1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,560 Speaker 1: Wake that ass up in the morning. 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 2: Breakfast Club yeps, the world's most dangerous morning show, The 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 2: Breakfast Club. Charlamagne to God, Lauren Lero says, guest hosting, 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 2: because you know, Jess Hilarious is on maternity leave. Envy 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 2: is on his way back from fifty Cents Humor and 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 2: Harmony weekend. But we got somebody here who knows the 7 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 2: thing or two about humor. Mister Tommy Davidson, how are. 8 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: You, sir? Thank you, Absolutely good to see you. 9 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 3: Man, Hey man, haven't been here since the I guess, 10 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 3: I guess there was a writer strike on your show. 11 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: Yep. Yeah years what was the writer's great damn two 12 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: three years? Two years ago, Lauren, the writer scratch about right, yeah, 13 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: just about yeah, right after the pandemic. Yeah, I'm glad 14 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: to be back. It's like we just went through that and. 15 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 2: You gotta You're doing a one man comedy show at 16 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 2: Sony Hall. Oh yeah, Tuesday, August thirteenth. Oh yeah, tomorrow, 17 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 2: back New York. Back is is the camera? 18 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: Yeah? Back New York? In New York, they say, Derek Everic, 19 00:00:58,360 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: Derek and Eric in dc A. 20 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 3: Derek and Eric tonight O thought tomorrow so to night, 21 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 3: you'll be there. Yeah, tonight, I'm gonna be there. New York, 22 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 3: watch out. 23 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: I'm back. I'm back. You still get nervous when you 24 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: got to go on stage and tell jokes? Nah, okay, no, 25 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: it's a mortgage attached now. Yeah. So yeah tuitions. So 26 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:21,400 Speaker 1: so does the feel more like a job? Was it 27 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: still something that you love to do? 28 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 3: And it's still man, it's it's it's I'm gonna stand 29 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 3: up first official, it's it's the love of my life. 30 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: You know. 31 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 3: During the pandemic, I worked, I worked in the clubs, 32 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:35,559 Speaker 3: and I worked in the clubs that I worked at 33 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 3: for like thirty five years already, and they were saying, hey, 34 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,479 Speaker 3: come out here and save our club. So I went 35 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:46,680 Speaker 3: to all these all these different clubs where everybody was 36 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 3: a hanker down and looked like hockey games. They had 37 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 3: the plexi glasshop and mask and even some of my 38 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 3: friends were outside like you know, you know, I will 39 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 3: come in. They had their mask, I will come in, 40 00:01:58,080 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 3: but I just I just wanted to come and see 41 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 3: you run back by the way. And it's always been there, 42 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 3: you know. If I'm doing a movie, if I'm in 43 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 3: my movie phase, you know, I could do stand up, 44 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 3: getting my cartoon phase. Whatever I do in my career, 45 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 3: stand up's always there, you know, always there. 46 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,119 Speaker 1: I saw something recently they say they remake your wu 47 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,239 Speaker 1: not that I know of. Did you see that, Yeah, 48 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: said they remaking woo. Okay, yeah, well maybe three people 49 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: to see it by then. Who's the brother you got 50 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: with you? Ah? 51 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 3: This is This is Don on Northcross, a really good 52 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 3: friend of mine. 53 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: He has a program called the Okay Program. Now. 54 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,959 Speaker 3: The way I got exposed to it was a friend 55 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 3: of mine told me about the program Okay, And years 56 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 3: later I was at a comedy club and he walks 57 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 3: into the green room and I go, you' the dude 58 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 3: with the program, you know. 59 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 1: So he invites me to their yearly national convention. 60 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 3: And I walk in and there's like thirty grown black 61 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 3: men and young black men hugging this man and crying 62 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 3: and I sit back and they got degrees and some 63 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 3: of them my sheriffs and all these people that I said, 64 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 3: I gotta know more about this, and I just I 65 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 3: got involved because it's a very important thing happening here, you. 66 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: Know, talk to us more about the program. 67 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 4: Brother, Yeah, hey, thanks for having me on man. 68 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, he ain't never been in New York either, but 69 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 2: they said, they said he'd never been to a big city. 70 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm from Arkansas, Okay. I live in Sacramento now though. 71 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: All right. 72 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 5: I left Arkansas and went to California, became a sheriff's deputy, 73 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 5: and I retired as a sheriff deputy, and it leads 74 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 5: me to what I do today, be honest with you. Though, 75 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 5: as a sheriff deputy, I got tired of sending black 76 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 5: men and boys killing each other and going to jail. 77 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 5: I look around for a solution to the problem, and 78 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 5: I didn't see one other than building more prisons and 79 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 5: hire more police officers. And so I used to come 80 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 5: home after my shift every night and I wouldlamit to 81 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 5: my wife about what I witnessed on my shift, you know, 82 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 5: on my watch. And then I'd always finish up by saying, 83 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 5: somebody gotta do something about it. And then one night, 84 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 5: in mid sentence, it dawned on me, I was somebody. 85 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 5: I'm the one I've been waiting on. I realized nobody 86 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 5: else is gonna start black men and boys I'm killing 87 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 5: each other, but black men and boys. And so I 88 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 5: started this organization and that's our main goal is to 89 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 5: reduce harmice that rate to black men and boys. And 90 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 5: so yeah, we do it through what we call a 91 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 5: life sports system. 92 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 4: We've developed. 93 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 5: We recruit, training, organize black men to work with black 94 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 5: police officers that we interview and carefully select those officers 95 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 5: because I realized that if you get their own black 96 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 5: officer in the community, he can do more harm than good. 97 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 5: So we go through a process of vetting these officers 98 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 5: as we interview them, and then we select that officer 99 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 5: to run the program full time. We take him out 100 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 5: of patrol or wherever he's working, and he worked, we 101 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 5: dress him down and playing clothes. He has a Plaine 102 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 5: vehicle and he works specifically with the OKA program and 103 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 5: that's his full time job. And then we again we 104 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 5: go into the community where you're recruit and where you 105 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 5: train up these black men. In Oakland, we've trained over 106 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 5: six hundred actually my last training took seven hundred black 107 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,239 Speaker 5: men in Oakland that we were trained to work. 108 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:04,359 Speaker 1: With these officers. 