Hosts Dave and Len interview Fleur McKendell, president of the Delaware NAACP State Conference of Branches, about her leadership, advocacy priorities, and efforts to strengthen branches across the state.
The episode covers youth engagement, education and health equity, criminal justice reform, DEI work, special-education layoffs, public-safety concerns, and concrete community actions and resources.
Fleur also shares how to contact her and her consulting practice to get involved or request training and support.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 Welcome, welcome, welcome to News and Trends with Dave and Len.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:40 This is one of your hosts, Mr. David Coker, proprietor of Dave Mark Inc.,
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 promoter, event planner, and all-around good guy.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:49 Just wanted to remind everyone we are now part of the MBG Podcast Network,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:53 where you can listen to us and a number of other great podcasts.
00:00:54 --> 00:01:00 And for those of you who might miss us during the week on Tuesdays and wanted
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 to still listen to the show, you can always catch us on Saturday.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:10 A replay of the show is always on 101.5 The Fever.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:16 It's an internet radio station hosted by DJ Ribs and Mr. Bobby Keys.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:20 So if you ever miss us on Tuesday and you want to hear a playback of the show,
00:01:20 --> 00:01:28 you can go to internet radio 101.5 The Fever and listen to us at 10 o'clock on Saturday mornings.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 Hanging out with my partner, Mr. Leonard Young. What's going on, sir?
00:01:32 --> 00:01:36 Hey, Dave, everything is good. This is Leonard Young, CEO of National Black
00:01:36 --> 00:01:42 Guide, DelawareBlack.com, black media specialist, all-around good guy.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:43 How's everything going with you?
00:01:44 --> 00:01:48 I'm good, man. I'm good. How does it feel to be a year older? Is that my birthday?
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 I mean, you're getting up there, man. I'm waiting for you to catch me.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 That's what I'm doing. I'm waiting. Dave, I will never catch you, okay?
00:01:55 --> 00:01:59 You will always be, well, you always be what you are, okay?
00:02:00 --> 00:02:05 Okay. And in fact, Dave, as the years go on, I'm actually getting farther away from you.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:11 Oh. You know, you're aging at, you know, a couple years ahead of what I'm aging
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 at. Are you trying to say light years, man?
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 No, not light years. I'll just say exponentially.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:21 Okay. Well, I'm glad that you made another trip around the sun.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 Yes, definitely. Thank you. I think it's good. Did you do anything special?
00:02:24 --> 00:02:28 Went to Florida, you know, did a little bit of relaxing, went to Tampa,
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 Clearwater, Orlando area.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:37 I got to meet up with one of my my good college friends who I probably have not.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:43 Well, I actually saw him two years ago, but before that, I hadn't seen him for like 25 years.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 So, I mean, that that was good. And then really just did some relaxing,
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 try to catch up, you know, figure out how I was going to manage the podcast.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 Working with, you know, a hard to work with partner and, you know,
00:02:54 --> 00:02:58 just kind of keep on going from there. But, you know, other than that, everything was good.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:04 Um, I'm thankful for, to be honest, Dave, you know, I'm thankful for being here another year.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 And I'll just say on the way, and I think I might've told you,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:11 I'll just make it real quick on the way back when we were flying in late Sunday
00:03:11 --> 00:03:16 night, as the plane was landing, you know, how they talked about like the tidal
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 storms we were having and like the severe weather.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:25 So as the plane was landing, as soon as the back legs or the back wheels of the plane touched down.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:32 It flew back up into the air and everyone was like, oh, you know what? What just happened?
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 And the first thing it made me think about, you remember a couple of months
00:03:36 --> 00:03:42 ago, right after Trump cut all these like FAA people and there was a plane that
00:03:42 --> 00:03:46 was landing, but there was another plane that was crossing the runway and it shot up.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:50 Oh, yeah, that's right. I remember that. So that's what it made me think of.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 But, you know, just kind of like, man, like I just had a and Dave,
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 this was on my birthday and I was like, OK, I know I'm not going to die on my
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 birthday. You know, this is just crazy.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:03 But long story short, it ended up that the pilot said that as we were touching
00:04:03 --> 00:04:08 down, there was a gust of wind that if he had stayed down, it would have taken
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 the plane off the runway.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 So, you know, the long story short, you know, you have to be thankful for the
00:04:13 --> 00:04:17 little things and, you know, almost every day because, you know,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 in this Trump era, you never know what's going to happen.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 Yeah, that's true. That's true. And, you know, these days, you know,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:31 you have to be blessed about every day that you're here, you know, because people,
00:04:31 --> 00:04:36 you know, death doesn't have any age restriction.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:44 I mean, you know, we just heard about, uh, you know, D'Angelo dying today, 51 years old.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 And, you know, that's young, you know?
00:04:48 --> 00:04:54 So may he rest in peace. Right. But, you know, we have to be thankful each and
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 every year that we get to see a birthday.
00:04:56 --> 00:05:01 And real quick too, I heard, I was listening to the Breakfast Club this morning and they were talking,
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 I don't know if you heard about the incident where there was a black lady who
00:05:05 --> 00:05:10 killed another black lady in Texas because she didn't say thank you when she
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 held the door open for her. Did you hear about that?
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 But well, long story short, he was saying, you know, there are a lot of people
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 walking around with mental illnesses and who are not right.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:24 So, you know, it's like, you know, you got to let people do what they do and
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 not, you know, feel a certain way.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 And that's based on this lady confronting somebody who
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 did not say thank you for when she opened the
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 door for they got into an argument and the one lady
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 shot the other lady and it's just kind of like you know
00:05:38 --> 00:05:45 long story short we we live in a wild world and you know well i think we know
00:05:45 --> 00:05:52 why the world is so wild right now you know you know and you don't even need
00:05:52 --> 00:05:57 to get that deep into it because we talk about it all the time so so but um,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 Well, okay. Well, thanks for that story, Leonard.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:09 Yeah. Okay. All right. But anyway, I am so excited that we definitely have a
00:06:09 --> 00:06:13 guest with us today that I've been trying to get on for a minute.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:17 She's been running from me the whole time. So, but I finally caught up with
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 her, Leonard. I got her. Good, good.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:23 But let's, let's, let's tell the people about who we have on today.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 Why don't you go in and read her bio? Sure.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:30 So today our guest is Flora McKindle. She is a proud New York,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:37 I'm sorry, Newark or Newark, New Jersey native who called Delaware home since 2008.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:43 Outspoken, ambitious and unapologetically driven by purpose.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 Flora is widely respected as
00:06:46 --> 00:06:51 a community leader, activist and champion for social justice and equity.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:56 As president of the Delaware NAACP State Conference of Branches.
00:06:57 --> 00:07:02 Flora Lee's statewide efforts focus on youth development, voting rights,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:06 criminal justice reform, and education and health equity.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:12 She was appointed to the Delaware Board of Parole by Governor Matt Meyer and
00:07:12 --> 00:07:17 also serves as vice chair of the Delaware Educational Equity Council,
00:07:17 --> 00:07:22 advocating to close opportunity gaps and dismantle the school to prison pipeline.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:28 Beyond her advocacy, Flora is the founder and principal consultant of Social
00:07:28 --> 00:07:33 Impact Strategies, LLC, where she partners with private, public,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:37 and nonprofit organizations to drive meaningful social change.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:43 She's also an adjunct professor at Delaware Technical Community College and
00:07:43 --> 00:07:48 a certified life coach, empowering others through mentorship and education.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:52 Laura holds two master's degrees from Wilmington University,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:58 both earned summa cum laude, and a certification in diversity and inclusion
00:07:58 --> 00:08:05 accredited by the International Organization for Standardization.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 Tongue twisted right there.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 Her impact has earned her numerous honors,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:18 including being named the 2025 Woman of Wonder and Social Justice by the Dover
00:08:18 --> 00:08:23 Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:28 Through her work, Flora continues to inspire others to act with courage,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:36 compassion, and purpose Embodying the true essence of a Proverbs 31 woman Leading
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 with strength, dignity,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:43 and unwavering faith So without further ado, Flora, we'd like to welcome you
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 to the show Thank you for joining us,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:53 Hey, how you doing? Thank you so much for having me. Wow, that sounded pretty good. I know, it did.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 Yeah, I was going to say, is that you? Is that you were talking about?
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 It sounded really good. Okay, all right.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 Thank you, Dave and Leonard, for having me. I'm excited to be here.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 And, you know, I will apologize publicly.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:12 I have been pretty busy, but I wasn't running from you, Dave.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:18 I promise I'm showing up and I'm really, really excited to be here with you guys today.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 Well, thank you for taking the time. Well, if you were running from Dave,
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 don't worry about it because I run from him all the time.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 And he'll tell you that. He'll be like. Yeah, he does. He does.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:31 He really does. Oh, gosh. That is so funny. That is so funny. Yeah.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:36 So, but we're going to go ahead and ask you a few things.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 So, I'll let Leonard start out with you. Sure. So, I mean, we're definitely
00:09:39 --> 00:09:43 grateful for you having you on the show.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:51 So I guess first, as a proud Newark temporary resident, and I say nine months
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 I lived there and I actually loved it.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:57 What brought you from Newark, New Jersey to Delaware?
00:09:58 --> 00:10:02 It was just the time that I was in at the time. You know, I was a single mom
00:10:02 --> 00:10:06 and born and raised, you know, in Brick City in the hood. You know,
00:10:06 --> 00:10:11 my mom, she retired from, she was a social worker at, in North.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:17 And we say North, by the way, it's not Newark, like we say, North and O-R-K.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:22 But anyhow, so she retired and she moved here. She bought some land, she built the house.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 And of course, in just the transition of helping her get situated,
00:10:25 --> 00:10:29 I was like, oh, this is really nice. I had two boys grown now,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 but at the time they were younger.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 And I just, it was time to make a change. So I guess about two or three years
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 later, I just followed. There was no particular reason.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 I have no family here. I had no room here whatsoever.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:44 So it was just a really abrupt change to get here. So, yeah,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 Delaware's home now. Sort of.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:54 Right. And so I guess as so I guess starting with being the current president
00:10:54 --> 00:10:59 of the Delaware NAACP State Conference of Branches.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:03 First, we just want to congratulate you because I remember when that announcement
00:11:03 --> 00:11:07 came out and I think either you sent it to me or somebody else.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 Can you tell us kind of, you know, what your.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 You know, what your duties are in that role? Yeah.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:20 So first and foremost, I always have to like just pay homage and shout out,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 you know, my mentor, friend, brother, father figure, really Richard Mouse Smith.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:29 I'm not sure if either one of you ever had the privilege to meet Mouse, rest in power Mouse.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 He passed away suddenly in January.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:36 And so I, everything I know about Delaware's landscape, politically,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 civil rights, history, I've learned from Mouse.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 I knew nothing. Like I said, I have no roots here in Delaware. Right.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:46 And so I was serving as vice president of the state conference of branches.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:50 But I also was the president of the county, which is called the Central Delaware branch.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:55 So in his passing, unfortunately, it's unfortunate passing,
00:11:55 --> 00:12:01 I would say I then by way of bylaws in the organization's rules and regulations,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:06 I advanced to the president role, which meant that I then had to relinquish
00:12:06 --> 00:12:10 my role as branch president, which I love, love, love to do.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 But I made a hard choice because Mouse just taught me so much.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:17 And one of the things that I learned from him and others is just that when a,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:21 you know, when a runner's feet grow weary in a race, somebody has to stand ready,
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 right, to grab the baton, keep it moving. And that was me.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:29 And so what I do as state president is we have 16 units across our state from
00:12:29 --> 00:12:35 Worlington down to Sussex and two prison branches, one at Gander Hill, one at James T. Vaughn.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:39 We have one at Dell State, one at UD, a lot of adult and youth branches.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:43 So I just make sure that our branches are operating. So I'm not just responsible
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 for the one like I was when I was branch president.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:49 I really oversee and make sure that we're all working along with the incredible
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 presidents of each branch. I couldn't do it without them.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:56 But at the end of the day, we don't just want to exist, right? We want to matter.
