Full Transcript for Thoughts on America's first 250 with Shermichael Singleton and Tavis Smiley

running underneath that one, a story about 36 00:01:55.319 --> 00:01:57.000 who built this country, who was left out of its 37 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:59.599 founding promises, and who has spent two and a half 38 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:03.319 century he's fighting to make those promises real. That's the 39 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:06.120 story that we've been trying to tell for three hours. 40 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:06.439 Today. 41 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:10.319 We started in our one with the brilliance of Connie Rice. 42 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:15.000 Connie Lady Foundation, and that foundation was simply this this 43 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:21.639 weekend for us is much more confrontation than celebration. Doctor 44 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:26.599 West took that and built on it just majestically in 45 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:29.120 our second hour with the frame that he laid out 46 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:32.520 as only Cornell West could do. And in this hour 47 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:35.080 we closed today with the sher Michael Singleton. As I 48 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:37.159 said at the top of the show over two hours ago, 49 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:40.680 I suspect they won't agree on everything, and I'm glad 50 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:42.479 they don't. I hope they don't. It's more fund that 51 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:45.439 way for me. But they all agree that this historic 52 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:49.960 moment deserves real conversation and not just celebration. Here's the 53 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:51.879 question for sher Michael Singleton for the rest of this 54 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.800 hour when we come forward, what does America at two 55 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:59.759 point fifty actually mean when you look at it through 56 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:04.319 a black lens, through Black history, through black struggle and 57 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:07.319 black contribution. No secret to this audience. So if you 58 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:09.360 will see it in watching, you see Shermichael all the time. 59 00:03:09.479 --> 00:03:11.879 His point of view is a bit more conservative. I 60 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:14.840 want to include all voices in this discourse today. So 61 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:17.840 you've heard from Connie, you've heard from Cornell West, and 62 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:19.879 now you're gonna hear from Shermichael Singleton when we come 63 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:23.039 forward in this final hour of today's program on Tavis Smiling, 64 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:27.039 mister James Brown. All three hours of Tavis Smiley Living 65 00:03:27.080 --> 00:03:30.439 in America. You recall that from one of those twenty 66 00:03:30.759 --> 00:03:33.639 twenty five Rocky movies. I forgot which one this was 67 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:37.680 number four? Is that what it was, Rocky Ford? But 68 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:40.039 that's James Brown living in America, and that's what we're 69 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:43.039 doing our best, at least to live in America two 70 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:45.879 hundred and fifty years later, and we've been trying to 71 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:48.400 unpack what that means looking at it through a black lens. 72 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:51.520 All three hours of this program. We thank Connie Rice 73 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:54.159 for hour one. We thank Dr Cornell West for hour two, 74 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:58.840 and we thank in advance, Shermichael Singleton see it in contributor, 75 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:02.360 co founder we the Free TV streaming Network. We thank 76 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:04.120 him for what I know is going to be another 77 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:07.840 brilliant and eloquent hour starting right now. So Michael Singleton, 78 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:08.240 how are. 79 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:11.039 You, sir? Hey Thamas, I'm doing well. 80 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:15.800 I first want to give my condolences publicly to doctor 81 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:18.839 West and the entire West family for the loss of 82 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:22.720 his sister Cynthia, and I also want to congratulate you 83 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:25.720 and your entire team and support us for five years. Man, 84 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:29.279 it is not easy trying to build a business, especially 85 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:31.319 when you're trying to build one with a moral conscious. 86 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:33.000 So congratulations to you all. 87 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:34.720 You are kind to say that. It means a great 88 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:36.399 deal here that come from you, So thank you, thank you, 89 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:38.639 thank you half of our entire team. I received that, 90 00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:40.879 and again, thank you for it. I know Doctor West 91 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:43.600 probably still listening in Sacramento and just heard you, and 92 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:46.439 I know he deeply appreciates your condolences on the loss 93 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:49.720 of Cynthia. We're all wrestling with that, and we thank 94 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:52.399 you for those acknowledgments. At the outs of this conversation, 95 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:54.199 let me give you a chance to answer the same 96 00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:56.959 question that CONNYE. Rights tackled in our one, the Doctor 97 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:59.000 West tackled in our two. And I will follow you 98 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:02.040 as I always do and push forward through this hour. 99 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:04.480 So here we are, two hundred and fifty years in 100 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:08.560 and where our people are concerned. What is the frame? 101 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:10.720 What is the lens through which you want us to 102 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:13.040 look at America? 103 00:05:13.319 --> 00:05:16.639 We certainly have every right to be concerned. 104 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:24.279 I'm not going to pretend that there aren't structural things 105 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:29.920 and politics

