WEBVTT - When You Have To Be Your Own Best Advocate 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:21.880 Hey, hey, hey. So that was my attempt at a 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:22.919 somber Hey hey hey. 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:27.440 I was gonna go like, hey, guys, we're here again. 0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:33.199 It's America, America, America. We're actually gonna go on. I'm 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:34.960 just speaking for the country now. We're just gonna go 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:37.600 on like a six week vacation. We're gonna go to 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:39.360 like France or something like. 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:44.879 Yeah, a lot is happening. I'm like what. Like I 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:47.400 was in Atlanta. I was speaking at like on a 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:51.640 panel in Atlanta, and my publicis, Drina, was like what 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:54.560 she was showing me? Like, I just I wasn't fully focused, 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:59.040 but she's showing me pictures of these men with tiki torches, 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:01.680 and I'm like, what, what's going on? She kept saying, 0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:03.360 I can't believe what's happening in Charlotte. So I can't 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:05.560 believe what's happening in Charlotte. But so I didn't. I 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:09.720 wasn't fully uh focused until like I looked for myself 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:12.399 and I'm like, wait, what this was just the night 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:14.679 that they that they went on to. What's the campus 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:16.440 of the college. What's the college? 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:23.119 I actually don't know. It's the University of Virginia. 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:25.360 I think, so but I was like, wait, so, how 0:01:25.400 --> 0:01:29.120 are they allowed on college campuses with like, you know, 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:32.000 it was weird because you know, it was kind of 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:35.679 like this juxtaposing like they've got like citronella Tigi torches, 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:39.160 but their faces were very serious with anger and I 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:40.560 guess rage or whatever. 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:43.319 I don't know if it was a college campus, I 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:45.240 think they were. They were there protesting. I don't know, 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:50.240 they were just protesting their removal of some civil War statue. 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:52.480 Yeah, no, it was It's well, they said they marched 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:55.920 through the University of Virginia. I'm Friday Night, okay, yeah, 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:59.400 chanting you will not replace us. There's one guy in particular, 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.400 like everyone seeing his feel like if you see his face, 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.200 I guess you know, he was not expecting to be 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:07.400 kind of like the poster boy for this, but his 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:11.120 face was like a photographer took his picture, and I 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:13.360 think the New York Post kind of like ran the 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:15.320 story and it was like three guys, but his face 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:16.880 was the one that was kind of contorted with the 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:19.920 most rage. And after I guess they must have found 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:21.520 him and reached out to him. He was like, oh, no, 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:25.040 you know, that was not my intention. We're not hateful. 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:28.840 We're not racist. We just and it was just so 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:31.280 strange because you could tell that he was now that 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:35.160 he was like being outed. You know, it was like 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.480 all of a sudden, it was always backtracking of like oh, no, no, no, 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:39.720 we don't we don't hate anyone. We just want to 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:42.120 preserve our culture as well. We think everyone should have 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:44.960 a culture. I'm like, really, cuz that's not what it 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:45.400 looked like. 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:48.799 I read they were chanting white lives matter, Jews will 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:52.000 not replace us, you will not make I mean to 0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:55.000 backtrack like that. There's some they had some balls though. 0:02:55.040 --> 0:02:56.720 I mean, if they go home to jobs and their 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:59.680 jobs aren't firing them right now. I also want to 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:01.760 know what I haven't gotten a good sense of is 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:05.880 exactly how many people there were this on their side 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:08.720 at this rally. I think that's important too. But someone 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:10.960 someone I was talking to about it said, well, you know, 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:13.000 it's really just a small group of people, and I 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.080 and I and I agree that we need to like 0:03:15.160 --> 0:03:17.320 be we need to be getting the full picture, you know, 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:21.120 was it. I think it's hard in this situation because 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:24.880 it's it's it's easy to for the media to sort 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:27.680 of make it look like there's just so so so 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:31.080 many people. I wouldn't be surprised if they were outnumbered 0:03:31.080 --> 0:03:35.840 by counter protesters. But at the same time, yeah, the. 