 Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining us. I'm going to take off my mask really quick while I'm up here. It's so good to see you here, and thank you for making it in the rain in September. How weird is that, right? I'm Shauna Sherman, the manager of the African-American Center here at the library. It's on the third floor, and I'm so glad to see you all here for our program today, Change Makers, honoring the African-American heroes of San Francisco based on the murals at the Ellahill Hutch Community Center. Before we get started, I'm going to just do a couple of announcements. First, we have a land acknowledgement. We are broadcasting from the area now known as San Francisco, which is on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush-Aloni peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the original peoples of this land, the Ramaytush-Aloni have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place. We recognize that we benefit from living, working, and learning on their traditional homeland. As uninvited guests, we affirm their sovereign rights as first peoples and wish to pay our respects to the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramaytush community. We also have an ancestral acknowledgement that's adapted from the African-American reparations advisory committee. We honor the gifts, resilience, and sacrifices of our black ancestors who toiled the land, built the institutions that established this nation's wealth and freedom, and survived anti-black racism despite never being compensated nor fully realizing their own sovereignty. We acknowledge this exploitation of not only labor, but of our humanity and through this process they're working to repair some of the harms done by public and private actors. Because of their work, we are here and will invest in the descendants of their legacy. So again, thank you for being with us today to celebrate ChangeMaker's books. So thankful for our partners, the Leo T. McCarthy Center and USF and Human Rights Commission. And it's so exciting to be able to tell new stories about the African-American contributions in San Francisco. That's something that we're about at the African-American Center at the main library. And we hope that more of this happens. So I won't be moderating our show today. It will be Dr. Stephanie Sears. And before I invite her up to the podium, I'm going to give a brief introduction. Stephanie Sears is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of San Francisco. Originally from Indiana, Dr. Sears received her PhD from Yale University's Joint Program in African-American Studies and Sociology, and her BA in Psychology from Stanford University. Stephanie is a passionate advocate for the black community. As the director of the Peer Resource Center at Galileo High School in San Francisco, she worked with high school students to become agents of change in their own lives. Building on this experience, she worked with other women to create the Girls After School Academy, an after-school program for African-American girls living in San Francisco's public housing. She served as the Fledging Organization's first board chair and later returned to work in the organization as the director of programs. Currently, she is an active participant of Engage SF, a transformative university community initiative that seeks to achieve community-identified outcomes supporting children, youth, and families in the Western Edition. So please join me in welcoming Stephanie Sears up to the podium, and she will be telling us more about our program today. Thank you. Thanks, Shana, for that very generous introduction, and welcome everyone to this amazing event. I'm so honored today to serve as the moderator for this ChangeMaker conversation. Now, before I introduce our esteemed panelists, I just want to provide a brief overview of the historical and political context to frame our conversation today. And I also want to provide a high-level overview of how this book actually came to be. So, in order to understand the Fillmore and ChangeMakers, we have to understand the neighborhood of the Fillmore and how it came to be. Now, Black San Franciscans, ever since they've arrived, have constructed a legacy of resistance and changemaking that has not only shaped San Francisco, but has also had an important role in U.S. politics and culture. African Americans arrived in what we think of as San Francisco in the early 1700s, and they were among some of the early California settlers and landowners that actually helped establish San Francisco. Moreover, with the gold rush, free and enslaved blacks arrived and began working in the gold mines, and eventually many of them settled near the waterfront and actually expanded their community up towards Telegraph Hill. Now, this small but very mighty community faced a lot of challenges. There was illegal enslavement during this period, and there was massive discrimination, yet they still owned real estate. They created schools, businesses, political organizations, newspapers, and churches that anchored the community and amplified black voices. Now, while the number of black folks stayed around 1500 until around World War I, and it increased to about 4,000 at the onset of World War II, it was really between 1940 and 1950 that San Francisco's black population exploded. It went from around 4,800 to almost 50,000, right? And the vast majority of these folks lived in the Fillmore. By the end of World War II, the Fillmore became known as the Harlem of the West. It was the center of black life, music, and entertainment. The district had 63 small businesses and more than two dozen active nightclubs and music joints, which hosted artists such as Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Kulture. I'm just listing some of my favorites, so there are many, many other I'm just listing my favorites. Now, the development of the Fillmore was fueled by three major factors. First, many black folks were leaving the South to escape Jim Crow segregation and the intensive racial hostilities and violence that were present during that moment. Two, many of these newcomers were recruited specifically to take jobs in the region's bustling waterfront and shipbuilding industries that were created by the wartime economy. And three, because of the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans into internment camps and the discriminatory housing practices such as redlining and racial covenants that limited where black folks could not only buy but also rent, they moved into the available housing in the western edition. The Fillmore became a city within a city. It was a community for us by us. Now, in the midst of this exponential growth and cultural development, these racist racist housing policies continued and other forms of racial discrimination intensified. For example, San Francisco's housing discrimination was put into the national spotlight when in 1957 sports legend Willie Mays was unable to purchase a home in San Francisco's Tony St. Francis Wood neighborhood because the owner refused to sell to Negroes. Now, during the 1960s black activism in San Francisco exploded black and white allies organized by core the NAACP and the ad hoc committee to end discrimination use sit ins, marches, pickets and parades to demonstrate against discriminatory hiring practice in San Francisco's grocery stores, department stores, hotels, banks, and these struggles put San Francisco's black community and the fight for civil rights into the national spotlight. In addition, the black Panthers had an office in the Fillmore from which they offered their community programs. Yet, it was urban renewal and redevelopment that ultimately altered what we know now as the Fillmore. Using the rhetoric of blighted and slum clearance to morally justify destroying a thriving neighborhood. Urban renewal or what James Baldwin called Negro removal shuttered over 800 businesses demolished and estimated 2,500 Victorian homes and displaced between the numbers range between 10,000 and 30,000 people from the Fillmore. Now this devastation didn't happen without a fight. Community organizations were created to stop the devastation and other community members even tried to work with redevelopment organization in an attempt to sort of alter the devastating course. Yet it's within this context that our panelists today, some of them grew up, some of them develop their vision of justice, and some of them practiced and home their change making practices. Now I'm sure they will have much more to say about the fight for the Fillmore and the fight for racial justice in in San Francisco for black Americans. I just want to say that when we think of San Francisco, we often think of it as a progressive city. And as my colleague Rachel Brzezinski always reminds me, San Francisco's progressiveness is a result of the hard one fault, the hard fought battles that African Americans and others have waged to make this city progressive. Moreover, these struggles continue, and it's African American change makers like those were here from today, that are often at the forefront of these struggles. So, I'm switching now to the book. Okay, but y'all had to know that right because when they come up here y'all got to understand what they were up against what the community was like. So it's this history and the importance of this history, not just to black San Franciscans, but to San Francisco in general, that really motivated this book. This book celebrates black excellence and honors the change making legacies of the 96 people represented on the inspiration murals located on the walls of the Elohim Hutch Community Center. If you haven't been, go, it's on McAllister and Webster and you can see them for yourselves. This book is, I don't know if there's a word bigger than collaborative, like that really talks about the number of like entities and people that had to go together to make this happen. But