and policy from history to job attainment to 106 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:33.000 the how when my party is going about shrinking the 107 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:38.680 size of government and the unfortunate implications that have had 108 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:45.079 in real time on black employment within government and contractors within. 109 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:46.800 Government, I am, I am. 110 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:49.240 It is clear to me, I'm clear eyed that those 111 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:53.360 things are evident to all black people. And I wrestle 112 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:58.120 with trying to be a voice of reason on my 113 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:01.439 side in terms of how you're approach things from a 114 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:07.639 policy perspective to not inadvertently have immediate negative impacts on people, 115 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:10.879 and I think good policy tries to avoid that as 116 00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:14.439 best as it possibly can. And I continue to, having 117 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:16.600 to be quite honest with you, I continue to try 118 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:18.000 to navigate. 119 00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:21.160 That as better because I think I have an obligation 120 00:06:21.319 --> 00:06:21.959 to do so. 121 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:27.920 That said, I do want black people, particularly younger black people, 122 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:31.680 specifically young black men, which is something I focus a 123 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:36.759 lot on, to be excited about the possibilities that are 124 00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:37.879 at our feet. 125 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:39.360 You know, I grew up in the South. 126 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:43.079 I grew up with my great grandmother still living living 127 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.639 into her middle nineties, listening to the stories of what 128 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:49.399 it was like to grow up in the South. Having 129 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:52.839 grandparents who were the first to desegregate their schools, so 130 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:57.839 I know in real time what the experiences of Black 131 00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:02.839 Americans were like just four or five, six decades ago, 132 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:06.600 and so there's no naivete on my end of what 133 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:11.000 we have overcome. But I also know the advantages that 134 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:14.600 I have had because of the struggles of my grandparents, 135 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:17.879 my great grandparents, and those who unfortunately. 136 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:20.120 Lost their lives, for the freedoms and. 137 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:23.319 Opportunity for me to even be on CNN and to 138 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:26.959 be able to have a political perspective that they may 139 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:30.000 not always agree with, and to see many of my 140 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:32.639 friends who built YouTube followings. 141 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:34.959 Who have perspectives that I don't always agree with and 142 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:36.000 are making money. 143 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:39.759 Tavis are prushing it, selling their shirts and having their 144 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:44.040 voices be heard. These are things that my grandparents couldn't 145 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:47.040 imagine fifty years ago. That you could build a million 146 00:07:47.079 --> 00:07:50.959 person following on social media and start making one hundred 147 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:52.839 thousand dollars a month is unheard of. Or that you 148 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:55.680 could be a chaise not and people would just watch 149 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:58.639 you on streaming and you can become a multimillionaire. So 150 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:03.720 the possibilities for us today, especially with technology now are limitless. 151 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:05.879 I mean, I look at my own brother, for example, 152 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:09.040 he owns a small shoe company in Houston, Texas, and 153 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:12.079 started off cleaning shoes for people in our family, and 154 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:14.800 now he's cleaned shoes for people all over the country. 155 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:17.079 Now now he's running a small six figure shop and 156 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:20.120 has built it because of technology and social media. And 157 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:23.879 so I say that to say what I see in 158 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:27.600 my immediate circles and the circles that I have not 159 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:32.279 tapped into, our talented Black people who are figuring out 160 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:34.200 how to make something happen. 161 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:37.240 And so I say, despite the hurdles that. 162 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:40.799 Still exist for us, there is so much when you 163 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:43.840 look at our history that we can be excited about 164 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:46.120 when we put our minds towards doing great things, and 165 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:48.679 we are great people, And so I say, keep looking 166 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:49.600 forward for the future. 167 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:56.440 So doctor West and Connie both agreed that while there 168 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:01.279 is there is room and reason for celebration, you've laid 169 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:04.639 into that quite eloquently, and nobody's going to argue anything 170 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.879 you've said about the reason the need for celebration. Two 171 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:10.320 and fifty years in, we've made some progress, no question 172 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:13.360 about that. So that's the celebration side. Do you have 173 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:17.679 anything on your list of confrontations that we need to 174 00:09:17.720 --> 00:09:20.320 engage right about now. So the celebration part we get. 175 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:22.519 What about the confrontation part of this conversation. 176 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:28.759 Yeah,