00:12:56 --> 00:13:00 And we want to make sure that every community, every corner of Delaware has
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 an epicenter of civil rights advocacy.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:07 And so that's what I do all day. You know, this is a volunteer role.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 I like to be very upfront about that.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:13 I think a lot of people think that my role is paid and it's my full-time job. It is not.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:19 It pays zero bills. I can't even buy like a quarter water or like a C&C.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 You know what I'm talking about? So, you know, I have to work,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:26 but my heart is committed to this work.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 You know, I'm rooted in civil rights advocacy.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:33 So is my family as a little girl. And so it's a privilege and a real honor to
00:13:33 --> 00:13:37 be able to serve in the role. And so we focus on economic power.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 We focus on criminal justice reform.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:43 We focus on educational equity. And we're seeing the need for that more and
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 more across our state and across our nation.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:50 And so we're not just working to protect history. We're trying to modernize
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 the mission of the NAACP, which, by the way, Dave and Leonard,
00:13:53 --> 00:13:58 if you did not know, we are the oldest, boldest, largest, and most unbought.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 Boss civil rights organization in the nation. So I just had to put that out
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 there. We were founded in the first.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:10 And so just protecting the history of the organization, but also modernizing
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 our mission to make sure that no one is left behind.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:17 So that's basically what I do when I work alongside incredible people,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:23 an executive board, presidents of different branches, as well as legislators
00:14:23 --> 00:14:27 and different community organizers and leaders and our members,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 of course, to get the job done. Yeah.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:35 Awesome. And I was aware that they were the oldest and the most known.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:41 And I think just in, a lot of people consider Delaware to be kind of like a
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 little state with not a lot going on.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:49 And I remember just from being in the Urban League and also like speaking with
00:14:49 --> 00:14:53 my parents and grandparents who were kind of raised in Wilmington,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:58 the NAACP and Wilmington specifically, but in Delaware in general,
00:14:58 --> 00:15:02 has played a very large role just throughout history.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:06 You know, just with some of the influential figures who are all associated with it.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:13 What what type of legacy do you want to leave or do you envision kind of like when you're gone?
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 You know, we kind of talked about Mouse and kind of like, you know,
00:15:16 --> 00:15:21 the legacy he had and, you know, all the people that respected him from the
00:15:21 --> 00:15:25 president of the United States to, you know, a lot of people in the community.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:30 Is there a certain legacy that, you know, you would like to envision leaving?
00:15:32 --> 00:15:39 Well, I don't know. For me, I think it's just leaving the movement better than how I found it.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:44 I'm investing in people and helping the organization grow. It's funny that you
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 brought up the Wilmington branch.
00:15:46 --> 00:15:50 For an example, one of my, I would say, legacy items would always be to strengthen
00:15:50 --> 00:15:55 branches that have been maybe not doing as well as they haven't in the past.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 Wilmington is one of those branches.
00:15:56 --> 00:16:01 So right now I'm actually in the process, right in the middle of the process
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 of having Wilmington reorganized.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:10 So immediately upon taking, you know, the helm of the organization for the state
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 of Delaware, I listened to the people of Wilmington and they were like,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 listen, Wilmington, you know, our branch needs help. You know,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 we're not operating properly.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:22 So I made a vow to make that happen. I reached out to the National NACP Board of Directors.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:28 They listened to me. They approved my request to reorganize by way of an administrator.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:32 So we've had a community meeting on October the 4th where we have many more
00:16:32 --> 00:16:36 to come. And so right now, Wilmington is in the rebuilding process.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:40 It is the largest, I'm sure, as you all know, and blackest city in the state.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:45 And we cannot have, you know, a city like Wilmington without adequate civil
00:16:45 --> 00:16:49 rights advocacy and support. And so that would be one of my legacy items,
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 just building branches, building youth.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:56 Again, the same way Miles poured into me when we're no longer able to continue doing this work.
00:16:56 --> 00:17:01 What have we, you know, poured into our younger people about civic engagement
00:17:01 --> 00:17:06 and their responsibilities? So just building up a cohort of young leaders that
00:17:06 --> 00:17:11 just want to take the baton and run, just as I had to do with the sudden passing of Miles.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 So I think that would be my legacy for Delaware State. Yeah.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 And, you know, I think that's awesome.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:20 And, you know, in mentioning the Wilmington, I do agree, you know, it's kind of like,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:25 You know, I think a lot of people would expect the Wilmington branch to kind
00:17:25 --> 00:17:31 of lead the state in representation just because, you know, we know Wilmington
00:17:31 --> 00:17:35 is 65, 69 percent African-American.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:39 And I think, you know, and of course, Dave's from Wilmington.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:45 He'll tell you his story because he tell it every show. But, you know,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:51 there are a lot of, I mean, everything that you mentioned that the NAACP stands for,
00:17:51 --> 00:17:58 I can see many residents in Wilmington, if they were kind of educated and aware
00:17:58 --> 00:18:04 of the services of the NAACP, that there'd be a lot of people who would be looking
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 to take advantage of those services.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:09 And, you know, I kind of like another thing you say. And, you know,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:15 I think a lot of times when we have these organizations that are so well established,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 like the NAACP, we always think of,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:23 OK, like that's something my parents do or something my parents did,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 my grandparents did, my uncles.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:30 How are you finding? And I know when a lot of young people, once they kind of
00:18:30 --> 00:18:34 find out about the mission and, you know, there are a lot of interests.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:37 How do you engage young people to get involved?
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41 I know you spoke about the two college campuses and focus on youth development.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:46 How like how is it going getting the young people involved? Because Dave and
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 I always talk in my my my children.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:52 It is hard to get them involved in anything that's not with a phone,
00:18:53 --> 00:18:57 a tablet or, you know, something like, you know, right in front of their face.
00:18:58 --> 00:19:03 Yeah, I absolutely agree with that wholeheartedly. That's why I think it's really
00:19:03 --> 00:19:07 important for us as parents and no shade because I grew up, you know,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:11 again, as as as a I would say in service.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:17 Right. And so over in New York on the weekends or listening to the National
00:19:17 --> 00:19:21 Action Network led by, you know, Reverend Al Sharpton, you know,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 doing all kinds of prison outreach and different things like that.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 So that was like my life growing up, right?
00:19:27 --> 00:19:30 And so I think that for me, it was inherent in me.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:33 And so there's this just intrinsic reward of doing it. Well,
00:19:33 --> 00:19:37 you know, I'm an 80 baby. I was born in 1980. And again, you know,
00:19:37 --> 00:19:41 during this crack epidemic in a very urban city.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:45 And so, you know, that was kind of my solace. Now, today, as you said,
00:19:45 --> 00:19:50 there's so many more privileges and just different extracurricular activities,
00:19:50 --> 00:19:53 specifically electronics and things that are available to our young people.
00:19:54 --> 00:19:57 And they're on the game, they're on the phone, they're on the iPads,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 there's social media, there's all this gaming.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:03 And so I think it's really incumbent upon all of us to make sure that,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:09 you know, we rear our children up in a way to understand that there's nothing about us without us.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:12 And so if there's something being built without us, then it wasn't for us in
00:20:12 --> 00:20:18 the first place. And then, so what is your role in making sure that we stay the main thing, right?
00:20:18 --> 00:20:21 And so I think that that's a mistake I made, you know, with my kids.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:27 And they, I think probably around 10, 12, they were years behind where I was,
00:20:27 --> 00:20:31 you know, growing up as far as civil rights and advocacy and activism,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 but I got them on track. So now they're right behind me.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:39 They're involved in the movement, involved in the NAACP. They do volunteer work. They do door knocking.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:44 They do all these things because I taught them that. And so for me, I think it's just...
00:20:45 --> 00:20:49 Finding your section, finding your people. Fortunately enough for us,
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 we do have Delaware State University right here.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:55 And I live in Camden, so I'm in Kent. And they're right here. So I work with Dr.
00:20:55 --> 00:21:00 Allen and some of the esteemed and very distinguished faculty and staff at the
00:21:00 --> 00:21:05 university. And they have an amazing group of young people that want to do the work.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:09 They're interested in doing the work. And so just being able to train them and
00:21:09 --> 00:21:13 rear them and invite them to events and pay their college students,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:16 they don't always have money. How do we pay for you to come to an event?
00:21:16 --> 00:21:22 We try to remove the roadblocks away from them so that they have no excuses but to show up.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:27 And it works. It really does work. It's harder because young people now are
00:21:27 --> 00:21:30 working. They're trying to balance work and college life and even high school
00:21:30 --> 00:21:33 life. We have youth councils as well for every adult branch,
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 getting those young people interested.
00:21:36 --> 00:21:40 But as a church girl, I would have to tell you what's really important is coupling
00:21:40 --> 00:21:43 the serious matter of business with fun.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:47 So we're going to do Bible study, but then we're going to make sure we have
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 a skating rink party on Saturday.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:54 Or we're going to, you know, you have to couple things. So we're going to have a conference.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 You know, there's going to be some fun that's attached to it.
00:21:56 --> 00:22:00 So that's a way to get our younger people involved. But I think just making
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 sure that people are just fired up and ready to work.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:07 And that's what we do. We just come up with very innovative ways to have our
00:22:07 --> 00:22:11 young people encouraged enough to be able to come and join us.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 And it's working. It is working.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:18 Okay, awesome. And, you know, I definitely agree. I think a lot of young people
00:22:18 --> 00:22:22 aren't afraid of working hard, but they don't want to work all the time.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:27 You know, there has to be like a fun aspect, you know, a get to know the other
00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 people. So I definitely agree with that. And that, I mean, that sounds great.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:35 And then, you know, and I think my last question, and this is something and,
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 you know, we kind of went about.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:40 Well, in fact, I'm going to save that question for later.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:44 Do you have any success stories? You know, I think a lot of times,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:48 you know, people will feel like something's happening.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:53 And the first thing they say, oh, let me call the NAACP. Let me call Al Sharpton.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:58 Let me call Ben Crump. And I'm sure some of those are baseless,
00:22:58 --> 00:23:02 you know, right off the jump. And some of them are legitimate.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:10 Are there any recent success stories for any of the branches of the NAACP here
00:23:10 --> 00:23:17 in Delaware or Delaware in general that, you know, may just kind of give, you know,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:21 motivation for those people who want to become involved or kind of see,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:24 you know, the changes that the NAACP is making? Thank you.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:28 Yeah, absolutely. So first of all, you know, one of our many,
00:23:28 --> 00:23:32 many models is we're nonpartisan, but, and this is a quote from our president,
00:23:33 --> 00:23:36 our national president, Derek Johnson, we're not, we're nonpartisan,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 but we're political as hell.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:42 And the reason why we say that is because the policies and the practices,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:46 regulations, all the things, right, impacts our quality of life, right?
