1 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: Good morning, peeps, and welcome to wok F Daily with 2 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: Meet your Girl Daniel Moody. Recording from the Home Bunker, Folks. 3 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:25,240 Speaker 1: Today's episode is really special. Usually I do not do 4 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: solo shows on Monday, but today April first, Happy April 5 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: Fool's Day, we have an announcement and it's kind of wild. 6 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: So today on iHeart, we launch Wokf's fifth season. That's right, 7 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: season five, which is pretty incredible. Five years ago in 8 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen, which pause for shock for that shit, because 9 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: I posted a meme in my Instagram stories I think 10 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: like a week or so ago where it was. Can 11 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: you believe that twenty nineteen was five years ago? It's 12 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: hard to think back that far because so much has happened. 13 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: It's like, what you know, Your head just starts spinning 14 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: trying to get back. And literally the other day I 15 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: went into my phone and put in twenty nineteen because 16 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: I literally had no real recollection of that year, like 17 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: it was wild, and so I had to put the 18 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: date in the year in and then begin to go 19 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: through photos and I'm just like, I look, here's my 20 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: thing to you all. Do this. If you have not 21 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: done this, if you don't do this on your phones. 22 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: Do it put in like January twenty nineteen, and then 23 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: just let or twenty nineteen and just go through the year. 24 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: I look like a different person, like one hundred percent 25 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: and the stress, the pandemic, I just look like a 26 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: different person. And so I say that to say that 27 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: when Andrew, my producer, who has been with me since 28 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: the beginning of WOKAF and so we're counting. So if 29 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: folks are like, wait a minute, I've been listening since 30 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: the beginning beginning, We're really looking at twenty nineteen as 31 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: wokf's independence year, which is when I left Sirius XM 32 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: and went to an independent company, went to DCP Entertainment, 33 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: and the show went through a couple of iterations after 34 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: leaving Sirius. And so for me, five years ago is 35 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: a wild time because it was a time that I 36 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: decided to really bet on myself and to bet on you. 37 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: All the listeners. Some have come and go, and there 38 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: are new and old and like ride dies from you know, 39 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: from the beginning, and people that have just heard about 40 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: me recently and are signing up. And I just want 41 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: to say, particularly to all of those that went on 42 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: this ride with me that signed up for Patreon that 43 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 1: are still on Patreon, which I can't express to you 44 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: all enough what your support financial support has meant for 45 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: my ability to continue doing this show in an independent fashion, 46 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: and even though it's been through so many bumps and 47 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: I'm going to go through you know them, and I mean, 48 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: we've been through so many bumps on this show, but 49 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: the country, my god, you know, we've been up and 50 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: down Everest, I don't even know how many fucking times 51 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: over the last five years. And so I just want 52 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. 53 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: Just incredibly, I'm so indebted and in so much gratitude 54 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: for the love and support that you all continue to 55 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: show me and have allowed me to actualize my dreams 56 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways. I just want to start 57 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: off by saying, too, just like a little quick background, 58 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: particularly for those that are new to wokay app, is 59 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 1: that back way back when you know, I launched this 60 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: show as a response to Donald Trump being elected president 61 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 1: in twenty sixteen and just being completely and totally fucking 62 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: flabbergasted that this country that I had decided to like 63 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: dedicate my brain power and work and energy and passion 64 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: to making better, whether that be as a school teacher, 65 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 1: as a fellow on a congressional fellow on Capitol Hill, 66 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:59,359 Speaker 1: as a federal lobbyist, set a series of organizations and 67 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: cities to working, you know, and launching initiatives to better 68 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: the lives of LGBTQ plus people, particularly those that are 69 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: black and live at the intersection of multiple identities. I 70 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,919 Speaker 1: believed in the promise of this country. I believed in 71 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: the responsibility of each generation to do its part to 72 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: make way right for the generation to come behind it 73 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: and pick up the baton, and that we would get 74 