absolutely. My biggest concern. You know, I'm big on entrepreneurship, Tavis. 177 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:35.480 I am worried about the status of Black Americans economically. 178 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:39.720 I'm worried about the fact that we still are behind 179 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:43.879 significantly at home ownership. I'm worried about the fact that 180 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:47.759 in terms of generational wealth we haven't quite attained it. 181 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:51.120 We've certainly made progress. I can't deny what the stats say. 182 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:55.159 We have made progress, but it is not progress enough 183 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:57.559 for me to be comfortable with where we are as 184 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:01.360 a collective of people. When I look at I'll just 185 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:03.600 give an example, some of the stats from the Labor 186 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:09.440 Statistics Bureal Labor Statistics, Hispanics, Americans and migrants. They're starting 187 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:13.039 to surpass us in terms of college attainment. They're slowly 188 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:16.639 surpassing us in terms of household wealth. 189 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:19.360 I look at those numbers and. 190 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:23.840 I say, man, you know, America today would not be 191 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:28.120 the America that it is without the labor that got 192 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:28.879 us to this point. 193 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:30.879 That cannot be ignored. Nor denied. 194 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:36.519 And so why is it that the descendants of the 195 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:41.879 individuals who toiled with no type of dividends, why is 196 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:43.440 it that we're still behind? 197 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:44.720 And so that worries me. 198 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:46.960 And this is not I'm a conservative, so I'm not 199 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:49.360 saying let's go beg anybody for any darn thing. 200 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:50.799 But what I'm. 201 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:55.799 Saying is we have got to be vocal some necessary 202 00:10:55.879 --> 00:11:02.440 structural changes in banking and SBA loans to entrepreneurs, to 203 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:07.759 give opportunities to black creatives so that we can build 204 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:10.639 the substantial wealth to be passed down, so that we 205 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:14.759 can buy homes and get interest rates that are not 206 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:18.639 the types of predatory interest rates against our people. It 207 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.039 doesn't make sense for a black person to have the 208 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:25.840 income and sometimes even better credit scores than our majority counterparts, 209 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:27.919 and yet we still get higher interest rates. These are 210 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:31.679 things that must structurally change. And so the negative that's 211 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:33.799 what

I worry about, because in my mind, when you 212 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:38.080 have economic freedom, oh man, you unleash everything else. Tabis 213 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:42.480 better health outcomes, better academic outcomes for our children. I'm 214 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:44.559 a big gun guy. People say, oh, you look at 215 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:46.759 inner cities and all these young black youth are killing 216 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:47.120 each other. 217 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:47.360 Up. 218 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:50.399 You know they're out of control. Well, no, I see. 219 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:52.679 It differently because I mentor a lot of black youth 220 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:56.799 in Baltimore. I talk to these young brothers and they say, oh, man, Sirmichael, 221 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:58.480 you know I show them my clips are seeing it, 222 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:00.519 and they're like, man, I can't imagine that. Is like, 223 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:05.080 these are guys who are hungry for success, but they 224 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:07.200 don't have the direction. I'm just telling you what my 225 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:10.840 experience has been. They're hungry for someone to say no, no, no, 226 00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:12.639 this isn't how you do it. You got to do 227 00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:16.799 it this way, Show me how, teach me how. And 228 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:21.519 so to me, the focus must be on economics because economics, 229 00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:23.080 in my opinion. 230 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:25.240 Leash everything else. 231 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:29.799 And not all of us are going to be basketball players, singers, actors, 232 00:12:30.120 --> 00:12:32.879 but a lot of us can be businessmen. A lot 233 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:34.799 of us can be lawyers and doctors. A lot of 234 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:38.039 us can be the next leaders of tech. And let 235 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:39.440 me tell you something. You talk to a lot of 236 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:41.679 these young guys man times. I work with my buddy 237 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:44.879 Mark Manley. They call them Mark Chopper out of Baltimore, 238 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:46.279 and Mark does a lot of work with a lot 239 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:48.799 of the inner city young black guys trying to get 240 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:52.000 them away from drugs and violence and de escalation. And 241 00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:53.399 I've partnered with him and put in a lot of 242 00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:55.480 my own money to help out with Mark and his 243 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:56.440 wife for trying to do. 244 00:12:57.639 --> 00:13:00.879 You talk to these guys and they are brilliant, Tavis. 245 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:03.720 You talk to them about operations and they may not 246 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:07.879 have the nomenclature, but they understand the systems. And I 247 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:09.279 and Mark and I talk about this all the time, 248 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:17.200 and I say, man, who with mentorship? 249 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:20.000 I see it every freaking day with these guys. 250 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:23.639 And so to me, economics is the key to unleash everything. 251 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:25.639 And that, to me is where we got to make 252 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:26.559 a lot of ground. 253 00:13:27.159 --> 00:13:29.360 And and I think we have to challenge the systems 254 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:32.279 with my party Democrats, and they're empowered to say you 255 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:35.159 must do more because this is what John O'Brien says 256 00:13:35.159 --> 00:13:39.399 all the time. You may not like me, but more 257 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:43.360 of me who are successful benefits everybody. And you can't 258 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:46.919 deny the statistical analysis behind that thought process. 259 00:13:47.960 --> 00:13:50.320 Let me let me lean in now to the frame 260 00:13:50.360 --> 00:13:54.279 that you're you're expanding your frame now you're talking about 261 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:56.279 the parties, and so I thank you for that setup. 