00:23:46 --> 00:23:50 And so for us, we are very, we have an agenda each year.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:55 And so for me this year, it was probably one of the most encouraging and promising
00:23:55 --> 00:23:59 legislative sessions that I've seen in a very long while.
00:23:59 --> 00:24:04 In addition to having a piece of legislation now named after Mauss,
00:24:04 --> 00:24:07 it's called the Richard Mauss-Smith Compassionate Release Act,
00:24:08 --> 00:24:13 we really, really advocated hard with a lot of other community leaders and activists.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:19 And who championed it was Senator Brian Townsend to create expanded pathways
00:24:19 --> 00:24:24 for our most vulnerable incarcerated people, especially our elderly and those who have, you know.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:29 A range of comorbidities to be able to expand pathways for them to demonstrate
00:24:29 --> 00:24:33 their, I would say, rehabilitation and be able to be released.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:37 And so that was something mouse has been fighting for for decades.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:41 And so that bill is a Senate bill 10 is actually named after mouse.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:45 And that took a lot of work, But I would say, and there's other legislation
00:24:45 --> 00:24:49 as well, but I would say branch wise, one of the things that we're working on
00:24:49 --> 00:24:52 right now, and I'm hoping that it will run rampant throughout the state,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 is this firehouse culture.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:57 I'm sure that you all are hearing about it with the racist and discriminatory
00:24:57 --> 00:25:01 and disparate treatments happening throughout Delaware's firehouses.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:05 And so in Lewis, I met with the mayor of Lewis, along with our Georgetown director.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:11 Sussex County branch with the mayor of Lewis, the head of the firehouse,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:15 the most recent, you know, racial incident happened down there.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:19 And so they're asking us to do training for them, to do a cultural sensitivity
00:25:19 --> 00:25:23 training, to do, you know, diversity, equity, and inclusion training.
00:25:23 --> 00:25:27 And this is down South, you know, and then we'll be able to work with other
00:25:27 --> 00:25:31 firehouses across the state to be able to make sure that when Black and brown
00:25:31 --> 00:25:36 people call on the fire department, We don't have to worry about whether or
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 not they're going to show up,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:39 whether or not they're going to show up fully, whether they're going to show up at all.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:43 And that would be the same thing with, you know, transparency and accountability
00:25:43 --> 00:25:47 and policing and some of the legislation that we've been working on there.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:53 So it's not, as people would say, it's definitely not quick. Right.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:57 It's definitely not quick. You know, and if it's quick, that means we're doing
00:25:57 --> 00:26:00 it wrong because, you know, it's not about doing it fast. It's about doing it right.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:05 And so for us, you know, a lot of progress that we make does take a long time,
00:26:05 --> 00:26:07 but that's because it's so multifaceted.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:10 And then sometimes I would even say like it's a conundrum of things.
00:26:10 --> 00:26:13 And so we are really on the ground.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 We are changing the culture in Delaware.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:19 You know, House Bill 198 with the Black history in Delaware,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:23 even the Education Equity Council, which I have the privilege of sitting on
00:26:23 --> 00:26:26 as vice president. and it's a State of Delaware initiative, you know,
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 the NACP sued the State of Delaware.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:32 We sued, you know, Governor Carney and, you know, the Secretary of Education
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 at the time because we understood.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:38 That our most vulnerable students in school districts were not getting the funding
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 that they needed and deserved.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:43 And so that resulted in the opportunity fund. So now that we see more money
00:26:43 --> 00:26:47 for our English language learners and our, you know, impoverished students,
00:26:47 --> 00:26:51 that is because of the work that the NAACP had done in the lawsuit.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 We actually are in a current lawsuit right now.
00:26:54 --> 00:26:58 We are suing the Wilmington Police Department for racial profiling.
00:26:58 --> 00:27:02 And so we're, you know, really on the ground. These are things that people don't
00:27:02 --> 00:27:05 know that we're involved in, But we're certainly involved in about making the
00:27:05 --> 00:27:08 quality of life for Delawareans top tier.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 Yeah. And, you know, it's funny you mentioned the police department because
00:27:11 --> 00:27:16 I've told Dave, I'm sorry, the fire department, because I've told Dave my own
00:27:16 --> 00:27:22 personal issues via my business with the fire department in my area that I believe was racial.
00:27:22 --> 00:27:28 Well, I believe it was racially motivated, but I don't have enough to,
00:27:28 --> 00:27:31 you know, do anything. You don't have to talk to me about that offline because I don't know.
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 You might be able to make a little noise there. I don't know.
00:27:36 --> 00:27:42 Yeah. I mean, yeah, possibly. But, you know, but I definitely understand that because I know.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:49 So in some of those Kent County and lower areas of little fire departments,
00:27:49 --> 00:27:53 they, you know, they don't they don't have anybody that look like us.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:56 Yeah, exactly. At least certain ones don't have anyone that look like us.
00:27:56 --> 00:28:00 My last question before I pass it over to my good partner, Dave,
00:28:01 --> 00:28:09 is I know there are a lot of legitimate reasons for people to contact the NAACP
00:28:09 --> 00:28:12 with grievances and issues and problems.
00:28:13 --> 00:28:17 What are some what are on the on the flip side?
00:28:17 --> 00:28:22 What are some reasons they should not contact the NAACP?
00:28:22 --> 00:28:26 And, you know, like I just say, I know you probably get, hey,
00:28:27 --> 00:28:31 someone looked at me funny and, you know, I need to sue them or,
00:28:31 --> 00:28:35 you know, like what are some reasons that they, you know, are not appropriate
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 for them to contact the NAACP?
00:28:37 --> 00:28:45 Yeah, I think one of the main things that we run into is people not realizing
00:28:45 --> 00:28:52 what the NAACP is and does to be able to know that's not within,
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 that's not their ministry, right?
00:28:54 --> 00:29:00 That's not within their bailiwick. So civil rights discrimination and civil
00:29:00 --> 00:29:05 rights claims are things that we hear and people will call for things like.
00:29:05 --> 00:29:08 You know, hey, I can't get custody of my kid.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:12 Help me. I need a lawyer. And I'm like, well, this is, you know, you get what I'm saying?
00:29:12 --> 00:29:18 Like, it's not civil rights, you know, or they have not went through the proper channels.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:21 They have not exhausted the proper channels. Like if it's work related,
00:29:22 --> 00:29:25 you make sure that it's documented, that you're filing an EEOC complaint within,
00:29:25 --> 00:29:29 you know, the specific time frame that you're supposed to be filing it.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:32 I worked for the state of Delaware for years. You know, did you file a grievance
00:29:32 --> 00:29:38 within the rule, the time around the rules around grievance submissions, things like that.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:42 And so I think that, you know, people call us and they and that's another thing.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:48 They think that we have full-time staff that are paid and lawyers that are just sitting by the phone.
00:29:48 --> 00:29:52 And they'll call us thinking that we can kind of like save them.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:55 It's like, whoa, wait, you know, there's a form that you fill out that gives
00:29:55 --> 00:29:58 us, you know, permission to be able to advocate on your behalf,
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 your questions, there's an intake process.
00:30:00 --> 00:30:05 And so I think that people just really don't know the aims and the objectives of the organization.
00:30:05 --> 00:30:08 Well, many people don't. And so they reach out to us for child support,
00:30:08 --> 00:30:13 just things that have nothing to do with civil rights and civil rights advocacy
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 or discrimination. And so.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:19 I would say things like that don't call us. And so we do turn those things down.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:23 But we also don't leave them just high and dry. We always give them resources
00:30:23 --> 00:30:27 of where they can call. Or, you know, I had an issue at my bank.
00:30:27 --> 00:30:31 You know, they, you know, rephold my car, but I didn't have a job.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:34 And I told them I didn't have a job. And I'm like, wait, what?
00:30:35 --> 00:30:40 So it's crazy the things that people reach out to us about and our heart goes
00:30:40 --> 00:30:44 out to them. But it's not something that, you know, we work on and we handle.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 So we always give them resources to go back to to help them,
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 you know, with their issue.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:53 But we are very, very clear in our mission and our legacy and where we lead
00:30:53 --> 00:30:56 is civil rights. And we stay there. We stay in our lane with that.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:59 Understood. Thank you. You're welcome.
00:31:00 --> 00:31:06 OK, well, I guess Leonard always leaves me with all the, you know,
00:31:06 --> 00:31:10 I got to I got to say, OK, what didn't he ask? and all of this stuff.
00:31:10 --> 00:31:12 But anyway, I'm prepared. I'm prepared.
00:31:13 --> 00:31:19 I want to hear about, and I'm sure everyone wants to hear about the social impact strategies, LLC.
00:31:20 --> 00:31:22 So tell us a little bit about that.
00:31:23 --> 00:31:30 So social impact strategies, you know, it's really interesting because as a
00:31:30 --> 00:31:33 mom at 16, so I was pregnant at 15.
00:31:34 --> 00:31:37 I had my son at 16 years old. I...
00:31:38 --> 00:31:44 You know, notice where there were gaps, right? Just in my life, period, point blank.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:48 And so, you know, I overcame a lot of obstacles, two master's degrees.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:53 My son, both of my sons have completed their studies at Delaware State University
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 with bachelor's degrees.
00:31:54 --> 00:31:58 The youngest one is off to law school in New Jersey at Rutgers.
00:31:58 --> 00:32:00 He's just 21, graduated.
00:32:01 --> 00:32:06 So, you know, we overcame a lot of obstacles, but I think that one of the things
00:32:06 --> 00:32:11 that I noticed was just the gaps in, you know, how organizations turn their
00:32:11 --> 00:32:14 mission statements into some transformative or sustainable.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:17 You know, goals or outcomes.
00:32:17 --> 00:32:21 And so I noticed that even growing up, you know, you'll have these long statements,
00:32:21 --> 00:32:25 but the work that you actually do doesn't measure up to what you say.
00:32:25 --> 00:32:28 So for me, I wanted to start a consulting firm that really helped organizations
00:32:28 --> 00:32:33 turn their goals into like measurable, I would say, results.
00:32:33 --> 00:32:39 So that's what I do. You know, I strategize, I invest in strategic planning,
00:32:39 --> 00:32:43 policy implementation, training, especially around diversity,
00:32:43 --> 00:32:46 equity, and inclusion, social impact, really.
00:32:46 --> 00:32:51 And just bridging, I would say, the gap between what good intentions are and
00:32:51 --> 00:32:55 then real lasting change and impact. Because we always know it's impact over intention.
00:32:55 --> 00:32:58 Just because you intended for something to be well, there's sometimes a natural
00:32:58 --> 00:33:03 byproduct or an external spillover that doesn't leave the lasting change that you were expecting.
00:33:04 --> 00:33:07 And so for me, it's like helping leaders and individuals design strategies that
00:33:07 --> 00:33:11 are really inclusive and I would say actionable and transformative.