this book is a massively collaborative effort and represents the best of what can happen when many people come together to create something for the greater good. So here's how it all went down. In 2015, Brenda Harris approached Karen Cotterman from the Leo T. McCarthy Center. I was imagining doing this first like a sports announcer, but I'm not going to do that. But I was like, how do you kind of go through this and give it and about having USF students write the biographies of the change makers featured on the inspiration murals. In 2015, that same year, I was asked if I would be interested in having the students in the estimate dress diversity scholars, living learning community collaborate with Miss South E. to carry Miss Lynette white and the late Eugene white affectionately I called them the dream team. I want to slow down here and just give a shout out to Miss Lynette who's joining us on zoom today. Without the guidance direction and passion of this dream team. This project would not have happened. They generosity generously gave their time and met with students they came to campus for interviews so that my students could actually practice interviewing future change makers. And they really kept pushing the project and holding the vision that this book was possible. So Miss Lynette, I know you're on zoom. Thank you. Miss South E to carry. Thank you. And a big heavenly thanks to Mr Eugene white for your conversations, your beautiful art, and especially the image of Ella Hill hutch that graces the cover of this book, you are deeply missed. And at the end of the first year, the idea of this book that that could hold all of these life stories was tossed about. Now one of the important things as you get older you begin to understand what you're good at and what you're not and creating a book was outside of my skill set. But I happened to know someone who was really good at it. And that person's David Holler. So I reached out to David Holler who was the faculty director of the Martin borough scholar LLC, and in 2016, the Martin borough scholars and David joined the team. Ultimately, a total of 87 USF students worked on this project and saw it to completion. In addition to completing the interviews David and his students and research assistants researched revised fact checked and edited. Thank you, David. The biographical information they located the images they secured the permissions and they also designed the book. Now while we're focusing on the change makers found on the inspiration murals today, and those that spearheaded this project, we would be remiss if we didn't say a few words about the students. So I'm going to ask David just to say quickly a few words about the students. Stephanie, I can't I can't thank you enough for that conversation we had in the hallway in 2015, which led to this beautiful beyond collaborative effort and it was just. I'm just enormously grateful I want to say that first before I say anything. And my students are to here's what I have to say very briefly thank you so much for succinctly describing I'm going to try to keep this to about a minute because I could just go on all day. This is my favorite thing that I've ever done in my life. I am enormously grateful to the university to use Stephanie and to Leo T McCarthy Center to miss Lynette white to Mr Eugene white who helped you know this beautiful cover is right outside the hallways we see students Stephanie our offices are really near. We see students studying right now in front of this beautiful portrait at USF so so yeah it was beyond collaborative and what I would say is I wish, which had some photos, because you could see in the eyes of the students their eyes glow. And that was just the greatest reward of my professional life. This project means the world to me. We're not done with it incidentally we're on the fourth or fifth printing, there will be more, and I wish we had some students here but hey it's Sunday. Many of the students who worked on this would love to be here but you know where they are they're often DC they're in Sacramento, they're doing grad programs are doing beautiful work but they all without exception, say that this book was the best thing, the most important thing they did at USF so thank you so much. Thanks David. So in addition to the students. As you've heard the book would not be possible without the support from the whole Leo T McCarthy team, the team at SFPL the and the archivist doesn't say the anarchist the archivist. Maybe they are anarchist archivist and the African American Historical Society Wendy Nelder Jeanine Yeoman's and the Walter and Elise Haas Foundation so just again, lots of folks, lots of people came together. Now the title of this book is change makers. So the question becomes then what is a change maker. Now drawing upon a definition put forth by the Ashoka Foundation, a change maker and I want everyone. I love this definition. A change maker is a social innovator or a social disruptor that imagines a new reality creates new possibilities and takes creative action with others to solve a social problem for the greater good. They reinvent the rules. They do things differently, and they are prepared to travel against the current and go upstream. Change makers move beyond intention and passion and translate thoughts into action. So, without further ado, I just have a question. Are they I know we have two change makers that are featured in this book in the audience. Are there any other folks in here that are in the book or have family members that are in the book. Okay. Do we have any folks on zoom. Do we know. Okay, perfect. So today I'm going to now introduce our distinguished guests. We are actually honored to have two change makers speak with us about their experience and what it was like in the film or when they got here and what inspired them to be and do the work that they did. So the first person I would like to introduce is Dr. Shirley Thornton. Dr. Shirley a Thornton is is dedicated to the pursuit of equal education and opportunity after dedicating her life to education as a teacher counselor and administrator. She then worked as the deputy superintendent of California schools. Dr Thornton is a retired professor from the California State University Sacramento School of Education in the educational administration and policy studies department. She has published a textbook transforming schools finding success for students at risk to systemic change and co-founded the nonprofit Center for excellence where she continues to act as treasurer from 1995 to 96. Thornton also served as director of San Francisco's public housing and is currently a field director at UC Berkeley's principal leadership Institute. Can we give a round of applause for Dr. Thornton. And then next up we are very very fortunate to have Reverend Roland Gordon and I just think this is a man who shows up at the right place at the right time. Okay wait hang on y'all sorry this isn't as big as what I printed for myself. Dr. Reverend Gordon was born in Greenwood Mississippi and raised in my favorite state Gary Indiana where he was a star player and captain of Gary Roosevelt High School's basketball team. In 1967 he went to Baldwin Wallace College where he obtained a bachelor's degree in education and a minor in business. He moved to LA in 72 and eventually as he said to me early the big man upstairs knocked on his door and he ended up going to the where's it at the San Francisco's theological seminary. In 1978 he began his career pastoring at the Ingleside Presbyterian Church. Well at the beginning it only had four members but now through Reverend Gordon's work and the rest of his congregation it's a strong and thriving church. Now one of the things that Reverend G is known for is the great cloud of witness which is a mural that graces the walls of the Presbyterian Church. This collage of primarily newspaper and magazine clippings has and depicts prominent African American people in history. It's also been sort of what it's part of the historical landmark now right. And so without further ado we're going to also bring up Reverend Gordon and have him share with Dr. T their experiences. You can choose your seat. Yeah. We're good. Kind of sleepy. Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry. Did I do did I do my professor thing too much. I got in lecture mode. So today we really just want to hear the stories of you all as change makers how you got here and how you became engaged and active in your community. But to get us started we want to know how did you get to San Francisco. What's your San Francisco story. I was born in New Orleans. My family. My brothers I had three six seven six five and six four. We were taught to be outspoken. And that didn't work in New Orleans. And so my family realized we had to leave New Orleans if my brothers were going to survive. And when did your family arise in the 50s. In the 50s. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. I came to San Francisco in 1980. I'm sorry. 