WEBVTT - We don’t need them, they need us 0:00:05.160 --> 0:00:07.560 What's a family, it's your girl to me, told Mallory, 0:00:08.240 --> 0:00:11.000 it's your boy like son and children, and we're your 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:15.440 hosts of street politicians the place the streets and politicians. 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:18.919 What's going on my son, Lennon, what's going on with you? 0:00:19.040 --> 0:00:23.440 To Maka Malory well as well. Still on the road, 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:28.760 we've been um in Georgia with some with families such 0:00:28.840 --> 0:00:31.120 it was like, even though I mean it's the win 0:00:31.440 --> 0:00:37.760 of uh, you know for Senator Warnot, feels even better 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:43.800 because of like getting there and seeing so many of 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:47.440 our family members, people that worked with every day and 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:50.480 how hard they were pushing on the ground. I mean, 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:55.040 people really did some expensive work. And I was talking 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:57.200 about it. I know people said I was being negative, Betty, 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:01.120 but it needed to be said. UM. But I thought that, 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:04.319 you know, when de pundits were on the news the 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:09.000 night of the election, um, and when you know people 0:01:09.040 --> 0:01:15.360 are online saying, you know, celebrating all those who were responsible. 0:01:15.440 --> 0:01:19.080 I just wanted to make sure that we never forget 0:01:19.720 --> 0:01:27.000 the the the organizers, the people like Black Voters Matter, 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:33.319 you know, Georgia Voter Project, Uh. Who else? Melanie Campbell 0:01:33.319 --> 0:01:37.000 and National National Coalition of Black Civic participation, you know. 0:01:37.120 --> 0:01:38.640 And I don't even want to get in trouble for 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:41.760 leaving people out. But there was so many faces, so 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:48.480 many individuals, revenue, all Priyant bonds, Worth, ventlely, um, you know, sororities, fraternities, 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:52.520 so many people on the ground who were there to 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:57.720 ensure that herschel Walker did not become a United States 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:01.559 Senator and to ensure that Reverend were not kept to see. 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:04.240 And I thought, I just, you know, if the wind 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:08.040 feels better knowing that America has to over and over 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:11.840 and over and over again acknowledge, even if it doesn't 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:14.840 want to say it out loud, the power of black 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:19.239 people and the power of black organizing. Yeah, it was 0:02:19.280 --> 0:02:21.960 the thing, you know, um, being on the ground, just 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:25.640 feeling the energy, watching the youth like I'm just most 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:29.120 impressed by you, you know, the way that they've been organized, 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:32.399 in the way that they've understand the moment and understand 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:36.120 how seriousness was, and seeing so many of them come out. 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:41.079 And you know, I've seen um youth from New York 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:44.400 come down here to help, you know, organize. I've seen 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:47.280 youth all over the world understood that Atlanta was like 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:49.760 ground zero at the moment, you know, and and and 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:53.680 if you went to social media to express you know, 0:02:54.200 --> 0:03:02.400 how it was definitely the voice and the organizations of 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:06.040 black people that got this done. It wasn't just you know, 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:08.760 like you said, it wasn't the Democratic Party. Wasn't that 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:12.080 it did. It was the fact that grassroots organizers and 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:16.200 black young and old and you know, in between everybody. 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:20.200 Guddy and everybody understood this moment it came up, and 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:22.920 you know, and I went to social media and just 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:29.600 expressed my disdain for the fact that the GOP had 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:33.880 the unmitigated goal to even put hershel walk up there. 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:36.160 And I think that was one of the things I think, 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:41.760 I think especially black men. Black men were insulted. You 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:44.360 know that this is this is the person that she 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:47.640 was gonna have as a representative of us, and you 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:50.800 thought that she'd be just because he played football and 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:52.360 he was a legend of football and he had a 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:56.560 celebrity status that he were ignorant enough to vote for 0:03:56.640 --> 0:04:00.960 someone who definitely wasn't it. It's not capable of leading, 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:04.120 you know, that they didn't deserve you see, that wasn't 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:07.080 even eligible enough, that didn't even have a platform, that 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:09.400 didn't have anything that he ran on other than he 0:04:09.480 --> 0:04:12.480 was herstual walker. And you know, and I think that 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:14.520 that that's one of the things that made me realize 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:16.680 that as black men, we have to be a lot 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:19.480 more assertive. We have to let our voices. We heard. 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:21.040 A lot of us are doing a lot of work, 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:23.680 you know, on the ground, in the office, everywhere. But 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:26.440 I think it's time for us to step up in 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:28.400 a major way. Like I always say, I've watched a 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:31.080 lot of black women, especially in this space, do so 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:36.320 many things organized. You know, um speak up even when 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:39.040 we're outside. I tell all the time, it's it's more 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:42.640 women than it is men up. So I always I 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:45.839 always do this for me. It's called out myself, not 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:48.719 just black men. But I called out myself and I 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:51.080 say we I don't just say y'all. I said, we 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:53.360 have to do better. We have to make sure that 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:56.120 we're representing popularly, and we have to make sure that 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:00.440 bro know that we understand when you're trying to you know, 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:05.880 m hmm, yeah. I mean, you know, black men should 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:09.920 have been insulted or should be insulted. And I think 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:13.640 black people in general, you know, first of all, we 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:19.280 literally are fatigue, like hell as a people just by 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:23.040 all the stuff that we see, you know, the media constantly, 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:28.880 constantly attacking us. There's so much division that is being 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:34.520 created between uh, different segments of our community because folks 0:05:34.600 --> 0:05:38.840 are uh, you know, there are there are issues that 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:42.280 some of us care more about than others. So some 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:45.839 people feel like, well, the administration is doing a great 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:49.560 job in this area, and then there's other people are like, no, 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:52.600 you know, there's more that needs to be done, particularly 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:55.640 around the issue of policing, and it's you know, there's 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:58.160 a lot of back and forth. So you're dealing with 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:01.400 that all the time, trying to make decisions about what 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:04.560 you trust, what you don't trust, you know, how you 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:08.159 feel about the system. You are also dealing with life 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:11.680 as everybody, not just black folks, but we as a society. 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:15.640 We're dealing with life. And it's a lot of fatigue 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:18.960 to have people going back and forth to vote. You know, 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:21.479 it's already hard enough to get you out the first time, 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:25.440 but to have to turn around and be back out 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:28.880 there for a runoff is not an easy thing to 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:34.400 make happen. And you know, especially if I feel like 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:38.440 if the Republican Party had enough respect for black people, 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:43.000 and for itself, they would have ran a candidate or 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:47.080 they would have run a candidate that is much more 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:51.360 qualified uh than herschel Walker. And if they did that, 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:54.240 it may have actually been a different outcome because of 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:57.360 the numbers. You know, the numbers telling and a lot 0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:00.680 of people people said, well that means that you you know, 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:04.040 you think black people would have just would have voted 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:07.840 for the Republican candidate. No, but people would have stayed 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:10.840 home if they didn't watch the news every single day 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:13.640 and see there was a crisis happening, like this was 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:18.120 a crisis scenario. People were watching that, like this is 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:23.800 a meltdown of someone who clearly has challenges um and 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:26.000 and he can't be the senator. Not to mention that 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:29.800 he was his his platform, it's anti most thing or 0:07:29.880 --> 0:07:33.880 anti things that most of us as black folks want 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:37.360 to see happen in this country. So you know, it 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:41.480 just it's it's a it's a funny time where we 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:45.320 really have to have do some serious reflection on where 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:48.760 we are because the numbers continue to show us that 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:52.680 this country is so divided it's a dangerous place. Is 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:56.400 actually pretty outrageous that we even had a runoff, and 0:07:56.720 --> 0:07:59.680 that which I did see that it closed somewhere around 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:02.880 a hunt a thousand votes, and I don't know that 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:07.480 was yesterday a hundred thousand votes. Um. Warnock was up. Um. 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:10.560 And so hopefully by the time we look at the numbers, 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:13.200 it grows even more, you know, towards the end of 0:08:13.280 --> 0:08:16.160 the week, um, you know, or by and whenever, we 0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:20.520 will see that the numbers are even stronger because the 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:24.960 percentage point of how close they were, it's it's it's 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:28.080 it's a scary place. It's a scary place. So, you know, 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:35.199 hopefully anyway, But so in other outrageous news, but ln 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:38.719 Ciaga is a little out here, like you know, I 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:42.760 didn't have time. First of all, I was just um, 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:45.320 you know, there was so much going on. It's like 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:50.160 again social media and media, it's like every day stuff 0:08:50.240 --> 0:08:54.080 is popping, popping, popping. So I kept seeing something happened 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:57.840 with Valenciaga. I'm not like a big Valenciaga person, you know. 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:00.240 I have a couple of things, but it's not like 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:03.320 something I really really and like, oh when the newest 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:05.560 such and such comes out, I'm gonna running get it. 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:08.040 So it's not it wasn't really important to me. But 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.560 then I started seeing stuff about children sack and we 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:12.680 were talking about this last week a little bit, and 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:15.680 I still wasn't all the way up to speak. And 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:18.920 then as we were traveling, I really took the time 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:23.120 to read and start like digging into it. And it's like, 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:29.800 this is some weird, weird child thing something. You know, 0:09:29.960 --> 0:09:31.520 I don't know if this I don't know if you 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:37.040 call it. It's all abuse, but like sacrificing and then 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:40.400 the gods of children's sacrifice, and then it's like some 0:09:40.559 --> 0:09:44.320 straight weird, weird those stuff, and I'm like, you know, 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:47.000 I'm just you know, it's no way. And now we 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:50.920 see that Balenciaga dropped their lawsuit against the creative directors. 