WEBVTT - Live from Pull up for Peace conference Part 2 Guest: Lakeesha Eure and AT Mitchell-Mann 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:01.760 I'm Tamika D. Mallory and it's. 0:00:01.680 --> 0:00:03.119 Your boy, my son a general. 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:05.440 We are your host of t M I. 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:10.520 Tamika and my Son's Information, Truth, Motivation and inspiration, new name. 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:16.160 New Energy. What's going on? My son, Lennon? 0:00:16.880 --> 0:00:21.880 I am black, Black and Holly favored Tamika. How you 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:22.360 doing today? 0:00:22.480 --> 0:00:27.440 All as well as well just true m plenty is 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:30.200 we need to be like we love just water, so 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:31.640 we should be actually calling. 0:00:31.760 --> 0:00:35.400 We need to ask, hey, Jada, we need a few 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:36.000 bottles of this. 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:37.760 Jada said that Naha Brand. 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:40.440 She said, that's Jaden Brand said Jaden, Oh, I thought 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:40.800 you said? 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:42.160 He said Jaden. 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:46.800 Mama said, listen, don't call me, call the person director. 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:49.839 You need some walked up texts Jayden to say, just 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:53.440 so you know, we drink and love t M I. 0:00:53.920 --> 0:00:56.280 We love just just what. 0:00:56.480 --> 0:00:57.160 It's really good. 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:03.280 So if anybody who had Just water when it first started, 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.120 because remember when Just Water first came out, I started. 0:01:06.319 --> 0:01:09.039 I bought some immediately, and I didn't like the way 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:11.640 it tastes. It tastes like a box. As soon as 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:13.480 I had put a little bit in my mouth, I 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:17.080 was like, oh, this is disgusting, and I, along with 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:21.080 I'm sure other people gave some feedback, and then over 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:24.640 time it changed, so I went back. I always drink 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:27.600 smart water or just water, So I went back on 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:31.480 my smart water until I don't know where I was. 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:33.520 I think it was actually I was in the Bahamas. 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:36.720 I was in the Bahamas and I had some just 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.360 water and it was so good that I was like, oh, 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:42.640 that's it. I'm back on just water. And then they 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:47.760 sent us some during while we were in Louisville, Kentucky, 0:01:47.840 --> 0:01:51.640 with Breonna Taylor's family in the community there, they sent 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:55.040 us a bunch of just water for our airbnbs, and 0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:58.360 so then we started got back into drinking it, and 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:01.960 that box taste was gone. So whatever they put inside 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:05.040 of it, it's like an aluminum seal. It changed the 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:06.320 way that the water tastes. 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:07.280 This water. 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:11.960 For anybody who is listening, this just water is bomb water. 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:15.440 Everyone that I know who drinks it regularly, they love it, 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:18.600 love it gets you some just what it tastes so 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:23.040 crisp and clean. I was walking around a festival this 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:28.480 holiday weekend in New York City and it's the Commodore. 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:31.239 I think it's the International African American you know, and 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:32.720 there's a whole bunch of letters. 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:33.079 I A. 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:36.720 We have to make sure we put it please on 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:42.639 the screen. It happens annually. And I was walking around 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:46.680 in there, and it was so hot on the fourth 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:49.880 of July in this park, but it was so wonderful, 0:02:50.040 --> 0:02:55.679 so many black people, activists, leaders, scholars, vendors, everything you 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:58.359 could think people cooking, of course, you know, big massive 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:03.560 lines for food, kids playing music, everything you could think 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:07.440 of at a festival. And I had a bottle in 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:12.400 my car that was so hot, smoking hot, and so 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:15.519 I got some ice and mixed it with it and 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:17.359 like shook it up and did what I had to do. 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:21.160 When I was drinking that water in the park, I 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:24.880 said to myself, there is no water better than this 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:26.120 in the whole wild world. 0:03:26.280 --> 0:03:28.040 It just it was so good. 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:31.480 You just maybe it just satisfied the need of the moment. 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:32.639 No, no, it's not. 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:36.080 Because I also I had a little bottle of poland 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:38.680 spring like that was all I could get to at 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:42.840 one point, and I was like, so I went back 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:47.240 to the car, I got my water, So dang on good. 