with a great deal of trauma. 239 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: But they instilled that in all of us. So um 240 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: as I as I go through life, I just go 241 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:50,679 Speaker 1: through life trying to be a change agent and make 242 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 1: my parents proud because they poured so much into me. 243 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: They poured a lot. Before we go to break, I'm 244 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: gonna give out some a little nice little nuggets about HBCUs. 245 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,559 Speaker 1: There over one HBCUs as the country. They rolled tim 246 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: percent of African American students, and despite constituting only three 247 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: percent of four year colleges in this country, HBCUs have 248 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: produced eight percent of the black judges, of the black lawyers, 249 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,720 Speaker 1: of the black doctors, forty percent of the black engineers, 250 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 1: forty percent of the Black members of Congress, and intent 251 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:24,079 Speaker 1: of the black CEOs in America. That's what HBCUs do 252 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 1: for this country. Continue to do for this country. I 253 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: am talking to my man, but Cary Sellers will be 254 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 1: right back after this break to hear more about his 255 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: amazing book. It's a page turn of y'all, My Vanishing Country, 256 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: a memoir, and has a cute little picture of him 257 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 1: on the cover. So that's what got me mad. I 258 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: got a cute little picture of him on the cover, 259 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: but I don't have no cute little pictures on him 260 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 1: inside the book. We're gonna talk about that later off 261 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,559 Speaker 1: because he's my man if we're gonna preach this relationship. 262 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: But otherwise that's just my little side comment. This is 263 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: a great book because it's inspiring. It's inspiring because of 264 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:58,839 Speaker 1: the fact that he lived a life in the relationships 265 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,440 Speaker 1: that he's been allways. Tell people is important to have 266 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:04,080 Speaker 1: mentors around you. And I'm gonna tell you a story 267 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:06,680 Speaker 1: about who my mentor wars and how mentors can be 268 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 1: important to you and how they can also lead you 269 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,439 Speaker 1: in the wrong direction, because that's all you know that's 270 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:14,199 Speaker 1: all you do. Be right back with more money making conversations. 271 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:20,719 Speaker 1: I'm Roushan McDonald. 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That's 305 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: O T T E R dot Ai. Hi. This ra 306 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: Sean McDonald and you're listening to money making conversation My 307 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,320 Speaker 1: Vanishing Country a memoir, But cary Sellers is on the 308 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: phone the cary Um. When I was going through this book, 309 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: and it was almost like a history lesson. It was 310 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: kind of like two books and telling me stuff I 311 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 1: didn't know, things I did know. Now, your major in 312 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: college was in African American Studies, it was it was yes, 313 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: And I bring that up because my degrees in mathematics, 314 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: and I did and my minor was in sociology, and 315 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: I took African American Studies, which changed my life, by 316 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: the way, because I can remember because I realized that 317 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: that I went to public school, they just teach you 318 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: nothing about what African Americans have accomplished. A free you. 319 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: Then you make it to the brow to the border education. 320 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 1: Then all of a suden you make it to the 321 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 1: Martin Luther King speech and that. But that's what it 322 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: all did, the Mark Luke King assassination. That's why it 323 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: pretty much ends in public school with education. Then we 324 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: go then we do the Black History mark, and it's 325 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: the same individuals and Black History mark that we talked about, 326 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: which they are important, but we've accomplished more than like 327 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: six people. And so when I took African American Studies, 328 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 1: it evolved so much information to me that it brought 329 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: me to tears many times because I went I didn't know, 330 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 1: and and and and it's said talk about that that 331 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 1: education and lack of information, how it just keeps the 332 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: nine African Americans or people of color over and over again. 