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:54.680 You have to because no matter what, the buck stops 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:58.319 with you. It's like me choosing to sue somebody on 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:01.559 on on our staff and until freedom that I already 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:04.440 approved whatever they was doing and or haven't done the 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:07.360 research to know that this person is actually a racist 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:10.559 or a rapist or you know, or something. When it's 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:13.200 out there, it's different if you don't know, you know 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:16.040 that nobody knows, that the world doesn't know it. But 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:18.760 if you've been If you are a person who is 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:22.880 on our staff and your Instagram or your social media 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:28.360 is why open and you're promoting child pornography, that's my 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:32.240 responsibility to know it definitely is your responsibility. Know if 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:35.400 when you run an organization, when you run a corporation, 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:37.400 you know, you're supposed to know, and I and I don't. 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:39.720 I don't believe they didn't know. I think when you 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:41.680 look at when you look at the history of this, 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:44.400 you know it's dating back. When you start showing you 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:46.880 and you start unraveling and you look at these things, 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:49.840 it shows you there's a history of these things that's 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.280 been going on. It's like, how did it? Plain sight? 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:54.280 You know, a lot of it. This this, this, this 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:58.720 is under underground world that they believe in these things. 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:00.680 You know, we were not involved in that world, so 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:02.800 we don't we don't pay attention. We don't know what 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:05.360 these dogs with the chains is. We don't know what 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:08.640 these little hidden meetings are. So when when people who 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:12.600 do know start uncovering, and some people probably who actually 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:15.719 are part of it, you know, decided they're gonna ring 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:18.400 the bell, you know, and and that's what happened. That's 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:21.080 what all all of this happened. They've been doing these things. 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:23.680 You know when you look at um a lot of 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:27.360 the staff and then then pointing out these things, you're 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.199 like that this is a history, this is this is 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:31.720 a lifestyle these people have left. You know, I'm not 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:35.040 a Valencia. I'm not really never been. I got one 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:38.880 Valenciaga shirt that I'll never wear again. So you know, 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:40.920 I think, and a lot of people, oh, you ain't 0:11:40.920 --> 0:11:43.480 saying that about Valencia. I'm like, what we see what 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:45.400 it is said? What do we gotta say about Balency? 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:47.880 I don't wear Bulsia, you know what. A lot of 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:49.800 times people want you to say what they want you 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:52.760 to say. I talk about black ship, the things that's 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:54.880 going on in our community, things that's going on, the 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:57.839 hip hop and the culture, the violence in our community, 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:01.280 you know, the things, the negative you know, people inside 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:04.280 of our community, I know are detrimental to black people. 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:06.640 Those are the things I speak about most of the time. 0:12:06.679 --> 0:12:09.040 But when you you know, I didn't think that those 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:12.120 underworld that's that's what white people have been doing. Some 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:14.719 of the white people been doing that. Well, I'm not 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:19.199 saying all white people were very very clear to say 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:22.640 that's what some of these white people have been doing. Okay, 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:25.240 what I'm trying to tell you is that culture when 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.440 you look at when you go from Epstein and you 0:12:27.520 --> 0:12:30.320 go to all of this ship, this is ship that 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:33.000 they've been doing that. It's not ship that I even 0:12:33.040 --> 0:12:36.440 know that. It's comes into my culture, into my life. 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:38.960 It's not a reality in my life. It's not something 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:42.040 that not even identified with. I've never had a conversation 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:44.640 with somebody who was into those things. I don't know 0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:47.280 anything about it. So me talking about it, it's like, 0:12:47.320 --> 0:12:49.680 what am I saying? I don't funk with pedophiles and people. 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:52.160 You know, when they were talking about Kelly was working 0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:54.800 a little Girls. I had a conversation on it because Kelly, 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:56.880 it's inside of my culture and I know that the 0:12:56.880 --> 0:12:59.160 these little girls you told about with young black girls 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:01.840 that didn't have anything that we didn't understand none of this. 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:04.400 So people want me to talk about Biliscia out and 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:06.800 I was like, well, I don't really, it's nothing for me. 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:09.560 Y'are seeing it. Y'all know exactly what's going on. You 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:11.360 know what I'm saying. So that was that was my point. 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:15.840 There's a there's a difference between Valenciaga and Nike period. 0:13:15.920 --> 0:13:18.640 Like you said, Nike is something that is in our culture. 0:13:19.080 --> 0:13:21.520 You have millions, and we talked about this last week, 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:25.679 so it's not anything new. But you know, I now 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.080 have done some research and I'm like wow. And the 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.000 thing I'm like really trying to figure out is, I 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.800 know there's diet product, which is one of those um 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:37.320 Instagram pages that you could go and learn things about brands. 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:40.120 But I'm trying to figure out where else do we 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:44.120 go to like research some of the things about you know, 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:46.880 products that we buy, not just things you wear, it's 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:50.080 things in your house, it's companies all around us every 0:13:50.120 --> 0:13:53.640 single day, places where we eat, people we are in 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:58.360 relationship to businesses we support. And I don't know how 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:00.840 you I guess there's no way. I guess you find 0:14:00.880 --> 0:14:03.920 out in times of controversy and then at that point, 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:06.559 you know, and of course one of the more important 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:09.040 things is to try to support your own as much 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:11.880 as possible, which we agree with. I found the stress 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.720 that I love, UM that I wore on this this 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:18.520 past Sunday to an event, and UM it's a black 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.400 owned designer. You know, I'm like, wow, it's wonderful. To 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:26.920 find designers that are um, you know, affordable somewhat because 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:30.200 it was a nice old penny, but still it was 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:35.040 in my price range, and it's good quality, good customer service, 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:38.120 all of that. So I think increasing the support for 0:14:38.200 --> 0:14:41.640 our brands, um you know, making sure that we target 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:46.120 our own first is important. I do want to push 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:49.160 back on one point though. Yes, I know that the 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:52.320 culture you're talking about culture, and that's what you were 0:14:52.320 --> 0:15:00.960 saying culture, culture is largely that white people participate in 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:04.760 this child sacrifice and behavior. But then you said, I don't. 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:07.760 I don't really, I don't mess with pedophiles anyway. And 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:11.720 I just want to say for black girls everywhere, there 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:16.040 are black pedophiles. And they're not just men. There are 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:20.560 women too that are pedophiles. It is something that exists 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:24.760 within our culture, in our community. Rather in our community, 0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:27.960 there are people who take advantage of kids in every 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:32.240 single race. And so, yes, that the sacrifice and stuff 0:15:32.280 --> 0:15:36.360 and and and like the degree to which there this 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:39.000 thing looks because we don't know what we do know 0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:41.760 right now, And I'm just trying to be careful because 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:44.800 I still don't. Like. I found some stuff that I 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.360 was reading and I'm like oh my god, can't believe it. 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:49.480 And then when I did some deep research, I found 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:51.880 out that it wasn't true. So the internet is also 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:57.680 very as I say every week, very very dangerous. But 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:01.120 the overall sentiment of it, yes, it cannot be applied 0:16:01.160 --> 0:16:03.680 to the fact that there are white people who have 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:06.760 participated in this type of behavior and in fact, in 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:10.360 a lot of ways because of our enslavement and our 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:17.000 um being uh what is the word being cultivated by? Um? 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:19.840 You know, the sort of American society of what happened. 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:23.920 We learned some things and picked up some behavioral patterns 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:27.160 that is harmful to our communities. So I totally get that, 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:29.240 But I just want to say, on behalf of black 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:34.400 girls and black boys pedophiles exist in every single community. 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:37.760 I don't. I don't think. I don't think that I must. 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:40.120 I definitely understand because we just said that we were 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:43.480 about Kelly, and I was like, they're all pedophiles or community. 0:16:43.520 --> 0:16:45.840 I'm just talking about when you look about this this 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:51.760 underworld of um child pornography and you know, all of 0:16:51.760 --> 0:16:55.960 these things I have. Yet maybe I'm wrong. It's just 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:59.120 not something that I've seen that's prevalent or even spoke 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:01.800 about in black culture, Like even when they show you 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.400 the people who are guilty of it, I don't think 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:07.119 I've ever seen a black person that they said was 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:09.480 doing it. So maybe I'm wrong. I could be wrong, 0:17:09.520 --> 0:17:12.520 but it's just not something that's identified in our culture 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:16.120 as a norm or something that is even spoken about 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:19.720 in our culture. You know, pedophial pedophilia is spoken about. 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:23.560 But this underworld of child pornography, and you know, these 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:28.000 little rings of all the ship I hadn't seen black 0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:32.160 people involved. Maybe they are, well the rings, the rings, yes, 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:36.760 the rings, Yes, this such trafficking thing because that's the newest. 0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:39.840 And you know, and most of the time we as 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:44.160 black people are involved in things that you know, we're 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:46.679 trying to take advantage of, like how we get paid 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:50.640 off of being in this right. So for instance, even 0:17:50.720 --> 0:17:53.840 when we were engaged in enslavement of our own people, 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:58.560 there was some I mean, there was the the there 0:17:58.640 --> 0:18:04.280 was the European mind set of indentured servitude that was 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:11.200 much more brutal, much more demeaning, dehumanizing all of that, 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:13.480 and then there were Black people that was like, yeah, 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:15.880 we could eat off for this too, or Africans rather 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:17.520 that was like we could eat off of this too, 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:20.320 So we do get involved in stuff trying to see 0:18:20.359 --> 0:18:24.600 like how do I benefit from this enterprise, whether it's 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:28.919 good or bad from a financial perspective. But and there 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.520 are some sick people that we can actually sell kids 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:35.199 to and do all of these crazy things. But we 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:38.040 are engaged. We are engaged. We are in the fruit 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:40.480 in the food chain, and it's and and it's something 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:42.640 that has to be called out, so you know. But anyway, 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:44.919 it's not really a debate because you agree. So it 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:48.240 is what it is. I'm just saying and I think, 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:52.639 you know, just thinking about what people can expect for me, 0:18:52.720 --> 0:18:56.000 because as I'm doing the research, I'm like, okay, supporting 0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:58.840 more black brands. I've always tried to do that, I 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:01.760 want to do it even or But I do have 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:04.760 two or three things from some of these brands that 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:08.639 we're canceling that I'm probably gonna continue to wear. And 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.679 most of it is just comfortable sneakers, Like it's not 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:14.480 really like, you know, I'm not I probably will never know. 