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:49.560 That could have been that dirty ice that I put 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:51.760 in there. But you know that's all different. 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:56.360 Well, they said that the ice is dirty and swamp 0:03:56.680 --> 0:04:00.240 they said ice is disgusting. So, you know, but nah, 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:02.080 a black woman gave it to me, so it was clean. 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:06.440 That's it, period, point and blank. But speaking of festivals, 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:09.880 that brings me to the target Boycott continues. 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:11.040 You know. 0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:14.000 The interesting thing about so this weekend, the reason why 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:17.240 i was at the festival in Brooklyn, which I've always 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:19.919 attended with my parents whenever I didn't go to Essence, 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:22.720 which was meant, which was not often, but whenever I 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:25.320 didn't go to Essence, my parents have been taken me 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:31.279 to Brooklyn on Memorial weekend and then again fourth July weekend. 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:34.240 There are festivals that happened there in Brooklyn. Shout out 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:38.320 to Brooklyn for always maintaining that cultural expression for black 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:43.480 people too. And so I was, you know, so I 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:45.440 decided let me go with them because I knew they 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:47.760 would be doing something, and so I was still going 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:51.080 to be around our people and be at a festival, 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:53.159 but just not the Essence festival. 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:55.680 And there are a lot of people who I think 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:57.320 were very confused. 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:00.680 And in fact, I posted a statement and I kind 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:03.800 of left out a really important thing in the statement, 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:06.679 and so I think it may have caused some folks 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:08.640 to be a little bit confused, but then there are 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:11.480 a bunch of other people who were like, I know 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:15.120 exactly what she's saying. So some folks are confused on purpose, 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:17.800 like they want to be confused. But the bottom line 0:05:18.040 --> 0:05:20.880 was that I put out, you know, my own statement. Now, 0:05:22.200 --> 0:05:28.320 the week before Essence began the festival began, Jamal, Nina 0:05:28.400 --> 0:05:31.000 Turner and Die passed to Jamal Bryant, Nina Turner, Senter, 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:34.560 Anita Turner and myself put out a statement pretty much 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:37.839 saying that we weren't going to Essence and explaining why 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:44.880 and also laying out, you know, the boycott, that it continues, 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:48.880 how it started, just reminding people of all the things again, 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:51.760 and we were really clear, we don't have an issue 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:54.279 with Essence. We know that Essence was in a four 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:58.840 year contract or four year deal sponsorship deal with Target, 0:05:59.240 --> 0:06:01.560 and in fact, the things that we called on Target 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:05.120 to do in the demands is to make sure that 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:08.400 they spend every single dime that they said they would 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.760 spend with the black community as a part of their 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:16.560 initial commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. I asked the 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:20.719 Target executive that we were working with or speaking with directly, 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:24.280 to show us how the money was spent, all of it. 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:28.000 If you say you've made your commitment, show it to us, 0:06:28.279 --> 0:06:30.240 show us real data and see. 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:32.320 The thing is, these people are so. 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:35.920 Used to getting into conversations with folks where they just 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:38.160 tell them whatever and talk real good. 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:39.400 And I mean they can talk. 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:42.600 They know how to speak well, and they know how 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:45.400 to get you caught up in the cyclone. So you 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:47.920 when it's over, you're like, well, it sounds good this 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:50.240 and that. And my thing was, I've been in enough 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:52.560 of those conversations. I've been working in this space for 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:54.920 a long time. I've sat at the feet of the 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:59.680 best negotiators and people who were able to work on 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:04.120 d and fight for certain things to happen and access 0:07:04.200 --> 0:07:06.480 for black businesses and all that I've done that I 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:07.839 know exactly how it goes. 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:09.040 So I know what to ask for. 