UP.
UP. >>
UP. >> I'LL TEXT YOU.
>>> IN OTHER ALL GOOD NEWS
STORIES WE, OF COURSE,
ARE CELEBRATING MLK DAY TODAY
WITH A VERY SPECIAL
GUEST WHOSE WORK EMBODIES THIS
NATIONAL DAY OF
SERVICE.
SERVICE.
SERVICE. I AM SO EXCITED AND HONORED TO
BE WITH MY FRIEND,
ELIZABETH OMILAMI.
ELIZABETH OMILAMI. SHE IS THE CEO OF HOSEA HELPS.
SHE IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT
WONDERFUL THINGS HAPPENING
ON THIS COLD AND CHILLY DAY,
BUT WE ALL HAVE WARM
HEARTS, HONORING HIS LEGACY.
HOW ARE YOU?
>> WONDERFUL.
>> WONDERFUL. ALWAYS GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
>> ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU.
YOU DO SO MUCH IN THE
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL.
BUT OF COURSE IT STARTED WITH
YOUR FATHER, HOSEA
WILLIAMS, WHO WORKED SO CLOSELY
WITH DR. KING.
HOW DID THAT RELATIONSHIP AT
SUCH AN EARLY AGE FOR
YOU, HOW DID THAT AFFECT AND
IMPACT YOU, ESPECIALLY
LOOKING BACK NOW?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW,, THEY SAY
THAT THE PERSONALITY OF
A CHILD IS FORMED BY THE TIME
THEY GET SEVEN, I
THINK THEY SAY.
AND BY THAT TIME, ALL I HAD
SEEN WAS MARCHING,
WONDERFUL PREACHING, FABULOUS
SINGING, AND JAIL.
>> AND THAT.
>> THAT.
>> THAT.
>> THAT. I WAS MARCHING, HAD GONE TO
JAIL TWICE BY THE TIME I
WAS NINE.
WAS NINE.
WAS NINE. SO I WAS IN MY MOTHER'S ARMS
ACTUALLY THE FIRST TIME
IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.
WE WERE MARCHING FOR THE
INTEGRATION OF THE
WOOLWORTH'S THERE IN SAVANNAH.
SO I GREW UP BY THAT TIME
THINKING THERE WAS A
PURPOSE IN LIFE, AND THAT
PURPOSE IS TO MAKE SURE
EVERYONE HAS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY,
AND THAT YOU FIGHT
FOR YOUR RIGHTS.
I THINK, AS A LITTLE GIRL, I
DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT
RIGHTS WERE, BUT I KNEW THERE
WAS SOMETHING CALLED
RIGHTS, AND YOU HAD TO FIGHT
FOR IT.
FOR IT.
FOR IT. >> THAT WE ALL DESERVE.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD GET.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. IT'S SO IMPORTANT OBVIOUSLY TO
REMEMBER HIS LEGACY,
BUT EVEN -- ESPECIALLY, I
SHOULD SAY, IN THESE TIMES
AS WELL.
AS WELL.
AS WELL. TALK ABOUT WHY THAT IS SO
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. IT SEEMS LIKE WE STILL SEE THE
SAME STRUGGLES, THE
SAME FIGHTING, AND STILL TRYING
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO FEEL LIKE
THEY HAVE BEEN LEFT
BEHIND.
BEHIND.
BEHIND. >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. I
>> YES. I THINK, ESPECIALLY, WHEN WE
LOOK AT CHILDREN AT THE
BORDER IN JAIL, THAT'S JAIL TO
ME.
ME.
ME. >>
ME. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> OR WHEN WE'RE AFRAID THAT
SOMEONE WILL COME AND
SHOOT A SCHOOL, THAT IS THE
KIND OF REACTION THAT
COMES FROM IGNORANCE, FROM
HATE, AND FROM RACISM,
AND WHEN DR. KING SAID THAT NO
MAN IS FREE UNTIL
WE'RE ALL FREE, WHAT HE MEANT
WAS THAT IF THEY SHOOT
UP A SCHOOL IN, YOU KNOW, RHODE
ISLAND, AND THERE'S
NOBODY YOU KNOW THERE, DOESN'T
MATTER.
MATTER.
MATTER. THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS.
>> SURE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. >> SO WE ALL HAVE A PART TO
PLAY, ESPECIALLY I'LL
SAY WHITE FOLKS, BECAUSE WHITE
FOLKS HAVE GOT TO
SPEAK OUT.