262 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:00.559 We were talking earlier about about about about the celebration 263 00:14:00.679 --> 00:14:03.639 two hundred and fifty years in, but also the continuing 264 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:07.559 need for confrontation of this experiment in democracy and of 265 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.720 the frame, the political frame that we find ourselves in. 266 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:12.120 So let me just give you a couple of data 267 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:14.960 points here, give me a second or a second two 268 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:16.919 to set this up for you in the audience, and 269 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:20.000 then I'll let Sir Michael spend some time responding. So 270 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:23.559 there's some new data out just in time for the 271 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:27.759 two hundred and fiftieth that suggests that the GOP has 272 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:31.960 spotted an opening with black voters that the Republicans have 273 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:33.759 spotted and opening with black voters. Let me give you 274 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:37.440 some data points here. So we're told that a generational 275 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:44.159 and structural shift is decoupling black identity from Democratic party loyalty. 276 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:49.799 This generational and structural shift is decoupling black identity from 277 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:55.159 Democratic party loyalty, transforming a once reliable voting block into 278 00:14:55.240 --> 00:15:01.039 a cohort of political free agents that the GOP is 279 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:05.960 uniquely positioned to exploit, they believe. But another way, even 280 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:11.320 modest GOP gains combined with weakening party loyalty could make 281 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:15.440 a big difference in close elections. Here's the key in 282 00:15:15.480 -->

00:15:19.399 a post Voting Rights Act world. That's why this data 283 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:22.120 point is so significant, the first data of its con 284 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:25.960 to come out in a post Voting Rights Act world. 285 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:29.000 President Trump, as we know, has made some games with 286 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:33.799 black voters, despite his posting racist videos, using racist rhetoric, 287 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:37.320 advancing policies that I think are antithetical to the best 288 00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:40.879 interests of black people, and trying to erase our history 289 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:44.279 in a moment such as this and we can voting rights. 290 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:46.960 All that said, he has still made some inroads, as 291 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:52.399 we know, with black voters. An Axios review of recent 292 00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:56.879 data shows breaks in the strong black support for Democrats. 293 00:15:57.000 --> 00:15:58.679 They go all the way back to JFK in the 294 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:02.279 sixties up to Barack Obama's historic win back in two 295 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:04.519 thousand and eight. Here's the zoom in, if you will, 296 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:08.000 here's the zoom in. Donald Trump is benefiting less from 297 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:12.480 persuasion and more from a changing electorate. And that's the 298 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:15.759 point we all pull our hair out and start screaming, 299 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:18.039 you know, how could these black men support Donald Trump. 300 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:23.840 It's less about Donald Trump persuading them and more of 301 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:28.440 a changing electorate. By the numbers, here you go, Republican 302 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:33.039 identification among black Americans climbed into the mid to high 303 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:36.960 teens in the most recent Gallop data. I repeat that, 304 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:41.840 Republican identification among Black Americans climbed into the mid to 305 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:46.399 high teens in the recent most recent Gallop data. Two 306 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:50.399 hundred and fifty years in, some of us are making 307 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:55.320 our way back to the Republican party that was driven 308 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:58.000 by or is being driven largely by which won't surprise 309 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:04.759 you black men making these moves toward Republican affiliation. That's 310 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:09.519 new data post this gutting of voting rights. So the 311 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:12.519 GOP season opening with black voters. Now, why do I 312 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:15.720 share all that? Because Shermichael Number one mentioned the parties 313 00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:19.799 we're talking about confrontation, we're talking about with doctor West 314 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:23.559 moments ago, the fight back. So how do we accomplish 315 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:28.599 our goals politically? How do we show up politically given 316 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:31.440 the two party system that we're stuck inside of. I 317 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:34.279 got my own critique of that. But if this data 318 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:37.759 is real two hundred and fifty years in, where are 319 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:41.759 black folks headed politically? I think Shermichael for his patients 320 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:43.400 to let me set that up. When we come forward, 321 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:46.000 I will shut up and let him speak up. You're 322 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:49.640 listening to Shermichael Singleton on Tavis Smile. It's the best 323 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:51.799 of James Brown all three hours of our program today. 324 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:53.920 It certainly has been. We got the data twenty two 325 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:57.599 minutes before we wrap today's show, and this conversation with 326 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.279 Shermichael Singleton. Again, in case you're just tuned and you've 327 00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:03.960 missed an amazing show, a good bill. This I can 328 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:07.319 assure you will be heard again tomorrow on the best 329 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:11.119 of Tavis Smiley across these stations in America as we 330 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:14.000 pushed toward the two indifited the anniversary of the Republic 331 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:16.759 this weekend. In our first hour today, we were joined 332 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:19.720 by Connie Rice. In the second hour, doctor Corneill West 333 00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:23.839 and now Shermichael Singleton, all wrestling with this notion of 334 00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:28.400 how we process this historic anniversary in this country through 335 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:32.599 a black lens, from a black perspective, through a black prism. 