78. After I bring a little business in Los Angeles. I did original reading cards posters all handmade things by other artists in. In Los Angeles. And. And then what some theologians called the hound of heaven started hounding me. And. And that's the bottom line. They were having problems in the field more with a lot of the gang stuff going on. And I like to think that my specialty was working with young, especially African American boys. And because of my athletic background, when they saw I could beat both of them playing basketball. They kind of took to me and we believe in education. And I was telling someone, I think I'm telling you that Willie Brown says my legacy is the same is the. The black history collage that I have been working on for probably 40 years now. But I say it's the young African American boys that many of them have gone on to do great things and affected their lives. So they're they're my legacy. Thank you. And Dr. T, where did your family, did you move into the film or did you how over you when you got to the. I was 13. We lived in Berkeley. We lived in Oakland, Berkeley, and then we moved to California and Webster and lived there for a couple of years. And then my family at the time, my mother wanted to buy a home out in Ingleside. And every every week there, the realtor would take her to baby hunters point or someplace. My mother said, no, I'd like to have a home over in the ocean view Merced area. And it took about two years or so before we were able to find someone who would sell to her. And so I lived on Grafton and then on Lee and went to Galileo for a year and then went to the graduated from Balboa where I later became principal. So what was the film or like when you all arrived? What was what was it like? A lot of black people. Yeah, it was different now. What did that feel like? What? How was the vibe, the energy? And the California trolley would go, still went down California past our place, almost out to the beach. And then I guess they stopped it at Venice. But I mean, it was just a thriving community. It's just you saw black folks you, you know, you went to church, you did everything in that area. And it was normal until it wasn't the 60s when they did the redevelopment and gave people vouchers that had no meaning. And Dr. Thornton is a hero in San Francisco far longer than I've been here. Again, I came in 1978 for seminary training at San Francisco Philology of Seminary. And, but because again, even Willie Brown, he he boasts about my my athletic. I guess the word is prowess that people thought I was going to be any ball player. And I always had the mentality I think I thought I was good enough. But again, the Hound, they haven't had a different plan for me. But lefty Gordon, he surely knows another hero of this town and lefty is in the book also. He became like a big brother. He was born in, I think it's Vicksburg, Mississippi. I was born in Greenwood, Mississippi. But I was reading Gary and Dana. And the bottom line, he was the real hit. After he spoke, everybody came at the L.A. Hodge Community Center. My field was again, I had the church I serve. When I came, I saw that it had an indoor basketball court. I remember my youth. We had to shovel snow off the ground to play basketball in the wintertime. And even as a kid, I said, there's no way I'm going to stay in Gary when I am able to move out. And one of my great friends, Lonzo Daniels, also an outstanding athlete, his brother owns, I think the first African American disc coach at L.A. Mavericks Flat. And Lonzo told me one day, he said, you've got to move to California, man. He said, this is a heaven well compared to Gary. And so I had some writing skills. And Lonzo, I was a pretty good poet, still am, pretty good poet. And so I produced his acts and we put together a musical, two musicals. In fact, he took it across the country, small time. But I was called by, I can say the higher power and I had to, I had to stay with St. Francisco and the problems that the African American boys were experiencing at that time. And so I just started basketball program. That's the one thing I definitely knew. And of course, how critical education was, and that's what we stressed. And also the discipline of what the church can bring to a person's life. And again, that's my, I say it's my legacy is the amount of young guys that went on and did great things with their lives. Dr. Thornton, thinking about Fillmore when you were here 13 and growing up. What would you say were some of the strengths and characteristics of the community? I think the fact that we could see other black people that wasn't when I left Galileo and I went to Balboa, there were maybe 50 black students in the whole school. And it was a school at that time that we were not welcomed. And it was a matter of when I met with the counselor, I said, I wanted to be a teacher. She said, the world of teaching isn't open for you. Why don't you be a singer? You know, why don't you work for the specific gas and electric or something or other. But definitely told me that I was not college material. So how did you get involved in creating change? What was your pathway to becoming to saying, you know, the counselors telling you know, right? And you're like, you don't get to tell me what to do. How does that happen? I didn't know what to do, but at that time they used to have a program called Senior Goals. And they would have people representatives come from different businesses. And there was a person from the military. And I said, at that time I was engaged but didn't want to get married. And I said, well, I think I'm going to go in the army. And my brothers said, mama, no, don't let her go. And my mother said, if that's what she wants to do, do that. And that was the best thing I could have done because I began to realize that I did have the skills. I wasn't as smart as many, but I wasn't as dumb as most. So I was able to manage to learn that your mouth can get you in trouble. So you had to learn ways to talk. I went on to the military. I was enlisted after three years of service. I was in physical therapy. And the therapist told me, surely either get out of the army and get some letters behind your name or curb your mouth. But the two things were not working for me in the military. So I got out. I decided I wanted to be a physical therapist. I went to San Francisco State, majored in biological sciences. Tried to go back into the military. I stayed in the reserves. When I went back to go on to the school physical therapy, they told me at 23 that I had glaucoma. And so I couldn't pass the physical. So I had a BA in biological sciences, no minor, not knowing what I was going to do. So at that time it was under the Fisherville. So I took a year, took 30 credits of PE and ended up with a minor, took the exam and ended up becoming a teacher in San Francisco. Wow, wow, wow, wow. And then how did you go from teacher to principal to... Well, I remained in the reserves. And the one thing you do learn from the military is that if you have the skills and if you can prove your value, they can't stop you from getting the promotions. So once I learned to curb my mouth... Like a theme, right? And learn how to say things that was not necessarily getting me in trouble. I became a phys-ed and science teacher. And then I decided to go ahead and get my degrees. I didn't know what I was going to do with them, but I stayed in school. I got into masters in counseling. At that time, during the 60s, I was at Aptis Middle School. And I was one of the first... I was the first black teacher at Aptis. And every time there was a fight or a disagreement, they would call me from my class to come in and work with whatever was going on. And I said, well, I think I'll become a counselor. And at that time, Mr. Versotti, may he rest in peace, said that I would never be a counselor. And I was lucky to even be a teacher. So after that, I became... You know, there was always someone who was there to guide you to the next level. So I was able to look through the assistant principal to get one period of counseling, then two periods of counseling. I had my degree, so I was able to become a counselor. Went on to get my credentials. Didn't know if I was going to be an administrator, but got my credentials. And so when it was time to be an administrator, I took the exam. I scored high. And luckily for me, there was a woman on the panel that when they wanted to change the scores, because I had scored high, they wanted to change the scores. She said, no, you will not change the scores. So I was able to maintain that position. But there was always somebody somewhere looking out for me. Wow. Wow. So when you think about the challenges that you all have faced and some of the greatest successes that you've had, right? Over the course of your life, what would you highlight as some of the greatest successes? I know Reverend G, you talk about the boys, right? The young men that you were able to work with and how they've gone on to school. Is there anything else you would add? I know that was one of those long questions. I think I was right instead of speaking. What would you say are some of one of the biggest successes, right? In addition to the young men going to college and the mural, what else have been some of your successes in creating change for black folks? What has been, well, basically counts. I know basically everybody in that book and quite a few of them have a good conversation. God has blessed me to know life. And just saying that I've had associations with many of those great figures that you have been there who did grow up in the field more and are from here. For me, that's just a real honor to be able to say that. I forgot the brother asked me already. I said, young man, I say, well, I used to be young, but I'm a lot older than you think. I'm 78 years old now, but came into the ministry at 34. And in the bottom line, even the children. I mean, being a, I guess the word be hip brother, growing up in Indiana, like, you know, we know different things and been through a lot of different things and challenges, racism, and etc. But being able to know life. And I feel like I've helped just a lot of people who've come to be like even people in that book there. Older. But God has given me that gift to know life, experience life, and be able to provide wise counsel. I like to think it's wise counsel, even to actually some of those folks in that book there. And I know most of them. But I'd have to count that as my. God again says that my collage is, and I guess you have to see it to, to appreciate it. But I started out with that just putting the picture of Muhammad Ali, who was one of my real heroes on the wall. And I started young brothers, Ali Ali put a few more things up. And I noticed some noticing guys go to the wall. And, and I got the brainstorm one day. So you know, they