Exploring Black History: When I Met MLK (Live)

1 00:00:05,940 --> 00:00:10,130 Rev Andrew Collins: Good morning, everyone. 2 00:00:10,130 --> 00:00:12,923 Good morning. 3 00:00:12,923 --> 00:00:14,319 We 4 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:42,550 have a prayer. 5 00:00:43,190 --> 00:00:46,269 And our scripture today is going to take it from Isaiah 6 00:00:47,110 --> 00:00:51,754 chapter 54 verses 14 through 17. 7 00:00:51,754 --> 00:00:55,103 It reads thus, a righteousness shall not be established. 8 00:00:55,103 --> 00:00:57,870 That should be far from a person. 9 00:00:57,940 --> 00:01:04,560 For th shall not Fear and from Fear, from terror, for it shall not come. 10 00:01:04,980 --> 00:01:10,020 Nearly behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me. 11 00:01:10,500 --> 00:01:15,360 Whosoever shall gather together against these shall fall for th see. 12 00:01:15,855 --> 00:01:22,085 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and 13 00:01:22,085 --> 00:01:29,765 that bringeth forth an instrument for his work, and I have created the 14 00:01:29,765 --> 00:01:32,805 water, the waste that is to be stored. 15 00:01:33,515 --> 00:01:37,045 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. 16 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,900 And every tongue that shall rise against the injured, thou shalt damn. 17 00:01:42,650 --> 00:01:45,639 This is the heritage of the service of the Lord. 18 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,699 And the righteousness is of the Lord. 19 00:01:50,420 --> 00:01:51,496 The God of the best in the world. 20 00:01:51,496 --> 00:01:53,220 And here we can do it with the Holy Word. 21 00:01:53,349 --> 00:01:54,249 Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 22 00:01:55,070 --> 00:01:57,679 Father God, I'm glad to come to you this morning, my father. 23 00:01:58,760 --> 00:01:59,820 First, I just want to thank you, my Lord. 24 00:02:01,090 --> 00:02:03,800 Because my father, he looked beyond our fault and saw our needs. 25 00:02:04,555 --> 00:02:07,208 You have blessed us with your marriage and spiritual, 26 00:02:07,208 --> 00:02:08,434 physical, mental, and financial. 27 00:02:08,435 --> 00:02:11,075 You have brought us to this point in time in our life, my father. 28 00:02:11,575 --> 00:02:13,324 And we are here only because of you. 29 00:02:14,155 --> 00:02:17,422 So we pray, my father, to open our hearts, open our minds, my father, so 30 00:02:17,422 --> 00:02:21,885 that we may receive what you have for us to receive from God's child, my father. 31 00:02:22,445 --> 00:02:25,695 Father God Almighty, we use the things that we hear, we use the things that 32 00:02:25,695 --> 00:02:29,134 we learn, by those that you have sent to us to give it to us, my father. 33 00:02:29,495 --> 00:02:33,024 So bless those, my father, and bless this meeting, my father, and let 34 00:02:33,024 --> 00:02:38,551 it be all that you want it to be, and your God and Son, Jesus Christ. 35 00:02:38,551 --> 00:02:38,943 Amen. 36 00:02:38,943 --> 00:02:39,335 Amen. 37 00:02:39,335 --> 00:02:39,727 Amen. 38 00:02:39,727 --> 00:02:40,119 Amen. 39 00:02:45,380 --> 00:02:45,850 Good morning. 40 00:02:46,420 --> 00:02:47,120 Good morning. 41 00:02:48,220 --> 00:02:51,620 Welcome to Leadership Masterclass. 42 00:02:51,620 --> 00:02:56,080 I am delighted to be here and delighted to see all of you here and 43 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,799 all of you who are out there on Zoom. 44 00:02:59,279 --> 00:03:05,750 I have a very unique and very, I believe, interesting topic for you today. 45 00:03:05,980 --> 00:03:11,890 Uh, in light of the fact that this is Black History Month, um, and I call 46 00:03:11,890 --> 00:03:19,060 it American History Month, but we'll, we'll use both terms, uh, share a 47 00:03:19,230 --> 00:03:24,449 presentation today that's part of my personal story, uh, that's also relevant 48 00:03:24,530 --> 00:03:27,820 in my judgment to Black History Month. 49 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,324 Uh, and the title is, When I Met Martin Luther King. 50 00:03:32,265 --> 00:03:34,795 And we'll, we'll sort of start with that. 51 00:03:35,195 --> 00:03:43,735 Uh, uh, Carl Woodson, a scholar many years ago, felt that there should be a 52 00:03:43,735 --> 00:03:48,144 mob, a special mob, for celebrating the African American history of black history. 53 00:03:48,665 --> 00:03:53,385 And so after many years of politicking and going back and forth, they were 54 00:03:53,385 --> 00:03:57,975 able to get a long pass through Congress to make this Black History Month. 55 00:03:59,394 --> 00:04:02,615 As always, I'd like to start off with my beliefs, and we do this 56 00:04:02,615 --> 00:04:03,934 with every single masterclass. 57 00:04:04,545 --> 00:04:07,935 And you may ask yourself, well, how do you talk about your beliefs? 58 00:04:08,155 --> 00:04:10,545 Beliefs are the why that you do things. 59 00:04:11,565 --> 00:04:15,234 There's what, there's who, uh, and there's when. 60 00:04:15,535 --> 00:04:19,644 But many times, uh, it's important to know the why you do things. 61 00:04:20,714 --> 00:04:26,045 This, these are the whys that I do this, and I started with you suggesting 62 00:04:26,045 --> 00:04:30,094 you that at your leisure, that you have a conversation with a person in 63 00:04:30,094 --> 00:04:37,514 the mirror and say, why am I doing X or why am I doing Y or why am I C? 64 00:04:38,435 --> 00:04:41,865 My beliefs are, I believe life is about being of service to others. 65 00:04:41,935 --> 00:04:46,505 I believe it's important that all of us reach out and help other people. 66 00:04:46,830 --> 00:04:51,490 I believe knowledge is power, which is why we're doing these masterclass series. 67 00:04:51,710 --> 00:04:54,619 That the more you know, that the more you'll be able to 68 00:04:54,619 --> 00:04:56,560 do and contribute to others. 69 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:58,849 And I believe leaders can change the world. 70 00:04:59,620 --> 00:05:05,259 Uh, uh, if you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, you look at 71 00:05:05,260 --> 00:05:08,150 your TV and say, why in the world is this happening or that happening? 72 00:05:08,890 --> 00:05:10,904 I would suggest that you change it. 73 00:05:11,564 --> 00:05:16,895 Do some up, um, to figure out what you can do, what are your skill sets, and 74 00:05:16,905 --> 00:05:18,804 put them to work, um, to help others. 75 00:05:20,650 --> 00:05:24,460 As always, this is part of our masterclass series, and I'm very grateful 76 00:05:24,470 --> 00:05:26,927 to you, uh, uh, Pastor Dockley, St. 77 00:05:26,927 --> 00:05:30,790 Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, in which I have been a member for, 78 00:05:30,790 --> 00:05:36,050 um, 46 years, um, to be able to provide, uh, uh, this speech, I 79 00:05:36,050 --> 00:05:37,969 take these presentations to you. 80 00:05:38,150 --> 00:05:39,920 So, we're going to talk about leadership. 81 00:05:40,670 --> 00:05:44,220 We're going to talk about leadership, and I would say that leadership is going 82 00:05:44,220 --> 00:05:48,420 to be associated with one of the most famous leaders, uh, Martin Luther King Jr. 83 00:05:50,155 --> 00:05:53,495 As always, I like to put up an outline, and the purpose of the outline is to 84 00:05:53,495 --> 00:05:57,434 give you an idea of what I'm going to talk about, but more importantly to let 85 00:05:57,434 --> 00:05:59,265 you know what I've just developed up. 86 00:05:59,650 --> 00:06:03,069 So we're going to talk about my mother a brief time, and I 87 00:06:03,070 --> 00:06:05,170 mentioned her name before, Amanda. 88 00:06:06,300 --> 00:06:10,260 We're going to talk about Black History Month, we're going to talk about 89 00:06:10,260 --> 00:06:14,870 black fathers, because that's a part of our presentation today and part 90 00:06:14,870 --> 00:06:16,420 of what we're trying to get across. 91 00:06:16,639 --> 00:06:20,790 We're going to mention the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 92 00:06:20,870 --> 00:06:21,980 Arguably, in my opinion. 93 00:06:22,845 --> 00:06:27,975 The single most important civil rights act passed, uh, by the United States 94 00:06:27,975 --> 00:06:32,065 of America and signed by the President of the United States of America. 95 00:06:32,555 --> 00:06:35,754 Uh, and we'll talk about evidence of that, I'm sure some of you 96 00:06:35,755 --> 00:06:36,765 may be familiar with that. 97 00:06:38,635 --> 00:06:42,825 So for a number of years now, we've been celebrating Black History Month, 98 00:06:43,195 --> 00:06:45,375 uh, during the month of February. 99 00:06:45,695 --> 00:06:48,325 Some people joke and say, why is it celebrating during the 100 00:06:48,325 --> 00:06:49,535 shortest month of the year? 101 00:06:49,735 --> 00:06:50,625 I have no idea. 102 00:06:51,095 --> 00:06:52,025 I have no idea. 103 00:06:52,525 --> 00:06:54,794 But I just think, again, look at all the positive. 104 00:06:54,995 --> 00:06:56,434 I think it's good that it's celebrating. 105 00:06:56,645 --> 00:06:59,654 I'm not going to quibble with how many days in a month. 106 00:06:59,924 --> 00:07:00,765 That's a different issue. 107 00:07:01,345 --> 00:07:06,074 And it can go from Frederick Douglass, who was an abolitionist many, many 108 00:07:06,075 --> 00:07:10,895 years ago, who felt very strongly that African Americans should achieve, 109 00:07:10,904 --> 00:07:12,925 should achieve the ultimate scholarship. 110 00:07:13,635 --> 00:07:16,504 And some of you may remember that that was, that was a difference 111 00:07:16,504 --> 00:07:18,434 in philosophy between Booker T. 112 00:07:18,444 --> 00:07:20,105 Washington and Frederick Douglass. 