SPEAK OUT. THE REASON THEY ARE IMPORTANT
IS BECAUSE WHEN BLACK
FOLKS SPEAK OUT, THEY SAY, "OH,
YEAH, THERE THEY ARE
AGAIN, COMPLAINING ABOUT THE
SAME OLD THING."
BUT YOU HAD MANY WHITE PEOPLE
GIVE THEIR LIVES.
PRIESTS, JAMES REED, HE WAS
BEAT TO DEATH WITH A
BASEBALL BAT.
BASEBALL BAT. I GREW UP KNOWING THESE WHITE
PEOPLE THAT GAVE THEIR
LIVES.
LIVES.
LIVES. GOODMAN, CHENEY, AND SHORNER.
SO IT WAS NEVER A BLACK AGAINST
WHITE THING WITH ME.
IT WAS ALWAYS A CHARACTER.
SO YOU CAN NOT TELL THE
CHARACTER OF A PERSON BY THE
COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.
AND THAT GOES FOR EVER COLOR.
>> AMEN.
>> AMEN.
>> AMEN. >> I GREW UP KNOWING THAT, AND
I'M STILL FIGHTING
THAT FIGHT TO TEACH YOUNG
PEOPLE WHAT GOOD CHARACTER
IS, WHAT RESPECT IS.
>> AMEN.
>> AMEN.
>> AMEN. AND WHAT DOES THIS DAY MEAN TO
YOU?
YOU?
YOU? >>
YOU? >> IT MEANS THAT I GREW UP IN
AN UNUSUAL WAY, THAT I
HAVE TO BEGIN TO --
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYNDROME,
ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT SUFFER
WITH THAT, BECAUSE WE GREW UP
AS IF WE WERE IN A
WAR.
WAR.
WAR. I'VE
WAR. I'VE GOT TO SUCK THAT IN.
AS THEY SAY, PUT ON YOUR BIG
GIRL PANTS, AND GO BACK
TO WORK.
TO WORK.
TO WORK. WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
THAT NEED TO BE FED,
PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING
DISPLACED FROM THEIR HOME
BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF
AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THE ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS ARE
DISAPPEARING BECAUSE OF --
TECHNOLOGY IS DOING A LOT OF
THE WORK THAT PEOPLE
USED TO DO.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> AND IT'S ESTIMATED THAT 40%
OF THE CURRENT JOBS
WILL DISAPPEAR IN THE NEXT TEN
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. SO
YEARS. SO I'VE GOT A GREAT TASK AHEAD
OF ME, AND HOSEA FEED
THE HUNGRY IS WHERE I WORK.
IT IS THE ORGANIZATION THAT I
RUN.
RUN.
RUN. WHAT
RUN. WHAT WE SEE NOW IS PEOPLE THAT
HAVE GOOD JOBS THAT
DON'T HAVE FOOD OR THAT AREN'T
ABLE --
ABLE --
ABLE -- >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. I FOUND THAT STARTED WITH THE
RECESSION, WHERE YOU
SAW PEOPLE WHO YOU WOULD THINK
NORMALLY WOULD NOT BE
IN THAT DIRE NEED, BUT THAT IS
THE REALITY, AND THAT
HASN'T CHANGED.
HASN'T CHANGED. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE WORK
YOU'VE BEEN DOING,
FIRST OF ALL, HOW MANY YEARS
HAS IT BEEN FOR HOSEA
FEED THE HUNGRY AND HOMELESS,
AND TALK ABOUT THIS
CONTINUING WORK FOLLOWING IN
YOUR FATHER'S
YOUR FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS.
FOOTSTEPS. >> THE FIRST THANK GIVING
DINNER WAS IN 1970.
THAT WAS PRIMARY MEN AND
HOMELESS PEOPLE.
HOMELESS PEOPLE. SO FAST-FORWARD FROM THEN TO
20000 WHEN HOSEA
WILLIAMS AND JUANITA WILLIAMS
BOTH PASSED AWAY IN
THE SAME YEAR.
THEY WERE THE IMPETUS.
MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS MY DAD'S
BOSS.
BOSS.
BOSS. SO
BOSS. SO THEY WERE INSPIRED BY THAT
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. BUT THEN NOW TODAY, WHEN I'M
GETTING CALLS FROM
PEOPLE WHO NEVER THOUGHT THEY'D
BE IN A FOOD LINE,
NEVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE
RENT ASSISTANCE.
RENT ASSISTANCE. AND IF WE DON'T COME TOGETHER
AND SERVE PEOPLE IN
NEED, THEN I THINK OUR COUNTRY
WILL SUFFER BECAUSE
OF THIS, AND WE'LL BE IN MORE
OF A CRISIS THAN WE
ARE RIGHT NOW.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. AND THERE'S A WAY TO HELP,
ESPECIALLY TODAY.