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:12.280 And what we want is the data to show that 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:16.000 you've spent this billion dollar two billion dollars, how did 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:18.880 you spend it, who did you spend it with? And 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:23.160 if it's not all handled at this point or all distributed, 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:26.120 what is the plan? So we understand that target is 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:30.360 in a four year sponsorship deal with Essence, and nobody 0:07:30.520 --> 0:07:33.320 is telling Essence don't take the money or go back. Now, 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:36.520 there's some people who said, well, that's what we would 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:39.040 have done, and that's cool, everybody. I'm not about to 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:42.400 sit here and debate back and forth with people on 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:46.000 how they feel they would have handled a situation. But 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:51.200 I understand realistically, with Essence being a massive brand in 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:53.840 the way in which it is, and in the last 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:57.680 this whole diversity, equity and inclusion rollback, by the way, 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:04.560 is impacting businesses like Essence and others, organizations and people, individuals, 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:07.040 Black people, and not get to that in a second, 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:11.360 it is impacting all of us because we know that 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:15.520 there are several vendors that did not have several major 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:19.080 businesses and sponsors who did not go back to Essence 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:21.080 this year. So when people are like, oh it was different, 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.960 it felt like this, that and the third, there are reasons, 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:26.760 multiple layered reasons why. 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:29.080 That happened, right, and so. 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:35.839 To tell them to give back money or to not 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:39.199 take the money or breach a contract with Target, it's 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:41.719 a long shot. And it's not even an argument that 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:43.880 we want to get into because guess what, black people 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:46.360 are not our enemy. We're not here to fight a 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:49.160 black business, and that's not what we're trying to do, 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:51.319 at least that it's not what we're trying to do. 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:56.360 And so we just said, in good conscious we could 0:08:56.440 --> 0:08:59.720 not be up in essence, smiling and grinning and walking 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:03.200 around having a good time while a big old target 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:05.640 exhibit is in the convention center. 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:06.920 We just can't do it. 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:09.920 And so we said the action, the call to action 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:14.680 is for people to walk past the target exhibit, don't 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:16.720 go in there, don't walk around with their bag, don't 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:17.440 take their stuff. 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:19.040 Now, two things about that. 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:24.160 First off, if people, if any dumb, ignorant person thinks 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:27.199 that we thought that nobody black was going to go 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:30.439 over to the target booth, you're dumb, right. And I 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:33.199 saw somebody write that, and I kind of really want 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:34.880 to call a person out, but I'm just I just 0:09:34.960 --> 0:09:37.480 get tired of fighting everybody all the time. So whatever, 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:40.400 no one thought that people weren't going to go to 0:09:40.480 --> 0:09:42.920 the booth. Of course you were still going to have 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:46.360 people to line up, because that's how we do, that's 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:49.240 just how we do. We already know that one of 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:52.400 the reasons why when folks are like, oh, we should 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:54.959 boycott this and do this, and that. The reason why 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:59.120 there is a hesitancy from most people who are leaders 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:03.439 to lean into these conversations about boycotts is because we 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:08.400 already understand that if you cannot demonstrate with numbers a 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:12.160 significant impact, which we have done so with Target, regardless 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:15.640 of what happened at essence, we have done so with Target. 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:19.559 But if you cannot demonstrate that, oftentimes people do not 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:22.480 want to put their credibility and everything else on the 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:25.600 line by calling for something that they know more than 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:29.160 likely people are not going to do. So we already 0:10:29.280 --> 0:10:31.360 understand that there were going to be lines of black 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:35.160 folks that don't give two shits about a boycott or 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:37.760 anything else. What they care about is we want the 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:40.559 free stuff, and so they're going on over there. But 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:44.760 the second thing is Target changed the color of its exhibit. 