336 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:33.279 Uh. 337 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:35.240 And again, if you missed any of today's program, if 338 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:37.079 you're just now tuning in, you've missed a good one. 339 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:41.240 Uh Dare I say a classic show? So tonight when 340 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:44.799 the podcast are posted, check out the podcast of Connie 341 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.920 Rice in our one, the podcast of doctor Cornell West 342 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:50.279 in our two and you've already missed a good part 343 00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:53.079 of this conversation with Shermichael Singleton here in our third 344 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:56.759 and final hour today Shermichael conservative CNN contributor, as you 345 00:18:56.839 --> 00:18:59.880 all know, you're seeing there all the time, UH co founder, 346 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:02.200 We the Free TV streaming network and a monitor to 347 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:06.200 have him on for a more conservative perspective on how 348 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:10.079 we process as black people this moment that we find 349

00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:14.480 ourselves in. You can't look at America two and fifty 350 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:16.839 years later without looking at it from our perspective. Do 351 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:20.160 boys asked that question many years ago? Would America have 352 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:24.079 been America without her Negro people? Would America have been 353 00:19:24.119 --> 00:19:26.640 America without her Negro people? We know the answer to 354 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:28.920 that question. It's a resounding no. But what do you 355 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:31.119 see when you look at America through a black lens, 356 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:34.720 through Black history, through black struggle, and through black contribution 357 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:38.160 and black aspiration for that matter. So I cited some 358 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:39.920 data points a moment ago. I won't waste my time 359 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:44.599 going through all them again. But because of not so 360 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:48.039 much because of Donald Trump's persuasion, but because of a 361 00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:52.960 changing electorate, the GOP is looking at an opportunity to 362 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:57.160 gain some ground with African American voters. Republican identification among 363 00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:01.079 Black Americans has in fact climbed down into the mid 364 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:04.559 to high teens in the most recent Gallop poll, driven 365 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:08.519 largely black black men, largely by black men, and those 366 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:13.160 moving toward Republican affiliation. And so I stand down now 367 00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:16.359 to let Shamichael tell us how he's processing these data 368 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:18.680 points two and fifty years later, where it appears that 369 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:23.200 some black people are headed back to the Republican Party. 370 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:24.680 Samichael to Michael Jordan. 371 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:29.039 I think a lot of black voters, specifically black men, 372 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:36.480 are exerting their political autonomy. One particular party is not 373 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:40.599 entitled to the black vote or black support. I firmly 374 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:43.240 believe that as I mean, I'm a conservative for goodness sake, 375 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:47.599 and I think for us to be strategic and how 376 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:51.079 we navigate politics in the United States is fundamentally important 377 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:55.440 for our community. We have a collective set of interests, 378 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:58.960 and we need the ability to be able to exert 379 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:04.000 political pressure sures via our ability to vote small valid 380 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:07.920 donations on political candidates who belong to the Democratic and 381 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:11.920 Republican Party when they're taking policies that are not in 382 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:14.000 our interests, or when they're not. 383 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:17.079 Listening to what our grievances may be. 384 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:20.240 And you cannot do that, in my opinion, as a strategist, 385 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:26.720 by only supporting a one particular party with the majority 386 00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:29.279 of your voter. A good friend of mine, Ashley Ettien, 387 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:33.240 who used to be the communications director for Vice President 388 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:38.160 Harris and also the top comms person for former Speaker 389 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:41.440 of the House Nancy Pelosi, just sitting in an article 390 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:43.880 she wrote for USA Today, I think a week ago. 391 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:46.039 She was talking about the James tel Rico on the 392 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:49.559 Texas Senate race in Texas Democrats, and in her article 393 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:53.000 she cited how twenty seven percent of black men are 394 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:56.720 now identifying as Republicans in the state of Texas. Now, 395 00:21:56.759 --> 00:22:00.400 to your point, this is not necessarily because President Trump 396 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:02.680 or hell my party for that matter, has done a 397 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:04.599 great job trying. 398 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:06.119 To persuade black people. 