- The world needs more close friendships
that maybe don't necessarily look like other friendships.
So, what do you think is important to remember
as we all start these conversations?
Because, and I say start these conversations,
but they've been happening for years and generations,
but what do you think the most important thing,
like when people see y'all out, that's a normal thing.
It's normal, but for some reason
it's not for a lot of people.
And I think that's why everything is going on,
You know, Black Lives Matter,
and all these protests and everything.
What do you think the conversation should be?
- Wow, go ahead Zach.
- Well, I'll just go first and say I did grow up,
I grew up in New Jersey, and New York, and LA.
So I've always grown up in very diverse places,
and it was never,
having African American friends,
and Hispanic friends, and Asian friends,
I grew up in an area where I thought
there were just as many Jewish people as Christian people
because I grew up in an area
where there were so many Jewish people.
So I think that that did give me a leg up in a sense of
loving and being around people
of all different types.
That having been said, I think this conversation is new
for me in a sense, because I'm now going,
as I'm listening to everyone who's speaking and reading,
I know that I too have lots to learn.
It's not enough to say, "Oh, my best friend is a black man."
It's not enough to say,
"Oh, I grew up with a diverse population."
There's ways that I can be
way more proactive than I'm being.
I can't just be, just sit back and go, "Oh, no,
"I'm cool, I have a black best friend."
That's B.S.
There's plenty of ways that I haven't been
being proactive in my own life, and my own privilege.
And I'm really learning that now.
I'm taking this opportunity
to really listen, and to really learn,
and see how I can improve my way of being as well.
- When you're a kid, you don't look at color.
Your friends are your friends, you know what I mean?
And it's not until your parents get into your head,
or outside influences get into your head,
and tell you that people are different than you are.
So I encourage everyone who is not a minority,
or not a person of color,
to really learn about people of color.
And by listening, and doing your research.
It's very, very,
It's very, very scary to
be judged by the color of your skin.
It's happened to me quite a bit my whole life,
you know what I mean?
Even how people describe me
on "Scrubs".
I'm the black guy from "Scrubs," you know what I mean?
I'm not even one of the actors from "Scrubs,"
I'm the black guy from "Scrubs".
And so, I encourage everyone to just,
first of all, educate yourself.
- Yeah.
- That's most important, you know what I mean?
Once you educate yourself, you'll be able to
see that everyone,
pretty much, is the same.
We might do things differently, but we all are the same,
and together we can abolish racism.
And it's everywhere.
And also, once you recognize that,
once you recognize racism is everywhere, it never left.
It's always been here, you know what I mean?
It's not a surprise that this is going on right now.
It's finally coming to a head is what's happening.
- Yeah.
- But it's been here forever,
and once you don't take that for granted,
and you recognize that there's racism out there,
you'll start checking yourself.
You'll start checking yourself, believe it or not.
- It's interesting.
People are so afraid to talk to our kids,
but those kids are the ones
that we're helping shape and mold with those ideals,
and those conversations, I think,
are just as important to have with your five-year-old
that it is to have with your mom.
You know what I'm saying?
But it's so good.
Thank you guys for being open to talking about it.
I know it's not a comfortable position for a lot of people,
but sometimes it's good to get uncomfortable,
because I don't feel like we're gonna progress.
I think we're gonna keep repeating the cycle
unless we keep talking about it.
- Yeah, it's all for not
if we don't continue the conversation.
- Yeah.
- And the conversation needs to continue,
you know what I mean?
It's not just about police brutality.
It's also about equal rights.
It's about everyone being able to live in America
the way everyone else does, you know what I mean?
- Yeah!
- I should be able to, you said,
"Walking into a store and getting your bag checked."
That doesn't even phase me anymore
because I'm used to it, whereas--
- No, that's what I'm saying.
My friend brought that up, and I was like, "What?"
"When did that happen?"
We're at a mall on tour, and I'm just like, "What?"
And she's crying 'cause she's just, she's exhausted.
It's exhausting!
- It is exhausting, but we're at the point
where the conversation is being talked about,
and more than usual.
More than it used to be, and I am very appreciative
for everyone that's willing to learn and listen.
I'm very appreciative for that, you know what I mean?
I'm glad that we are all
taking steps in the right direction.
- Yeah, no, can't. - We still have
a long way to go,
but we're taking steps in the right direction.
- Yeah, you can't grow unless you're learning.
So I'm with you there.