WEBVTT - Civic Cipher 062522 How to Celebrate Juneteenth with Black People (Part A) 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:03.120 Welcome to another episode of civic Ciper. I'm your host, 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.920 Ramsay's Jah, I am your not as capable co host 0:00:07.920 --> 0:00:14.520 q War. I highly disagree with that, but welcome back 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:16.720 to the show. You have an excellent show to talk 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:20.439 about and a lot to stick around for. We just 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:25.560 celebrated June team legally, I mean officially, I guess for 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:30.360 the what does that be the second time? And it 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:33.600 was very exciting, but of course it brought with it 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:38.640 its own type of controversy. You know, who should capitalize 0:00:38.680 --> 0:00:42.760 off of it, who should exploit it, you know who shouldn't, 0:00:43.040 --> 0:00:45.120 et cetera. So we're going to spend a good part 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:49.160 of the show talking about how that looks and how 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:51.120 that feels. So it's for us, it's a bit of 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.239 a break from the norm of people getting shot by 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:58.240 police or you know whatever, police or government and competence 0:00:58.240 --> 0:00:59.680 and that sort of stuff. We're just going to talk 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:04.600 about individuals, companies, people who we interact with more or 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:07.760 less on a day to day basis, and we do 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:10.959 believe that's important too. You'd be surprised at exactly how 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:14.000 we feel about it. So please stick around because we've 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:17.319 been kind of kind of waiting to talk about this 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:19.279 on the show here, and we've. 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:22.959 Got to celebrate Juneteenth and Father's Day in concert. 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:26.560 That was pretty cool. Yes, Indeed, we're also going to 0:01:27.680 --> 0:01:31.200 spend our way Black History fact talking about the origins 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:36.560 of Juneteenth, and we're going to share some stuff with 0:01:36.600 --> 0:01:42.480 you of how to like kind of curate your news intake, 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:48.560 your media intake, some expert advice for our Baba segment. 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:51.240 So a lot to stick around for. But first and 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:55.880 foremost true to form and in typical civics side for fashion, 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:58.040 we like to start off with what we call ebony 0:01:58.080 --> 0:02:02.360 excellence because of y'all. It's because of y'all, And this 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:06.280 is a very special ebony excellence for us because for 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:09.280 this week it's not like us to normally do this, 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:13.440 but for this week we are going to highlight us 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:16.600 this show and that includes you, our listeners, that includes 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:24.360 our producer Maggie Boan us this show. I want you 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:26.160 to tell you a bit about the origins. If this 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:27.800 is the first time you've got in here. But this 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:31.360 show in recent months has achieved a couple of really 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:35.600 special milestones, not the least of which is we now 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:39.360 have thirty broadcast affiliates across the country. I know that 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:41.560 doesn't matter to you if you're in San Diego, if 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:44.079 you're in Vermont, if you're in Oregon. But for us, 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:46.200 for this type of show, that's very very special. And 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:48.720 it's because of listeners and because of supporters that we 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:51.200 can get this sort of message out across the country. 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:54.720 And then more recently, the podcast form of this show. 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:56.959 If you catch us, you know, the end of the 0:02:56.960 --> 0:02:59.480 show every week, you'll realize that we have a podcast 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.040 as wellasically the same audio just uploaded this podcast for 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:05.320 folks who can't catch us, you know, in their cities. 0:03:05.360 --> 0:03:07.800 But the podcast form of the show, we just got 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:12.160 some support from iHeartMedia, the biggest media company on Earth, 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:17.280 and they have opted to highlight our show and put 0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:20.920 us among their news programs and among their black creators. 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:23.920 And so it's magnificent. And you will share a bit 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:26.720 about the origins of the show to give you some context. 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:29.280 I mean, it's really interesting to call it the origins 0:03:29.280 --> 0:03:32.360 of the show, because that wasn't the idea, right that 0:03:32.400 --> 0:03:35.840 we walked away from having a pretty successful career in 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:39.160 radio because our voices weren't being heard on the things 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:41.040 that our people were dealing with. 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:43.360 We never knew that it. 