399 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:09.319 We have not, and that's been a big thorn in 400 00:22:09.400 --> 00:22:11.519 my side for years, going all the way back to 401 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:14.319 when I was a student at Moorhouse, trying to get 402 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:19.519 the party to understand why it is important to target 403 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:22.200 and reach out to black voters. We care about economics 404 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:25.680 like everybody else. We are typically culturally conservative. I mean 405 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:28.519 I wrote an article for Everny magazine years ago titled 406 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:34.160 Black Americans are the best example of what conservatism is 407 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:37.279 in practice. You go and look at all the contextual 408 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:41.119 writings from Edmund Burke and Nozick and Oakshott and all 409 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:43.720 these guys about what is conservatism. I said, well, look, 410 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:45.400 you look at black people in America. We are the 411 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:47.799 best example. And I set all these reasons. Why so 412 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:51.240 if you're a party that is to embrace conservatism and 413 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:55.359 be the embodiment of conservatism in the electoral form, then 414 00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:58.720 you absolutely should be targeting black people, in my opinion, 415 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:01.400 more than any other group that's neither here nor there. 416 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:03.839 To answer the question

the fundamentals of the points that 417 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:06.720 you made, I'm not surprised. I think it is key. 418 00:23:07.079 --> 00:23:08.920 I think this should be a wake up call for 419 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:11.960 my friends on the other side. Why are you losing 420 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:16.319 African Americans? What does that mean about the current standing 421 00:23:16.359 --> 00:23:19.160 of the Democratic Party. And then to me, as a 422 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:22.240 black man who cares deeply about our community, yeh, I 423 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:24.319 happen to be a conservative, I happened to be a Republican, 424 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:27.119 but I am black. I can never change that. I 425 00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:30.440 care about the standing of our people. I care about 426 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:32.960 where we're going, and to see black people say, you 427 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:35.400 know what, it is time for us to start playing 428 00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:36.839 both sides of this coin. 429 00:23:36.680 --> 00:23:39.839 Like everybody else. I am in agreement with that, Tavis. 430 00:23:39.880 --> 00:23:41.960 I must be honest with you, and I hope we 431 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:44.440 do so with strategy, and I hope we do so 432 00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:47.839 in ways that benefit us in the long run. 433 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:49.880 Because every other group in this country has done it 434 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:50.440 for years. 435 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:53.039 It is now time for us to say, we need 436 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:55.240 to get a lot more out of this system. After 437 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:57.960 everything we have gone through as a collective, the time 438 00:23:58.039 --> 00:23:58.400 is now. 439 00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:01.359 No, here's the challenge for me. One thing for the 440 00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:03.880 GOP two C and opening right now with black voters, 441 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:10.839 and to engage in targeting those fellow citizens. It's another 442 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:15.240 thing when those fellow citizens feel targeted by the Republican Party. 443 00:24:16.039 --> 00:24:19.680 So targeting is one thing, targeted is something else. And 444 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:22.599 that's the disconnect for me, that there's so many of 445 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:27.359 us who feel targeted right now by the Republican Party, 446 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:31.839 certainly by those Donald Trump policies. There's a disconnect. So 447 00:24:31.880 --> 00:24:34.240 you can target us all day long in terms of 448 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:36.519 trying to pull us into your fold, but we feel 449 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:41.680 targeted by your policies. What am I missing in this disconnect? 450 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:43.960 Yeah, let me address that. 451 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:50.000 By having black voters who happen to identify as Republican 452 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:53.119 now means tab us in the electoral sense. 453 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:56.119 We can now exert real pressure. Now what do I mean. 454 00:24:56.720 --> 00:25:00.720 Let's say your black community of people living whatever city 455 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:03.400 in the United st of America, and there is a 456 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:09.240 Republican incumbent. Now, because we are whatever percent of their 457 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:12.119 voting block, you can now say, now, wait a minute here, 458 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:18.359 you guys have passed policies, you have adopted policies that 459 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:26.039 have infringed upon the rights of Black Americans, whether that's economically, historically, academically. 460 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:27.680 You can go all down the list of. 461 00:25:27.640 --> 00:25:30.559 Things that could be applicable to my statement, and you 462 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:33.279 can now say, well, you know, twenty five percent of 463 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:36.160 us now vote Republican, and twenty five percent of. 464 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:37.559 Us now have the raw power. 465 00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:41.359 Now I'm talking numbers to decide which way the House 466 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:45.599 is going to go, to decide if this Republican senator. 467 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:48.200 Is going to win this seat or not. So you 468 00:25:48.279 --> 00:25:50.480 may have whatever views you may want. 469 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:54.599 On us as a collective, but now we have the 470 00:25:54.680 --> 00:25:58.680 ability through our vote to decide where power goes in 471 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:02.440 this country because now we're not ninety five percent one way. 472 00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:05.960 I'm just telling you, Tavis, having worked on a ton 473 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:14.160 of campaigns, when you have that type of impact electorally, locally, statewide, 474 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:18.519 and nationally, parties will listen because at the end of 475 00:26:18.599 --> 00:26:21.880 the day, they only care about themselves. They only care 476 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:25.519 about winning the next election maintaining power. When you realize 477 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:29.480 a demographic can impact the power of balance in this country, 478 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:30.880 then you say, you know, we have to start listening. 479 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:33.799 We don't have a choice because they're going to impact 480 00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:36.160 whether or not we maintain the House, whether or not 481 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:38.720 we win the presidency. And so that's the way I 482 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:39.200 look at it. 483 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:39.839 To answer your question. 484 00:26:39.880 --> 00:26:42.000 When you say, well, wait a minute, here, they're taking policies, 485 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:43.519 your micros go to harm in a lot of us, 486 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:46.720 my response is, Tavis, I recognize the number one and 487 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:49.400 in many