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.399 I know for sure that I'm never ever going to 0:19:17.480 --> 0:19:22.000 be outside with the Valenciaga sweater with all the Valenciaga 0:19:22.040 --> 0:19:24.080 around and I can't ever do that. You know, that's it. 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:27.640 It's over. It's packed up in the Gucci box with 0:19:27.720 --> 0:19:31.600 the stuff that every every It's like the little bins 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:34.640 for the things I'm never gonna wear again. It's growing 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:38.520 and growing and growing. But I do have my comfortable 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:41.359 sneaker is that I travel with. I got my because 0:19:41.359 --> 0:19:45.480 I'm also not supporting anything Kanye, that's just not I'm 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:48.080 just not doing it. But I got my phones. I'm 0:19:48.119 --> 0:19:50.320 gonna wear those, and I probably got like two fair 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:53.320 nikes that I'm probably gonna wear, so people can expect 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:56.760 that from me. Well, it's it's it's kind of it's 0:19:56.960 --> 0:19:58.800 you know what, you know what, it's kind of U. 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:02.719 I don't really agree with that method because because I 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:06.400 hear it from a lot of people. Um, because you're 0:20:06.480 --> 0:20:10.320 you're pretty much icon to certain people. You are a 0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:15.320 cultural somebody who's cultural. What you wear people pay attention to, right, 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:19.879 So people see you wearing things you you promoting these things, right, 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:22.280 So there's gonna be people that see you with those 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:25.200 sneakers on, see you with Blixiaga sneakers, and but I 0:20:25.280 --> 0:20:27.120 want to make and still wear them. So I'm gonna 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:29.080 go buy me those, and I like those anyway, so 0:20:29.160 --> 0:20:32.000 let me go get it. So in essence, you're you're 0:20:32.040 --> 0:20:36.040 not you're actually hurting the process because when every time 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:39.159 you wear it you advertise it, if somebody's gonna look 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:41.040 at you and said that, they're gonna go get it. So, 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:44.080 I just don't know if it's worth that. If just 0:20:44.400 --> 0:20:47.040 if you think just because there's a bunch of shoes 0:20:47.080 --> 0:20:51.399 that you can wear, you've got hundreds of shoes. You 0:20:51.440 --> 0:20:57.960 don't have shoes. No, that's not true. I have. There 0:20:58.000 --> 0:21:00.080 are certain things that I first of all, I and 0:21:00.200 --> 0:21:04.200 purchase Valenciaga sneakers to be in fashion. That's not never 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:07.080 why I purchased them, right, I didn't. I'm not, like 0:21:07.080 --> 0:21:09.879 I said, I'm not a Valenciaga fan. I literally have 0:21:10.000 --> 0:21:13.120 four or five things in my house that's Valenciaga. Uh, 0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:15.399 there're certain brands that I am a fan of that 0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:18.080 I actually wear a lot of their stuff, and I 0:21:18.200 --> 0:21:21.160 order shade and I'm online to things and never physically. 0:21:21.240 --> 0:21:24.280 But you know, Stylus and others helped me get in 0:21:24.359 --> 0:21:29.240 the line to purchase new releases. I bought Valenciaga sock 0:21:29.440 --> 0:21:32.520 sneakers because they're quick and easy to travel with taking 0:21:32.560 --> 0:21:35.440 them off and on, and they're very, very comfortable. That's 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:37.880 why I bought the two pair of sneakers that I had. 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:42.320 One pair has Valenciaga written all big on it on 0:21:42.359 --> 0:21:45.359 the bottom, and they real cute. Some black and white sneakers. 0:21:45.640 --> 0:21:48.760 I'm not wearing those because it does have a big 0:21:48.800 --> 0:21:51.879 old logo money. But the other pair that's got this 0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:53.960 like little thing where you can't really see it, Yeah, 0:21:53.960 --> 0:21:56.840 I'm probably gonna wear those because they are comfortable and 0:21:56.880 --> 0:21:59.280 it's easy for me to travel, and I already spent 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:01.920 my money on it, so I'm gonna wear him my 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:07.600 um easy. The ones that look like skeletors and the slides, oh, 0:22:07.640 --> 0:22:10.880 I'm gonna wear those. Definitely gonna wear them. It's and 0:22:10.920 --> 0:22:14.240 I and I do reserve the right to wear a 0:22:14.280 --> 0:22:17.560 black man's product no matter what. Like I couldnot like 0:22:17.640 --> 0:22:20.520 Kanye and say I can still wear my shoes because 0:22:20.520 --> 0:22:22.280 he is a black man, and I get to do that. 0:22:22.880 --> 0:22:25.720 And in terms of Nike, you know, I'll probably look 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:28.560 for some other running shoes. I don't know Nike. I'm 0:22:28.600 --> 0:22:31.399 a little I do feel what you're saying. I feel 0:22:31.400 --> 0:22:33.919 that on the Nike tip I do. I kind of like, 0:22:35.040 --> 0:22:38.120 I don't know. Maybe I keep holding onto these two 0:22:38.240 --> 0:22:41.919 particular pair because they're like my favorites that I have 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:44.120 and I've had them for years and I wear them 0:22:44.119 --> 0:22:46.120 and they're comfortable in there and I just love them. 0:22:46.600 --> 0:22:49.000 But you know, I haven't put them on since this happened. 0:22:49.080 --> 0:22:51.919 So it's probably that I'm just saying it because I 0:22:52.040 --> 0:22:54.560 feel it in my heart. But as time goes on, 0:22:54.600 --> 0:22:58.280 I probably will get away from him. However, anything I 0:22:58.400 --> 0:23:01.080 travel with that makes my feet feel comfortable, I'm gonna 0:23:01.119 --> 0:23:04.639 wear them. So that's that on that. And you know, 0:23:04.800 --> 0:23:07.199 I know people. People don't agree with every and you know, 0:23:07.440 --> 0:23:12.440 I listen, I they like me and they love me, 0:23:12.520 --> 0:23:15.919 and then they hate me, and that's just like listen, 0:23:15.960 --> 0:23:19.520 I love you. I'm just I'm just saying to myself, 0:23:19.920 --> 0:23:22.520 what sense is it really weird to promote? Because you 0:23:22.760 --> 0:23:25.439 every time you wear something. That's what I understand for me, 0:23:25.520 --> 0:23:28.159 Right when I wear something, I'm promoting every time that 0:23:28.160 --> 0:23:30.200 I wear things, people or will you get those from? 0:23:30.240 --> 0:23:33.359 I want that. So if I understand that I'm promoting something, 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:36.880 and I understand that these brands don't represent who I am, 0:23:36.920 --> 0:23:40.040 you know, Blissy, I'll gonna like you. And I made it, 0:23:40.240 --> 0:23:42.360 and I'm saying that I made a kind of decision 0:23:42.560 --> 0:23:44.880 that what it is that they represent, I don't represent. 0:23:45.600 --> 0:23:48.520 I don't I mean, just for comfort. I can find 0:23:48.520 --> 0:23:50.359 another pair of shoes, just comfortable. It's a lot of 0:23:50.359 --> 0:23:54.040 shoes that I like. Maybe maybe I will, maybe I will, 0:23:54.320 --> 0:23:56.600 maybe I'll find it. But here's what I do know. 0:23:57.680 --> 0:24:02.520 Every single day we are finding out things about everybody. 0:24:02.520 --> 0:24:08.479 All kind of things come out. There's like a certain 0:24:08.800 --> 0:24:11.240 like at some point, I get what you're saying, and 0:24:11.280 --> 0:24:13.640 I believe what you're saying is correct. That we shouldn't 0:24:13.680 --> 0:24:16.159 be promoting and supporting these brands, which is why I 0:24:16.200 --> 0:24:20.080 would never buy anything from these individuals again. And I 0:24:20.240 --> 0:24:23.399 and I'm gonna pack up all the stuff that I 0:24:23.520 --> 0:24:27.240 may have from these different places because Nike I have 0:24:28.000 --> 0:24:31.600 my God. But at the same time, next week, the 0:24:31.640 --> 0:24:33.879 new shoes that I get could be a problem. So 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:36.760 I'm just saying that I have a couple of pairs 0:24:36.800 --> 0:24:39.800 of shoes that are comfortable for me for my travel, 0:24:39.880 --> 0:24:43.160 They're easily accessible, and I'm probably gonna wear them. And 0:24:43.760 --> 0:24:45.439 I get that some people are not gonna like that, 0:24:45.520 --> 0:24:49.359 but that's just my truth. So that's it. Okay. So 0:24:49.440 --> 0:24:53.959 you know, did my uh thought of the day today 0:24:54.040 --> 0:25:01.720 is on this Brittney grinding please. Last week we saw 0:25:01.840 --> 0:25:07.000 that she was released. Um, you know from the beginning, Um, 0:25:07.160 --> 0:25:10.960 you know, we were supportive. We have always been supportive. 0:25:11.000 --> 0:25:14.080 We were mad as hell. I want to make sure 0:25:14.200 --> 0:25:17.680 that the Biden administration was doing what it's supposed to. 0:25:17.800 --> 0:25:23.040 We've never seen any uh progress on behalf of black 0:25:23.040 --> 0:25:27.440 people and particularly black women that did not require some noise. 0:25:27.680 --> 0:25:30.160 And so we helped along with a bunch of folks 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:32.480 that have to give uh Angela Ry a lot of 0:25:32.480 --> 0:25:34.959 credit because you know, she was one of the first 0:25:35.000 --> 0:25:38.119 people when we know, when we got engaged, she was 0:25:38.200 --> 0:25:42.679 already there working with Brittany's wife. And we held a 0:25:42.720 --> 0:25:46.640 few protests and events just to really make sure that 0:25:46.720 --> 0:25:49.439 this was on the map, that people were actually talking 0:25:49.480 --> 0:25:52.639 about it. And it really wasn't protest, but we um, 0:25:52.880 --> 0:25:55.920 you know, did bring some awareness and make some noise 0:25:56.080 --> 0:25:58.520 and you know, we even went to the Russian Russian 0:25:58.600 --> 0:26:03.280 consulate and had a prayer, visual inter inter faith pray invigil. 0:26:03.800 --> 0:26:05.919 Not you know, it wasn't hostile, but it was we 0:26:05.920 --> 0:26:08.440 were there to say listen, please like open your heart 0:26:08.640 --> 0:26:11.960 to let this woman be free. And then people said, well, 0:26:12.200 --> 0:26:15.520 the administration is doing something about it. They made some statements, 0:26:15.600 --> 0:26:18.639 they were very public and they said we're making moves 0:26:18.680 --> 0:26:22.600 on it. They didn't want to have too many um 0:26:22.800 --> 0:26:26.000 they didn't want it to be too controversial, right, They 0:26:26.040 --> 0:26:29.320 wanted to really have the time that was necessary to 0:26:29.359 --> 0:26:32.480 work on and we said, cool, no problem, call us 0:26:32.520 --> 0:26:35.560 if you need us. But we were monitoring the situation 0:26:35.840 --> 0:26:40.520 very closely, and to see that she was released, it's important, right, 0:26:40.760 --> 0:26:44.600 it's it's it's incredible, and in fact, it's historic that 0:26:45.560 --> 0:26:51.400 you know that America would really cashing a big, big, 0:26:51.440 --> 0:26:54.720 big big chip in the middle of of of us 0:26:54.760 --> 0:26:58.720 being in their war that they have going on with 0:26:58.800 --> 0:27:01.959 another country that we support, right or that this this 0:27:02.040 --> 0:27:06.080 country is supporting. UM. To see that they use this 0:27:06.119 --> 0:27:09.680 big chip to get this woman free, this black woman free, 0:27:09.760 --> 0:27:14.360 a black queer woman free, is huge. It's huge for us, 0:27:15.119 --> 0:27:19.240 particularly as black women, because you know, it's like it 0:27:19.359 --> 0:27:24.600 shows our value. And I know I understand very clearly 0:27:24.640 --> 0:27:28.280 that there are people right now who are saying, one 0:27:28.359 --> 0:27:32.080 day are other imprisoned individuals, not just in Russia, but 0:27:32.160 --> 0:27:36.520 even here in America. Right, I saw on Angelo Pinto's 0:27:36.520 --> 0:27:41.320 page our our partner at Until Freedom that you know, 0:27:41.359 --> 0:27:47.000 America helped to get a black woman free regarding marijuana, 0:27:47.600 --> 0:27:50.680 you know, a marijuana situation. We need to make sure 0:27:50.680 --> 0:27:53.359 that the people who are in jail in America for 0:27:53.520 --> 0:27:58.520 marijuana violations are also free, and we can say that 0:27:58.720 --> 0:28:03.119 what would be consistent is that the um that that 0:28:03.359 --> 0:28:09.040 the federal government and Joe Biden did sign an executive 0:28:09.200 --> 0:28:12.920 order to say on a federal level that people who 0:28:13.080 --> 0:28:18.760 are in prison for uh certain types of marijuana convictions 0:28:19.080 --> 0:28:21.919 that they should be free. Right. So, so to this 0:28:21.920 --> 0:28:23.680 this is this is good, but it's still a lot 0:28:23.760 --> 0:28:26.960 with that because I learned more about how many people 0:28:27.000 --> 0:28:31.040 it does not apply to, and of course black everything 0:28:31.520 --> 0:28:36.639 there needs to be it needs to be um there 0:28:37.000 --> 0:28:42.200 needs to be focused on making the legislation better or 0:28:42.280 --> 0:28:45.200 the executive order better and stronger. So but that's not 0:28:45.240 --> 0:28:48.280 what we're here to debate today, UM which reminds me 0:28:48.400 --> 0:28:51.160 we do need to have a show on that because 0:28:51.600 --> 0:28:55.000 there are some real significant pieces of it that's missing 0:28:55.360 --> 0:28:58.280 and so therefore it's not going to have the widespread 0:28:58.680 --> 0:29:02.400 appeal or that it needs used to have or effective effectiveness. 0:29:02.800 --> 0:29:07.840 But anyway, I understand the implications of other people that 0:29:07.880 --> 0:29:12.920 are imprisoned in Russia. I also understand the arms dealer. 0:29:13.000 --> 0:29:15.200 What is he? The merchant of death. It's a very 0:29:15.280 --> 0:29:19.760 dangerous man, and it is a big chip, big chip 0:29:20.000 --> 0:29:24.440 to put on the table for one person. And you know, 0:29:24.760 --> 0:29:26.960 knowing that there are other people that were there longer 0:29:27.000 --> 0:29:30.200 than Brittany, I totally get it. I understand it, and 0:29:30.240 --> 0:29:32.440 I know there are people who want to have that discussion. 0:29:32.960 --> 0:29:37.720 But I also want to remind everybody and remind us 0:29:37.800 --> 0:29:41.640 as black women that we are just that valuable, that 0:29:41.760 --> 0:29:47.640 we are actually just that precious and we get every 0:29:47.680 --> 0:29:50.760 and by the way, when you do business with somebody, 0:29:51.120 --> 0:29:55.080 they're supposed to do business back with you, right. So 0:29:55.640 --> 0:29:59.160 the business that we did was closing the deal for 0:29:59.400 --> 0:30:03.440 the Biden administration and helping them to get elected to office. 0:30:03.520 --> 0:30:08.040 We did business with the body uh administration. That's how 0:30:08.040 --> 0:30:10.880 they got there. They said, it not just me, the 0:30:10.960 --> 0:30:17.200 exempos and Vice President Harris and President Biden, they both said, 0:30:17.800 --> 0:30:20.719 we have to thank black women. Black women helped us 0:30:20.760 --> 0:30:23.960 get here. We owe black women and you know who 0:30:24.040 --> 0:30:27.960 was out there really sort of leading the charge around 0:30:27.960 --> 0:30:31.440 getting Brittney Grinder or black women free. Black women not 0:30:31.520 --> 0:30:33.920 saying black men weren't. I'm just saying we had a 0:30:34.040 --> 0:30:37.880 role right and so they owe us and we're just 0:30:38.000 --> 0:30:42.840 that valuable. And when you are responsible for helping someone 0:30:43.000 --> 0:30:46.040 get a job, then you show up on the job 0:30:46.120 --> 0:30:48.680 one day and say hey, I need to I need 0:30:48.760 --> 0:30:51.560 you know, I need to get a few things done here. 0:30:52.760 --> 0:30:55.520 Not saying that anybody should do anything illegal for you, 0:30:56.240 --> 0:30:59.240 I'm not saying that anybody should break the rules, but 0:30:59.360 --> 0:31:02.600 damn sure you should be acknowledged, and you should be 0:31:02.640 --> 0:31:05.280 moving a couple of favorites and now and then when 0:31:05.320 --> 0:31:08.240 you when you were you put working. That's that's the thing. 