109 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 5: And so we call a life sports system because it's 110 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 5: a life sports system. We don't hook them up too. 111 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 5: You know about the one that once they catch a 112 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 5: bulleting in here, we run and hook them up to 113 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 5: a life sports system to try. 114 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 4: To save their lives. 115 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:17,720 Speaker 5: I realize that we need a life sports system that 116 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 5: we hook them up with, you know. And that's what 117 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 5: we do. We hook these boys up with the life 118 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 5: support system, which is an interconnected network of black men 119 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 5: that bring together our knowledge, our wisdom, experiences, and our 120 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 5: resources to provide support in the daily lives of black boys. 121 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 4: That's why we call it a life support system. And so. 122 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 5: We do this, man, I tell you, we support them 123 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,039 Speaker 5: in the school that officers on campus every day giving 124 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 5: these boys support, talking to their teachers about how they're doing. 125 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 5: Their teachers fill out consent forms where the parents feel 126 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:48,359 Speaker 5: our consent forms so that school to give the officer 127 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 5: permission on the boards how they're doing in school every day. 128 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,919 Speaker 4: And so we recruit these boys. We go by their houses, 129 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 4: We recruit them in the schools. 130 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 5: And so we don't just hang assign on the door 131 00:05:58,040 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 5: say hey, we own forbidness. We actually go get a 132 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 5: We let know we love them, we believe in them, 133 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 5: we support them, and when we enterreew that officer, we 134 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,559 Speaker 5: make sure that he can say that he loves his people, 135 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 5: he loved black boys he understands the state of that 136 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:09,719 Speaker 5: we're in and he's willing to work with these boys 137 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 5: and these men to help change the course of our boys. 138 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 4: And so, like I said, we folks specifically on that. 139 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 5: So we support them in the school. The teachers communicate 140 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 5: with us how the boys are doing. If they're doing great, 141 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 5: we like to we like to acknowledge that and encourage 142 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 5: that good behavior, but were also on there to correct 143 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 5: the negative behavior. The officer supports them after school hours, 144 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 5: win their neighborhoods. You know, we go to the ball 145 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 5: games with the men. We build that relationship with those boys. 146 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 5: We support them on weekends with every Saturday from ten 147 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 5: to two we have the boys and the men. That's 148 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 5: when the mentors come together, and we were with those boys. 149 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 5: We have a curriculum about thirty five different topics that 150 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 5: are deal with issues of the Germaine to black community, 151 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 5: to particularly black men and black boys. We look at 152 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 5: the problem, the contributing factors to the problem, and then 153 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 5: what we have to do to change that situation, our 154 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 5: own situation. And so we do that with the boys, 155 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 5: and we get them in the sixth grade, and we 156 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:54,239 Speaker 5: follow the same boys all the way through twelfth grade. 157 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 5: So we can build that long term relationship with those boys. 158 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 5: So we support them like that on weekends. That's every 159 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 5: weekend we have those boys and those men, and so 160 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,080 Speaker 5: the men don't have to come every Saturday. Uh, the 161 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 5: same man doesn't. I'm a country boy, so I learned. 162 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 5: You know, a lot of hands make quick work. You know. 163 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 5: I don't know if you guys ever shell peas before, 164 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 5: but if you get a bush, oh yeah, you're from 165 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 5: South Carolina. 166 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, I've never. 167 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 5: Seen Charlomagne shell shell pe You know what I'm talking about, 168 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 5: a lot of folks thinks peaces. 169 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 4: We did that too. 170 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 5: But I'm gonna tell you why you shell shelling piece. 171 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:30,679 Speaker 5: As an analogy, if you got a bush of basket 172 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 5: of peace and you by yourself. 173 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 4: You got a long day. 174 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: That's right. 175 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 5: If you get three or four people sitting around a 176 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 5: bushel basket of peace and they all reaching their shelling 177 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 5: peas and they laughing and talking, man, it's that that's 178 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 5: done before you know it. I see these old women 179 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 5: in my hometown, they be talking and they reaching the 180 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 5: bottom of that barrel for the bucket for some peas, 181 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 5: and they said, Lord, you look at everybody's watched pain 182 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 5: on their left. They fill the peas A lot of 183 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 5: hands make quick work. So I designed the program where 184 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 5: you get a lot of men doing a little, you 185 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 5: get a lot done. You can't get a few people 186 00:07:58,280 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 5: doing a lot, you burn them out. So you gott 187 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 5: get a lot of people doing a little bit. That's 188 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 5: why we say we got over seven hundred men now 189 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 5: in Oakland, or we've actually done. We went and we 190 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 5: recruited those men. But we only ask them to come 191 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 5: up to show three times every year. But they can 192 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 5: come as many times as they want to. 193 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 4: A lot of men come every Saturday. But I know 194 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 4: if I ask a brother to come five, six, seven, 195 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 4: eight times, oh God damn, I'm gonna lose them. Charlemagne. 196 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: No. 197 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 5: But but if I say, hey, broes up, all we 198 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 5: need you to do is show for three times and 199 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 5: we train all the men. All the men have to 200 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 5: be on the same page. I don't need one hundred 201 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 5: brothers out there saying a hundred different things. I just 202 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 5: need brothers out on the same page. We have to 203 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 5: know how we're gonna present ourselves. 204 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 4: That boys. 205 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 5: We ain't talking about no sexual stuff. We're not using 206 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 5: the end where we're not cursing. We have to show 207 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 5: these boys a different kind of man that they used 208 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 5: to admit of their community. You know, seventy some percent 209 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 5: of our households hit about single mothers. So we make 210 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 5: sure that we recruit these black men. And I keep 211 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 5: saying black men because we don't make no exceptions. All 212 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 5: of our men are black, all by boys are black. 