ways I think you're right. And my solution 488 00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:51.839 is we can't just sit back and do nothing for 489 00:26:51.880 --> 00:26:54.240 four years or two years if it's a house race. 490 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:58.400 What we can do is, by the sheer size of 491 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:02.480 our population in this country, start moving our vote around 492 00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:06.279 strategically to say, if you do this, we will make 493 00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:07.440 sure you lose seats. 494 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:10.160 It is fascinating two and fifty years in though that 495 00:27:10.200 --> 00:27:14.839 this data point is out now that suggests that there 496 00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:18.240 is an opening that Republicans are trying to seize in 497 00:27:18.319 --> 00:27:21.400 terms of African American voters. And again, in case you 498 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:25.880 are just tuning in, Republican identification amongst black folk has 499 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:28.960 climbed the mid to high teens in the most recent 500 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:33.000 Gallop poll. He mentioned that article that actually had Tea 501 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:34.759 in end of this program. As he's on here from 502 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:37.000 time to time, he mentioned that article that she sent 503 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:41.079 him about the Republican Party registration with black folk in 504 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:44.000 the state of Texas. Texas is an outlier in a 505 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:46.240 variety of ways. But I come back to that because 506 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:48.079 in case you didn't hear this, I mentioned earlier on 507 00:27:48.119 --> 00:27:51.440 your program today, Donald Trump has announced that the GOP 508 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:55.839 will have its first ever midterm convention. We do this 509 00:27:55.880 --> 00:27:58.039 every four years, but now they're doing the midterm convention. 510 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:03.519 It's announced for Dallas, Texas, September the ninth and tenth. 511 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:05.240 There's that news in case you missed it, well, with 512 00:28:05.240 --> 00:28:08.640 Schrmichael Singleton, when we come forward on Tavis Smiley, the 513 00:28:08.759 --> 00:28:11.880 CNN contruder, srm Michael Singleton, co founder of We the 514 00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:14.720 free TV streaming network on it to have him on 515 00:28:14.759 --> 00:28:17.960 this program. I raised this issue earlier as part of 516 00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:21.680 this three hour dialogue about America at two hundred and fifty. 517 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:25.240 All the celebrations this weekend, I said earlier, Shamichael, there'll 518 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:29.279 be fireworks everywhere, flags being flown everywhere. And then I 519 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:32.440 caught myself, well maybe not everywhere. We tapped into a 520 00:28:32.480 --> 00:28:34.799 little bit with CONNYE. Richer early today. This new ap 521 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:39.000 nork pole, which finds deep divides over the American flag, 522 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:41.799 with only about three and ten Black adults displaying it 523 00:28:42.200 --> 00:28:45.279 compared with the roughly half of white and Hispanic adults. 524 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:48.480 Older white Republicans tendes see the flag has a unifying 525 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:51.279 symbol of freedom, while many black folk describe it as 526 00:28:51.319 --> 00:28:54.920 a painful reminder of exclusion and unrealized promises. So there'll 527 00:28:54.920 --> 00:28:56.920 be a lot of flag waving this weekend. Not so 528 00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:58.960 much in Black America, Shirmichael. 529 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:05.799 You know, Tavis, we had June teenth. I celebrated that 530 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:12.119 in Rhode Island with my motorcycle club that I belonged 531 00:29:12.119 --> 00:29:15.400 to as opposites, Black Motorcycle Club, and we had a 532 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:20.119 great time doing some stuff in the community. And July fourth, 533 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:25.319 I planned to celebrate as well as W. B. D. 534 00:29:25.400 --> 00:29:30.880 Bois stated many decades ago, quite frankly, would not be America, 535 00:29:30.920 --> 00:29:34.680 at least not in this iteration without us here, with 536 00:29:35.599 --> 00:29:40.359 all of the imperfections. By the way, we have enriched 537 00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:44.000 this country greatly. We have fought in every war. We 538 00:29:44.200 --> 00:29:45.599 have been a. 539 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:47.640 Part of every technological advancement. 540 00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:49.759 I know we don't talk about those things often, but 541 00:29:49.839 --> 00:29:53.680 from satellites, the mathematics to simple things. 542 00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:57.720 From the trash truck to your street lights. 543 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:00.279 I mean I can go down the line of all 544 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:02.960 of the enhancements we have made and the culturally to 545 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:03.440 the music. 546 00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:03.640 Now. 547 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:06.160 Look, I kind of get critical about the music stuff 548 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:08.119 because I think we focus too much on that. I 549 00:30:08.119 --> 00:30:11.079 think we're I think we're highly intelligent people, and I 550 00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:12.519 think there are other avenues I'd. 551 00:30:12.359 --> 00:30:13.480 Like for us to explore more. 552 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:17.680 But we have had a great cultural impact on this country, 553 00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:22.400 and slowly you're starting to see more African American men 554 00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:25.559 and women, particularly of my generation, who are going more 555 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:28.480 into business. We're getting more into the sciences, and I'm 556 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:30.960 super excited about that. I was just reading a recent 557 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:32.920

