WEBVTT - How Did MLK Feel About Today’s Political Issues (Part 2)

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<v Speaker 1>Keep on riding with us as we continue to broadcast, balance,

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<v Speaker 1>and defend the discourse from the Hip Hop Weekly Studios.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome back to Civic Cipher. I'm your host, Rams's job.

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<v Speaker 2>He is Ramsy's John. I am q Ward. You are

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<v Speaker 2>tuned into Civic Cipher, Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>You are, and we want you to stay tuned because

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<v Speaker 1>we are going to be sharing, in his own words,

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<v Speaker 1>doctor King's thoughts on concepts that were around when he

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<v Speaker 1>was around. But later we're named affirmative Action. Later they

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<v Speaker 1>were named critical race theory. Later they were named uh,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, equity versus equality. And we think that this

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<v Speaker 1>is critically important because again, oftentimes we see doctor King's

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<v Speaker 1>legacy co opted and whitewashed and sanitized to fit a

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<v Speaker 1>narrative that he did not stand for. And we're here

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<v Speaker 1>to set the record straight. Yeah, a lot to stay

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<v Speaker 1>tuned for. But before we get there, let's discuss the

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<v Speaker 1>ABA becoming a better Allied BABA and Today's BOBA. Sponsored

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<v Speaker 1>by Friends of the Movement. You can sign up for

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<v Speaker 1>the free voter wallet from fotmglobal dot com to support

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<v Speaker 1>black businesses and allied businesses as well as make an

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<v Speaker 1>impact with your spending Again that's Fotmglobal dot com. And

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<v Speaker 1>today we want you to check out the Kingcenter dot org.

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<v Speaker 1>That's fitting and I'm going to share a bit from

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<v Speaker 1>their website. Our mission is to empower people to create

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<v Speaker 1>a just, humane, equitable, and peaceful world world by applying

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<v Speaker 1>doctor King's nonviolent philosophy and methodology nonviolence through sixty five.

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<v Speaker 1>As our nation faces unprecedented turmoil in economic instability and uncertainty,

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<v Speaker 1>and the ongoing struggle for global freedom and equality, we

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<v Speaker 1>at the King Center remain committed to proactively educating and

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<v Speaker 1>training individuals and leaders across all sectors in nonviolence three

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<v Speaker 1>sixty five to influence equitable change in our national and

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<v Speaker 1>global infrastructure. I'll join us in creating a more just, humane, peaceful,

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<v Speaker 1>and equitable society where opportunity isn't limited by race, income, gender, age,

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<v Speaker 1>orientation or zip code. Again, i want you to check

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<v Speaker 1>out the Kingcenter dot org. Uh, if you want to

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<v Speaker 1>contact them directly, you can do so, and it's contact

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<v Speaker 1>at the Kingcenter dot org. So that's the email address again,

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<v Speaker 1>that's contact at the Kingcenter dot org. And of course

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<v Speaker 1>I'm gona leave you phone number here four oh four

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<v Speaker 1>five two six eighty nine hundred one more time four

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<v Speaker 1>oh four five two six eighty nine hundred the Kingcenter

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<v Speaker 1>dot org. If you feel so inclined to make a donation,

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<v Speaker 1>if you feel so inclined, to find out some of

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<v Speaker 1>the other ways that you can support this effort. My

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<v Speaker 1>understanding is that doctor King's daughter runs this organization, if

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not mistaken, so that would be Ernice King that

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<v Speaker 1>is at the helm here. But it is affiliated with

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<v Speaker 1>doctor King's family, and so this is about as close

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<v Speaker 1>as you're going to get to, you know, what Doctor

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<v Speaker 1>King would would have wanted so all right in his

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<v Speaker 1>own words, you know, the first part of today's episode,

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<v Speaker 1>we were talking about how doctor King's image is. It

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<v Speaker 1>is used almost like it's used against us.

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<v Speaker 2>You know.

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<v Speaker 1>One of the things that I will never accuse far

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<v Speaker 1>right conservatives of being, at least in terms of their leadership,

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<v Speaker 1>is stupid. They're brilliant. It's just a brilliance mix with

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<v Speaker 1>like what I believe to be like a sort of evil.