0:10:45.240 --> 0:10:49.560 So usually everything is big red with the big, big 0:10:49.760 --> 0:10:55.240 red bullseye that's the Target brand. This year their entire 0:10:55.480 --> 0:11:00.439 exhibit was pink, and the Target symbol was in just 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:04.199 a few places, but not as bold as it usually is. 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.040 So people were saying to us, or we got on 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:09.679 the line and then realized it was targeting it. I 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:11.559 don't know if they got off or not or whatever, 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:14.880 but one thing I do know, there are a number 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:19.079 of people, a significant number of people who wrote messages, 0:11:19.320 --> 0:11:22.199 who sent back things saying I walked right slam past 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.840 it and I ain't thinking about Target. I'm never going back. 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:29.080 So there's going to be that and we're not walking 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:32.319 around like oh man, people who's out there Target things still? 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:34.920 And I feel so bad. It's so much bigger than 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:38.480 that for us. I feel like we were making sure 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:42.000 that we stand true to what we said. We said 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:46.280 we would not support Target in any way, and therefore 0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:48.839 we can't even be at the festival where Target is, 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:52.480 you know, all around Now, then there are people who 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:57.280 will say and the same person in fact anyway was 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:01.520 talking about you know, but why were people up in 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:06.920 arms about the National Baptist Convention taking money from Target? 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.320 And what we have been very clear about is there's 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:10.920 a big. 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:13.800 Difference between somebody signing a four year deal and this 0:12:14.040 --> 0:12:16.199 is the last of four, even if it was the 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:17.240 third of four. 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.520 Right, they're in a contract already and you. 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:25.120 Having a meeting with Target and taking new money from 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.520 them in the middle of a boycott. And I know 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:30.599 everybody understands that. That's why I don't even argue about it, 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:33.520 because the reason why you see them keep writing and 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:35.960 talking and writing and talking is because of the guilt 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:39.040 that they know. And the people in that comment section 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:41.720 is tearing them up. They were writing this person was right, Yeah, 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:43.360 why they ain't saying nothing the essence? 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:45.720 How come you know they ain't going off on essence? 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:47.640 And it's like in the person in the comments says, 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:51.760 so you saying both the convention and essence fest are 0:12:51.800 --> 0:12:55.599 both wrong. That's what you're saying, because it's not to 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:58.600 say that one. You're not saying that both of them 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:00.840 should be off the hook. You saying and Spats should 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:04.400 have gone through the same thing. So you even in 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:07.280 your way, you're acknowledging. 0:13:07.000 --> 0:13:09.640 The issue here. But that's not the point. It is 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:10.319 not to me. 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:13.679 Again, I am not going to invest my time and 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:18.160 energy into creating or fighting with more of our people 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:22.079 because I can clearly see who the enemy is and 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:27.400 we know very clearly and understand very much. So what 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:33.560 is happening with companies like Target and Target specifically Donald 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:36.480 Trump says and Elon muss I don't care how much 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:38.480 they having a boy and girl or a girl and 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:40.480 boy or whatever you want to call it. Spat in 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:43.040 this moment, I don't care how much they have in 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:45.959 a little spat, a nasty spat, by the way, but 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:49.200 I don't care about that. They were aligned when they 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:55.040 decided that diversity, equity and inclusion needed to be challenged 0:13:55.280 --> 0:14:01.199 and made damn near illegal in companies. Target's physics is, oh, well, 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:05.400 we can't defy an executive order. Well, how come Delta 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:10.040 can defy an executive order? How come Costco can defy 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:13.319 an executive order? You don't get a pass for what 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:16.040 you have done? And so when people why this isn't 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.040 it because we because the people said. 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:21.840 So, Listen, I mean, and that's the reality of the situation. 