213 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,280 Speaker 5: We're not trying to solve all the problems in America 214 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 5: right now. We're just trying to reduce homiciday to black 215 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 5: men and boys. And can't nobody to stop black men 216 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:53,680 Speaker 5: and boys and killing each other, but black men and boys. 217 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 5: We have to be serious about this. 218 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:56,719 Speaker 1: Man, how can we hope this program? What's the what's 219 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: the website that they can go to? 220 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 5: Okay program dot org. Go to okay program or and 221 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 5: check us out. You know, we've been around a long time, 222 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 5: been fighting this battle a long time. Man. It's not 223 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 5: hard to get me in the grassroots level because black 224 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 5: men look for a message like this, not only a message, 225 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,559 Speaker 5: but something that's attached to that message, like a plan. 226 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 4: That's why we call a life sports system. It's actually 227 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 4: a plan. 228 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 5: You know we talked about we put these boys in 229 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 5: terms of when they get in high school. Now program, 230 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 5: remember we get them in sixth grade. By time they're 231 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 5: in high school, now we have a. 232 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 4: Uh we have pathway advisors. 233 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,679 Speaker 5: Now we have other black men uh in Oakland there 234 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 5: there they're with the Probation Department. They assigned to the 235 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 5: program full time. So these men and we select them too. 236 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,559 Speaker 5: But these men actually now they work with our boys 237 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 5: in ninth grade. Start helped them get their driver license. 238 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 5: Before we get our high school, they're social Security card 239 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 5: exposing them to different career paths when they get out 240 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:42,600 Speaker 5: of school, whether it's all of our boys, they get 241 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 5: out of school, they know that they've experienced uh this 242 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 5: this this career path thing. Now, so we want them 243 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 5: to either go to college, uh, trade school, codeing of military. 244 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 5: So they we focused on these different areas so that 245 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 5: when they get out of high school, they're just not 246 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 5: going to stand on the corner. Now that's a life 247 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 5: sports system and we get them in that. In that system, 248 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:03,959 Speaker 5: we know that that's gonna save their life because they're 249 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 5: not gonna be out the streets hustling, and they're less 250 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 5: likely to go to jail, they're less likely to kill 251 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 5: somebody else. Because our curriculum is dealing with For example, 252 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 5: we talk about some of the things we talk about again, 253 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 5: we got thirty five sessions, and one of the things 254 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 5: we talk about we're heavy on is at homiciderty black 255 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 5: men and boys. You know, we only six percent of 256 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 5: the nation population and we'll count for fIF percent of 257 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 5: homicides each year. How can in black men, black men, 258 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 5: we six percent of the nation population. Look at the 259 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 5: Center for Disease Control, We six percent of the nation population, 260 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:32,840 Speaker 5: but we will count for about fifty percent of homicides 261 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:34,839 Speaker 5: this year. Of Charlo Maane, there's no way in we're 262 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 5: six percent of the population to all count for as 263 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 5: many homicides and ninety four percent of. 264 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 4: The population and we okay with that. 265 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 5: Nobody is talking about, let's reduce homicide rated black men 266 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 5: and boys. Defination number well in conspirations is just as 267 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 5: bad almost you know. 268 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 4: But but but nobody is talking about in particular black men. 269 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 4: I don't expect their body to talk about it. But 270 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 4: it hurts my heart. That's why I've been doing this 271 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 4: for thirty some years now. 272 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 5: It hurt my heart to see black men don't have 273 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:00,840 Speaker 5: a plan to reduce homtary black man. 274 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: We have a cause. 275 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 4: We jump on every cause out there. 276 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:05,599 Speaker 5: This should be our number one cause because if we 277 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 5: can reduce homicide rate to black men and boys, it's 278 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 5: gonna reduce valid crimes in our city. In order to 279 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 5: reduce homicide rate to black men and boys, you got 280 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:12,199 Speaker 5: to love our boy. 281 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 4: We love each other. Man's nothing gonna it. All starts 282 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 4: with love. And as you begin to love each other, 283 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,199 Speaker 4: you begin to change the crime rate in our city. 284 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 5: More jobs come in, more businesses come in, everything changes. 285 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 5: If we can reduce a homicide rate of black men 286 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 5: and boys, nobody can do it but us. 287 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: You know. 288 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 2: The one of the biggest things that you said, uh, 289 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 2: you know while you was talking is that you were 290 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:35,439 Speaker 2: a police officer. Yeah, but you felt like you couldn't 291 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 2: change anything being a police officer. 292 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,160 Speaker 4: Wow, I can't do it man, No, man, I mean, 293 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 4: policing is not designed to do what I'm talking about doing. 294 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:44,719 Speaker 4: I'm just being unch with. 295 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,480 Speaker 5: Policing is not designed to reduce the homicide rate to 296 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 5: stop black men and boys from going to jail. 297 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 4: It's not the police officers are there to uh, to 298 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 4: respond to crime. Basically, they forgot the. 299 00:11:57,400 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: Label that we have. 300 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 5: Has been a community serviervice or a peace officers protecting, 301 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 5: protect and serve been a peace officer. We look at 302 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 5: an enforcement officer because enforcement is how you promote. Enforcement 303 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 5: is how you get a name in law enforcement. So 304 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:18,559 Speaker 5: we value enforcement over serving the community, and. 305 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:22,079 Speaker 4: So we have to we You know, I didn't like 306 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 4: the police at all when I was growing up because 307 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:25,679 Speaker 4: I grew up a small southern town. You know, I'm 308 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:26,199 Speaker 4: up one in. 309 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 5: The fifties, so you can imagine I'll put a desegregation 310 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 5: in the South, which is where a lot of my 311 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 5: mentality comes from. 312 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 4: You know, I lived in the colorful quarters. I lived 313 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:34,200 Speaker 4: on the other side of town. 314 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:36,160 Speaker 5: I just see my first black police officer my hometown 315 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 5: till like nineteen seventy eight. 316 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 4: I believe it was Wow. Yeah, yeah, And I'm sixty 317 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 4: five years old. I appreciate that. 318 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 6: Man. 319 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:44,560 Speaker 4: I'm trying to keep up with Tommy Davison. 320 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,320 Speaker 6: So I got my question for y'all and the work 321 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 6: that you're doing because you're working with the program to 322 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 6: tell me is like, so, in the state that we're 323 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,199 Speaker 6: in right now, with like the political climate, do you 324 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 6: guys think that KAMA is best for the Democrats and like, 325 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:57,959 Speaker 6: you know, moving forward the conversation, the mission that you 326 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 6: guys are talking about with like just black men and 327 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 6: them fighting for causes that are going to make sense 328 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 6: for them at the end of the day. 329 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 5: Absolutely, I mean for the other choice, she's said, yeah, 330 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,680 Speaker 5: oh my hands down, no doubt. 