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:45.480 Would turn into this, So that's why before the segment 0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:46.800 started us at it's because of y'all. 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:47.680 It's because of y'all. 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:51.400 You guys forced us to stand on our words, to 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:54.000 stand on our principles, and because of that, it turned 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:56.280 into something really beautiful and really powerful for us. 0:03:56.320 --> 0:04:00.720 So thank you, guys. So Ebony excellent This week goes 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:03.840 to Civic Cipher Civic Cipher dot com, by the way, 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:05.960 check it out. And of course that of course was 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:08.640 brought to you by Armadelle Vodka, so shout out to them. 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:16.480 Now juneteenth, I want to share what I did on juneteen. 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:23.200 Go for it Father's Day. So I have two sons. 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:26.200 My older son is sixteen, my little boy is seven 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:30.560 years old. I had them both with me and we 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:34.880 got Cane's chicken fingers. That's important for the culture. That 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:38.599 was my Father's Day dinner. We don't get celebrated in 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:40.960 the same way as moms do, but I think it's 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:43.680 a little bit more special. I love it because it's 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:46.719 like nobody cares what they care enough to show that 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:49.880 they don't care. It's like a joke sort of. But yeah, 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:52.560 we got Cane's chicken fingers. I think I got a 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:56.479 thirty dollars gift card to Amazon, so that was cool 0:04:56.480 --> 0:05:00.800 because I didn't have that before. And so my Father's 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:02.520 Day was that. Of course, I spend time with family 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:06.360 and that sort of thing, but then I didn't want 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:08.159 to lose sight of the fact that it was a 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:11.159 shared holiday with Juneteenth. And of course I am a 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:16.159 black man. My children are both black males. They will 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:23.200 be men in due time. And my little boy seven 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:27.080 years old, So in trying to explain to him, because 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:29.160 he's about at that age now, trying to explain to 0:05:29.240 --> 0:05:32.320 him what June teenth is, I have to kind of 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:37.600 break out some wild concepts. Okay, do you know what 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:41.640 a slave is? No, for those of that's a good 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:43.360 impression of my son. He's been on the show before. 0:05:43.360 --> 0:05:46.440 If if you're a new listener, But do you know 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:47.080 what a slave is? 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:47.240 No? 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:49.960 You know, I have to explain, Okay, a slave is 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:54.119 somebody who has to work for somebody else for free, 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:56.360 and they don't get to make their own decisions. They 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:58.920 don't get to wake up when they're done sleeping, they 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:02.279 don't get to, you know whatever, They don't have any autonomy, 0:06:02.440 --> 0:06:03.920 which isn't a word, of course I used with a 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:05.840 seven years old, but that's kind of the concept that 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:10.840 I was attempting to convict. And then I had to 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:15.480 explain to him that the reason that there are black people, 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.320 certainly so many black people in this country is because 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:22.080 of a period of time in this country where slavery 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:28.480 was legal. And I did my best to convey many 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:31.240 of the horrors of slavery to him so that he 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:34.680 could appreciate why we now have a holiday to celebrate 0:06:34.720 --> 0:06:38.039 the fact that slavery is over. And I'm explaining to 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:41.240 this child there's concepts like time, hundreds of years. These 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:50.039 are inconceivable concepts for a child that young, and horrors 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:52.800 that he can't imagine. He doesn't know what rape is 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:57.920 because he's not old enough to understand even what right, 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:01.920 you know what I mean, like consent, the consensually, you know, 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:05.040 like any of these sorts of things. And so I'm 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:08.760 trying to paint these pictures for them. And my older 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:13.920 son suggested that we should watch a movie together. We're 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:15.760 here in the house together, it's the three of us, 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:21.880 just watch a movie. So we break out Django Wow. 