WEBVTT - 090223 The Recent Attacks on DEI Initiatives (Part 2)

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<v Speaker 1>If you're just doing an innes civic scipher, I'm your

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<v Speaker 1>host Ramsey's job. Big shout out to my manqu Word,

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<v Speaker 1>who is still traveling the globe, but he will be

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<v Speaker 1>back with us next week, I can assure you. But

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<v Speaker 1>for now, we have a special guest in the studio,

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<v Speaker 1>longtime friend of the show and my teacher, doctor Kimilla Westernberg,

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<v Speaker 1>who is Professor emeritus of English and Music for over

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<v Speaker 1>forty years, as well as the second Vice President for

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<v Speaker 1>Political Action of the Americopa County Branch of the NAACP.

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<v Speaker 1>Today we have spent some time talking about the Jacksonville

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<v Speaker 1>mass shooting, but for the second half of the show,

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<v Speaker 1>we are going to shift gears and be discussing DEI training, diversity,

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<v Speaker 1>equity and inclusion training. These are things that you often

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<v Speaker 1>find in the workplace and other places where human beings

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<v Speaker 1>are organized and have to interact with each other across

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<v Speaker 1>racial lines, and so there's been a tax in recent

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<v Speaker 1>months and years on whether or not it works, and

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<v Speaker 1>we are going to provide a case for DEI training

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<v Speaker 1>shouldn't need it and it doesn't, I know, but that's

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<v Speaker 1>where're to do. So first and foremost, we're going to

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<v Speaker 1>discuss ba BA becoming a better ally BABA and today's

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<v Speaker 1>BIBA was sponsored by Unknown Union, the fashion house situated

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<v Speaker 1>at the intersection of meaning, innovation and culture. More info

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<v Speaker 1>check Unknown Union dot com. And I want to share

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<v Speaker 1>a bit from the ARC Times. That's sure for Arkansas Times.

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<v Speaker 1>Funny right, but they are Oh that is your state, yea, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>shout out to Arkansas one time and hopefully we'll be

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<v Speaker 1>on the air there soon. We got Yeah, we're negotiating,

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<v Speaker 1>So shout out to Arkansas. They're always in the news

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<v Speaker 1>for like heavy things and being on their own side

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<v Speaker 1>of stuff. But today we're sharing some good news. So

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<v Speaker 1>the school districts calling the state education departments bluff by

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<v Speaker 1>keeping African American studies on the books, schools in Little Rock, North,

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<v Speaker 1>Little Rock and Jonesborough say they'll continue to offer ap

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<v Speaker 1>African American studies despite the last minute maneuver by the

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<v Speaker 1>Arkansas Department of Education to defund and discredit the class

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<v Speaker 1>Little Rock School District, Central High, North, Little Rock High School,

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<v Speaker 1>Jacksonville High and the academies at Jonesborough, along with the

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<v Speaker 1>charter schools North Little Rock Center for Excellence and Easteam

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<v Speaker 1>High school have all confirmed they will offer the course

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<v Speaker 1>and calculate grades on the same elevated five point GPA

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<v Speaker 1>skills other AP classes. A message sent to EASTEAM parents

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<v Speaker 1>revealed details about how the state conveyed the last minute

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<v Speaker 1>news to schools. In fact, East Team students had already

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<v Speaker 1>been in school for more than a week before their

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<v Speaker 1>high school director got word of the state's decision. Jokes

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<v Speaker 1>on the state, though, since EASTEAM will not only continue

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<v Speaker 1>offering the class, but will award the school's first Medal

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<v Speaker 1>of Historical Pursuit and Valor to students who complete it.

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<v Speaker 1>The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District confirmed Thursday that they

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<v Speaker 1>will also continue to offer the class. Education supporters and

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<v Speaker 1>representatives for these Arkansas schools that committed to offering the

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<v Speaker 1>class said they're exploring options for covering test cost with

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<v Speaker 1>the AP African American Studies exams, since the state will

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<v Speaker 1>not do so, unlike with every other A class. So again,

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<v Speaker 1>shout out to the folks fighting back in Arkansas. Yeah, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>we like that, all right, d EI training Does it work?