may not read the black history books, but they'll read this wall. I had absolutely no idea that I would be able to get with Jim as big as this room here. Yeah. And all, all up, not not the ceiling, but all upstairs and everywhere is field now. I had no idea I could do that, but not only there, but other places I have a room that I dedicated to Willie Brown. He loves it. Pictures all over is basically Willie Brown. I tell people, one of the great black Americans were Americans period of our time is Willie Brown. And in fact, it was very helpful to me at a time when I need some help with housing here in San Francisco, lived in one spot. The guy was gonna sell me the building, I mean, the house. He didn't do it. I went to Willie Brown and he worked it out, got some specialists to deal with the guy, got the down money down, you know, on my present home. And so he was automatically a hero for me, but then I began to learn more about the man. And so everybody honored and respected him. In fact, we did some things at my ministry, but we honored the greatness of Willie Brown. And he and I became, I guess, I think Willie Brown is 10 years older than me. He was like a big brother to me. And if where I go, I lift up, you know, Willie Brown, but that collage, I guess you have to see it for yourself too. But most people, they come in and they go, and so enough people doing that lets you know you got something going on. It's the bottom line. But you name the person, I basically have them on the wall, African-American, but also have other people too, not just African-Americans, but predominantly African-Americans, again, called the great cloud of witnesses from a chapter in the book of, I don't know what it was, is Hebrews 12? She always looked at me for her. Hebrews 12. We got Hebrews out. That's right. And it is a great cloud of witnesses. And I'm happy to say I knew quite a few here in San Francisco. Been here for what, 40, I'd say it came in 78 up here. Okay. But for some reason, people take to me, whatever it is. And I thank God for that. I guess a friendly person who loves people, no matter what. In some of my background, I tell people about my mother, that she had the great other than Jesus of Nazareth. My mother had the greatest influence in my life. I used to watch her growing up in this, in the, I call the slums of where we live in Geary, Indiana. But all people, especially colored folks, not just African-American, but the Indians, Mexican folks, Chinese folks, we all down there struggling. She was loved by everybody. And I watched her and I just marveled at how she was there for everybody. And they loved her. Whenever someone died, death in the community, she was at the person's home. Nobody had to call her. She cooking and washing and whatever she had to do. And so I saw my heart growing to be like her heart. And in fact, I used to pray, I don't want to be no chump that people, I saw them take advantage of my mom. In fact, one guy came and my father died when I was nine years old. But mom took the money and bought a home and what have you. Most of my partners grew up in apartment buildings and everything, but we moved out to the nice house and didn't have any money. But still we're in a nice house. I know what I know about the salvation, which I'm thankful, goodwill and all that, not too proud. You know what I mean? I'm thankful to be able to relate to anybody and my, my childhood, again, watch my mother and associate with people. They, I mean, you would, you didn't know that you were poor. I mean, I had a great, just had a great childhood. And to this very day, like I say, I relate with everybody. I don't care what you are. We're all just human beings. Nobody, anybody, anybody, other person or what have you. Again, when, when the hound of heaven started hounding me and one day a guy asked me, have you, have you ever thought about seminary school? And I said, me, you know, me and bottom line when I got on and thought about it that night, it's just, I saw that I was being prepared my whole life to do what I'm doing today. And I really enjoy helping people in all of this crazy stuff that's going on in the world today. You know, it's all about honoring everybody. We just one race, the human family and helping people, helping each other, encouraging each other. That's the name for me. That's the name of the game. Although it's a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world. I'm just glad that I'm on the side of trying to help humanity become humane. I've got a thing I'm working on now and I'm right. Yeah. Great. And Dr. Thornton, Reverend G talked about some of his influences. Right. Who were some or what influenced you who, you know, when things were rough when doors were closing, you mentioned how there were people always people there. But who, who are some of the primary influences in your life that helped you keep going in those moments? Well, I think like Reverend Gordon, my mother, she said there's no such word as can't and that you believe in yourself that you can achieve that you had to work hard. My mom was a worked in a bakery and she wanted to go to bakery school and to learn how to do the work in New Orleans and they wouldn't let her go. So she used to watch the guys decorate the cakes and then she'd go home in the evening and teach herself. When she came out here, she worked at Mark, which used to be at Fifth and Market and she would work during the day. And then after, after the eight hours, she would then work as a cake decorator. And it turned out the union said that that was not right. She was paid money for all the time that she had put in and that's how we got the down payment for a home in the Inglesod. When I look at in school, I sang and then at Balboa, we were not in the academic classes. But because I sang, they wanted to say, well, I was going to be the next Lena Horn or the next Miriam Anderson or whatever. So I was able to get over because I could sing. And when I look around, I was not, I didn't think I was smart, like I said, because I was told I wasn't smart. And then I went, when I went to City College, I thought, oh my God, I'd used to sit in a class and I'd say, oh, I'm so dumb, oh, I'm so stupid. Instead of learning how to go up to the instructor, ask for help, ask for assistance, meet with a group and start working in a group. I would just try to memorize the whole book. So in biological sciences, my brain was in my hand. Is that right and right and right? And when it'd be an exam, luckily, there'd be a question close to what I had read, so I could just do that type of work. But I never thought I was smart. And one major blessing I just thought about from my upbringing, Gary, was that racism was a blessing in that they built a black high school. I attended Gary Roosevelt High School. I guess Anthony Dick Barnett is one of our great heroes from the NBA. But the bottom line was all these brilliant black teachers were all assembled there in one place, and they poured their life into us. You're going to learn, that's the bottom line. The different things that you need to learn, they would pull your coat. You're going to learn. And I look at all my, not all, but the majority of the folks that grew up with me around that time when I was in school. I mean, everybody, they say the teachers, and then the colleges start hiring, I mean, open up when things got whatever a little bit open. But we had these brilliant black teachers, and I give them credit. I mean, and they took seriously, just like Shirley, she everybody talks about her. She is a great one. Absolutely great. You know, that promoting the race, you got to do well, you got to be twice as better than whatever you got to, you got to study, you will learn. And we learned, everybody went on, you're going to college, that's the bottom line. Yeah, so yeah. And the same thing growing up in New Orleans, I went to an old black school, and you were told that you were smart. You know, so I believed it until I got out here until I was not smart. But it was amazing how going to a school where all the teachers are black, all the kids are black, the teachers could, you know, hit you with the ruler if necessary, could do whatever you are going to learn. Period. No doubt about it, you will learn. And then when you get out here, I didn't get that I got just the opposite. Right. And I also went to all black Catholic school in Indiana with, with rulers. They were effective. That's true. I don't advocate them today, but they, my mother used to say, don't have me come up to that school. If you embarrass me, I will embarrass you. Tough, tough love. And everybody gave it. They loved us. You know, I look back and I mean what a blessing to come from that from my little town, Gary and Anna. I mean just a blessing the people just promote the whole community. You know, the older people wanted to young people you're going to learn that they invested in us for the future. And yeah, a lot of stuff is missing now that we had that we got growing up. I knew I was going to go to Dillard. I wasn't going to go to Xavier because that was a Catholic school, but I knew I'd be at Dillard in New Orleans. So even when this high that asked the question, and I was real Presbyterian. And so we would have to tell the folks every time, where are you going to school, what you're going to do with your life, you know, and even if you didn't believe that you say I'm going to Dillard or I'm going to Xavier or I'm going to somewhere, but you had to have an answer. My mom, she would tell us again and nine of us, everybody's still here today. What is brothers 86 million brothers just turned 70. Hey, we're blessed. But the bottom line, she would tell us every tub must sit on its own bottom, meaning you are responsible for your life your own decisions, you don't follow the crowd. Everybody's leader, I mean, in my family, everybody's got a mind they think, you know, just follow who we know you're going to