>>> WELCOME BACK.
NOW, IF YOU HAD THE POWER TO
CHANGE ANYTHING IN GOVERNMENT
YOU WANTED TO, WHAT WOULD YOU
DO?
WELL, THAT’S A QUESTION YOUNG
BOYS AND GIRLS FACE IN PROGRAMS
CALL BOYS STATE AND GIRLS STATE.
AND CRAIG, I HEAR YOU ACTUALLY
TOOK PART IN THIS.
>> YES.
I PARTICIPATED --
>> LOOK AT THAT.
>> WOW.
HASN’T SEEN THAT IN A WHILE.
>> YOU LOOK PRETTY COOL THERE.
>> I WAS A FEDERALIST BACK IN
THE DAY.
NOW THERE’S A DOCUMENTARY CALLED
"BOYS STATE."
IT FOLLOWS THE STORY OF FOUR
YOUNG MEN AS THEY EMBARK ON A
WEEK-LONG JOURNEY.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE RIVETING
SPEECH ONE GAVE.
>> MY GRANDMOTHER TOLD ME A FEW
THINGS.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE FAITH, HOPE, AND A BIT OF A PISSED OFF
AND A BIT OF A PISSED OFF
ATTITUDE.
I WANT TO BE CIVIL AND REPRESENT
A WHOLE WORKING BODY.
AND WE’RE GOING TO TAKE THE
EXAMPLE OF A PLANE BODY.
IT HAS TWO WINGS.
A LEFT ONE AND A RIGHT ONE.
WE’RE NOT GOING TO PICK ONE.
WE’RE GOING TO STAY IN THE
MIDDLE BECAUSE WE ARE NOT AN
INTOLERABLE PARTY.
WE ARE PALATABLE TO ALL.
>> THE FILM MAKERS AS WELL AS
THAT YOUNG MAN WE JUST HEARD
FROM THERE JOIN US NOW.
GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOU ON THIS
MONDAY MORNING.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
>> JESSE, LET ME START WITH YOU.
WHY A DOCUMENTARY ON TEXAS BOYS
STATE?
HOW WAS THIS BORN?
UH-OH.
DID WE LOSE JESSE?
I THINK WE DID LOSE JESSE FOR A
SECOND.
WE’LL TRY TO GET JESSE AND
AMANDA BACK UP.
I’LL TURN TO YOU.
I HAD A CHANCE TO WATCH THE
DOCUMENTARY OVER THE WEEKEND.
IT BROUGHT BACK A LOT OF FOND
MEMORIES.
YOU RAN FOR PARTY CHAIR.
YOU SAID YOUR GRANDMOTHER TAUGHT
YOU TO KEEP FAITH, HOPE, AND A
BIT OF AN ATTITUDE.
HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE FOR YOU
THERE IN TEXAS THAT WEEK?
I MEAN, I GUESS IT’S KIND OF A
LOADED QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, BOYS STATE IS
DEFINITELY A WEEK PACKED WITH
INTENSITY, LOW SLEEP, LOTS OF
HEAT.
SO I GUESS THE OVERALL
EXPERIENCE WOULD BE HARD BUT
REWARDING.
>> AL?
>> SO IN THE DOCUMENTARY YOU HAD
TO FACE A FEW CHALLENGES.
AT ONE POINT, THERE WAS A CALL
FOR AN IMPEACHMENT.
YOU WERE THE TARGET OF RACIST
POSTS THAT SURFACED ONLINE.
WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE
AND WHAT DID IT TEACH YOU?
>> I’M GOING TO SAY THIS THAT,
YOU KNOW, BY NATURE OF MY
IDENTITY, I DEAL WITH PETTY
RACISM ALL THE TIME.
I GUESS GOING INTO BOYS STATE, I
WAS NOT SURPRISED BY THE FACT
THEY USED THOSE TACTICS.
I WAS MORE SURPRISED BY THE FACT
THEY WERE STILL USING THESE
TACTICS AT 17 YEARS OLD.
SO THAT WAS A LITTLE
DISAPPOINTING.
BUT DEALING WITH THE IMPEACHMENT
AND RACISM, IT WAS REALLY JUST
PRETTY SIMPLE.
IT WAS A GAME OF POLITICKING
THAT HAD TO DO AS A BACKGROUND
TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.
I DIDN’T LIKE THE WORK I HAD TO
DO, BUT I CAME OUT, YOU KNOW, IN
THE END.