113 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:24,260 Um, um, uh, Frederick Douglass and, and, and W. 114 00:07:24,350 --> 00:07:24,670 E. 115 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:24,700 B. 116 00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:26,370 Du Bois, rather, and Booker T. 117 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:26,650 Watson. 118 00:07:26,860 --> 00:07:27,220 Booker T. 119 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:32,939 Watson felt that, um, uh, Negroes, and I will use the term affectionately, 120 00:07:33,350 --> 00:07:36,630 uh, that we, we Negroes should be satisfied with where we are. 121 00:07:36,850 --> 00:07:41,670 We should be the best, whatever we're doing, um, and should not try to 122 00:07:41,670 --> 00:07:41,870 Dr William T Choctaw: get 123 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,850 above, you know, where, in effect, God is, has given us. 124 00:07:47,285 --> 00:07:47,715 W. 125 00:07:47,805 --> 00:07:47,925 E. 126 00:07:47,925 --> 00:07:48,064 B. 127 00:07:48,065 --> 00:07:53,505 DeMorris, uh, felt that, uh, we should adopt as a voice in presidency of the 128 00:07:53,515 --> 00:07:55,245 United States, et cetera, et cetera. 129 00:07:55,775 --> 00:07:58,065 that we should always be striving for more. 130 00:07:58,335 --> 00:08:02,025 And so that was a legitimate argument, legitimate discussion within the 131 00:08:02,035 --> 00:08:06,055 African American community about what should you do and not do. 132 00:08:09,194 --> 00:08:13,934 My journey, what I'm going to do, the take I'm going to put with this is 133 00:08:13,945 --> 00:08:15,864 to talk about my own personal life. 134 00:08:16,075 --> 00:08:19,564 Now part of my life is, and I've mentioned this before, I did not 135 00:08:19,564 --> 00:08:20,804 grow up with a father in the womb. 136 00:08:20,885 --> 00:08:24,784 I grew up with a single, uh, single parent, my mother, who 137 00:08:24,784 --> 00:08:26,635 was 17 years old when I was born. 138 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:31,410 Uh, when I was born, she had been, she had to drop out of high school because 139 00:08:31,420 --> 00:08:35,449 when you're 17, uh, uh, if you're a girl, when you get pregnant, you, you 140 00:08:35,449 --> 00:08:39,650 can't finish high school, there was no makeup, there was no beauty or anything. 141 00:08:39,980 --> 00:08:44,769 So imagine if you were a 17 year old girl who gets pregnant, uh, 142 00:08:44,810 --> 00:08:49,370 as a child, off herself, and just imagine what that must feel like. 143 00:08:50,100 --> 00:08:56,390 So, growing up, I, And so then I have a father, so I would make up thoughts. 144 00:08:56,390 --> 00:09:01,170 I would create in my mind, if I had a father, what would he be like? 145 00:09:01,450 --> 00:09:02,700 And how would he act? 146 00:09:02,700 --> 00:09:03,639 And how would he treat me? 147 00:09:03,719 --> 00:09:07,140 But obviously the beauty is when you can create it, then you can 148 00:09:07,150 --> 00:09:08,290 make him in a way that he wants. 149 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:09,159 So I did that. 150 00:09:09,249 --> 00:09:10,039 I did that. 151 00:09:10,310 --> 00:09:17,180 Uh, and, uh, I concluded, and I'm, this is about the time I'm in high school there. 152 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:22,240 Um, I had, I had decided on three men that I had heard about. 153 00:09:23,020 --> 00:09:26,089 Um, some I had met, some I had not. 154 00:09:26,090 --> 00:09:27,789 Uh, the first one was Martin Luther King. 155 00:09:27,849 --> 00:09:32,920 And, and I'm sure a lot of people my age, uh, in the 60s considered him 156 00:09:32,950 --> 00:09:37,570 like a father figure or or would like their father to be like Martin King. 157 00:09:37,790 --> 00:09:39,650 The second was a person by the name of Dr. 158 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:40,530 Isaac Miller. 159 00:09:40,530 --> 00:09:40,700 Dr. 160 00:09:40,900 --> 00:09:44,510 Miller was a professor of, professor of biochemistry. 161 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:48,220 When I was in high school, I got the opportunity to study at 162 00:09:48,270 --> 00:09:50,019 Tennessee State just in the summer. 163 00:09:50,290 --> 00:09:52,250 Um, and that was when I met Dr. 164 00:09:52,420 --> 00:09:52,620 Miller. 165 00:09:52,700 --> 00:09:53,339 I was very impressed. 166 00:09:54,650 --> 00:09:59,840 Um, and let me parenthetically say, um, that if you are a student 167 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:04,190 in school, in junior high or high school, summer is not vacation time. 168 00:10:05,629 --> 00:10:07,083 Summer is not vacation time. 169 00:10:07,083 --> 00:10:10,240 You're supposed to do extra academic work in the summer. 170 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,899 Use the summer time to either catch up or get ahead. 171 00:10:14,410 --> 00:10:17,279 But summer is not allowed to be vacation time. 172 00:10:18,030 --> 00:10:20,390 Uh, and the third person was Dr. 173 00:10:20,390 --> 00:10:21,450 John Lewis Powell. 174 00:10:22,039 --> 00:10:26,799 Uh, he was a pastor at my church when I graduated from high school 175 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:28,510 and joined church in college. 176 00:10:29,839 --> 00:10:32,469 What was very interesting about these three men, and they didn't 177 00:10:32,619 --> 00:10:39,265 know each other, um, uh, was I found out that they all belong to an 178 00:10:39,265 --> 00:10:42,564 organization called Alpha Phi Alpha. 179 00:10:42,945 --> 00:10:44,205 Now I didn't know what that meant. 180 00:10:44,205 --> 00:10:47,764 Uh, and Alpha Phi Alpha is a fraternity. 181 00:10:48,455 --> 00:10:50,804 I didn't know what a fraternity was. 182 00:10:50,805 --> 00:10:54,295 One of the people that was most influential in my life, other than 183 00:10:54,335 --> 00:10:59,175 my mother, um, and some of the school teachers, was my social worker. 184 00:10:59,175 --> 00:11:02,604 I was assigned a social worker by the name of Juanita Wall. 185 00:11:03,115 --> 00:11:05,875 Uh, and she was like a surrogate mother for me. 186 00:11:06,485 --> 00:11:09,185 And so I would ask her, I said, but what does this mean? 187 00:11:09,475 --> 00:11:13,015 Uh, what was also unique about, um, uh, Ms. 188 00:11:13,015 --> 00:11:15,615 Walker was she'd gone to college. 189 00:11:15,695 --> 00:11:22,505 No one in my sort of operation, um, um, at home or at church or whatever, 190 00:11:22,754 --> 00:11:24,244 um, had ever gone to college. 191 00:11:24,244 --> 00:11:26,415 So I never got to talk to college people. 192 00:11:26,415 --> 00:11:27,759 I don't know what that was like. 193 00:11:28,030 --> 00:11:29,370 But she, she explained it to me. 194 00:11:29,370 --> 00:11:32,630 She said, well, you know, there are a group of people, there are men that 195 00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:36,689 are called fraternities, and women are called sororities, and there are social 196 00:11:36,689 --> 00:11:40,619 service people, and they, they help folks, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 197 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,779 But what I started to understand was, while I was in high school, 198 00:11:44,875 --> 00:11:50,735 These individuals, uh, were helping me, uh, they would, they would, they 199 00:11:50,735 --> 00:11:56,505 would, they would give me, uh, uh, a 50 scholarship, they would, um, buy 200 00:11:56,984 --> 00:12:01,614 clothes for me, and I would say, I don't know them, I don't understand, and she 201 00:12:01,615 --> 00:12:04,974 says, well, these are just things that they do, so I said, okay, alright, 202 00:12:04,974 --> 00:12:06,804 I, I, I suddenly let it go at that. 203 00:12:07,544 --> 00:12:11,435 The other thing that was very unique about these three men, uh, 204 00:12:11,515 --> 00:12:13,614 was they all had doctor degrees. 205 00:12:14,244 --> 00:12:18,505 Uh, now my mother had already told me at age five or so, uh, 206 00:12:18,525 --> 00:12:19,984 that she wanted me to be a doctor. 207 00:12:19,994 --> 00:12:21,265 So that, that was a given. 208 00:12:21,785 --> 00:12:24,245 Um, and that wasn't anything that I would have thought about. 209 00:12:24,704 --> 00:12:28,255 So, so I'm just trying to set this up in terms of where we're going. 210 00:12:28,265 --> 00:12:31,704 So, I, I have a mother who is my father and editor. 211 00:12:32,135 --> 00:12:37,295 And then I created, um, um, um, fictitious thoughts for 212 00:12:37,295 --> 00:12:39,125 me, uh, dream thoughts for me. 213 00:12:39,905 --> 00:12:45,480 And what I found out was they all belong to the same fraternity. 214 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:50,450 Didn't know what that meant, but I just sort of put that in the back of my head. 215 00:12:52,449 --> 00:12:55,359 This fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, 216 00:12:55,599 --> 00:12:58,609 was formed in 1906. 217 00:12:59,910 --> 00:13:02,909 And fraternities and sororities are only formed in colleges. 218 00:13:03,210 --> 00:13:03,600 Okay. 219 00:13:04,310 --> 00:13:07,460 And so I said, 1906? 220 00:13:08,030 --> 00:13:14,130 You mean to tell me there were black men at college in 1906? 221 00:13:14,630 --> 00:13:20,069 I said, I didn't know that, because the only white college was in 1906. 222 00:13:20,530 --> 00:13:27,689 And keep in mind, during my early years, we were barred, at least I thought, from 223 00:13:27,689 --> 00:13:30,459 attending predominantly white schools. 224 00:13:30,630 --> 00:13:35,069 But what it told me was, and this organization was formed at Cornell 225 00:13:35,209 --> 00:13:38,199 University, which is an idealism school. 226 00:13:39,050 --> 00:13:43,660 So, you know, it was just confusing to me, but I thought it was interesting. 