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:37.880 Next day, what you mean the next day, I don't think. 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:40.680 I think that evening it was kind of took everyone 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:42.960 by surprise, so they were like, wait what. And then 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:45.280 the next day, I guess, I don't know if there 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:48.200 was it was the same group, but the next day 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:51.160 there was like, a guess, a bigger display, like a rally, 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:54.800 and that's when the counter protesters kind of you're right, 0:03:54.840 --> 0:04:01.640 it seems like they outnumbered them. But it was well, I. 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:01.840 Finished real quick because I didn't want to belittle it 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:03.920 by saying there weren't that many, But I just what 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:05.880 I wanted to say was there aren't. It is a 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:08.120 small It probably is a very small group of people, 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:10.680 but it's still The issue is that they feel like 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:14.040 they're in a safe place right now, where it's okay 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:17.080 to be out in the streets without even with you know, 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:22.960 completely with these stupid tiki torches. Yeah, they feel like 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:25.040 this is their time, you know, And there's only one 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:27.360 reason they feel like this is our time. It's because 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:32.200 because of our president. Yeah, it's because of their president 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:35.920 and the fact that he was limited by this al 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:36.920 right movement. 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:40.919 And they said it liked David Duke, right, wasn't he 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:43.760 like the former president of the KKK or whatever. He said, 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:46.480 you know, this is we're fulfilling the promises that forty 0:04:46.520 --> 0:04:50.800 five put before us and why we elected him. We are, 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:54.279 you know here because you know, we're taking back what 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:56.960 you know is quote unquote ours And there was a 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.440 letter solid that O'Brien tweeted this letter. She was like, 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:01.760 if you think this is not connected to the president anyway, 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:04.320 let's be clear. She was like, so, I guess the 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:09.120 letter went out like to the their whatever, socialist nationalist 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:11.880 group whatever, saying hey, brother's like, you know, don't because 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:16.400 Donald the president said basically like oh, we have to 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:18.720 all come together as one or whatever. Some people were 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:20.360 on the alt right were angry with him, and they 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:22.120 were like, no, don't be angry. If you notice he 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:25.320 didn't condemn us, it's very clear he's letting us know secretly. Hey, 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:28.320 I'm with you. Like it was so scary, and I 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:30.440 was like, you know what, he's right, he didn't condemn Like, 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:33.040 you know, it's crazy times. 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:35.240 There's hatred and bigotry on all sides, he said, on many, 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:39.160 many sides, many sides, but in this specific instant, mister dufis, 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:43.280 there's there's one type of hatred and bickering bigotry from 0:05:43.360 --> 0:05:46.360 one side. It's very, very apparent they're literally waving signs 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:47.920 that say who they are and what they stand for. 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:51.000 And the fact that he was in the fact that 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:53.320 this statement came from his private golf course in New 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:57.279 Jersey and doesn't even have the kohones to call it 0:05:57.320 --> 0:05:59.560 what it is, to call racism racism, And then the 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:02.200 next day when that car crash happened and what three 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:06.960 people died, to call terrorism terrorism? 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:07.719 Yeah? 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:10.400 It just like but I mean I want to we're 0:06:10.440 --> 0:06:13.000 not crazy. We all have eyes now, we all have 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:15.320 eyes phones, we can call it. I think it's important 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:18.080 that we're all calling it what it is, yeah, and 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:20.400 not shying a wht shying away from it. I mean, 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:24.400 even some of his supporters are like, come on, dude, 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.520 let's just call I think Ivanka even tweeted that it 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:31.080 was that, you know, against the white supremacy. 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:31.880 I don't. 0:06:31.880 --> 0:06:34.640 I haven't seen anyone though, call it terrorism. What happened 0:06:34.640 --> 0:06:37.680 the next day when a white man, and it's still 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:40.200 not clearly exactly who he is, but there was there's 0:06:40.240 --> 0:06:43.640 one headline saying that he was definitely a neo Nazi sympathizer. 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:46.640 But because he's a white man, it's like, oh, let's 0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:48.120 just you know, let's wait till the facts are in 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:49.320 before we call it terrorism. 