think it through. And we all we should respect each other's minds, but we had we're thinking people. And that was that was really critical. And she would always tell us where there's a will there's a way she was absolutely right. You know, you don't stop, you know, you complete whatever you put your mind to it with the higher powers help. I mean, faith and all this stuff. You can do anything. And she was absolutely right. And this takes not tell you guys that playing basketball. Hey, man, you got to you got to work hard. You know, and if you don't put the work in, if you put the work in, you're going to get the results that's and everything. And in fact, athletics was a great teacher for me and a disciplinary process for me athletics. I can remember our old coachy with basketball, you had to run across country. If you ever run cross country time you start running you're tired. But to learn persistence. You got to keep going and it's life. You don't let nothing stop you. I think about it. One of my professors and it's in seminary. You're so sure of yourself. Your dog on right. It comes from what those old folks put into me and what, you know, being exposed to that there's a higher power and the kind of thinking of you can't fail you got it you got to go you can't let anybody stop you. You got to go. And that's the way I played the game is basketball and train other guys it's the same way you got to keep going. You got to have you got to think that you're good. You can't, you can't just be any ordinary. I've got to think. Even Bill Russell, who's somebody or something, Bill Russell, although he's a great blocker. I got to think I can be Bill Russell when I'm coming in in that circle and know he's somewhere but I can act. I got to think him some kind of way to get to get the ball up high enough for something to beat him. That's kind of training that we got that hey, you know, you're going to be great. And so, you know, that's, you know, I guess when you're curious. You know, I guess when you carry yourself with confidence. Some people don't understand that you're not not as you cocky and all this stuff and now that's the way you know we were trained mentally. You don't let anything stop you, even like what she was saying about people telling you can't do that. No, don't such word as you can't. I can do all the things. My mother put through Christ who strengthens me. And so, you know, and that's the mentality I have to this very day and I passed on to our young folks. Don't anybody tell you you can't do something. There's no such word as can't. If you make up your mind and you're willing to work, you can do whatever. That's the bottom line. Don't let anybody tell you what you determined for yourself what you want to do. And if you make up your once you make up your mind and you're willing to work, nobody's going to give you anything. You got to work right. And God gives you the breath of life. What you do with this is your gift back to him, but he gave you the gift of life and, you know, hey, right. Yeah, I have to say that usf I received two letters the first letter when I went applied for the graduate school said I was not accepted. And that I was not when I met with the committee. They said that I acted like I knew everything that I had already written my dissertation. So what was I going to learn there. And I said, well, I've been a principal now for about 10 years. So I do believe what I do what I'm doing is right. I'd like to validate what I'm doing is right. So I was not accepted. Luckily through Brenda Harris mentioned earlier, Brenda had already talked with the president of the college and we used to have meetings. And luckily I was, we still will know, let's give her another chance. And I received the letter of acceptance and then I ended up getting the highest award in the school of education. And the person who denied me had to give it to me. So I'll say that they say never give up. Never give up because I really for a number of things I didn't think I'd make it but it was like when I became an officer I was 13 years in the enlisted military. And I was a counselor at AFTIS. I had a father who had kids at the school who was also in my reserve unit. And every time I'd call him I'd tell him how bad his kids were. And finally one day he said, I thought you were going back on active duty. I said, well, I was told I couldn't pass the exam, the eye exam. He said, next drill I want you to report to my office. So I reported to his office. He took me down to ophthalmology. He said, I want you to check her eyes and I want you to say she does or she doesn't have glaucoma. I didn't have glaucoma. So I would have been the first African American in the school of physical therapy in the U.S. But that was okay because then I ended up being a teacher, which is where I was probably supposed to be anyway. So I was able to maintain my military and retire full colonel and also do the education. Wow. So you all have already started touching on our last question. And the last question is, I know I have, can I see the hands of all my lovely students from the Marsha Riley living learning community. So this is the. Thank you. So in this room, we have next generation of black leaders. And if you could give them a piece of advice so that 30, 40, 50 years from now, they're sitting on this stage as change makers. I know you started touching on some things, you know, Reverend G, you even talked about the athletics and the way that was giving you discipline and focus. And then Dr. Thornton, you talked about the military and even your family and the ways that that sort of helped you and guided you. But thinking about these future generations, what you're no better than anybody. You're no less than anybody. You're just another human being that God has blessed you with life, the breath of life. What a privilege. What an honor to. I lost a great grandchild, still born, didn't get a chance to do anything, but you got a chance to develop and be whatever you decide you want to do with your life. But if put your whole self into it, be the best in everything you do, no matter what it is, don't shuck and jive with it. I'm serious, you know, take it seriously, you're going to be the best. And you do your best. There is a God. I know you're not your generation in many places. They won't let you explain, won't let you say that it is one. I'm letting you know right now that is a higher power that is for all of us. The Bible says to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. This thing is all about being able to respect and honor everybody. You're no less, no better, but God has made you equal to anybody. All things being equal. And you can do anything you make up your mind to do, but you got to work. People like to just shuck and jive through life. Be the best in whatever you decide or make up your mind to do. Don't shuck and jive. And when you get to be old to do like me, you'll be happy that you did. That you're able to deal with all sorts of whatever it is, you know, because you gave and you can, when it's time to retire, which my wife is trying to get me to do. I said, did you retire and do what? I want to help these children, you know, and I'm happy reading that as you asked that question. And I'm just really great to see young folks out there to let you know you can do whatever you make up your mind to do. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise, but you got to work. Thank you. I did owe. I think you have to ask questions. I think what we have to do is learn how we have to depend on each other and work and study in groups rather than by yourself, which is what many of us will do. I think we spend a lot of time denying our own intelligence because we've been told by the world that we're not smart. So we're having to always prove ourselves. And I think we just have to believe in ourselves. I think we have to make sure that you tell the person next to you, man, that was really great. You really did a good job because we don't hear that often. So any final words? How old are you? How old are you? Okay. Young adults. Mostly first. We have a range, but first, second year and transfer students at USF. We got other young people here too. But you don't let nothing stop you. Even the mothers tell us where there's a will, there's a way, you know, even about the economics. I've gone through college and gone through graduate school and what have you. And I got out, I don't know about anything. You know, people, whatever is out there, it's out there. The blessings are there. And I say, it's the higher power. You know, keep your heart, be about love. Don't be about a bunch of crazy stuff. You know, one wrong mistake can blow your whole life. You know, stay on, if somebody won't go at crazy, you keep yourself focused because one mistake can blow it. And I've had friends that grew up with me that, you know, hey, it didn't turn out too well, but it's your life. And you've got to make decisions and take responsibility for your life. This is your life. Okay. When everybody else is your life, you've got to make wise decisions. And getting a situation where you might get messed up, some kind. Don't go there. You know, I'm a very cautious person about everything, you know. And of course, I've been taught this way. One mistake can blow it off for you. So you want to, you want to, and this is your life. You don't want to mess up. You want to come on, get on out on, you know, wind up at advice and other people, you know, whatever. By example, not just talking stuff, but it's real. But it's your life and your response will take charge. And I hope you remember, say this for me, every tell must sit on its own bottom. Say that for me, please. Every time. You're responsible for yourself. That's bottom line. Every tub. And that's one of the most widest thing I tell the kids. I've been passing on for a long time. Your response, meaning your response for your own life. No