0:31:08.280 --> 0:31:12.040 You're having relationships and building bonds and creating you know, 0:31:12.120 --> 0:31:14.560 community and things that I need just because you you 0:31:14.560 --> 0:31:16.640 you have somebody who you can call in the chip. 0:31:16.760 --> 0:31:19.600 You call it and say hey, we've been and they're like, oh, yeah, 0:31:19.640 --> 0:31:21.959 this person has always been supporting me. They don't. I'm 0:31:21.960 --> 0:31:24.480 gonna go above and beyond because I know when it 0:31:24.560 --> 0:31:26.920 came down to it, they got my back. And that's 0:31:27.040 --> 0:31:29.920 that's what happened here. You know, black women pretty much 0:31:30.400 --> 0:31:34.240 supported and put this presidency into presidency, you know, so 0:31:34.280 --> 0:31:36.440 it's time to cash in one of those chips. Brittany's 0:31:36.560 --> 0:31:42.360 black women put the presidency in the presidency. Man. So 0:31:42.840 --> 0:31:45.880 I don't see nothing wrong with it. Man. Everybody ain't 0:31:45.880 --> 0:31:48.640 got the same juice, card man. And because everybody ain't 0:31:48.640 --> 0:31:52.880 putting the same working, well, there's that, and you know, 0:31:53.000 --> 0:31:56.160 hopefully there's more to come out of the administration on 0:31:56.280 --> 0:32:00.640 a number of other issues. Yes, as of something going, 0:32:01.240 --> 0:32:05.360 they keep fighting, keep pushing. But this is a historic 0:32:05.440 --> 0:32:07.840 moment and this is what we all said. This is 0:32:07.880 --> 0:32:10.000 what we said, and a lot of people are still 0:32:10.040 --> 0:32:14.320 met all Joe Biden, Joe Biden, listen, we said that 0:32:14.360 --> 0:32:17.080 we was gonna push to get things done. When we 0:32:17.080 --> 0:32:19.280 look at these executives, we look at look at the 0:32:19.320 --> 0:32:23.400 things that are happening. Whether you think they're good, bad, 0:32:23.560 --> 0:32:26.360 or they don't really matter. Everything that we've got done 0:32:26.360 --> 0:32:29.680 in this administration is because people pushed and they fought 0:32:29.720 --> 0:32:32.400 and they continue to fight and every day we fight. 0:32:32.440 --> 0:32:34.760 We're not we don't. Like we said before, we don't 0:32:34.760 --> 0:32:38.440 have no allies. We just wanted better. I wasn't gonna 0:32:38.440 --> 0:32:43.040 sit there. What did we say, what did we say? No, No, 0:32:43.360 --> 0:32:47.200 it's not so much they say. They say that the 0:32:47.320 --> 0:32:49.840 same is we don't have permanent friends. We just have 0:32:49.960 --> 0:32:53.880 permanent interests. That's what that's the same, right, We don't 0:32:53.880 --> 0:32:56.440 have permanent friends. And we always said were looking for 0:32:56.480 --> 0:32:59.200 a better opponent. We was looking for a better opponent, 0:32:59.240 --> 0:33:02.239 and we went so this is still our point. You know, 0:33:02.560 --> 0:33:05.280 we're four Trump for four years and now we we're 0:33:05.320 --> 0:33:08.080 gonna fight him. We're gonna fight by his whole term. 0:33:08.120 --> 0:33:10.280 But we got a better chance of beating him. We 0:33:10.400 --> 0:33:12.640 got a better chance of beating him in two submission 0:33:12.720 --> 0:33:14.640 to doing the ship we want because Trump don't give 0:33:14.680 --> 0:33:17.560 a funk. Trump al killed itself before he gave an 0:33:17.640 --> 0:33:20.280 about a black man. That man don't care that you know, 0:33:20.440 --> 0:33:24.000 So I'm not I'm just for me. You know. This 0:33:24.080 --> 0:33:29.200 is this is proof that you know, for me that 0:33:29.320 --> 0:33:32.720 the work that's been put in is slowly, slowly coming 0:33:32.760 --> 0:33:35.120 to food. You know, a lot of these executive orders 0:33:35.160 --> 0:33:37.800 that we've seen side slowly. Sure they could be a 0:33:37.840 --> 0:33:42.080 lot better, all these things, but I'm slowly seeing things happen. 0:33:42.200 --> 0:33:45.040 Is because we continue to push and we continue to fight. 0:33:45.640 --> 0:33:48.000 We got a guess coming up now. Trent out loud 0:33:48.120 --> 0:33:52.560 from exclusivey uh, and I'm super excited to bring this 0:33:52.680 --> 0:33:55.560 brother on so we can learn about what he has 0:33:55.600 --> 0:33:57.880 going on in Canada and be out here talking to 0:33:57.920 --> 0:34:07.920 people internationally. This gentleman who's joining us today is very, 0:34:08.120 --> 0:34:12.560 very very persistent. I uh. For a few days was 0:34:12.640 --> 0:34:18.000 being tagged in my stories the d ms the comments 0:34:18.000 --> 0:34:21.799 section by someone saying, you know, check read your read 0:34:21.840 --> 0:34:25.600 your stories, check check your DM, check your DM. And 0:34:25.719 --> 0:34:28.400 I get that a lot. And sometimes I open things 0:34:28.440 --> 0:34:32.520 that are it's not favorable, um, you know, rude, lies, 0:34:33.200 --> 0:34:36.000 all kinds of things, and so I'm careful about what 0:34:36.040 --> 0:34:40.000 I exposed myself too. But I did click UM on 0:34:40.200 --> 0:34:43.000 his page to learn, like just to see, like, who 0:34:43.080 --> 0:34:46.919 is this person that's being so persistent, And I was like, Oh, wow, 0:34:46.960 --> 0:34:49.120 this guy, you know, somebody that I think we should 0:34:49.160 --> 0:34:52.400 learn more about. Uh. And then I read the story about, 0:34:52.960 --> 0:34:57.440 you know, his partnership with Nike and where that relationship stands, 0:34:57.760 --> 0:34:59.839 and I was like, Oh, this is someone we want 0:34:59.840 --> 0:35:02.040 to off to just to learn more, you know, and 0:35:02.040 --> 0:35:05.480 and to really sort of understand what's happening with UM 0:35:05.560 --> 0:35:08.799 some of the relationships with black partners and you know 0:35:08.880 --> 0:35:14.000 and black UM other black owned Uh, you know companies 0:35:14.239 --> 0:35:17.480 that have relationships with Nike and other brands. And I 0:35:17.520 --> 0:35:19.759 think what we were just talking about, Mice is so 0:35:19.840 --> 0:35:24.080 important that we are we find out things in the 0:35:24.120 --> 0:35:28.200 midst of catastrophes and controversy and what have you. And 0:35:28.239 --> 0:35:29.960 so I guess, you know, a lot of things are 0:35:30.040 --> 0:35:33.560 come into life now. So it is what it is, um. 0:35:33.680 --> 0:35:37.480 But you know, upon learning more about him, I found 0:35:37.520 --> 0:35:40.319 that he's more than just the partnership with Nike. He 0:35:40.360 --> 0:35:44.200 actually has a lot going on. A Canada resident, um, 0:35:44.480 --> 0:35:49.640 and someone who's business had it extends beyond just a 0:35:49.680 --> 0:35:54.080 sneaker brand or sneaker store. He actually is engaged in 0:35:54.560 --> 0:35:56.719 a lot of things and and being sort of an 0:35:56.719 --> 0:36:00.960 activist as well and real interesting guy. So let's bring 0:36:01.560 --> 0:36:05.440 Trent out loud, who has a boutique in Canada called 0:36:05.960 --> 0:36:10.680 Exclool City Exclool City, Uh, and let's learn some more 0:36:10.719 --> 0:36:13.880 about him. Thank you trying, thanks for joining, Thank you 0:36:13.920 --> 0:36:15.960 so much for having me. It's an honor. What's up, Mice? 0:36:16.719 --> 0:36:22.480 What's going on? So tell us about Exclude City like 0:36:23.440 --> 0:36:28.640 city exactly so Exclusive City joining Exclu City, um. So, 0:36:28.760 --> 0:36:31.960 School City is a sneaker boutique that UM I started 0:36:32.000 --> 0:36:33.719 that was actually at the trunk of my car. We 0:36:33.760 --> 0:36:36.680 sold do rags and long teas. If you guys remember that, 0:36:37.280 --> 0:36:39.160 UH long teas and do rags used to drive down 0:36:39.200 --> 0:36:42.880 to Manhattan and UH I started selling mix tapes and 0:36:42.920 --> 0:36:44.759 long teas and do rags of the trick of my car. 0:36:45.400 --> 0:36:48.279 UH gott into a basement of a tattoo parlor at 0:36:48.520 --> 0:36:52.360 my first brick and mortar location, etcetera, etcetera. Fifteen years 0:36:52.400 --> 0:36:55.160 down the line, we are a national brand and UH 0:36:55.400 --> 0:36:58.880 Canada's you know, premier sneaker boutique and the only black 0:36:58.920 --> 0:37:05.400 owned neighborhood account with Nike neighborhood. What is the neighborhood account? 0:37:06.360 --> 0:37:08.279 So thank you so much for asking me that. So 0:37:08.320 --> 0:37:14.440 the neighborhood account is Nike's top tier account. They classified 0:37:14.560 --> 0:37:18.839 as as Nike and Jordan's backbone to their business. UM 0:37:18.960 --> 0:37:23.759 neighborhood accounts are tapped too, set the trends culture and 0:37:23.880 --> 0:37:27.400 influence style and trends, because we all know that's where 0:37:27.840 --> 0:37:30.839 all these corporate companies get all their ideas from. Right. So, 0:37:30.960 --> 0:37:33.160 for example, like the Jordan's one Lost and Founds that 0:37:33.200 --> 0:37:35.920 just came out, you won't find that at Sears or 0:37:35.960 --> 0:37:39.040 Debay or Coals or department stores. You'll find that in 0:37:39.120 --> 0:37:43.280 your neighborhood, UM, neighborhood accounts and your in your neighborhood 0:37:43.320 --> 0:37:46.759 boutiques because they want to get that those styles to 0:37:47.280 --> 0:37:51.120 the kids that are going to create the culture. So, UM, 0:37:51.200 --> 0:37:55.319 we're Nike's you know, top tier. UM, you know, their 0:37:55.360 --> 0:37:59.160 best and brightest um hairs are given to neighborhood accounts. 0:38:00.800 --> 0:38:03.480 So how long have you? How long did you? I've 0:38:03.480 --> 0:38:06.440 been doing it since when? Again, So I've had a 0:38:06.520 --> 0:38:09.439 Nike account for we've been open, We've just celebrated our 0:38:09.440 --> 0:38:12.239 our sixteenth year anniversary. I've had a Nake account for 0:38:12.360 --> 0:38:16.120 close to thirteen years. M wow. So but before we 0:38:16.200 --> 0:38:19.719 get more into the ninety situation, what I what was 0:38:19.800 --> 0:38:25.439 intriguing to me beyond your current issues in terms of 0:38:25.480 --> 0:38:30.520 dealing with that company, was your personal story. And I 0:38:30.600 --> 0:38:34.280 see that you had two books. UM. One is called 0:38:34.320 --> 0:38:38.120 How Sneakers Uh Saved My Life and the other one 0:38:38.280 --> 0:38:41.200 is How Sneak Has Ruined My Life? And I was like, 0:38:41.280 --> 0:38:44.960 this is interesting. There must be something really powerful that 0:38:45.040 --> 0:38:49.680 lies in that story. So tell us about your journey, um. 0:38:49.760 --> 0:38:54.600 And then ultimately, why did you write those two books. Okay. Um, 0:38:54.680 --> 0:38:58.040 So I've always wanted to write and to kind of 0:38:58.080 --> 0:39:00.960 give back. And it started out as like a how 0:39:01.040 --> 0:39:03.480 to book, how to live your truth, how to you know, 0:39:03.560 --> 0:39:06.160 not beulacy, how to be present, persistent and get the 0:39:06.200 --> 0:39:09.160 attention of Tamika Mawory and my son, um you know, 0:39:09.200 --> 0:39:12.279 and it just it just didn't really connect. Um. And 0:39:12.320 --> 0:39:15.920 then during COVID and as I was preparing to celebrate 0:39:15.960 --> 0:39:18.920 my fifty year anniversary at the store, I started writing 0:39:19.320 --> 0:39:22.960 my story and my journey. And then I gave it 0:39:23.000 --> 0:39:24.719 to a few people and they're like, yo, that's the 0:39:24.760 --> 0:39:27.160 book you need to write. You need to write your autobiography. 0:39:27.160 --> 0:39:30.440 And even though I'm young, it's still you know. And 0:39:30.560 --> 0:39:32.600 this the reason why even started my podcast. It turned 0:39:32.600 --> 0:39:35.160 out lot of podcasts. I believe that everybody has a story, 0:39:35.239 --> 0:39:38.480 everybody has a journey. If you're a neighbor or custodian 0:39:38.640 --> 0:39:40.880 or whatever, it doesn't matter. Like everybody has a journey, 0:39:40.880 --> 0:39:44.000 has a story. So um, that's where it started out. 0:39:44.360 --> 0:39:47.560 And um, and for me, I wanted to give back 0:39:47.719 --> 0:39:51.560 to the people that helped me get to my fifty unniversary, 0:39:51.960 --> 0:39:57.160 that black men or women out there that is looking 0:39:57.640 --> 0:40:00.600 for a black entrepreneur, and they don't see when especially 0:40:00.560 --> 0:40:02.719 appear in Canada, you don't see a lot of black 0:40:02.840 --> 0:40:06.439 entrepreneurs being successful, having a multimillion dollar business and having 0:40:06.440 --> 0:40:09.160 a national brand, and especially writing a book about it. 0:40:09.200 --> 0:40:10.839 So I just thought it was really important to give 0:40:10.880 --> 0:40:14.880 back to the community that gave gave me my everything. 0:40:15.960 --> 0:40:18.959 And so why why are the two books and one 0:40:19.520 --> 0:40:23.320 sneakers stage your life on one it rooined your life? Okay, 0:40:23.360 --> 0:40:26.160 so the first one saved my life is it starts 0:40:26.160 --> 0:40:28.560 out with me, um, and I thought it was really 0:40:28.560 --> 0:40:32.320 important to let people know, UM my, my family backgrounds. 0:40:32.360 --> 0:40:35.640 I feel like a lot of us come from this. Unfortunately, 0:40:35.640 --> 0:40:38.120 the same dynamic where I grew up in. UM my 0:40:38.200 --> 0:40:41.040 father was president, but it was also a verbally and 0:40:41.120 --> 0:40:44.560 physically abusive household. Um I got out of that house. 0:40:44.960 --> 0:40:46.400 Um I got I moved out of my house and 0:40:46.440 --> 0:40:49.640 I was seventeen years old, you know, started hanging around 0:40:49.680 --> 0:40:52.480 with the wrong crowd. Uh, you know, getting arrested. I 0:40:52.520 --> 0:40:56.400 had a gun charge. Um I. Um was found guilty 0:40:56.400 --> 0:40:58.919 of fraud. I was UM yeah, I was just going 0:40:58.960 --> 0:41:03.000 down the wrong place. I was banned from entering the US, 0:41:03.080 --> 0:41:05.279 and UM, I just looked one day and I was like, yeah, 0:41:05.360 --> 0:41:07.080 I can't keep going down this road. I can't keep 0:41:07.080 --> 0:41:09.680 going on that this path. And I looked to, um, 0:41:09.680 --> 0:41:12.480 I only graduated high school. I self educated myself. I 0:41:12.480 --> 0:41:14.799 started reading books, and I started trying to understand more 0:41:14.800 --> 0:41:17.280 about business, and it was and that's why the book 0:41:17.320 --> 0:41:19.600 is How Sneakers Saved My life. It's really how business 0:41:19.640 --> 0:41:21.719 saved my life. But I just use Sneakers as the 0:41:21.760 --> 0:41:26.480 catalyst because I opened five companies that failed prior to 0:41:26.560 --> 0:41:30.040 exclucity making it work. So that first book is really 0:41:30.080 --> 0:41:33.960 about the grind and determination and not letting um your 0:41:34.040 --> 0:41:38.000 unfortunate circumstances or your past or your family's dynamic to 0:41:38.080 --> 0:41:39.839 not let that hold you back. And I felt like 0:41:40.000 --> 0:41:43.759 I didn't find enough business books from entrepreneurs or CEOs 0:41:43.800 --> 0:41:45.680 that spoke about that, So I thought it was important 0:41:45.680 --> 0:41:48.640 to let our culture know that no, UM, you don't 0:41:48.680 --> 0:41:51.200 have to let your circumstances hold you back and you 0:41:51.239 --> 0:41:55.760 can be profitable. So now tell us about how Sneaker 0:41:55.760 --> 0:41:58.120 has ruined your life. All right, So so that was 0:41:58.160 --> 0:42:01.880 the positive. Now the negative aspect is that business is 0:42:01.920 --> 0:42:05.399 not always cracked up to be go into business thinking yeah, 0:42:05.440 --> 0:42:07.279 I'm gonna be my own. But you know, like you 0:42:07.320 --> 0:42:09.960 know did e J. You you know, you look at 0:42:09.960 --> 0:42:12.279 all of these you know, rappers and you know that 0:42:12.360 --> 0:42:15.239 hip hop lifestyle and fifty cent get Richard I trying, 0:42:15.280 --> 0:42:16.560 and you're like, yeah, I'm gonna be a boss. I'm 0:42:16.560 --> 0:42:18.120 gonna do this. So I'm gonna have cars, gonna have 0:42:18.200 --> 0:42:21.920 all that, and you gotta be careful what you wish for. Man. Um, 0:42:22.480 --> 0:42:26.120 I was very successful. I had the house that I wanted, 0:42:26.160 --> 0:42:27.880 I had the cars that I wanted. I had the 0:42:27.920 --> 0:42:30.759 lifestyle that I wanted and that I thought that I 0:42:30.840 --> 0:42:33.120 wanted that was gonna make me happy. And I, um, 0:42:33.280 --> 0:42:34.839 you know when they say, like the material things are 0:42:34.880 --> 0:42:36.319 not gonna make you happy, but you're like, let me 0:42:36.320 --> 0:42:38.520 get those material things and find out. You know, I 0:42:38.520 --> 0:42:41.080 got those material things and I found out real quick 0:42:41.160 --> 0:42:43.920 that that you know, it wasn't making me happy. Um. 0:42:43.960 --> 0:42:46.120 So that's part of the book. And the second part 0:42:46.200 --> 0:42:49.000 of the book. Um. Still, how sneakers ruined my life 0:42:49.080 --> 0:42:53.000 was the Nike and Adidas battle. And I don't know 0:42:53.040 --> 0:42:56.200 how familiar you guys are in a sneaker industry, um, 0:42:56.760 --> 0:43:02.360 but when Kanye left Nike for Adidas. It started a 0:43:02.600 --> 0:43:06.520 huge battle between the two brands, and not in the mainstream, 0:43:06.560 --> 0:43:09.160 but like what I spoke about before, in the neighborhood tiering, 0:43:09.560 --> 0:43:13.640 and it really started Nike and Adidas really focusing on hype. 0:43:14.000 --> 0:43:15.640 And what a lot of people don't realize is that 0:43:15.719 --> 0:43:18.480 these hype sneakers, we don't get enough of them to 0:43:18.719 --> 0:43:21.760 pay our rents and to um to make our payroll. 