00:33:11 --> 00:33:18 And it's my baby. And I am very, very proud of the work that I do through social impact strategies.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:22 It is obviously founded by me. I'm the principal consultant.
00:33:22 --> 00:33:27 And I just love building, building organizations and building people.
00:33:28 --> 00:33:36 Wow. Okay. All right. Um, well, you mentioned DEI and I know that's a hot subject these days.
00:33:36 --> 00:33:42 I mean, boy, I, you know, I was talking to you and I was saying how long ago Leonard was it?
00:33:42 --> 00:33:48 Wasn't like a couple of years ago when we first started talking about DEI on the show and,
00:33:48 --> 00:33:52 you know, with the University of Alabama and University of Florida talking about
00:33:52 --> 00:33:57 how they were taking out DEI out of their scholarship programs for their athletes.
00:33:58 --> 00:34:01 And ever since then, that's all we've been talking about, right? Yeah.
00:34:02 --> 00:34:11 You know, so tell us about this whole DEI thing and how it's impacting basically
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 everyday life right now.
00:34:13 --> 00:34:18 Yeah. You know, I like to say the words because they mean something.
00:34:18 --> 00:34:23 Just like I don't in AACP always put the emphasis on every single letter of
00:34:23 --> 00:34:26 the acronym. So, you know, diversity, equity, inclusion for me,
00:34:26 --> 00:34:30 you know, I think it's like this buzzword that people are using.
00:34:30 --> 00:34:33 And it's not just a buzzword or a buzz phrase, rather.
00:34:33 --> 00:34:37 It's really a responsibility, right, for all of us. And I think that when we
00:34:37 --> 00:34:42 break down diversity, equity, and inclusion, I'm like, what part of it don't people like?
00:34:42 --> 00:34:45 Like diversity, who's in the room? You know, who's showing up?
00:34:46 --> 00:34:48 Equity, who has access, right?
00:34:48 --> 00:34:52 Shouldn't everyone have access? And inclusion is like, who feels that they belong?
00:34:52 --> 00:34:54 Inclusion is really belonging.
00:34:54 --> 00:34:57 So a lot of organizations call it diversity, equity, and belonging instead of
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 using the word inclusion.
00:34:59 --> 00:35:03 Regardless, you know, as I said a few minutes ago, if your mission statement,
00:35:03 --> 00:35:07 your DEI statement is longer than your action plan of how you're going to make
00:35:07 --> 00:35:11 that a real lived thing, then to me, you've already lost credibility.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:16 And I think that diversity, equity, inclusion has turned into a very politicized
00:35:16 --> 00:35:19 issue. And it's not at all about politics. It's about people.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:24 It's not left or right wing. It's about right or wrong, period, point blank.
00:35:25 --> 00:35:29 And so for me, I just don't know, you know, well, I'll say this and I've heard
00:35:29 --> 00:35:33 this said, you know, in the divided states of America, because that's what I
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 feel like we are right now.
00:35:35 --> 00:35:42 You know, we somehow or another, you know, have flipped what DEI is to be and
00:35:42 --> 00:35:46 should be into something that is wrong and it's not wrong at all.
00:35:46 --> 00:35:52 And I think for, you know, our non people of color, brothers and sisters who
00:35:52 --> 00:35:56 continue to use like this woke, you know, you know, mindset about,
00:35:57 --> 00:36:00 oh, well, DEI is giving people jobs that don't deserve them.
00:36:00 --> 00:36:04 You know, when we take a look at and I've heard it said like the former Fox
00:36:04 --> 00:36:09 News host who's paid a settlement to avoid some type of a sexual assault case,
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 he's now the Department of Defense.
00:36:10 --> 00:36:15 And we're talking about the woman who was the head of the world wrestling entertainment
00:36:15 --> 00:36:21 industry accused of she was accused, you know, covering up sexual abuse of minors
00:36:21 --> 00:36:23 is now the Department of Education secretary.
00:36:23 --> 00:36:29 You know, we have a former heroin addict who also accused of sexual assault,
00:36:29 --> 00:36:31 who's the Department of Health and Human Services.
00:36:31 --> 00:36:33 We have a 34-time convicted feeling.
00:36:34 --> 00:36:39 Who is the president of the United States? I'm trying to figure out how this
00:36:39 --> 00:36:45 DEI is just about black people, brown people getting jobs that they aren't qualified
00:36:45 --> 00:36:48 for when unqualified, I would say,
00:36:49 --> 00:36:51 people benefit from it.
00:36:51 --> 00:36:55 That I see are in the highest positions in the land are not people of color.
00:36:55 --> 00:36:59 So I think that when that happens, we really need to take a step back and really
00:36:59 --> 00:37:03 evaluate what is diversity, equity, and inclusion, and who's really benefiting off of it.
00:37:03 --> 00:37:06 What was it intended, but what has been the impact?
00:37:06 --> 00:37:10 Again, it's always impact over intent. And so, you know, I think that we need
00:37:10 --> 00:37:13 to keep working to make sure that diversity, equity, and inclusion remains the
00:37:13 --> 00:37:15 main thing. It's very, very important.
00:37:16 --> 00:37:18 And so I don't think that we need to get deterred by the woke,
00:37:19 --> 00:37:22 all this woke talk and all these different things that we're hearing in the
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 current national political climate.
00:37:24 --> 00:37:27 And stay steadfast and make sure that we're diversifying who's in the room.
00:37:27 --> 00:37:31 We're making sure people have equitable access when they get there and that
00:37:31 --> 00:37:34 people feel like they belong. And that's simply what DEI is.
00:37:35 --> 00:37:40 Wow. Okay. All right. Hey, you just preached right there, by the way.
00:37:41 --> 00:37:45 I almost said amen. Just saying, I almost said amen, but I'm going to say it anyway. Amen.
00:37:47 --> 00:37:51 You know, it's funny hearing you talk about,
00:37:52 --> 00:37:55 DEI like that and I think about the the
00:37:55 --> 00:37:58 old all the fuss that went on back in the day with
00:37:58 --> 00:38:01 the affirmative action programs yeah and how
00:38:01 --> 00:38:04 they were saying oh they're getting more jobs because they're
00:38:04 --> 00:38:08 this and they're that you know and they you know we got to have one in the office
00:38:08 --> 00:38:12 we got to have this we got to have we got to have one in leadership we got to
00:38:12 --> 00:38:17 have this person here you only hear because they they told us we had to hire
00:38:17 --> 00:38:23 you you know here we are again you know So we're in that situation all over again.
00:38:24 --> 00:38:30 And, you know, it's not what made it so bad that they were trying to hurt us,
00:38:30 --> 00:38:35 you know, with these restrictions and all of the, you know, these layoffs and
00:38:35 --> 00:38:37 cutting back a lot of the programs and so forth.
00:38:37 --> 00:38:41 But they're not really hurting us as much as they're hurting themselves.
00:38:41 --> 00:38:47 Absolutely. And this era, this Trump era, I hate to say it, but I don't think
00:38:47 --> 00:38:52 it necessarily created division. It's just exposed it more than what was already there.
00:38:53 --> 00:38:59 I mean, it has literally made racism and anything anti-Black comfortable for people again.
00:38:59 --> 00:39:04 Right. And so I think it's just pulled the sheep off of what's been already hiding in plain sight.
00:39:04 --> 00:39:08 And we're talking about from the school boards to the classrooms to the halls
00:39:08 --> 00:39:11 of hospitals. I mean, this is the era.
00:39:11 --> 00:39:15 I mean, it's just unbelievable how we're living now. But I think that this era
00:39:15 --> 00:39:21 has made me lead even louder because to me, being silent is just being complicit.
00:39:21 --> 00:39:25 And I think that comfort is really the enemy for change. And right now,
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 people are scared as hell.
00:39:26 --> 00:39:28 And I understand why. You know,
00:39:28 --> 00:39:31 but again, I don't think that DEI is about politics, it's about people.
00:39:31 --> 00:39:36 And we have to build systems that are going to last well beyond, you know, us being here.
00:39:36 --> 00:39:41 And it's not just OK to be full of rage because outrage is not going to bring change.
00:39:41 --> 00:39:43 It's going to bring, you know, we need systems and we need structure.
00:39:43 --> 00:39:45 So that's a great point that you meant.
00:39:45 --> 00:39:49 You know, and we talk about affirmative action 50 years ago and where we are now.
00:39:50 --> 00:39:54 And to think that somehow over 400 years of the generational trauma.
00:39:55 --> 00:39:58 Triggers and curses that black and brown people have had to endure as opposed
00:39:58 --> 00:40:03 to straighten out in 50 or so years is is asinine to me. It's insane.
00:40:03 --> 00:40:04 But that's what that's what they think.
00:40:05 --> 00:40:08 So we need to keep our foot on the gas on that. That's right.
00:40:08 --> 00:40:11 Let's let's keep our foot on the gas and just run them right over.
00:40:14 --> 00:40:19 Well, folks, you heard what this young lady had to say.
00:40:19 --> 00:40:23 She ain't playing right now, you know, and it's, you know, and we don't need to be playing.
00:40:23 --> 00:40:29 We need to get on board in all of the counties, in all of the areas,
00:40:29 --> 00:40:36 and trying to build up the NAACP and do the things that we need to do in order
00:40:36 --> 00:40:39 to become strong. I'm a union guy. I told you that.
00:40:39 --> 00:40:43 So I know what I have to go through as a union president in trying to build
00:40:43 --> 00:40:48 solidarity and getting people on board. and, you know, not only when they're
00:40:48 --> 00:40:50 in trouble, but when, you know,
00:40:50 --> 00:40:53 when we need, when we have causes that we need to deal with, you know?
00:40:54 --> 00:40:56 So we have a strong leader here.
00:40:57 --> 00:41:01 You heard her. You hear what she's doing? She's not playing around with this.
00:41:01 --> 00:41:09 So we need everyone to get on board with this and try to see what we can do,
00:41:09 --> 00:41:15 all of us, see what we can do to try to be better, do better, and become better.
00:41:17 --> 00:41:22 Why don't you do us a favor and give people your contact information for people
00:41:22 --> 00:41:24 in case they want to reach out to you?
00:41:24 --> 00:41:30 Sure. So folks can reach out to me on social media platforms,
00:41:30 --> 00:41:35 all my social media platforms, the same floor, F-L-E-U-R, has purpose.
00:41:35 --> 00:41:39 One word. It's been my, you know, I think I prophesied that about myself.
00:41:39 --> 00:41:43 15, however long Facebook's been out, you know, MySpace and all those things
00:41:43 --> 00:41:46 has always been Floor Has Purpose.
00:41:46 --> 00:41:53 You can visit DelawareNAACP.org to learn more about Delaware NAACP and our Facebook,
00:41:53 --> 00:41:58 as well as our Instagram and X is also DelawareNAACP, one word,
00:41:58 --> 00:41:59 and you can reach us there.
00:41:59 --> 00:42:05 And then you can also always reach me at socialimpactstrategies at floor at
00:42:05 --> 00:42:12 socialimpactstrat.com. That's just my first name at socialimpactstrat.com.