227 00:13:43,660 --> 00:13:52,530 So, to make a lot of this sort of make sense, I put in my timeline of high 228 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:57,170 school, college, medical school, along with what we're going to talk about. 229 00:13:57,170 --> 00:13:58,650 I mean, civil rights movement. 230 00:13:58,990 --> 00:14:02,700 So one of the ways to look and talk about, this is American history. 231 00:14:03,694 --> 00:14:04,795 This is American history. 232 00:14:04,964 --> 00:14:07,835 One of my favorite subjects in high school, even though I was 233 00:14:08,045 --> 00:14:10,714 considering myself a scientist and all my way to medical school 234 00:14:10,714 --> 00:14:13,665 was, I, I love American history. 235 00:14:13,755 --> 00:14:14,585 I still do. 236 00:14:14,795 --> 00:14:15,435 I still do. 237 00:14:15,975 --> 00:14:17,904 Uh, I graduated from high school in 1965. 238 00:14:20,415 --> 00:14:20,685 Okay. 239 00:14:21,485 --> 00:14:26,575 I started Tennessee State University, uh, in Nashville in 1965 and I 240 00:14:26,575 --> 00:14:28,745 graduated from Tennessee State in 1969. 241 00:14:30,095 --> 00:14:33,284 I then started Yale Medical School in 69 and I graduated 242 00:14:33,284 --> 00:14:35,804 from Yale Medical School in 1970. 243 00:14:37,025 --> 00:14:41,375 So it gives you a time frame in terms of where I was and what I was doing. 244 00:14:41,785 --> 00:14:45,905 And so, keep those numbers in mind as we walk through the rest 245 00:14:45,905 --> 00:14:47,984 of this presentation this fall. 246 00:14:49,985 --> 00:14:52,984 What was going on in the country in the early 60s? 247 00:14:54,045 --> 00:15:00,954 So, to you who are, uh, uh, Gen Z ans and Generation X ans, talk to 248 00:15:00,954 --> 00:15:03,724 your parents about this, because a lot of this will make a lot of sense. 249 00:15:04,140 --> 00:15:07,460 But those of you who are baby boomers, you know what I'm talking about, because 250 00:15:07,460 --> 00:15:10,110 you don't know just as much as I do, okay? 251 00:15:11,495 --> 00:15:18,925 I can remember in 1966 ago, there was a lot of buzz about this new guy 252 00:15:18,925 --> 00:15:23,785 who was running for president and his name is John Fitzgerald Kennedy. 253 00:15:24,984 --> 00:15:27,915 And people were all excited, at least in the African American community 254 00:15:27,934 --> 00:15:32,534 where I, where I spent all my time in Nashville about, oh he's, he's, 255 00:15:32,534 --> 00:15:37,504 he's more liberal and he believes in equal equality and, and, and, and 256 00:15:37,634 --> 00:15:41,255 the African American community was just very, very, very, very excited. 257 00:15:42,339 --> 00:15:47,290 And the other thing is that John Kennedy, to some extent, was, 258 00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:52,069 was, was controversial in, in my community, not among African 259 00:15:52,069 --> 00:15:56,509 Americans that much, but among the white members of, I mean, Nashville. 260 00:15:57,550 --> 00:16:01,300 Believe it or not, it's because their biggest fear was, oh 261 00:16:01,309 --> 00:16:03,204 my God, he was Catholic. 262 00:16:03,785 --> 00:16:07,035 And I said, we have never had a Catholic president of this 263 00:16:07,075 --> 00:16:09,135 country, and what does that mean? 264 00:16:09,365 --> 00:16:12,625 Does that mean that the Pope is going to run the country, blah, blah, blah? 265 00:16:12,985 --> 00:16:14,625 You know, it's just a lot of silliness. 266 00:16:14,625 --> 00:16:19,145 And my part is that when you are afraid of something, you think of silly stuff. 267 00:16:19,215 --> 00:16:21,344 You know, it's just normal. 268 00:16:21,344 --> 00:16:23,025 It's normal to think of that. 269 00:16:23,025 --> 00:16:28,095 And needless to say, John Kennedy was one of the most Um, uh, famous presidents that 270 00:16:28,185 --> 00:16:33,315 we ever had, um, and his being Catholic or not Catholic really didn't matter. 271 00:16:34,185 --> 00:16:40,835 But as you all know, he was assassinated in 1963, Dallas, Texas, riding an open, 272 00:16:41,044 --> 00:16:47,155 uh, . Also in the early sixties, there was a person they met the evers who was 273 00:16:47,155 --> 00:16:49,525 president of the National Association. 274 00:16:49,525 --> 00:16:56,634 Color People, uh, naacp, uh, uh, in Mississippi was also necessity. 275 00:16:58,030 --> 00:17:05,290 And fast forward from 1963, also in 1963, uh, that was when there 276 00:17:05,430 --> 00:17:07,079 was the Marjolein Bachmann. 277 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:08,500 Remember that. 278 00:17:08,530 --> 00:17:11,739 This is the I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King. 279 00:17:11,740 --> 00:17:13,190 1963. 280 00:17:13,490 --> 00:17:17,310 These things are very, very closely related time wise. 281 00:17:24,380 --> 00:17:30,210 One of the things about the Martin Luther King speech was it was 282 00:17:30,330 --> 00:17:36,330 done in preparation Uh, to help to get the president at the time. 283 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:37,580 Lyndon Johnson. 284 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,470 Lyndon Johnson was president because Kennedy had been assassinated. 285 00:17:41,540 --> 00:17:45,990 Lyndon Johnson was vice president, and so ultimately, uh, automatically 286 00:17:45,990 --> 00:17:47,350 moved up to become president. 287 00:17:47,370 --> 00:17:49,139 So all this was happening that Sunday. 288 00:17:49,290 --> 00:17:52,340 This is in the early 60s, between 60 and 65. 289 00:17:53,264 --> 00:17:54,004 that year. 290 00:17:54,274 --> 00:17:57,774 I'm in, I'm in junior high and high school about this time. 291 00:17:58,065 --> 00:18:01,804 When Martin Luther King gave his speech, because I have a dream speech, they 292 00:18:01,874 --> 00:18:07,905 stopped class in my high 10th grade, yeah, 10th grade, um, 10th and 11th grade, 293 00:18:08,065 --> 00:18:12,284 and they hung us all in the cafeteria to watch this big black and white, well, 294 00:18:12,284 --> 00:18:14,505 excuse me, little black and white team. 295 00:18:16,095 --> 00:18:18,535 There was not a day with a rabbit ear. 296 00:18:18,565 --> 00:18:21,755 Some, some, some of you David Boone, you know what I'm talking about. 297 00:18:22,025 --> 00:18:24,875 Uh, you jet scenes, you have a clue what a rabbit ear is. 298 00:18:25,695 --> 00:18:29,197 Uh, but that's a, talk to your parents and grandparents. 299 00:18:29,197 --> 00:18:34,193 And we watched the series and we were all just so impressed and, and 300 00:18:34,193 --> 00:18:38,465 elevated and oh my god, the, you know, things are getting better and better. 301 00:18:38,949 --> 00:18:43,500 And at that speech, Martin Luther King stood behind Lyndon Baines Johnson, 302 00:18:43,510 --> 00:18:47,879 that's him sitting at the desk, and you notice all the pens on his table. 303 00:18:48,020 --> 00:18:50,600 This is a tradition that continues to this day. 304 00:18:50,909 --> 00:18:53,520 When the President of the United States signs a bill, 305 00:18:54,110 --> 00:18:57,339 he, he uses a pen per letter. 306 00:18:58,150 --> 00:19:00,000 And that's why he has so many pens on his desk. 307 00:19:00,270 --> 00:19:04,700 And then he takes those pens, after he signed the bill, and he turns it around 308 00:19:04,700 --> 00:19:10,839 and he gives it to someone, or some individuals who he believes, uh, have been 309 00:19:10,889 --> 00:19:13,440 instrumental in getting the bill passed. 310 00:19:13,540 --> 00:19:20,340 And here you see him in 1964, uh, after he had signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 311 00:19:20,710 --> 00:19:23,050 He gives this to Martin Luther King. 312 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:27,110 Real quick. 313 00:19:27,425 --> 00:19:28,355 American history. 314 00:19:29,315 --> 00:19:32,995 I believe, as do some others, that the Civil Rights Act is probably 315 00:19:32,995 --> 00:19:36,735 the most important piece of legislation, uh, in this country. 316 00:19:37,435 --> 00:19:40,255 Again, I'm in high school around this time now. 317 00:19:40,585 --> 00:19:44,475 Uh, and the reason is that it has four components. 318 00:19:44,484 --> 00:19:49,014 One, it's, it allowed folks of color to vote. 319 00:19:50,324 --> 00:19:50,964 To vote. 320 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,889 Uh, and believe it or not, we were not allowed to vote, and they would do 321 00:19:54,929 --> 00:19:58,520 things like they would have literacy tests, and keep in mind, uh, most people, 322 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,280 particularly African Americans in the Deep South, did not go to school, they 323 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:06,750 certainly didn't go to college, uh, and so they couldn't pass literacy tests, uh, 324 00:20:06,849 --> 00:20:11,049 and it was just a stymie block, it was just a way to block folks from voting. 325 00:20:11,769 --> 00:20:12,069 Why? 326 00:20:12,379 --> 00:20:15,669 Because in a democracy, the power is in the vote, you know what I mean? 327 00:20:16,299 --> 00:20:21,190 So my point very simply is, if you don't do anything, go out and vote, 328 00:20:21,610 --> 00:20:24,310 or vote online, vote in a drop box. 329 00:20:25,669 --> 00:20:31,649 The other thing was, in terms of, uh, desegregation accommodation, and 330 00:20:31,649 --> 00:20:36,600 when I was growing up, Um, if I went to a hotel, I wrote, number one, I 331 00:20:36,620 --> 00:20:38,079 couldn't build a sleeping mattress. 332 00:20:38,574 --> 00:20:41,824 Number two, I couldn't use certain public bathrooms. 333 00:20:41,824 --> 00:20:45,275 I had to go to the bathroom that said color, you know, because the 334 00:20:45,275 --> 00:20:47,125 others were reserved for white folks. 