stat and we talk a lot about some of the 558 00:30:33.079 --> 00:30:37.079 issues we have as a community. And now more younger 559 00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:39.960 Black people are getting married. Now, in fact, the younger 560 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:44.480 Black marriage rates are starting to supersede younger marriage rates 561 00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:45.920 of other ethnic groups. 562 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:49.279 I'm excited about that. And so again, there are a 563 00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:49.759 lot of. 564 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:53.680 Things, Tavis, that I know as a policy guy, that 565 00:30:53.720 --> 00:30:56.880 we have to improve upon. But man, when I look 566 00:30:56.880 --> 00:30:59.279 at the data and I study this stuff all the time, 567 00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:03.279 I see so many bright spots, and if we can 568 00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:06.960 just focus more on those things, it tells me, as 569 00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:09.039 a thirty five year old it will be thirty six 570 00:31:09.079 --> 00:31:11.960 in a couple of weeks this month, that the future 571 00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:14.720 for my daughter and hopefully the next kid in the 572 00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:18.559 year is promising for us as a group of people. 573 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:20.960 It doesn't mean there won't be hurdles. 574 00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:23.559 It doesn't mean there aren't gonna be people who don't 575 00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:25.440 like the progress, and I say the hell to them, 576 00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:28.240 because we're gonna keep moving forward. But what it says 577 00:31:28.599 --> 00:31:34.440 is that the intelligence, the curiosity, the magnanimity of us 578 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:37.160 as a collective, inspite everything we have. 579 00:31:37.240 --> 00:31:41.119 Gone through, is as resolute as it has ever been. 580 00:31:41.640 --> 00:31:44.000 And so my message to black people is to keep 581 00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:49.240 your heads up high. Don't let anyone knock out the 582 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:53.400 promise that is instilled in all of us of what 583 00:31:53.480 --> 00:31:55.799 we can be, what we can accomplish. 584 00:31:56.039 --> 00:31:57.200 And I get excited about it. 585 00:31:57.240 --> 00:31:59.559 Man. I get excited just looking at when I look 586 00:31:59.559 --> 00:32:01.640 at Social meeting, all these black people doing all these 587 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:04.359 creative things. I'm like, man, look at this, look at 588 00:32:04.400 --> 00:32:05.319 what we can do. 589 00:32:05.599 --> 00:32:06.480 How can you not. 590 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:10.319 Be excited about those things in spite of the trepidation 591 00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:12.039 that many may feel. 592 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:15.640 No, I hear you and what I'm wrestling with, and 593 00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:17.480 let me just hear that right quick, and we'll come 594 00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:20.000 forward and give a Shamichael the last word here. I 595 00:32:20.039 --> 00:32:22.920 started this three hour conversation today talking about the fact 596 00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:26.720 that we want to tell another story about who built 597 00:32:26.720 --> 00:32:29.759 this country, who was left out of its founding promises, 598 00:32:30.359 --> 00:32:32.359 and who has spent two and a half centuries fighting 599 00:32:32.359 --> 00:32:37.279 to make those promises real. Shermichael suggests that he believes 600 00:32:37.359 --> 00:32:42.039 that the future is promising for his daughter and the 601 00:32:42.039 --> 00:32:45.359 next baby they're expecting to have. So the promise is 602 00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:50.559 one thing, but is the future promising for black people? 603 00:32:53.960 --> 00:32:55.759 I'll give Shermichael the last word. Well, come forward on 604 00:32:55.799 --> 00:32:58.559 tap of spint Samichael Sidneyton I got a tight, tight 605 00:32:58.559 --> 00:33:00.240 tight ninety seconds. You know how this works. I wish 606 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:03.039 I had time to debate you on this. The future 607 00:33:03.160 --> 00:33:06.960 is always full of possibility. As long as you're breathing, 608 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:10.039 there's possibility. But you got to unpack that word promising. 609 00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:12.720 Where do you see a promising future for black people? 610 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:15.319 Given all the hell we catch it right now? 611 00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:17.799 They see a promising future. 612 00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:20.680 Times when I look at the data on academic attainment, 613 00:33:20.920 --> 00:33:24.519 on marriage rates, on the increase in entrepreneurship, and more 614 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:28.920 successful businesses today owned by younger Black Americans than there 615 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:32.119 were fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty years ago, I look at 616 00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:35.519 patterns over time, and the patterns over time suggests that 617 00:33:35.559 --> 00:33:37.319 we are continuing to make progress. 618 00:33:37.480 --> 00:33:39.559 It is not fast enough for me. I gotta be 619 00:33:39.559 --> 00:33:40.359 honest about that. 620 00:33:40.519 --> 00:33:43.400 It is not for the reasons that you're worried about, 621 00:33:43.400 --> 00:33:46.160 by the way, So times, I acknowledge everything you're saying. 622 00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:49.480 But brother, the stats say we are going in the 623 00:33:49.519 --> 00:33:52.119 right direction, and my generation we're taking it to the 624 00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:55.000 next level. And I hope we keep fighting so we 625 00:33:55.039 --> 00:33:57.960 can't get there faster. But man, I'm excited when I 626 00:33:57.960 --> 00:34:00.440 look at all of my peers, those who have Colls 627 00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:03.400 degrees and those who don't about the creativity they bring 628 00:34:03.440 --> 00:34:06.599 to everything that they do and the success that's following. 629 00:34:06.799 --> 00:34:09.960 That's why I'm hopeful and excited about what's to come. 630 00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:13.159 I'm out of time. I reiterate, though optimists been hope 631 00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:15.480 ain't the same thing. Number one and number two. I 632 00:34:15.559 --> 00:34:18.119 believe that black folks two and fifty years in have 633 00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:22.159 learned or loved this country in spite of not because 634 00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:26.719 we are here, they're hurdles. Notwithstanding, doctor West made that point, 635 00:34:26.800 --> 00:34:29.559 Connie made that point in his own way. Shermichael Singleton 636 00:34:29.719 --> 00:34:31.480 has also made that point. Then you have it, three 637 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:34.920 hours looking at America at two fifty through our prism, 638 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:37.920 through our lens. I'm grateful to Doc, to Connie, and 639 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:40.079 to Shermichael Shama. Gonna take care of that precious baby. 640 00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:40.840 I'll talk to you soon. 641 00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:43.840 I will to have a thanks brother, God bless you man. 642 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:45.639 Good to have you on this program. Just like that, 643 00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:48.559 three hours are gone. Thanks for tuning in and as always, 644 00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:49.480 keep the faith