00:42:12 --> 00:42:14 And I'm happy to speak. I'm happy to talk.
00:42:14 --> 00:42:18 I do keynoting and facilitating training, all the things, not just on the NAACP
00:42:18 --> 00:42:22 side, but through social impact strategies as well, because we know that these
00:42:22 --> 00:42:25 systems were not built for us. So we have to rebuild them.
00:42:25 --> 00:42:28 And so it's an uncomfortable process. And if we're not uncomfortable,
00:42:28 --> 00:42:30 we're not growing. And I'm here to help you grow.
00:42:30 --> 00:42:33 So I appreciate you, Dave and Leonard, for giving me space today to be here
00:42:33 --> 00:42:39 with you and hope to come back sometime. I mean, don't worry, don't worry.
00:42:39 --> 00:42:43 And we ain't finished with you yet anyway. So, you know, you ain't going to
00:42:43 --> 00:42:45 worry. We're not, we're not like you're leaving yet.
00:42:47 --> 00:42:51 But I hope everyone got that information on how to get in touch with her,
00:42:51 --> 00:42:56 because that's very important, you know, that you follow up with her and try to,
00:42:57 --> 00:43:01 you know, everyone needs to try to latch on to this and, you know,
00:43:01 --> 00:43:06 try to help, help her continue what Mouse was doing, you know, before.
00:43:06 --> 00:43:10 Because he was definitely, he definitely will be missed. He was a great guy.
00:43:10 --> 00:43:13 He definitely was. Yeah, so what we're going to do is this,
00:43:14 --> 00:43:17 um flora decided that she wants to hang out with us we're going to go through
00:43:17 --> 00:43:22 a couple topics right quick and i think some of these will fall right in line
00:43:22 --> 00:43:23 what we've been talking about by the way,
00:43:24 --> 00:43:29 and so what we're going to do is go through these topics and get your opinion on and so.
00:43:30 --> 00:43:36 This first topic that i wanted to talk about is uh is entitled that your restraining
00:43:36 --> 00:43:42 order in Los Angeles can be, can place you in danger, is what it's called.
00:43:43 --> 00:43:46 So this is Dr. Rosie Milligan.
00:43:47 --> 00:43:52 She said it was her urgent appeal to the Los Angeles mayor, Aaron Bass,
00:43:52 --> 00:43:58 and LAPD chief, Jim McDonald, to protect law-abiding citizens and seniors.
00:43:58 --> 00:43:59 And I'm going to read a little bit
00:43:59 --> 00:44:03 of this, and so you can kind of get a backdrop to what's going on here.
00:44:03 --> 00:44:07 It says, I am writing this open letter
00:44:07 --> 00:44:11 as a law-abiding senior citizen one
00:44:11 --> 00:44:17 month away from my 80th birthday who has experienced firsthand how unsafe it
00:44:17 --> 00:44:27 is it has become to live in live in the city of Los Angeles even when you follow
00:44:27 --> 00:44:30 the law and do everything the right way.
00:44:31 --> 00:44:37 For years I've heard people say they no longer called the police because help doesn't come in time.
00:44:38 --> 00:44:41 Now I know firsthand. I have lived it.
00:44:42 --> 00:44:46 Today I'm using my voice to call for justice and accountability.
00:44:47 --> 00:44:52 Los Angeles citizens deserve better. We deserve safety, respect,
00:44:52 --> 00:44:56 and protection, not silence, delay, and fear.
00:44:56 --> 00:45:01 And so she goes on to talk about senior citizen left unprotected.
00:45:01 --> 00:45:04 This was a story that she wanted to talk about.
00:45:04 --> 00:45:11 She said, a few months ago, a 32-year-old homeless man named Andrew jumped my
00:45:11 --> 00:45:16 fence, entered my shed, and refused to leave.
00:45:16 --> 00:45:21 Despite his violent history, including a restraining order filed by his own
00:45:21 --> 00:45:28 father, he repeatedly trespassed and vandalized my property and threatened my son and me.
00:45:29 --> 00:45:37 Each time I called the police, It took between 45 minutes to over an hour for them to arrive.
00:45:38 --> 00:45:44 On one call, a dispatcher told me a restraining order is not a priority.
00:45:44 --> 00:45:49 How can a restraining order not be a priority when the person that's meant to
00:45:49 --> 00:45:52 restrain is standing in my yard threatening me?
00:45:53 --> 00:45:58 I am a law-abiding senior woman who has always respected the law.
00:45:58 --> 00:46:01 I went to court. I retained a restraining order.
00:46:01 --> 00:46:07 I called the police every time the man returns. Since yet, I was the one left
00:46:07 --> 00:46:13 unprotected, exposed, fearful, and unsafe in my own home.
00:46:13 --> 00:46:18 And then she goes on to talk about a city failing its citizens.
00:46:18 --> 00:46:20 My situation is not unique.
00:46:21 --> 00:46:25 It represents what so many Los Angeles residents are enduring in silence.
00:46:25 --> 00:46:29 Restraining orders are not being enforced quickly or effectively.
00:46:30 --> 00:46:32 Seniors and homeowners are being
00:46:32 --> 00:46:38 left vulnerable to repeat trespasses and mentally unstable individuals.
00:46:39 --> 00:46:43 I'm going to stop there because she goes on to continue to talk.
00:46:44 --> 00:46:47 But she's calling out the mayor
00:46:47 --> 00:46:51 in reference to all the things that are going on there in Los Angeles.
00:46:52 --> 00:46:55 Now, I'm sure this is going on all over the country right now because,
00:46:55 --> 00:46:59 like Leonard even mentioned it earlier about the police. And,
00:46:59 --> 00:47:01 you know, and of course, you said something about, you know,
00:47:01 --> 00:47:04 a lawsuit with the Wilmington Police Department as well.
00:47:05 --> 00:47:09 So what do you think about, you know, hearing what I've read?
00:47:10 --> 00:47:14 So, you know, read about the story and, of course, just what you deal with on
00:47:14 --> 00:47:18 a regular basis when it comes to the police and everything, Flora.
00:47:19 --> 00:47:22 Yeah, you know, it's an interesting story because, you know,
00:47:22 --> 00:47:29 in the work that I do, I deal with the family of the individuals who have done
00:47:29 --> 00:47:33 crime and the families of the people who were impacted by the crime.
00:47:33 --> 00:47:37 So there's a level of, I would say, grace and mercy to an extent,
00:47:37 --> 00:47:39 although I do believe in full accountability.
00:47:39 --> 00:47:43 But I think what this really boils down to at the end of the day is a broken
00:47:43 --> 00:47:48 system because we have, you know, processes in place like a restraining order
00:47:48 --> 00:47:52 that aren't being held to, as you read,
00:47:52 --> 00:47:57 a priority as it relates to other things that, you know, our police and other
00:47:57 --> 00:48:01 law enforcement agents are dealing with.
00:48:01 --> 00:48:06 And I think that that just speaks at the end of the day that, you know, our police are.
00:48:06 --> 00:48:11 They're not here to reduce and they don't reduce crime. They respond to it.
00:48:12 --> 00:48:15 And so to reduce some of these things, these mental health crises and other
00:48:15 --> 00:48:20 things that, you know, this woman was expressing in her letter,
00:48:20 --> 00:48:24 I think that we need investment. We're just not investing.
00:48:24 --> 00:48:28 You know, our national pocketbook, our state pocketbook, you know,
00:48:28 --> 00:48:32 we currently show that we have money to be able to invest, whether it be in
00:48:32 --> 00:48:38 the Israel, you know, Gaza conflict or all the other things that we can invest in.
00:48:38 --> 00:48:42 But when it comes to our own cities, our own municipalities,
00:48:42 --> 00:48:45 our own states, we're not investing in mental health facilities.
00:48:45 --> 00:48:47 We're not investing in housing.
00:48:47 --> 00:48:52 We're not investing in making sure that there's adequate food for those who don't have it.
00:48:52 --> 00:48:56 And I think at the end of the day, that is what we need. We need investment.
00:48:56 --> 00:49:00 So I hear, you know, my heart goes out to this 80-year-old woman.
00:49:00 --> 00:49:03 But I think that it's a broken system at the end of the day.
00:49:03 --> 00:49:07 And if not the gentleman that she's dealing with now, there's going to be someone else, right?
00:49:07 --> 00:49:09 Because it's like putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg.
00:49:10 --> 00:49:15 The current structure that we have in place is not going to fix the myriad of
00:49:15 --> 00:49:18 problems that I think now is really heightened. It's been very prolific.
00:49:18 --> 00:49:22 We need investment in our communities. And until we have that investment,
00:49:22 --> 00:49:25 I'm sorry to say, but we have the same story that she gave, reminds me of a
00:49:25 --> 00:49:30 story right down here in Dover that I'm dealing with now with a business owner and a realtor.
00:49:30 --> 00:49:33 And, you know, you can call the police over and over and over again and they
00:49:33 --> 00:49:35 get out. We don't have places to house people.
00:49:35 --> 00:49:40 So you're not going to leave someone in jail for a petty crime when you don't have the space, right?
00:49:40 --> 00:49:44 So how do we fix these things? Again, not by putting Band-Aids on broken legs.
00:49:44 --> 00:49:46 We need real investment in our communities.
00:49:47 --> 00:49:50 Yeah. All right. Yeah. Leonard, what's your thoughts on this?
00:49:51 --> 00:49:55 Dave, I can't lie. Flora dropped the mic on that one. Yes, she did.
00:49:56 --> 00:50:00 I don't even know what to do Dave, you should have let me go first.
00:50:00 --> 00:50:01 You should have let me go first.
00:50:01 --> 00:50:06 What I was getting ready to say was, it doesn't matter what Leonard has. I know.
00:50:06 --> 00:50:11 I know. Floor, drop the mic, kick it to the side. It fell off the stage.
00:50:11 --> 00:50:16 Like, I'm— Well, just give us your little thoughts at this moment anyway.
00:50:16 --> 00:50:17 Go ahead. My little thoughts.
00:50:20 --> 00:50:23 You know, I mean, you know, I think kind of what she said, too.
00:50:23 --> 00:50:31 You know, I think if people have to feel safe with the people who—well,
00:50:31 --> 00:50:37 people have to be able to depend on people who are supposed to be there to protect people. them.
00:50:37 --> 00:50:45 And if you can't rely on people who are supposed to be protecting you,
00:50:45 --> 00:50:47 then to be honest, I don't know what to do.
00:50:47 --> 00:50:52 You know, it's almost like if a student is in school and something's happening,
00:50:52 --> 00:50:58 you know, for a lot of students, that supposed person would probably be a teacher or an administrator.
00:50:59 --> 00:51:04 But if they prove that you cannot go to them, you cannot trust them,
00:51:04 --> 00:51:08 then, I mean, to be honest, you know, like it's just a world of hurt.
00:51:09 --> 00:51:14 And, you know, I think a lot of time, and I mean, not to relate it to the other story, but, you know,
00:51:14 --> 00:51:18 when we see kids who are being bullied and they cannot go anywhere,
00:51:18 --> 00:51:24 a lot of times they, they choose self-harm or that bullying gets to a level
00:51:24 --> 00:51:28 that causes injury, you know, something like that.