331 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 4: I mean, you know that you. 332 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 2: Don't want police you don't want immunity for all your 333 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 2: fellow officers. 334 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:14,959 Speaker 4: Oh no, no, they don't. 335 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 5: No, No, that's that's one of the worst things I 336 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 5: think that you can do is get some one total 337 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 5: immunity from their own responsibility. 338 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 2: You can't. 339 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,840 Speaker 4: You can't do that. It creates a problem, you know. 340 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 5: There's I was telling Danny, a friend of I just 341 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 5: met Danny, but he Danny seemed like I've been doing 342 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:35,439 Speaker 5: a long time. But we've stand outside talking first time 343 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 5: I ever met him. We've sent outside talking about the 344 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 5: business law enforcement, you know. And I was telling him, 345 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 5: you know, Dan, I said, look, if someone if you're a. 346 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:45,320 Speaker 4: Police officer on a police officer, we come. 347 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:47,280 Speaker 5: Up on a scene and we have to fight a guy, 348 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 5: legitimate fight, you know, and we fight him and then 349 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 5: we get him under control and I get the cuffs 350 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,319 Speaker 5: on him, and there's other people standing on across the 351 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 5: street watching just citizens. And once we had the cuffs 352 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 5: on him, Danny, you stand up and you give him 353 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 5: another kick. You kick him, and I don't say anything, Danny, 354 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 5: I said, you know how many bad police officers on 355 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 5: the scene. 356 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 4: For those people concerned, there's two bad police officers on 357 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 4: the scene. 358 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 5: But if you kick that guy and I push you back, 359 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 5: say dad, and I tell you no, they don't have 360 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 5: to hear my word, but they see my action. There's 361 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 5: only one bad police officer on the scene. But that's 362 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:18,560 Speaker 5: what I'm saying. The good officers stand by and allow 363 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 5: the bad officers. 364 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 4: Get away with it, over and over again. 365 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 5: That's why we have so many bad officers because we 366 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 5: allowed to happen. The good officer is allowed to happen, 367 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 5: and it costs all of us in the long run. 368 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 2: What do you think, Tommy about the question, Lauren? Just 369 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 2: about the political climate. 370 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 1: You know, it's always been the same for US African 371 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: American community. 372 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 3: I mean, we got a choice between the two right, 373 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 3: And you know, if if personally you know who's for community, 374 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 3: you know who's. 375 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 1: For us, you know, and I say who's for us, 376 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: who's for the people? The working people. You know, what's 377 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: going to be the outcome. Is it going to feed 378 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: the billionaires? 379 00:14:58,160 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 3: Is it going to is it going to take the 380 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 3: money to them and take it away away from all 381 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 3: the services that we need. 382 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: It's been a battle, you know, the whole time. 383 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 3: But we you know, you know, we do the best 384 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 3: we can with our syst with our political systems, you know. 385 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 3: But you know, it's just like the tild and Hayes compromise. 386 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 3: You know, we got a choice between the two of them. 387 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 3: But when we're gone, they conspire together. Yeah, you know, 388 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:23,200 Speaker 3: Tildenhaye compromise. I think it was eighteen fifty six, I 389 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 3: think right after the Civil War, you know, and they 390 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 3: got together with the Tilden and Hayes compromise. The same 391 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 3: thing happened in Miami, you know, in Florida, and they 392 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 3: were going to have another civil war over that. So 393 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 3: they got in together and they made the Tildan and 394 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 3: Hayes compromise and they said, if you make our party 395 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 3: the president, you know, we'll release the federal troops from 396 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 3: the South. And then Jim Crow started. We didn't get 397 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 3: out of that until nineteen sixty eight. 398 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 1: So they're political parties, but you know, we're the group. 399 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 3: We're the group of African We're the group that came 400 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 3: here and built basically the imperial wealth of the country. 401 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 3: You know, all that cotton and all that tobacco and 402 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 3: all that rice and all that work, it was all 403 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 3: for free and it was for four hundred years. So 404 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 3: the people that are sitting on top of that money 405 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 3: right now are are the same people, you know, and 406 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 3: that they're a small consortium. My mother, who's a white 407 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 3: woman at Wyoming and Colorado and we grew up in DC, 408 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 3: said well, the people united will will never be defeated, 409 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 3: you know. So so we do the best we can 410 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 3: with the systems that we're in, but it does come 411 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 3: down to us. It comes down to what we do. 412 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:41,520 Speaker 1: And you know, my total look at it is that 413 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: we're we're doing just fine. You know. 414 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 3: We got to look at the linear comparison of where 415 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 3: we are now, you know. And and they've gone after 416 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 3: the head of our families with heroin and cocaine and 417 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 3: all this other stuff, you know, But they went after 418 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,320 Speaker 3: the wrong head because the head is the female, you. 419 00:16:57,280 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: Know what I mean, everybody's grandmother is the one. 420 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 2: You know, so your mother was white, Oh, yeah, oh yeah, 421 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:04,200 Speaker 2: biological mother. 422 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, no, not my biological mom. 423 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 3: Got my mother that found met Yeah. I think she's 424 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 3: black now that I think about it, you know, but 425 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 3: you know, it's just one of those things where you know, 426 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 3: I go a day at a time and and try 427 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,159 Speaker 3: the best I can, you know, and so you know, 428 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 3: I hear hip hop. You know they're not like us. 429 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,880 Speaker 3: They are mm hmmm, I'm gonna talk about the okay program. 430 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 3: You know, they're not like us, and I got they're us, 431 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:34,919 Speaker 3: you know, and when it comes down to it, you know, 432 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:36,640 Speaker 3: we've always been the best thing for. 433 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 1: Us, absolutely, you know. So that's where I'm coming from. 434 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 2: You know, it's interesting you want to you you you 435 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 2: want to have a conversation with doctor Umar. 436 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 3: No that was supposed to be doing me and you no. 437 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,960 Speaker 1: I was no, no, no, no, no, no no. 438 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 3: Because we made a comment that you don't you don't 439 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 3: respect any any black man to get married to a 440 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 3: white woman. 