excuses. Don't come up with no, no, no. This is your life. You mean you feel for that? Or you feel for, no, no, no. You know, it's don't blame anybody. It's you take charge of your life. And don't, don't, don't shuck and jive. You, you, you are going somewhere. See, as you said, these are your young leaders going somewhere, you know, exactly where, but you, but she has the faith in you and knowing she's got the exposure, you know, but she clearly we can see in your eyes. You're going somewhere. Don't let anything, don't blow it and don't let nothing stop you. And my mom, we should always say with a trust in the Lord, she would say the Lord will provide not just, you don't know where it's going to come from. She would say the Lord will make a way somehow. She was absolutely right. I think also that it's important as students to get to know your professors. I know I remembered because I wasn't sure of myself, I'd sit in the back of the classroom. I'd be afraid to ask a question because I didn't want to sound stupid. You know, but then I, what I realized as a professor, the students who would come up to me and ask questions and one college time to sit in conference, when it was time to give that grade, if it was a A minus or an A and I would have spent time with that student, it'd be no way they wouldn't get the A because I had helped them. So that made me feel good that they were coming to me for assistance. So really take time when you don't understand something, stay after class, don't be the first ones out of the classroom. When it's break time, hang around and see what students who are getting the A's with what they did and you follow that same behavior. But get to know your professors, but get them to know you. Let them know what your future is. Get to know folks in the audience. Get to know what, as older people, what we're doing. I have a friend here who is a superior court judge from Los Angeles. How did that happen? Why did you go to Georgetown? What was that about? Did you plan to do that when you were teenagers? Because our lives change as we grow up and we talk to different people and you go, wow, maybe I am interested in law. Maybe I am interested in being a teacher. We need black teachers. We need teachers of color. We keep talking about this pipeline, but if we're not out there, our kids have no one to turn to. We don't have rural language where our kids are bilingual, but many of the kids who are in our schools now are, but African-American students, we're not. So we're already behind the eight ball with learning to be out in the great world. So we need a second language. We need to look at what does it take to be successful in America and where am I on that path for success? While you're being confident, stay humble. Just stay humble. Be able to relate to everybody. We're just human beings. Can you help somebody help them? Because you're going to need help, too. It goes around, it comes around. But be helping to help the human race to upgrade itself. Do they have questions for us? That's where we're going. So we're going to open it up for Q&A. And if you have any questions. Okay. So the first questions from someone on Zoom, Scarlett Gordon, and they asked, how do we continue to rise in being change makers going forward in light of the diminishing African American population in San Francisco, including the numbers of our youth growing. They can't hear you well. Maybe I'll move your mask. Yeah. Can you hear me now? Yeah. Okay. Okay. This question is from Scarlett Gordon. And they asked, how do we continue to rise in being change makers going forward in light of the diminishing African American population in San Francisco, including the numbers of our youth growing to be change makers? I think he says that we just have to work harder and we have to be out there and we have to be willing to stand up when something isn't going right. And there's a lot that's not going right that we have to stand up and say it and look at how you're going to correct it. We know we have to get folks out to vote. If you're not involved with wearing a sign or a pin or if you're not involved with looking at being a poll worker or out there using the phones to call folks, we are at a terrible time right now in America. And if we don't go out and take the leadership role, we're going to find out that we're behind the eighth ball. So I think you really have to actually get out and get involved in some sort of organization that's looking at what's wrong in America and how do we fix it. And a lot of it is education. We have got to get our kids to understand the importance of education. That's something that whatever I was getting ready to say slipped my mind. But I think maybe she did it. She took it. Other questions. But make certain you, you, the number one person that you are responsible for is yourself. Make certain you got your act together. You know, you, then, then you're not one that falls through the crack. Then you can help somebody else too. But be involved is Madame Thornton is saying today, be involved, but make certain you don't fall. You're not the one that falls down and falls through the crack. You know, have your act together and know you got your act together. Then that means we had, we don't have a problem with you. We got to help somebody else and some other folks. We can't, we can't take responsibility for people. They got to leave San Francisco. That's, that's to be real about this thing. It's extremely expensive here in San Francisco. You've got to have some money to get, I mean, somebody's houses selling for a million dollars. They got to be crazy. I live in Richmond. But the bottom line is maybe that's kind of selfish. But make certain you are not the problem. But that you can help. You got to always respect, but get your act together. Okay. Hello. My name is okay. I'm also one of the students in the MRLC. But my question was as successful individuals yourselves, how have you guys established balance between working so diligently towards your goals, but also following yourself? I can't understand what you're saying. I'm sorry. Okay. I'll repeat myself. Being such successful individuals yourselves. How have you guys established a sense of balance between balancing. I mean, valuing yourself as an individual and your mental health, as well as working so diligently towards your goals. It's a, you got it. Yeah. Yeah. I think in retrospect, I put probably 23 hours a day to work and less to myself. That's it. I mean it, you know, if you're a high school principal, they want you at the football games, but they also want you at the wrestling match. And they want you at the ping pong and they want you out of this. And so you, you know, you want to dance and you have to do, you know, you're always, you're always on the go. And then you're dealing with your community and you're involved with organizations in the community. I mean, it's a 24 hour a day job. And Dr. Thornton, just to follow up. Do you think that's a sustainable way forward for, especially as I think this question is thinking moving forward, right? That has been what had to be done. Is that what we should continue? I don't know. Well, I know for me it took the back. It was no such thing as balance. I was married to my job. Right. I don't know why I'm missing. I'm missing this question. The question is doing everything that you do. Are you taking any time to take care of yourself? They say I don't. Do you think this is a generational thing? Maybe maybe it's a generational thing that coming up in the time you did that, that idea of self care, maybe wasn't as prevalent as what it is today. Right. That's a theme today. Yeah. I was, again, I'm 78 years old. I can still shoot a little bit. I was a shooter. I can still shoot a little bit. But I say all through life until I got, when I reached 70 years of age, I had a stroke. And it was some serious stuff going on. Although I believe, I say, my work is not down here, you know, talking to the big man, you know, I got work to do, especially the children. They need help. We never don't believe education is critical. It's critical. You've got to be an educated person. You've got to be able to read. You've got to be able to teach other people, young folks or whatever, you know. So life is serious. And again, I pretty much sailed through until I even played basketball until I was 70. And I was showing my great grandson how to, how to, what was it? Rebound as well as joint and jumped up. Like I was still a young buck and, and came down and did something to my knee or whatever. And things just swore up and swore it up and blood clots. And the guy said, you better be glad that blood clots stopped like longs area. If they went from to your head, you've been dead and gone. But I can't, you know, be as active as I was then, but I sailed through life looking out for me and making certain. If you can't, if you're not here, you can't do anything. There's nobody else. You got to get yourself together. I mean, one point, one while somebody said you, well, I guess it was the spirit telling me, you can't help others until you help yourself. You got to be in position to do things, you know, really help folks and put the time in that I have put in in my journey with other people. And even to this very day, I'm, you know, I'm for people. That's the bottom line. And thank you for saying I'm successful. Whatever that means, you know what I mean? It's been great, you know, but I'm still a humble person, but I, and whatever I can do to help somebody, especially young people, you know, and actually I said, you know, you put, you do what you got to do. And, but be, you're not the only one here and know that you're old, you know, you owe, you owe people. That's the bottom line. People helped me. I didn't get to people poured, you know, poured themselves into them. A combination of a lot of people. I tell people you got to learn how to listen. And I've always listened