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:51.159 You know, of course, because you know, we don't. We 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:53.799 can't jump to the gun, like that would be totally unfair. 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:57.320 Like can you imagine if that was replace all those 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.760 white men with black men with torches? Can you imagine? 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:03.000 Yeah, we would have Ferguson, Like I there was this 0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:06.200 awesome repost that I reposted. It was like, so we're 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:09.440 all the riot gear. Where's all the tear gas and 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:13.520 rubber bullets and and and and you know, scary police 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:15.960 dressed to the nines and they're right, you're asking for 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:19.880 a friend and standing rock and Ferguson like, because when 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.880 brown folks were protesting, and you know, it was a 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.480 total completely different energy that you brought. There were there 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:32.000 were videos where I saw the terrorists, white supremacists pushing 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:36.840 the police line back. Where where could that happen? In Ferguson, 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:40.000 that a bunch of brown folks could push the police 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:42.760 line back and it's and nothing happened. I couldn't even 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:45.840 believe it. I was like wow, Like for people who 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:49.880 want to be like like purposefully obtuse and pretend as 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.400 if there is no difference, I'm like, there's like whatever, 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:57.960 do like I it just really you know, it's like 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:01.560 I remember when the president when when President Barack Obama 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:04.920 was elected and folks were just like, oh, you brown, 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:07.160 you could finally stop complaining there's no more racism. Now 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:09.600 there's a black president, and we're like, are you kidding me? 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:11.920 That doesn't mean that there's no more Racist's not how 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:16.239 racism works, you know that, Like just because a black 0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:18.760 man is elected president, it doesn't mean that there's still 0:08:18.800 --> 0:08:22.760 not systematic racism and there's still not racism out there. 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:25.440 And now we see that it's I mean just because 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:28.640 it's not it wasn't flagrantly obvious. Then now we see 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:30.880 like none of that has none of that went away. 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:35.400 If anything, it seemed like it increased it. Did you 0:08:35.440 --> 0:08:38.079 see the interview when they interviewed the young man who 0:08:38.320 --> 0:08:43.360 the terrorists that ran into the people, They interviewed his mother. No, yeah, Yahoo, 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:46.440 Actually you're an ex employee, if you're They interviewed his 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:50.440 mother and was it Katie? She was is that her name? 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:52.920 No, Katie, I know she's down there right now. 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:56.280 Oh no, I think it was. I didn't see video. 0:08:56.360 --> 0:08:58.640 I just saw, like you know, it's like a picture. 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:00.440 She was like, Oh, he told me that he was 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:04.040 going to go protest. I told him to be careful 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.880 and to like not be super political. And she was like, 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:09.640 I didn't, you know, I don't think he's racist. I 0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:11.920 mean he had a black friend. I was like, are 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:15.920 you yah, are you kidding me? And so I was 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:20.199 just like yeah, so yeah, well you're We'll see what 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:21.960 happens to him. That's what I'm going to be curious about, 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:23.360 not that you've killed three people. Oh. 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:28.280 I'm sure he'll have a fair trial. I'm sure it'll 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:30.079 be a whole question. Are they going to indict him? 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:32.080 Are they going to maybe he just you know, had 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.800 road rage or like maybe his hit, maybe his foot 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:37.920 slipped on the pedal, who knows. I was reading some 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:40.240 of the things that they were saying about how you know, 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:43.160 we're not racist, We're just trying to, you know, better 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:47.400 our lives, and we just want to we were more 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:51.720 about protecting ours our place, not bringing others down. And 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:54.880 I'm like, but that's the very definition of racism, when 0:09:54.960 --> 0:09:58.319 you're preservation is more important than someone else's. 