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.120 And so we decided that this is going to be 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:27.320 a tradition every year that we're going to honor where 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:31.120 we came from on Juneteenth as a part of our 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:33.600 family celebration is we're going to take some time and 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:36.240 see what it was that our forefathers specifically are and 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:41.160 our ancestors, our black forefathers, not the country forefathers, and 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:45.360 our ancestors that's probably a better word, went through so 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:49.120 that we understand the context and we don't forget the 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:54.920 people who again were born into servitude, given a name 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:59.680 that was not authentically theirs, lived very hard, painful and 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:05.320 short lives, died without leaving a real story behind, and 0:08:05.360 --> 0:08:08.560 whose bodies are buried in the ground of this country. 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:12.480 Wherever you live right now, they're buried there too. So 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:18.480 this is going to be our family tradition, right And 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:20.840 I'm gonna be honest. My son asked me some heavy questions, 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:27.320 you know, my little boy, does that make white people 0:08:27.520 --> 0:08:30.400 bad or something like that? Are the white people bad 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:33.400 or the bad guys or something like that? Of course not, 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:39.040 of course not. You know, there's good people and bad 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:46.280 people of every color. You know. It's funny because as 0:08:46.280 --> 0:08:48.160 I mentioned to her as I was talking to him, 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:50.000 I says, you know, there's white people that were certainly 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:56.360 responsible for creating these, you know, conditions, and there were 0:08:56.400 --> 0:09:00.720 white people responsible for going away with these cos you 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:03.040 know what I mean. And so anybody of any color 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:06.959 is capable of being good and bad, and sometimes that changes, 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:09.120 you know what I mean. And they could be black, white, 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:12.480 you know, any color, any race, any background, any nationality. 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:23.440 The thing is, this is sort of what Juneteenth has 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:26.640 become for me in the past couple of years, because 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:30.400 if I'm honest, I've never been a big go out 0:09:30.400 --> 0:09:33.760 of my way to celebrate Juneteenth. Single de Mayo has 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:39.280 always felt like a much more prevalent holiday in my 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:43.120 life because I saw it being celebrated around me. Right 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:48.240 June teenth was sort of celebrated in pockets. I get 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:50.000 that it's a big deal in Texas. It's perhaps a 0:09:50.040 --> 0:09:51.760 much bigger deal in the South. But I grew up 0:09:51.800 --> 0:09:56.120 on the West Coast, and in my adult life I've 0:09:56.120 --> 0:09:58.200 lived in Arizona, so you can imagine there's not a 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:01.080 lot in the way of Juneteenth festivities. It's just the 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:02.760 kind of a thing to hear about once a year, 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:05.240 and if I'm being one hundred percent honest, for many years. 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:06.760 Certainly when I was younger, I didn't even know what 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:09.360 it was. Just was the middle of June, I supposed. 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:15.440 But now as a man with context and I've graduated college, 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:17.240 I have children, I've grown up, you know, I get 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:21.000 it now and I recognize, especially now that it's a 0:10:21.040 --> 0:10:23.559 federal holiday, that I have license to lean into that. 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:28.480 So this is what I did. I want to ask, 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:32.080 you know, I was along conversation, but did you do 0:10:32.160 --> 0:10:35.320 any celebrating for a Juneteenth? Because before we go into 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:38.280 this own to make sure that everyone has context, I didn't. 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:42.640 And the weekend was tough for me, and I hate 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:46.959 to be the downer here. Not only did I spend 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:50.079 Father's Day alone because my children and their mom were 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:54.760 out of the country, but I lost a brother. 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:57.440 On Father's Day. That's right, I remember that. 0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:00.920 You know, a long fight with colon cancer that you know, 0:11:00.960 --> 0:11:02.720 he finally wasn't able to keep fighting. 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:09.560 So my celebratory energy was kind of taken away from 0:11:09.559 --> 0:11:10.360 me over the weekend. 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:12.720 Not only were my children not there for you know, 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:15.760 with me on Father's Day, but I just wasn't in 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:19.439 the space to really celebrate anything. It's a tough day 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:24.800 for my family and just trying to align and be 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:26.920 there for my family the best that I can. Because 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.920 there are thousands of miles away in Detroit. I'll be 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:33.600 making my way back there over the next couple of days. 