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>> Lawrence: SO IN KEEPING WITH
MY PROMISE TO ELEVATE BLACK
VOICES THAT DESERVE TO BE HEARD
AND COMPLETELY IGNORED BY
EVERYONE ELSE IN THE MEDIA, WE
HAVE A FOLLOW-UP TONIGHT ON A
STORY WE BROUGHT YOU BACK IN
MAY.
THE STORY OF 22-YEAR-OLD KING
RANDAL.
NOW KING’S GROUP, THE X FOR BOYS
HAS EMPOWERED HIS COMMUNITY AT
RISK YOUTH BY NOT ONLY GIVING
THEM A SAFE SPACE, A SAFE PLACE
BUT ALSO THROUGH EDUCATION.
HE IS ALSO NOT JUST TEACHING OUT
OF A TEXTBOOK.
HE TEACHES KIDS EVERYTHING FROM
HOW TO CHANGE A TIRE TO HOW TO
MOW A LAWN.
WHEN WE LAST SPOKE WITH KING.
KING WAS BATTLING WITH LOCAL
SCHOOL BOARD LEADERSHIP DOING
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO KEEP HIM
FROM OPENING HIS OWN SCHOOL.
PEOPLE SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE
FOR THIS 22-YEAR-OLD KID TO RUN
A SCHOOL.
BUT HE IS DEFYING THE ODDS AND
NOW SET TO OPEN UP HIS FIRST
SCHOOL NEXT FALL.
KING RANDAL X FOR BOYS AND HE
JOINS ME NOW WITH AN UPDATE.
KING, ALWAYS SO PROUD OF YOU,
BROTHER.
HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO DO THIS BECAUSE THEY WERE THROWING
BECAUSE THEY WERE THROWING
EVERYTHING AT YOU LAWRENCE I
WILL SAY THIS.
SOMEBODY WHO DOESN’T KNOW CAN’T
BE DONE DOESN’T KNOW MY GUY.
THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR
US TO KNOW.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE
CREATING COMPETING MACHINES FOR
THESE DIFFERENT PROGRESSIVE
SYSTEMS THAT ARE PLAGUING AND
DESTROYING OUR COMMUNITIES.
OUR CHILDREN AT FAILING AT
READING.
OUR CHILDREN ARE FAILING AT MANY
DIFFERENT THINGS IN OUR LOCAL
HOMETOWN OF ALBANY, GEORGIA.
BUT HERE WE ARE TRYING TO HELP
OUR YOUNG MEN AND PUSH THEM
FORWARD BY CREATING THIS PROGRAM
CALLED X FOR BOYS.
MEETING WITH THEM WEEKLY.
WE DO WORKSHOPS WITH THEM.
TEACH THEM FIREARMS TRAINING.
TEACH THEM HOW TO WORK ON CARS
AND WORK ON HOUSES.
THEY HAVE DONE WELDING.
MANY DIFFERENT THINGS TRYING TO
GIVE THEM AN IDEA OF HOW TO MAKE
IT AND HOW TO SURVIVE.
HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
THESE CHILDREN NEED TO SEE
POSSIBLE.
AND SO MANY OF OUR CHILDREN IN
THE CITY OF ALBANY DON’T GET TO
SEE POSSIBLE.
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE GOING TO SEE
A 22-YEAR-OLD YOUNG MAN NOT TOO
FAR OFF FROM ANY OF THE BOYS IN
THE PROGRAM.
THEY ARE GOING TO OPEN UP OWN
SCHOOLS AND FALL OF 2022.
THEY ARE GOING TO FLOURISH.
TOLD ME GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE
TO RUN OUR SCHOOLS ON PRIVATE
DONORS YET HERE OUR PRIVATE
DONORS HAVE SHOWN UP IN 24 HOURS
FOR US TO RAISE $50,000 FOR
RENOVATIONS ON OUR NEW THREE
BUILDINGS THAT WE PURCHASED.
HERE WE ARE DEFYING THE ODDS
BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW MY GOD.
>> Lawrence: SO, KING, I GUESS
MY BIG QUESTION, IT’S ALMOST
RHETORICAL.
WHY DON’T WE HEAR MORE STORIES
LIKE YOU OUT THERE.
THEY EXIST.
I TRY TO COVER THEM EVERY WEEK.
>> I WOULD DEFINITELY SAY MANY
OF OUR FAVORITE BLACK LEADERS
WHOM ARE PUSHED IN THE MEDIA
WHOM HAVE THEIR FISTS UP, ET
CETERA, ARE MORE FOCUSED ON, YOU
KNOW, DIFFERENT IDEOLOGIES THAT
ARE PLAGUING OUR COMMUNITIES.