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: better right with more knowledge, more access, more technology, each 75 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: and every year, each and every decade. And then Trump happens, 76 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 1: and you know, I will say, folks that since then, 77 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: since then, and we're talking now, it's like it's so 78 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:59,799 Speaker 1: hard to kind of go through the years. But Donald 79 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: Trump was inaugurated seven years ago, and since then it 80 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:17,159 Speaker 1: is like a portal of hate has opened up in 81 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: this country and is just eating it from the inside out. 82 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:32,479 Speaker 1: And what began my career as this hopeful, ambitious young 83 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 1: person that saw how government and policies were able to 84 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: bring my family from Jamaica to the United States to 85 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: build a life and a way that I could then 86 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:55,799 Speaker 1: exist right and be first generation American born here because 87 00:06:55,960 --> 00:07:01,799 Speaker 1: of policies that allowed for immigration right and the ability 88 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: to start over and build a life right. And my 89 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: family has always had such a strong sense of pride 90 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: for this country. And I think that that's what makes 91 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: me so angry about the anti immigrant, hateful, white supremacist 92 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 1: rhetoric that we hear in this country, which is that 93 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: you will meet no person of greater pride than an 94 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: immigrant who has come to this country and built a life. 95 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: You will meet no one more dedicated to this country 96 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: than an immigrant that comes here. And that's just facts. 97 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: Because up until right the last seven years, America, while imperfect, 98 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 1: has been that country where you can start anew and 99 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: build something for you, yourself, your family, build a community. 100 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: That has always been the promise of America in its hopefulness. 101 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 1: And so and I'm getting like choked up talking about it, 102 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:32,560 Speaker 1: because what's happened over the last seven years has been 103 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:40,719 Speaker 1: a robbing, a ransacking of that hopefulness and that idealism 104 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: that everyone should have. Right. You think about things that 105 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: were impossible until they were done. That's the story of America. 106 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: We have so many faults, so don't get me wrong, 107 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,679 Speaker 1: right and I could, I could list them right as 108 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 1: well as you. But I want to speak about for 109 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: a moment, like the hopefulness and the idealism that is 110 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: actually what has made America great and a standout from 111 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: other nations. What is heartbreaking is that over the last 112 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: five years of me being on air and independent with WOKF, 113 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: I have seen a horrific devolving of America and my 114 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: own hopefulness, my own desire to participate in this American project, 115 00:09:54,800 --> 00:10:03,839 Speaker 1: in this democratic project, because until seven years ago when 116 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: Donald Trump became President of the United States, there was 117 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: a belief that even though we have horrific gun violence, 118 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: even though black people are killed by police on a 119 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:30,599 Speaker 1: regular basis, even though there are hate crimes and hatefulness, 120 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: that there was still opportunity and still more people that 121 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: believed that we could be better tomorrow than we were today, 122 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:53,599 Speaker 1: and that we all, with our varied talents, ethnicities, culture races, 123 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 1: that we add something, We add value, not by virtue 124 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 1: of what we produce, but by who we are. But 125 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: now as I look back and I hold up just 126 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:23,880 Speaker 1: unlike Wikipedia, let me see all of the things that 127 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: happened in twenty nineteen, y'all so much that it is 128 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: genuinely like so hard to think back pre pandemic. But 129 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:49,839 Speaker 1: I want to give you some highlights. Well, five years ago, 130 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 1: we weren't in two wars. Five years ago, a million 131 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 1: plus Americans hadn't died from a global health pandemic. But 132 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:07,560 Speaker 1: we had a number of Democrats announcing that they were 133 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: going to be running for president, which all of whom 134 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: I had forgotten about, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Mary Ann Williamson, 135 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Warren, Like, I kind of forgot that so many 136 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: people had announced to take on Trump, and that, you know, 137 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:35,079 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court had allowed Donald Trump to roll back 138 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: progress inside of the military with limiting the participation of 139 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: patriotic trans people who wanted to serve their country, and 140 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: this president was like No, I forgot that Roger Stone 141 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: had been charged with seven counts of obstruction of justice 142 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:02,440 Speaker 1: and witness tampering, but he would later be pardoned right 143 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: by Donald Trump. I forgot that there had been so 144 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:14,559 Speaker 1: many shootings when you pull up Wikipedia and you look 145 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:17,960 Speaker 1: and you put in a year, and they listed out 146 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,360 Speaker 1: month by month, and kind of pull out, you know, 147 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: important dates where things had happened, so many shootings, pretty incredible. 