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<v Speaker 2>Okay?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, the short answer, if I may, is yes, absolutely.

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<v Speaker 1>I've seen attacks recently suggesting that DEI is preaching to

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<v Speaker 1>the choir. The people that come to DEI courses, are

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<v Speaker 1>they already feel that way? There have been people who

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<v Speaker 1>have you know, did the cost analysis of the entire industry.

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<v Speaker 1>D I is a three point six billion dollar industry,

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<v Speaker 1>something like that. And so the folks that are involved

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<v Speaker 1>in DEI training have no incentive to see racism go away.

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<v Speaker 1>And because they're gainfully compensated to weed out violations, everything

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<v Speaker 1>is always a violation to these people, and so they're

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<v Speaker 1>not to be trusted, so forth and so on. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>and so these attacks on DEI erode a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>what people were asking for, a lot of what activists

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<v Speaker 1>were asking for and the more vocal of us in

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty and let's be honest in the entirety of

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<v Speaker 1>our history in this country, because a lot of what

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<v Speaker 1>has been asked for has been conversations, understanding, sharing of information,

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<v Speaker 1>insight into what day to day life and activities is.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know, when people start to put a dollar

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<v Speaker 1>amount to things, then businesses start to pay attention. It's

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<v Speaker 1>no longer about does it feel good? Is it the

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<v Speaker 1>right thing to do? It's more about spending money. Are

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<v Speaker 1>we paying less to our shareholders and to our stakeholders

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<v Speaker 1>and to ourselves for something that doesn't work. And so

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<v Speaker 1>you can see how easily a narrative that runs counter

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<v Speaker 1>to the intention of DEI could conceivably take root where

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<v Speaker 1>there is a fiscal incentive to corporations around the country.

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<v Speaker 1>And so this conversation is certainly necessary before we get

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<v Speaker 1>into the nuts and boats, any thoughts, any early thoughts.

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<v Speaker 2>You know the concept of DEI as a two or

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<v Speaker 2>a curriculum, and many ways it's it is needed. But

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<v Speaker 2>I find it very novel, just for me personally, because

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<v Speaker 2>I think I was traveling down that road as soon

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<v Speaker 2>as I became an adult.

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<v Speaker 3>And began working. Okay, the necessity was obvious to me. Sure,

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<v Speaker 3>you cannot be a be all to everyone, and when

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<v Speaker 3>you walk into an environment where your audience is eclectic,

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<v Speaker 3>you cannot use the same had an and structural for everyone.

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<v Speaker 3>You're going to have to deviate a little bit, and

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<v Speaker 3>you have to know the nuances, thank you, of how

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<v Speaker 3>you need to deviate and even why you are deviating.

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<v Speaker 3>So of course it's necessary.

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<v Speaker 1>It's obvious to me, very obvious, obvious, all right, So

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<v Speaker 1>for those of you who might have encountered some of

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<v Speaker 1>these attacks on DEI and and I know, I know

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<v Speaker 1>there's been attacks on African American studies. It's been rebranded

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<v Speaker 1>as critical race. There there's been a tax on wokeness,

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<v Speaker 1>which is effectively pursuing a more equitable society. There's been

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<v Speaker 1>a tax on diversity and equity, and in diversity, equity

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<v Speaker 1>and inclusion, which is understanding how we relate to each

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<v Speaker 1>other in the workplace and everything is It's very easy

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<v Speaker 1>to drape to trace the roots of all of these

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<v Speaker 1>attacks to divisiveness, let's be honest, hate and a far

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<v Speaker 1>right political agenda and insecurity. Oo okay, yeah, we have

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<v Speaker 1>you up here to say the truth and you do

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<v Speaker 1>just that. All right now, I want to share some