335 00:20:47,415 --> 00:20:51,234 Um, and you couldn't use certain, you know, you couldn't go to certain 336 00:20:51,375 --> 00:20:53,175 movie theaters and on and on and on. 337 00:20:54,725 --> 00:20:58,834 This is just a way of life, and this is all that we need. 338 00:20:58,834 --> 00:21:03,465 Um, and probably the most dramatic, and you may be familiar with this, is 339 00:21:03,825 --> 00:21:05,935 Uh, the schools were not integrated. 340 00:21:06,535 --> 00:21:09,215 Uh, that was this whole thing called Crescent versus Ferguson. 341 00:21:09,215 --> 00:21:10,915 It said separate is equal. 342 00:21:11,385 --> 00:21:15,235 Well, what we know then and what we know now is separate is never equal. 343 00:21:15,815 --> 00:21:16,624 That's why it's separate. 344 00:21:18,314 --> 00:21:19,284 It's not equal. 345 00:21:19,665 --> 00:21:24,735 So, so, uh, the things that I grew up remembering and that my teachers 346 00:21:24,735 --> 00:21:29,305 at school taught all of us is that you want the best of the best. 347 00:21:29,745 --> 00:21:34,185 The best of the best, not to be the burger to the right or to the 348 00:21:34,185 --> 00:21:38,215 left, but keep your eye on the prize and go to the best of the best. 349 00:21:38,264 --> 00:21:41,335 And to me, that was an idling car. 350 00:21:42,325 --> 00:21:45,514 That was my understanding of what the best was. 351 00:21:45,565 --> 00:21:46,835 So that was my quest. 352 00:21:47,514 --> 00:21:51,475 I guarantee you I was not the smartest kid in my class in high 353 00:21:51,485 --> 00:21:52,305 school or junior high school. 354 00:21:53,165 --> 00:21:58,890 When I graduated from high school, um, I, I had a, a, Maybe a 3. 355 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:00,229 2, a 3. 356 00:22:00,230 --> 00:22:01,870 3 average, a B average. 357 00:22:01,870 --> 00:22:03,770 I mean, I'm a good student, but I wasn't smart enough. 358 00:22:03,790 --> 00:22:05,560 I didn't have the highest GPA. 359 00:22:05,750 --> 00:22:08,130 Nor did I have the highest GPA in college. 360 00:22:08,380 --> 00:22:11,340 Um, so my point, very simply, is you don't have to. 361 00:22:11,340 --> 00:22:13,089 You don't have to prove. 362 00:22:13,090 --> 00:22:14,529 You just have to work harder. 363 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:16,099 You have to work harder. 364 00:22:16,099 --> 00:22:17,070 You gotta know what you want. 365 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:17,980 And go hard. 366 00:22:20,650 --> 00:22:29,130 So, I decided Uh, again, I started at Tennessee State in 1965, the 367 00:22:29,130 --> 00:22:38,060 summer of 1965, um, and I pledged out of the fraternity in 1967. 368 00:22:39,284 --> 00:22:44,655 Two years later, because my first year was sophomore to pledge, uh, so I pledged to 369 00:22:44,655 --> 00:22:46,875 the fraternity two years, two years later. 370 00:22:47,335 --> 00:22:54,115 Uh, and the first year that, um, end up being a member of the fraternity, 371 00:22:54,144 --> 00:22:55,174 you're called a little bro. 372 00:22:55,385 --> 00:22:58,542 The trick was on the little brothers. 373 00:22:58,542 --> 00:23:00,798 Our little brother dropped off. 374 00:23:00,798 --> 00:23:03,053 Our little brother dropped off. 375 00:23:03,053 --> 00:23:05,524 So, so, so now let's fast forward. 376 00:23:05,974 --> 00:23:09,455 I, I fledged in 19, uh, 6th and 7th. 377 00:23:09,455 --> 00:23:12,944 So, this is around about our time on spring break, um. 378 00:23:13,300 --> 00:23:15,789 Uh, around about March of 67. 379 00:23:15,790 --> 00:23:17,759 And so the bus said, You know what? 380 00:23:18,660 --> 00:23:20,645 Let's take a road trip this weekend. 381 00:23:20,645 --> 00:23:21,013 Yeah. 382 00:23:21,013 --> 00:23:26,649 A lot of people, you know, jump on the plane and fly to Pensacola or, 383 00:23:26,949 --> 00:23:29,939 or, or they, they go to the Bahamas. 384 00:23:30,129 --> 00:23:33,350 Uh, the bus said, Let's go to Miami. 385 00:23:37,020 --> 00:23:38,070 Oh, my goodness. 386 00:23:38,430 --> 00:23:43,000 So, so we all got one of the brother's little Mustang and 387 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,899 I can't, I can't remember what those little Mustangs look like. 388 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:52,484 There were five of us in a little Mustang in this whole car and we, we went to 389 00:23:52,484 --> 00:23:55,267 Atlanta and Atlanta just to socialize. 390 00:23:55,267 --> 00:23:58,979 I've never been to Atlanta in my life. 391 00:23:59,060 --> 00:24:03,140 But I was a boat And, you know, you just want to do what the big brothers 392 00:24:03,140 --> 00:24:04,370 say, because they're big brothers. 393 00:24:04,550 --> 00:24:06,070 I mean, that's just, that's the way it is. 394 00:24:06,710 --> 00:24:08,570 Uh, so we all learn. 395 00:24:09,469 --> 00:24:12,529 That first night that we went around, this is Saturday. 396 00:24:13,260 --> 00:24:18,840 Uh, some of the brothers went out and, you know, socialized or whatever, but 397 00:24:18,845 --> 00:24:22,055 I stayed, stayed in the room and I was one of the closest, stayed in the room. 398 00:24:22,315 --> 00:24:27,929 But when the police came back, uh, they said, guess who we saw tonight? 399 00:24:28,610 --> 00:24:29,600 And we said, who? 400 00:24:30,169 --> 00:24:32,840 And they said, we sold Martin and Co. 401 00:24:33,830 --> 00:24:38,190 And we said, ah, come on, come on, that's it, that's it, that's it, no, 402 00:24:38,190 --> 00:24:40,090 no, no, we saw them, we saw them. 403 00:24:40,709 --> 00:24:46,040 And at that point, I said with the, I said, I really need to go to this church. 404 00:24:46,540 --> 00:24:50,449 I said, if he's in town, I really need to go to this church. 405 00:24:50,449 --> 00:24:51,499 I said, you don't understand. 406 00:24:51,590 --> 00:24:52,350 I can't explain it. 407 00:24:52,889 --> 00:24:54,699 But I just need to see him closer. 408 00:24:54,700 --> 00:24:56,524 I need to get closer to him. 409 00:24:56,715 --> 00:24:57,965 And so we all talked about it. 410 00:24:58,225 --> 00:24:58,814 It's cool. 411 00:24:58,834 --> 00:25:01,685 So yeah, well, so the five of us decided to go to Martin 412 00:25:02,195 --> 00:25:04,495 Luther King's church in Mexico. 413 00:25:04,584 --> 00:25:05,154 It's the sun and moon. 414 00:25:06,424 --> 00:25:08,314 Uh, and I said, we gotta get there early. 415 00:25:10,374 --> 00:25:12,435 As you can tell, I still do that to this day. 416 00:25:12,914 --> 00:25:16,625 I like to get there early just to sit and watch as the people come in. 417 00:25:17,135 --> 00:25:18,054 Blah, blah, blah. 418 00:25:18,294 --> 00:25:19,455 You know, because I don't want to be late. 419 00:25:19,824 --> 00:25:20,895 So we all went. 420 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:28,040 And we went to Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. 421 00:25:29,129 --> 00:25:31,311 Now, a couple of things. 422 00:25:31,311 --> 00:25:32,473 History, American history. 423 00:25:32,473 --> 00:25:36,070 Ebenezer Baptist Church is not Martin Luther King's church. 424 00:25:36,110 --> 00:25:37,396 I mean, it's church in general. 425 00:25:37,396 --> 00:25:40,775 But it's his father's church, you know what I mean? 426 00:25:40,775 --> 00:25:42,803 This is Daddy King's church, right? 427 00:25:42,803 --> 00:25:45,129 Um, and that's a whole different story. 428 00:25:45,129 --> 00:25:46,689 I'm a clergyman. 429 00:25:46,689 --> 00:25:48,479 That's what it means to me. 430 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:49,699 We read about Martin Luther King's father. 431 00:25:51,124 --> 00:25:55,364 And that'll give you an idea about why Martin Luther King did the things he did. 432 00:25:55,554 --> 00:25:58,045 For instance, one of the things when Martin Luther King graduated from 433 00:25:58,045 --> 00:26:03,844 Morehouse College with his bachelors, uh, um, and his daddy said, you know, 434 00:26:03,845 --> 00:26:10,324 I, I want you to go and get a, another, another, um, um, professional degree. 435 00:26:10,875 --> 00:26:13,695 And I want that degree to be from a predominantly white college. 436 00:26:13,715 --> 00:26:16,875 He sent him to the Boston University, and that was where 437 00:26:16,965 --> 00:26:18,485 Martin Luther King got his doctorate. 438 00:26:18,485 --> 00:26:20,514 Boston University. 439 00:26:21,045 --> 00:26:23,665 Um, and so, I regret. 440 00:26:23,725 --> 00:26:29,135 So, Ebony's name, this is what it looks like, um, can anybody tell me, this is 441 00:26:29,135 --> 00:26:33,164 just, just for free, who's the pastor of Ebony's of Baptist Church now? 442 00:26:33,684 --> 00:26:33,864 Who is that? 443 00:26:34,594 --> 00:26:37,905 No, no, no, he's a sinner. 444 00:26:38,145 --> 00:26:38,794 There you go. 445 00:26:39,275 --> 00:26:40,484 Snagged my finger. 446 00:26:40,485 --> 00:26:42,001 Walking down the hall now. 447 00:26:42,001 --> 00:26:45,944 Since Robin's video's a part of it, I'm going to continue the show. 448 00:26:46,604 --> 00:26:49,139 Raffaelle Warren Thorpe. 449 00:26:49,139 --> 00:26:53,965 He's the first African American Senator from the state of 450 00:26:53,965 --> 00:26:56,084 Georgia since Reconstruction. 451 00:26:57,044 --> 00:26:58,214 Since Reconstruction. 452 00:26:59,004 --> 00:27:01,325 Now, it says he's also an alcohol man. 453 00:27:01,325 --> 00:27:03,864 But I have tried. 454 00:27:03,865 --> 00:27:06,714 I've been very excited but in good form. 455 00:27:07,165 --> 00:27:09,615 My point is that everything is still there. 456 00:27:10,195 --> 00:27:15,965 Marcus McGee's church is in Now, how about Rodney Pizza and Neal 457 00:27:15,965 --> 00:27:20,663 Fitzpimmer, Goldsport, and even Martin Porter, father of multiple options? 