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:02.800 Like what, Yo, It's so crazy to me because I'm like, 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:06.160 do you realize that the times that you quote unquote 0:10:06.200 --> 0:10:09.360 want to go back to were bad times for everyone 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:14.000 else that was not white? Like? And they're like really 0:10:14.640 --> 0:10:17.360 not even really, but yes, So you're saying, I want 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:19.360 to go back to the times when black people can't vote, 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:23.360 when you know brown people couldn't you know, didn't have 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:26.600 the same rights. I mean, you want to go back 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:29.360 to that time and preserve that part of history. And 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:32.839 you're saying, why can't we just go back to having less? 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:36.480 And like what are you really? Like? What what are 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:38.720 you really marching for? I'm sorry, are you not getting 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:41.280 certain jobs? Are you being followed in stores? So? Like, 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:44.360 what what is the harm that's being done to you? 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:45.800 You know what I mean. I'm just like, you couldn't 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:49.800 live one day as brown one day because someone is 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:51.040 taking out a statue. 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:53.720 Well, you know the only way that the lever I mean, 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:55.160 they're never going to get it. I mean, the people 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:57.719 of this are gone. I have to say again, it's 0:10:57.720 --> 0:10:59.400 a small group of people, but I think it's the 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.359 ones in the who aren't out there. It's necessarily protesting, 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:04.400 but they're doing it in their own small ways every day. 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:04.719 You know. 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:08.040 I think I'm reading the most perfect book for this 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:11.280 moment at the perfect time. I've been reading Americana for 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:14.760 the last month, trying to get through it. Have you 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:16.040 read it? If you haven't read it. 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:20.160 Now, I've read her book before that Half a Yellow Sez. 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:22.559 Oh my gosh, so good. 0:11:23.280 --> 0:11:26.240 It's funny. I haven't read it. It's a big book, 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.000 not big, but it's like, you know, it's not a 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:31.600 quick read, but it's really good, and it's about it's 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:36.120 partially about a woman's experience coming from Nigeria to America 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:40.240 and acclin becoming you know. I think I spends like 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:43.520 over a decade here and just her story of immigrating 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:47.199 and then the challenges she went through and like establishing 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:49.280 a life for her here. But then she also starts 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:52.160 this blog while she's here, which is about the non 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:56.040 black experience in America, and it's sort of and it's 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:58.520 but anyway, it feels like it was. I think this 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:01.040 book came in twenty thirteen. It feels like the Solange 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:05.199 album of books right now. Some of her blog posts, 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:07.400 you know, there was one specifical way about oppression and 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:11.920 like can you imagine or not oppression, but about how 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:14.560 when someone's telling you something is racist to a person 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:17.240 who's non black, when someone's telling you who is black 0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:19.959 or brown, if they're telling you something is racist, don't 0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:22.840 deny them. Why would you deny them. It's not like 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:26.240 they're I mean, it's almost like that they they they 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:28.160 don't want to they don't want to admit to themselves 0:12:28.160 --> 0:12:29.839 that it's real. So they tell you what you're seeing 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:33.400 isn't real, or you're overreacting, van dramatic, and I think 0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:35.880 right now, it's just it's just what's been beautiful to 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:37.760 me is to see everyone sort of rally together and 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:40.640 be like to affirm what we're all seeing and to 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:43.320 affirm that what we're all feeling and that it's it's valid. 0:12:43.559 --> 0:12:46.840 We're not crazy. 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:47.920 And you can't tell us, you can't convince this we're crazy. 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:48.559 It ain't. 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:48.760 Yah. 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:53.120 Finally, it ain't. That's changed, right because I remember, like 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:55.240 the only like refuse you used to have were your 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.640 other brown friends. Like we I'm not I'm not crazy, right, 0:12:57.720 --> 0:12:59.800 like she was following me right cause there would be times. 