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<v Speaker 1>things that help make this point for US. DEI training

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<v Speaker 1>has been increasing in prominence since twenty twelve with major boosts. One,

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<v Speaker 1>let's talk about June team of course, MLK Day. Historically,

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<v Speaker 1>that has been a time of the year when folks

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<v Speaker 1>try to do their their little part. You know what

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, Black History Month, of course, is that the

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<v Speaker 1>time of the year when you know, some companies will

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<v Speaker 1>acknowledge right right exactly and you know, KWANSA and other

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<v Speaker 1>you know, other little moments, right, But D and I's

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<v Speaker 1>is an additional step that often enough companies can make. So,

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<v Speaker 1>as I mentioned, DEI attacked from the right, suggesting that

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<v Speaker 1>the three point six billion dollar DEI industry needs racism

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<v Speaker 1>to sustain itself. Right, so it finds racism everywhere. And

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<v Speaker 1>a particular individual who has a lot to say about

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<v Speaker 1>this as a former DEI trainer and black man. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>he's a current black man. He's not a former black man,

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<v Speaker 1>well depends on you ask, but he's a former DEI

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<v Speaker 1>trainer slash black man. That's what I was saying. And

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<v Speaker 1>his name is Eric Smith, and he said on Fox News,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're making money off of racism, the last thing

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<v Speaker 1>you want to see is for it to go away. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>I mentioned this a bit on our social media this

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<v Speaker 1>week on Civic Cipher's Instagram and TikTok and all that

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<v Speaker 1>sort of stuff. So folks who've seen it and interacted,

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<v Speaker 1>I appreciate that even the people that disagree, but you know,

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<v Speaker 1>allow me to elaborate. I can do a lot more

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<v Speaker 1>of that in a full segment than I can in

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<v Speaker 1>thirty seconds.

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<v Speaker 3>Right, So.

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<v Speaker 1>For those that saw that, you might recognize that I

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<v Speaker 1>posted a counterpoint which suggested that the cost of racism

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<v Speaker 1>had impacted the economy to the tune of sixteen trillion dollars.

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<v Speaker 1>So while people are saying de training costs three point

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<v Speaker 1>six billion, racism costs the economy sixteen trillion because of discrimination.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is from I believe it was. It might

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<v Speaker 1>have been Chase.

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<v Speaker 3>Bank, City Group that was it.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'll read since two thousand, US gross domestic product

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<v Speaker 1>and this is from NPR. By the way, US gross

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<v Speaker 1>domestic product lost that much as a result of discriminatory

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<v Speaker 1>practices in a range of areas, including in education and

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<v Speaker 1>access to business loans. According to a new study by

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<v Speaker 1>City Group, it's not an insignificant number by comparison to

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<v Speaker 1>US GDP totaled nineteen point five trillion dollars last year,

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<v Speaker 1>So sixteen trillion since twenty twenty. It's over the course

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<v Speaker 1>of twenty years. The economy was nineteen and a half

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<v Speaker 1>trillion as of twenty nineteen. I believe his articles from

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty. So here's some some other points or real

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<v Speaker 1>quick and not acting to reverse discriminatory practices will continue

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<v Speaker 1>to exact a cost. City Group estimates that the economy

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<v Speaker 1>would see a five trillion dollar boost over the next

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<v Speaker 1>five years if the US were tackle key areas of

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<v Speaker 1>discrimination against African Americans. Now, this is City Group. This

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<v Speaker 1>is not RAMS, this is not civic scivist, is not

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<v Speaker 1>doctor Westernberger. Okay, city group saying this, And I don't

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<v Speaker 1>believe City group plays the political game to the degree

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<v Speaker 1>that a lot of our elected officials do. Okay, City

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<v Speaker 1>group is about money, literally, right, all right, So here's

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<v Speaker 1>some points. Thirteen trillion dollars lost in potential business revenue

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<v Speaker 1>because of discriminatory lending to African American entrepreneurs, with an

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<v Speaker 1>estimated six point one million jobs not generated as a result.