458 00:27:20,663 --> 00:27:25,970 But, you will say, that is church, and the waycan that the fraternity 459 00:27:26,009 --> 00:27:28,010 brothers and myself have in it. 460 00:27:28,010 --> 00:27:32,770 Okay, uh, tell me God has not made things happen. 461 00:27:32,770 --> 00:27:34,197 Reese, can you? 462 00:27:34,197 --> 00:27:34,673 Okay. 463 00:27:34,673 --> 00:27:41,770 So, we went to this church, And I'm, I'm just on pins and needles. 464 00:27:41,770 --> 00:27:45,510 I, I can't speak because I'm just so awestruck and everything. 465 00:27:45,639 --> 00:27:48,389 And I'm sitting in the church, and all of us sit together, of course. 466 00:27:48,659 --> 00:27:52,330 Um, and we're sitting about the middle of the church, and it's a good sized church, 467 00:27:52,330 --> 00:27:53,520 as you can tell from looking at it. 468 00:27:53,989 --> 00:27:58,360 Um, and all of a sudden, um, uh, Martin Luther King comes 469 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:00,750 out, by himself, with the Lord. 470 00:28:01,150 --> 00:28:03,290 Um, very quiet, a little dispensed, and sits. 471 00:28:03,845 --> 00:28:07,425 Now, he sat in something called a pull chair. 472 00:28:07,465 --> 00:28:11,813 Now, for you young people, a pull chair is an elevator, you know 473 00:28:11,813 --> 00:28:13,813 what we call them in the city. 474 00:28:13,813 --> 00:28:19,494 And it has chairs on it that you notice it's sat on during the entire service. 475 00:28:19,495 --> 00:28:23,385 And a lot of churches don't have that nowadays. 476 00:28:23,685 --> 00:28:28,275 But, but, so, so Martin Luther King came and he sat in a pull chair. 477 00:28:28,415 --> 00:28:30,095 And he sat through four chairs. 478 00:28:30,255 --> 00:28:32,025 Not a lot, just three or four. 479 00:28:32,490 --> 00:28:35,639 Uh, and I was, I, I focused on him the whole time. 480 00:28:35,930 --> 00:28:37,450 I watched every move he made. 481 00:28:37,570 --> 00:28:37,860 Every move. 482 00:28:38,629 --> 00:28:40,609 I didn't know, I didn't know the same about him. 483 00:28:40,610 --> 00:28:43,990 And so, about 15, 20 minutes or so, other people came out, 484 00:28:44,469 --> 00:28:46,230 including, uh, his father. 485 00:28:46,570 --> 00:28:48,159 I don't know if you can call him, Daddy King. 486 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:51,040 Came out and, you know, they went through the service. 487 00:28:51,350 --> 00:28:54,790 Martin Luther King did not give the speech at the, the sermon. 488 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:55,620 His father did. 489 00:28:56,780 --> 00:29:00,990 Uh, so at the end of the sermon, Uh, you know, we're getting up and going around, 490 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:06,929 whatever, and so, um, you know, we're all together, and so Big Brother Benson, 491 00:29:07,809 --> 00:29:12,160 uh, in our group, says, And I said, Okay. 492 00:29:15,519 --> 00:29:21,070 And so the five of us went to the, the bottom of the pulpit, and the service 493 00:29:21,070 --> 00:29:24,980 is over now, and so we walked up the stairs and sort of stand around. 494 00:29:25,130 --> 00:29:32,660 Um, he was a very tall guy, he's made about five, six, whatever, I 495 00:29:32,770 --> 00:29:33,840 just thought that was interesting. 496 00:29:33,870 --> 00:29:36,917 But I, I, I didn't realize he was that tall. 497 00:29:37,715 --> 00:29:42,605 So we were standing around here, and I'm not talking, I can't see, you know, my 498 00:29:42,605 --> 00:29:47,315 big brother Vincent said stuff like, uh, Brother Kenny, we're, um, uh, brothers 499 00:29:47,315 --> 00:29:51,855 from big old Macomb chapter of Tennessee State University, blah, blah, blah, down 500 00:29:51,855 --> 00:29:55,705 here on Spring Break, and he said, oh, I want to introduce you to little brother 501 00:29:55,705 --> 00:30:01,295 Tom, uh, and he turned and he looked at me and he sort of smiled, uh, Uh, 502 00:30:04,705 --> 00:30:05,405 all right. 503 00:30:05,615 --> 00:30:06,105 All right. 504 00:30:08,705 --> 00:30:09,135 All right. 505 00:30:14,085 --> 00:30:14,935 Take your hand out. 506 00:30:15,435 --> 00:30:15,885 Okay. 507 00:30:17,175 --> 00:30:17,915 Just smiled. 508 00:30:18,975 --> 00:30:25,075 Um, I shook his hand and I didn't wash my hands for at least a month. 509 00:30:29,875 --> 00:30:33,645 But anyway, we came back to campus, whatever. 510 00:30:33,645 --> 00:30:35,144 And so. 511 00:30:36,025 --> 00:30:40,595 After that, we this is six. 512 00:30:41,045 --> 00:30:44,385 This is, uh, uh, we're now in 68. 513 00:30:45,055 --> 00:30:50,484 Um, uh, and so the spring break is in 68 when we went. 514 00:30:50,485 --> 00:30:55,642 And so then, um, We heard that he was invited to speak at Vanderbilt 515 00:30:55,642 --> 00:31:02,675 University, which is a very, very large, um, very famous, um, uh, university in 516 00:31:02,675 --> 00:31:04,625 Nashville, Tennessee, predominantly white. 517 00:31:04,985 --> 00:31:08,255 And so, of course, we all went over to see him to his speech. 518 00:31:09,305 --> 00:31:12,755 And so, um, we, we, and it was an excellent speech. 519 00:31:12,935 --> 00:31:16,905 We were, we were up in the rafters, uh, as soon as he arrived. 520 00:31:17,095 --> 00:31:18,234 And so, uh, uh. 521 00:31:18,755 --> 00:31:22,985 Oh my goodness, uh, but it was just extraordinary, that distinction 522 00:31:22,985 --> 00:31:25,815 was extraordinary, and it just damaged Martin Luther King. 523 00:31:27,435 --> 00:31:28,095 After that, 524 00:31:31,685 --> 00:31:34,665 not too long, maybe about a week or two after that, Martin 525 00:31:34,805 --> 00:31:35,755 Luther King was assassinated. 526 00:31:36,255 --> 00:31:39,794 This is, uh, April 6th, 1988. 527 00:31:39,975 --> 00:31:42,015 And the country basically exploded. 528 00:31:42,855 --> 00:31:47,625 Uh, there were illustrations slash riots all over the place, most 529 00:31:47,725 --> 00:31:51,765 college campuses, particularly the predominantly, uh, African American 530 00:31:51,765 --> 00:31:55,935 college campuses, just in Brooklyn, including my campus, Tennessee State. 531 00:31:57,575 --> 00:32:05,615 Uh, and so, the, what was interesting, uh, and this is where the, the 532 00:32:05,735 --> 00:32:08,685 story takes a very unique turn here. 533 00:32:09,455 --> 00:32:11,995 Um, my house was completely locked out. 534 00:32:12,015 --> 00:32:15,005 This is a picture of the administration building at Tennessee State. 535 00:32:15,625 --> 00:32:21,715 Um, um, every time I see this picture, I think of my wife. 536 00:32:23,405 --> 00:32:28,105 We went to visit, um, Tennessee some years ago. 537 00:32:28,105 --> 00:32:30,242 She took a picture of this building. 538 00:32:30,242 --> 00:32:35,005 And I have her hanging in my office at home, um, at the present time. 539 00:32:35,315 --> 00:32:38,795 But anyway, so Riot broke out everywhere. 540 00:32:38,855 --> 00:32:43,010 They broke out on my campus and the national was Colorado and the national 541 00:32:43,010 --> 00:32:49,255 office was school American community by the basement on the campus. 542 00:32:49,495 --> 00:32:53,935 And I, I was on sixth and seventh floor of my dog and I could look out 543 00:32:54,055 --> 00:32:58,725 my window in the parking lot and had with National Guard people, the rifles, 544 00:32:58,785 --> 00:33:01,725 lying in department law of my campus. 545 00:33:02,025 --> 00:33:05,685 Uh, and so we, you know, obviously were suspended. 546 00:33:06,390 --> 00:33:07,900 The Dean of Students, Dr. 547 00:33:08,020 --> 00:33:08,800 Joseph R. 548 00:33:09,140 --> 00:33:14,209 Popayne Jr., he was very eloquent, uh, man, just as impeccably, we, 549 00:33:14,210 --> 00:33:18,090 we all liked him, and we liked the way he spoke, um, he summoned me 550 00:33:18,090 --> 00:33:20,620 to his office, and he said, Mr. 551 00:33:20,620 --> 00:33:23,610 Choctaw, see back there, um, they call him Mr. 552 00:33:23,810 --> 00:33:24,729 This on campus, and Mr. 553 00:33:24,730 --> 00:33:32,390 Choctaw, um, um, I, I, we, we, we need you to go with us to, 554 00:33:32,390 --> 00:33:35,270 to come to a meeting with us. 555 00:33:36,170 --> 00:33:41,870 And I said to me, he said, we need you to come with us to a meeting at downtown 556 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:48,000 Nashville to meet with the, uh, the mayor and council people and the leaders 557 00:33:48,130 --> 00:33:52,030 downtown Nashville because we need somebody to represent a student body. 558 00:33:53,100 --> 00:33:55,120 And I said, um, Dr. 559 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:56,960 Payne, I, I am not a student council member. 560 00:33:57,450 --> 00:33:58,667 No, no, no. 561 00:33:58,667 --> 00:34:00,289 I have to go. 562 00:34:00,289 --> 00:34:03,129 And Hadley said, I understand that Mr. 563 00:34:03,129 --> 00:34:03,534 O'Connell. 564 00:34:03,534 --> 00:34:06,779 He said, but the student council president resigned. 565 00:34:06,779 --> 00:34:07,185 Immediately. 566 00:34:07,185 --> 00:34:10,430 When Martin Luther King was assassinated he quit. 567 00:34:10,430 --> 00:34:13,269 He said, I am done with this. 568 00:34:13,630 --> 00:34:14,590 I am done with it. 569 00:34:15,130 --> 00:34:17,200 I will not do blah blah blah blah blah blah. 570 00:34:17,860 --> 00:34:21,179 I have been elected student council president A. 571 00:34:21,180 --> 00:34:21,500 S. 572 00:34:21,550 --> 00:34:21,640 O. 573 00:34:22,005 --> 00:34:24,794 I was scheduled to take office in junior year. 574 00:34:24,794 --> 00:34:26,805 I was scheduled to take office my senior year. 575 00:34:27,335 --> 00:34:31,805 So, I said, I said, well, I don't need nobody. 576 00:34:31,805 --> 00:34:35,915 And, and in effect, Dr. 577 00:34:36,165 --> 00:34:40,190 Faith said, Uh, let's chop down on you a bit. 578 00:34:40,190 --> 00:34:41,915 We need you. 579 00:34:42,735 --> 00:34:43,935 And I said, okay. 580 00:34:44,965 --> 00:34:50,255 So, we went to the meeting. 