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<v Speaker 2>I thought y were never accused him of being honest,

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<v Speaker 2>but never never accusing them of being stupid.

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<v Speaker 1>Also, yeah, they're not, they're not. They do this quite well.

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<v Speaker 1>But in the same way that. You know, I'm sure

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<v Speaker 1>there are people that will make an argument that Adolf

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<v Speaker 1>Hitler was brilliant and also evil. Right to use doctor

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<v Speaker 1>King's words against the very people that doctor King was

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<v Speaker 1>advocating for is a particularly sinister maneuver, and do it

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<v Speaker 1>with a smile on their faces, right, And this is

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<v Speaker 1>something that we see year after year, evoking God in

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<v Speaker 1>the church while doing so. And it's it's very hurtful

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<v Speaker 1>to see. But you know, fortunately there are some people

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<v Speaker 1>that know better. There's some people that had to read

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<v Speaker 1>the books, some people that you know, we're very passionate

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<v Speaker 1>about our history. Some people that ask questions like, well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, this is I'm talking about myself now, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>why is it that black people are always in the

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<v Speaker 1>poor neighborhoods everywhere we go? This is a question I

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<v Speaker 1>asked myself when I was younger, like are we just

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<v Speaker 1>born to be poor? Are we just born to be

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<v Speaker 1>in jail? Are we? Why are we the ones that

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<v Speaker 1>the police are always mad at? What? You know, these

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<v Speaker 1>are question like questions you might ask about about yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>Why is it all as black people? And I'm black,

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<v Speaker 1>it's just what I have to look forward to. And

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<v Speaker 1>then because you're asking those questions, it might lead you

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<v Speaker 1>to some answers, and if you do enough research, you

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<v Speaker 1>might see, Okay, there are systems. That's a that's a

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<v Speaker 1>word that a lot of these far right conservatives don't like,

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<v Speaker 1>but they exist.

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<v Speaker 2>They'd rather pretend that these invisible things we are imagining.

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<v Speaker 1>Them, oh, and that have a victim complex. In that

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<v Speaker 1>space of victim, yes, but no, it's very very easy

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<v Speaker 1>to research and very easy to look up. And once

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<v Speaker 1>you get to that point, you start to realize, oh wow.

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<v Speaker 1>And then when you look at a person like doctor

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<v Speaker 1>King and what he stood for, you're like, oh, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>I understand that this is something that has been happening

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<v Speaker 1>for a long time. And you know, for for those

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<v Speaker 1>of us on this side of history, we'll say doctor

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<v Speaker 1>King is definitely a hero for them to take our hero,

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<v Speaker 1>rewrite his story, and use the rewritten version of our

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<v Speaker 1>hero to justify their plight when their plight flies in

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<v Speaker 1>the face of Indeed, what the heroes did for and

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<v Speaker 1>what we stand for is again that's a particularly sinister

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<v Speaker 1>form of evil. So I would like to kind of

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<v Speaker 1>set the record strate one of the things that we

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<v Speaker 1>talked about quite a bit last. Well, we've been talking

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<v Speaker 1>about this forever. Is affirmative action, right, And the same

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<v Speaker 1>people that will invoke doctor King's you know, I have

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<v Speaker 1>a dream speech that also stand in opposition to affirmative action,

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<v Speaker 1>that feel like affirmative action is reverse racism or whatever.

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<v Speaker 1>It's like, you can't you can't get both. You can't

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<v Speaker 1>you could get both.

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<v Speaker 2>If you honestly didn't know better. Oh no, they know better,

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<v Speaker 2>And that's my point. Yeah, but they were making the

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<v Speaker 2>mistake of thinking that they were. If they read something

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<v Speaker 2>and thought, oh, this is what he meant, and then

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<v Speaker 2>did what they did because that's what they thought he

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<v Speaker 2>actually meant, maybe they could, yeah, but it wouldn't feel

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<v Speaker 2>as terrible.

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<v Speaker 1>They don't know for certain that.

