>> TODAY IS JUNETEENTH MARKING THE DAY 157 YEARS AGO THAT UNION SOLDIERS BROUGHT THE NEWS TO
ENSLAVE BLACK PEOPLE IN
GALVESTON TEXAS THAT THEY HAD
BEEN SET FREE.
>> THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SECOND
YEAR JUNETEENTH IS CELEBRATED AS
AN OFFICIAL NATIONAL HOLIDAY AND
THAT MEANS CELEBRATIONS AND ALSO
REFLECT-- REFLECTION ON HOW FAR
OR NOT WE MIGHT HAVE COME IN THE
FIGHT FOR EQUALITY.
TO TALK ALL ABOUT THAT, THE
PRESIDENT & CEO OF THE URBAN
LEAGUE OF GREATER MIAMI, A
VETERAN FORCE FOR EMPOWERING
YOUNG PEOPLE AND COMMUNITY
BUILDING AND FRIEND TO THE
PROGRAM.
SO GOOD TO HE SUE, THANKS SO
MUCH.
>> GREAT TO SIGH, THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR
GREAT WORK WITH THE URBAN
LEAGUE. HAVE I SEEN SOME OF ITS
FIRST HAND.
SO JUNETEENTH WHEN YOU AND I
SPOKE ON THE PHONE LATE THIS
WEEK, YOU SAID I’M ABOUT THE
FUTURE, NOT ABOUT THE PAST BUT
WHY NOT RECOGNIZE SOME OF THE
TERRIBLE THINGS THAT HAVE
HAPPENED AND THE GOOD THINGS AS
WELL, BY BLACK PEOPLE IN THIS
COUNTRY?
>> WELL,S WE HAVE GOT TO STOP
LOOKING BACKYARD-- BACKWARDS.
IT IS INSULTING TO ME TO TALK
ABOUT JUNETEENTH WHEN I KNOW THE
REAL CONDITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
FOR 150 PLUS YEARS LATER.
JUNETEENTH, WE CELEBRATE IT WHEN
EVERYBODY WAS CONCERNED ABOUT
HIGH GAS PRICES, BABY FORMULA
SHORTAGE, RUNAWAY INFLATION, OUT
OF CONTROL BORDER CRISIS, AND
WE’RE GOING TO TAKE TIME OUT TO
CELEBRATE SOMETHING THAT MAKES
NO SENSE WHEN WE’RE STILL
FURTHER BEHIND THAN WE HAVE EVER
BEEN BEFORE.
SO WE DON’T CELEBRATE IT THE
ONLY REASON WHY I AM DOING THIS
IS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, OTHER
THAN THIS.
>> WHAT AM I, CHOP LIVER, HOLD
ON, HOLD ON.
SO, SO THIS IS IS A CELEBRATION
OF FREEDOM, I’M NOT SURE THAT IS
W-- WE DON’T WANT TO CELEBRATE
FREEDOM, THAT IS LIKE A JULY
4th THING BUT TO YOUR POINT,
THIS FEELS ALMOST LIKE, AND YOU
SCHOOL US ON THIS, THIS FEELS
LIKE A COMMEMORATION OF A POINT
IN HISTORY THAT ALMOST IS SO
IMPORTANT TO TAKE AS A LAUNCH
POINT TO SEE WELL, WHERE HAVE WE
COME AND WHERE DO WE-- WHERE
HAVE WE NOT COME AND WHERE DO WE
NEED TO GO.
IS THAT FAIR?
>> RIGHT, BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT
THAT KIND OF CONVERSATION.
THIS IS ABOUT CELEBRATING THAT
WE WERE SET FREE 147 YEAR OKAYS
PLUS TIME.
SO WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUTS
THAT, I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT
THAT AT ALL.
BECAUSE IT MAKES NO SENSE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE
TODAY, WE ARE WORSE OFF TODAY
THAN WE HAVE BEEN IN A LONG LONG
TIME.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CONDITIONS
THAT WE LIVE IN, THEY ARE WORSE
THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN BEFORE.
SO HOW IS THAT TALKING ABOUT
CELEBRATING SOMETHING CALL
JUNETEENTH.
>> IN THE CON TECH OF TEACHING
ABOUT JUNETEENTH, WE HAVE JUST
COME OFF OF A SESSION WHERE
THERE IS NOW A NEW LAW CALLED
INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM WHICH TRIES
TO FRAME HOW SCHOOL CHILDREN IN
FLORIDA LEARN ABOUT RACE.
AND IT’S PREDICATED UPON HOPING,
TRYING NOT TO MAKE SPECIFICALLY
WHITES CHILDREN FEEL BALD OR
FEEL GUILTY ABOUT THE WORST OF
AMERICAN HISTORY WHEN IT COMES
TO ITS BLACK CITIZENS.
I WANT YOU TO WEIGH IN ON THAT
LAW AND HOW IT WAS FRAMED.
AND HOW SHOULD WE BE TEACHING
HISTORY, BLACK HISTORY
SPECIFICALLY IN SCHOOLS.
>> IT DOESN’T MATTER.
IT’S NOT BLACK HISTORY.
WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
FACT THAT MOST OF THE BLACK
CHILDREN CAN’T READ.
SO WHY SHOULD WE TAKE A SIDE
ROAD AND TALK ABOUT BLACK
HISTORY WHEN WE LOOK AT THE
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOME WE ARE STILL
FURTHER BEHIND THAN EVER BEFORE.
SO WE OUGHT TO BE FOCUSED ON THE
FACT THAT WE NOT ABLE TO BE
COMPETITIVE IN THE REAL WORLD
BASED ON EDUCATION.
WHETHER IT IS BLACK HISTORY OR
AMERICAN HISTORY.
>> YEAH.