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<v Speaker 1>Two point seven trillion dollars in income lost because of

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<v Speaker 1>disparities and wages suffered by African Americans. Two hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen billion dollars lost over the past two decades because

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<v Speaker 1>of discrimination providing in providing housing credit ninety billion to

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred and thirteen billion, and lifetime costs lifetime lost

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<v Speaker 1>from discrimination in accessing higher education. And there's several more

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<v Speaker 1>bill of points. But I want to also add that

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<v Speaker 1>you know, to your point, doctor Westernberger, there's so in

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<v Speaker 1>school and this is just me, I don't. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>have this written down, but I'm glad you made the

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<v Speaker 1>point because it allowed me to remember. I went to

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<v Speaker 1>school for marketing. My bachelor's is in marketing and my

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<v Speaker 1>master's is in management. Okay, so we learned marketing. That's

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<v Speaker 1>what I had to learn in school, Arizona State University. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and one of the things that we learned is that

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<v Speaker 1>there are blind spots when dealing with people who don't

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<v Speaker 1>come from where you come from, don't live the same

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<v Speaker 1>life that you live with. One example that comes to

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<v Speaker 1>mind is Colgate. For Colgate to sell their toothpaste in

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<v Speaker 1>Spanish speaking countries, they have to understand that Colgate translates

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<v Speaker 1>to go hang yourself in Spanish. When you read it

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<v Speaker 1>go right in Spanish, that means go hang yourself, and

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<v Speaker 1>people might not be so likely to purchase this off

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<v Speaker 1>the bat right. It needs a serious rebrand. But if

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<v Speaker 1>you just want to open up that market and you

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<v Speaker 1>don't know that, then you're going to run into some problems.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, your sales projections are going to be off right.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is exactly what happened. This is why the

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<v Speaker 1>story made its way to my class because of corporate

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<v Speaker 1>blind spots. Another one is that in countries where there's

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<v Speaker 1>low literacy rates, some people purchase items based on the

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<v Speaker 1>pictures on the label, not necessarily based on the language.

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<v Speaker 1>And it's not just low literacy rates. It's you know,

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<v Speaker 1>in this country we brand everything in English, and other

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<v Speaker 1>parts of the world they don't read English, speak English.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just not a part of their life, right, But

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<v Speaker 1>we want to still sell the same products with the

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<v Speaker 1>same labels and so forth. Right, But it doesn't matter

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<v Speaker 1>if they can't read English, even the name of your company.

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<v Speaker 1>They're looking for the pictures, corporate blind spot. People are

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<v Speaker 1>looking for the pictures, regardless of literacy rates, regardless of

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<v Speaker 1>any of this stuff. If they don't speak English, they

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<v Speaker 1>look at pictures. Okay, all right, so if you're with me,

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<v Speaker 1>watch this Gerber babies. It's a picture of the baby.

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<v Speaker 1>So what people were horrified to find out is that

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<v Speaker 1>people are selling ground up babies in these little tiny jars. Right, So,

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<v Speaker 1>no one wanted to buy Gerber in these other countries,

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<v Speaker 1>right now, that's true. That come to mind that I

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<v Speaker 1>learned in school, right, And those weren't specific to the

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<v Speaker 1>differences in African American life. Versus you know, white American life.

0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:42.960
<v Speaker 1>But you begin to see the fact that corporate blind

0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:47.200
<v Speaker 1>spots exist right now. If corporate blind spots exist, then

0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:52.760
<v Speaker 1>you miss your sales projections. In addition, you can offend

0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:57.440
<v Speaker 1>different communities. I remember a campaign not too long ago

0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.840
<v Speaker 1>from Toyota. Toya had ammercial and they were trying to

0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:04.160
<v Speaker 1>appeal to African Americans, and they had African Americans using

0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:06.840
<v Speaker 1>the products and enjoying themselves, going on trips, et cetera.