0:43:21.840 --> 0:43:24.200 So um in two thousand and eighteen, I lost two 0:43:24.200 --> 0:43:33.440 point two million dollars UM due to this. Yeah, yeah exactly, 0:43:32.000 --> 0:43:39.480 that's yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you man exactly. That's why 0:43:39.520 --> 0:43:41.879 these books are are really important. And I didn't even 0:43:41.880 --> 0:43:43.520 know I was gonna be on your show talking about that, 0:43:43.560 --> 0:43:46.680 but but thank you for bringing it up. UM. So 0:43:46.680 --> 0:43:48.719 so when I and and just to make sure, like 0:43:49.560 --> 0:43:51.840 when I when I speak about that, people are like, Okay, 0:43:51.840 --> 0:43:54.080 you lost two million dollars in sales. No, No, I 0:43:54.160 --> 0:43:59.000 lost two point two million dollars Like I lost that money, 0:43:59.200 --> 0:44:02.680 not in sales. I physically lost that UM. But the 0:44:02.719 --> 0:44:08.240 important part about it is that I lost more during Sorry. 0:44:08.360 --> 0:44:10.879 The important part about that is that I learned more 0:44:10.880 --> 0:44:14.160 about business during that time that I learned in the 0:44:14.280 --> 0:44:19.080 time growing I had to get financial advised. You see 0:44:19.080 --> 0:44:21.120 what I'm saying. That's what's important. That's why I booked two. 0:44:21.160 --> 0:44:23.400 Is very important. The grind, hustle, and you know, not 0:44:23.480 --> 0:44:26.280 letting the obstacles get you in your way is really important. 0:44:26.400 --> 0:44:30.600 But also when you get there, the dynamic of business, 0:44:30.600 --> 0:44:33.399 and it could apply to anything in life, your downturns, 0:44:33.480 --> 0:44:36.279 or where you're gonna learn about yourself the most and 0:44:36.320 --> 0:44:40.160 about your business the most. Right um So, anyway, so 0:44:40.200 --> 0:44:42.520 I was like very close to filing for bankruptcy two 0:44:42.520 --> 0:44:46.520 thousand and nineteen. UM I lost two hundred thousand dollars, 0:44:46.760 --> 0:44:48.799 which still is a loss. But if you look at 0:44:48.800 --> 0:44:51.000 the year before losing two million, and then the next 0:44:51.080 --> 0:44:53.719 year losing only two hundred thousand, that means that I've 0:44:53.760 --> 0:44:56.719 made exactly I made the appropriate changes, and in two 0:44:56.760 --> 0:44:59.600 thousand and twenty came along UM and then you know 0:44:59.640 --> 0:45:03.200 we're on our way to being more profitable. And then 0:45:03.239 --> 0:45:06.040 COVID hit and then I'll give away the secret. There 0:45:06.120 --> 0:45:09.920 is a book three. Book two ends at me UM 0:45:09.960 --> 0:45:13.560 with me on the floor drunk, coming back from Barbados, 0:45:13.960 --> 0:45:16.840 dealing with the anxiety of not knowing how I'm going 0:45:16.880 --> 0:45:21.160 to survive this potential bankruptcy and I haven't fought for 0:45:21.239 --> 0:45:24.040 bankruptcy and I'm more successful now than I have been 0:45:24.520 --> 0:45:26.160 um in the past fourteen years. But I'll tell you 0:45:26.200 --> 0:45:30.759 guys about that book. Three mm hm. So, so tell 0:45:30.880 --> 0:45:36.640 us about this current situation that you're going through with. Okay, 0:45:36.760 --> 0:45:40.000 that's a loaded question. What do you want to know exactly? 0:45:42.600 --> 0:45:45.359 How did you get the relationship with Nike going? Like where? 0:45:45.400 --> 0:45:48.719 How did you Is it just an application process or 0:45:49.640 --> 0:45:53.719 did so? Thirteen years ago when we were starting out, 0:45:53.719 --> 0:45:55.120 like I said, we started, I was doing it was 0:45:55.239 --> 0:45:58.360 just doing apparel, and it was now setting emails, doing applications, 0:45:58.360 --> 0:46:00.560 and they got denied deny did in the night. And 0:46:00.600 --> 0:46:04.000 we had to prove ourselves with others, with other sneaker 0:46:04.000 --> 0:46:07.640 companies before like we got Supra, then we've got Converse, 0:46:07.680 --> 0:46:09.359 and we've got Vans, and then you work your way 0:46:09.440 --> 0:46:11.480 up in the Nike. He's like, Okay, you could make yourself, 0:46:11.760 --> 0:46:15.239 you know, profitable and working without Nike, then Nike will 0:46:15.320 --> 0:46:17.399 will open your account. But that was thirteen years ago. 0:46:17.400 --> 0:46:20.160 They're not opening any new accounts now. Sorry to like 0:46:20.920 --> 0:46:23.040 for any kids out there that that's that's looking to 0:46:23.080 --> 0:46:29.239 open this think your boutique, but so so now what 0:46:29.560 --> 0:46:35.160 I'm understanding is that you as a business that has 0:46:35.160 --> 0:46:38.440 a boutique where people can walk into the boutique and purchase, 0:46:38.520 --> 0:46:42.719 and obviously everything is going digital, people are shopping more online. 0:46:43.320 --> 0:46:46.600 You at some point started to move your business to 0:46:47.000 --> 0:46:50.440 a digital space and then there became some issue. So 0:46:50.560 --> 0:46:52.960 tell us about that and you know and where you 0:46:53.040 --> 0:46:57.719 swear you are now all right? So um prior in 0:46:57.719 --> 0:47:01.719 two thousand and nineteen, uh, when we started, um, you know, 0:47:01.760 --> 0:47:06.080 making changes to to stay out of bankruptcy, I closed 0:47:06.120 --> 0:47:08.880 down a lot of my non profitable stores, and I 0:47:08.960 --> 0:47:12.760 had an idea to say, listen, instead of having these 0:47:12.920 --> 0:47:16.640 you know, rents that are fortys in these payrolls out 0:47:16.640 --> 0:47:19.240 of forty tho dollars a month, you know, I'm starting 0:47:19.239 --> 0:47:21.680 out a month a hundred thousand dollars behind eight ball, 0:47:22.040 --> 0:47:26.160 Like I'm gonna I'm gonna change the um the structure 0:47:26.719 --> 0:47:29.600 of of what traditional brick and mortar is. And I 0:47:29.600 --> 0:47:32.439 want to have my stores be more experience stores where 0:47:32.760 --> 0:47:36.600 I'm pushing people to shot more online, and then I'll 0:47:36.640 --> 0:47:40.440 be able to move my stores away from the locate 0:47:40.560 --> 0:47:43.960 the the the high traffic locations and I can have 0:47:44.040 --> 0:47:46.319 cheaper rents and I can maybe not open every day 0:47:46.400 --> 0:47:48.719 and just have the stores be more of an experience 0:47:48.800 --> 0:47:51.200 stores and less of a traditional brick and mortar and 0:47:51.200 --> 0:47:53.520 then you have your inventory at a warehouse and then 0:47:53.560 --> 0:47:57.640 ship your product to the customer. Makes sense, right, Um? 0:47:57.920 --> 0:48:00.800 So the so that was approved, and then during covid 0:48:01.000 --> 0:48:06.239 Nike made UM a lot of managerial changes, and uh, 0:48:06.280 --> 0:48:08.879 coming out of COVID UM, you know, they're like, Trent, 0:48:08.920 --> 0:48:10.879 you gotta open up your stores. What's going on. I'm like, hey, 0:48:10.920 --> 0:48:12.719 I told you guys before I was working on my 0:48:12.760 --> 0:48:15.320 new concept. I'm working on it. They're like, okay, whatever 0:48:15.360 --> 0:48:17.720 you're doing, just do it. I finally got it open 0:48:18.120 --> 0:48:21.640 UM December two thousand twenty one and they opened and 0:48:21.680 --> 0:48:23.640 I opened, and they're like, what is this. You need 0:48:23.680 --> 0:48:26.680 to open your traditional brick and mortar retailer. What is 0:48:26.719 --> 0:48:29.359 this experience stores? You're only open a few days a week. 0:48:29.600 --> 0:48:31.880 People can't buy product in your store. They have to 0:48:32.000 --> 0:48:34.120 order on the tablet and it ships to them. And like, 0:48:34.280 --> 0:48:36.760 we spoke about this, and I have emails to prove 0:48:36.880 --> 0:48:39.680 this that it was approved. They're like, listen, that was 0:48:39.880 --> 0:48:43.120 past management. We don't care about what they say. You 0:48:43.160 --> 0:48:46.160 need to open your traditional brick and mortar. And I'm like, hey, guys, 0:48:46.280 --> 0:48:50.280 I wrote a damn book about the ebbs and flows 0:48:50.440 --> 0:48:52.840 and the downturn that I just experienced for three or 0:48:52.880 --> 0:48:57.000 four years with this old traditional brick and mortar retail model, 0:48:57.239 --> 0:48:59.279 and you guys are not giving me the amount of 0:48:59.280 --> 0:49:01.920 pairs that I need to pay these rents and to 0:49:01.960 --> 0:49:04.040 pay these payrolls. So I'm not going to go back 0:49:04.080 --> 0:49:06.640 and open up a traditional brick and mortar retailer if 0:49:06.680 --> 0:49:09.440 I'm not going to get the product to um to 0:49:09.880 --> 0:49:13.600 um to balance those those expenses, right. And um they 0:49:13.600 --> 0:49:15.520 had a problem with that. We went back and forth 0:49:15.920 --> 0:49:19.640 and um, and that's my issue now. Um we I 0:49:19.680 --> 0:49:21.759 sent them a couple of lawyer letters. They sent me 0:49:21.800 --> 0:49:26.880 back a lawyer's letter, and my account was closed October 0:49:27.360 --> 0:49:30.640 the first, two thousand and twenty two. Mm hmm. See 0:49:30.640 --> 0:49:33.640 That's why I say, Maggie, you know, that's that's been 0:49:33.960 --> 0:49:38.600 that's been my mode, you know. And so you you 0:49:38.360 --> 0:49:42.640 you you started modernizing, getting with the times, understanding that 0:49:42.960 --> 0:49:47.200 you needed a lot less overhead. You know, they already 0:49:47.200 --> 0:49:50.400 had trusted you with the brand because you knew obviously, 0:49:50.400 --> 0:49:52.759 you knew how to market and sell the brand, you know, 0:49:52.920 --> 0:49:55.800 so when you came to them with this new model 0:49:55.840 --> 0:49:59.400 that you were going to did initially agreed and said, okay, 0:49:59.440 --> 0:50:04.160 this is it's okay. So the new leadership came in, 0:50:04.239 --> 0:50:06.600 they said, nah, we don't care about nothing that We 0:50:06.640 --> 0:50:09.040 need you to do the regular old stuff that you've 0:50:09.040 --> 0:50:12.560 been doing. That basically had you damned bankrupt and had 0:50:12.600 --> 0:50:15.680 you about to eat at the garbage so amasically like 0:50:15.840 --> 0:50:18.160 you didn't give a funk about you. They was trying 0:50:18.160 --> 0:50:20.960 to figure out, Look, we just need our shoes inside 0:50:20.920 --> 0:50:23.160 of the stores. We don't care what you gotta do. 0:50:23.160 --> 0:50:24.960 We don't care if you can make money. None of 0:50:24.960 --> 0:50:27.160 that badness to us. We need you to open these 0:50:27.200 --> 0:50:30.000 bricks brick and mortar stores and have to sneak is 0:50:30.040 --> 0:50:35.399 physically in there or it's over correct. And and that 0:50:35.520 --> 0:50:37.520 is my argument. And this is why, Like I follow 0:50:37.560 --> 0:50:39.399 you on your Instagram and I know your whole funk 0:50:39.480 --> 0:50:42.440 Nike hashtag, and I was like, should I leave these 0:50:42.480 --> 0:50:45.200 two Jordan's right here behind me? I wonder what my 0:50:45.280 --> 0:50:47.400 sound is gonna think? I was, but I short of 0:50:47.560 --> 0:50:49.160 I was gonna say something, but I understand that that's 0:50:49.200 --> 0:50:51.799 your things, but I don't know this is your you know, 0:50:51.920 --> 0:50:54.040 that's your thing me and to me to just had 0:50:54.120 --> 0:50:57.439 a conversation prior to you coming on about her saying 0:50:57.520 --> 0:51:00.040 she got two pair Nike that she probably still on 0:51:00.200 --> 0:51:03.520 where that you know, maybe she still she still she 0:51:03.600 --> 0:51:06.360 loved those her favorites. But you know, I just think 0:51:06.800 --> 0:51:11.120 I think we're at a time, you know, when these corporations, 0:51:11.440 --> 0:51:16.600 traditional corporations that have benefited off of us, have profited 0:51:16.640 --> 0:51:19.399 off us, showed us, show us that they don't value us, 0:51:19.680 --> 0:51:22.360 right and this and that's what this basically goes down to. 0:51:22.480 --> 0:51:26.399 It's not it's like they don't value they value you 0:51:26.640 --> 0:51:28.960 when they think that you can make the money. They 0:51:29.000 --> 0:51:31.720 don't value the brain power that you have. Because obviously, 0:51:31.760 --> 0:51:34.840 you you understand the market. You out there any you 0:51:35.040 --> 0:51:37.479 have these brick and mortar stores, and you understand where 0:51:37.520 --> 0:51:40.479 the market is calling. For most people, I don't even 0:51:40.800 --> 0:51:42.520 I don't even think I go this once in a while, 0:51:42.560 --> 0:51:45.319 I go to a sneaker store here there For most part, 0:51:45.520 --> 0:51:48.000 I see sneakers online in order they sent me four 0:51:48.080 --> 0:51:51.239 or five sneakers. That's how most people are shocking. So 0:51:51.400 --> 0:51:56.399 when when you've already established a brand like exclusiity. You 0:51:56.400 --> 0:51:58.840 you already established that brand, so people know that you 0:51:58.960 --> 0:52:02.319 have the exclusive. So once you make it, put it 0:52:02.360 --> 0:52:04.319 online and oh yeah, this is okay, this is the 0:52:04.360 --> 0:52:05.680 store I used to go to. I could just sit 0:52:05.719 --> 0:52:08.120 at my house and order these same sneakers, or I 0:52:08.120 --> 0:52:10.120 can go there. I know, i gotta be there on 0:52:10.239 --> 0:52:12.680 Monday or Thursday because that's the only days it is open. 0:52:13.000 --> 0:52:16.880 So I'm definitely gonna go there. And only only a 0:52:16.880 --> 0:52:18.680 few of us to get to that. You know what 0:52:18.680 --> 0:52:23.279 I'm saying. So you you understand it's still etlusive, and 0:52:23.320 --> 0:52:26.000 you understand them the marketing, and you understand the strategy 0:52:26.080 --> 0:52:29.279 and and and the fact that they don't value that, right, 0:52:29.400 --> 0:52:31.399 the fact that they wouldn't value that means that they 0:52:31.440 --> 0:52:34.400 just don't value us, and and and I know you 0:52:34.400 --> 0:52:36.120 know that's your business. And I'm not telling you what 0:52:36.160 --> 0:52:37.840 to do, but I just think that we have to 0:52:37.880 --> 0:52:40.279 get into the mind state. Like I was telling you 0:52:40.320 --> 0:52:45.279 before we even started, that there has to be us 0:52:45.680 --> 0:52:50.839 detaching from these systems because they understand that's what gives 0:52:50.840 --> 0:52:53.480 them the power. They realized that we feel so attached 0:52:53.840 --> 0:52:56.520 to these systems that we feel like we need them 0:52:56.880 --> 0:52:58.600 to be able to do these things. And it's like, no, 0:52:58.719 --> 0:53:02.800 we we created the culture. We created the fast we created. 0:53:02.880 --> 0:53:06.880 Look like you said, we've created what's cool. We dictate 0:53:06.960 --> 0:53:09.719 what's cool, and you have to start dictating the things 0:53:09.719 --> 0:53:13.040 that are cool that we actually control, you understand, And 0:53:13.040 --> 0:53:16.160 that's what they know. They know that that you create 0:53:16.200 --> 0:53:19.239 the cool, and then they they do the things that 0:53:19.320 --> 0:53:22.040 they control for you to make it cool. And then 0:53:22.080 --> 0:53:24.520 they when they don't feel like you benefit them no more, 0:53:24.719 --> 0:53:26.759 they take it away. And then we look like, oh, 0:53:26.800 --> 0:53:29.879 what do we know? We created the cool, So it's 0:53:29.920 --> 0:53:32.600 it's time for us to get get into that mind state. 0:53:33.200 --> 0:53:38.640 You know, black owns, black business creating the cool, creating quality. 0:53:38.920 --> 0:53:41.759 You know, I have a bunch of different brands who 0:53:41.800 --> 0:53:45.120 have been senta me quality black brand sneakers, and I'm like, wow, 0:53:45.160 --> 0:53:47.560 I didn't even know these existed because I was so 0:53:47.719 --> 0:53:50.160 trapped into I gotta get these Nikeis and I get 0:53:50.160 --> 0:53:52.799 these gotta get this that I don't even realize there 0:53:52.880 --> 0:53:55.200 was brothers like me coming from The brother told me 0:53:55.360 --> 0:53:58.200 that he just came out of prison. He did three 0:53:58.719 --> 0:54:01.120 three different things of president. He was a rapid us, 0:54:01.160 --> 0:54:04.080 and that he just started designing his own shoe in prison. 0:54:04.160 --> 0:54:06.680 Now he's a neemons. He's in all of these major 0:54:06.719 --> 0:54:09.200 stores with his own shoes and in a quality shoes. 0:54:09.719 --> 0:54:13.080 But we don't know these things because we're still attached 0:54:13.120 --> 0:54:15.520 to the matrix and these corporations that actually don't give 0:54:15.560 --> 0:54:17.799 a funk about us. So, you know, I think this 0:54:17.920 --> 0:54:20.040 is a time for you to pay attention and still 0:54:20.080 --> 0:54:23.560 do your business and senior lawyers to do with it, 0:54:23.640 --> 0:54:26.480 because this is this is your business. But while you're 0:54:26.520 --> 0:54:30.280 doing that, start to create something that does not dictated 0:54:30.320 --> 0:54:33.160 by the people who are these corporations that don't give 0:54:33.160 --> 0:54:36.040 a funk about us. Okay, so you said a lot. 0:54:36.080 --> 0:54:39.440 I want to unpack a few things. One really important 0:54:39.480 --> 0:54:42.680 thing that I love is that I've never spoken to 0:54:42.680 --> 0:54:44.560 you before. You and I do not know each other. 0:54:44.680 --> 0:54:47.200 We literally just met five minutes ago. I was able 0:54:47.239 --> 0:54:50.320 to tell you my idea and my concept in four minutes, 0:54:50.800 --> 0:54:52.880 and you got it, and you were able to repeat 0:54:52.880 --> 0:54:55.399 it to me verbatim. And not only that, you're also 0:54:55.480 --> 0:54:58.120 able to repeat it and identify that it's a brilliant 0:54:58.160 --> 0:55:06.839 idea and a very profitable idea. But You're telling me 0:55:06.920 --> 0:55:11.080 that no Nike executive could look at my idea that 0:55:11.200 --> 0:55:15.080 is way more in depth presented to in the deck 0:55:15.120 --> 0:55:16.719 and all of this stuff, and to say, hey, Trent, 0:55:16.800 --> 0:55:19.640 that's a great idea. When we were shut down and 0:55:19.680 --> 0:55:21.799 we're I'm in Canada, we were shutdown a lot longer 0:55:21.840 --> 0:55:25.360 than you are. Stores were closed here, retail stores for 0:55:25.400 --> 0:55:29.120 a year and a half. I was more profitable during 0:55:29.200 --> 0:55:31.040 that year and a half than I have been in 0:55:31.080 --> 0:55:34.080 the past fourteen years. Forget opening up stores as an 0:55:34.080 --> 0:55:36.040 experience where I'm telling you my stores were shut down, 0:55:36.360 --> 0:55:39.319 that's proof to Nike that I don't need stores. Mm hmm. 0:55:40.000 --> 0:55:44.279 I was calling them saying any extra inventory you have. 0:55:44.600 --> 0:55:47.960 My inventory levels were at the lowest they were ever 0:55:48.320 --> 0:55:51.400 they had ever been during COVID. Yes, I understand a 0:55:51.440 --> 0:55:53.760 lot of people were buying more, shopping habits were different. 