441 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: And you know, I was just you know, he's a doctor. 442 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 3: So I was like, hey man, you know, watching that, 443 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 3: watching that, it kind of just made me made me 444 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 3: want to say something. You want to say something because 445 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:20,960 Speaker 3: you know, we we we do that and then we're 446 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 3: we're we're doing the same thing that got done to us. 447 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:27,840 Speaker 3: You know, isn't it them that said that, you know, 448 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,360 Speaker 3: you're not to marry a black person. As a matter 449 00:18:31,359 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 3: of fact, they started out saying they can't get married 450 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 3: at all, you. 451 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:36,400 Speaker 1: Know what I mean. 452 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 3: So so and the way I see it, you know, 453 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,560 Speaker 3: with with my mother and my family raising me and 454 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 3: love me so much, the only good are well meaning 455 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 3: white people in this country, you know, John Brown, and 456 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 3: we can we can go on and on and on 457 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 3: and on, you know, so we start that discussion with us, 458 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,919 Speaker 3: you know, we need to do this and do that 459 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 3: and do that, you know what I mean. And because 460 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,639 Speaker 3: we're African and where this where that where that First 461 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 3: of all, Africans aren't outside of humanity. 462 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,160 Speaker 1: We're part of humanity. You know, We're an. 463 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 3: Essential part of it. Because everybody walked out of Africa 464 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 3: and changed colors based on geography and where they were, 465 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 3: you know, so at the root of mankind is Africa. 466 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 3: So you know, if we trip on color, were tripping 467 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,440 Speaker 3: on ourselves because it's just really a mirror of us anyway, 468 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:30,960 Speaker 3: you know. And I grew up in the seventies, right, 469 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 3: So peace was in style in the seventies when I was. 470 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: A kid, hippie era. Yeah, oh yeah. 471 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 3: Vietnam kids were coming back from Vietnam and women's were 472 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,000 Speaker 3: getting their rights, and there was bussing and all that stuff. 473 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: We're years and years away from that, and now we're 474 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: on our march. You know. I just really. 475 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 3: I love my job because I dispense happy and I 476 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 3: go to every corner of the world, military bases and 477 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,080 Speaker 3: all kind of stuff and dispense happy. 478 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:01,639 Speaker 1: I got a great job. You know. 479 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 3: It's not like I work at the uh at the 480 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:06,679 Speaker 3: baggage claim in the airport. 481 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 2: You know. 482 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: The first thing is what a my day bage? You 483 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 1: know what I mean? 484 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 3: When I show people, go, man, would you take a 485 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 3: picture with my grandmother? 486 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 1: Or you know, uh. 487 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 3: Uh this is this is uh, this woman's son just 488 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:20,320 Speaker 3: got killed, you know, would you talk to her? You know, 489 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,160 Speaker 3: and and those kind of things, you know, And I'm 490 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 3: just I'm just fortunate. 491 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: You know. 492 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,680 Speaker 3: I'm on full scholarship right now. My great great great 493 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:32,159 Speaker 3: great grandmother and grandfather who took the lash, Yeah, they 494 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:33,400 Speaker 3: took the lash and prayed. 495 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:35,640 Speaker 1: Us look at it. Full scholarship from my grave year 496 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 1: and I like that. 497 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 5: You know, That's what I love about Tommy because of 498 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 5: understands that how he just explained it about you know, 499 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 5: we have to be able to you know, to respect 500 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 5: everybody and understand. But he also understands that as black people, 501 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,120 Speaker 5: and particularly black men, we have responsibility to our own community. 502 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:53,800 Speaker 5: And that's what that's what fascinated me about him because 503 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,000 Speaker 5: I know about how he was he came up, and 504 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 5: I know about being found by his white mother, you know, 505 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 5: and take the men and loving him and raising him 506 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 5: with a white. 507 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:03,400 Speaker 4: Sister and a white brother. 508 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,480 Speaker 5: But at the same time, and even through that, he 509 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 5: never forgot that he still have a responsibility to his people. 510 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,359 Speaker 5: And there's some unique challenges that black men facing this 511 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,240 Speaker 5: country and black people in general, but we focus on 512 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 5: solving black man problems because if we can solve this problem, 513 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 5: then our whole community gonna benefit from that. And so Tommy, 514 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 5: this is one of the free brothers I know that 515 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 5: has a spotlight that that totally embrace what we do 516 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,680 Speaker 5: because he understand that, you know that we're not Temmy 517 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 5: understands I think that, and you can correct me from wrong, 518 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 5: but I think he understands that just because you love 519 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 5: yourself don't mean you got to not like nobody else, 520 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 5: and so we and he never shot away. 521 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 4: I've been trying to get brothers a long time. 522 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 5: I've been trying to contact athletes and entertain as black 523 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,119 Speaker 5: men who have some influence and have some resources that 524 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 5: we can expand this program across the country. 525 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:53,400 Speaker 4: It's this life sports system around the country. It's hard 526 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 4: to get to those brothers, you. 527 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 5: Know, and it's hard for them to sit down and listen. 528 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:58,640 Speaker 5: That's why I appreciate Charlottage for giving me a chance 529 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:00,920 Speaker 5: to come on and talk about this because Quarter and 530 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:03,560 Speaker 5: a brother like Tommy who have never backed away from 531 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 5: it in spite of him. 532 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 1: He said finish. 