0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:09.560
<v Speaker 1>And then at the end of the the commercial there

0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:13.360
<v Speaker 1>was a person smiling and they had a like a

0:15:13.680 --> 0:15:16.240
<v Speaker 1>gold teeth or a grill or something like that, and

0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:21.040
<v Speaker 1>it had the Toyota logo in it. And then black

0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:24.120
<v Speaker 1>people rightfully, so we were like, yo, what is Toyota

0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:27.920
<v Speaker 1>think of us? You know what I mean? Like yeah, yeah,

0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:32.360
<v Speaker 1>And then there's a there's an example here that I

0:15:32.440 --> 0:15:37.240
<v Speaker 1>have that I actually wrote down. This is from August

0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:42.800
<v Speaker 1>twenty three, so this is a recent example. This story

0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:46.560
<v Speaker 1>comes to Black Enterprise. KFC is in hot grease after

0:15:46.760 --> 0:15:51.200
<v Speaker 1>Black Twitter called out its racially offensive ad campaign billboards

0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:53.720
<v Speaker 1>across Canada's It was a Canadian country, but you know,

0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:57.920
<v Speaker 1>a lot of similarities between our two societies. Right, bill

0:15:57.960 --> 0:16:01.120
<v Speaker 1>boards across Canada displayed black pep people enjoying its famous

0:16:01.160 --> 0:16:05.000
<v Speaker 1>fried chicken under the slogan of its finger licking good.

0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:08.280
<v Speaker 1>No problem yet, finger licking good has always been their slogan.

0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:12.240
<v Speaker 1>But you know, our sensitivities have changed, how we're viewed

0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:14.880
<v Speaker 1>has changed. But you know, no problem just yet. Okay,

0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:21.000
<v Speaker 1>And this drew criticism for tone def imagery. Okay. Criticism, though,

0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:22.840
<v Speaker 1>is not the biggest part of the story. Let's keep reading.

0:16:26.200 --> 0:16:31.440
<v Speaker 1>Azim Aktar, director of marketing for KFC Canada's, presented his

0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:35.080
<v Speaker 1>latest campaign to Twitter on August twenty fourth, expressing how

0:16:35.120 --> 0:16:38.200
<v Speaker 1>he couldn't be more proud at how well it seemingly

0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:43.360
<v Speaker 1>turned out quote sorry utensils its finger licking good unquote,

0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:47.520
<v Speaker 1>he wrote, reiterating the model featured in the ads. However,

0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:51.800
<v Speaker 1>his tweet gained traction in a negative light. Naysayers suggested

0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:54.560
<v Speaker 1>that the team missed de mark displaying black people in

0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:59.560
<v Speaker 1>an advertisement that perpetuated historical, historical stereotypes against them. In

0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:08.920
<v Speaker 1>other words, the actors in the ad campaign right, and

0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:11.159
<v Speaker 1>the people in the in the in the photographs and

0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:15.680
<v Speaker 1>then the commercials were black. And now, to be fair,

0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:17.200
<v Speaker 1>I want to tell the whole story. He did have

0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:26.879
<v Speaker 1>other families using the same marketing, right, but on Twitter

0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:31.280
<v Speaker 1>he only used the black families, right, and he was

0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:34.600
<v Speaker 1>very proud of it. But because of this oversight, what

0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:37.080
<v Speaker 1>ended up happening was he ended up offending black people.

0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:39.280
<v Speaker 1>It's like, Okay, black people are licking their fingers, like

0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:42.760
<v Speaker 1>so grateful to have a piece of chicken, and you

0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.719
<v Speaker 1>know there's a whole history there, you know. I mean,

0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:48.040
<v Speaker 1>you know that black people didn't always get to eat chicken.