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:24.880 When we look at this whole boycott situation, it wasn't 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:27.760 called by us. It was called by the people. And 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:30.440 we just happened to be in a position to have 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:34.360 the faces and follow the lead of the people. Like 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:36.560 when you do boycouts and when you when you do 0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:39.560 fast or whatever you call them, it's you have you 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:41.400 get it from the energy of the streets, and the 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:44.160 energy of the streets was like Target this some bullshit, 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:46.400 and Target got to pay for it, you know. So 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:48.440 when we look at this situation, like you said, ess as, 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:50.480 we all love to go to this is our favorite 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:53.080 thing to do. But when you can't have boycott right, 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:55.320 you can't say you stand up for something and just 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:58.160 because my friend is doing it, it's okay. No, it's 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.600 just it's not okay. Because we said we we weren't 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:04.320 going to stand with anything. We're target was prominent, so 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:07.760 you know, we when we gave the the marchin orders 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:10.000 and for the most part, the people who stood for 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:12.040 what we stood for, Like you said, we can't make 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:15.200 everybody do it. Now, there's no way. Black people are 0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:17.000 not a mind lift. They have their own ideas. They 0:15:17.080 --> 0:15:19.000 have the things that they stand for, things that they 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:21.240 believe in. And if you don't believe that target should 0:15:21.240 --> 0:15:23.680 be boycott, that's on you. But we made the decision 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.160 that it should be boycotted for us, and there's a 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:29.920 long list of people who agree. So when we look 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:32.080 at the situation, and then you're gonna get the nay says, 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:34.840 and there's gonna be people, oh, y'all ain't did nothing whatever. 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:37.520 We know what the numbers say, we know the statistics, and. 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:41.600 And who is now retiring. By the way, it was 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:44.520 announced that the CEO is retiring. And it's sad that 0:15:45.040 --> 0:15:49.840 we as a people don't sit and understand that our power. 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:52.560 They of course they're not gonna go right so much 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:55.120 about your our power right like. 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:58.000 These editors and these newsrooms. 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:00.200 They're not being ready to go out there and be like, oh, 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:03.320 the black people are taking back their power. 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:05.800 They're not going to do this. They say a little 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:06.400 bit about it. 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:09.320 You know, they have to say it because the reality 0:16:09.440 --> 0:16:12.240 is is it's hurting enough to where they have to 0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:15.720 say something to acknowledge that it's happened. But what they'll 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:19.320 do is they'll continuously try to pick us off piece 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:22.080 by piece. They're gonna send somebody that's black like you 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:24.400 to have a conversation with you and say, yeah, we 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:26.480 want we want to support, Yeah, we understand this, and 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:29.080 he's gonna individually do this. And that's why I hate 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:31.760 what's happening with Consanat because he's a good kid. He 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:35.040 represents the culture. Probably, But when they come to you 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:37.040 and you have a deal and you got something that 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:39.120 you want to come and they say, hey, we'll we'll 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:41.800 make sure that this is the biggest thing in the store, right, 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:44.760 and you're not really that conscious of what's going on, 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:46.760 or maybe you don't care as much, right, So what 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:50.080 happens is they're able to utilize us against each other. 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:52.640 And this is what happens all the time, and it 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:54.760 is a sad thing and I'm not And the thing is, 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:57.400 we have to be smart enough to understand it. That's 0:16:57.440 --> 0:16:59.680 what they're doing, right, So we have to be able 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:02.120 to educate our youth. We got to sit there, somebody 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:04.200 gotta have a conversation with con say, look, this is 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:06.840 what's happening. So how do we figure out what we 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:09.919 do next instead of we have it looks like us 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:13.119 against the younger kids and us against other black people. Know, 0:17:13.240 --> 0:17:15.800 we have to we but we have to strategically understand 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:19.600 that that's what they're doing. They are utilizing us to 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:20.960 pit us against each other. 