from a young youth on up, you know, and what I found out is that these older folks were as not as stupid as I thought they were. If you take the time to listen, they go when they take the time for you, they're going to help you along the way, make you not fall into certain errors and certain dishes that you would fall in otherwise. If you get the, I say it's like a, like a cash register when they give you knowledge or give you something, take the time with you. Listen. It's like somebody put $100 in your bank and it goes to when you get the knowledge from somebody, a lesson that they learned or whatever, you know, it's to take the time to listen. Young people think they know. I mean, I'm not talking about you all now. They know everything. You can't possibly know everything. People being along. Everybody had to grow up. Everybody had to be you at some point in time. And so you don't just, because you get older, you don't lose. I know you can't lose, but you're gaining and you got your whole life. So take the time to listen young folks. Really. It's critical as far as advancing you in life and helping you make where you would have made an error, spending wasting time on something else. Somebody who's been through can already can warn you or tell you if you'll listen, but many won't don't want to listen. I've certainly seen in the younger generations now, but that's a critical thing to do in my opinion. Carl. Hi. My name is Carl over the third and I just have one question. I was wondering over the years that you've been here in this amazing life that you all have, what is the best advice that you would give us young, young black students to collectively bring our community closer together and to build, you know, better solitude with each other, but also the people that aren't necessarily in the community that we have right now. Humble and and and and feeling yourself that knowing that you've got to work together, it takes a team to win. You know, and all the jealousy and all that whatever, whatever, whatever, you know, be humble with everybody, you know, and and lift each other up and sit a tear each other down. He is under fighting about shooting and all this madness. When it's all about love, faith, hope, love, these three, the greatest of anything is love. The Bible said, teaches and I've learned it's the truth. The book also says they who love are born of God and know God. They who do not love do not know God because God is a spirit of love for everybody. If you've got a brain, you've got to say amen to that. I don't care who you are. And that's what's wrong with the world today. You know, because I'm a black man, you know, you have, when we talk about love, we talk about no intimate knowledge, but talk about honor and respecting and helping and whatever, you know, helping another person instead of tearing them down. You got to have that kind of camaraderie with yourselves and with your peers and whatever, but it takes a team to win and don't care who scores the basket. Let's win this game. I think you have to set an example. I mean, we don't have the, you know, SNCC and all these programs of the past, but what organizations do we have as African-Americans and how are you supporting each other? How are you working with your brothers and younger brothers and sisters and helping them? I'm 83. I watch television and I sound like my mother now because I watch, you know, what are some of these programs about the Housewives of Atlanta and all these different programs. And if I was a teenager today, what message am I getting that I don't like you, that I have to curse you out, that I have to talk about you, that we have to fuss? So what's the message for a 13-year-old? I mean, how do you dress? I mean, so our kids today have less of an example to follow unless you're out there helping them understand that you can be cute, but you can also be smart. And I don't think we believe that those two things go together. So I think as young people, you have to set the example for your younger brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews to help them understand, to sit with them, to read with them. There are so many books out today that can help them, but how often do you see your younger brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews reading? Do you buy them books? Do you give them reinforcement? Do you ask them about what's going on in school? What's going on in their life so that they feel that they're important? Because a lot of our kids today don't believe they are. Hi, my name is Zaina, and my question is essentially about what is your view on the evolution of the Black community? Do you think you're more connected now, less connected? Do you think we're less connected with our roots and we're not connected with each other? Where do you think we stand as a community now in comparison to what you've experienced growing up? I believe we're less connected because I believe we thought that when we did the 1954 and we did Brown vs. Board of Education in that we were going to integrate, which we never did, we desegregated, but we never integrated, that we believed somehow that the laws would change and that all of a sudden we'd be welcomed into America and it hasn't happened, and I don't think we've figured out what we do with this now. We know that as we look at America today, they're not going to accept us as full members of this society. So what do we do? When I grew up in New Orleans, we had our own pharmacies, we had our own doctors, we had our own teachers, we had our world around us that reinforced you could be someone. When you come out here, there's nothing. So I think you guys have to form organizations to fill that void that's there. But I don't think we are better today than we were before. And you look at your peers and your peers, how can young people be killing each other? Where did this come from? I mean, as far as I know, we didn't, I mean, growing up, we had just had fun. If we fought, we would, somebody, everybody went home and then went to bed. There wasn't no killing people and stuff. This is just a whole another, and I think part of it is when they took God out of schools and no prayer and all that, you know what I mean? The higher power is real. This is no game, you know what I mean? And young people, we had to, my mother and my father, we had to go to Sunday school on Sundays. No laying around in the bed and all that. We studied the word and stuff. And again, it proved even when I got a little older, I say I'm not going to anybody's church. But when times got rough, I got myself back to my roots. And many of your peers don't have that kind of roots where everybody was for the young people. And not everybody, but you know what I mean? The majority of the community would do things to help the young people. Nowadays, there's no respect for the older generations in many, many cases. And like the older people, people don't know anything. And they're afraid of young people. Many of them are. But shooting and killing and no love, we had a lot of love for it. We loved everybody. I love school. Everybody, we just had fun. Didn't have any money, but we had fun. Bottom line, we had fun. Give another question over here. Thank you. And thank you so much. Just listening, Miss Scarlett Garden, Lefty's wife started the question off and it seems to be repeating itself in different ways. Where is Scarlett? She was the very first question. She's still online. She's online. Yes. She's online. But you know, when I'm listening to Dr. Thornton and yourself, Reverend Garden, and Miss Stephanie hearing you for the first time, I am so moved. And I think of my childhood coming up around you. And Reverend, you were just right around my age then. But I think of Dolores Baugh. I think of Merle Toller. I think of Bessie Brooms. I think of Willie Brown and so many others lefty Gordon. And my thoughts are many of them are gone. And the last few are still here. You and others, Willie Brown. And so when I see the youth that are here today and the young adults, I think this needs to carry on. The stigma from the housewives and the husbands and tearing each other down and doing a show to keep the series going creates a stigma that's not true. And you know, it's a lot going on in that that may have truth to it. But there's another truth that we are intelligent. We are strong. We do not pull at each other. And we move towards success. So I would love to hear this on their campuses. I would love to hear this conversation and the story about change makers. Our churches used to be the hub for this. And we met together. And then we met at one another's homes. And during that time, the young adults were always invited and a part of it. And we had to serve the appetizers while you spoke and taught. And so with the few that are here dating back to our beginnings where we continued the story over and over again, this needs not to be the only place where this is heard. It needs not to be the only environment where a conversation so rich is going on. And if there's anything you can do to keep this traveling so that the society around us will hear more about the change makers and the history of it, the roots, and what we can do to connect the dots, connect the generations and excite our young adults about their successful lives, their destiny, and our social security that needs to keep going, that conversation does not come up that if they don't train those behind them, there will be no social security. There will be no stabilization. So I'd love for this to go forward. Thank you. Hi. My name is Molly Kirkwood. I just wanted to like agree and piggyback off what you were saying. I think sometimes like on both ends, it's often easy to focus on the negative of each generation, our older generations and our younger generations. And I think sometimes we forget to have the conversations that need to be had and enter the world of the youth nowadays because