0:55:53.920 --> 0:55:56.160 My point is is that I've proven to Nike that 0:55:56.200 --> 0:55:59.920 I could be more profitable closed than open. The reason 0:56:00.120 --> 0:56:05.760 for me opening up experience stores is for the customer 0:56:05.800 --> 0:56:08.960 to get an experience on a Saturday or on a Friday. 0:56:09.120 --> 0:56:12.560 And it wasn't necessarily just transactional reasons. I was gonna have, 0:56:12.680 --> 0:56:15.960 like you know, just like events a party, DJs. I 0:56:16.000 --> 0:56:19.920 was just gonna give the customer, um, you know, a place, 0:56:20.120 --> 0:56:23.759 a cool space to create culture. That's what it was. 0:56:23.800 --> 0:56:26.040 It wasn't at all even to sell the product, because, 0:56:26.040 --> 0:56:27.840 like I just told you, I could be more profitable 0:56:27.920 --> 0:56:31.080 just not even having stores. So that that's one thing. 0:56:31.400 --> 0:56:33.319 The second thing is, like I told you, I left 0:56:33.360 --> 0:56:35.040 up the shoes on purpose because I wanted to have 0:56:35.080 --> 0:56:37.160 this conversation with you and to be honest with you. 0:56:37.239 --> 0:56:38.680 I think I'm like to make it like I don't 0:56:39.040 --> 0:56:42.799 know exactly where I stand on wearing the product. And 0:56:42.800 --> 0:56:44.560 this is what I wanted to speak to you. Is 0:56:44.600 --> 0:56:47.960 it fuck Nike or is it fuck Nike management? Is 0:56:47.960 --> 0:56:51.360 it fuck Phil Knight and John Donahue who's the founder 0:56:51.400 --> 0:56:56.000 and now CEO. Because it's not fun the Cowboys, it's 0:56:56.400 --> 0:56:59.840 Jerry Jones. You need to stand up and denounce racism. 0:57:00.040 --> 0:57:02.759 It's not fun the US. It's fun Donald Trump? So 0:57:02.920 --> 0:57:05.480 is it is it the brand? Is it the country 0:57:05.920 --> 0:57:07.560 or is it you know, is it fun Russia or 0:57:07.640 --> 0:57:10.200 is it funk Putin? I think that is the question 0:57:10.239 --> 0:57:12.600 that we have to ask each other. Well, I mean 0:57:12.719 --> 0:57:14.719 it's it's very simple for me it's fun. Thank you 0:57:14.800 --> 0:57:16.960 for me, because it might be that people might say 0:57:17.000 --> 0:57:19.400 it's because my thing is this, When you are the 0:57:19.400 --> 0:57:23.000 founder or CEO of a company, you are the the 0:57:23.080 --> 0:57:27.360 head of that company. You represent that right. And if 0:57:27.400 --> 0:57:32.880 people inside that corporation realize if other people inside that corporation, 0:57:32.920 --> 0:57:34.800 because it's been a lot of corporation, just like what 0:57:34.880 --> 0:57:38.280 happened with Twitter, when Twitter, when Elon Musk went over there, 0:57:38.400 --> 0:57:43.120 he started doing this that racist ship, people quit right. 0:57:43.240 --> 0:57:46.200 People a good moral standards and understand the stance that 0:57:46.360 --> 0:57:49.960 I refuse to be aligned with something that doesn't represent 0:57:50.000 --> 0:57:53.680 me moral right. So if it just like in America, 0:57:53.800 --> 0:57:56.440 you can't say for America, there are people inside America 0:57:56.480 --> 0:58:00.040 that publicly revolting against the ship that Donald Trump of 0:58:00.200 --> 0:58:04.160 American Donald Trump, So you don't have to say but 0:58:04.240 --> 0:58:06.800 outside of America, they might say America because that's who 0:58:06.840 --> 0:58:10.040 you're lead. Is we inside of America understand we we 0:58:10.160 --> 0:58:12.720 might we see it differently because most of us don't 0:58:12.760 --> 0:58:15.600 funk with Donald Trump. So I mean, from my perspective, 0:58:16.000 --> 0:58:18.600 if the CEO and the co CEO decides to do 0:58:18.680 --> 0:58:22.200 some racist ship and nobody inside that corporation speaks up 0:58:22.240 --> 0:58:25.360 and say this, This doesn't represent our values. We can't 0:58:25.360 --> 0:58:28.320 be attached to that. And that means that you are complicit. 0:58:28.560 --> 0:58:31.600 That means that you you actually agree with this this method. 0:58:32.200 --> 0:58:35.880 Nothing agree. I don't know. I wouldn't say they agree, 0:58:36.240 --> 0:58:39.600 but I would say silence is definitely violent, but it 0:58:39.640 --> 0:58:43.560 doesn't mean greed, right, and it is Stilence means that 0:58:43.600 --> 0:58:45.600 you agree with. If you're standing next to me and 0:58:45.640 --> 0:58:47.760 I say you're funk the whole world, and you're standing 0:58:47.880 --> 0:58:50.160 right next to me, you co sign funk the whole world. 0:58:50.720 --> 0:58:55.640 If you're standing right like this, we were you. Now. 0:58:55.720 --> 0:58:59.600 I'm just saying I I hear you, and I understand 0:59:00.160 --> 0:59:05.560 from abroad you know perspective, how that is true that 0:59:05.640 --> 0:59:08.880 if you are silent about something, you become complicit. I 0:59:08.880 --> 0:59:10.880 don't know if that means you agree, but you do 0:59:10.960 --> 0:59:13.800 become complicit. And I think being complicit is a little 0:59:13.880 --> 0:59:17.680 different than agreeing. It means that basically you are convicted 0:59:17.720 --> 0:59:20.720 at this point because you have not uh you know, 0:59:20.800 --> 0:59:23.600 stated because because I this is a conversation I've had 0:59:23.640 --> 0:59:26.320 with you before. I know a lot of people that 0:59:26.480 --> 0:59:31.520 know one that their friends is you know, doesn't see 0:59:31.520 --> 0:59:36.600 their children. Uh, you know, might be even abusive to 0:59:36.760 --> 0:59:39.880 women or whatever, right, and that it doesn't mean they 0:59:39.920 --> 0:59:42.600 agree that they are standing next to the person or 0:59:42.680 --> 0:59:44.640 that they continue to work with them or see them, 0:59:45.080 --> 0:59:47.760 but they are complicit if you know something like this 0:59:47.840 --> 0:59:50.840 is happening and you're not doing anything about it. So 0:59:50.920 --> 0:59:53.880 I think it's I think it's very tricky how we 0:59:53.960 --> 0:59:56.000 talked about it. But I do want to circle to 0:59:56.120 --> 1:00:03.760 one thing. Um, you would talk and Trent about how 1:00:03.800 --> 1:00:07.040 easy it is for us to see what you're trying 1:00:07.040 --> 1:00:11.920 to do and why it's important. I think archaic mindsets 1:00:12.200 --> 1:00:17.400 within companies right where you have people, especially white folks, 1:00:17.440 --> 1:00:22.120 that have a particular position and are inflexible in terms 1:00:22.160 --> 1:00:24.720 of how they see things, it is very it's very 1:00:24.800 --> 1:00:28.200 damaging for businesses in general, right, Like I mean, we 1:00:28.360 --> 1:00:32.040 were just talking about Balenciaga. At some point somebody, some 1:00:32.160 --> 1:00:34.480 new leadership was supposed to come along and say, these 1:00:34.520 --> 1:00:37.440 people gotta go, like this whole thing that's going on 1:00:37.480 --> 1:00:41.040 over here, it has to go. But their archaic mindset 1:00:41.400 --> 1:00:44.200 tells them that, you know, people get so arrogant, like 1:00:44.320 --> 1:00:47.880 you know, we know better, and that is that you 1:00:47.880 --> 1:00:51.560 know what we're you gonna say, Yeah, you know we 1:00:51.720 --> 1:00:55.120 know better and we're gonna stand on a particular position. 1:00:55.200 --> 1:00:58.800 And I think we can all learn from that across 1:00:58.840 --> 1:01:03.440 the board with our big businesses without organizations, that we 1:01:03.600 --> 1:01:07.640 have to be flexible enough to move, to change, to shift. 1:01:07.760 --> 1:01:10.120 And that's what you're trying to do. And I appreciate 1:01:10.160 --> 1:01:12.520 what you're trying to do and understand it very well 1:01:12.960 --> 1:01:16.240 because it makes perfect sense. And I think that what 1:01:16.480 --> 1:01:21.400 is unfortunate is the idea that they will close down stores. 1:01:21.720 --> 1:01:28.320 Right with loss, all businesses have had to reduce size. Um, 1:01:28.440 --> 1:01:31.520 they have closed stores, they've cut stores in half. You know, 1:01:31.520 --> 1:01:34.120 I went to a store recently and it was like this. 1:01:34.280 --> 1:01:36.320 You know, at one point it was this big, big, 1:01:36.360 --> 1:01:38.640 big thing and then now it's like half of the 1:01:38.680 --> 1:01:42.000 size because of what had to make different decisions. And 1:01:42.040 --> 1:01:44.400 for you to be and this is where I completely 1:01:44.440 --> 1:01:47.280 agree with you, my son, for you to be a 1:01:47.360 --> 1:01:51.520 black business, the only black business. Nike should be using 1:01:51.600 --> 1:01:54.240 its power to help you grow so that you can 1:01:54.400 --> 1:01:58.280 open all those stores again at some point and make 1:01:58.320 --> 1:02:02.360 all and have it experience you open every day, all 1:02:02.480 --> 1:02:05.400 all the things. But they should be flexible enough to 1:02:05.480 --> 1:02:08.640 work with you at the time when you need to 1:02:08.640 --> 1:02:11.200 shift so that you can stay in business. And I 1:02:11.240 --> 1:02:13.960 think that is for them to try to push your 1:02:14.000 --> 1:02:18.439 back up against the wall. It is very uh it's 1:02:18.560 --> 1:02:22.120 telling you know about sort of where they stand with 1:02:22.200 --> 1:02:26.280 their relationship too and their real commitment to supporting black folks. 1:02:26.520 --> 1:02:28.439 And and and and and I and I hear you 1:02:28.920 --> 1:02:32.160 on the idea of trying to like figure out is 1:02:32.200 --> 1:02:34.800 it funck Nike or is it fuck these individuals? And 1:02:34.840 --> 1:02:37.760 I agree with my song that once you represent a brand, 1:02:38.120 --> 1:02:41.800 you know, because once Black Lives Matter leadership got into 1:02:41.880 --> 1:02:46.520 some issues the whole brand, people won't support BLM and 1:02:46.920 --> 1:02:49.560 you know f BLM, and you know, we started to 1:02:49.600 --> 1:02:53.360 sort of experience that which also cross over the movement. 1:02:53.400 --> 1:02:55.960 There are people like we don't we're not supporting any 1:02:56.040 --> 1:02:59.680 of the organizations. So I totally get in see. But 1:02:59.760 --> 1:03:02.880 I also no Night has done some good things for 1:03:03.160 --> 1:03:06.080 you know, standing with Colin Kaepernick, you know, some of 1:03:06.120 --> 1:03:08.880 their community initiatives. I know they've done that. And that's 1:03:08.880 --> 1:03:10.800 not why I'm talking about my two payer sneakers that 1:03:10.840 --> 1:03:14.400 I intended to possibly where I'm just saying that that 1:03:14.560 --> 1:03:17.640 is a conflict that we have to acknowledge that there 1:03:17.680 --> 1:03:21.480 are people who feel both ways. Nonetheless, we really don't 1:03:21.600 --> 1:03:24.840 need any of these brands. We truly don't. What we 1:03:24.920 --> 1:03:28.360 really need is uh for us to be trying to 1:03:28.480 --> 1:03:30.880 find ways to build our own so that we don't 1:03:30.920 --> 1:03:35.240 have to be in debt it to them forever. Now 1:03:35.320 --> 1:03:40.640 here's my conflict on even what I said. We should 1:03:40.680 --> 1:03:43.320 also not be boxed out of the market place. We 1:03:43.440 --> 1:03:47.920 as black business owners, we who have stores, we want 1:03:47.920 --> 1:03:50.760 to wear certain things, should not be boxed out of 1:03:50.760 --> 1:03:54.200 the marketplace where we only can you know, everybody else 1:03:54.240 --> 1:03:56.160 can buy anything they want. They can buy from the 1:03:56.200 --> 1:03:59.200 Asian community, the Black community, the white community, whoever they 1:03:59.240 --> 1:04:02.000 wherever they want to, and we should not be boxed 1:04:02.040 --> 1:04:04.280 out of the marketplace where we can't make money and 1:04:04.400 --> 1:04:08.800 cannot compete on a global level because we're you know, 1:04:08.920 --> 1:04:11.640 have been reduced to just or not so much reduced. 1:04:11.640 --> 1:04:13.919 I don't want to use negative language, but we've sort 1:04:13.920 --> 1:04:17.280 of been boxed into only supporting one thing. So it's 1:04:17.320 --> 1:04:20.120 a lot of issues that will come up. But I 1:04:20.160 --> 1:04:22.160 think that we're at a place where as soon as 1:04:22.160 --> 1:04:25.560 we find out that this company, especially these companies that 1:04:25.600 --> 1:04:29.880 are making white folks super super super super super super 1:04:29.960 --> 1:04:32.760 duper rich, we should have no problem cutting it when 1:04:32.800 --> 1:04:35.800 we need to. Uh yeah, I agree with a lot 1:04:35.840 --> 1:04:37.840 of your points. I just want to tackle three of them. 1:04:37.880 --> 1:04:41.480 So you're you may have comments about old leadership and 1:04:41.520 --> 1:04:45.280 them thinking they're stuck in their old ways. Um, Nike 1:04:45.600 --> 1:04:50.960 revenue direct sales were up last year eighteen point seven 1:04:51.240 --> 1:04:56.680 billion dollars. There were up eighteen percent digitally. Nike is 1:04:56.880 --> 1:05:01.200 very as very well aware that did digital is the 1:05:01.280 --> 1:05:05.120 place to be. So they they're not like, oh, well, 1:05:05.160 --> 1:05:07.200 you know, you know how many Nike stories you're seeing 1:05:07.200 --> 1:05:10.840 open opening up? Nicky knows that they need to um, 1:05:11.000 --> 1:05:13.560 that they need to focus on their sneakers app. But 1:05:13.640 --> 1:05:15.760 when they're so focused on digital, which is the more 1:05:15.840 --> 1:05:19.560 profitable end of the business, they need somebody to take 1:05:19.720 --> 1:05:22.320 the expensive end of the business. And that falls on 1:05:22.680 --> 1:05:27.800 the neighborhood to win, not for you to win exactly. 1:05:28.080 --> 1:05:33.640 That that's my problem. Now what upsets me is these 1:05:34.400 --> 1:05:37.600 In two thousand and twenty one, Nike held the summit 1:05:37.640 --> 1:05:39.640 for Black and Latin as retailers. Now, we didn't ask 1:05:39.680 --> 1:05:42.120 for the summit, we didn't ask for any help, and 1:05:42.160 --> 1:05:44.880 they came and they said, hey, you know again, credit 1:05:44.920 --> 1:05:47.440 to both you guys for for bringing attention to the 1:05:47.440 --> 1:05:51.640 George Floyd movement. Um you know that whole era, every 1:05:51.680 --> 1:05:53.480 company came around and was like, oh my gosh, what 1:05:53.520 --> 1:05:54.800 can we do for black people? What can we do 1:05:54.840 --> 1:05:57.120 for black people? Nike, you held this summit and they said, 1:05:57.160 --> 1:05:58.680 we want to listen to you, we want to learn 1:05:58.720 --> 1:06:00.120 from you, and we want to read a find and 1:06:00.120 --> 1:06:03.960 how we work. I can't speak for anybody else. Nike listened, 1:06:04.040 --> 1:06:06.560 but they didn't learn, and they didn't redefine because I 1:06:06.760 --> 1:06:10.600 presented them with an amazing concept and how to redefine 1:06:10.640 --> 1:06:13.520 our relationship and they didn't. And that's what pisces me off. 1:06:14.080 --> 1:06:15.800 If you don't want to help us, don't help us. 1:06:15.840 --> 1:06:17.520 I am cool with that. But if you're gonna say 1:06:17.560 --> 1:06:20.000 you're gonna help us, don't make it lip service. Come 1:06:20.000 --> 1:06:22.400 out and really help us. Because I provided you with 1:06:22.520 --> 1:06:26.840 a fundamentally sound, profitable business concept, and I asked you 1:06:26.880 --> 1:06:30.280 to help me by supporting me, not helping me by 1:06:30.280 --> 1:06:34.560 any sort of financial means, just support the approval that 1:06:34.640 --> 1:06:37.880 you gave me two years ago. And they turned me 1:06:37.920 --> 1:06:41.560 down and tried to and try to force me to 1:06:41.680 --> 1:06:47.400 go back to a model that push me into smoking, drinking, 1:06:48.840 --> 1:06:50.160 I talked about it in the book. I don't want 1:06:50.160 --> 1:06:53.840 to get getting here like I was in therapist office 1:06:54.120 --> 1:06:56.920 every week. Uh left from my therapist office going to 1:06:56.960 --> 1:06:59.480 a Bank of C trustee. Uh you know it's I 1:06:59.560 --> 1:07:04.880 was day is away from filing for bankruptcy. I can't 1:07:04.880 --> 1:07:08.480 I can't begin to explain to you how it is 1:07:08.520 --> 1:07:13.960 to wake up every morning preparing to lose a company 1:07:14.000 --> 1:07:16.760 that you built for fifteen years of your life. I'm single, 1:07:16.760 --> 1:07:19.840 I have no kids. Extracity is all I have. Extracity 1:07:19.880 --> 1:07:22.480 is my everything. And I had to wake up every 1:07:22.560 --> 1:07:27.960 day and financial advisors told me it's not if you're 1:07:27.960 --> 1:07:29.760 gonna lose it, it's when you're gonna lose it. You 1:07:29.800 --> 1:07:33.360 know hard that is to manage through, and then, miraculously, 1:07:34.200 --> 1:07:38.320 because of the shutdown, and because of the lockdown, I 1:07:38.400 --> 1:07:41.600 was able to do what was told to me by 1:07:41.680 --> 1:07:44.960 every person financial present that wouldn't happen because it was 1:07:45.000 --> 1:07:47.600 an unprecedented time. I came out of that. And now 1:07:47.640 --> 1:07:49.520 you want me to go back to that because you 1:07:49.880 --> 1:07:51.720 think that you know how to heap the streets and 1:07:51.920 --> 1:07:54.920 to create culture better than me. Well, why why was 1:07:54.960 --> 1:07:59.760 I the only black account? I'm so mad? I thing is. 1:07:59.840 --> 1:08:02.280 The thing is, they don't think that right. The reality 1:08:02.400 --> 1:08:06.080 is they understand the market like you understand the market, right, 1:08:06.280 --> 1:08:09.080 But they realize they don't need you to do it 1:08:09.080 --> 1:08:11.200 anymore because they could do that by themselves. They can 1:08:11.200 --> 1:08:14.600 go online and send it to they can send out oils. 1:08:14.600 --> 1:08:17.479 So they need to cut you off because ultimately you 1:08:17.520 --> 1:08:20.040 don't really benefit them the more you they've used you 1:08:20.080 --> 1:08:23.120 to get to this this place. And now they're saying, yo, 1:08:23.160 --> 1:08:25.360 we don't need him because if he's sent him clothes 1:08:25.400 --> 1:08:27.240 on them, we can self sh online ourselves. We don't 1:08:27.240 --> 1:08:30.679 need him no more. The loyalty that he's been here 1:08:30.680 --> 1:08:33.160 and all the sneakers he's sold and him being one 1:08:33.200 --> 1:08:35.680 of our top they don't care about that. It's not 1:08:36.080 --> 1:08:38.400 The thing is, it was never like a partnership to them. 1:08:38.439 --> 1:08:40.960 It was how can I benefit It's like you over there, 1:08:41.360 --> 1:08:43.880 you over there, and I need just to get that block. 