333 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 1: You know, one of the things that I when I 334 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: was writing the book, UM, you go back in your 335 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: read sentences that that stick out to you in one 336 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: of those sentences that sticks out to me is when 337 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: I was writing UM and and My one of the 338 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: lessons my father taught me, which is that heroes walk 339 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: amongst us. My father and my mother they never wanted 340 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:05,119 Speaker 1: us to believe that the only heroes we had were Martin, 341 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,959 Speaker 1: Malcolm and Rosa. Um. You know, I grew up around 342 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: the Stokely car Michaels and the merryon berries. UM. I 343 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 1: studied the Majesica Simpkins and septem of Clarks, as well 344 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: as the Elevators and Fanny Little Hammers, and so all 345 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:18,640 Speaker 1: of these I call them my aunts and uncles, all 346 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,479 Speaker 1: of these people who are part of my my my village. 347 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: You know that I'm a product of the proverbial it 348 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: takes a village to raise a child. All of these 349 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,359 Speaker 1: people were part of my village. And you know, we 350 00:17:29,119 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 1: had an opportunity. I had an opportunity of growing up 351 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: to live and breathe that history. The unique part about 352 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,160 Speaker 1: growing up in the South, though, is that you don't 353 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: have to just read your history in books, and you 354 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,119 Speaker 1: can actually go out and touch and talk to people 355 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: who uh, you know, they smelled, guns smoked, they laid 356 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 1: on those courthouse and jail house floors. You know, those 357 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:51,239 Speaker 1: old ladies that sit on the first and second row 358 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 1: of the churches, to where the big hats, the two 359 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,400 Speaker 1: or three sticks of butter, and the and um, coconut 360 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:59,359 Speaker 1: pies and as we potato pies. Those ladies have seen 361 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,439 Speaker 1: so much and and they hug you, they sustain you. 362 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,640 Speaker 1: They give you so much life, but they also give 363 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: you that wisdom. It's just like the old man in 364 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 1: the barbershop who ain't thinkinging the haircut, but he's telling 365 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:09,920 Speaker 1: you the stories about when he saw Sunny listen fight, 366 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,200 Speaker 1: and when King came through town and all of these 367 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,640 Speaker 1: individuals and stuff. I tried to give all of those 368 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:18,200 Speaker 1: people voices and and and have some historical context because 369 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,680 Speaker 1: this is this is the key. When we talked about 370 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: race in this country, Um, it's a it's the most 371 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: difficult conversation we have to have. But white folk only 372 00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:32,359 Speaker 1: look at race through the context of their lifetime. And 373 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 1: so in this book, what I tried to do was 374 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,679 Speaker 1: show how race has impacted us through a continuum. And 375 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,000 Speaker 1: so you can see the progression from my my grandparents 376 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,640 Speaker 1: to my father and mother to where I am now. 377 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,880 Speaker 1: So you understand that trauma. And if black folk read 378 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: this and get a sense of pride and white folk 379 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 1: read this and get a sense of understanding, I think 380 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:55,119 Speaker 1: we can have some difficult conversations with compassion, those conversations 381 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:59,359 Speaker 1: that are necessary. Really, like you said, years and counting, 382 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: I believe that's where you say in the book. You know, 383 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: I want to read this portion said I always tell 384 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: people that we chipped away at the glass ceiling. Glass 385 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: ceiling mean uh. Voters in South Carolina and I won 386 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 1: forty one percent of the vote, and Georgia Stacy abros 387 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,880 Speaker 1: one forty nine percent, and in Florida and Drew Gill 388 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:23,159 Speaker 1: him he won forty um. We're talking about states that 389 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 1: are read states. We're talking about states that blacks do 390 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: have a majority in certain situations, but they are fearful 391 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,879 Speaker 1: of outcomes. Are they are They're so beaten down that 392 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:35,440 Speaker 1: they don't feel that their vote matters. As we go 393 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 1: into twenty sixteen and you're being a political commentator and 394 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 1: you're writing a book called My Vanishing Country, our Memoir, 395 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:44,239 Speaker 1: talk to us about that. What what what? What? What 396 