581 00:34:51,790 --> 00:34:55,960 And one could tell that the professors were very nervous 582 00:34:56,050 --> 00:34:56,860 on this thing, I believe. 583 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:02,695 Uh, not just the little persons, I don't know if that's how you say it. 584 00:35:02,695 --> 00:35:05,829 Little by the chalk box, little by the, all these guys. 585 00:35:05,830 --> 00:35:08,200 And so we went, because I understood the gravity, I 586 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:09,915 understood what he was telling me. 587 00:35:09,915 --> 00:35:12,580 And, you know, and what he said, it didn't make sense. 588 00:35:12,970 --> 00:35:19,510 He said, they need to be reassured that students at this college 589 00:35:19,580 --> 00:35:20,690 are not going to remain crazy. 590 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:26,370 They need to be reassured that they can withdraw these National Guards, 591 00:35:26,750 --> 00:35:31,200 uh, and their tanks and not worry that something bad is going to happen. 592 00:35:32,050 --> 00:35:33,860 And they need to hear it from a student leader. 593 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,160 They don't believe the professors because they don't think we 594 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:37,920 know what we're talking about. 595 00:35:38,580 --> 00:35:39,980 They need to hear it from one of you guys. 596 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:45,960 Um, and so I went to the meeting and it's, you know, since, uh, I said 597 00:35:45,980 --> 00:35:49,000 nothing, uh, until asked, and, uh, Dr. 598 00:35:49,230 --> 00:35:54,140 Payne, in this elegant way, made the case, you know, held it, 599 00:35:54,140 --> 00:35:55,770 just, just very, very elegant. 600 00:35:56,120 --> 00:36:01,610 Um, and so after sending the, the, uh, the folks in downtown Asheville started 601 00:36:01,610 --> 00:36:05,369 asking questions, what about this, what about that, so then they turned to me. 602 00:36:05,870 --> 00:36:09,550 And in essence, can you assure us that your students are going to 603 00:36:09,610 --> 00:36:13,210 go back to studying and you guys are going to do just what I said? 604 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:14,270 Yes, sir. 605 00:36:14,660 --> 00:36:18,670 So you got to understand, you say yes sir and yes ma'am. 606 00:36:19,290 --> 00:36:20,670 You don't say yes and no. 607 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,150 That's a different presentation. 608 00:36:25,490 --> 00:36:26,610 So then they said, okay. 609 00:36:27,790 --> 00:36:30,090 They sent us back to campus. 610 00:36:30,260 --> 00:36:34,780 They did withdraw the National Guard agents and the guys with the 611 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:36,450 guns and all that sort of stuff. 612 00:36:37,020 --> 00:36:43,490 And the administration, the leaders, the president, vice president, and Dr. 613 00:36:43,490 --> 00:36:46,000 Payne Noble, they did what they needed to do and everything 614 00:36:46,010 --> 00:36:47,581 was, everything was better. 615 00:36:47,581 --> 00:36:55,094 So, that was another way that I was impacted by this whole thing in 1968. 616 00:36:57,435 --> 00:36:58,695 I have no idea about it. 617 00:36:58,985 --> 00:37:01,275 I said, you know, that has nothing to do with me. 618 00:37:01,515 --> 00:37:03,955 But it just goes to show you never know. 619 00:37:05,065 --> 00:37:06,995 You are not in charge of this stuff. 620 00:37:07,955 --> 00:37:10,475 We are all actors on stage. 621 00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:12,960 And we don't control the program. 622 00:37:13,310 --> 00:37:15,600 We don't, we don't write the script. 623 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,640 We're not the directors and the producers. 624 00:37:18,820 --> 00:37:21,890 We are actors or people on stage. 625 00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:25,020 Um, and as we always say, God is in charge. 626 00:37:26,820 --> 00:37:35,250 Moving on, the men about, uh, around about, um, 2010 and 2011, Desire, you 627 00:37:35,250 --> 00:37:37,110 know, but that should be a monument. 628 00:37:37,770 --> 00:37:42,180 Well, I alternative vote, uh, that this sponsor should recognize how great this 629 00:37:42,180 --> 00:37:44,490 man was and the people who helped him. 630 00:37:45,175 --> 00:37:50,760 Um, and so it's up them 15 years, one thought, 15 years to get 631 00:37:50,765 --> 00:37:55,500 the Martin Luther King Memorial Monument, uh, job and approved. 632 00:37:55,740 --> 00:37:59,070 Uh, and it is presently in Washington DC now. 633 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:04,570 So if you have a visit, Washington DC I would encourage you, uh, to go 634 00:38:04,570 --> 00:38:05,875 to the Martin Luther King Island. 635 00:38:06,790 --> 00:38:13,320 Um, and, uh, it is the only monument for a non military person in Washington, D. 636 00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:13,850 C. 637 00:38:14,130 --> 00:38:19,810 Uh, it is the only monument for a non president, uh, who was a 638 00:38:19,810 --> 00:38:21,450 military person in Washington, D. 639 00:38:21,450 --> 00:38:21,750 C. 640 00:38:22,460 --> 00:38:23,910 But the Man of Alpha did it. 641 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:30,079 And just another example of, uh, the, the power and the glory of, 642 00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:31,800 of, of when God is in charge. 643 00:38:32,270 --> 00:38:33,550 Let me hasten to add. 644 00:38:33,990 --> 00:38:37,350 They're from an American history point of view. 645 00:38:37,830 --> 00:38:41,320 Um, there are basically four African American terms and basically 646 00:38:41,430 --> 00:38:43,230 four African American skills. 647 00:38:43,570 --> 00:38:45,510 So alpha is not the only one. 648 00:38:45,510 --> 00:38:47,380 Alpha is not the only one. 649 00:38:47,380 --> 00:38:53,125 In this church, You know, I sit every Sunday next to, uh, you know, a brother, 650 00:38:53,385 --> 00:38:59,565 uh, uh, who's retired from the LAPD, uh, who's carried out Versailles, sees 651 00:38:59,565 --> 00:39:03,105 each other, uh, all the time, yes, but so what if I say, where are you? 652 00:39:03,285 --> 00:39:04,875 Well, where'd you learn that great stuff again? 653 00:39:05,395 --> 00:39:06,375 You know, where'd I go? 654 00:39:06,685 --> 00:39:11,105 Uh, my brother Nichols, uh, who, uh, the church we're talking about, 655 00:39:11,815 --> 00:39:13,605 uh, and he may not sound proud. 656 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:15,780 Uh, and we teach each other, right? 657 00:39:15,790 --> 00:39:19,280 You know, when, when Omega celebrated their, their Founders 658 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:20,370 Day, I congratulated them. 659 00:39:21,010 --> 00:39:24,210 So my point is that we're witnessing brotherhood within the brotherhood. 660 00:39:24,750 --> 00:39:26,379 That's what I'm trying to say. 661 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:29,710 Uh, and this is how we get stronger and better. 662 00:39:30,140 --> 00:39:34,230 Uh, I was sharing with, with Margaret earlier how I had learned 663 00:39:34,230 --> 00:39:38,670 so much, like from podcasting and meeting the men's Sun School class. 664 00:39:38,750 --> 00:39:39,410 True story. 665 00:39:40,390 --> 00:39:42,680 In my adult, I am 76 years old. 666 00:39:43,010 --> 00:39:49,710 In my adult life, I have, and this is my, say, graduate from high school, I have 667 00:39:49,850 --> 00:39:58,940 never consistently been in a predominantly black, uh, male, group, uh, in my 668 00:39:59,170 --> 00:40:01,170 life until the men's sinus flu course. 669 00:40:01,620 --> 00:40:03,335 Yeah, because you used to be in men's sinus flu class. 670 00:40:03,335 --> 00:40:05,504 That's right, because you used to be in it. 671 00:40:05,505 --> 00:40:07,574 Right, right, right, right. 672 00:40:07,575 --> 00:40:08,695 But I am never gonna. 673 00:40:09,245 --> 00:40:14,585 So my point is, that just being one of the predominant, and predominant men's African 674 00:40:14,665 --> 00:40:17,605 American clients is, is, is unique to me. 675 00:40:17,605 --> 00:40:19,052 Over 50 years. 676 00:40:19,052 --> 00:40:22,910 I graduated from medical school 50 years ago. 677 00:40:22,910 --> 00:40:23,874 Okay, 73rd. 678 00:40:24,615 --> 00:40:26,825 So, so, we continue to grow. 679 00:40:26,865 --> 00:40:27,945 This one of the problems. 680 00:40:28,335 --> 00:40:29,145 We continue to grow. 681 00:40:29,195 --> 00:40:29,955 It doesn't stop. 682 00:40:30,475 --> 00:40:31,525 We continue to grow. 683 00:40:33,415 --> 00:40:33,515 Okay. 684 00:40:34,705 --> 00:40:35,375 Almost done. 685 00:40:35,995 --> 00:40:36,605 Almost done. 686 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:38,143 Shut up! 687 00:40:38,143 --> 00:40:39,286 Shut up! 688 00:40:39,286 --> 00:40:40,429 Shut up! 689 00:40:40,610 --> 00:40:41,420 Bad name! 690 00:40:45,330 --> 00:40:50,510 Bad name, you know, not too long ago, about 20 years ago, 50, 20 years 691 00:40:50,510 --> 00:40:55,600 ago, there was another big buzz going around about this tall, skinny kid 692 00:40:55,610 --> 00:40:59,300 from Chicago with a funny name, okay? 693 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:06,005 And, uh, he had, uh, And you notice he wrote a book called Dream of My 694 00:41:06,005 --> 00:41:11,665 Father, which so, I mean, he also had fatherhood issues, you know, so 695 00:41:11,905 --> 00:41:16,840 he was, he was dealing with a lot of rights, or, what Glump and Foster 696 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:22,105 all were saying, or whatever, um, you know, but anyway, he was interested 697 00:41:22,105 --> 00:41:25,795 in politics, leadership in politics. 