00:51:28 --> 00:51:31 So, I mean, I definitely agree.
00:51:31 --> 00:51:34 And I mean, Flora really dropped the mic, like literally, like I'm,
00:51:34 --> 00:51:35 I'm, I'm kind of speechless.
00:51:36 --> 00:51:44 But, you know, I think there has to be a way where the people who are the public
00:51:44 --> 00:51:50 safety servants, they, you know, there need to be some real relationships with the people.
00:51:50 --> 00:51:55 It can't just be you get paid to do your job, which you may or may not be doing.
00:51:55 --> 00:52:01 There has to be, you know, a real community effort both ways, you know, I think.
00:52:01 --> 00:52:06 And, you know, those are my little words, day. What about yourself? How do you feel?
00:52:07 --> 00:52:12 Well, I'm going to say this real quick, and then I'll give my little thoughts on it as well.
00:52:14 --> 00:52:21 But the senior citizen who wrote the story, she did make these suggestions,
00:52:21 --> 00:52:25 and it's funny because Flora kind of picked up on a lot of what she said.
00:52:25 --> 00:52:30 She said, number one, make restraining order violations a top-tier emergency
00:52:30 --> 00:52:37 response. Number two, create a specialized mental health emergency response team.
00:52:38 --> 00:52:42 Number three, guarantee rapid police response for their senior citizens.
00:52:43 --> 00:52:48 And number four, rebuild the trust with the public. Those were the things that
00:52:48 --> 00:52:49 she felt needed to happen.
00:52:50 --> 00:52:56 Now, these four things could be basically every city in the United States because
00:52:56 --> 00:53:00 of all the things that are going on, But especially the mental health portion,
00:53:00 --> 00:53:02 because as Fleur stated earlier,
00:53:02 --> 00:53:10 we need to take into account that a lot of these people that are homeless or
00:53:10 --> 00:53:16 a lot of the people who are doing things like what was going on with this lady
00:53:16 --> 00:53:18 and the guy who kept coming back,
00:53:19 --> 00:53:21 they have mental health issues.
00:53:21 --> 00:53:25 Or, you know, or they have housing issues or whatever the case may be.
00:53:25 --> 00:53:31 And we just don't have the facilities and enough people to be able to help all
00:53:31 --> 00:53:33 the people that have these issues.
00:53:33 --> 00:53:37 We don't have the programs. The programs are being cut even more now.
00:53:37 --> 00:53:42 And we got to figure out what we can do to help the people that need the help.
00:53:43 --> 00:53:47 You know, not everybody is bad. You know, we don't know if this guy has really
00:53:47 --> 00:53:51 bad intentions. He's just doing what he has to do to survive.
00:53:52 --> 00:53:54 And, you know, that could be the case too.
00:53:54 --> 00:53:59 So, or this is maybe all that he knows. And a lot of people that we come across
00:53:59 --> 00:54:00 that usually is what's happening.
00:54:01 --> 00:54:06 They're just trying to survive. You know, they may not even understand everything
00:54:06 --> 00:54:11 that's going on because, you know, they could be suffering from PTSD or,
00:54:11 --> 00:54:14 you know, there's a lot of things that could be going on.
00:54:14 --> 00:54:20 So we have to get the police to listen. That's one thing.
00:54:21 --> 00:54:29 We have to work out some type of common ground in order to get everybody on the same page.
00:54:30 --> 00:54:36 And we need to find out what's the best ways to help the people that need the help.
00:54:37 --> 00:54:40 We definitely need to do that and that's my feeling on
00:54:40 --> 00:54:43 it that's where i am on it you know my little thoughts
00:54:43 --> 00:54:47 well said well said both of you yeah yeah
00:54:47 --> 00:54:53 so okay all right and i'm sure you know our listeners will have some comments
00:54:53 --> 00:54:57 on that so we can we wait to get the feedback on that particular story we like
00:54:57 --> 00:55:01 to read your feedback so always make sure you send it in to us All right,
00:55:01 --> 00:55:03 we're going to move on to our next story.
00:55:04 --> 00:55:08 Okay. This next story is another story I came across.
00:55:09 --> 00:55:17 Education Department lays off most special education staff amid shutdown.
00:55:17 --> 00:55:23 Now, you know, this shutdown thing, that's a whole other story.
00:55:23 --> 00:55:26 And so I always have to take a deep breath every time I hear that.
00:55:26 --> 00:55:33 The Department of Education has laid off nearly all staff in its Office in Special
00:55:33 --> 00:55:36 Education and Rehabilitative Services,
00:55:37 --> 00:55:43 O-S-E-R-S is the acronym, according to the Federal Employees Union.
00:55:44 --> 00:55:48 They're saying, according to USA Today.
00:55:49 --> 00:55:56 Rachel Gittleman, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 252,
00:55:56 --> 00:56:01 said reports from the staff suggest that the workforce reduction included nearly
00:56:01 --> 00:56:04 every non-leadership special education employee.
00:56:05 --> 00:56:12 Employees working on the TRIO College Access Program located in a separate office
00:56:12 --> 00:56:14 were also laid off, she said.
00:56:15 --> 00:56:22 These terminations doubled down on the harm to the K-12 students in schools across the country.
00:56:22 --> 00:56:27 The layoffs come amid a broader wave of job cuts across the federal government
00:56:27 --> 00:56:29 amid the ongoing government shutdown.
00:56:29 --> 00:56:35 In a Friday, October, the 10th court filing, the Justice Department said that
00:56:35 --> 00:56:43 Education Department had laid off 460 employees, amounting to roughly 20% of its workforce.
00:56:43 --> 00:56:50 Nearly 90% of the department is furloughed, a department staffer told the USA Today.
00:56:51 --> 00:56:54 Just about every employee responsible for.
00:56:55 --> 00:57:03 Responsible for administering the Individual with Disabilities Education Act,
00:57:03 --> 00:57:09 IDEA, the main federal law protecting students with disabilities has been terminated.
00:57:10 --> 00:57:13 I'll stop there. Wow. I know.
00:57:14 --> 00:57:20 Wow. You know, when I saw the story, I was like, this is crazy. Yeah. Crazy.
00:57:21 --> 00:57:25 So leonard i'm gonna start with you because i know you worked in there and i'm
00:57:25 --> 00:57:29 gonna do your favor here i'm gonna start with you leonard no particular reason
00:57:29 --> 00:57:30 but i'm gonna start with you,
00:57:31 --> 00:57:36 and i know you worked in k-12 programs so i what's your thoughts on this well
00:57:36 --> 00:57:45 well first of all i partly worked in newark new jersey too yeah yeah shout out
00:57:45 --> 00:57:48 to newark charter school which i don't thing is there anymore on Broad Street.
00:57:49 --> 00:57:52 But to be honest, I mean, you know, I think it's crazy.
00:57:52 --> 00:57:57 One thing Floor said before, and this is something I always thought of,
00:57:57 --> 00:58:03 is how do you bring somebody specifically who was in, you know,
00:58:03 --> 00:58:07 one of the heads of, you know, WWF, WWE.
00:58:08 --> 00:58:14 And who has no experience in higher education, elementary, secondary education,
00:58:15 --> 00:58:20 and you put them as, you know, head of the Department of Education.
00:58:20 --> 00:58:25 So, you know, I think from the very beginning, you know, I felt like that was
00:58:25 --> 00:58:29 something they wanted to do was, you know, just to dismantle the system.
00:58:29 --> 00:58:36 And to be honest, I feel like Linda McMahon is a scapegoat.
00:58:36 --> 00:58:41 You know, almost like when you hear companies hire somebody and they bring in
00:58:41 --> 00:58:46 somebody and then that person's job is to fire everybody else you know that
00:58:46 --> 00:58:52 that's kind of how i feel about her but i mean be honest i i just think it's crazy and um.
00:58:53 --> 00:58:57 You know, I mean, I'm really not sure what to say, but, you know,
00:58:57 --> 00:58:59 my my son was in special education.
00:58:59 --> 00:59:03 And, you know, I think overall, you know, I know that's a very important field
00:59:03 --> 00:59:06 to a lot of people and it benefits a lot of children.
00:59:07 --> 00:59:14 So, you know, just just the fact that they're doing this to me kind of does two things.
00:59:14 --> 00:59:18 One, I feel like there's an ulterior motive and two, you know,
00:59:18 --> 00:59:22 they just they don't care about all the things that they say they care about.
00:59:22 --> 00:59:25 Wow yeah yeah well it's funny you
00:59:25 --> 00:59:28 know you said your son was in special education my oldest son was
00:59:28 --> 00:59:32 in special education he spent he spent
00:59:32 --> 00:59:39 five or six years at a school at a learning a learning academy and you know
00:59:39 --> 00:59:44 and we had him in other schools prior to that and they wasn't taking the time
00:59:44 --> 00:59:49 to work with him and that school really saved his life i'm gonna be honest with you really did.
00:59:49 --> 00:59:54 Now he's a VP in banking, you know, very well.
00:59:54 --> 01:00:00 So, you know, so, you know, that was the base, that school and that program
01:00:00 --> 01:00:05 was the base to helping him to maintain and get the confidence he needed in
01:00:05 --> 01:00:08 order to do what he needed to do in life.
01:00:08 --> 01:00:10 So, but what's your thoughts on this floor?
01:00:11 --> 01:00:18 You know, what really gets me about these layoffs is that folks are really pretending
01:00:18 --> 01:00:22 that these are just like some type of a budget adjustment or some type of an
01:00:22 --> 01:00:23 administrative decision.
01:00:24 --> 01:00:26 And we know that they're not. They're just moral decisions.
01:00:27 --> 01:00:32 They're bad decisions. And I think when you start cutting special ed staff,
01:00:32 --> 01:00:36 you are literally cutting the people who make sure that every child,
01:00:37 --> 01:00:40 especially those who are living with disabilities, actually have a chance to
01:00:40 --> 01:00:43 learn and to thrive and to belong.
01:00:44 --> 01:00:48 DEI. Once again, here we go with DEI. And so I think it's really important that
01:00:48 --> 01:00:53 we not forget and let it not be lost on us who these students are.
01:00:54 --> 01:00:58 In many cases, they're Black, they're Brown, they're low income,
01:00:58 --> 01:01:02 they're kids who already have the system working against them.
01:01:02 --> 01:01:08 So when we have these cuts happening under the current president's regime and
01:01:08 --> 01:01:12 under his leadership, we have to understand that it's not happening,
01:01:12 --> 01:01:15 in my opinion, in a vacuum. It's part of a larger agenda.
01:01:15 --> 01:01:18 We know that there's been an agenda. there's a Project 20 spot,
01:01:18 --> 01:01:23 2025 agenda, all these things that's just been chipping away again at DEI.
01:01:23 --> 01:01:27 And so I think that people can't say that you care about education.
01:01:27 --> 01:01:29 You know, family and friends that are.
01:01:30 --> 01:01:35 Supporters of Donald Trump, of his agenda of Project 2025.
01:01:35 --> 01:01:41 You can't say that you are caring about education and then turn around and support
01:01:41 --> 01:01:46 defunding programs that give our most vulnerable and I would say probably historically
01:01:46 --> 01:01:49 disenfranchised kids and families a fighting chance.
