Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

G Morning everybody. Welcome on back And I want to talk to you about some things since I am back. But I think it's interesting because this person I'm going to put up is like, let's go D You're right, Darl. Let's go D. I've been waiting on this, the orange entity has been very, very quiet in my Elmer Fud boys. Okay, well, kind of quiet, but not really. I got to tell you guys something. Every once in a while, I had a little bit of a break. You guys can probably see I got some sun becausecause you remember I was overseas during the conference, I lingered a little bit and then came back So but still worked while I was there But I want to show you some things that I'm going to do this morning. Good morning, Lemination. good morning Queen. let me know where you guys are streaming from and make sure this is very important that you hit the like and the thumbs up because it does affect the algorithm and more people become aware of our channel in our conversation This is a picture that was taken on the metro, I believe, but on public transportation in Washington, D.C this weekend. Now you see this is a bllack woman and these are these are Nazis, KKK, whatever you want to call them. They are part of stormfront just racist idiots. And apparently they're not very proud of what they're doing becauseuse Look, they're hiding their faces. And if you're proud of what you're doing, why would you hide your faces? If you're that big in that as we say, you're that big in that guff and that bold, why are you hiding your faces? o? And then it kind of reminded me of this picture if we can put them side by side, and that is a picture of Rosa Parks, right? put them up side by side if you want to I don't know if you can do It kind of reminds me of this picture. of Rosa Park sitting on the bus with dignity And and I'm going to talk about that a little bit, just having to Iignore the racist bigots all around her. Okay, having to ignore all of that So you see those two pictures again That woman just sitting there and Rosa Parks is sitting there. So Good morning everybody. Hope you give me a little bit of time because I'm going to take you through this. because I got time today. I don't know if you have time today, but I have time today, Massachusetts, Jen, Jen in Massachusetts. I have time today d, Denise and Louisville. I have time So thank you so much. It's been a whirwind. I've been working my ass off even though I was away. Okay, this picture is disturbing. And it is correct. Someone said, this picture is disturbing and it's a stark reminder of what's happening I was singing this photo will now be part of history, and it's sad that it's twenty twenty six history says Black Fuego seven Yeah, it is So I got back from overseas I went to the Ken or Con, however you want to say a conference to meet with advertisers and sponsors and people who are in the business, creators, digital folks, all kinds of things. You guys, I'm sure knew about it. And I just want to tell you something about what America looks like from outside right now because I believe I believe that cliche is true. Sometimes you cannot see the forest for the trees when you're standing right inside of it. And I think I think that much of America, not everybody And I don't mean like you guys becausecause some of you are aware and you are the original meaning You understand the original meaning of the term woke From over there, I w to tell you what it looks like and it looks like this. The most powerful country in the history of the world two hundred and fifty years old. Celebrating his birthday with a broken down bajeny Ferris wheel. You guys know what Bjanky is A green algae pond that they want it to be blue, a Confederate flag at the official party. A neo Nazi march on the Capitol. A speech that was two hours late from a president who said that the Civil War was a very big deal at the time and a storm that chased everybody off the national Before the fireworks were even done Now you guys know this the culmination yesterday, that wasn't the culmination. I mean, this should have started way before And while all of this was happening, the man Think about this As we got back to last night. past Net Life Stadium coming back, right? The man who is playing in the FIFA World Cup. for America was Um For Laren Mallagan Born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents who were living in New York at the time, a birthright citizen himself. the exact kind of America that Trump has been arguing in federal courts should not even exist This man three goals matching Landon Donovan for the second most ever scored by an American at a single World Cup They wanted to keep him. Bertt Pattenot in nineteen thirty scored more. He was the only person. and Trump had to call FIFA personally to make sure that he could keep playing. The man trying to erase birthrights citizens a birthright citizen to save America's World Cup Think about that BS From over there, I have to be I have to be honest with you, people were laughing at us They were watching with the kind of concern that you for someone you love, When you see them make a very bad decision that they cannot see themselves making emmbarrassment was not about being American, okay? When people say, I'm proud to be an American U U and there's nuance Am I proud to be an American Overall, but in this moment, no I mean I am a proud American, but the embarrassment was about I'm embarrassed to be an American right now in many places. And no, I'm embarrassed, not in many places. I'm embarrassed. And the embarrassment was not about being proud. It was about what America is doing to itself right now in plain sight and is calling it greatness. There's nothing great about this. This is embarrassing. And I sat there watching with people who are from different countries and they're like all getting along, everybody watching the World Cup. And then you see what's happening with America and you're like, damn We are embarrassing right now Because from over there, you can see it very clearly You can see it extremely clearly because you're not caught in the muck and whatever. And people were asking us, Hey, you guys watching the world, C what are you doing? someome of the folks that I went with were like,'re not yeah, we're ping attention to it, but not in the way that you're paying attention to it Because it's not you're not so caught up in the moment where you're like, America, America And that performative patriotism with hot dogs and the flag and that turns out to be BS becausecause what real patriotism is understanding What the Constitution means, what it means to be an American, what real patriotism is. It' really as I said every time, real patriotism is understanding that you can protest your country, you can criticize your president. You can actually go and point out things that are some broken shit that's in the reflecting pool without being arrested. That's what real patriotism is is pointing out the hypocrisy and the ridiculousness. But you can see it very clearly. a racist Let say that again. A racist, a fascist and a cult that has decided that their feelings about him, the cult leader, the fascist in charge the authoritarian the dictator. that their feelings about him matter more than the facts in front of their faces More than the broken pool, more than the neo Nazis, more than the soldier being investigated for