although, yes, there is a lot of negatives that happens, it happens, but there's a lot of positives in living amongst these people who I've been so blessed to do that and hearing their stories and learning their intelligence. I just think the positive always outweighs the negative in the younger generation. And I think that we just need to have a more open mind when it comes down to hearing our stories and hearing you all stories because I think our ancestors and the ones who came before us hearing their stories is so important. So I just wanted to piggyback off that and just say how important that is. But all children can learn. That's one thing I had to learn. You all are just geniuses fresh from heaven. I mean, just wide over anything. But you've got to discipline, not just you, but you've got to discipline yourself. And you've got to warn it on it. You've got to do it. Nobody's going to just give you anything in life, basically speaking. You've got to go after it and you've got to be prepared when they talk about opportunity, meeting, preparation. You've got to have yourself together. Now, I'm from Gary and you've been there. Now, that's somebody we're talking about. Some folks from Chicago and Chicago, young folks are going in Gary now too. They're killing like just, I mean, just shooting people. How you gonna just shoot people? I mean, I don't understand them. Yes, ma'am. Yeah. Justin. So yeah, my name is Justin. And I just had a quick question. So coming from the Midwest and the south, what were things that like when you came out to San Francisco sparked that like initiative to become a change maker? Like what was the thing that when you got here, that was just like, boom, I need to make a change. For me, it was just, again, my heart. I love people and I especially love children. And I know the potential. I know how people still young kids, especially of other races that you can't learn. That's a dog on the line. You can do anything the whole world. Young geniuses just need a lot of love and encouragement. And also they got to know themselves that there's somebody once you, but once you really know who you are, I say that the sky is the limit. Once you as a black person, you really know who you are. It all began in Africa. That nobody in my man, there's no doubt about it. Even the geneticists, I mean, talk about what the deal is, you know, and I believe that wholeheartedly that, you know, you are somebody. Nobody tell you nothing. That's that's a dog on line. And all these lines that go like, what's going on politically today? You know, how are you going to buy a lie? If somebody's lying, they're lying. And you see intelligent people following a lie. All of a sudden they're liars. How are you going to live a lie? You know, what's the truth? You want to know the truth about everything, especially who you are. You're somebody. And once you know who you are, nobody can pull you down. I don't think. Dr. T. Yeah, I think it is important to get into a role where you can help others. I mean, when I listen to the students now talk about how I used to chase them in my high heels and then I used to stand in front of cars and tell them not to leave campus. I can't believe I did that, but I probably did. Would have a game in the bleachers and then allow smoking, didn't allow any, you know, and when I listened to the students talk about how they behaved as it related to their behavior, I must have been crazy as a principal. But what I find is that the students thank me. You know, say you were hard on us, but you helped us understand. And I would like to have some of them for you as you get older and as you get involved. I want young people to come to you and say thank you for guiding my life. Thank you for helping me. Thank you for believing in me. Because a lot of our kids need that sort of reinforcement. For me, I learned that it's important to acknowledge the talents of our young people because it's not often that they get the reinforcement of that. Do you have a question? Do you have one more? One more question. Okay. The question and to some extent perhaps a response to what Reverend Gordon has said and what the young people are asking. I think it's important to look at history. There's something called the opium wars that occurred in the early part of the 19th century where Britain put drugs opium into China. There's something called the crack cocaine wars that occurred in this community and that destroyed in all communities in this country, that destroyed the black community as we knew it to be becoming in the late 70s and the 80s really wiped it out. And Rev, if you think about the implications of the crack cocaine wars you'll understand why young people in Chicago where I grew up in Mississippi where I grew up around the country are killing each other because they were born exposed to this drug. It destroys the part of the brain that allows you to experience joy. This is what we're experiencing. You can look into their eyes and know what they have experienced as young people. So young people who are back here are a part of that history hopefully without it touching them in the way that it touched one in four babies born in Philadelphia, 1,000 born a month in Chicago I sat in the largest dependency court in the world where we had 10 cases a day for approximately 10 years in 20 courtrooms to do the numbers of babies born exposed to crack cocaine. So there's a reason for these things happening. We can't condemn those young people who are experiencing a terribly painful part of life and who have experienced a terribly painful part of life and who are killing one another and nobody in the Academy I had been a part of for 40 years is doing the research to look into that history and to recognize its impact on the black community it destroyed it. I took a sabbatical of this briefly mid-80s came out to Santa Barbara was teaching at the University of the District of Columbia in the Department of Criminal Justice and Business Administration. I came back and my best students were on crack cocaine after one year. This is the reality guys. Thank you for that. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah. I remember one guy asking me have you ever done this? Are you crazy? I mean, you know that was my response. How are you going to tell somebody something you got to know what what is like the crack cocaine that's a different thing is smoking grass. It's too different. It's two different colors. You got to have the knowledge to know what's going on. I mean nobody you don't have to have the knowledge. It's complicated. I just think it's really complicated. It is? Yeah. I mean is it complicated? It's complicated. I know that crack cocaine will mess your mind up. I know. There's nowhere in the world. If I know this I'm going to do it. But that's not true. It's just not as simple. I mean, I understand what you're saying and I think that it's really complicated. Okay. And I was going to have to cough. Sorry. It's like Officer Krumky. I don't know. Why can't they be like we were perfect anyway? Sorry. All of a sudden. I'm fine. I just got a little I think that crack cocaine conversation got me. I was trying to figure out how to respond. I got everything on. We're going to start wrapping up. I asked the question, where's the restroom? Don't wrap up too quick. I want to get back. Okay. It's okay. Do you think, do you think Reverend? Yes, please. I'm about being honest now. I'm not going to be honest about that. No. Do you think that's important? Personal needs. So we're going to wrap up today. And first I really just want to thank our distinguished panelists for being here, for sharing your stories, your insights, your wisdom and for starting that conversation, that intergenerational conversation that's so needed in our community. It feels like for whatever reason there's been a break where these stories don't get shared across and this wisdom doesn't get shared across the generations. So I really thank you and Reverend G for being here and being a part of turning that tide. I also, as we wrap up, just want everyone to think about that definition of change maker. That it is a social innovator, a social disruptor that imagines a new reality that creates new possibilities and takes action with others to solve social problems for the greater good. They reinvent rules. They do things differently and they're prepared to travel upstream against the current. Changemakers move beyond intention and passion and they translate thoughts into actions. We have been honored to hear from two people that have done that in their lives. But I also want to say that there's no reason that all of us in this room can't also be changemakers. Each one of us has the capacity to think outside our current realities where we're finding injustice, where we're finding oppression and to imagine a reality where that does not exist. We have the capacity to work with others to fight for what's right in this society. And so if there's anything to take from today, to take from the stories, to take from the wisdom, to take from this expertise that's been shared with us is that we don't have to do great. We don't have to be king. You know what I'm saying? We can be teachers. We can be preachers. We can be people who work with others who are humble, who can show others their greatness. And in those small acts, those small everyday acts we can reconnect black communities and we can create a change. So with that, we are moving into the reception so I want to make sure we give a big round of applause to our distinguished guests. And before we head out to our reception in the audience, if we could have everybody in the audience who's willing come up and take a group picture, that would be greatly appreciated. And once again, let's give a big round of applause to Reverend Gordon, Dr. Fortin, and Dr. Stephanie Sears. Thank you both. I know, right? Hang on. I don't know why. Good to see you.