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<v Speaker 2>That's not what he meant, and still evoke him and

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<v Speaker 2>his language and his words to fight against what he

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<v Speaker 2>thought fight. That's the thing that makes it especially sinister

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<v Speaker 2>and diabolical.

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<v Speaker 1>And the thing is like, it's almost like the erosion

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<v Speaker 1>of affirmative action was based on a technicality. It was

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<v Speaker 1>based on the word equality and not the word equity.

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<v Speaker 1>But you have to bear in mind at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>during the Civil rights movement, equality was the next logical

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<v Speaker 1>step toward equity. Right, because again, the civil rights movement

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<v Speaker 1>is the transition period between Jim Crow and let's call

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<v Speaker 1>it the era that we live in now, you know

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<v Speaker 1>what I mean, So that the civil rights movement to

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<v Speaker 1>look at Jim Crow and say, okay, if white people

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<v Speaker 1>can eat at this restaurant, then black people can't, that

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<v Speaker 1>is unequal. If white people can go to the school

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<v Speaker 1>and black people can't, that is unequal. And so the

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<v Speaker 1>only language that really fit in that moment was equality.

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<v Speaker 1>And now that word is being used to erode things

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<v Speaker 1>like affirmative action.

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<v Speaker 2>And then by the time we collectively got to the

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<v Speaker 2>word equity, the oppressor put themselves in position of oppressed.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh wait, and are now currently fighting against equity, Yes,

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<v Speaker 2>because they somehow feel.

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<v Speaker 1>Like and that's why I say they're not stupid unfair. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>And that's why I say they're not stupid because as

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<v Speaker 1>a strategy, it's you know, it's it's given us a

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<v Speaker 1>tough you know, we got a tough, uphill battle. But again,

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<v Speaker 1>in doctor King's own words, this comes from the La Times.

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<v Speaker 1>William J. Bennett's August twelfth commentary is the latest example

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<v Speaker 1>of a trend in conservative public relations. Opponents of affirmative

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<v Speaker 1>action excuse me, claiming to be the heirs of Martin

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<v Speaker 1>Luther King Junior, They invoked the sentence from King's nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>sixty three speech looking forward to the day his children

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<v Speaker 1>would be judged by the content of their character, not

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<v Speaker 1>the color of their skin. Okay, so that's the cherry picking, right,

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<v Speaker 1>Doctor King said, You're not supposed to judge someone by

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<v Speaker 1>the color of their skin, but by the content of

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<v Speaker 1>their character, which again in a vacuum, without any other context,

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<v Speaker 1>you know. And again if they were if that was

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<v Speaker 1>an honest like, if they just didn't read the rest

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<v Speaker 1>of it, or they didn't know better, or there was

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<v Speaker 1>no Ronald Reagan to try to push a sanitized version

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<v Speaker 1>of doctor King onto the United States of America to

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<v Speaker 1>appeal to white moderates that was needed at that time,

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<v Speaker 1>to ensure victory in the election cycle and appease you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the whatever his political affiliates or whatever at the time.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, we don't end up here, but I'll continue reading.

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<v Speaker 1>Bennett conveniently ignores one fact. King was a strong supporter

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<v Speaker 1>of affirmative action. And Why We Can't Wait, published in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixty three, he argued that given the long history

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<v Speaker 1>of American racism, blacks fully deserved special compensatory measures in jobs, education,

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<v Speaker 1>and other realms. Four years later, and where do we

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<v Speaker 1>go from here? He wrote, quote, a society that has

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<v Speaker 1>done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years

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<v Speaker 1>must now do something special for him. Doctor King's own words,

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<v Speaker 1>the same Doctor King, that they cherry picked this color

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<v Speaker 1>of their skin, content of their character bar from okay.