telling the truth in his uniform Wh the white nationalists march free, the U. S military wants to Convict this man, charge this man Prosecute this man Well he is telling the truth. He's in his uniform while the white nationalists March free. More than all of it It's ridiculous. Think about the hypocrisy of that From over there, the MAGa movement looks like what it is Not a political party, not a philosophy, a cult. a cult And a very misguided one. And something that is some weird mental hypocrisy and Cognitive dissonance are just people who cannot admit that they're wrong and they cannot see their racism. They don't see the fascism or they like it, Maybe they see it and that's what they want. A cult with all the hallmarks, the unquestioning devotion to the leader, the willingness to explain away anything he does The hostility toward anyone who points to the oppite point out, hey, look There's Somet broken in the reflecting pool. Don't point that out Because if you point it out, we're going to prosecute you Hey, look, this is what my tax dollars pay for, and you look point to it or you touch to it or whatever You are desecrating that no That man who's being charged is a taxpayer He paid for that. If he wants to touch it should be able to touch it You should be able to touch it too How many people have gone to the reflecting pond, put their finger in it, thrown pennies in it, coins, wishes, all kinds of stuff. heirlooms, family things for just for luck and for tradition They're not charged A because they arere Americans. That's what people do The hostility toward anyone pointing out the obvious, even journalists. I include myself in that The complete inability to see the difference between the man the cult leader and the country between loving America and loving the man who is burning it down and calling it callalling the smoke a celebration Donald Trump is obsessed and you can see it the that he put out about Barack Obama with the graffiti on the side of Air Force One is embarrassing. And it I mean es himself at every turn. He is so jealous of Barack Obama he cannot stand it. He will never have the class, the grace, the good looks, the education, the beautiful family, the beautiful wife, one wife. not Three or four babies mamas, not cheating, not with hook I don't know if his's hookers or what do you call it? porn stars, none of that Barack Obama don't have any of that shit, but you have it and you have the nerve to think that you're better than Barack Obama. When your wife had just given a b had a baby and you're out Banging a porn star, according to everyone and according to your what NDA and paying her off. And you think that you're better than Barack Obama, man get the fuck out of here With that I just got home And I want to talk, can I just talk about what I saw? And it's very interesting to me because I used to live for a while in Harlem for a long time. I loved it on Frederick Douglas Boulevard, it made me think about that because every time I would look at that or write my address or whatever it is that I would think about what Frederick Douglassas meant Not far from the Harryet Tubman statue I lived. Every day, I was reminded of it Frederick Douglas Stew stood before a crowd in Rochester, New York and I'm giving you some history now in eighteen fifty two and eight Fourth of July means to the enslavedment. Now I got a very clear picture of being with a diverse crowd of what the fourourth of July means to different people, different ethnicities, different backgrounds, different genders, all of that. Soice What does this mean to the enslaved men? His answer was not a question, it was verdict, it was to make you think. A day that reveals more than all other days gross injustice and the cruelty to which he is the constant and to what African Americans see as them or as us being the constant victims. Your celebration is a sham. Your boasted liberty is an unholy license. Your national greatness swwelling Vanity Now he said that in eighteen fifty two And this fourth of July weekend, America decided to prove him right in ways that nobody could have written And when you're done with this, you're going to see how I say God has a sense of humor Or God loves the truth and he just lets it play out so that it becomes so obvious that you can't deny it So make sure you hit the like and the thumbs up. It's very important. I want everybody to hear this. America approved it writer or she did or the magazine in ways that felt less like news and more like God clearing Curse throat Trump's been sixteen months building towards this moment. America's two hundred fiftieth birthday, whatever it was so bad. His party, his country, his stage, he signed an executive order called Restoring Tuth and insanity to American history. And you know what he did with that? Again, this is truth, okay? He put JD Vance in charge of reviewing the Smithsonian museums. Okay, did you guys know that Some of you didad, I'm He put the National Museum of African American History and culture specifically in his crosshairs. He called it divisive. learearning about African American history, which is American history he said, that was divisive. He called it race centered ideology Apparently he doesn't know what MAGa is bigiggest identity party I think that America has ever seen The museum director resigned because of its signs went up in National parks asking visitors to report displays that were negative about America's past or living There's a lot, there are a lot of things that are negative. about America's past, starting with The annihilation of the Native American. And then continuing with slavery Exhibits about enslaved people were pulled from historic sites The story of Black America was being quietly reclassified as a problem You guys see what's happening here And then it's just so much that people get overwhelmed and they sort of you know, maybe just can't deal with it. But do you guys see what's happening here? They're trying to erase us, meaning black people from history And as you saw with the decision last week on birthright citizenship, that was really about black people. That was a Dred Scott decision. That was about black people. I'll get to that All of this bullshit in preparation for the two hundred fiftieth birthday of a country that black people help to build For free died to defend and then came back. and did not have equal rights, could not get a housing loan I couldn't live in certain neighborhoods couldn't get an education couldn't get jobs, couldn't get promotions, all the things but could fight and die for this country, bled and marched and were lensed and bobbed and hosed down in the streets to make Trying to make America live up to its own words never quite happened, stillill hasn't happened. Black history is American history. I know you may get tired of me saying that, but I will say it over and over, especially for the white people. And I'm sure some of you get it, but some of you may not get it. But black history is American history. If you want to talk about civil rights in this country for women of all ethnicities for people of all different hyphenated backgrounds, even for white people. Black history is American people. Civil right have now came from The blood, sweat and deaths and tears and deaths Back people It always has been. You cannot tell the story of this country honestly without us. We are not a chapter in this country. We are not a footnote. We