533 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 6: Yeah, I have a question for you, Tommy, just backing 534 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:10,919 Speaker 6: up with what you said. So, I know at one 535 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,120 Speaker 6: point you had said, like, at one point in time, 536 00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 6: you didn't even know that you were black, and that 537 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 6: comes from you know, having your adopted white mom. How 538 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 6: do you when going into the even working with a 539 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:25,520 Speaker 6: program like Okay or like just anything that you're doing, Like, 540 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 6: how do you go into rooms and have conversations about 541 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 6: just being young in your upbringing and knowing it at 542 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 6: one point you didn't know that you were black, But 543 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,400 Speaker 6: then you realize that, like that upbringing is a lot 544 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:39,200 Speaker 6: different than like my brother, who like has always been 545 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,160 Speaker 6: a black man. I mean you've always been a black 546 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 6: man too, But you know what I mean, Like just 547 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 6: it seems like you're You're a lot more optimistic from 548 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 6: what I'm gathering from you, and I think a lot 549 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 6: of people so like when we talk about a doctor Umar, 550 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:51,640 Speaker 6: I don't think that he's not optimistic, but I think 551 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 6: his background is a lot different than yours. So how 552 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,199 Speaker 6: do you even engage in those conversations because it's different 553 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:59,959 Speaker 6: for somebody else who didn't have a white adopted mom. 554 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, you know when it comes to when especially 555 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 3: African Americans, you know, our breadth is white, you know. 556 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:07,639 Speaker 1: Uh. 557 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:11,199 Speaker 3: I when I when I when I found out that 558 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:13,640 Speaker 3: I was black and my family was white, I started saying, well, 559 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 3: what what is black? 560 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: Right? 561 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:17,879 Speaker 3: And so to me in my neighborhood, I grew up 562 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:21,480 Speaker 3: in TC, so what was what was what was black? 563 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 3: To me was hey, man, you sell drugs, you go 564 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 3: to jail, you come back and you'd be like this 565 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:28,119 Speaker 3: is how it was in there. 566 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,320 Speaker 1: You know what I mean? You you you you fight people. 567 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 3: You know, you you take stuff, and I saw that 568 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 3: in my neighborhood, and that was identified as like, hey, 569 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 3: that's a positive thing. 570 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 1: I need to be down. That was the only examples 571 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 1: of blackness, you know what I mean. No, no, it wasn't. 572 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,680 Speaker 3: But but but in that neighborhood we had to band 573 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,879 Speaker 3: together to protect ourselves from just what was happening in general. 574 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,399 Speaker 1: So that was that was around when I was. 575 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 3: About ten, because a lot of a lot of the 576 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 3: the city people moved to in the city, blacks moved 577 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 3: to my neighborhood. 578 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:04,880 Speaker 1: So it changed. 579 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 3: You know, I was just a little eight year old, 580 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 3: little eight year old boy that had friends of all colors, 581 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:14,040 Speaker 3: you know. But then when it came down to it, 582 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,399 Speaker 3: there was a distinction, you know, and there was me 583 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 3: and my boys, you know, and I. And then then 584 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 3: through lessons that I that I learned just personally, like 585 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:25,040 Speaker 3: my mother, she wasn't having it, you know. I say, 586 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:26,920 Speaker 3: she looked under my bed and saw money and saw 587 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 3: all this other stuff and said. 588 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: You got to get out. You were selling drugs. Yeah, 589 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 1: you got to get out the house, you know what 590 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,600 Speaker 1: I mean. You remember when I was a very good 591 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: drug dealer. 592 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,800 Speaker 3: Do you remember when you turned Yeah, I remember the day, well, 593 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:45,400 Speaker 3: you know, I had been called you know. 594 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 1: Your nigga. 595 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, and that was the first time grown i mean 596 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,919 Speaker 3: a grown white man chased me home and teenage teenagers. 597 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 1: I'll be riding my bike they jump out of truck, 598 00:24:58,200 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: killed the nigga and all of this. 599 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 3: So I went to my mother, was like, ooh, these 600 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 3: niggas right to your white mom. 601 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 1: Well, she said that's what people are color called people 602 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:10,440 Speaker 1: your color. 603 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,960 Speaker 3: And that's when the color thing came up, you know, 604 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 3: And I said, well, what about the people that are 605 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 3: my color? 606 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 1: I mean, she said you're you're black? I said, nowhere brown. 607 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,560 Speaker 3: So when I started investigating this, that was one of 608 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 3: the dimensions that I went into was that if I'm 609 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:28,679 Speaker 3: like this, that makes me legit. But it's it's a 610 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:30,640 Speaker 3: it's it's a it's a social stage. 611 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:31,919 Speaker 1: You know. 612 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 3: If you take a woman, uh raper, kick her in 613 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 3: the face, throw her in the dirt, you know, stomp her, 614 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,679 Speaker 3: and she her family comes and gets her and washes 615 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 3: her off and and gets her back to normal. The 616 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:49,120 Speaker 3: first thing she's going to want to do is put 617 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:52,200 Speaker 3: on the dress, get her hair done, and get back 618 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,480 Speaker 3: get back her her sanctity. You know what I mean 619 00:25:55,520 --> 00:26:00,080 Speaker 3: and and that's how societies are, That's how groups in 620 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 3: the groups are in the country. 621 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 1: You know, we're coming here. We've been kicked down. The 622 00:26:04,119 --> 00:26:04,800 Speaker 1: Irish went. 623 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 3: Through it, you know, they were the dogs of the whole, 624 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,400 Speaker 3: the bottom of the line, you know, they you can 625 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 3: see it through the movies. 626 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:12,200 Speaker 1: Right. 627 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,440 Speaker 3: Once upon a time in America, right right, that was 628 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 3: about when the Jews were out in. 629 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 1: The street as gangsters. 630 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:25,439 Speaker 3: Uh uh, the Godfather. You know, you see them out 631 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,639 Speaker 3: in the street. They're they're they're doing their thing, you know, 632 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 3: in in Pittsburgh gangs, you know, the white gangs, the 633 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 3: gangs of New York. 634 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:39,199 Speaker 1: Right. So, so so that's different to survive. 635 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a stage, you know, and and and and 636 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:47,159 Speaker 3: you know, our our coming coming out for us was 637 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:49,400 Speaker 3: was not after World War World War two. 638 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: It was in the sixties. So there we are now 639 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 1: and we're in the stage that we're in. 640 00:26:55,840 --> 00:27:02,160 Speaker 3: But at that stage, the government creative programs for the youth. 641 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 3: There was Roosevelt's program, the Work Program, and included taking 642 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:09,639 Speaker 3: all of the youth and put them into camps. 643 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:10,879 Speaker 1: There's the y m c A. 644 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 3: There's the Boys Clubs of America. You know, there's there's 645 00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 3: a four H club, and there's all these things that 646 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 3: were created to keep them out of the streets, you know, 647 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 3: and we had never benefit fitting from those programs. That's 648 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:27,120 Speaker 3: one of the reasons why I gravitate towards this one, 649 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,480 Speaker 3: because it's organized, it works. 