698 00:41:26,345 --> 00:41:32,675 And he ended up, uh, uh, running, uh, in Chicago, uh, ran against all the African 699 00:41:32,675 --> 00:41:38,435 Americans and lost visibly, just, just didn't like the job, but kept trying, 700 00:41:39,285 --> 00:41:44,365 kept trying one time, two times, I think, and then on about, I think, the second 701 00:41:44,365 --> 00:41:48,905 and third time, finally won that little district thing, and then used that to then 702 00:41:48,905 --> 00:41:52,535 get to the Senate, um, in Washington, D. 703 00:41:52,535 --> 00:41:52,695 C. 704 00:41:54,395 --> 00:41:58,014 He decided that he wanted to run for President. 705 00:41:59,135 --> 00:42:02,155 Now, you gotta understand what the challenge of that is, not to 706 00:42:02,565 --> 00:42:07,765 mention the basic challenges of him looking the way he looks, but 707 00:42:07,765 --> 00:42:11,265 his name is Barack Hussein Obama. 708 00:42:12,705 --> 00:42:13,375 Think about that. 709 00:42:13,375 --> 00:42:16,825 Barack Hussein Obama. 710 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:22,760 Who in the world would love a president who's not in love with that 711 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:24,840 kind of name, you know what I mean? 712 00:42:25,370 --> 00:42:26,496 That's my point. 713 00:42:26,496 --> 00:42:29,560 My point is there will always be obstacles. 714 00:42:30,040 --> 00:42:32,530 There will always be stumbling blocks. 715 00:42:32,870 --> 00:42:35,280 There will always be resistance. 716 00:42:35,450 --> 00:42:36,502 So what? 717 00:42:36,502 --> 00:42:37,405 So what? 718 00:42:37,405 --> 00:42:42,376 If you really want to do it, you go for it. 719 00:42:42,376 --> 00:42:45,088 So, this guy, I started watching. 720 00:42:45,088 --> 00:42:45,992 Started watching. 721 00:42:45,992 --> 00:42:47,799 So, this is interesting. 722 00:42:52,930 --> 00:42:54,570 I'm still wondering what this means. 723 00:42:54,860 --> 00:43:01,230 So when he, uh, decided to run for president and he was going through 724 00:43:01,230 --> 00:43:06,020 the process of trying to be nominated on the credit card, I said, you know 725 00:43:06,020 --> 00:43:13,110 what, I, I, I like, I said, but you gotta prove to me you're the real deal. 726 00:43:13,950 --> 00:43:14,260 Right? 727 00:43:14,270 --> 00:43:19,410 And I said, my proof is you gotta win an election in a predominantly 728 00:43:19,420 --> 00:43:24,285 white state by a reasonable Okay. 729 00:43:24,335 --> 00:43:27,105 I said, if you can do that, then I will. 730 00:43:27,925 --> 00:43:31,275 If not, you know, I'm going to stand on the sidelines and I'll 731 00:43:31,305 --> 00:43:36,634 wave at you and wish you well, but I'm not going to engage. 732 00:43:36,635 --> 00:43:38,665 I'm not going to. 733 00:43:38,665 --> 00:43:39,745 He did prove that. 734 00:43:39,785 --> 00:43:41,005 He won the Iowa caucus. 735 00:43:42,095 --> 00:43:46,735 I was about 90 plus percent Caucasian, right? 736 00:43:46,995 --> 00:43:48,375 I said, okay, I'm in. 737 00:43:49,005 --> 00:43:49,155 I'm in. 738 00:43:51,285 --> 00:43:54,425 And so we followed him on and on and on and on. 739 00:43:55,205 --> 00:43:59,179 Uh, when I said we, I'm talking about my best friend who's sitting in the chat, 740 00:43:59,179 --> 00:44:00,789 people that are listening right now. 741 00:44:00,789 --> 00:44:02,666 Uh, so we, we've been following him. 742 00:44:02,666 --> 00:44:04,435 So, Chad, I have no value. 743 00:44:04,575 --> 00:44:13,485 2007, second to uh, my best friend and I was sitting there and she and 744 00:44:13,485 --> 00:44:16,605 I were watching the election results. 745 00:44:16,715 --> 00:44:17,505 CNN. 746 00:44:18,155 --> 00:44:19,145 Wolf Blitzer. 747 00:44:19,795 --> 00:44:20,265 Okay. 748 00:44:20,455 --> 00:44:22,285 Wolf Blitzer is still at CNN too. 749 00:44:22,335 --> 00:44:22,875 Oh, Blitzer. 750 00:44:23,325 --> 00:44:24,015 Wow. 751 00:44:25,255 --> 00:44:26,185 But he's still there. 752 00:44:26,540 --> 00:44:31,120 And as he announced, ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the United States 753 00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:35,410 is Barack, blah, blah, blah, blah, we saw them jumping up and down, and hugging 754 00:44:35,410 --> 00:44:39,230 each other, and crying, and screaming, and yelling, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, 755 00:44:39,270 --> 00:44:45,170 and then, then, I kid you not, I kid you not, she goes this kind of, I kid you not, 756 00:44:45,810 --> 00:44:50,400 Mild enough and wider glimpses of me and said, I want to go to the inauguration. 757 00:44:50,855 --> 00:44:56,205 I said, She said, I want to go to the inauguration. 758 00:44:57,025 --> 00:45:00,405 I said, Do you know how many children and young kids have the inauguration? 759 00:45:01,105 --> 00:45:02,915 Do you really think it's that number? 760 00:45:03,305 --> 00:45:03,645 Ooh! 761 00:45:04,595 --> 00:45:06,041 Or what should we say? 762 00:45:06,041 --> 00:45:07,423 Then what the hell? 763 00:45:07,423 --> 00:45:12,604 This is going to be on the first week or the second week in January. 764 00:45:12,605 --> 00:45:13,555 She said, I don't care. 765 00:45:14,025 --> 00:45:15,855 I want to go to the inauguration. 766 00:45:15,855 --> 00:45:20,499 I said, Let me see what I can do. 767 00:45:21,070 --> 00:45:26,570 So I called up Marion, we have status with Marion, and I said, we'd like to go to the 768 00:45:26,660 --> 00:45:32,379 block upon inauguration the second week in January, uh, you know what can we do? 769 00:45:32,460 --> 00:45:34,740 Said, uh, we'll, we'll show you. 770 00:45:36,290 --> 00:45:39,470 I said, oh, they did get back to us. 771 00:45:39,900 --> 00:45:40,920 And they said no. 772 00:45:41,740 --> 00:45:45,710 We have some rooms in Virginia right outside of Washington. 773 00:45:46,770 --> 00:45:53,280 Uh, uh, and, uh, they're, they, um, they're very, um, um, sweets, I think. 774 00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:56,940 Um, and, um, we got a couple rooms that are there. 775 00:45:57,210 --> 00:46:00,170 They said, Virginia, it's all like about 50 minutes to Washington. 776 00:46:00,180 --> 00:46:02,615 Get on the train, get to downtown Washington. 777 00:46:02,615 --> 00:46:04,990 Say three long words, get to downtown. 778 00:46:06,980 --> 00:46:10,760 I said, God, whoops, the best decision. 779 00:46:11,150 --> 00:46:15,720 ever made in my life, the best decision ever made in my life. 780 00:46:15,970 --> 00:46:17,140 It was like a picnic. 781 00:46:17,670 --> 00:46:19,170 We met people from all over the world. 782 00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:23,820 Um, everybody was happy and speaking different languages and blah blah 783 00:46:23,820 --> 00:46:28,210 blah blah blah blah blah Um, and we were there for about a week and 784 00:46:28,300 --> 00:46:32,184 since the inauguration I'm still up, standing in the foreground. 785 00:46:32,805 --> 00:46:36,142 Uh, uh, we're 16 minutes old. 786 00:46:36,142 --> 00:46:41,214 That's the last time I'm going to do that. 787 00:46:41,215 --> 00:46:42,315 We're not that far back. 788 00:46:42,315 --> 00:46:49,785 We're like two thirds of the way. 789 00:46:49,785 --> 00:46:51,230 We're there. 790 00:46:51,230 --> 00:46:57,012 You can't see us, but we're this far. 791 00:46:57,012 --> 00:46:57,734 Okay. 792 00:46:59,925 --> 00:47:01,305 Standing square. 793 00:47:01,980 --> 00:47:02,400 Mm-Hmm. 794 00:47:03,645 --> 00:47:10,960 . The, there was 1.8 million people, the largest 1.8 million people. 795 00:47:12,435 --> 00:47:13,960 Freezing priest. 796 00:47:14,475 --> 00:47:16,095 Priest as a river baton. 797 00:47:17,205 --> 00:47:20,145 And that came off of right hill side Coalition. 798 00:47:21,885 --> 00:47:23,220 What started the old. 799 00:47:23,945 --> 00:47:24,635 that I saw. 800 00:47:25,015 --> 00:47:27,465 People in wheelchairs, people on crutches. 801 00:47:27,515 --> 00:47:32,715 Oh, I had a nerve to think, you know, who said, I can't just sing 802 00:47:32,715 --> 00:47:34,105 blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 803 00:47:34,235 --> 00:47:36,445 I never thought I'd see this in my lifetime. 804 00:47:37,105 --> 00:47:38,895 I thought blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 805 00:47:39,305 --> 00:47:45,404 So, needless to say, we were not able to talk about it for so long. 806 00:47:45,405 --> 00:47:47,859 That was such a tough bill to pay me. 807 00:47:48,150 --> 00:47:54,880 Well, it was, it was the most relaxed, uh, strong, um, ally I've ever had. 808 00:47:55,590 --> 00:47:57,730 And I haven't been in a crowd basement too late. 809 00:47:58,120 --> 00:48:00,880 Um, the military was in control of everything. 810 00:48:01,300 --> 00:48:04,090 Uh, and we got to see a close up on the berets. 811 00:48:04,090 --> 00:48:08,336 And we could, we have a map of the berets, and we would run to the place, where the 812 00:48:08,336 --> 00:48:10,529 police are waiting, and sit and wait. 813 00:48:10,950 --> 00:48:14,070 for Michelle and Barack Obama and Casey and all that sort of stuff. 814 00:48:14,470 --> 00:48:18,210 And Barack was also determined, keep in mind this man gets probably a hundred 815 00:48:18,210 --> 00:48:20,210 to a thousand death threats per day. 816 00:48:21,210 --> 00:48:22,209 Think about that. 817 00:48:22,210 --> 00:48:22,970 Think about that. 818 00:48:27,060 --> 00:48:28,110 I'm a male. 819 00:48:28,370 --> 00:48:29,730 Uh, I'm following up. 820 00:48:29,730 --> 00:48:34,679 I'm following all of them around the state of the city. 821 00:48:34,680 --> 00:48:35,747 That's what I say. 822 00:48:35,747 --> 00:48:38,557 And, uh, he, he sort of picked it up. 823 00:48:38,557 --> 00:48:39,806 He picked it up. 824 00:48:39,806 --> 00:48:44,780 And so he's determined, he's gonna get out of his car, walk down the street, Yeah. 825 00:48:45,050 --> 00:48:46,110 And say the end of this. 826 00:48:46,110 --> 00:48:46,919 Mm hmm. 827 00:48:46,920 --> 00:48:47,749 That's right. 