are the spine of the whole book. Our blood sweat and tears run throughout the book. It is the plot. And every time this administration tries to pull that spine Out of the whole thing, it collapses. The whole thing collapses, just like that party did. It was bound to collapse. justust like the poool did just like the concert did Do you see how this party St what it was like without the contributions of black people If you want a contrast of what this was like without the contributions of bllack people, you need only to turn to Barack Obama's the opening of his museum and library. and the rich history and talent and tapestry of America because of black people was on full display I mean, who could sing? Like the people performing there. Think about in the history of America Who sang the national anthem better than anybody ever could and probably ever will be able to? One black woman from Newark, New Jersey, and that is one Whitney Houston. You will never have another national anthem sung like that. Because she was a bad, you know what And I felt everything, the land of the Fit. She brings chills to your spine because she is a black woman who felt everything that happened. Y'all know what I'm talking about And at all of the inaugurations, when Beyonce got her ass up there and saying you were like, damn girl You cannot you cannot deny it And then look at that bjankety shit that happened on the mall Because you wanted to turn it into something political and you wanted to erase blackness and you got what you asked for a Vanilla Monnaise milk toast, of no talent, no singing, no dancing, no nothing. And so you want to figure out, you want to know what when you say the heritage and white culture is, you got it. There you go, you got it Everything Trump touches dies because you cannot build something real on a lie. And the lie that black history is divisive is the oldest and the most destructive lie that this country tells itself. And until you realize that until until the King dream is on its way or at least is almost fully realized You never it's never going to be right. And you're not going to get rid of black people. I'm going to tell you why because the irony of it And then came, let's talk about the party, okay Broken Feris sword broke. The algae pond where a reflecting pool used to be onfederate flag on a monitor in North Carolina Pavilion An Olympic athlete arrested for touching peeling paint Ten states refused to send delegations there. Every mainstream artist walked out The replacement concert featured the FBI director's girlfriend performing for a crowd that was mostly not there. The Lord does not like ugly And he don't care too much for Pre either, or she doesn't care too much for pretty. Everything Trump touches dies, the party, the pool, the peace deal, the concert, all of it And now let's talk about july fourth itself. onene hundred and two degree heat peopleeople collapsing on them mall. line stretching for hours with nowhere to sit, nothing to drink. That wasn't five dollar minute made in a plastic bottle One of the biggest purveyors of Magaism or Grifter just goes back and forth to whatever he thinks is going to get him a click and some money. Glenn Beck was out there complaining. Glen Beck was complaining about what was happening And then God up the sky Violent thunderstorms. Lightning. It was almost like it was a scen from the Bible Like you can see Charlton Heston This day and age should be like Agris Elba, but you know, I'm just saying. Secret Service called a full for a full evacuation. There's oh, there's a video of it. the seecret Service calling for full play it playay it playay it for me Andy. Let's let's play it Look at that be an American. Thousands of Trump's own supporters scramble for cover running from this impending storm This man promised that storm would not stop him. They sent them Are you ready for this? They sent them to the Smithsonian museums and the African American History Museum. You cannot make this up the one that Trump called divisive the one he signed an executive order to reform and purge and reshape That museum filled up so fast that more than a thousand people got left standing outside in the rain Trumps's very own supporters, many of them racist Sheltering from the storm in the museum that Trump tried to erase buuilt to celebrate the people that Trump And MGa tried to erase every single day Now, I'm not a theologian But I knew a sign I see one And while all of that was happening outside the capapitol, four hundred masked men. We're marching through the streets of Washington DC roll it Now, these weren't the proud boys This is worse. This is Patriot Font. a neo Nazi organization. whose manifesto calls for a white ethno state whose logo is modeled on Mussolini's fascist symbol. founded After Charlottesville in twenty seventeen, when they decided that Vanguard America was not aggressive enough in its white supremacy They had the kaki pants White face coverings. Why are you covering your face if you're so proud? Confederate flags, Upside down American flags, marching the drums outside the Capitol. Chanting, Reclaim America Two of them looked into the camera and said the march was proof of total Aryan victory. Total Aryan victory In Washington D.C, on july fourth on America's two hundred fiftieth birthday There were photographers there Reidous photographers captured them on DC Metro. That's it right there. One image went around the world before sunset And that's the one we showed. It is a lone black woman sitting quietly on a train completely surrounded by masked white nationalists in their uniforms. Now I want you to look at that image because this is not That is not a photograph. That is really a documentation of American history. It's a document. That is America at two hundred two fifty, captured in one frame right there. This photograph will win awards. The quiet dignity of a black woman surrounded by people who want her to not exist. And she is just sitting there. She is composed She is unbothered becausecause black people have been sitting in that exact position in this country years And you remember I talked about Last week or maybe it was a week before about everyone was so surprised In the face of all the bigotry and the racism that the Obamas Braack Obama could be so dignified. And I said that we had been taught that by our ancestors that we had to be dignified We have been sitting in that position for four hundred years and we have learned how to carry ourselves through it. And oh, Andy, put up the response from the White House. Oh, wait a minute Is there a response in the White House becausecause the White House said nothing. Trump said nothing Not O word, not one statement, not one tweet, not one social post, about four hundred neo Nazis declaring total Aryan victory on the steps of the Capitol on America's birthday. Not one fucking word Now here's what he did say because he finally made it to that stage at eleven PM, two hours late, after the storm, after the evacuation, after most of the crowd was gone after the Neo Nazis had already taken their victory lap. He talked about the civil warar. was war He said the war was fought to keep black people ensled. Well he talked about the civil War, the war fought to keep black people enslaved The war that killed six hundred thousand Americans, the war that ended with the thirirteenth Amendment Right And the fourteh Amendment, which is the