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<v Speaker 1>Bennett's Peace not only misrepresents King, but reduces the civil

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<v Speaker 1>rights movement's complex outlook to the quest of a colorblind society.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, as King wrote, the movement's goal was far

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<v Speaker 1>broader to quote make freedom real and substantial, substantive for

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<v Speaker 1>blacks by overcoming pervasive racial inequality and absorbing them into

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<v Speaker 1>the mainstream of American life. King saw, affirmative action is

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<v Speaker 1>one of the many measures, some colorblind, some not needed

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<v Speaker 1>to counteract the legacy of centuries of discrimination. Now, for

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<v Speaker 1>many people that may not know, I'm going to give

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<v Speaker 1>you a quick laundry list of things that you can

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<v Speaker 1>look up in terms of the legacy of discrimination. These

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<v Speaker 1>things include redlining. That's something that you can look up

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<v Speaker 1>in later years, the war on drugs. That was a

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<v Speaker 1>discriminatory practice. We already discussed Jim Crow and the legacy

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<v Speaker 1>of that. There are many tragedies and atrocities that have

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<v Speaker 1>taken place that have resulted in effectively land theft from

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<v Speaker 1>black people. It could have been through legal means, it

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<v Speaker 1>could have been through just marching in and taking it whatever.

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<v Speaker 1>But all of these things have had some impact on

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<v Speaker 1>economic impact on black people. Black people were left out

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<v Speaker 1>of the GI Bill, Black people were left out of

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<v Speaker 1>during the what is the word I'm looking for, great depression?

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<v Speaker 1>The stimulus package. I forget the name of it, but

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<v Speaker 1>I think it might have been FDR whatever designed a

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<v Speaker 1>welfare program to benefit white people and not black people.

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<v Speaker 2>Black people were freed from slavery and not given property.

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<v Speaker 1>For that money, no economic basis upon which to build sure,

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<v Speaker 1>and we haven't gotten to like environmental racism. We haven't

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<v Speaker 1>gotten to healthcare, we haven't gotten education, we haven't gotten

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<v Speaker 1>to employment and all that other sort of stuff. But

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<v Speaker 1>those are the systems, and there are legal things that

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<v Speaker 1>have been in place, some still on the books. We

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<v Speaker 1>just don't practice them the same way.

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<v Speaker 2>And to our color blind brothers and sisters, that is

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<v Speaker 2>a very cowardice and intentionally non conflict position to take

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<v Speaker 2>non confrontational, non confrontational a better way to say that

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<v Speaker 2>you're not color blind. Yeah, not literally or figuratively. And

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<v Speaker 2>that's not what we're requesting. That's not what we want.

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<v Speaker 2>That's not what doctor King was asking for. He wasn't

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<v Speaker 2>asking you to be color blind. He was asking you

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<v Speaker 2>to not treat us worse because you see our color.

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<v Speaker 2>Pretending that these injustices don't exist, don't make you a

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<v Speaker 2>better or more enlightened person or a more decent.

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<v Speaker 1>Person, and pretending that they don't have lasting implications and

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<v Speaker 1>lasting effects on not individuals, data data, if you look

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<v Speaker 1>at outcomes for black families, outcomes for white families, Pretending

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<v Speaker 1>that these injustices did not exist, prevents you from seeing

0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:07.320
<v Speaker 1>the root cause of the problem and coming up with

0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.440
<v Speaker 1>a solution that will actually address it. And you will

0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:13.199
<v Speaker 1>be born, live in, and die in a society that

0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:19.200
<v Speaker 1>treats certain people unfairly because you have chosen the reality

0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:22.440
<v Speaker 1>that makes you the most comfortable, not the reality that

0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:23.160
<v Speaker 1>actually exists.

0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:27.360
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, there's statistical outcomes that would be impossible to happen randomly. Right,

0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:32.160
<v Speaker 2>The thousand wealthiest white people in America have more collective

0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:36.040
<v Speaker 2>money than all of the black people in America. I

0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.240
<v Speaker 2>think they're forty million black people in America something like that.

0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:43.560
<v Speaker 2>Just under one thousand. The top thousand richest white people

0:14:44.040 --> 0:14:48.080
<v Speaker 2>have more money collectively than all of the black people

0:14:48.120 --> 0:14:52.840
<v Speaker 2>that live in America. That is statistically impossible to happen randomly.

0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:55.680
<v Speaker 2>There have to be systems in place for those type

0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:57.560
<v Speaker 2>of outcomes to be true.