1:08:44.280 --> 1:08:46.759 So if you're not just gonna be on that block, 1:08:46.840 --> 1:08:48.559 standing there for the rest of your life when that's 1:08:48.600 --> 1:08:50.880 stand block, you're not trying to grow outside of that. 1:08:51.320 --> 1:08:52.880 If you if you're not gonna stay on that block, 1:08:52.920 --> 1:08:54.720 we don't need you no more. So that's I'm trying 1:08:54.760 --> 1:08:57.160 to tell that it's not about value. It's how do 1:08:57.200 --> 1:08:58.920 I make money off It's not how much do I 1:08:58.960 --> 1:09:00.800 make money with you. They don't want to make money 1:09:00.840 --> 1:09:02.760 with you. They want to make money off of you. 1:09:02.800 --> 1:09:05.559 They want to benefit off of what you bring, only 1:09:05.600 --> 1:09:07.720 what you bring to the table. And it's not That 1:09:08.360 --> 1:09:12.559 means after thirteen years, there's never it's never really been 1:09:12.600 --> 1:09:15.519 a partnership. It's not like, okay, we've we got here together. 1:09:15.600 --> 1:09:17.960 You you had all these stories, people going to these stories, 1:09:18.160 --> 1:09:20.760 buying all these nikes. Now we did you ever. We 1:09:20.840 --> 1:09:23.000 all can make money. You can get it over there, 1:09:23.040 --> 1:09:24.680 you can send it for over there, you can do 1:09:24.720 --> 1:09:28.120 these things. We all together because you helped, let's get 1:09:28.160 --> 1:09:31.439 to a level that we are. We realized. We acknowledge that, no, 1:09:31.840 --> 1:09:33.640 you're not on that corner no more. You're not the 1:09:34.360 --> 1:09:37.000 dude boy on the corner that's taking the risk that's 1:09:37.040 --> 1:09:39.160 going hand in hand. It might lose everything if you 1:09:39.200 --> 1:09:41.120 aren't able to do that. If we don't need you, 1:09:41.160 --> 1:09:43.400 We don't need you boss enough no no, no, no. 1:09:44.200 --> 1:09:46.599 The boss up shot and where you can make triple 1:09:46.680 --> 1:09:48.320 times the money, Now we don't want that. And I 1:09:48.320 --> 1:09:50.559 don't all for us, because okay, so let me so 1:09:50.640 --> 1:09:52.360 let me ask you this, because you said somebody that 1:09:52.439 --> 1:09:56.559 stands beside them is complicit. My sales reps approved and 1:09:56.680 --> 1:10:00.400 liked my concept. I brought my Jordan's rep there, he 1:10:00.439 --> 1:10:02.519 took pictures. He's like, Yo, this is dope. It's amazing. 1:10:03.080 --> 1:10:07.600 His bosses the leadership at Nike was like, no, we 1:10:07.640 --> 1:10:10.679 don't like it in Portland's. So I asked a question again, 1:10:10.920 --> 1:10:15.519 if my sales reps, other stores, other neighborhood accounts even 1:10:15.920 --> 1:10:17.840 are like, yo, we think it's dope. We would want 1:10:17.840 --> 1:10:21.799 to do something like that. But the senior management John Donohue, 1:10:21.880 --> 1:10:26.640 that runs the offense, if that trickles down, is it 1:10:26.760 --> 1:10:30.320 still funk Nike? To me, it is because if all 1:10:30.360 --> 1:10:32.280 of those reptues saying they would want to do it, 1:10:32.320 --> 1:10:34.000 and they're not willing to stand up and say, yo, 1:10:34.080 --> 1:10:37.040 this is wrong, Like for first of all is wrong. 1:10:37.120 --> 1:10:39.840 Not only is the idea dope, but what you're doing 1:10:39.840 --> 1:10:42.559 to the man is wrong. Right If if that's sometimes 1:10:42.560 --> 1:10:46.280 tell you because leadership it doesn't. You can't leave somebody 1:10:46.280 --> 1:10:48.559 that's not followed, right, And I don't care if you 1:10:48.560 --> 1:10:51.000 could be the biggest leader. If you say, yo, I'm 1:10:51.000 --> 1:10:52.800 making an order, Everybody like, no, we're not doing that. 1:10:52.800 --> 1:10:55.240 Ship that don't make sense, Then who are you actually leading? 1:10:55.760 --> 1:10:58.960 You understand I'm saying. So that's that comes. There's a 1:10:59.080 --> 1:11:02.240 level of integrity, as a level of understanding, there's a 1:11:02.360 --> 1:11:05.240 level of more right, all of these things that a 1:11:05.280 --> 1:11:07.840 lot of these corporations lack and a lot of these 1:11:07.840 --> 1:11:10.120 people is a is a dog eat dog world in 1:11:10.160 --> 1:11:13.000 these corporations, and you have to understand that. And when 1:11:13.040 --> 1:11:15.719 you understand and that that, you have to say to yourself, 1:11:16.479 --> 1:11:20.200 I understand that there's a like there's a ceiling here. 1:11:20.800 --> 1:11:23.559 They're not letting me get but so far so I 1:11:23.720 --> 1:11:25.720 know that I know that the ceiling is gonna get 1:11:25.760 --> 1:11:28.280 here because this is how they work. They're only only 1:11:28.320 --> 1:11:30.200 when they can make money off me. They don't want 1:11:30.200 --> 1:11:32.040 to make money with me. They want to be able 1:11:32.040 --> 1:11:34.439 to benefit off of me. So I have to figure 1:11:34.439 --> 1:11:37.160 out a way that I eat independent of them while 1:11:37.240 --> 1:11:39.760 I'm taking the money and I got this relationship, how 1:11:39.800 --> 1:11:43.120 am I building out something on this side that when 1:11:43.240 --> 1:11:45.800 when they realize or they feel like I'm no longer 1:11:45.880 --> 1:11:48.720 valuable to them, and they decided to do what they're doing. Now, 1:11:49.080 --> 1:11:52.560 how do I continue to eat? How I built a 1:11:52.880 --> 1:11:57.400 mechanism that continues to go outside of that because what 1:11:57.479 --> 1:11:59.680 it is, don't get it twisted right? Like I was 1:11:59.680 --> 1:12:01.680 on sent them the lawyer letter. I was one who 1:12:01.680 --> 1:12:03.479 told them I was not opening up my stores, and 1:12:03.479 --> 1:12:05.160 they told me if they don't open my stores, I'll 1:12:05.160 --> 1:12:07.719 lose my account. I'm fully prepared. I believe in my concept. 1:12:07.840 --> 1:12:10.120 I'm working with investment groups right now. I was just 1:12:10.160 --> 1:12:12.599 over in London and I'm going to still open up 1:12:12.640 --> 1:12:16.160 my Experience stores with or without Nike. But my play 1:12:16.240 --> 1:12:19.000 and the reason why I DM do you and Tamika 1:12:19.080 --> 1:12:21.200 to help me with this fight and to bring awareness. 1:12:21.400 --> 1:12:23.439 And this is the one thing that we disagree on 1:12:23.840 --> 1:12:29.000 is that I feel like I want to attack Nike management. 1:12:29.800 --> 1:12:33.599 You want to attack Nike brand, and I see where 1:12:33.600 --> 1:12:36.599 you're coming from. I just don't know. I just don't 1:12:36.640 --> 1:12:38.400 know how I feel yet. But but like I said, 1:12:38.760 --> 1:12:40.760 I was excited to have a conversation. I love. What 1:12:40.800 --> 1:12:45.000 I love though, is that we all that that we 1:12:45.120 --> 1:12:52.479 are not stoic in our understanding right, meaning that there 1:12:52.600 --> 1:12:54.800 is there's the well still with meaning that we're just 1:12:54.880 --> 1:13:01.160 still like right, we are we are able to understand 1:13:01.400 --> 1:13:06.559 nuance right, Um, and the activists do what we do right, 1:13:06.880 --> 1:13:09.680 the protesters do what they do. We've got people who 1:13:09.760 --> 1:13:13.519 are part of our protest movement that work within the 1:13:13.600 --> 1:13:17.679 administrations that we're protesting, and they go in and they 1:13:17.880 --> 1:13:20.800 are able to work the inside outside with us to 1:13:20.920 --> 1:13:24.200 help us. So we might say the whole police department 1:13:24.280 --> 1:13:27.720 shut it down, you know, period, But then there are 1:13:27.800 --> 1:13:31.720 people who work inside. They may be executives, they may 1:13:31.760 --> 1:13:33.800 be senior leadership. I know for me in in the 1:13:33.920 --> 1:13:36.320 NYPD in New York, I have many friends that are 1:13:36.400 --> 1:13:40.799 in leadership that are able to take the message inside 1:13:40.880 --> 1:13:43.599 and try their best to push the line. Our job 1:13:44.040 --> 1:13:47.120 is to be as bold as loud and to create 1:13:48.680 --> 1:13:53.040 and awareness at these issues as possible. But because of 1:13:53.080 --> 1:13:55.760 the fact that there's so much money being made on 1:13:55.800 --> 1:13:59.479 our people's backs, we have to make sure that even 1:13:59.520 --> 1:14:02.479 when it's you know, I don't say f Nike, like 1:14:02.600 --> 1:14:05.280 my son says, it's so powerful when he says it. 1:14:05.439 --> 1:14:09.400 But um, even though I'm not lying Nike anymore, I 1:14:09.400 --> 1:14:12.880 don't support the brand anymore. Even though that is true, 1:14:13.280 --> 1:14:17.880 I still know that there are employees, there are businesses, 1:14:18.040 --> 1:14:22.160 there are students, there are other people that should benefit 1:14:22.240 --> 1:14:27.520 from the eighteen whatever you said, billion dollars, billion dollars 1:14:27.560 --> 1:14:31.000 that our community is a big part of the spend. Hopefully. 1:14:31.080 --> 1:14:34.920 What we can do, though, is use what uh my 1:14:35.120 --> 1:14:38.840 son has been doing to move our people to start 1:14:38.960 --> 1:14:42.639 spending that eighteen billion with our own or whatever portion 1:14:42.680 --> 1:14:45.880 of the eighteen billion we are with our own, and 1:14:45.920 --> 1:14:49.799 that is that's gotta be all of us thinking about 1:14:49.840 --> 1:14:52.760 that and working on it and figuring it out. So 1:14:53.320 --> 1:14:55.280 you know, I just I want to thank you because 1:14:55.320 --> 1:14:58.559 you're bringing a different perspective to the dialogue, you know, 1:14:59.160 --> 1:15:02.120 um as a business person who has a different relationship, 1:15:02.160 --> 1:15:04.880 and I hope that things work out. And to the 1:15:04.880 --> 1:15:07.720 point that you and my son just kind of discussed, 1:15:07.760 --> 1:15:10.840 I wouldn't say debated, what is that? What does it 1:15:10.920 --> 1:15:13.599 look like to believe in yourself enough that whether Nike 1:15:13.680 --> 1:15:18.400 comes along or not, you can still survive and still 1:15:18.479 --> 1:15:21.800 have The book number three be about the fact that 1:15:21.840 --> 1:15:25.320 they try to shut me down, but Sneakers is still 1:15:25.360 --> 1:15:29.960 saving me right yet. So I don't know, Mince if 1:15:29.960 --> 1:15:32.439 you have anything else, but by the way, you're well 1:15:32.520 --> 1:15:35.479 over our time to sorry, But it was a good 1:15:35.479 --> 1:15:38.320 conversation though it was definitely good. I just want to say, 1:15:38.600 --> 1:15:42.120 you know, I definitely understand like Tomika said, they're they're 1:15:42.240 --> 1:15:45.599 multiple you know, entry points into a fight. You know. 1:15:45.720 --> 1:15:48.000 My mind, like I tell people all the time, my mind, 1:15:48.960 --> 1:15:52.360 my protest is extreme me. That's how I am. I'm 1:15:52.400 --> 1:15:55.400 a very extreme individual. And and it's from my own 1:15:55.479 --> 1:15:58.920 personal thing because I know when I when I make 1:15:58.960 --> 1:16:01.680 my mind up about and then I have to I 1:16:01.680 --> 1:16:03.800 have to see it in real time, like you know, 1:16:03.880 --> 1:16:06.040 I have to be tangible. So when I say I'm 1:16:06.040 --> 1:16:08.240 not doing something, I'm doing something, I've gotta do it. 1:16:08.280 --> 1:16:10.720 I gotta see it. And once I commit myself to it, 1:16:11.360 --> 1:16:14.160 I'm principal to the point where it's like okay, that's 1:16:14.160 --> 1:16:16.400 what it is for me. And I don't commit myself 1:16:16.400 --> 1:16:19.120 to something that I'm not seriously about doing. So that's 1:16:19.120 --> 1:16:21.559 just who I am. And so what and and I, 1:16:21.640 --> 1:16:24.439 like I told you before, the way that I've seen 1:16:25.200 --> 1:16:27.760 you know that white man speak about Kyrie as if 1:16:27.800 --> 1:16:31.080 he was a slave. It it triggered me in the 1:16:31.120 --> 1:16:34.439 manner that I couldn't have a good conscious continue to 1:16:34.439 --> 1:16:37.160 support the brand or anything that that this was me 1:16:37.560 --> 1:16:39.639 as I know there's no way that the code they're 1:16:39.640 --> 1:16:41.439 gonna get rid of, the co found He's not gonna 1:16:41.479 --> 1:16:44.360 go anywhere. Don't matter what happens, He's still gonna be there. 1:16:44.760 --> 1:16:47.240 You understand I'm saying, So me protesting against him, what 1:16:47.320 --> 1:16:49.599 is that going to he? He go in the background 1:16:49.640 --> 1:16:51.920 and say, oh yeah, let me just disappear and still 1:16:51.960 --> 1:16:55.519 have the ideologies that I have, you know, running this company. 1:16:56.160 --> 1:16:58.839 You know, so that that's just my perspective. Your perspective 1:16:58.920 --> 1:17:01.439 is different. You you know, you built the brand, all 1:17:01.560 --> 1:17:05.040 of you know, doing this, this partnership with Nike and 1:17:05.080 --> 1:17:07.719 you and you, and you see where you are able 1:17:07.720 --> 1:17:12.559 to identify certain individuals that you need to attack, not 1:17:12.680 --> 1:17:14.840 the brand. So and that's a different thing. But when 1:17:14.840 --> 1:17:18.960 we when we're all attacking from different angles, did That's 1:17:18.960 --> 1:17:21.760 how change happened. When you're attacking this and I'm attacking this, 1:17:21.920 --> 1:17:24.880 it's like it's like term mites eating all all over 1:17:24.920 --> 1:17:28.680 the world, So it ain't it ain't one direction. Then 1:17:28.680 --> 1:17:31.519 they realize, Okay, we gotta do something there, something gotta change. 1:17:31.560 --> 1:17:33.680 So you fight your fight. I fight my fight to 1:17:33.760 --> 1:17:35.960 meek the fight. So we all fight, but we all 1:17:36.000 --> 1:17:39.040 fighting towards the same thing. We want equity in the quality. 1:17:40.160 --> 1:17:43.800 So you know, I definitely support you, but thank you, 1:17:44.280 --> 1:17:47.120 and yeah, thank you and Tomka, thank you for breaking 1:17:47.120 --> 1:17:48.760 it down to me. I never I didn't look at 1:17:48.800 --> 1:17:52.519 it from that perspective. And activism is let's blow everything 1:17:52.600 --> 1:17:54.479 up and then the trickle down the fact we might 1:17:54.560 --> 1:17:56.960 we might move somewhere, you know. So no, I I 1:17:57.040 --> 1:18:00.280 totally see the angle you guys are coming from. And 1:18:00.280 --> 1:18:01.680 and thank you so much for having me on the 1:18:01.720 --> 1:18:04.439 show and whoever is listening to this. Yes, I still 1:18:04.560 --> 1:18:08.599 am a proponent of let's change Nike's management. Let's get 1:18:08.680 --> 1:18:11.559 John Donnehue out of there. Let's get that strategic goal 1:18:11.760 --> 1:18:15.120 of keeping their neighborhood accounts on the sidelines, with not 1:18:15.240 --> 1:18:17.840 having enough pairs unable to pay their rent, just so 1:18:17.880 --> 1:18:20.400 that we could heap the streets and create culture. We 1:18:20.439 --> 1:18:23.880 could be profitable. We could be uh you know, um, 1:18:23.920 --> 1:18:25.839 you know we I want to see the neighborhood accounts 1:18:25.840 --> 1:18:27.800 I p oing. I want to see uh, you know, 1:18:28.000 --> 1:18:31.000 neighborhood accounts being foot five hundred companies. And we won't 1:18:31.000 --> 1:18:32.680 if we just keep on staying on the block and 1:18:32.720 --> 1:18:35.320 we can't you know, grow with outside of our radius. 