one that they were fighting about ending Last week, which was birthright citizenship, the fourteenth Amendment and Reconstruction, and the brief extraordinary moment when this country almost became what it said it was. He said it was a very big, big deal at the time the time This man restored Confederate names to military bases. He removed exhibits about enslaved people from national parks. He called bllack history divisive, and he said at America's two hundred fiftieth birthday and he summed up the Civil War as a very big deal time He also said about World War I veterans, theseese are the greatest generation. Now I hate to admit that, but they are. That's what he said. He hates to admit it And then he compared progressive Democrats to cancer that needs to be cut out, pressed his voter suppression bill at a birthday party, claimed he wiped out Iran's military while the war is still going on and called it one of the most joyous and glorious days in American history. Malcolm nextX told us You cannot separate the tree from its fruit You cannot separate America's history from its present. You cannot look at four hundred neo Nazis marching free while one soldier in uniform gets investigated and call it a coincidence. becausecause w Patriot frront was declaring total Aryan victory outside Major Jackson outside major Jackson Jason Watson was walking up the steps of the Capitol He is a twenty year Air Force veteran. He's in his uniform. He stood next to Representative Al Green impeachment, conviction, and removal of Donald Trump and JD Vance He knew what it would cost him You know what cost him his pension, his career, his freedom potentially. He climbed those steps anyway. Gid it anyways four hundred No Nazis Not one arrest Not one statement. Not one investigation One man in uniform who said the thing that needed saying who was fearless who was able who was willing to sacrifice something, facing a full military justice investigation before the fireworks were done. Hm Now I know some of you don't know the sayings or someome of the quotes from Louis Farichon It's a controversial figure, but Louis Farrakhan told us as well. So when a nation reaches the point where it punishes the righteous and rewards the wicked, the judgment is already underway You do not have to wait for it. You are living inside it So look at what happened this weekend. The museum Trump tried to arre came the shelter in the storm of his own people The sun. The son of Nigerian immigrants whose citizenship Trump tried to make illegal became America's World Cup hero And Trump had to call FIFA personally to make sure that he could stay on the field A black man born in Brooklyn to parents who were living in New York at the time a birthright citizen The exact kind of America this administration has been arguing and federal courts should not exist. Three goals Three goals. and His president had to call in a personal favor to an international soccer organization to save him. The irony is not subtle It is not trying to be subtle. Another one of my literary heroes is Baldwin James Faul, when he said the most dangerous creation of any society is a man who has nothing to lose But the more dangerous thing to power is people who know exactly who they are, who cannot be made to forget what has been done to them, who refuse to perform Amnesia demand That black woman on the metro knew who she was She didn't flinch She did not move. She sat there in the same quiet power that Rosa Park sat with that John Lewis sat with on the Edmund Pettis Bid that every black person who has ever been surrounded and refused to be reduced Aset So sitting there quietly should not be seen as weakness It is the most terrifying thing in the world to people who need you to be afraid of them and you're not And back to Frederick Douglas, where we started Standing in Rochester fifeen fifty two did not end with the indictment, he ended with this. says He says, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery The arm of the Lord is not shortened one hundred and seventy four years later. That have my math correct. Forces are still in operation They showed up in the African American museum on the fourth of July, in the form of thousands of people who needed shelter and found it in the place that was supposed to be erased They showed up on a soccer field in the form of a black son of Nigerian immigrants, scoring goals for a country still arguing about whether he should have been born here whether or not he was part of this country They showed up on the Capital Steps in the form of a man who knew what it would cost and climb them anyway. And I believe this The strongest of convictions And they're going to show up in November of twenty twenty six and twenty twenty eight in every election in every courtroom in every protest in every moment between now and then. This country will become closer to what it's supposed to be. Because we have never, not once Not one time in four hundred years on this soil waited for permission to belong here We are starting Now This is the new beginning. This is the new the new construction I tell you every single time, pay attention stop arguing over the small stuff while they're doing the big stuff in plain sight You need to show up Stop shouting down your allies be in community with each other Learn how to win My next guest. They have a few words for you as well So good morning, but first a word from our sponsors You know what's interesting? We've gotten pretty comfortable talking about physical health. People will tell you they're training for a marathon, that they're changing their diet or trying a new workout routine. Everybody applauds that, right? But say that you're thinking about therapy and suddenly people get really, really quiet. That doesn't make much sense, notot to me at least others who have tried therapy, BetterHelpss twenty twenty six state of Stigma repeport found that eighty five percent of Americans believe getting mental health support is a smart decision. 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I want to bring in now Preston Mitchem, he's an activist, a TV personality and senior director of leglative affairs at Common Cause. And Tim Wise is an anti fascism educator, author, and critical race theorist. Thank you gentlemen for joining. Kreston, you watched, you heard what I just said this weekend and all of the festivities, if you want to call it that around two hundred fifty. What's your assessment? My assessment is that you're one hundred percent correct. I mean, this is everything unfortunately that we've known to be true about America. And let me say this, I live in Navy Yard neighborhood in southeast Washington, DC, right across from southwest I could see hundreds of motorcycles right above from my apartment complex as they were driving through, honestly causing chaos, attempting to actually look for moments to make it more tense than what it needed to be. And a lot of people in the neighborhood, we were unfortunately not shocked at what we were witnessing. It was damning and disappointing. But I have to go back to your statement earlier around the cover that a lot of these neo Nazis, white supremacists, Trump supporters and allies, they use the African American Museum as a cover, which is the most poetic moment, the most ironic thing I can think about is that the people who you are actively attempting to dismiss, to remove, to say that DEI is the