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:01.880 I can remember when we first moved to Westfield, which 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:06.439 is largely white, a huge Jewish population, and like I 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:08.200 remember we moved there. When you moved there, you get 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:10.200 like a welcome kid. I didn't know this until I 0:13:10.200 --> 0:13:12.599 got a little older, but my mom had gotten like 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:15.200 all these coupons and like, you know, coming because basically 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:17.079 they wanted you to come down down Westfield and get 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:20.800 acclimated and spend money. So she'd gone. And when she'd 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.800 gone downtown when she brought the coupons, people acted like, 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:25.440 where do you where'd you get these from? We're not 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:28.640 honoring these. And I didn't know that. It wasn't until 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:30.480 I was like in sixth grade and I was like 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:32.760 going downtown like for the first time. It was like 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:34.120 I had been he had lived there for a year 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:37.160 and I'd gone downtown with one of my friends and 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:42.880 she I was walking in a store and the lady 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:45.880 followed me like asle by Aisle. At first, it took 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:47.720 me a while to recognize it. I'm like, she followed me. 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.480 I'm like, no, but asle by Aisle, she's following me, 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:52.680 and I just assumed because I was still really young. 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:54.040 I was like, oh, because I'm a kid, she thinks 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:56.320 I'm going to steal. And then my friends came in 0:13:56.360 --> 0:13:58.679 and they were loud and obnoxious and like running through 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:01.160 the aisles, and she continued my friends were all white, 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:04.280 and she continued to follow me. And it took me 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:06.880 a moment and I'm just looking like wait, and I 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:08.720 walked up to her and I said, why are you 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:11.240 following me? She just looked at me and she's like, 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:13.480 why are you in my store? And I was like 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:15.400 and then like the realization kind of came over me, 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.240 and I'm like, are you following me? Cause I'm black? 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:20.040 And she just said get out of my store. And 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:22.760 I was like, i was heartbroken because that never happened. 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:24.680 I'm like a kid, you know. So I go home 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:26.320 and I'm crying. I tell my mother and she told 0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:28.880 me about her experiences with the coupons, and do you know, 0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:31.640 to this day, my mother has never shot downtown Westfield ever. 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:34.440 She said, I will never. And I just thought, like, 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:36.480 but then if you were to tell that someone, oh, 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:39.800 well girl, that's because no, that's not why, Like, don't 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:43.040 tell me I'm crazy, like this is what's that's this 0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:45.400 is what's happening. And so that's the part that's really 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:49.280 disheartening is when you know you're checking yourself like am 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:53.720 I overreacting? Am I? You know, and even telling yourself 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:56.600 like maybe I am, but really seeing it and seeing 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:58.240 it over and over and over again, where now I'm 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:02.520 just like whatever. Like to me, the small group of 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:05.200 men that were there, that's not what worries me. It's 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:07.960 the big group behind them that supports that but wouldn't 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:11.680 carry a torch probably exactly. You know. It's their wives, 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:16.120 their girlfriends, is their friends who don't say anything, you know. 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:17.200 I mean I feel like if. 0:15:17.080 --> 0:15:19.360 You can't sit, if you can't watch that footage or 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:21.520 read what the story about what's happening in Charlotte's Fell 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:25.040 and say, of course that's racism, of course that's a terrorism, 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:29.560 then you're complicit and what's going on. I mean, love, 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:32.040 what is it? In Action is just as bad as 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:35.160 action in some ways. There's some quote about that which 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:38.520 I can't remember right now, but that's essentially the gist 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:45.200 of it. Yeah, group, Yeah, another wins a moment. 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:50.760 Seven, Speaking of brown folks getting shafted. So did you 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:53.920 see the video I posted? So a friend of mine lovey. 0:15:54.040 --> 0:15:56.160 Y'all know her. We've had her on as again. She's awesome. 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:58.000 She has a New York Times bestseller. 0:15:58.840 --> 0:15:59.960 So I'm judging. 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:03.200 I'm really yes, I'm judging you, which you should go read. 