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:37.840 So I didn't get to really lean into the day 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:39.920 like I wish I would have, or I wish I 0:11:39.920 --> 0:11:43.120 could have, But I kind of understood it wasn't going 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:44.520 to be that kind of day for me, just with 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.400 the kids being gone. Yeah, that took a lot away 0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:49.640 from Father's Day, and then you know, I woke up 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:52.000 to some tough news, so I didn't really have my 0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:53.080 celebration pans on. 0:11:53.280 --> 0:11:55.800 Well, here's what I do want to say, because maybe 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:57.640 it wasn't on June team, but I know for a 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.319 fact that you and me sort of had our own 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:05.959 kind of mini celebration in our fashion like we do. 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.480 So Q has a friend who has a big company, 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:13.280 has hundreds of employees, and the person who has this 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:17.520 company asked if we could speak to his employees about 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:20.800 Juneteenth and how to celebrate it appropriately, And so Q 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:27.560 and I gave a talk to this company, and we 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.920 had to instruct people of all races how to celebrate 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:37.160 June teenth with us, and the easiest way to kind 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:39.520 of surmise what we said is just pretend like it's 0:12:39.520 --> 0:12:41.840 singled a mile. But for black people, you're more than 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:44.120 welcome to celebrate with us. You know, nobody's gonna get 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:46.040 mad at you. Let's have fun. If you overstep, we'll 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:47.800 let you know. But don't be afraid. We love you. 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:49.760 That was kind of the gist of what we were saying. 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:54.040 So we did acknowledge that Juneteenth was happening, and we 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:58.520 did kind of lean into at least the spirit of Juneteenth. 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:00.320 It might have been the day before, but you know, 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:03.960 we did honor our ancestors in our own way, in 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:07.040 our fashion. Now we were able to provide some historical context. 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:11.200 We got to teach. Yeah, that's what we do. Yeah, 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:13.840 I think, you know, I don't really call our teachers, 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:16.680 but we share things that we know in hopes of 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:19.800 with the spirit of love and forgiveness and hopes that 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:21.880 we can kind of create a ripple effect out there 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:29.640 in the world. Now, what we're talking about is the 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:33.520 commercialization of June. Right, We're going to spend you know, 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:37.240 most of the show talking about Juneteenth. And I think 0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:39.920 that you know, you're obviously listening to the show after Juneteenth, 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:41.319 but I think that we needed to kind of live 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:43.600 through it to then look back on it and see 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:47.319 what it was, what it's become, and really to acknowledge 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:50.360 it will more than likely continue to grow in in 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:52.079 what it is. It's going to get bigger and bigger 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.880 and bigger. So let's really get a sense of how 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:57.840 do we approach it all of us. Now, I'm going 0:13:57.880 --> 0:14:04.520 to share something from NBC. So Juneteenth was finally recognized 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:07.360 as a federal holiday. Then came commercialization. So I'm gonna 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.240 read a bit for black folks, there has been a 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:13.320 long tradition of commemorating Juneteenth, but now the Juneteenth it's 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:15.920 a federal holiday, complete with offices and schools closing and 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:19.320 recognition of it. The inevitable has also taken shape commercialism. 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:23.160 Commercialism sorry box stores from coast to coast are lining 0:14:23.160 --> 0:14:26.680 shelves of Juneteenth products. Walmart caught the most flack recently 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:30.000 for stocking a Juneteenth Great Value Brand ice cream flavor, 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:36.600 the labeled touting a trademark symbol. The move prompted questions 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:39.720 about who can even own the idea of Juneteenth and 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.400 the appropriateness of corporations cashing in on what could be 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.800 considered a bittersweet holiday, commemorating the end of enslavement in 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:49.120 the beginning of a generation's long struggle for civil rights. 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:51.800 This year, some attempts to celebrate the day have gone 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:54.600 sour very publicly. Many were angry to see the trademark 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:57.680 Juneteenth ice cream on shelves developed with the help of 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:01.520 a corporation that creates artificial flavor, and a children's museum 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:05.200 apologized after its Juneteenth menu called for a watermelon salad. 