only reason why we got to any place that we got into, obviously as an insault, you used us for political and personal cover so you actually would not be impacted by the war And that is just so poetic of what this country has been for many blacks Mr. Wise Yes, indeed. Well, I agree with all of that. and your lead in, your monologue was genius for all of those reasons as well, Don. You know, The irony of all of it. is well, first of all, as Preston was just saying, Black folks have for a very long time been the only force that has delivered America to white people. anything good that America has become, whenever we have become more democratic, Whenever we have actually fulfilled any of the promises that we made, it's been Black folks So why wouldn't it be the case that black folks are the ones protecting white folk from the rain? We're the ones Black folks are the ones protecting white folks from white folks? That's been the history Right? I mean, this is really the great irony of this, which none of the MGa folks will understand Because I'm sure while they were in the museum, they were looking around to make sure they didn't get infected by wokeness. I'm sure that's what they were concerned that the wokeness was going to rub off on them, you know But here's the here's the thing, you know, what's so interestnting about it because the first time I went into the museum and you know, Don, I'm in the museum because I'm that white guy that they put in the museum. I'm in the video at the end. It's weird. I'm the white guy they invited to the museum. Anyway, the first time I was in there, was the week or two after Trump was elected in twenty sixteen And I went very specifically at that time because I wanted to see how people were feeling in the wake of him being elected the first time And what was so powerful about it was the realization that in spite of what had just taken place and now, of course, it's taken place a second time. and here we are, The thing about that museum is it reminds you that no matter what this inceell army on the Metro thought the other day, this four hundred strong inceell army of Nazis who apparently forgot that all of their heroes are losers, whether that's the Confederates or the Nazis in Germany. Um is that their side doesn't win. That museum is testimony to the fact that they don't win The idea of total Aryan victory. You know who thought that The Confederates thought that was going to happen. it didn't happen. Hitler thought that was going to happen. It didn't happen. George Wallace thought that was going to happen. it didn't happen. And I dare say that in the nineteen twenties, we've got photos, remember, of the Kan in Washington marching down what was it Constitution Avenue or one of the major arteries in DC And what was it ten thousand strong, right ten thousand clansmen and they thought there was going to be total white victory. and that's in the nineteen twenties and black folk had something to say about that too So the idea that these guys in their khakis with their face coverings without the courage of their convictions are going to somehow stop black people. I don't think that a bunch of guys in polo shirts and khakis led by a guy like Donald Trump are going to be able to do what Thomas Jefferson couldn't, what George Wallace couldn't far bigger and bad than those boys. What is that like the gap or nauticat? What the hell? Like that's not going And the guys in Charlottesville with like pure one Tiki torches, like that's that's supposed to what is like citronella candles? What is that? with too much credit though. I mean,s just it seems to me projection as to their own assumptions of power. They first have to get out of their parents' basements. and eat something other than hot pockets before they're actually going to be able to claim total Aryan victory. So I think, you know, at the end of the day it's like they say in Vegas, bet on black I'm not worried right now about these boys. I'm really not. but I am worried about the fact that black folks have to constantly deal with this bullshit generation in and generation out. and it's time for black folks not to have to carry that burden alone, which is why I say to white people, it's time for us to challenge these boys like white folks challenge Nazis on the beaches in Normandy side by side with black and brown folks. personally prefer the way that my grandparents' generation dealt with Nazis. None of this footsy stuff. I like the way we dealt with them on the beaches in Normy. I like the way we dealt with them in Dresden, to be perfectly honest. And I know we can't necessarily firebomb where these boys are from, but I think we ought to probably treat them a little more harshly than we do right now If you know what, Preston I would have I want to talk about that with you, but look at these guys. I want to just put this up in. he put it up and full. Look at these guys as he was saying, as Tim was saying, in their khakis, right with their faces covered. If they're so proud, right? I know this is storm frront. It's not proud boys, but they do the same very something very similar. They're so proud and unafraid, then why are they covering their faces You know, and I want you to imagine this, Preston. Imagine this is and I had this discussion this week this past week with friends about Antifa. I'm like, Antifa is not like a thing. There's no centralized organization, right? These are people who believe in anti fascism. you know, they don't believe in fascism. They're anti fascist. Just think if it was you know if it was a group out there that was really Antifa and they were black, right? Or if it was the new Black Panthers marching doing this. What would happen? I mean, political turmoil, chaos, violence would ensue for sure. I mean, I'm always going back to Langston Hughes quote, right? Like neegro, sweet and docile, meum all in kindind, beware the day they change their mind. Because I do think oftentimes there is an expectation or at least a thought that our patience is like permanent submission when in fact, it is like to the point of the woman in the metro photo earlier, like that is not a permanent submission. That is a level of patience of actually being like thoughtful enough to recognize the space that she's occupying and understand that that is just the space that she's occupying at that time. That is not submissive, it is not submission And so we know exactly what would happen time and again if black folks dared to push back, regardless if it's nonviolent, peaceful protesting or not The response is going to be violent, right? Like I mean, this is born out of the result of many things, obviously, but we clearly are talking about like J Sixter', which frankly is also not too far from where I live where the insurrection happened. And then obviously like just several weeks ago, we're experiencing a time where Trump and his allies were pushing forward a slush fund to actually honor quite frankly, for ensuing violence on the Capitol. And so like none of that is lost to me. We know exactly what's going to happen when black people even dare to push back, dare to say something. They are making it seem like our reaction, which is really rooted in oftentimes like anti oppression, but really pushing back on white supremacy ideology and rhetoric making sure that we actually institutionally are not going experience violence by these folks, right by the Patriot fronts, by