0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:05.880
<v Speaker 1>So let's move on. Because CRT the actual teaching of

0:15:06.040 --> 0:15:08.920
<v Speaker 1>this history and not in school what the GOP is

0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:11.600
<v Speaker 1>talking about when they say it. Yeah, we're talking CRT

0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:14.280
<v Speaker 1>is American history full stop. Right, We said that many

0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:14.920
<v Speaker 1>times on the show.

0:15:14.960 --> 0:15:18.520
<v Speaker 2>But what they say, I want I want us to

0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:22.760
<v Speaker 2>not say this incorrectly. What the GOP is trying to

0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:27.080
<v Speaker 2>have outlawed in schools that they call CRT is American

0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:31.600
<v Speaker 2>history critical race theory as a scholastic endeavor is some

0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:35.080
<v Speaker 2>collegiate completely different than what they're talking about. It sounded

0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:39.440
<v Speaker 2>like we just said was that CRT is American history.

0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:41.920
<v Speaker 2>They are not the same. Yeah, Okay, they're been conflated

0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.320
<v Speaker 2>in that way. That thank you because you said that

0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:48.840
<v Speaker 2>the right way. Okay, So where we are is we

0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:53.400
<v Speaker 2>have to and we have an hour in some cases

0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:59.040
<v Speaker 2>half hour to try to explain so much and it

0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:02.640
<v Speaker 2>just defies, like logistically it doesn't work right.

0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:06.400
<v Speaker 1>But hopefully we've given you the tools to do a

0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:09.760
<v Speaker 1>little bit more research this stuff. We don't make up

0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:11.840
<v Speaker 1>none of this stuff. This stuff is all. We have

0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:13.880
<v Speaker 1>to like research all of this before it comes into

0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:20.480
<v Speaker 1>the show. So when we share things with you, it's

0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:25.080
<v Speaker 1>so that you have insight into forms of oppression systems.

0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.240
<v Speaker 1>The legacy of oppression is so that you understand the

0:16:28.280 --> 0:16:33.440
<v Speaker 1>economic basis upon which all of the privileges and advantages

0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:36.640
<v Speaker 1>and advantages in a society rest, and all of the

0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:38.640
<v Speaker 1>shortcomings and pitfalls in a society rest.

0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:38.920
<v Speaker 2>Right.

0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:44.360
<v Speaker 1>History provides a framework so that you understand, you have context.

0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:46.600
<v Speaker 1>You don't think, well, black people are just this way

0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:47.960
<v Speaker 1>and white people are just this way, and that's the

0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:51.560
<v Speaker 1>way it goes, because that's not true. You know, everybody

0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:54.280
<v Speaker 1>is born a clean slate. If you accept that as

0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:57.120
<v Speaker 1>your reality, then the data ought to suggest that there's

0:16:57.160 --> 0:17:01.520
<v Speaker 1>something systemically wrong because the data is reflect correct. So

0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.720
<v Speaker 1>let's talk about why teaching the history is important. Okay,

0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:12.720
<v Speaker 1>So this comes from the King Institute via Stanford dot Edu. Okay,

0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:16.359
<v Speaker 1>it seems to me that education has a two fold function.

0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:20.000
<v Speaker 1>This is Doctor King's words to perform in the life

0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:23.560
<v Speaker 1>of man and in society. One is utility, the other

0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:26.720
<v Speaker 1>is culture. Education must enable a man to become more efficient,

0:17:27.040 --> 0:17:31.640
<v Speaker 1>to achieve, with increasing facility, the legitimate goals in his life.

0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:35.399
<v Speaker 1>Education must also train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking.

0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:39.320
<v Speaker 1>To think incisively and to think for oneself is very difficult.

0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:42.240
<v Speaker 1>We are prone to let our mental life become invaded

0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:46.480
<v Speaker 1>by legions of half truth, prejudices, and propaganda. At this point,

0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:49.639
<v Speaker 1>I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose.