650 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:34,439 Speaker 1: I see, they're grown men. They're grown men, now, you 651 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 1: know what I mean. 652 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 3: So, you know, if anybody in this country has just 653 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,399 Speaker 3: been kind of bombarded by problem at the problem, at 654 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 3: the problem, at the problem at the problem, you know, 655 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 3: it's it's it's our community. But the good, the best 656 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 3: thing about it is is that we're forgiven. We're forgiving people. 657 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:55,720 Speaker 3: We're loving people. You know, we're we're, we're we're. 658 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 1: And we got the tools to heal ourselves, to help us. Right. Yeah, 659 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:00,880 Speaker 1: So it. 660 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 3: Turns into into the conversation turns into something simple for me. 661 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 3: You know, as long as this country is dealing with 662 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:12,680 Speaker 3: the human race, we're gonna be racing. So it's gonna 663 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,159 Speaker 3: be you know, the whites racing for of resources, in 664 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:18,439 Speaker 3: the Mexicans racing, in Puerto Ricans racing. 665 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:19,920 Speaker 1: But the second that. 666 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:25,880 Speaker 3: This country becomes mankind, you know, man being kind, then 667 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,560 Speaker 3: we're gonna get that change. But until then, it's gonna 668 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:32,680 Speaker 3: be the human race. And it always it always has been. 669 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 3: But the wonderful thing I love about the human race 670 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 3: is this early early in our in our in in 671 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 3: early in our history, way back, when a band of 672 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 3: humans that was one color saw a band of humans that. 673 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: Was another color. The guys would say, the girls look 674 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 1: good over there. 675 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 3: Of that color, and the girls would say, the guys 676 00:28:58,640 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 3: look good over there that color. 677 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 1: And that's how we got colored dress. 678 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 4: Always a green on the other side, you know what 679 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:06,959 Speaker 4: I mean. 680 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 3: It looks it looks better because because they're over here 681 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 3: going those guys over there that are that color look good, 682 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:17,920 Speaker 3: and they're going those girls over there that color look good. 683 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,000 Speaker 3: That'sle we are all the colors in the in the 684 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 3: in the Bible, they call it be gatton, they call 685 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:24,840 Speaker 3: it gatten. 686 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, he bet he begat this. He'd be 687 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: goat that. You know who's got on his shirt? Oh 688 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,680 Speaker 1: this is cat? But that is cat. Okay, okay, let 689 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: me stand up, because this is for the algorithm. You know, 690 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:42,120 Speaker 1: I wanted to bring the numbers up, you know what 691 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 1: I mean. Now, But but but that's. 692 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 3: Been a cool cool Speaking of comedy, let me talk 693 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:49,000 Speaker 3: about comedy wife, you ain't talking about Gotty. You got 694 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,920 Speaker 3: to show the Night at Sony Hall. Yeah, yes, one night, 695 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,920 Speaker 3: only one night. And being in New York City, people, 696 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 3: are you coming back to New York? You're coming back 697 00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 3: in New York. Yeah, I'm back. 698 00:29:58,320 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: I'm back. 699 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 3: And I partly grew up here, you know, because my 700 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 3: cousins lived here and grew up here, and so New 701 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 3: York I've been, you know since forty second Street, the movies, 702 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:12,320 Speaker 3: the whole nine yards, you know. But uh, I mean 703 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 3: it's things have been going really well in Cat Cat Cat. 704 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:16,280 Speaker 3: The Cat Tour is like. 705 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 1: Family, you know. 706 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:20,680 Speaker 3: We we we went around this country, did some big things. 707 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 3: He went on shanding, blew up, you know, never changed 708 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 3: the attitude. Yeah, I was, yeah, yeah, and it was. 709 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,080 Speaker 3: It was a great tour, one of the best tours 710 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 3: I've been on, because everybody's like family there. 711 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,080 Speaker 1: What's the biggest misconception about Cat Williams? 712 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 3: You think, hmm, that he's not compassionate, you know, And 713 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:44,360 Speaker 3: that's the first thing I know about him, you know 714 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 3: what I mean, he teats everybody to say, me and him, 715 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:51,040 Speaker 3: I have a lot of similar qualities, you know, treats 716 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:53,120 Speaker 3: everybody the same, you know, at face value. 717 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 1: He he loves when you call him directly. You know. 718 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 3: That's one of the problems I've had in Hollywood, you know, 719 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:04,960 Speaker 3: calling someone directly, you know, and really talking. 720 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:07,040 Speaker 1: Or talking to them at a club or something. You know, Hey, 721 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: how you doing. 722 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 2: Oh? 723 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 3: He I'm fine. I'm over here, you know, and you're 724 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:12,280 Speaker 3: over there. He not like us, He not like us, 725 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,480 Speaker 3: you know. So you know, you know, you know, but 726 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 3: but you know, you know, I'm we are where we are, 727 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:23,080 Speaker 3: and and and and we're in a really good place. 728 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:25,520 Speaker 1: I'm one of the people that looks at us. 729 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 3: At where we are. You know, Hey, the lowly slave 730 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:35,719 Speaker 3: spent two terms in the White House, you know what 731 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 3: I mean. We wasn't good for nothing, right, okay, and 732 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:43,640 Speaker 3: now we're now we're circling back, and we have one of. 733 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:47,320 Speaker 1: Our sisters there too, you know. 734 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 3: So black women around the world are going, little black 735 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:52,480 Speaker 3: girls are going, I can, I can, I can do this, 736 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:59,000 Speaker 3: you know. And it's not as important here. It's important 737 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:03,520 Speaker 3: out there in the in the global perception of who 738 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 3: we are, because like I said, we're not outside of humanity. 739 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,360 Speaker 3: We're part of it, you know, And that influences people 740 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:13,120 Speaker 3: when when when Obama won, I was in all these 741 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,240 Speaker 3: different countries to go to you know, the cab driver. 742 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 1: You you and Obama? Are you Obama? I like it 743 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:22,040 Speaker 1: that guy, you know what I mean. 744 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:25,440 Speaker 3: And it's just you know, we're we're influencing this world 745 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 3: and in in a million different ways. 746 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:29,240 Speaker 1: You watch the. 747 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,920 Speaker 3: Olympics, you know, you you you you see the surgeons 748 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 3: and the doctors that are that are doing their thing here. 749 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:38,440 Speaker 3: You know, whatever we touch, you know, we can we 750 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:41,920 Speaker 3: can turn it into gold, We can spin it into gold. 751 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: You know. 752 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,400 Speaker 3: So this is this is, this is where we are, 753 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:47,160 Speaker 3: the fifth the fifth dimension. 754 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:49,240 Speaker 1: Back in the early seventies saying. 