ALWAYS SAY PEOPLE HAVE ACCUSED
ME OF GETTING FUNDING FROM THE
G.O.P., ET CETERA.
I’M LIKE, ACTUALLY, I HAVEN’T
GOTTEN A CALL FROM THE G.O.P.
BUT, YOUR FAVORITE BLACK VOICES
ARE BEING PAID BY THIS SAME
SYSTEM THAT YOU CLAIM IS
OPPRESSING YOU.
YOU GET MAD AT ME AND CALL ME A
SELL-OUT FOR NOT SELLING OUT TO
THE SYSTEM.
THIS IS WHAT WE DEAL WITH.
I REMEMBER ONE OF THE BIGGEST
CATCHPHRASES FOR BLACK LIVES
MATTER I CAN’T BREATHE.
SO MANY MEN IN OUR CITIES SAYING
RIGHT NOW THEY CAN’T BREATHE.
YET, THEY ARE STANDING AROUND.
THEY HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY FOR
BLACK MEN AFTER THEY ARE DEAD.
WE NEED TO BE FIGHTING FOR YOUNG
BLANK MEN BEFORE THEY DIE.
>> Lawrence: MAYBE THE G.O.P.
SHOULD CALL YOU.
MAYBE EVERY CONSERVATIVE
ORGANIZATION THAT FOCUS ON
OUTREACH SHOULD REACH OUT TO
YOU.
>> YOU ARE TEACHING THEM STUFF
THAT IS GOING TO CARRY THEM A
LIFETIME.
YOU ARE NOT JUST TEACHING THEM.
YOU ARE MAKING THE NEXT
GENERATION OF MEN THAT ARE GOING
TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILY,
WHEN THEIR WIFE CAN’T DO HER OIL
CHANGE, CAN CHANGE THE TIRE, DO
THE OIL CHANGE AND ALL OF THAT
IT SHOULDN’T BE JUST, YOU KNOW,
PEED ON.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I SHUN AT PEOPLE WHO TRY TO
POLITICIZE MY MESSAGE.
I HAVE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE EVEN
CONSERVATIVES GET UPSET FOR ME
FOR MAYBE GOING TO DIFFERENT
SPACES TO WHERE MAYBE BLACK
PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THE BEST, YOU
KNOW, IDEAS OR THINGS ABOUT
WHITE PEOPLE OR ET CETERA.
I SAID NO I HAVE TO GIVE TO HE
IS THAT HE IS SPACES TO GIVE THE
MESSAGE.
I HAVE TO GO THERE AND TELL THEM
THE TRUTH GOING ON IN OUR
COMMUNITY.
THE BLACK VOICES THEY’RE PUTTING
OUT IN FRONT OF US ARE NOT
TELLING THE TRUTH WHAT’S GOING
ON IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE HAVE TO PUSH THAT FORWARD.
YES, WE ARE BUILDING YOUNG MEN.
I’M TRYING TO MAKE IT A UNITY
PIECE WHERE WE ARE A UNIFYING SO
MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
OUR FOLLOWING IS SO DIVERSE.
WE HAVE LIBERALS, WE HAVE
CONSERVATIVES, WE HAVE
LIBERTARIANS, ET CETERA, WHO
LITERALLY SUPPORT OUR PROGRAM
BECAUSE OF THAT ONE MAIN
MESSAGE.
AND IF I CAN GET THEM ALL TO SEE
THAT YOU HAVE THE SAME ISSUE
IT’S NOT WITHIN YOUR RACE, IT’S
NOT WITHIN THE PARTIES, IT’S
WITHIN YOUR GOVERNMENT.
IF WE ALL UNIFY ON ONE FRONT AND
GO CONFRONT OUR ISSUES, WE MAKE
SOMETHING HAPPEN.
THAT STARTS WITH OUR YOUNG MEN.
>> Lawrence: THAT’S RIGHT.
YOU CAN’T BE 22.
I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SUPPORT
YOU AND, YOU KNOW, FROM ALL THE
BROTHERS THAT I HANG WITH, WE
SAY WE APPRECIATE YOU YOUNG
BLACK MAN AND WE APPRECIATE THE
IMPACT THAT YOU ARE MAKING ON
YOUNG BLACK MEN’S LIVES.
WE THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I THINK
EVERYBODY SHOULD FOLLOW AND
SUPPORT YOU BECAUSE I’M GOING TO
MAKE MY CONTRIBUTION WHEN I GET
OFF AIR TONIGHT.