the folks that actually kill their own people. The Tim's point earlier, right? L we are actually doing things to make sure that we arere experiencing freedom. Other people just happen to experience freedom because we're ultimately fighting for everyone, even though we're starting with ourselves a lot of times too. But again, we know violence will ensue for black people if any of this happen. We have. pure research and evidence that proves that point, unfortunately as well. And Don, going back to your point about these guys in DC, if this had been four hundred antifa folks, let's be very clear. We know what would have happened because antifA, unlike Patriot Front and other white supremacist groups, have been essentially labeled by the national security memo that was released a couple of months ago, essentially viewed as domestic terrorists.s act domestic terrorism law on the books, but according to the national security memo that has been released and the way the FBI is enforcing these laws, they would have started rounding up four hundred antifa folks. They would have actually probably arrested them. They certainly would have been out taking pictures, trying to gather names, trying to figure out who they were. They would not have been ignoring them. and they certainly would and Donald Trump certainly would have said something during his speech about them as a cancer needing to be cut out because he said that about progressive Democrats, let alone antifA, but he couldn't spare those words for Nazis in the town that he now, you know lives in. So that tells you something. four hundred antifa folks, four hundred Black Lives Matter folks, four hundred Black and brown folks or white radicals of any kind, white leftist of any kind, would have been rounded up or at the very least monitored, whereas these boys are just using their metro cards and, you know doing whatever the hell they want T and are currently being surveilled today, right by this FBI, right? I mean, it's the reason why so many organizations like Common Cause are even speaking about or against oftentimes things like PfizA, without like actual guardws, without search warrants or the broker loophole, because the reality is, we know there is a history of the FBI like targeting black R like Quanto Pro may have been technically eradicated, but it clearly has changed its position and how it looks today. Like Black Lives Matter activists, Ant Tifa folks, they're currently being surveilled a lot of times. And people think it's a conspiracy theorist. L a lot of this is clearly in our own government's documentation. So again, to Tim's point, this is exactly I want I want you guys to talk about this photograph when we come back. and analyze it because you know as you saw in my monologue, I compared it to the Rosa Parks photograph First a word from our sponsor, one minute Let me ask you a question. 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You never heard of the Patriot Front, They are a white nationalist organization that was created after the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August of twenty seventeen And this is what they werere about in their own words, pause to read. been deemed a white supremacist hate group by both the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti Defamation League. And if you're more of a visual learner, here is a video of them marching today in Washington D.C carrying Confederate flags This picture is not only representative of what America really is, but it's representative of the black experience in America. A black woman surrounded on all sides by people who would hang her from a treat if they could. Pople whose identities are concealed because they're your policemen, your lawyers, your teachers, your doctors, and they'll get to go back to work on Monday Business as usual. As for that black woman, she has to sit there and stare white supremacy in the face and just be silent Hmm I' back now with Preston and Tim. Tim, what do you make of this photograph? And can you imagine this woman sitting there? She did not look like she was scared at all. Not one bit. Not one First of all, it's an amazing contrast, right? You've got, I don't know, in that particular car, maybe a hundred white guys, they're all afraid as evidenced by their masks, they are far more afraid of that young woman than she is of them guarantanted to you that because she knows this country far better than they do. She understands the deal, she understands the assignment as well She knows how it is to resist that every single day And what she sees in those boys all around her is their fear. and her And she is standing up to them by showing up every day, wherever she's headed, whatever she's doing. She understands what it is to be black in this country, to be a black woman in this country, to know that this administration is responsible for an all out war, not just on black people in particular, but black women specifically R? Hundreds of thousands of black women who have lost their jobs as a result of a very deliberate war on them, both within the federal bureaucracy and also private sector DEI jobs and other and DEI positions, critical DEI positions that have specifically hurt black women. So she knows that she is under attack. And yet she doesn't look afraid. They're the ones who were masked. So she is teaching a history lesson to anyone who was prepared to see it And it brings to mind, you quoted Baldwin earlier. You know, Baldwin said these innocent people, speaking of white folks and very sarcastic. These innocent people are trapped in a history they do not understand and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it She understands the history. These boys do not. That's why they think they have Arian victory because they got four hundred people together F hundred people. they think that's Ari in victory. She's on the car looking at them like You know, whatever y'all are and that t shirt she's got on. I don't know what the shirt, but that one word that I can read says original I think that's interesting too becausecause black folks are as much the original Americans in that regard. like in terms of what it means to be an American in this country, black folks are as omni American as original American as you can be because black folks are the only ones that actually ever really believed what we said it meant to be an American, the only ones who actually believed the words of the Declaration, the only ones who actually believe the words in the Constitution, the only ones who actually believed what white folks said this country was. And so that contrasts two, I find fascinating She is a better person than me Press. you know, I might have had some hands might have been thrown. I'm serious thrown and I mean, if you look around, especially this, there's another photograph. It's not I don't believe it's as powerful at this, but it's still close and that is, I don't know if you can see it there's a black man right in the middle of all of these people. And I always say, you know, not that I think that I am How do I say this without sounding Uity? I'm going there When I always say when people say, well, you know, blah blah, I said, well, if anybody is deserving of this, if anybody's deserving of that, ifbody it's me. who built I didn't have, know who actually did do the thing that they always say people should do is that pull yourself up by your bootstraps, right? I