755 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 3: You know, we're in the dawning of the age or 756 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:55,000 Speaker 3: wherever the age of where we're in it now the 757 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 3: age of enlightenment, you know what I mean. And we're 758 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 3: part of that, that that whole enlightenment. And that's the 759 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:05,000 Speaker 3: good thing about about us is that we're kind of 760 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 3: like a barometer for for mankind. Because if anybody can 761 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:14,240 Speaker 3: go from where we are to where we are, then 762 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:18,560 Speaker 3: that means anybody who sees that can go from where 763 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,400 Speaker 3: they are to where they are. 764 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 6: I think we're in a place too of like really 765 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 6: getting to teach people how to treat us, and that 766 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:27,560 Speaker 6: that's important as well too. 767 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: For sure they're saying, we got a wrap. 768 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:31,920 Speaker 2: I do want to ask you one thing, comed What 769 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,160 Speaker 2: were your thoughts when Oprah talked about how. 770 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: She was weight shamed by a skin on a living color. 771 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 3: If I were he, I would take it personal, really, 772 00:33:43,520 --> 00:34:01,000 Speaker 3: I mean, if you need, you're going to laugh, you know. 773 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:55,280 Speaker 1: Trying to laugh. 774 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 3: You know, some might say, you know, you know, somebody, 775 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 3: this might be the skin of me, you know, and 776 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 3: tell me look like he's starving, and I'm I'm in 777 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 3: a little loin cloth and somebody handing me a naw later, 778 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:09,000 Speaker 3: you know, and I'll be laughing. 779 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:13,280 Speaker 1: I'll be laughing my asshof. Yeah, because I love to laugh. 780 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 3: And and and and that's the core of it, you 781 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:17,839 Speaker 3: know what I mean and and and what we do 782 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:20,319 Speaker 3: in comedy is we take something and we blow it 783 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:21,759 Speaker 3: to its extreme. 784 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,520 Speaker 1: And that's what makes it funny. Now we're in it. 785 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:29,040 Speaker 1: We're we're in a we're in a we're in a climate. 786 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:32,120 Speaker 3: Of a mob of a mob. We're in a mob climate. 787 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:36,040 Speaker 3: You know, mind me of Frankenstein. You know, Frankenstein wasn't 788 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:39,719 Speaker 3: the monster it was a doctor. The doctor dug the 789 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:43,799 Speaker 3: body up. He knew ego cut the brain, you know. 790 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:48,440 Speaker 3: And and so the mob came to get the monster. 791 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:52,799 Speaker 3: And the only reason why they hated the monster. 792 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:55,640 Speaker 1: Is because he looked different. Mm hmm. 793 00:34:57,440 --> 00:34:58,040 Speaker 5: One more question. 794 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:01,799 Speaker 6: So speaking of that Proud Family remake got a lot 795 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,480 Speaker 6: of pushback for a couple of different reasons. One of 796 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:09,719 Speaker 6: the episodes, there was a a male influencer who was 797 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:12,239 Speaker 6: promoting like makeup and there was a gay couple on 798 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:16,000 Speaker 6: the show. People were upset about that mob culture. People 799 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,520 Speaker 6: don't like when things changed in general, but especially not 800 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,200 Speaker 6: when you talk about sexuality and how people identify. 801 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 4: What are your thoughts on. 802 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 3: That today, Sugarbama, Hey, listen, who out here is perfect? 803 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:33,160 Speaker 1: Right? 804 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:37,880 Speaker 3: So if we go an eye for an eye, everybody blind, 805 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 3: you know, had had had we not stood up for 806 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:45,000 Speaker 3: our rights, we lost lives over that, you know, Had 807 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:47,880 Speaker 3: the Irish not stood up for their for their cause, 808 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 3: had the Chicanos not done that, the migrant workers that 809 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,360 Speaker 3: were picking and doing that kind of stuff. You know, 810 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 3: I was raised in the kind of household where we 811 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:59,399 Speaker 3: had to look at everything equally. And if we even 812 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:02,920 Speaker 3: if we said a slur we get punished, you know, 813 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:08,040 Speaker 3: like I was saying, you know, the mob went after 814 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:12,080 Speaker 3: the monster, right because the monster looked different and was different. 815 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:16,400 Speaker 3: But actually actually that that monster was really kind, was 816 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,400 Speaker 3: really compassionate, was handing the little girl's flowers, and he 817 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:23,440 Speaker 3: understood what was happening. I'm a part of this society 818 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:25,160 Speaker 3: in every way. 819 00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:26,560 Speaker 1: My brother was a gay male. 820 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:31,319 Speaker 3: He was white, you know, the opposite of my neighborhood 821 00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:34,640 Speaker 3: and what was black, what was black and masculine. 822 00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:36,400 Speaker 1: But he was my best friend. 823 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:40,160 Speaker 3: He was my best best friend, you know, and and 824 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,400 Speaker 3: and could you understand how that. 825 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:44,560 Speaker 1: Could have alienated me? 826 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:48,479 Speaker 3: And it did when I was young because I didn't 827 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:49,840 Speaker 3: have a brother to help me out there in the 828 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:53,040 Speaker 3: streets fight and stuff like that. But as I understood 829 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:56,040 Speaker 3: more and understood what love was, you know that that 830 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:58,600 Speaker 3: was one of my biggest advocates. 831 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,080 Speaker 1: And this is all about purpose, individual purpose. What are 832 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:04,960 Speaker 1: we going to do while we're here? Right? He went 833 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:08,360 Speaker 1: down with his with his gay and lesbian friends in. 834 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:17,239 Speaker 3: In capital city, Seattle, went to the government, made the 835 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:22,360 Speaker 3: government pass a law where AIDS was turned into a 836 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:27,200 Speaker 3: legal disease so that people who had it can be ensured. 837 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:31,160 Speaker 1: You see, what I mean, So we are you know 838 00:37:31,719 --> 00:37:32,760 Speaker 1: what is our purpose? 839 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:37,879 Speaker 3: You know, our purpose is like the pandemic, to survive, right, 840 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 3: it's only when we're at the precipice, you know. 841 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,640 Speaker 1: A survival that we pulled together. But while wait till then, 842 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:44,880 Speaker 1: let me. 843 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:48,000 Speaker 2: Tell you I respect Tommy Davis's ability to answer the 844 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:50,800 Speaker 2: question without answering the question, because you still be dropping, 845 00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:56,560 Speaker 2: like what did you do? 846 00:37:56,719 --> 00:38:01,320 Speaker 1: This was the website again for the Okay program. Okay 847 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:02,319 Speaker 1: program dot org. 848 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:04,080 Speaker 4: All right, yep, Okay program dot org. 849 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,480 Speaker 1: And Tommy Davison will be at Sony Hall to night. 850 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,000 Speaker 1: Is it sold out already or it's sold out? 851 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:09,279 Speaker 2: Nah? 852 00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: No, No, it's still tickets. Okay, well, it's still some 853 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:13,440 Speaker 1: tickets available in New York. You know they're gonna walk up. 854 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:15,400 Speaker 2: You know you can go check out Tommy Davison tonight 855 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 2: at Sony Hall. What time the show start, Tommy eight, 856 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:21,160 Speaker 2: eight o'clock. Don't make it so stranger, man, it's been 857 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:23,799 Speaker 2: too long between conversations, my guy. 858 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:27,840 Speaker 1: It's the Breakfast Club. Wake that ass up in the morning. 859 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,000 Speaker 1: The Breakfast Club