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: do we have to overcome? What do we have to do? 397 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 1: Those numbers you laid out across but they're not victorious. Yeah. No. 398 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,440 Speaker 1: The first thing we gotta do is overcome Voter suppression 399 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: is something that people don't talk about it nothing in 400 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 1: this country. You know. I tell people you gotta show 401 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,159 Speaker 1: up and vote. You gotta show up and show out 402 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:02,000 Speaker 1: at the polls. And you know, if voting wasn't so important, 403 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:04,200 Speaker 1: people wouldn't work so hard to take it away from 404 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: it as first. Um, So we gotta overcome that. We 405 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,679 Speaker 1: gotta we gotta push our candidates to be better. You know, 406 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: I don't mind people pushing Joe Biden to be better, 407 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:14,199 Speaker 1: to be a better candidate, to have an agenda that 408 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:17,120 Speaker 1: positively affects people of color. But I also can state 409 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: unequivocally that I'm gonna do everything I can to vote 410 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 1: for Joe Biden and get Joe Biden over the hump 411 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: because my children don't deserve to grow up in a 412 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 1: country where Donald Trump is president of the United States, 413 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: and so we have to be willing to do that. 414 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: And like, one of the things that I want to 415 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 1: see us do is activate I want to see us 416 00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: activate our base. I want to you know, it's one 417 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:37,119 Speaker 1: thing to go vote, but it's another thing to go 418 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: pick up your cousin who sits in front of the 419 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: gas station every day, just hillering at people who hadn't voted, 420 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,359 Speaker 1: probably since Barack Obama. He voted, and he voted in 421 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,480 Speaker 1: O eight and twelve and that was it. I need 422 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: you to go get him. I need you to register 423 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 1: your high school uh um, students in your community to vote. 424 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: I need this to be a participatory effort. I need 425 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: everybody to get involved because I'm gonna tell you this, 426 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:00,880 Speaker 1: those Trump supporters they're gonna show up, They're gonna vote, 427 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: and we have to be there and we have to 428 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: make our voices heard. If not xenophobia, racism, and biggotry 429 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:10,439 Speaker 1: are going to continue to reign supreme absolutely. Uh You 430 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 1: were from North Carolina, born in North Carolina, grew up 431 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 1: in Denmark, South Carolina, home of a piggy wigly store Okay, 432 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,120 Speaker 1: now you stay in your book. A legal desegregation ended 433 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 1: in Denmark in eighteen seventy two. I'm from Houston. That 434 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 1: was my freshman year in high school. The fact that 435 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 1: I'm living, I'm where worlds away from you, and you 436 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: send legal desegregation in it in Denmark in eighteen seventy two, 437 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,439 Speaker 1: So that imbalance of what we call freedom of the 438 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: opportunity to succesed was not available to all blacks on 439 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 1: all parts of the country at the same time. How 440 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 1: was it growing up in a community like Denmark, South Carolina. 441 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:52,679 Speaker 1: I mean, so Denmark was an interesting community because we 442 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,440 Speaker 1: had you know, we had train tracks that went north, south, 443 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 1: east and west, which was rear in the south. We 444 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 1: had a bubbling we have bubbling small businesses. We had 445 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: two historically black colleges and Universe one is a two 446 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: year technical college. UM you know where where I get 447 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: friend may Rest of Peace J Anthony Brown used to 448 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:13,920 Speaker 1: go to Denmark Technical College m and Vorheeses and Vorhees 449 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: College and so you you we had those two colleges. 