148 00:13:28,679 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: Democrats took back the House to stop Trump. Bill Barr 149 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: lied to the American public about the contents of the 150 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:41,960 Speaker 1: Mull Report. The list kind of goes on and on 151 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: and on, and it's just we've lived so many lives 152 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: since then, and that's kind of what has stood out 153 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: to me the most is that I feel like I 154 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: have a lived so many lives over the last five years. 155 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:13,559 Speaker 1: Our certainty about things that we could expect, our stability 156 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: have all been uprooted, and there's this sense of feeling 157 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: untethered right like you're just in this consistent state of unraveling. 158 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: And to one extent, I find the unraveling cathartic because 159 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: I think that America has spoon fed us a consistent 160 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 1: diet of lies about who America is, what our shared 161 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: values are, the idea of our exceptionalism, this badge of 162 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: honor that we would wear around the world as we 163 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:13,320 Speaker 1: are the hardest working people that never take vacations, while 164 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: the rest of the world looks at us and it's 165 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 1: just like, huh, but your quality of life is shit 166 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: and you were all dying much younger. The pandemic in 167 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: a lot of ways helped lift the veil around the 168 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: grind of capitalism and the fact that sure, you could 169 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 1: put in fifty sixty seventy eighty hours a week, but 170 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: if you drop dead, they will clean out your cubicle, 171 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 1: your office, your locker in within a day and slide 172 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: somebody else into your slot, pay them half of what 173 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:55,680 Speaker 1: you are being paid, and start the process all over again. 174 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: We started to real lies during the course of the pandemic, 175 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: how important precious and short our time on this planet is, 176 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: and how do we really want to be living our lives, 177 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: and do we really want to be living our lives 178 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:34,560 Speaker 1: in a way where we're spending our days, hours off 179 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: of our lives, commuting, putting our lives on hold, so 180 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: that we could put the value in the importance of 181 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:53,160 Speaker 1: insert said company, said organization. First, well, they pay my bills, okay, 182 00:16:54,600 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: But can you also be a full human being? Right? 183 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: People loved to talk about work life balance, but what 184 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: folks realize for those that were privileged enough to be 185 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:12,679 Speaker 1: able to do their jobs from home was that going 186 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 1: into the office was a lie for corporate real estate 187 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:22,400 Speaker 1: and for your bosses to be your overlords because there 188 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: was a lack of trust. But yet they want to 189 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: say that we're a family. Keep that familial language out 190 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: your mouth. This is a job. My family doesn't hold 191 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: evaluations and then fire me. Right. My family doesn't put 192 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: my worth right in connection to what I produce for them. 193 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: So this idea that your workplace is your family is 194 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:01,119 Speaker 1: a lie. It is it's a lie to get you 195 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:07,240 Speaker 1: to go above and beyond but only be paid what 196 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,879 Speaker 1: is on the ground. So why am I going above that? 197 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 1: So people started to think differently and move differently, and 198 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:21,919 Speaker 1: we like to joke and I have about generation ze. 199 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: Oh they don't want to work as hard and blah blah, yeah, 200 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:29,400 Speaker 1: because actually no, they want to work smarter. They want 201 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 1: work to actually work for them and their lives and 202 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: not the other way around, because they've seen their parents 203 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 1: and their grandparents burn the fuck out. What would have 204 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:51,240 Speaker 1: made a difference if not just following along and climbing 205 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 1: up the ladder right, hoping to be recognized and to 206 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 1: be seen and to someday be paid your worth. But 207 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 1: you just go along for the get along. That's what 208 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:05,320 Speaker 1: the prior generations did. And this one whose life was 209 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: abruptly halted by a global health pandemic. They have a 210 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:20,879 Speaker 1: different understanding of how precious life and time is and 211 