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:08.720 A June teen soul food celebration in Arkansas was canceled 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.320 after a leak poster for the event revealed that none 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:15.280 of its featured hosts were black. The impulse when it 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:18.640 comes to many holidays is to focus on the bright side, 0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:24.080 in this case emancipation freedom, which lends itself to digestible 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:27.400 celebrations and commemorative products doing cell brushes aside the thing 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:31.480 black people were being emancipated from centuries of slavery. We 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:36.200 cannot at this stage afford symbolism. And I want to 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:39.560 take a moment with this because I saw this about 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:45.200 the people who trademark the June teenth name. It came 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:49.760 up under the United States Trademark Office PTO something like that, 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:53.400 and then it had the name of the company and 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:57.280 all the people who were listed on the trademark, and 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:01.600 it might have been six people. They were all sort 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:04.640 of older white men in suits. You know. It came up. 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:07.520 I saw it on social media. But I caught wind 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:13.000 of this, and I get that the optics don't look good, right. 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:25.800 I get that these white men in Corporate America trademarking 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:29.440 the name June teenth. Granted it was just for ice 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:39.280 cream flavor, but trademarking June teenth, it feels hurtful. But 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:41.320 then I also have to have some context, and I'd 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:45.200 love for you to jump into that. That is perhaps 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:48.760 the way that that works for every holiday people. With 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:50.760 this capitalism, you have to protect your brand, you have 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:53.040 to protect your interests, you have to protect your space 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:56.040 to compete. Trademarking things is kind of the way we 0:16:56.080 --> 0:17:00.560 go about doing that in business, right, and business for 0:17:00.680 --> 0:17:03.840 the most part respects green, which has been a problem 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:06.720 for black people because we haven't had enough green to 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:10.000 really get the corporations to really look out for our 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:12.520 interests historically, you know what I mean. And so we've 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:16.400 kind of been at the tail end of their considerations 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:25.159 historically speaking. So yes, that looked really bad. I wouldn't. 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:26.600 I would. I would go in as far as to 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:29.440 say that it probably is really bad. Now. I don't 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:31.880 know those men. I'm not going to speak to their 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:34.560 motivations other than perhaps it was they were trying to 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:41.160 make money. But I don't want that story to prevent 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:48.160 people from feeling like Juneteenth isn't approachable, because it is approachable. 0:17:48.800 --> 0:17:52.640 If Saint Patrick's Day black as I am, I'll get 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:55.000 out there and have fun with everybody. I live in Arizona. 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:57.640 There's Hispanic people. To get out there, there's Asian people. Yet 0:17:57.680 --> 0:18:00.520 we all have fun. It's a holiday. We're all celebrating 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:05.120 a holiday. I've never been to Ireland. I actually take 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:07.439 that back. I have a grandmother this half Irish and 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:10.600 half Cuban, so I guess I got some claim to that. 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:12.720 But I don't live my life as an Irish man, 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:14.200 you know what I mean. So if I'm out there, 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:17.440 no one knows that, and I don't wear those I'm 0:18:17.480 --> 0:18:19.520 part Irish shirts to kind of fit in. Nope, I'm 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:21.480 just me out there having fun with y'all. I do 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:23.840 it on Mexican holidays. I do it in Mexico. I 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:27.439 do it for American holiday whatever. Columbus Day. For a 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:30.639 long time, I don't celebrate that anymore, obviously because I 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:34.920 acknowledge that we are on unseated ancestral lands of the 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:41.320 Akima and Odam peoples here in Arizona. But the long 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:43.600 time I celebrated Columbus Day, which from what I understand, 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:49.280 is widely celebrated among to Irish Americans, probably more Spanish 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:55.240 and Italian than Irish. Maybe that's it, you know, But 0:18:56.760 --> 0:19:01.160 to get out and fellowship with folks for Chinese New Year, 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:04.000 if there's a celebration going on there, pride. You know, 0:19:04.040 --> 0:19:06.679 I've gone out and hung out for pride. And I 0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:14.959 don't identify as lgbt Q, I A or plus. You know, 0:19:15.200 --> 0:19:19.760 I'm A. I believe it sis male cis gendered male. 0:19:20.320 --> 0:19:22.760 I think that's what I'm supposed to say there. I 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:24.359 just want to be respectful, so I'm not trying to 0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:25.480 make light of that. I want to make sure I 0:19:25.480 --> 0:19:28.000 get the language right to honor my brothers and sisters 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:33.439 from those communities. But celebrating alongside people who are themselves celebrating, 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:36.480 you know, is I believe that's something that's very special. 