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:24.119 Well, but the thing is with somebody like Kai Sano, 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:28.200 when you say someone needs to have a conversation with him, 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:32.000 more than likely there are people having a conversation and 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:36.280 that conversation is fuck that boycott. That's that's the conversation 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:39.639 that even and maybe he doesn't know anything about it 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:44.080 at all, but if he was informed somehow it's coming 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:47.680 through the lens of that is not important. A boycott 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:50.879 is not important. It's just a little thing anyway, it 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:54.360 doesn't matter. We're gonna we're gonna move forward. You're hot, 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:57.080 you're more important, or whatever. And that's why black people 0:17:57.119 --> 0:17:59.800 can't have nice things, because at the end of the day, 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:03.400 we have to be in a place where no even 0:18:03.480 --> 0:18:06.520 if we don't all it. I watched I saw my girlfriend, 0:18:06.600 --> 0:18:10.359 our girlfriend l Joy Williams, who's the president of the 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:13.960 New York State Conference at NAACP. She said, I have 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:16.640 my questions about Target, but I know I ain't been 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:19.640 in Target since they said there was a boycott, right, 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:21.879 She like, I ain't know if I was all the 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:24.399 way with it, but I know once we said there 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:26.680 was a boycott, you weren't gonna catch me in it. 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:27.280 Period. 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:31.160 As long as black people are boycotting, I'm not going 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:33.639 to cross the picket line. And that's really what I 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:37.639 think was the message for the National Baptist Convention. 0:18:37.720 --> 0:18:38.359 I already get it. 0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:40.640 A bunch of men got to going back and forth, honey, 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:42.640 and people put their stuff on the table and said, 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:45.359 mine is bigger than yours, don't I'm not I'm not 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:49.080 me and need to turner. We're not in the we 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:51.600 don't got nothing the size up with y'all. Y'all got that. 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:54.160 Y'all can argue all day, go back and forth. 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:59.920 What we are saying is just keeping the conversation straightforward. 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.639 Is that to your point, the people in many ways 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:06.080 called this boycott certainly need to turn It was one 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:10.200 of the first people out there organizing who said, you know, 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:13.120 we need to boycott, and we're gonna put some structure 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:15.920 and some data and some information and also build the 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:19.320 list of black businesses who are in Target and beyond 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:21.399 and make sure that gets out there so people can 0:19:21.480 --> 0:19:25.080 buy directly. And then of course you had Pastor Bryant 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:28.600 to come right behind that and start some serious initiatives 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.320 to help people with awareness and to get their muscles, 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:34.520 you know, straighten out your muscles, get yourself, get yourself 0:19:34.680 --> 0:19:38.200 in the mindset that I don't need this brand. I 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.359 can actually go anywhere and find other things that I need. 0:19:41.480 --> 0:19:43.919 I don't have to shop at Target. And so when 0:19:43.960 --> 0:19:47.080 you put all of that together, along with our knowledge 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:51.080 and ability and expertise, you have a good group of 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:55.119 people who are still being led by the people the 0:19:55.320 --> 0:19:58.280 people right, and the people are saying they ain't never 0:19:58.359 --> 0:20:00.200 going back to Target. They said, y'all can he was 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:03.240 the word boycott. We're telling you it's canceled, it's done, 0:20:03.359 --> 0:20:08.720 it's over for us. That's just where we are. I 0:20:08.880 --> 0:20:11.560 just think that even it's important to keep saying that, Like, 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:14.040 I don't feel and I did write. I wrote my truth, right, 0:20:14.160 --> 0:20:16.320 I just I don't need. What happened was we put 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:19.399 the statement out together, and then I was just in 0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:22.440 my bed and thinking to myself, Wow, I'm really gonna 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:25.040 miss my friends. Usually I got on my little outfits, 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:27.040 we go into all the things, and I make money. 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:30.560 At Essence Fest, I get invited to speak here and 0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:33.200 do a thing over here. Sometimes I receive awards and 0:20:33.440 --> 0:20:37.760 in the middle of a book release. Okay, I just 0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:39.680 my book was just released a few months ago. It's 0:20:39.720 --> 0:20:42.240 not like we're talking about two years or even a year. 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:46.000 It was just February eleventh that my book was released. 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:50.080