0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.119
<v Speaker 1>We had to eat innerds of pigs and cows and

0:17:50.160 --> 0:17:53.520
<v Speaker 1>stuff like that for a long time. But we're a

0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:57.320
<v Speaker 1>person like this that doesn't know that. He might think, well,

0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:00.480
<v Speaker 1>if I don't interject the Asian family and the family

0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:06.080
<v Speaker 1>using the same marketing assets for the ad campaign, then

0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:09.480
<v Speaker 1>it looks like we're just kind of saying, here, black people,

0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:11.119
<v Speaker 1>this is we know, this is what you want to know,

0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:14.160
<v Speaker 1>what you like, and it's offensive. Right. But again, corporate

0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:18.600
<v Speaker 1>blind spots leads to losses in revenue. We talked about

0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:21.360
<v Speaker 1>the what was it, sixteen trillion dollars over the course

0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:24.560
<v Speaker 1>of twenty years corporate blind spots. Now let's add to

0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:32.120
<v Speaker 1>that lawsuits. So we talked about marketing blunders. We talked

0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:36.879
<v Speaker 1>about corporate oversides with lawsuits. People get sued when they

0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:40.920
<v Speaker 1>step out of line. People get sued for touching my hair.

0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:44.359
<v Speaker 1>Right for those that are I mean, this is radio,

0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:46.440
<v Speaker 1>so you can't see me, but I've said it on

0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:49.280
<v Speaker 1>the show time and again, I have a huge afro,

0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:52.800
<v Speaker 1>and it is very touchable to people that you know,

0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:58.600
<v Speaker 1>oh my god, look at this. And I don't mean

0:18:58.680 --> 0:19:01.560
<v Speaker 1>to generalize here, but you know, you're a woman, and

0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:04.520
<v Speaker 1>women have a tendency to wear their hair longer, and

0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:10.080
<v Speaker 1>black women's hair is very special. It does all the tricks.

0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:11.159
<v Speaker 3>I know that because I have.

0:19:12.680 --> 0:19:17.920
<v Speaker 1>Right, right, right, and for people that and I'm not

0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:21.040
<v Speaker 1>trying to put anyone down. And you may not know this,

0:19:21.200 --> 0:19:24.560
<v Speaker 1>but I'm going to say this because it's based in reality.

0:19:24.640 --> 0:19:30.600
<v Speaker 1>For people who have been entitled, blindly entitled to being

0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:32.880
<v Speaker 1>able to do whatever they want, move how they want

0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:35.720
<v Speaker 1>and feel like they will be well received, have not

0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:39.719
<v Speaker 1>had to move with caution, rather have moved with reckless

0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:44.400
<v Speaker 1>abandon throughout the entirety of their lives. Touching someone's hair

0:19:45.200 --> 0:19:48.399
<v Speaker 1>feels like I'm acknowledged I'm doing you know what I mean,

0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:54.439
<v Speaker 1>But you know, at a point it becomes harassment. At

0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:59.159
<v Speaker 1>a point, sensitivities need to be in place. We have

0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:02.280
<v Speaker 1>a different reality, we have a different appreciation for D

0:20:02.600 --> 0:20:08.200
<v Speaker 1>I D I. Thank you Black folks, no hairsm it's

0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:12.399
<v Speaker 1>very especially usespecial. It's different not saying that other people's

0:20:12.440 --> 0:20:15.639
<v Speaker 1>hair is not special to them, but ours is special

0:20:15.720 --> 0:20:18.480
<v Speaker 1>to us in a special way, and partially.

0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:21.240
<v Speaker 3>Because society has made it that way. It probably would

0:20:21.320 --> 0:20:21.760
<v Speaker 3>not be.

0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:25.600
<v Speaker 1>Special if we didn't have to protect it so much.

0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:32.639
<v Speaker 1>Right precisely, Now, let's talk about office humor, jokes that

0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:35.679
<v Speaker 1>are shared, that are that that these things that are

0:20:35.720 --> 0:20:39.520
<v Speaker 1>offensive to to to black and brown and other marginalized

0:20:39.520 --> 0:20:43.560
<v Speaker 1>people's You might think you're connecting. I remember once I

0:20:43.800 --> 0:20:47.520
<v Speaker 1>went up to Prescott, Arizona, the sticks for those that

0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:51.000
<v Speaker 1>don't live here, and I was hanging out with the

0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:54.119
<v Speaker 1>family that was up there, and they started telling racist jokes.