>> THE ISSUE IS IS THAT THE
NUMBER OF BLACK CHILDREN WHO ARE
BEHIND TODAY IS GREATER THAN IT
WAS PRIOR TO JUNETEENTH.
>> WELL, LET ME JUST ANSWER THAT
IN A WAY THAT I BELIEVE THAT I
AM-- IF I’M READING RIGHT, THE
CURRICULUM CALLED CRITICAL RACE
THEORY IS PREDICATED ON THE FACT
THAT THERE ARE INSTANTS STILL,
RAMIFICATIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL
RACISM IN OUR COUNTRY.
THAT ARE IN PLACE AND PERHAPS
SOME OF THE REASONS WHY, THERE
ISN’T AS MUCH GENERATIONAL
WEALTH IN BLACK COMMUNITIES OR
MORE POVERTY IN BLACK
COMMUNITIES BECAUSE OF THIS
CONSTITUTIONALITY-- INSTITUTIONA
L RACISM.
AND THAT IS WHAT CRITICAL RACE
THEORY, THE CURRICULUM IN HIGHER
EDUCATION IS PREDICATED UPON.
WOULD THAT BE RELEVANT?
>> NO, IT WOULDN’T BE RELEVANT
BECAUSE WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT
QUOTE UNQUOTE INSTITUTIONAL RACE
IMP, I HAVEN’T SEEN IT AT ALL.
SO IF IT IS ALIVE, LET ME KNOW
SO I CAN GO KILL IT.
WE KEEP INVENTING THINGS AND NOT
DEALING WITH THE REALITY.
THERE IS NO INSTITUTION IN THIS
COMMUNITY TODAY WHERE THERE IS A
PLANNED EFFORT ON BEHALF OF
THOSE WHO CONTROL IT TO
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST BLACK FOAM,
PERIOD.
>> LET ME JUST POINT OUT FOR
PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT KNOW YOU AS I
HAVE KNOWN YOU FOR 40 YEARS OR
SO, YOU ARE WERE A FRIEND OF JEB
BUSH WHEN HE WAS THE GOVERNOR OF
FLORIDA.
AND YOU AND HE STARTED A CHARTER
SCHOOL IN LIBERTY CITY.
IT WAS I GUESS ONE OF THE FIRST
IF NOT THE FIRST AND IT WAS
PRIMARILY DIRECTED TO IMPROVE
THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG BLACK
DIDS.
AND MORE POWER TO YOU AND JEB
FOR DOING THAT.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT SCHOOL?
>> THAT SCHOOL SERVED AS
THE-- FOR THE-- WE STARTED OUT
WITH SOME 69 CHILDREN IN THE
CITY OF MIAMI SELECTED FROM
LIBERTY CITY, HERE WE ARE, 30
PLUS YEARS LATER, 500,000
STUDENTS OF COLOR HAVE
PARTICIPATED IN CHOICE.
THAT EFFORT WAS TO MAKE SURE
THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THAT
BLACK CHILDREN OUGHT TO HAVE
ACCESS TO CHOICE.
LIKE ALL OTHER CHOICES AND THAT
WE CREATED A PATHWAY TO MAKE
THAT HAPPEN.
WE’VE DONE THAT, AND I’M VERY
PROUD OF THAT.
500,000, THAT SAY SIGNIFICANT
NUMBER.
WELL, NO, IT SAY HUGE NUMBER AND
IT’S A BIG FACTOR I THINK IN THE
LAST GOVERNOR’S RACE, IN FACT.
IT WAS A FACTOR IN HOW
AFRICAN-AMERICANS VOTED IN THE
GOVERNOR’S RACE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> YOU KNOW, LET ME JUST SAY FOR
THE RECORD, I LOVE YOU, AND I
ADMIRE THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE.
I HAVE BEEN ON THE URBAN LEAGUE
CAMPUS.
I HAVE SEEN THE BEAUTIFUL
APARTMENTS WHERE SINGLE MOTHERS
LIVE AND YOU HAVE PROVIDE CHILD
CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN SO THESE
WOMEN CAN WORK, I MEAN YOU HAVE
DONE SO GREAT WORK.
BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AND
YOU ARE SORT OF SAYING LET’S NOT
LOOK AT PAST HISTORY, I’M
THINKING OF THE FAMOUS SAYING BY
GEORGE SANTDIANA THOSE WHO
CANNOT REMEMBER HISTORY ARE
DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.
SO SHOULDN’T WE BE TEACHING AND
REMARKING AND CELEBRATING, YOU
KNOW, AND ALSO GRIEVING OVER
INSTANCES IN BLACK HISTORY IN
THIS COUNTRY?
>> I AM NOT GOING TO DEBATE
WHETHER OR NOT OTHERS OUGHT TO
DO IT, IF THEY WANT TO DO IT,
THEN DO T I’M JUST SUGGESTIONING
TO YOU THAT AT THE END OF THE
DAY IT’S NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY
DIFFERENCE.
I’M SUGGESTING TO YOU BECAUSE IT
MAKES NO DIFFERENCE BASED ON OUR
ASSESSMENT, THAT WE’RE NOT GOING
TO DO T I’M NOT GOING TO
CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY WEEK.
I’M BLACK 52 WEEKS OUT OF THE
YEAR.
I’M NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT
QUOTE UNQUOTE WHETHER WE ARE
FREE, I KNOW THAT I AM FREE.
WHETHER THAT HAPPENED IN 1865 OR
1863, I DON’T NEED THAT, TO
REAFFIRM THAT TODAY.
>> THIS IS GOING TO BE A
CONVERSATION THAT NO ONE
EXPECTED.
IT IS SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU, WE
CELEBRATE YOU 52 WEEKS OUT OF