0:17:49.880 --> 0:17:52.239
<v Speaker 1>A great majority of the so called educated people do

0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:56.000
<v Speaker 1>not think logically and scientifically. Even the press, the classroom,

0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:59.800
<v Speaker 1>the platform, and in the pulpit in many instances do

0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:04.399
<v Speaker 1>not give us objective and unbiased truths. To save man

0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:07.720
<v Speaker 1>from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one

0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:10.760
<v Speaker 1>of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one

0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:14.119
<v Speaker 1>to sift and weigh evidence, to descern true from false,

0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:16.960
<v Speaker 1>the real from the unreal, the facts from the fiction.

0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:21.680
<v Speaker 1>Sounds to me based on that that Doctor King would

0:18:21.680 --> 0:18:27.000
<v Speaker 1>have been in support of teaching the fullness of American

0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:32.800
<v Speaker 1>history and providing context, age appropriate context for people so

0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:36.960
<v Speaker 1>that at five years old they could understand concepts that

0:18:37.040 --> 0:18:38.040
<v Speaker 1>a five year old could.

0:18:37.960 --> 0:18:41.280
<v Speaker 2>Understand and then at eighteen and have the desire to

0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:46.520
<v Speaker 2>actually learn about that. There it is, and you, what

0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:50.520
<v Speaker 2>you've done is created more empathy. Now, more empathy means

0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:52.800
<v Speaker 2>that black people are going to benefit, and it might

0:18:52.880 --> 0:18:55.440
<v Speaker 2>cost white people a little bit of some of their

0:18:55.920 --> 0:19:00.239
<v Speaker 2>status or whatever, and that is a hard no on

0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:01.920
<v Speaker 2>its face for a lot of far right It would

0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:05.879
<v Speaker 2>have a larger collective benefit even as white people, absolutely

0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:11.280
<v Speaker 2>oppressors and very greedy, selfish people would have something taken

0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:13.479
<v Speaker 2>from them. Everyone else would benefit.

0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:17.160
<v Speaker 1>Thank you, Thank you, And when we have more time,

0:19:17.240 --> 0:19:19.000
<v Speaker 1>will make that case, because I feel like that needs

0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:21.240
<v Speaker 1>to be made again. And so we're about due for

0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:25.800
<v Speaker 1>another one. But this last one equity versus equality. I

0:19:25.840 --> 0:19:27.720
<v Speaker 1>got these words from the Atlantic, but again they're they're

0:19:27.760 --> 0:19:33.880
<v Speaker 1>doctor King's words. Why is equality so assiduously avoided? Why

0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:37.480
<v Speaker 1>does White America delude itself? And how does it rationalize

0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.760
<v Speaker 1>the evil it retains? The majority of white Americans consider

0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:43.879
<v Speaker 1>themselves committed to justice for the Negro They believe that

0:19:43.920 --> 0:19:48.280
<v Speaker 1>American society is essentially hospitable to fair play and to

0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.680
<v Speaker 1>steady growth toward a middle class utopia embodying racial harmony.

0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:56.119
<v Speaker 1>But unfortunately this is a fantasy of self deception and

0:19:56.320 --> 0:20:04.080
<v Speaker 1>comfortable vanity. Now again, at the time of the Civil

0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:11.800
<v Speaker 1>Rights movement, the order of the day was equality. Treat

0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:19.280
<v Speaker 1>us equal, we want equal rights. Right. But if you

0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:23.640
<v Speaker 1>and I are playing monopoly, because everything goes back to economics,

0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:27.280
<v Speaker 1>that's economics shapes outcomes across the board, full stop. But

0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:29.920
<v Speaker 1>if you and IQ we're playing monopoly, okay, Let's say

0:20:29.920 --> 0:20:32.119
<v Speaker 1>you're the white piece and I'm the black piece. Okay,

0:20:33.680 --> 0:20:37.480
<v Speaker 1>and you get to play Monopoly and go around the

0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:44.800
<v Speaker 1>board for two hundred years, three hundred years. Sure, and

0:20:44.960 --> 0:20:47.879
<v Speaker 1>then you get to collect all the money, buy up

0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:52.440
<v Speaker 1>all the properties, whatever. Then you get to let me play.

0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:57.760
<v Speaker 1>But I'm hampered by let's call it the Jim Crow

0:20:58.320 --> 0:21:01.800
<v Speaker 1>era where I can only throw one dice and can't

0:21:01.800 --> 0:21:03.400
<v Speaker 1>I only collect one hundred dollars when I pass.