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 1: how everything can be gone in an instant. We can 212 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: learn from them instead of thinking that we know everything, 213 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 1: We can learn from how gen Z looks at work 214 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:42,400 Speaker 1: and thinks to themselves, Yeah, this is just not my vibe. 215 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:50,400 Speaker 1: You know everything can stop tomorrow because it has, so 216 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 1: how do I want to live this one precious life? 217 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:57,840 Speaker 1: These are some of the questions that we have been 218 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 1: asking ourselves, folks over these last five years, over the 219 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:10,080 Speaker 1: last five seasons of WOKF, where we've tried to bring 220 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:17,160 Speaker 1: in experts and academics and authors to work through these 221 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 1: conversations with us, to maybe offer us a different perspective, 222 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: a different vantage point, to help open up and expand 223 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 1: our minds and our hearts a bit more. But when 224 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: we really take a minute, take a pause, to sit 225 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: back and look at all we've made it through to 226 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:45,040 Speaker 1: this point, My God, do we owe ourselves more than 227 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:47,600 Speaker 1: a round of applause, more than a pat on the back. 228 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: We need to sit in deep gratitude for how much 229 00:20:54,320 --> 00:21:00,080 Speaker 1: we have been through and we are still here. There 230 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: are so many that are not. We have definitely been 231 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:18,159 Speaker 1: going through really dark times. But I still when I 232 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 1: can see sunshine and blue skies and hear the birds, 233 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:30,440 Speaker 1: that's when my possibility and hopefulness grows. And some days 234 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: I got it, some days I don't. Some days you 235 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: got it, some days you don't. But we hope right 236 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: that there are people around us who do have it 237 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 1: when we don't, who can carry the hopefulness when we 238 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: are feeling hopeless, that we can be in community and 239 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:55,440 Speaker 1: be balancing each other out as we move through these 240 00:21:55,520 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: really difficult times. America has change so much, and not 241 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: for the better in a lot of ways. You know, 242 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 1: we've made way for a return to unabashed racism. We've 243 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: moved back to a place where white supremacy is celebrated 244 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:27,479 Speaker 1: and not marginalized. It's hard, I tell you this often 245 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,399 Speaker 1: it is hard to get on this microphone some days. 246 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: The last five years have been really difficult, very challenging 247 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: to keep going and feeling like there is any impact 248 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:46,639 Speaker 1: to be had. So I just deeply appreciate those of 249 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 1: you who send messages and tweet and post and you know, 250 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:58,880 Speaker 1: share bits and pieces of the show, because I will 251 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:01,760 Speaker 1: tell you that I've had a lot of dark days, 252 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,600 Speaker 1: a lot of days when I want to just pull 253 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:10,200 Speaker 1: the plug and I say, what does it all mean? 254 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:15,719 Speaker 1: Does it even matter? And then on those very low days, 255 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:26,439 Speaker 1: someone comments, share is a thought, thanks me. And I 256 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,440 Speaker 1: have always said that if I can only reach one person, 257 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 1: but that one person then sees things differently and then 258 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: starts having different conversations with the people around them, and 259 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 1: then those people start to see things differently, and so 260 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 1: on and so forth, and then we become this ripple effect. 261 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:51,880 Speaker 1: Because what I do know is that change is an 262 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:57,439 Speaker 1: inside job. So if we can change and shift the 263 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: way that we think and expand and the way that 264 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: we love, and we begin that work on ourselves, that 265 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:17,800 Speaker 1: light shines out and it opens other people's eyes, It 266 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 1: pulls the veil off, and it gives other people that 267 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 1: you may not even know, permission to do something differently, 268 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:38,400 Speaker 1: to speak up, to take on varied responsibility to make 269 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:44,440 Speaker 1: this world better. So, on this five year anniversary and 270 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:49,600 Speaker 1: the kickoff of season five of Woke AFFI Daily on iHeart, 271 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: I just want to thank each and every single one 272 00:24:53,000 --> 00:25:06,560 Speaker 1: of you for your hopefulness, for your persistence, for your valor, 273 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:12,400 Speaker 1: for your love and support of independent media and voices 274 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:15,399 Speaker 1: like mine and a show like this. I would not 275 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,879 Speaker 1: have made it through the last five years without you all, 276 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: so thank you. That is it for me today. Dear 277 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 1: friends on Woke af AS always, power to the people 278 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,679 Speaker 1: and to all the people power, get woke and stay 279 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: woke as fuck.