1:18:35.360 --> 1:18:37.519 So I will keep up my fight and keep fighting 1:18:37.560 --> 1:18:41.320 for the neighborhood accounts even though I don't have one anymore. Right, 1:18:41.360 --> 1:18:47.240 And I feel and we could build our own neighborhood 1:18:47.240 --> 1:18:49.240 accounts for our own black brands, that we can make 1:18:49.240 --> 1:18:51.719 something that's bigger than Nike, and we can be controlled 1:18:51.720 --> 1:18:53.240 on our own and we can have our own I 1:18:53.400 --> 1:18:56.960 p O. Because black brilliance and black excellence is with 1:18:57.960 --> 1:19:01.720 this coach. Yes, sir, agreed. What we're gonna say to 1:19:01.760 --> 1:19:08.519 me goa nothing. Thank you, Exclude City, Thank you so 1:19:08.600 --> 1:19:12.400 much for joining us on keep being great man. Yes 1:19:12.479 --> 1:19:18.640 you too, brother, thank you, thank you well, that was 1:19:18.680 --> 1:19:21.280 a very good conversation. Man. Shout out to tune out aloud, 1:19:21.680 --> 1:19:27.720 shout out to Exclude City. You know, I love having conversations, 1:19:27.720 --> 1:19:30.519 not really debate, but conversations so that we because we 1:19:30.600 --> 1:19:34.240 all have the ultimately the same goal, you know, we 1:19:34.240 --> 1:19:37.519 we want to be treated properly, we want fairness, we want, 1:19:37.880 --> 1:19:40.559 you know, to be have equity in the things that 1:19:40.600 --> 1:19:43.760 we do. And you know his approach it's different than mind. 1:19:43.880 --> 1:19:46.120 You know, he he believes that he can change it 1:19:46.160 --> 1:19:49.120 by the management, and I believe you just can't change it, 1:19:49.160 --> 1:19:52.440 I just leave funk it all. But you know, ultimately 1:19:53.000 --> 1:19:56.800 both of our strategies will get us somewhere, you know. 1:19:56.920 --> 1:20:00.160 So shout out to him man and his grind and 1:20:00.320 --> 1:20:03.080 his two books. He's working on the third one. You know, 1:20:03.240 --> 1:20:06.120 I just I appreciate him. Man. He sounds like somebody's 1:20:06.240 --> 1:20:09.080 very brilliant young man. You know, the the idea that 1:20:09.120 --> 1:20:13.040 he has to sell sneakers in this current market and 1:20:13.200 --> 1:20:16.960 understanding the Internet and understanding all those things, it's brilliant. 1:20:17.000 --> 1:20:20.840 I think, you know, his his idea, it's gonna give 1:20:20.920 --> 1:20:22.400 him where he needs to go. And you know, with 1:20:22.640 --> 1:20:29.640 or without night. Absolutely. Yeah. So that brings me to 1:20:29.920 --> 1:20:38.519 my I don't get it now. You know, I wrestled 1:20:38.560 --> 1:20:40.479 with this one. I wrestled with this. I don't get it. 1:20:40.520 --> 1:20:46.719 But you know, because I've grown to actually like Ben Jones. 1:20:47.479 --> 1:20:50.080 You know, there's somebody that I've met, We've had dialogue, 1:20:50.120 --> 1:20:53.160 and he's somebody I think it is very influence you, 1:20:53.320 --> 1:20:57.559 very smart individual and and ultimately he wants the same 1:20:57.600 --> 1:20:59.680 thing that I want as a black man. You know, 1:20:59.720 --> 1:21:02.000 he want equity. You know a lot of times he 1:21:02.040 --> 1:21:03.559 goes about it and the way that I don't really 1:21:03.560 --> 1:21:05.679 agree with we me and him have discussed. I don't 1:21:05.680 --> 1:21:08.840 really agree with some of the things he said, and 1:21:08.960 --> 1:21:12.560 you know, and he's admitted that he might have admitted that, 1:21:13.560 --> 1:21:19.000 but this this new statement, you know, Um, I just 1:21:19.040 --> 1:21:24.759 don't understand how he could apologize for black people about 1:21:24.840 --> 1:21:27.920 something that black people have been doing. It didn't really 1:21:28.120 --> 1:21:34.640 It just was like and then there was this the 1:21:34.640 --> 1:21:37.280 the statement that he didn't say what he did say, 1:21:37.360 --> 1:21:40.200 and then the video and the audio came out, and 1:21:40.240 --> 1:21:42.840 I just I just I just think that we have 1:21:42.960 --> 1:21:45.320 to do a lot better, you know, we just have 1:21:45.439 --> 1:21:49.760 to do better. You know. None of us like anti semitism, 1:21:49.800 --> 1:21:51.840 you know, and a lot of us has spoken out 1:21:51.840 --> 1:21:56.120 a lot of times, you know, we we we say 1:21:56.120 --> 1:21:59.320 a lot, you know, and I've seen Corner West say 1:21:59.439 --> 1:22:01.599 some things that a lot of us have been way 1:22:01.600 --> 1:22:05.759 more vocal about anti Semitism than people have been about 1:22:06.120 --> 1:22:09.519 anti blackness. And that's one of the real things, you know. 1:22:09.560 --> 1:22:11.960 I know, I just was on my page, you know, 1:22:12.400 --> 1:22:14.880 debating with my own with a lot of people about 1:22:15.640 --> 1:22:20.000 some things that that um that um Kanye had said 1:22:20.439 --> 1:22:23.840 that that I didn't agree with at all, you know, 1:22:23.920 --> 1:22:26.719 and I voiced it. But I just think for then 1:22:26.840 --> 1:22:29.559 to to publicly stand up in certain rooms. And it's 1:22:29.560 --> 1:22:32.120 the certain rooms that you're going, right. He didn't go 1:22:32.160 --> 1:22:34.000 into a room with black people and say, yeah, we 1:22:34.040 --> 1:22:36.760 should be doing this, or pheel have a conversation. You're 1:22:36.800 --> 1:22:40.200 into rooms, you know, with people outside of our coach, 1:22:40.280 --> 1:22:43.960 outside of you know, our blackness, and talked about us. 1:22:44.640 --> 1:22:47.839 And I don't like that. I don't think it makes sense, 1:22:48.280 --> 1:22:50.599 you know what I'm saying, you know, And like I said, 1:22:50.600 --> 1:22:52.639 I have a lot of love and respect for man, 1:22:52.720 --> 1:22:55.719 but I just I really didn't get what he thought 1:22:55.720 --> 1:22:57.639 he was doing. I didn't. I didn't think. I didn't 1:22:57.640 --> 1:23:00.400 get how he thought it made sense, you know, to 1:23:00.439 --> 1:23:03.160 stand up and say something like that, and it was inaccurate, 1:23:03.640 --> 1:23:05.439 you know, because there's a lot of us who've been 1:23:05.439 --> 1:23:11.080 speaking up about anti sellagis. Yeah. I mean I think that, Um, 1:23:11.120 --> 1:23:15.280 you know, none of us can apologize on behalf of 1:23:15.560 --> 1:23:19.800 an entire community, right, none of us, not, none of us. 1:23:19.840 --> 1:23:24.240 There's nobody that can do that. Um. I think that 1:23:25.840 --> 1:23:28.560 Van is consistent, however, and I would you know, and 1:23:28.880 --> 1:23:33.280 I hope that people know that he's very consistent. He is, 1:23:33.400 --> 1:23:38.040 you know, he said he often says things that make 1:23:38.080 --> 1:23:42.400 me go, well, you know, that position that you're taking 1:23:43.280 --> 1:23:51.920 feels very much like you are supporting negative concepts, ideologies 1:23:52.000 --> 1:23:54.679 or whatever things that think people think and say about 1:23:54.720 --> 1:23:58.760 us as black people and um. And you know, there's 1:23:58.800 --> 1:24:00.639 been times when he's missed the mark, and I'm sure 1:24:00.680 --> 1:24:02.880 he probably would say, oh, well to me, I'm glad 1:24:02.920 --> 1:24:04.439 you said that. I don't like some of the things 1:24:04.439 --> 1:24:06.960 that you have said. Right, But to your point, we 1:24:07.040 --> 1:24:11.400 know Van. We see him often and we have conversations. 1:24:11.640 --> 1:24:15.840 Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't. I think in this situation, 1:24:16.680 --> 1:24:22.320 he really the whole I apologize on behalf of our 1:24:22.360 --> 1:24:25.639 community thing. No, he should never have said that when 1:24:25.640 --> 1:24:28.760 he should have said, is I apologize for myself, you know, 1:24:28.840 --> 1:24:31.320 for what I hadn't been doing, and then nobody would 1:24:31.320 --> 1:24:34.320 have been upset about anything he said. They might have 1:24:34.439 --> 1:24:36.240 there may be there may have been a few people 1:24:36.280 --> 1:24:39.479 to say, oh, Van is over there, you know doing 1:24:39.640 --> 1:24:42.719 you know, telling people he's sorry, apologize there, But who cares. 1:24:42.760 --> 1:24:47.479 He has every right to be for himself sorry to 1:24:47.640 --> 1:24:50.719 a community that he feels he should have done more 1:24:51.160 --> 1:24:53.280 to support. Yeah, I have be right to say that. 1:24:53.640 --> 1:24:56.240 And that's where that's and I think I think it's 1:24:56.280 --> 1:24:59.200 just that simple. So anybody that's talking to him when 1:24:59.240 --> 1:25:01.960 he's trying to explaining, well, I was saying this, and 1:25:02.360 --> 1:25:04.840 then you can make it. We can boil it down 1:25:05.160 --> 1:25:09.760 to these words right here, be sorry for yourself. That's it. 1:25:10.360 --> 1:25:12.640 And and then and then and then and then I 1:25:12.760 --> 1:25:16.000 think the conversation to me, the conversation is over with 1:25:16.120 --> 1:25:19.200 at that point because what people think about you, how 1:25:19.320 --> 1:25:23.680 you feel, it's all on you, right, Because I might 1:25:23.800 --> 1:25:28.120 have been a little bit more. Um, I may have 1:25:28.280 --> 1:25:31.080 been comfortable or not so much comfortable, but I might 1:25:31.160 --> 1:25:33.680 have understood it a little more if he if he 1:25:33.840 --> 1:25:36.800 was in the room full of black Jews, if he 1:25:36.920 --> 1:25:38.599 was in the room full of black juice, to say, 1:25:38.680 --> 1:25:42.080 you know what, we as black people have to be 1:25:42.280 --> 1:25:47.080 more supportive of black Jews that exist that are dealing 1:25:47.160 --> 1:25:52.760 with blackness and't they're being they're being disregarding in their 1:25:53.439 --> 1:25:59.360 religion and their race, which we all experience is being 1:25:59.400 --> 1:26:01.920 attacked on a regular basis. And we noticed because we 1:26:02.000 --> 1:26:04.559 talked to black Jews who told us what they deal 1:26:04.640 --> 1:26:09.920 with discrimination and be and and people not even acknowledging them. Right. So, 1:26:10.680 --> 1:26:13.439 so if he had said something like that but still well, 1:26:13.479 --> 1:26:16.760 I'm sorry for all black people I don't know, you know. 1:26:16.920 --> 1:26:19.760 And that's and and this is a conversation that I 1:26:19.880 --> 1:26:23.000 often have with you, um and you know, and I'm 1:26:23.040 --> 1:26:27.120 trying to check myself constantly with be real careful about 1:26:27.280 --> 1:26:32.320 generalizing our statements. This is why our friends something that 1:26:32.560 --> 1:26:37.280 is our friend, it is actually our it's a helper, 1:26:37.479 --> 1:26:41.519 it's our it is what makes us uh thoughtful and 1:26:42.000 --> 1:26:45.120 and and helps to to bring our points to a 1:26:45.280 --> 1:26:50.160 place of of great uh. You know. Where we're educating 1:26:50.600 --> 1:26:56.160 is to use words like some a few those that 1:26:56.560 --> 1:27:00.400 you know, to make sure that we use turns and 1:27:00.560 --> 1:27:04.920 words rather when we're speaking. That narrows in on who 1:27:05.040 --> 1:27:08.720 you're talking about. Because when we say white people this, 1:27:09.200 --> 1:27:13.880 or black people that, or black men or whatever, we 1:27:14.000 --> 1:27:17.240 gotta be real sure that what we're saying applies to 1:27:17.320 --> 1:27:26.400 the whole m. Yeah. So yeah, you know, and and 1:27:26.600 --> 1:27:29.120 and that's that's what it is, man, you know nothing 1:27:29.200 --> 1:27:33.400 but love for then you know, I try until until 1:27:33.920 --> 1:27:36.800 you go all the way over the line and you 1:27:36.960 --> 1:27:39.559 make me feel like you just don't funk with us 1:27:39.640 --> 1:27:42.080 at all. I try to give you the benefit of doubt, 1:27:42.120 --> 1:27:44.519 even though you know I'm a you know, I'm I'm 1:27:44.560 --> 1:27:47.240 consistently gonna say some ship that when I see some 1:27:47.320 --> 1:27:49.880 ship that don't make sense to me, I'm consistently like nah, 1:27:50.280 --> 1:27:53.840 especially when you have a public voice and public platforms, 1:27:54.240 --> 1:27:56.439 you know, and you and you you represent black people. 1:27:56.520 --> 1:27:58.559 Then and you do ship that don't make sense, then 1:27:58.560 --> 1:28:00.240 I'm gonna say, Now, I don't really I don't agree 1:28:00.280 --> 1:28:01.560 with that, you know, And I'm gonna give you the 1:28:01.640 --> 1:28:05.320 benefit of doubt. So well, I'm gonna give you the 1:28:05.360 --> 1:28:08.120 benefit of doubt. But in this situation, you know, man, 1:28:08.200 --> 1:28:10.959 I just think you know, it was just a misstep. 1:28:11.760 --> 1:28:15.040 Like like Tomka said, speaking about yourself and how you 1:28:15.200 --> 1:28:20.240 felt that you've attacked attacked anti Semitism wasn't up to part. 1:28:20.360 --> 1:28:23.000 You know. I don't think you can speak for us. Oh, 1:28:23.360 --> 1:28:24.960 you know, a lot of us feel like we've done, 1:28:25.280 --> 1:28:28.000 we've got going above and beyond. You know, a lot 1:28:28.040 --> 1:28:30.400 of us feel like we've done more than we've actually 1:28:30.479 --> 1:28:36.880 seen Jews do about anti blackness. You know, j some Jews, 1:28:37.520 --> 1:28:40.680 some Jews because we know people like Barro Ellman and 1:28:40.800 --> 1:28:43.920 other Jewish people who do a lot to try to 1:28:44.000 --> 1:28:50.839 support the black community. But overall, right, we are always asked, 1:28:51.320 --> 1:28:56.479 always asked to defend lots of communities, to join lots 1:28:56.520 --> 1:29:01.280 of fights, and and and and and we should continue 1:29:01.320 --> 1:29:04.200 to do that, right, and we should understand because there's 1:29:04.240 --> 1:29:05.880 so many people, as you and I know, they do 1:29:06.080 --> 1:29:09.240 not even know what antisemitism is. They never heard the 1:29:09.520 --> 1:29:13.160 term at all, right, and now they're being exposed to it, 1:29:13.439 --> 1:29:16.920 and they're getting an opportunity to learn, Right, what does 1:29:17.000 --> 1:29:21.240 this mean? Who does it harm? Which communities are impacted 1:29:21.360 --> 1:29:24.080 by it? And like what does it mean for us 1:29:24.360 --> 1:29:29.479 as black people? How do we participate in whatever side? Right? 1:29:30.200 --> 1:29:33.000 Um and and and and it's nothing wrong with us 1:29:33.080 --> 1:29:37.800 being educated about other communities, being educated about hate that 1:29:38.120 --> 1:29:41.400 exists in the world for different people. You know, it's 1:29:41.479 --> 1:29:44.720 nothing wrong with that, but you know there's so much 1:29:44.800 --> 1:29:47.800 there and not even but it's just that is the fact, Like, right, 1:29:47.920 --> 1:29:52.640 people are getting to learn about this particular issue, and 1:29:53.200 --> 1:29:57.000 we all just have to be mindful of what we say, 1:29:57.080 --> 1:30:00.200 which is to your point, nobody is gonna tell mean 1:30:00.439 --> 1:30:03.000 that I have to get over racism, that I gotta 1:30:03.040 --> 1:30:06.320 get over what the KKK did to us. It doesn't 1:30:06.360 --> 1:30:10.320 mean that I'm walking around digging into people's history to 1:30:10.400 --> 1:30:14.360 find out if their great great grandfather was a KKK member. 1:30:14.680 --> 1:30:18.040 I'm not. I may not be at that extent, but 1:30:18.200 --> 1:30:23.400 I damn sure holds a very serious grudge against this country, 1:30:23.560 --> 1:30:27.080 first of all, for what what it has allowed and 1:30:27.160 --> 1:30:30.160 how we built it, and then what has continued to 1:30:30.280 --> 1:30:33.120 happen to us. And still there's been no reckoning. There's 1:30:33.160 --> 1:30:36.559 been nothing done as far as I'm concerned, to really 1:30:36.800 --> 1:30:41.080 truly address the harm and the trauma that was caused. 1:30:41.520 --> 1:30:45.639 And I'm not and you don't have to, and nobody should. 1:30:45.880 --> 1:30:49.160 So nobody should be telling you no, I was gonna say. 1:30:49.600 --> 1:30:53.240 And that's why nobody can't tell the Jewish community to 1:30:53.439 --> 1:30:56.680 get over hitmer. You bugging like you can't say that too. 1:30:56.960 --> 1:31:01.040 That's crazy. It's just crazy. So it is what it is. 1:31:02.120 --> 1:31:06.559 Another day, another day, another episode. Shout out to turn 1:31:06.640 --> 1:31:11.360 Out Loud and his EXCLUSI City. You know, hopefully he 1:31:11.439 --> 1:31:14.639 gets what he wants. Dope interview, Dope brother, brilliant young brother. 1:31:14.960 --> 1:31:17.400 Continue to do what you do, y'all, go support him, 1:31:17.800 --> 1:31:21.000 follow him. You know, we gotta support all of our 1:31:21.080 --> 1:31:25.160 brothers and sisters in this work in every aspect. You know, 1:31:25.240 --> 1:31:27.679 I've been on my black owned business support black owned 1:31:27.680 --> 1:31:32.759 business thing for a while. Shout out to um Bungee brand, 1:31:32.880 --> 1:31:36.160 Bungee the brand who just sent me some dope sneaker. 1:31:36.200 --> 1:31:39.160 Shout out to my Boy Goods with slip walks, Shout 1:31:39.200 --> 1:31:41.840 out to Sire so many different other ones. Man, I'm 1:31:41.880 --> 1:31:46.160 gonna be wearing black owned shoes right now. If you've 1:31:46.160 --> 1:31:48.120 got some clothes, let me know so I can see. 1:31:48.120 --> 1:31:50.880 I'm gonna start purchasing things right now. I got I 1:31:50.960 --> 1:31:53.400 got a clip of things that have been just sent 1:31:53.520 --> 1:31:55.360 to me because of the support. You know, when I 1:31:55.479 --> 1:32:00.200 started supporting these businesses, um a lot of people, their 1:32:00.320 --> 1:32:02.720 sales went up tremendously, so they was like, y'all want 1:32:02.760 --> 1:32:05.320 to send you this as a you know, as appreciation. 1:32:05.439 --> 1:32:07.560 So right now I've got a lot of stuff that 1:32:07.640 --> 1:32:09.960 I still want to brand. I want people to see it. 1:32:10.280 --> 1:32:13.160 And now on since I say fun Nankee, you know, 1:32:13.240 --> 1:32:17.120 I'm gonna be purchasing from exclusively from these brands. So 1:32:17.560 --> 1:32:20.760 I appreciate y'all. Make sure y'all follow me. Follow all 1:32:20.800 --> 1:32:23.479 of the brands that's on my page. I put up 1:32:23.760 --> 1:32:27.200 different brands. Make sure you follow support and bye bye 1:32:27.320 --> 1:32:31.920 bye bye. And with that said, thank you for another 1:32:31.960 --> 1:32:35.280 Dope Episode Tim. Because I'm not gonna always be right, 1:32:35.840 --> 1:32:38.000 She's not gonna always be wrong, but we will both 1:32:38.240 --> 1:32:44.519 always and I mean always, be all the peace. Listen 1:32:44.600 --> 1:32:47.640 to Street Politicians on the Black Effect Network on I 1:32:47.920 --> 1:32:50.840 Heart Radio, and catch us every single Wednesday for the 1:32:50.960 --> 1:32:53.719 video version of Street Politicians when I Women dot tv.