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.120 But so, right before the book came out. 0:16:06.640 --> 0:16:11.360 We did. I think it was like last year's time. Yeah, 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:13.720 so her book from almost the very beginning became a 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:17.440 New York Times bestseller, and her publishers have been obviously 0:16:17.440 --> 0:16:21.560 printing copies, and she's been telling them like, hey, where's 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:24.480 my where's my New York Times bestseller? Like stamp stick 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:26.840 or whatever on my book? Because you could put you 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:29.840 reprint them. Obviously you want to say that, because it's 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:33.800 like a proven statistic that books that say New York 0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:39.200 Times bestsellers sell more, right, And so I think she 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:41.840 she she her first run or whatever, she sold like 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:45.080 sixty six thousand copies something like that, and so they 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.560 just recently, just recently, like less than a week ago 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:51.960 or whatever, reprinted fifty thousand copies without without the New 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:57.120 York Times bestseller. She was like, what the hell? And 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:01.160 she she did a Facebook live talking about like, what's 0:17:01.200 --> 0:17:03.320 really going on? Because even when her first I remember 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:05.679 when her book came out, she was writing cryptic messages like, 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:08.119 y'all really have to support me because I'm not getting 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:10.639 support with my publisher as far as marketing and this 0:17:10.680 --> 0:17:13.080 and that. Because typically publishers, when they have books that 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:15.920 come out, they usually have one book that they really 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:17.720 put their energy behind and the other one's kind of 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:21.280 fair fend for themselves. So hers was not the suspective. 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:23.239 They didn't expect her book to do as well. But 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:27.760 her book did very well, and so but she never 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:29.400 felt like she kind of had the support and then 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.320 for them to reprint. So if you sold sixty six 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:35.159 thousand in your prime, do you know how long to 0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:37.919 tell her to sell through fifty thousand? How long does 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:40.479 it take her to sell through fifty thousand before they 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:43.680 can reprint another cover that says New York Time's bestsellers, 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:46.840 And how much money she's missing out on Because seeing 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:48.520 that on a book, if you don't know the author, 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:49.880 would make you at least pick it up to read 0:17:49.880 --> 0:17:53.600 the back of it, right, And so, so she you know, 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:56.000 she expressed her frustrations because she's already spoken to them, 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:58.800 and went to Facebook to express her frustrations and some 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.280 other writers and older woman and a few other writers 0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:03.920 I think, like kind of like clack back, and they're like, oh, 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:07.439 you're so entitled and you should just be happy that 0:18:07.520 --> 0:18:09.560 you had a New York Times bestseller and you know 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:12.480 that's what they tell you. But she's like, so entitled 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:17.359 means wanting something I did not earn. I earned my 0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:19.560 spot on the New York Times bestsellers. So all I'm 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:22.919 asking is that my book reflects what I earned. I'm 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:25.720 not asking for more. I'm not, you know. And I 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:28.000 just thought like, it's just so curious that when women 0:18:28.080 --> 0:18:29.520 stand up for themselves, cause I'm sure it was not 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:32.600 easy to demand and say, what the hell this is 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:33.119 not okay? 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:35.199 Don't they want her book to sell? Isn't it in 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:38.000 their interests? The publishers make like ninety five percent of 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:39.480 the money when I'm. 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:43.520 So honestly exactly. And that's why she's like, I don't 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:45.239 understand what's going on here. They're like, this has never 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:48.280 happened before. You know, we've you know, this is I'm sorry, 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:50.520 this is a huge mistake. We've ever made this mistake before. 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:52.439 And she's like yeah, but we've been like I've been 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:54.159 a New York Times bestseller. This is our this is 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:57.119 her seventh. They're in her seventh reprint, So this is 0:18:57.200 --> 0:19:00.480 not like how many times can that mistake be made 0:19:00.480 --> 0:19:03.159 before you're like, something intentional is happening. This is not 0:19:03.320 --> 0:19:07.000 reprint number one, two, three, four, five, it's reprint. 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:10.040 Seven, so nine actually, so it's even worse. 0:19:10.160 --> 0:19:14.080 Oh wow wow, So it's like, what's really happening when 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:15.760 you know what I mean? So I don't honestly, I 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:18.600 don't know. I could not tell you why a publisher 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:21.000 would not put that on there after they've been requested, 0:19:21.240 --> 0:19:24.119 but she's had issues with them before, and so I 0:19:24.160 --> 0:19:27.199 don't know honestly. But it's it's important, and it's not 0:19:27.280 --> 0:19:29.399 easy because you know, people will call you a troublemaker. 0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:33.040 People will say that, you know, like how dare you 0:19:33.080 --> 0:19:36.199 speak up for yourself? People you know, will say you're entitled? 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:40.080 Can you imagine entitled? Basically, it's like saying, hey, I 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:42.040