450 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:21,800 Speaker 1: We and it was the epitome of UM, these black 451 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: small towns which had this upward economic mobility. UM but 452 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:31,560 Speaker 1: when trade came through, Um, you know, the manufacturing plants left. UM, 453 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:35,040 Speaker 1: the small businesses shutter. Um. We we when you know, 454 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:37,720 Speaker 1: government played its role in petty politics and we didn't 455 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: expand medicaid. Um, you know, the the hospitals left. UM. 456 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 1: And so people ask me what is it like now, 457 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: and I say, I write about it clearly in my 458 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 1: vanishing country. That's why one of the reasons that the 459 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 1: title is my vanishing country. You know, when you look 460 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:54,800 Speaker 1: at when you look at places like this where a 461 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 1: lot of black folk in the United States of America lived, 462 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,080 Speaker 1: you have food deserts where you can't go to with 463 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 1: three miles and get healthy fruits and vegetables. Um, you 464 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: have you have a lack of access to care. So 465 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:09,800 Speaker 1: my closest hospital is thirty minutes away. Um, you're drinking 466 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:11,880 Speaker 1: dirty water. There are a hundred cities in the United 467 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 1: States that have a um that have a water that's 468 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 1: worse than Flint, Michigan. And many of those are black 469 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: and brown cities. Um, You're you're breathing in dirty air. 470 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: And so you you take all of these things, you 471 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: take all of these systemic levels of injustice and oppression, 472 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:29,440 Speaker 1: and you layer them, um with now we're in a pandemic. Um. 473 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,199 Speaker 1: It's just it's it's a really, really tough time to 474 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: be black in America. That's a fact. Well that that's 475 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,959 Speaker 1: that's that's very true, and I I deal with it, 476 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,560 Speaker 1: and I um and I'm often time confused because I 477 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 1: don't have options to how do I make it better? 478 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,719 Speaker 1: But the one way you can make it better, like 479 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:51,920 Speaker 1: you said, vote, exercise your right to vote, participate, don't 480 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:56,280 Speaker 1: be a don't be a silent participant. But also don't 481 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: let people take away you're hoping. Don't let people take 482 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:01,920 Speaker 1: away your faith. I'm very hopeful, and I maintaining faith 483 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 1: because I have to fight so that my children can 484 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:06,920 Speaker 1: be free. So you know, I don't I don't play 485 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 1: it pamp. I don't paint a dystopian view. I paint 486 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 1: a view that's very real and honest, saying that we've 487 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: made a lot of progress in this country, but we 488 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 1: still have it other ways to go. And so now 489 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,920 Speaker 1: it's our duty. It's my duty to continue the legacy 490 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: set forth by people like yourself, my parents, et cetera, 491 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: and carry that time forward so that my children live 492 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:27,800 Speaker 1: in a better country. And I still believe in what 493 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 1: Lincoln call the better angels of our nature. You know, Uh, 494 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:33,400 Speaker 1: Paccari when I when I was going through the book, 495 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 1: and like I said, so Many Lawyers is a great book. 496 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:37,440 Speaker 1: And I'm talking about the book My Advantaging Country, a 497 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:42,920 Speaker 1: memoir written by Baccari, sellers out of HarperCollins UH Publishing House. Um, 498 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 1: your friend Pop, he was older than you. Um, he 499 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:51,239 Speaker 1: had aspirations until the death of his dad. Uh, and 500 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:56,960 Speaker 1: he chose sports. And there's so many Pops in our 501 00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: neighborhoods I can remember. I have a version of Pop. 502 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,440 Speaker 1: They grew up with me and didn't He made it out, 503 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:05,320 Speaker 1: but he didn't accomplish what he should have been able 504 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,680 Speaker 1: to accomplish because of mistakes. And we should all be 505 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: able to overcome our mistakes. Talk to us about Pop 506 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,760 Speaker 1: from your neighborhood in Denmark, South Carolina. So, you know, 507 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: I don't know if Pop will hear this episode of 508 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,800 Speaker 1: me on money Making Conversations. Where's he based there? Now? 509 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:23,160 Speaker 1: Where was he? What was he living there? Right? Now? 510 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: There's a war his college campus radio station. Good well, 511 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 1: good well, I'm gonna make sure he listens to it. 512 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:33,119 Speaker 1: And the reason being is because I want Pop to 513 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:35,760 Speaker 1: know that he was the success. You know, we always 514 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: have this attension, We always have this these these very 515 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:42,480 Speaker 1: difficult conversations, and you know, Pop is very emblematic of 516 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 1: what it means to be a black man in this 517 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: country and trying to overcome. UM, even though you have 518 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,560 Speaker 1: those obstacles that are placed in front of you and 519 