0:20:54.640 --> 0:20:56.840
<v Speaker 1>And I found out later they were trying to relate.

0:20:56.880 --> 0:20:59.159
<v Speaker 1>They were trying to be funny, feel welcome. That's all

0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:02.760
<v Speaker 1>they knew. But it was obviously very offensive and I

0:21:02.840 --> 0:21:04.280
<v Speaker 1>had to sit there and smile. And when I was

0:21:04.320 --> 0:21:07.000
<v Speaker 1>a teenager at the time, but the fact of the

0:21:07.080 --> 0:21:12.960
<v Speaker 1>matter is that well intentioned, well meaning people in corporate

0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:18.720
<v Speaker 1>environments can find themselves on the worst end of a

0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:23.680
<v Speaker 1>lawsuit or of you know, tone death marketing strategy, or

0:21:28.040 --> 0:21:32.960
<v Speaker 1>corporate oversights or whatever. And so I know I talked

0:21:33.560 --> 0:21:34.280
<v Speaker 1>us the whole time.

0:21:34.320 --> 0:21:37.720
<v Speaker 3>I'm so sorry, but so you, I mean, you were

0:21:37.760 --> 0:21:39.840
<v Speaker 3>going into it and that is your area.

0:21:41.960 --> 0:21:44.000
<v Speaker 1>Well I appreciate that. But the long and the short

0:21:44.000 --> 0:21:47.480
<v Speaker 1>of it here is that diversity, equity and inclusion does

0:21:47.560 --> 0:21:51.040
<v Speaker 1>have its benefits. If people don't know, then they will

0:21:51.080 --> 0:21:54.159
<v Speaker 1>continue to violate and we don't get the best of

0:21:54.280 --> 0:21:56.639
<v Speaker 1>each other. In fact, I believe that we tend to

0:21:58.080 --> 0:22:01.600
<v Speaker 1>retreat away from each other without that type of education. Right. Sure,

0:22:02.680 --> 0:22:04.879
<v Speaker 1>With that in mind, that's going to do it for

0:22:05.000 --> 0:22:07.760
<v Speaker 1>us here on Civic Cipher. So as always, i'd like

0:22:07.800 --> 0:22:10.040
<v Speaker 1>to thank you for coming up and hanging out with

0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:15.720
<v Speaker 1>me once again. Uh well, I've done my best to

0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:18.520
<v Speaker 1>do that that you have taken the time with me

0:22:19.200 --> 0:22:22.480
<v Speaker 1>the young age, and I hope that your investment in

0:22:22.560 --> 0:22:27.920
<v Speaker 1>me pays dividends. Sure sure, Doctor Westernberg again Professor Emeritis

0:22:28.000 --> 0:22:29.760
<v Speaker 1>of English and Music for over forty years, as well

0:22:29.800 --> 0:22:31.920
<v Speaker 1>as second Vice President for Political Action of the Americopa

0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:36.159
<v Speaker 1>County Branch of the NAACP, My teacher, my mentor, my

0:22:36.800 --> 0:22:42.640
<v Speaker 1>traveling companion through life particularly and so far as topics

0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:46.800
<v Speaker 1>like these are concerned and enjoy. As always, for those

0:22:46.840 --> 0:22:48.359
<v Speaker 1>of you that want to know more, please hit the

0:22:48.400 --> 0:22:50.800
<v Speaker 1>website civicipher dot com. Follow us on all social media

0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:53.760
<v Speaker 1>at Civic Cipher. You can follow me at ramses joh

0:22:53.840 --> 0:22:56.920
<v Speaker 1>q as I am q ward And until next week, y'all.

0:22:57.400 --> 0:23:00.080
<v Speaker 1>Peace was