0:21:03.480 --> 0:21:06.720
<v Speaker 2>Go. Okay, you're also starting the game with no money.

0:21:06.760 --> 0:21:08.960
<v Speaker 1>Right exactly. I didn't even get nothing. I got no

0:21:09.040 --> 0:21:12.920
<v Speaker 1>forty acres, no mule. You started with nothing. Then after

0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:16.400
<v Speaker 1>that period of Jim crow. Let's say a gentleman comes

0:21:16.440 --> 0:21:18.720
<v Speaker 1>and introduces a new rule. Let's call him doctor Martin

0:21:18.760 --> 0:21:22.960
<v Speaker 1>Luther King, right, and he says equality, everybody gets to

0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:25.520
<v Speaker 1>get two hundred dollars. Everybody gets to roll both dice.

0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:29.560
<v Speaker 1>Do I even have a modicum of a chance of

0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:30.359
<v Speaker 1>catching up to you?

0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:31.159
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely not?

0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:36.119
<v Speaker 1>Okay, Now, equity equality is one thing. Equality is not nothing.

0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:41.040
<v Speaker 1>But equity seeks to restore the injustice. And what's happening

0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:44.359
<v Speaker 1>is because doctor King's words were about equality, those words

0:21:44.400 --> 0:21:46.679
<v Speaker 1>have been co opted and used against us to attack

0:21:46.800 --> 0:21:51.399
<v Speaker 1>us on affirmative action, critical race theory, and pretty much

0:21:51.480 --> 0:21:55.119
<v Speaker 1>everything else. And that leaves us where we are. So

0:21:55.240 --> 0:21:58.040
<v Speaker 1>we need to know this. And unfortunately, in this society,

0:21:58.080 --> 0:21:59.800
<v Speaker 1>the only way that we can engage is to vote.

0:22:00.480 --> 0:22:02.920
<v Speaker 1>Got to wait to do it, but that's what we do.

0:22:03.359 --> 0:22:05.840
<v Speaker 1>So with that in mind, we'll leave it right there.

0:22:05.880 --> 0:22:08.119
<v Speaker 1>As always, thank you very much for tuning in to

0:22:08.200 --> 0:22:12.560
<v Speaker 1>Civic Cipher, especially our first time listeners. Welcome. We like

0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:14.520
<v Speaker 1>to have fun as often as we can, but you

0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:17.040
<v Speaker 1>know we deal with heavy stuff. I have been your host,

0:22:17.119 --> 0:22:18.320
<v Speaker 1>Rams this Ja, he is.

0:22:18.400 --> 0:22:20.959
<v Speaker 2>Rams this Jah. I am q Ward and we are

0:22:21.119 --> 0:22:26.080
<v Speaker 2>forever grateful for our listeners, both those who are joining

0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:27.600
<v Speaker 2>us for the first time and those who have been

0:22:27.720 --> 0:22:29.399
<v Speaker 2>riding with us for years. We appreciate you.

0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:33.719
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Absolutely. If you like, head over to our website,

0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:36.400
<v Speaker 1>civiciper dot com. You can download this episode in its

0:22:36.560 --> 0:22:39.360
<v Speaker 1>entirety or any previous episodes. You can also submit any

0:22:39.440 --> 0:22:41.679
<v Speaker 1>questions any topics you want us to cover. You can

0:22:41.760 --> 0:22:44.840
<v Speaker 1>make a donation. The show exists with your support. We

0:22:44.960 --> 0:22:47.240
<v Speaker 1>appreciate that, and it grows with your support as well. Also,

0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:49.080
<v Speaker 1>be sure to follow us on all social media at

0:22:49.119 --> 0:22:51.320
<v Speaker 1>Civic Cipher, especially on YouTube, and of course you can

0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:53.280
<v Speaker 1>follow me on social media at Rams's jah.

0:22:53.280 --> 0:22:55.360
<v Speaker 2>I am Qward on all social media as well.

0:22:55.520 --> 0:22:56.760
<v Speaker 1>Until next week, y'all, peace,