had a lot of help. There were a lot of bootstraps along the way of many different ethnicities and genders who help me, but I said, if I am deserving of the American Dream, I don't know anyone that's more deserving of the American Dream than someone like me. So what the fuck are you talking about when you say, well, you didn't do this and you're a DEI hireinger. it' like, bullshit. Do what Tim, you know what I'm saying, Y'all know what I'm saying, know listen, Bacon's rebellion really tricks a lot of white people believe in they're somehow like better than black folks. And I find it so fascinating, right? Like like wh whenever people talk about this idea that like some white people, like poor white folks are not voting in their interests, I have to pause them and remind them of history because the truth is The reality is whiteness is their interest. That's whiteness is their interest. And that's true, even if it's to the exclusion of other parts of their identity that they need more support in. And we have a lot of history to thank for that, but especially Bacon's Rebellion, which went out the way to make sure that people knew that we could actually be connected together poor black folks and for white folks. like and the think about this photo, I have so many things to say because to your point, Don Hmm. There is actually I love people. I love black people because there is a space and time for all of us Because as for me, I could not have been on that metro in that moment I can assure you I wouldn't have been quiet The photo would have looked very differently. and I'm so grateful that people know themselves enough to know that they can actually be Patient enough to just continue on about their day. She was probably going to work, chilling, like was not worried about these people. And the reality is the woman in this phld was the only identifiable face, right? We've already said this, but she's a mask Right? like individual, she's clearly showing her humanity The surrounding men, the cowards, right? They're clearly indistinguishable from one another matching clothes, their target outfits, right theirir masks, their sunglasses, suddenly, they'rearing mas, even though they don'tve in COVID never believe that that was a thing. But now they suddenly do when they don't actually want to show you who they are. But I really appreciate this photo, right? becausecause she occupies the visual center of this frame. And so she's impossible to ignore Her facial expression is impossible to ignore. And then it's just a very visual theme in terms of visibility, right? Like she bears all of the vulnerabilities R Her race, or gender, her identity, they're all visible. They're all distinctly hers. And so the study matters too in this instance, right? Because we're not just thinking about a public protest. It's a metro car Right? a routine source of transportation that many DC residents and DMV residents take every single day. And so And whereas they don't know that. Most of them don't live here, some of them probably do, to be honest, but most of them do not live here But yes, I really understand the importance of discussing Rosa Parks, Claudic CoVIin and others who we clearly need to recognize as focal points within the Black experience. I'm just grateful that She is just not She's just not bothered by their presence. And frankly, it's because if you're black in this country, you've been surrounded by whiteness our entire lives in the worst parts of whiteness Preston, you know this weekend, someone reminded me. the reason I was reminded of that is one of my friends says, you know what Danve, you know who Daniv is, right? Funky. He He said, Don, you know Dineva called you the hope and dream of the slave I was like, you know what, Danva?ight. mean just I mean others like me. There are millions of others who are like me, the hope and dream of the slave. You know what I'm saying Absolutely. We've worked hard and I'll be damned if these people make it seem like that we did not earn our stripes just because somehow they believe they're more beholden to the American dream that would not be possible without the work of bllack Tim I know you want to get in on this because we've talked about this before. It's just it's so hard to even think of what else to say. This picture is so incredibly pathetic. I mean For these white guys, it's incredible for her. I mean, I really I hope that she is as proud of herself as we are of her. She you know, we're sitting talking about her in this sort of indirect way and and yes, I think the photographer is going to win an award. I hope she gets you know, her flowers as much as the as much as the photographer does because you're right Tim. Internet, do your thing because I want to interview her. I want to give her flowers. But Tim, I want to ask you about this. canan I ask you about Flo Balligan? because that was when I'm like, wait, he had to call to get Flo Balligan back on the playing field because he wanted the American team to win And it's like they're always calling us in, meaning people of color, immigrants or whatever the underserved community when they need us. otherwise they're trying to erase us, which is what I said in the thing. And so just the irony of it and as I was watching from overseas, I was like, L this some shit, like looking at it from over here, man America looks really dumber when evening Trump Yeah. I mean, I mean, it just again, it's just one more irony, right? that you on the one hand you know, you you will bend the rules when it serves your interest to win an athletic competition, but then you want to kick those very same people out of the country. The soccer team in question is the best representation of what this country is and what this country has that makes it special, which is this incredibly diverse representation, not only of talent, but of humanity That is what makes that is the only thing that one can really say about this country that in many ways makes it special. because I mean, you, every country is special in its own way, everyvery country's got amazing people. But one of the things about this country is that it is this incredible amalgamation of so many different people from so many different pl. And that's the one thing that they don't love That's the one thing that they don't like That's the one thing that they cannot stand. Stephven Miller hates the one thing about this country that makes it different from the place that his ancestors came from. Jamie Vance hates the one thing that makes this country what it is. Donald Trump hates the one I mean, they know, they will say that those of us to the left of the dial hate America, but we are the only ones that actually love America as it is. These are people who love America as it was or as they believed it to be because again, as Baldwin says, America never was a white country Those of us who were white had the luxury of believing that it was because we never had to know any better than that. It was never a white country. But if you believe that it was, then you have the luxury of believing that people who are quote unquote birthright citizens as real as other people until it's convenient for them to be real so that you can win a soccer match And it is because what Trump did actually now casts a mark upon these men's accomplishment because under the FIFA rules, the United States team should actually now be disqualified under FIFA