0:19:36.480 --> 0:19:40.240 I'm not a Muslim Man, and I have observed the 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:44.840 Ramadan Fast in my life, you know, and I've I've 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:47.720 done my best to just kind of stand in solidarity 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:50.520 and experience it. And obviously I haven't changed my religion 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:52.439 or whatever, but I see the beauty in it, and 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:56.680 I I've always found that there's a warm reception to 0:19:57.080 --> 0:20:01.200 you know, you kind of taking the time to partake 0:20:01.200 --> 0:20:04.639 in someone else's culture or holiday or whatever. So I 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:09.600 want Juneteenth to remain approachable. But you know, we do 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:14.159 see some things that don't really look that good. But 0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:16.119 at the same time, I believe we also have to 0:20:16.160 --> 0:20:18.679 recognize that if we want this holiday to be a 0:20:18.720 --> 0:20:22.200 bona fide holiday alongside Martin Luther King Day and Kwanza 0:20:22.240 --> 0:20:25.000 and those sorts of things, or as big as as 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:28.040 we mentioned a single de Mayo or you know, Saint 0:20:28.080 --> 0:20:33.440 Patrick's Day or whatever, that it's part and parcel to 0:20:35.080 --> 0:20:37.919 an immense amount of commercialization. And I don't see that 0:20:37.960 --> 0:20:40.480 as a bad thing, you know, because just like there 0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:42.800 are white folks that can cash in on that, black 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:45.480 folks and anybody hispanic, but anybody can cash in on 0:20:45.560 --> 0:20:48.159 that provided that they're in those industries. That's kind of 0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:52.000 what capitalism is. So these are my thoughts just out 0:20:52.000 --> 0:20:52.320 the gate. 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:59.000 Capitalism. We've talked about it before. It comes up a 0:20:59.040 --> 0:21:07.480 lot because I am not a passionate subscriber to the idea, 0:21:08.920 --> 0:21:12.560 because it requires that there are some that have nothing. 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:19.399 So that few can have immense wealth. 0:21:24.040 --> 0:21:31.000 And the trademarking of Juneteenth in a capitalist society, there's no. 0:21:30.960 --> 0:21:40.600 Way for it to not feel exploitative. White men owning 0:21:40.800 --> 0:21:44.480 June teenth, juneteenth ice cream flavor, white. 0:21:44.200 --> 0:21:49.520 Men owning June teenth on a trademark, what they're using 0:21:49.520 --> 0:21:57.639 it for is kind of that's secondary, that's problematic. The 0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:04.439 commercialization of this holiday will present its own problems. But 0:22:04.520 --> 0:22:06.560 it's going to be very difficult for us to say 0:22:06.600 --> 0:22:08.600 to the world and to the country, Hey, come celebrate 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:10.800 this thing with us, but don't. 0:22:10.520 --> 0:22:13.720 Touch it, right, That's what I'm trying to say. And 0:22:13.960 --> 0:22:16.120 the fourth of July, which you haven't mentioned. You've mentioned 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:20.399 single to mile multiple times. I like single. The fourth 0:22:20.440 --> 0:22:22.560 of July is fastly approaching. 0:22:22.240 --> 0:22:27.120 Sure, and we're talking about our emancipation versus the country's independence. 0:22:32.040 --> 0:22:33.440 That holiday. 0:22:35.000 --> 0:22:41.440 Is almost bastardized with this commercial t shirts, American flags. 0:22:42.920 --> 0:22:45.480 I mean, go to walmartin now for Fourth of July 0:22:46.080 --> 0:22:48.480 and look at the displays for swimming pools and fireworks 0:22:48.520 --> 0:22:51.879 and grill tents and just every possible way that you 0:22:51.920 --> 0:22:54.359 can put Independence Day and fourth of July on something. 0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:59.119 All of that adds to why so many people celebrate it. 0:23:00.680 --> 0:23:03.159 So we can't continue to say, hey, everybody, get on 0:23:03.240 --> 0:23:06.040 board with this, but then again, nobody touch it. 0:23:06.560 --> 0:23:09.160 Yes, it's a catch twenty two. It's going to be really, 0:23:09.200 --> 0:23:12.840 really difficult. So I think that our position, especially for 0:23:12.880 --> 0:23:14.840 those of you who might be on the fence, are like, hey, 0:23:14.840 --> 0:23:17.160 I don't know how to celebrate it or whatever. Please 0:23:17.200 --> 0:23:20.880 celebrate with us. We are not slaves anymore. That's let's 0:23:20.880 --> 0:23:22.920 have a party about it. Let's celebrate it every years. 0:23:23.000 --> 0:23:24.960 Let's honor the lives of those people, as I mentioned, 0:23:24.960 --> 0:23:27.560 that live very short, hard lives, and Diagmo's bodies are 0:23:27.600 --> 0:23:31.360 buried in the ground, as is typical of most holidays. 0:23:31.400 --> 0:23:33.000 You honor the folks who came before you. 0:23:33.160 --> 0:23:35.360 And for those of you that are angry about the holiday, 0:23:36.240 --> 0:23:38.399 please look into mirror and ask yourself why. 0:23:38.560 --> 0:23:41.360 Oh, let me add to that. If you're angry about 0:23:41.400 --> 0:23:45.240 the flag, because there's a Juneteenth flag that I've seen, 0:23:45.600 --> 0:23:47.400 and there's been people that some backlash on it. You're 0:23:47.440 --> 0:23:50.160 angry about that flag, of why you have not yet 0:23:50.200 --> 0:23:53.720 been angry about that Blue Lives flag or any of 0:23:53.760 --> 0:23:56.800 the other variations of colors. And then you're going to 0:23:56.880 --> 0:24:00.720 find in that conversation in your head, find your very 0:24:00.760 --> 0:24:02.399 own prejudice and your own bias. 0:24:02.680 --> 0:24:05.959