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>>> ITS AMAZING THE THINGS
PEOPLE NOTICE ABOUT YOU WHEN
YOURE ON TELEVISION.
ONE THING THAT BUGS SOME
VIEWERS, YOU PROBABLY HAVE NEVER
SEEN IT UNLESS YOU WATCHED ME
BEFORE "THE WEEK" DEBUTED LAST
FALL.
DID YOU KNOW I USED TO HAVE A
MOHAWK?
ITS TRUE?
EVEN WHILE I WAS IN D.C. HOSTING
A SHOW ON NPR, FEELS LIKE A
LIFETIME AGO AND I HAD IT WHEN I
JOINED MSNBC LAST YEAR.
ITS A CUT I ALWAYS WANTED AND
AFTER A WHILE I DID IT.
TURNS OUT NO ONE I WORKED WITH
SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
IF THEY HATED IT, THEY CERTAINLY
BIT THEIR TONGUES.
I GOT RID OF IT BECAUSE
BARBERSHOPS CLOSED DURING THE
PANDEMIC AND I WASNT GOING TO
ATTEMPT THAT CUT BY MYSELF, CAN
YOU IMAGINE?
I ARRIVED AT THE D.C. BUREAU FOR
THE FIRST TIME I CAME IN WITH
THAT CUT.
ULTIMATELY I DECIDED IF PEOPLE
COULD NOT SEE PAST MY HAIR STYLE
TO THE QUALITY OF MY WORK, THEN
I GUESS THEY WERE NOT MADE FOR
ME AND I WAS NOT MADE FOR THEM.
WE SPENT A GOOD PART OF THIS
HOUR TALKING ABOUT WHAT PRIDE HE
WANTS SHOULD FOCUS ON AND HOW
THEY SHOULD PRESENT THEMSELVES TO THE WORLD.
TO THE WORLD.
ODDLY ENOUGH, A PARTICULAR HAIR
STYLE SHARPENED MY OPINION ON
THIS.
SHACARRI RICHARDSON QUALIFIED
FOR THE U.S. OLYMPIC TRACK TEAM
LAST WEEK.
SHE WON THE 100 METERS IN 10.86
SECONDS.
WATCH THIS.
>> WOMENS 100 IS UNDER WAY.
JIMMY AND OLIVER, A FANTASTIC
START.
HERE COMES SHACARRI.
RICHARDSON IS GOING TO TOKYO, 10.87.
>> [ BLEEP ].
>> HOW CAN YOU WATCH THAT AND
NOT SMILE O.
EVERY TIME I WATCH THAT, IT
MAKES ME SMILE.
AND, LIKE MANY OLYMPIANS, SHE
HAD FANS IN THE STANDS CHEERING
HER ON.
AFTER THE RACE, SHE FELL INTO
THE ARMS OF HER GRANDMOTHER, ONE
OF MANY PEOPLE ROOTING FOR HER.
SHE MAY HAVE GAINED MORE FANS AS
WE LEARNED ABOUT HER BACK STORY.
THAT FIERY HAIR STYLE THAT MADE
HER LOOK LIKE A SUPERHERO, SHE
SAID IT WAS HER GIRLFRIENDS
IDEA, SOMETHING LOUD AND VIBRANT
THAT REFLECTED HER PERSONALITY. WE LEARNED ABOUT SOMEONE WHO WAS
WE LEARNED ABOUT SOMEONE WHO WAS
NOT THERE TO CHEER HER ON IN
PERSON.
>> SHE HAS BEEN PRAISING FOR ME,
GOING FROM JUST LAST WEEK,
LOSING MY BIOLOGICAL MOTHER AND
IM STILL HERE.
>> WHAT DID YOU SAY?
YOU LOST YOUR MOTHER?
>> YEAH.
IM STILL HERE.
LAST WEEK FINDING OUT MY
BIOLOGICAL MOTHER PASSED AWAY,
AND STILL CHOOSING TO PURSUE MY
DREAMS, STILL COMING OUT HERE,
STILL HERE TO MAKE THE FAMILY
THAT I DO STILL HAVE ON THIS
EARTH PROUD, AND THE FACT THAT
NOBODY KNOWS WHAT I GO THROUGH.
EVERYBODY HAS STRUGGLES AND I
UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT YALL SEE
ME ON THIS TRACK AND YALL SEE
THE POKER FACE I PUT ON.
BUT NOBODY BUT THEM AND MY COACH
KNOW WHAT I GO THROUGH ON A
DAY-TO-DAY BASIS AND IM HIGHLY
GRATEFUL FOR THEM.
WITHOUT THEM, THERE WOULD BE NO
ME.