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,679 Speaker 1: my family, we opened our doors to Pop. Pop as 520 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: my brother, he has a piece of my heart, always 521 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 1: will and so you know, I feel challenged sometimes and 522 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 1: difficulty trying to figure out, UM, you know, how we 523 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:04,439 Speaker 1: can improve the relationship and which which direction we should 524 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: go in. UM. But even more but even more importantly, UM, 525 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: as he grows into being a father, as he continues 526 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,160 Speaker 1: to work hard, and you know, he graduated from college 527 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:16,640 Speaker 1: and he's doing everything he should do. You know, he's 528 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: a success. And what all he's going to do is 529 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,119 Speaker 1: make it make it easier for the next generation, UM 530 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: to to be better. And so UM, you know we 531 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: have to lift up our brothers especially and during this 532 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:28,720 Speaker 1: climate and during this time, well, you know it's really 533 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: important that you say that, and because it was it 534 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,239 Speaker 1: was a very UM I always say, you know, it's 535 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,440 Speaker 1: about opportunities a very um poignant moment in your book 536 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 1: when he says, why did y'all come get me? You know, 537 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: and because he felt that if you guys would have 538 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,880 Speaker 1: gotten him, pulled him into y'all because he basically lived 539 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: y'all life. He was with you guys, but he lived 540 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 1: on the other side of the track, and so and 541 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:55,119 Speaker 1: just just explained that that whole different world dynamic and 542 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: how how it affected him and how it affected you 543 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:03,720 Speaker 1: and you're stern brothers. So I mean it was humbling 544 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:08,160 Speaker 1: for us because, um, you know, we we were always 545 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 1: aware of um the blessings we had and even more 546 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:15,800 Speaker 1: aware and in tune to those who didn't. And so 547 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 1: we were raised to make sure that anything we had, 548 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 1: we we gave as much as possible. And my parents 549 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 1: poured so much into Pop, just like they poured into us. 550 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: And so, um the challenges, you know, what do you 551 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:30,679 Speaker 1: do with that? And as me and challenge continue, as 552 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 1: me and Pop continue to grow older, we challenge each 553 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: other right now to be better husbands and better fathers. 554 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 1: And that's that's that is for us, the definition of success. 555 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 1: And UM, I hope people read about Pop and realize 556 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:44,640 Speaker 1: how many pots they have in their life and just 557 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:46,520 Speaker 1: worry about not giving them a hand out, but giving 558 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:50,280 Speaker 1: them a hand up. Wow, that's great. I hope this 559 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:54,520 Speaker 1: book becomes a documentary because um, it's it's so many 560 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:58,400 Speaker 1: stories additional stories that I that uh motivated me out 561 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:00,399 Speaker 1: of this book, Bacari. I want to thank you for 562 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:02,359 Speaker 1: coming on the show to talk about your book, My 563 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 1: Vans Country of Mental As you can see man on 564 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:08,600 Speaker 1: moral day, I was reading your book and enjoying it. 565 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: By man, I just didn't have the peanuts, that's all. 566 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:15,439 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for allowing me somebody if your 567 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: statue to utilized this platform means a lot of humble 568 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,520 Speaker 1: so I'm grateful. Thank you so much. Definitely we'll put 569 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:22,360 Speaker 1: it in my if I got a fan club send 570 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,479 Speaker 1: out newsletter thinety thousand fan club members. My social media's 571 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:27,800 Speaker 1: always a million, so I will be promoting your book, 572 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:31,879 Speaker 1: my friend. Be safe and keep listening. Okay, thank you 573 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 1: so much. If you want to hear more episodes of 574 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: Money Making Conversations, please go to Money Making Conversations dot com. 575 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:42,360 Speaker 1: I'm Rashan McDonald. I'm your host. In this season of 576 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: Giving Cools has gifts for all your loved ones for 577 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 1: those who like to keep it cozy, find fleeces, sweaters, loungeware, 578 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 1: blankets and throws, or support minority owned or founded brands 579 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 1: by giving gifts from Human Nation and Shame Moisture. 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