01:01:49 --> 01:01:51 That's not about being fiscally responsive.
01:01:52 --> 01:01:57 That's hypocrisy in my view. And I think it's racist because it's always the
01:01:57 --> 01:02:00 same children, always the same damn communities.
01:02:00 --> 01:02:06 It's always them paying the highest price for decisions that are made by people
01:02:06 --> 01:02:09 who've never really even stepped foot in a classroom.
01:02:09 --> 01:02:14 So you're not just laying people off, you're making a statement with your actions
01:02:14 --> 01:02:20 that says some kids, mad or less, that accessibility to quality education is
01:02:20 --> 01:02:24 optional and that equality, I would say, is negotiable.
01:02:24 --> 01:02:29 And that's why our civil rights advocacy cannot just be a side hustle and something to do.
01:02:29 --> 01:02:33 We have to make it a priority the same way that they're making their agendas a priority.
01:02:33 --> 01:02:37 So yeah, I take this really personally because every time a special ed teacher
01:02:37 --> 01:02:41 is laid off or a program is laid off, a child somewhere is losing an advocate
01:02:41 --> 01:02:44 and advocacy and activism is at the root of who I am.
01:02:45 --> 01:02:48 And I don't think that should ever be, you know, it should not be acceptable,
01:02:48 --> 01:02:50 not under Donald Trump, not under anyone.
01:02:51 --> 01:02:54 So that's my take. I can go on and on and on because education equity is really
01:02:54 --> 01:03:01 very, very, very special to me and the advocacy around it. But it sucks.
01:03:01 --> 01:03:04 I don't want to use bad language on the show.
01:03:05 --> 01:03:11 Go ahead. We are rated R. It sucks.
01:03:14 --> 01:03:16 I've worked at the intersection of education and civil rights.
01:03:16 --> 01:03:19 It's the same damn playbook.
01:03:19 --> 01:03:24 Underfund us, undervalue us, and then blame the very victims of the system that
01:03:24 --> 01:03:27 you dismantled when their lives are crap.
01:03:27 --> 01:03:30 It's the same playbook. Wow.
01:03:31 --> 01:03:35 Alright. Okay. Alright. Okay.
01:03:37 --> 01:03:42 Dave, you want to offer your little two cents after that? No,
01:03:42 --> 01:03:44 no, no. My two cents is this.
01:03:45 --> 01:03:49 You know, I've seen what special education programs can do firsthand.
01:03:49 --> 01:03:55 Like I just told you, I had a son who went through his challenges.
01:03:56 --> 01:03:59 He was at another school, and they basically put him out of the school because
01:03:59 --> 01:04:01 they said his reading wasn't up to par.
01:04:02 --> 01:04:07 And so we homeschooled him for a couple years, and then we found this school.
01:04:08 --> 01:04:12 And this school really saved his life.
01:04:12 --> 01:04:17 I mean, it really helped him. He ended up going through that school and ended
01:04:17 --> 01:04:23 up graduating from, you know, going to one of the public high schools here and
01:04:23 --> 01:04:25 ended up graduating from the high school.
01:04:26 --> 01:04:34 And now this is a kid who, like I said, is now a VP in banking, never went to college.
01:04:35 --> 01:04:42 And, you know, he just kind of dug in, studied hard, got into it. He followed me.
01:04:42 --> 01:04:46 I used to be in banking. He always was fascinating with banking because the
01:04:46 --> 01:04:52 stories I used to tell and he wanted to go into banking and he did and has done
01:04:52 --> 01:04:54 nothing but big things ever since.
01:04:54 --> 01:05:00 So I believe in these programs and I can see what they've done firsthand.
01:05:00 --> 01:05:05 I also know other stories of other people who have gone through these type of
01:05:05 --> 01:05:10 programs and had, you know, disabilities, learning disabilities or whatever the case may be.
01:05:11 --> 01:05:13 And these programs really were there for them.
01:05:14 --> 01:05:18 So to do what they're doing is totally, totally wrong.
01:05:18 --> 01:05:24 And, of course, it's always us that they're targeting in most cases, you know.
01:05:24 --> 01:05:28 But it's not just hurting us. It's hurting everybody.
01:05:28 --> 01:05:33 And, you know, to have something like this to happen and, you know,
01:05:33 --> 01:05:38 all these teachers that lose their jobs and everything or be on furlough,
01:05:38 --> 01:05:42 90% on furlough? Come on now. We're kind of a mess.
01:05:43 --> 01:05:45 You know So You know I just hope,
01:05:46 --> 01:05:49 that we figure it out, that we get on the right track.
01:05:51 --> 01:05:56 Education is key. But then wanting to defund the Department of Education,
01:05:56 --> 01:05:59 whoever heard of such a thing? Come on now.
01:05:59 --> 01:06:04 That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. It's bad enough that they don't
01:06:04 --> 01:06:05 want to teach real history.
01:06:06 --> 01:06:11 They don't want to tell the truth about what's going on and what happened.
01:06:11 --> 01:06:16 But then you just want to get rid of a whole Department of Education.
01:06:16 --> 01:06:19 That's been around forever? Come on now.
01:06:20 --> 01:06:22 But anyway, I'm getting ready to get like you, Florida.
01:06:24 --> 01:06:28 I'm up on my soapbox right now.
01:06:28 --> 01:06:31 Let me step off so Leonard can go in and do this next story.
01:06:31 --> 01:06:33 We're going to go in and do this next story. Go ahead, Leonard.
01:06:34 --> 01:06:38 The last story, just kind of what are your thoughts on stuff?
01:06:39 --> 01:06:42 I'll ask Dave first because I know if Laura drops the mic, then David got him.
01:06:43 --> 01:06:48 Sorry. I'm so sorry. No, we want you to talk like you talk.
01:06:49 --> 01:06:53 Yeah, do what you do. I just want to make sure Dave has something to say after you got that.
01:06:54 --> 01:07:01 Well, and Floor, you'll probably learn Dave is very rarely without words.
01:07:02 --> 01:07:05 I've noticed. Yeah.
01:07:06 --> 01:07:13 And that's why he's probably always chasing. What were we talking about earlier about being on the run?
01:07:15 --> 01:07:20 He'll be running from me all the time. So, you know, of course,
01:07:20 --> 01:07:23 I'm sure everybody or most people
01:07:23 --> 01:07:27 know that the National Guard did hit the streets of Memphis last week.
01:07:28 --> 01:07:31 And, you know, I thought it was funny because prior to the episode,
01:07:31 --> 01:07:35 I was like, well, you know, let me do a little bit of research and just kind of see what's going on.
01:07:35 --> 01:07:40 So, of course, they started patrolling the streets on Friday. Yeah.
01:07:40 --> 01:07:46 And one of the first articles I saw stated that there are a group of retired
01:07:46 --> 01:07:53 National Guard people in Memphis who have set up an encampment and they are
01:07:53 --> 01:07:56 protesting the National Guard being there.
01:07:57 --> 01:08:01 That was one article I saw. They said at the time, at day one,
01:08:01 --> 01:08:04 it was about 20 and it's been growing every day.
01:08:04 --> 01:08:09 And then they also mentioned that people, ICE agents,
01:08:09 --> 01:08:16 have been seen doing mass pullovers and looking for reasons to detain people
01:08:16 --> 01:08:19 that they feel are, you know, illegally here.
01:08:20 --> 01:08:25 Part of the article I see says up to 1 guard troops possible in Memphis.
01:08:26 --> 01:08:30 The city does not have a timeline for how long they're going to be there.
01:08:30 --> 01:08:36 It said the National Guard may also perform homelessness services in Memphis,
01:08:37 --> 01:08:40 kind of what we talked about a little bit before, where they are going to be
01:08:40 --> 01:08:44 rounding up people who are on the streets and homeless and, you know,
01:08:45 --> 01:08:47 transferring them somewhere else.
01:08:48 --> 01:08:54 And, you know, one of the big opponents to the National Guard being there saying
01:08:54 --> 01:08:57 that, you know, these people aren't trained in law enforcement.
01:08:58 --> 01:09:02 And, you know, they're in a city where, you know, you can't,
01:09:02 --> 01:09:06 like we, Dave, I'm sure you've seen, oh man, what was the movie with Terrence Howard?
01:09:07 --> 01:09:10 Which one? I remember when he was in Memphis, and he was like,
01:09:10 --> 01:09:15 it's hard out here for a pimp. Oh, oh. Gotta keep your money on your rent. Yeah. What you call him?
01:09:16 --> 01:09:20 Oh, man. Plus on Flo. Thank you, Dave. Absolutely. And Flo, you know,
01:09:21 --> 01:09:25 Dave doesn't watch a lot of movies, so he don't always know this stuff.
01:09:25 --> 01:09:28 But somebody got to make sure you keep his black coat.
01:09:28 --> 01:09:33 You know, he likes watching movies like Imitation of Life and, you know.
01:09:34 --> 01:09:40 Flo, have you ever? Oh, here we go. Here we go. Have you ever heard of the movie Imitation of Life? No.
01:09:40 --> 01:09:44 Okay, thank you. Oh, okay. All right, so Dave. Okay, here we go.
01:09:44 --> 01:09:50 Yep, so long story short, you know, there are all these officials there.
01:09:51 --> 01:09:55 And, you know, sometimes it makes me think, I know a couple years ago in Florida,
01:09:55 --> 01:10:00 I'm sure you were in the area when they talked about Wilmington being like murder capital. Yep, yep.
01:10:01 --> 01:10:03 Murder city, whatever they used to call it.
01:10:04 --> 01:10:08 But do you feel, and I mean, I'm sure they would never come to Wilmington,
01:10:09 --> 01:10:14 but what type of rights violations do you think they would have if they did?
01:10:14 --> 01:10:18 And I just think about like when I saw the videos of them going to D.C.,
01:10:18 --> 01:10:22 you know, even though these were people supposed to, you know,
01:10:23 --> 01:10:27 kind of focus on immigration, they were rounding up a lot of black people.
01:10:27 --> 01:10:31 They were harassing a lot of black people. They were going to a lot of black neighborhoods.
01:10:31 --> 01:10:36 I personally, when I saw videos, I felt like they were trying to keep Black
01:10:36 --> 01:10:41 people out of public spaces, kind of like, you know, the nice places in D.C.
01:10:42 --> 01:10:47 Yeah. Do you think anything like that could ever happen in Wilmington?
01:10:48 --> 01:10:50 And, you know, how...
01:10:51 --> 01:10:57 If we were in a city where that was happening, like, I'm not sure what to say,
01:10:57 --> 01:10:59 but like, how would we combat that?
01:10:59 --> 01:11:04 Or, you know, what do you think our strategies would be, if any?
01:11:04 --> 01:11:07 Oh, my gosh. I don't know if we if we would have a strategy.
01:11:07 --> 01:11:12 I think it's quite possible with the just level of pettiness of the current
01:11:12 --> 01:11:17 president and our immediate past president being from Wilmington and living in Wilmington.
01:11:18 --> 01:11:22 I don't think that it's a far-fetched idea of something that he might conceptualize
01:11:22 --> 01:11:27 at some point So let's take it to former President Biden's nick of the woods,
01:11:27 --> 01:11:31 It's something that we should really keep on the forefront that it is certainly
01:11:31 --> 01:11:35 possible We do have problems in Wilmington We have problems everywhere We have
01:11:35 --> 01:11:36 problems in Dover It's all over, right?