ESPECIALLY TODAY. ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE THE DAY
OFF.
OFF.
OFF. THIS
OFF. THIS IS WHAT IT'S MEANT TO BE.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> A DAY OF SERVICE, A DAY TO
REMEMBER.
REMEMBER.
REMEMBER. TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON SO
ANYONE WHO'S WATCHING CAN
COME OUT.
COME OUT.
COME OUT. >> WE HAD 200 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
COME IN THE LAST TWO
DAYS TO GET FOOD.
>> WOW.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> AND THAT JUST BLESSED MY
HEART.
HEART.
HEART. >>
HEART. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO
SOMETHING FOR THEM.
SO IF YOU'RE AT HOME AND YOU
WANT TO DO SOMETHING,
OF COURSE YOU CAN SPONSOR A
FOOD BECOMES FOR 38
BUCKS.
BUCKS.
BUCKS. YOU CAN FEED A FAMILY OF FOUR
FOR TWO WEEKS.
JUST GO TO OUR WEB SITE, NUMBER
4, HSOCA.ORG, AND
YOU CAN SPONSOR A FOOD BANK BOX
FOR ONE OF THESE
FAMILIES.
FAMILIES.
FAMILIES. ALSO, JUST LOOK AROUND YOUR OWN
NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEIGHBORHOOD. I BET YOU CAN FIND A SENIOR
CITIZEN THAT NEEDS HELP.
YOU CAN FIND SOME CHILDREN
MAYBE WITHOUT TWO PARENTS
THAT ONE PARENT THAT HAS TWO
JOBS AND THREE KIDS CAN
HELP.
HELP.
HELP. YOU
HELP. YOU CAN HELP THEM.
THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING YOU
COULD DO.
COULD DO.
COULD DO. AND IF YOU ARE LONELY AND
DEPRESSED, THE BEST WAY TO
GET OUT OF THAT IS TO SERVE
SOMEBODY ELSE, BECAUSE
THEN YOU START THINKING ABOUT
OTHERS.
OTHERS.
OTHERS. >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> AND DR. KING, THAT WAS ONE
OF HIS MAIN MESSAGES,
IS THAT WE MUST SERVE OTHERS.
AND WHAT IT IS, IT HELPS YOU
MORE THAN YOU COULD
EVER HELP ANYBODY ELSE.
>> IT'S SO TRUE.
>> AND HOSEA FEED THE HUNGRY,
WE HAVE 9,000
VOLUNTEERS A YEAR.
WE ESPECIALLY NEED VOLUNTEERS
RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE ON
JANUARY 3rd, WE WILL BE HAVING
OUR MLK DAY
CELEBRATION.
CELEBRATION. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO
HELP PREP THE FOOD.
>> RIGHT NOW YOU DO NOT?
>> WE DO NOT.
>> CAN YOU SIGN UP ON THE WEB
SITE?
SITE?
SITE? >>
SITE? >> ON THE WEB SITE.
WE HAVE 72 SPACES LEFT.
WE ALSO WILL BE HEARING ORAL
HISTORIES ON
HISTORIES ON JANUARY 3rd.
JANUARY 3rd. THAT'S THIS WEDNESDAY.
GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL
GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER, 10 TO 4.
>> 10 TO 4. BUT IF YOU WANT TO
VOLUNTEER --
VOLUNTEER -- >> WE NEED YOU.
>> -- THEY HAVE DOZENS OF SPOTS
THEY NEED FILLED.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> GO TO THE WEB SITE, WHICH IS
FORHOSEA.ORG.
FORHOSEA.ORG. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT WOULDN'T BE SUCH AN
IMPORTANT DAY WITHOUT SEEING
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. >>
YOU. >> "ATLANTA AND COMPANY" IS
ALWAYS THERE FOR THE
COMMUNITY, ALWAYS THERE FOR
HOSEA FEED THE HUNGRY.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
PLEASE DON'T FORGET.
WE'LL MAKE SURE TRENT NOT ONLY
POSTS HOW YOU CAN
HELP, BUT POSTS THE EVENT ON
THE 3rd ONCE AGAIN SO
YOU CAN COME OUT.
>>> COMING UP, ARE YOU
STRUGGLING WITH YOUR NEW
YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS?
YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS? WE HAVE THE SOLUTION FOR YOU.
AFTER THE BREAK, WE'RE GOING TO
GIVE YOU THE TOOLS
TO CREATE HEALTHY HABILITATES