rulesed to have governmental interference. I don't want that to happen because those men have worked incredibly hard. Now there was some controversy over whether there should have been a red card in that instance in the first place, but that should have been handled by FIFA without the interference of the president of the United States because now the European Union understandably so is pissed off because the FIFA rules have been broken to accommodate this asshole. and the head of FIFA who gave him this ridiculous made up peace prize is seen as compromise. So that is going to be this asterisk if they go on to to potentially win the World Cup or even get into the finals or something. I mean, you know, it's again, Trump doesn't believe in rules And this is going to end up besmirching the accomplishments of some really amazing soccer players because he can't just leave well enough alone You know, it's it's, it's unfortunate Just to add a little bit there to Tim, completely agree with you. Don, the thing that really frustrates me and I think it's really sad and sickening about Trump in this instance is that like we are all correct, just to be clear, obviously, I think we know that. The sad truth is though, Trump would say that someone like Bulligan is reaying or reimagining the American dream. Trump wouldn't even think about the fact that I'm actually a racist. I dislike black people and I'm doing this for USA. He is actually, I'm sure saying, this is what I mean by black folks picking themselves up by their bootstraps, not being lazy, not just being downtrodd and actually doing something for this country. He doesn't even recognize like this is interference, governmental interference, violation of rules. He doesn't care about rules at all in his head, I guarantee you he is going to actually catapult him to someone who's like, see, this is what I mean. You can make it too if you get off your couch and stop being lazy Wow, getet off your couch and stop being lazy. That's true. He does love bllack athletes. He always does love black athletes, Back entertainers, and he'll ignore the birthright citizenship part always make exceptions like that because he probably doesn't have a particularly strong opinion about that at all. He probably doesn't even understand what birthrights said. He doesn't understand anything. it. He doesn't understand It doesn't. He thinks asylum when he says people came over to claim asylum. He thinks it's like people mental mental issues. Yeah, right. Yeah Oh boy. We tal the white South Africans though. So I guess it gets a little better now. Oh, he gets that. Thank you Thank you so much. I appreciate you. Pressa Mitcham. I love having you on for the first time. I want you to come back if you will I think your work is great. Tim wise, you know, old friend, you already know Thank you both gentlemen. All right, I appreciate you joining Thanko Thanks so much. Thank you. Thankk you Man, that was great and real talk So look, I didn't think that I could go through this day without pointing out the ridiculousness of what's happening in America And he keeps trying to pretend that none of it is real, and he keeps trying to erase the very people that he calls upon when he needs their help the most always being saved by the immigrant and the other And he doesn't realize it in the meantime You know what? the just the biggest I guess the iron in all this because those are the people who are buying the meme coins and all that, he is making all the money on their backs and they're still poor living in poverty or paycheck to paycheck Almost sits I'm not going to say that But there's a reason he loves the poorly educated and most of the poorly educated are his white. poorly educated. low income. folks who he co ops And he is making Not millions billions off of their ignorance and their willingness to go along with this because he tells them something that they need confirmed that the reason that they have not achieved is because of somebody else And he's there to correct it but none of it is being corrected. And so all of that happens. This is whats this is how it's going to end. It always ends. there's always like there's always poetic justice It always ends with the people who you are fighting against and who you hate and who you're trying to erase saving you That's how the movie ends usually And then you're like, whoa But in the middle of all that, they end up elevating themselves. And sometimes you go back to your ignorance without even realizing it. All of those fucking Mga I'm holding myongue y'all sitting there in the African American Museum notot even realizing the greatness around them and that they're being saved and that they should have been to this museum many, many times before to study the actual history of America ay It was God for all of those whoom M God loved it. Maybe God, Jesus, whatever it is was driving you there so because you needed to pay attention Go in and look at the real people Who built this country peopleeople you should be allies with. you should be thanking for some of the civil rights that you have in this country, someome of the luxuries you have in this country Perhaps you needed to take a tour of that museum Educate yourself open your mind. to free yourself and the rest will follow Now the words are be color bllind, donon't be so shallow. I don't think anybody should be colorblind, but I know what the intent was. Let me go on. I wonder to anything about the show before I get myself in trouble. Go to Donleemmon. com rightight up there, right in the beginning is where you can find me and DL for our tour that is happening. I only wait for that to clear up the internet to clear up O tour that is happening starting in August, September, late August, early September And if you click on that, you can see the dates And then it'll take you right there to the dates, Dial and Dial, anything el septtember eleventh is our first show in Fort Lauddale, and then everything else follows. And there are some shows that are not on there. So go check that out. And then if you back out and just go down, go get your tickets, you better get them now because you know it always sells out and you guys are upset and you're telling me, can you get me in? How do I should have done it? I should have would have could have. You better do it now Okay Plan for a change. Don't procrastinate, go do it. And then once you go to that, you can go to our main page. you can check out our YouTube, you can check out our substat, you can check out our Twitch, you can check out any of the things that we are. beccome a subscriber, a member, and go check out our what Merch Store because we have a lot ofuff. I did not wear a mergch t shirt today, but I'm going to do it tried to, you know collar on for you today since I'm back, but go check all of this out. I think I'm going to wear my favorite shirt which is the Jeenthirt I'll wear that one tomorr So thank you so much, everybody. Thanks for tuning in today. We'll see you along the way. Be informed without being inundated until I see you back here. This evening, at five PM Eastern time here on the Don Lemon Show on the Don Lemon Channel, is what I want you to do Don't be sitting around the TV all day and being enraged. I call it outraged porn Choose your battles Choose where you want to get your information from. I'm not telling you not to read. 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