WITHOUT MY GRANDMOTHER, THERE
WOULD BE NO SHA RARI RICHMOND.
MY FAMILY IS EVERYTHING.
>> ITS UNCLEAR WHETHER HER
MOTHER DIED LAST WEEK OR SHE
FOUND OUT ABOUT THE DEATH LAST
WEEK.
BUT TO GO FROM THAT RIGHT TO THE
OLYMPIC TRIALS AND PERFORM THAT
STRONGLY IS PRETTY REMARKABLE.
THEN AGAIN, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU
DO?
YOU SPEND YOUR LIFE WORKING AND
WAITING FOR THE CHANCE TO TURN
ON THE AFTERBURNERS AND LEAVE IT
ON THE TRACK, YOU HAVE TO GO FOR
IT, NO MATTER WHAT COMES YOUR
WAY.
AND NOT ONLY RUN, BUT STRUT.
SWAGGER IN BOLD AND BRILLIANT
COLORS FOR THE WORLD TO KNOW
YOURE HERE, AND THEN DO WHAT
YOU CAME TO DO.
IF THEY DIDNT LIKE HER LOOK,
WELL, THEN I GUESS THEY WERE NOT
MADE FOR HER AND SHE WAS NOT
MADE FOR THEM.
AS I SAID, WE SPENT A GOOD
AMOUNT OF TIME THIS HOUR TALKING
ABOUT PRIDE EVENTS, WHETHER THEY
SHOULD REFLECT THE STRUGGLES OF
THE COMMUNITY OR BE MORE OF A
CELEBRATION.
BUT WHY CANT THEY BE MORE
SHACARRI THAN THAT?
PRIDE DOESNT HAVE TO JUST BE
ABOUT ACTIVISM OR ENTERTAINMENT,
NOT JUST FOR KIDS, QUEENS, OR
KINKSTERS, TO BECOME EVERYTHING,
AND SO CAN WE.
AND SO CAN YOU, WHOEVER YOU ARE.
YOUR LIFE AND THIS COUNTRY DOES
NOT HAVE TO DEFINE ITSELF BY ANY
ONE PIECE OF ITSELF.
SEE, INCLUSION MEANS MORE THAN
ADDING STRIPES ON A FLAG FOR
PEOPLE EOF COLOR OR TRANSGENDER
PEOPLE.
IT MEANS MAKING ROOM FOR ALL
THAT WE ARE.
YOU WONT NOTICE EVERY COLOR ALL
THE TIME, BUT THEYRE ALL THERE.
IF THIS FLAG IS NOT FOR YOU,
THATS COOL.
SOME OF US PREFER THIS ONE
INSTEAD.
IT SPEAKS TO WHO WE ARE MORE
THAN THE RAINBOW DOES.
OR MAYBE THIS ONE IF YOURE
BEEFY AND HAIRY.
MAYBE YOUR BEARISH APPEARANCE
OPENED THE DOOR TO THIS
COMMUNITY AND A TRANSCRIBE YOU
NEVER NEW EXISTED.
BUT WHICHEVER FLAG YOU FLY, IF
YOU FLY ONE AT ALL, THE POINT IS
STILL THE SAME, YOU CAN BE ALL
OF WHAT YOU ARE.
AND ISNT THAT KIND OF THE POINT
OF PRIDE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
MY DECISION TO WEAR A MOHAWK ON
ZMBS
NBC NEWS WAS GENUINELY
TERRIFYING.
I WAS REHEARSING HOW I WOULD
HANDLE THE REJECTION.
MAYBE YOU CAN RELATE TO THAT.
THE HARDEST PART WAS ACCEPTING
THEIR ACCEPTANCE.
AND AS A RESULT, ACCEPTING
MYSELF.
IM NOT NORMAL.
I WAS BORN TO STAND OUT, NOT
BLEND IN.
AND MAYBE THATS THE TRUE TEST
OF PRIDE, LEARNING TO EMBRACE
ALL THAT THIS COMMUNITY
REPRESENTS AND MAKING ROOM FOR
THOSE DIFFERENT PARTS TO
COEXIST, EVEN IF THEY DONT
OVERLAP.
ITS AMAZING WHAT PEOPLE SEE
WHEN THEY LOOK AT US, BUT THE
KEY IS TAKING PRIDE IN ALL THAT
WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT
OURSELVES.
AND WITH THAT SAID, WED LOVE TO
HEAR FROM YOU.
WED LAVA TO KNOW WHAT YOUR
TAKING PRIDE IN THIS MONTH.
EMAIL US, OR TWEET US.
FEEL FREE TO SEND US PICTURES AS
LONG AS YOU TOOK THEM YOURSELF.