>> YOU WERE VERY GOOD AT IT.
YOU WERE VERY, VERY GOOD AT IT.
I KNOW HOW DIFFICULT THAT WEEK
CAN BE.
LET ME COME BACK TO YOU NOW.
I THINK WE’VE GOT YOU, JESSE.
WHY A DOCUMENTARY ON TEXAS BOYS
STATE?
>> WELL, THANKS, CRAIG.
WE DIDN’T GO THROUGH THE PROGRAM
GROWING UP AND WHEN WE LEARNED
ABOUT TEXAS BOYS STATE, WE READ
AN ARTICLE ON "THE WASHINGTON
POST," THE BOYS IN TEXAS HAD
VOTED TO SECEDE IN 2017.
WE WERE STRUCK IN THE PROGRAM
THEY BRING TOGETHER YOUNG PEOPLE
WITH VERY DIFFERENT POLITICS.
THAT’S A RARE SPACE IN AMERICA
TODAY.
WE LOVE THE IDEA AS DOCUMENTARY
FILM MAKERS WE COULD GO LOOK AT
YOUNG MEN WITH DIFFERENT
POLITICS TRYING TO MAKE
COMPROMISE AND TO BUILD A
GOVERNMENT FROM THE GROUND UP.
>> AND AMANDA, YOU GUYS HAD TO
SHOOT THIS DOCUMENTARY IN JUST
ONE WEEK.
AND YOU CALLED THAT TERRIFYING.
WHY WAS IT TERRIFYING?
>> NORMALLY WE SHOOT FILMS OVER
YEARS AND YEARS AND WE’RE A CREW
OF TWO.
AND SOMETIMES EVEN ONE.
SO THE VERY IDEA WE HAD TO
CAPTURE EVERYTHING WE NEEDED TO
MAKE A FILM IN ONE WEEK, THAT
KIND OF -- WELL, IT’S A MAJOR
UNDERTAKING.
IT’S ALSO A MAJOR RISK.
WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO
SORT OF PREPARE FOR THAT.
YOU KNOW, PUT TOGETHER AN
INCREDIBLE CREW AND TRIED TO
FIND SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
GOING TO FOLLOW THROUGH THIS
EVENT.
YOU KNOW, NEVER THREAT, THE
EVENT GETS STARTED AND IT IS
PANDEMONIUM INITIALLY IN THE
BEGINNING.
IT’S A LITTLE BIT LIKE WE’RE THE
LITTLE TWIN PROP PLANE GOING
THROUGH THE HURRICANE.
EVENTUALLY ORDER HAPPENED.
THANK YOU TO PEOPLE LIKE RENE
AND OTHER LEADERS.
WE HAD TO REALLY HOLD ON.
>> IT’S DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN
WHAT BOYS STATE IS OR GIRLS
STATE IS TO SOMEONE WHO HASN’T
BEEN THROUGH IT, RENE.
BUT HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT
AND NOW THAT YOU’VE DONE IT, DO
YOU THINK YOU’LL EVER GO INTO
POLITICS?
>> SO I ORIGINALLY DESCRIBED IT
AS -- EXPERIMENT EXCEPT FOR
POLITICS.
POWER CORRUPTS.
I THINK I WAS A LITTLE JADED.
I THINK I’D DESCRIBE IT NOW AS
AN EXPERIMENT.
IN WHICH YOUNG PEOPLE CAN DECIDE
WHETHER OR NOT GREATER POLITICAL
ENGAGEMENT IS FOR THEM.
BUT ME GOING THROUGH THE
PROCESS, I LEARNED THAT NO, I DO
NOT WANT TO BE A POLITICIAN.
I ENTERED THE SPACE WANTING TO
BE A SENATOR.
AND THAT’S BECAUSE WITH
ELECTORAL POLITICS, I LEARNED
I’M ALWAYS HAVING TO SACRIFICE
SOMETHING.
AND DURING THIS TIME, THERE’S A
LOT OF SACRIFICE WITH COVID-19
AND AS WE’RE CONFRONTING WHITE
SUPREMACY.
ESPECIALLY IN MY CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE NEED MUCH MORE IMMEDIATE
ACTION.
SO I CANNOT AFFORD TO WAIT UNTIL
THE NEXT ELECTION.
>> RENE, I TELL YOU, ANY TIME I
HEAR FROM YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE
YOURSELF I’M ASSURED.
THE FUTURE IS OKAY.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.