828 00:48:47,750 --> 00:48:47,840 Right? 829 00:48:49,015 --> 00:48:49,435 Mm-Hmm. 830 00:48:50,335 --> 00:48:51,075 . What's the point? 831 00:48:51,735 --> 00:48:56,595 Is that threats and resistance is based on fear. 832 00:48:56,840 --> 00:48:57,110 Mm-Hmm. 833 00:48:57,890 --> 00:49:02,215 If you are afraid, if you're not afraid of data. 834 00:49:02,435 --> 00:49:04,655 So now Yep. 835 00:49:04,820 --> 00:49:05,720 Bad things happen. 836 00:49:05,720 --> 00:49:08,455 I'm not saying, you know, we just went through a lot of the bad 837 00:49:08,455 --> 00:49:09,775 things that happened, obviously. 838 00:49:09,775 --> 00:49:10,175 Mm-Hmm. 839 00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:17,630 . But so what, so what, um, and basically that was sort of what Obama said. 840 00:49:17,990 --> 00:49:18,470 So what. 841 00:49:19,295 --> 00:49:25,265 And so, needless to say, um, the, the rest is, the rest is history. 842 00:49:25,275 --> 00:49:27,255 It's two, two terms. 843 00:49:27,255 --> 00:49:28,305 Two terms. 844 00:49:28,435 --> 00:49:29,275 We made it here. 845 00:49:29,405 --> 00:49:30,415 Mm hmm. 846 00:49:30,415 --> 00:49:34,045 No family in the White House, including mother, no problems, 847 00:49:34,315 --> 00:49:37,555 no scammers, major legislation. 848 00:49:37,555 --> 00:49:41,095 One of the most important pieces of legislation that I talk about all 849 00:49:41,105 --> 00:49:43,805 the time is the Affordable Care Act. 850 00:49:43,805 --> 00:49:44,545 Affordable Care Act. 851 00:49:44,595 --> 00:49:45,095 Yeah. 852 00:49:45,215 --> 00:49:45,715 What do you mean? 853 00:49:45,945 --> 00:49:46,435 We know that's a given. 854 00:49:48,115 --> 00:49:49,468 You talked about it on the show. 855 00:49:49,468 --> 00:49:50,511 Yes, yes I did. 856 00:49:50,511 --> 00:49:52,815 And the important thing about Obamacare, particularly for 857 00:49:52,835 --> 00:49:56,185 those of us in the healthcare field, well, it's another thing. 858 00:49:56,185 --> 00:50:00,075 But one of the things it did, it forced all hospitals and all 859 00:50:00,115 --> 00:50:02,385 doctors offices to come to me. 860 00:50:04,115 --> 00:50:06,735 Without an engagement from the federal government. 861 00:50:07,435 --> 00:50:10,205 It wouldn't have happened without a threat saying, you know what, if 862 00:50:10,205 --> 00:50:14,775 we don't repudialize by XYZ day, we're going to start sending, stop 863 00:50:14,775 --> 00:50:16,395 sending new Medicare patients. 864 00:50:17,665 --> 00:50:21,565 Most hospitals and doctors offices could not survive without a 865 00:50:21,845 --> 00:50:23,255 Medicare and Medi Cal patients. 866 00:50:23,915 --> 00:50:28,834 Because the government figured out that it pays the money, who's the money? 867 00:50:28,835 --> 00:50:32,845 Okay, uh, so as a result, and so that was one of the big things about Obamacare. 868 00:50:34,415 --> 00:50:37,185 Second big thing about Obama because it's sort of a level of play for you. 869 00:50:37,675 --> 00:50:43,065 Um, in this country, the biggest cause of bankruptcies is people getting sick. 870 00:50:43,935 --> 00:50:47,805 The only civilized country in the world that has that. 871 00:50:49,005 --> 00:50:50,055 Europe doesn't have it. 872 00:50:50,405 --> 00:50:51,865 Um, England doesn't have it. 873 00:50:51,905 --> 00:50:53,265 Canada doesn't have it. 874 00:50:53,565 --> 00:50:56,745 You know, the Asian countries don't have it because they have 875 00:50:56,745 --> 00:50:58,515 a centralized type of medicine. 876 00:50:59,130 --> 00:50:59,600 Right? 877 00:50:59,620 --> 00:51:01,290 Here it's harder for the most part. 878 00:51:01,290 --> 00:51:04,410 Now, we have Medicare and Medi Cal, but a lot of the problems is far higher. 879 00:51:04,770 --> 00:51:06,080 If you have money, you can afford this. 880 00:51:06,080 --> 00:51:08,060 If you don't have money, you can't afford this. 881 00:51:08,060 --> 00:51:09,140 Et cetera, et cetera. 882 00:51:10,735 --> 00:51:14,985 Okay, so huge talk about the health care. 883 00:51:15,295 --> 00:51:18,665 Um, and the other thing that we're going to talk about a couple of weeks 884 00:51:18,665 --> 00:51:24,465 from now is the increased patient rights, things like the advanced 885 00:51:24,465 --> 00:51:31,755 direct seeing that I'm going to be your doctor and I have a duty to inform you 886 00:51:32,105 --> 00:51:37,155 about what you need to have done to you, you know, say operation, right? 887 00:51:37,510 --> 00:51:40,399 But you as a patient have a right to refuse. 888 00:51:40,399 --> 00:51:42,322 Even though it's Operation D? 889 00:51:42,322 --> 00:51:43,861 Even though it's what? 890 00:51:43,861 --> 00:51:44,630 Operation D. 891 00:51:44,630 --> 00:51:46,553 Even though it's Operation D. 892 00:51:46,553 --> 00:51:47,707 It's your right. 893 00:51:47,707 --> 00:51:48,476 That's right. 894 00:51:48,476 --> 00:51:49,246 So Dr. 895 00:51:49,246 --> 00:51:49,630 Schatz. 896 00:51:49,630 --> 00:51:51,590 You're a nice guy and I like you. 897 00:51:52,100 --> 00:51:53,750 And I like all that stuff that you've done. 898 00:51:54,030 --> 00:51:54,590 But I don't think so. 899 00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:55,760 To not. 900 00:51:56,720 --> 00:51:57,390 I just don't. 901 00:51:58,530 --> 00:52:00,920 I mean, I choose not to do. 902 00:52:00,920 --> 00:52:05,190 Um, and so, so it has a tremendous fundamental effect. 903 00:52:06,100 --> 00:52:06,420 So. 904 00:52:07,815 --> 00:52:09,835 Riding down God's end chart. 905 00:52:09,855 --> 00:52:11,205 These are my basic principles. 906 00:52:11,205 --> 00:52:14,835 I start off with my beliefs and I end up with my basic principles. 907 00:52:15,315 --> 00:52:19,095 God is in charge of my life and has been, and you do not know 908 00:52:19,765 --> 00:52:21,365 the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 909 00:52:21,365 --> 00:52:25,845 I invite you, or I encourage you, to seek out his guidance 910 00:52:25,925 --> 00:52:27,965 and to follow his teachings. 911 00:52:28,550 --> 00:52:29,790 Uh, no bad days. 912 00:52:29,790 --> 00:52:31,110 I do not have bad days. 913 00:52:31,110 --> 00:52:35,100 I've said it before, and I figured out about 30 years ago, uh, 914 00:52:35,120 --> 00:52:38,830 that, uh, um, the days weren't good or bad if I said they were. 915 00:52:39,210 --> 00:52:41,600 So, uh, I don't have bad days. 916 00:52:42,010 --> 00:52:45,130 Don't sweat the small stuff, and most stuff is small. 917 00:52:45,590 --> 00:52:49,650 Uh, you will find the things that you worry about and agonize over. 918 00:52:49,665 --> 00:52:57,275 Um, and most of the time, you have control over that, and so you can stop it. 919 00:52:57,685 --> 00:52:58,975 Forgiveness is therapy. 920 00:52:59,525 --> 00:53:04,005 When someone does or says something to you that you think 921 00:53:04,365 --> 00:53:08,945 is negative, or you interpret as negative, forgive them immediately. 922 00:53:09,415 --> 00:53:13,215 Don't try to look at the facts, just, just, just go ahead and do it. 923 00:53:13,870 --> 00:53:18,080 And her principle, uh, is everything is a relationship. 924 00:53:18,520 --> 00:53:20,930 Everything, everything, everything is a relationship. 925 00:53:21,240 --> 00:53:23,220 Relationships are based on three things. 926 00:53:23,460 --> 00:53:27,010 Mutual respect, mutual trust, good communication. 927 00:53:27,620 --> 00:53:30,360 If you have those three things, you have a good relationship. 928 00:53:30,890 --> 00:53:33,580 If you do not, then you have a road trip. 929 00:53:36,990 --> 00:53:37,910 The history continues. 930 00:53:39,670 --> 00:53:43,980 Um, where will you be in this line of leadership? 931 00:53:44,935 --> 00:53:45,915 What would you do? 932 00:53:46,625 --> 00:53:50,565 I suggest to me to have a conversation with the person in the mirror and 933 00:53:50,565 --> 00:53:53,385 you decide what's best for you. 934 00:53:53,725 --> 00:53:54,855 But the struggle continues. 935 00:53:56,315 --> 00:53:57,515 The legacy continues. 936 00:53:58,425 --> 00:54:02,695 I suggest to you, have a conversation with the person in the mirror 937 00:54:03,175 --> 00:54:05,275 and say, Well, what is my voice? 938 00:54:05,925 --> 00:54:13,185 Well, what am I going to do to make things just a little bit better? 939 00:54:13,775 --> 00:54:15,555 We all have that privilege. 940 00:54:15,755 --> 00:54:16,765 We all have that right. 941 00:54:17,535 --> 00:54:18,865 We all have that opportunity. 942 00:54:21,545 --> 00:54:27,225 And it goes, if you and I are completely happy with the way the 943 00:54:27,235 --> 00:54:34,594 world is, you be the change that you want to see in the world. 944 00:54:34,675 --> 00:54:35,085 Thank you. 945 00:54:35,915 --> 00:54:38,525 Thank you for listening to this episode of the Healthy, wealthy, 946 00:54:38,525 --> 00:54:40,655 and Wise Podcast with Dr. 947 00:54:40,655 --> 00:54:43,325 William t Choctaw, md, jd. 948 00:54:43,865 --> 00:54:47,375 Be sure to check out other great episodes covering areas of health, 949 00:54:47,585 --> 00:54:52,445 wealth, and wisdom@twwp.com. 950 00:54:52,655 --> 00:54:56,285 And while you're there, be sure to check out the books, blogs, and other 951 00:54:56,285 --> 00:54:58,445 literature in your preferred format. 952 00:54:58,865 --> 00:55:02,255 And don't forget to leave a review, subscribe, share. 953 00:55:02,785 --> 00:55:06,625 Support the podcast that's at THWWP. 954 00:55:07,155 --> 00:55:11,975 com you've been listening to the Healthy, Wealthy and Wise podcast with Dr. 955 00:55:11,975 --> 00:55:12,515 William T. 956 00:55:12,515 --> 00:55:15,055 Choctaw, MD, JD.