01:11:37 --> 01:11:40 All over the country I think that criminalizing homelessness,
01:11:41 --> 01:11:46 as we already see, will certainly be a thing I think black and brown people, as you mentioned.
01:11:47 --> 01:11:49 You know, racial profiling will definitely be a thing, especially,
01:11:50 --> 01:11:52 again, at the largest, blackest city.
01:11:52 --> 01:11:54 And it looks like that's what he's targeting.
01:11:54 --> 01:11:59 He is the president of the United States. And so I don't think that it's something
01:11:59 --> 01:12:00 that we should take lightly.
01:12:00 --> 01:12:06 I definitely think that there's a possibility. And I don't know what our strategies
01:12:06 --> 01:12:13 would be, because I don't necessarily see we see our mayors and our governors
01:12:13 --> 01:12:15 in a lot of these places where it's happening,
01:12:15 --> 01:12:19 states and local municipalities that are against it.
01:12:19 --> 01:12:23 But then what exactly can you do? You know, you sue and then you have to wait
01:12:23 --> 01:12:26 for the courts to determine whether he can or he can't.
01:12:26 --> 01:12:32 And in the meantime, they keep going. So it's just like, we just have to put
01:12:32 --> 01:12:34 up with it and we have to be our brother and sister's keeper.
01:12:34 --> 01:12:36 It's really, really treacherous times out here.
01:12:37 --> 01:12:41 It's tretch, for real. Well, you know, and it's funny, just when you start about
01:12:41 --> 01:12:45 our brother and sister keeper, one thing that I did like, and I think it was in Chicago,
01:12:46 --> 01:12:55 Yeah, I think it was Chicago. I saw a video and they had people who were following ICE agents vehicles.
01:12:56 --> 01:12:59 Beeping their horns and basically letting, you know, it's almost like,
01:12:59 --> 01:13:01 you know, letting people know the British are coming.
01:13:02 --> 01:13:06 Yes. They followed them all around the city, beeping their horn,
01:13:06 --> 01:13:08 just as kind of like an awareness.
01:13:08 --> 01:13:11 And, you know, I thought that was kind of cool. To be honest,
01:13:11 --> 01:13:13 I would have never thought about that.
01:13:14 --> 01:13:17 But, you know, it's kind of like when you talk about being our brother and sister keeper.
01:13:17 --> 01:13:21 And I mean, I hate to kind of think about and I mean, I've never watched the show.
01:13:21 --> 01:13:25 So maybe I lose my black card and they probably have watched it faithfully.
01:13:25 --> 01:13:31 But the wire, you know, like, yeah, but, you know, I always think about,
01:13:31 --> 01:13:34 you know, kind of like the people who stand on the corner and like watch out
01:13:34 --> 01:13:38 for the cops you know it's like almost there was another show like the like
01:13:38 --> 01:13:44 the wire called the corner too yeah i saw that too yeah the corner was good the corner was good yeah,
01:13:45 --> 01:13:49 unfortunately i haven't seen either but well one day one day i'll make it,
01:13:50 --> 01:13:55 he doesn't have a black card i'm just yeah i don't know but floor,
01:13:56 --> 01:14:01 yeah right right right down imitation of life no floor don't don't write it down Please look at it.
01:14:02 --> 01:14:07 Imitation of Life is a very important movie. It's a very important movie. Okay.
01:14:09 --> 01:14:14 Imitation of Life. Laura, tell them you're too busy to read subtitles on a black
01:14:14 --> 01:14:16 and white film. It's not subtitles. From 1959.
01:14:17 --> 01:14:21 1959. Imitation of Life. Okay.
01:14:21 --> 01:14:26 Imitation of Life. And we're going to have a conversation about it after one. Yeah. Love that.
01:14:27 --> 01:14:30 He refuses to look at it, but it's one of the greatest. 1959,
01:14:31 --> 01:14:34 and I'm not joking. Oh, my God. It is literally 1959.
01:14:34 --> 01:14:38 Anyway, we're going to move on. We're going to move on to our final section.
01:14:38 --> 01:14:39 I can't with you right now.
01:14:40 --> 01:14:43 So this is Leonard's favorite part of the show, by the way, Flora.
01:14:43 --> 01:14:46 It's called Dave's Corner. I don't know why he likes it so much,
01:14:46 --> 01:14:47 but it's called Dave's Corner.
01:14:47 --> 01:14:52 And normally we ask philosophical, I usually will ask like a philosophical question
01:14:52 --> 01:14:58 and, you know, get him or a scenario type thing, get him the answer or our guest
01:14:58 --> 01:15:00 to answer. But I'm going to do something a little different today.
01:15:00 --> 01:15:05 And, you know, I'm just going to ask a few questions and see if you guys can
01:15:05 --> 01:15:08 give me the answers to these questions. Okay.
01:15:09 --> 01:15:11 Speaking of black cards, here we go.
01:15:13 --> 01:15:20 All right. Which was the first historically black college HBCU in America?
01:15:21 --> 01:15:24 One of the Lincolns. Okay. You
01:15:24 --> 01:15:29 said Lincoln, right? Is that what you're saying? Yeah, I did. Okay. Flo?
01:15:30 --> 01:15:36 I'm going to go with my buddy Leonard because I had joined up. Ah, okay. All right.
01:15:37 --> 01:15:43 Cheney State. Cheney State. Wow. Hold on, Dave. There's controversy.
01:15:44 --> 01:15:49 Okay. Where is the controversy? So Lincoln University and Cheney University
01:15:49 --> 01:15:53 have gone back and forth over who's the oldest. I know. I know.
01:15:53 --> 01:15:54 I've heard that in the past.
01:15:54 --> 01:16:01 Because they were different type of colleges before HBCUs were set up.
01:16:01 --> 01:16:04 But this survey said Cheney. Okay.
01:16:05 --> 01:16:10 That sounds like a tie. Well, you know, it's funny because there are people
01:16:10 --> 01:16:16 from both schools that do argue this point, but they're saying Cheney in this survey.
01:16:16 --> 01:16:24 So we'll go with that. But Lincoln is not a bad answer because Lincoln is that old. It really is.
01:16:24 --> 01:16:26 So here we go with the next one.
01:16:27 --> 01:16:35 Okay. Who invented the three-position traffic signal in 1923 and includes the yellow light?
01:16:37 --> 01:16:40 Traffic signal. I mean, I don't know his name, but I know it's a black guy.
01:16:42 --> 01:16:43 It's on the tip of my tongue.
01:16:45 --> 01:16:49 Wait, what's his name? Was it Garrett Morgan? There you go. There you go.
01:16:49 --> 01:16:51 I knew it. I'm like, wait a minute. What was the guy's name for Morgan?
01:16:51 --> 01:16:54 And I was just about to say that too. Thanks for teamwork.
01:16:55 --> 01:16:56 Teamwork makes the dream work.
01:16:58 --> 01:17:02 Morgan. Yeah, that's it. Garrett Morgan. Yep, that's true. Yeah.
01:17:03 --> 01:17:05 And it's funny. The only reason I left that one in, I knew it was going to be
01:17:05 --> 01:17:12 a little hard, but, you know, this guy never really got a lot of credit for what he did. Yeah.
01:17:12 --> 01:17:17 And, you know, so when you see his name, you know, anytime, anytime I see his
01:17:17 --> 01:17:20 name and I go past the traffic light, I'll say, yeah, that was one of us.
01:17:20 --> 01:17:22 Yeah, there you go. Yeah. Okay.
01:17:23 --> 01:17:26 All right. Here's a here's a softball for you.
01:17:26 --> 01:17:31 Who is the most famous African-American sprinter ever?
01:17:32 --> 01:17:34 Uh, is it a woman?
01:17:35 --> 01:17:38 It's a male i'll give you that it's a
01:17:38 --> 01:17:42 male i don't know jesse owens okay
01:17:42 --> 01:17:44 okay there it is jesse owens i was gonna
01:17:44 --> 01:17:49 say leonard didn't know the answer to
01:17:49 --> 01:17:52 this question is must track and feel we talk all the time but
01:17:52 --> 01:17:55 they he might not be the most famous now you
01:17:55 --> 01:17:59 know well who's more famous than him male was
01:17:59 --> 01:18:02 no what no loss maybe you
01:18:02 --> 01:18:05 said why you said do you say no i said american i
01:18:05 --> 01:18:08 said american okay okay i was thinking walmart
01:18:08 --> 01:18:12 rudolph but that was definitely i would say well
01:18:12 --> 01:18:14 walmart rudolph would be for the females he probably
01:18:14 --> 01:18:17 would be the most famous most famous female she probably
01:18:17 --> 01:18:20 but she came so much later yeah yeah yeah
01:18:20 --> 01:18:23 well she was earlier well later
01:18:23 --> 01:18:26 than jesse right right later than jesse yes yes.
01:18:26 --> 01:18:30 Okay all right where did
01:18:30 --> 01:18:32 mlk give his i have
01:18:32 --> 01:18:35 a dream speech that was dc
01:18:35 --> 01:18:38 wasn't it yeah but what what in front of what
01:18:38 --> 01:18:41 famous uh yeah the national mall
01:18:41 --> 01:18:44 the lincoln lincoln memorial national oh
01:18:44 --> 01:18:48 that's what i'm looking for right there the lincoln memorial okay yes
01:18:48 --> 01:18:51 okay all right i got two more
01:18:51 --> 01:18:55 for you okay okay malcolm x
01:18:55 --> 01:18:58 is one of our nation's biggest civil rights leader
01:18:58 --> 01:19:03 and islam devotee he adopted
01:19:03 --> 01:19:09 adopted the letter x to replace the slave name that was forced upon his family
01:19:09 --> 01:19:16 what was his original last name he oh god what was his name it was leonard don't
01:19:16 --> 01:19:20 be don't be over there cheating leonard because i'm not i feel like it's on
01:19:20 --> 01:19:21 the tip of my tongue, too.
01:19:21 --> 01:19:23 It is. I know it, too. It's... God.
01:19:25 --> 01:19:28 Malcolm Little. Malcolm Little. There you go. There you go. Think about the
01:19:28 --> 01:19:29 movie. The movie. The movie.
01:19:30 --> 01:19:34 I could see your face. I was like... Yeah, it was on the tip.
01:19:34 --> 01:19:38 Malcolm Little. I had to think about Denzel in the movie. That's what I mean. There you go.
01:19:38 --> 01:19:42 Yep. There you go. Alright. Malcolm Little. That was his last name.
01:19:43 --> 01:19:45 Little. Okay. And this is the last one.
01:19:47 --> 01:19:53 In 1960, four African-American and college students staged a sit-in that helped
01:19:53 --> 01:19:56 integrate this store's lunch counter.
01:19:56 --> 01:19:59 What was the name of the store? Good God.
01:20:00 --> 01:20:02 Was it? It was a very famous sit-in.
01:20:03 --> 01:20:06 Yeah. We had one right in New Jersey.
01:20:08 --> 01:20:13 There's a hint. They're no longer around. Yeah, I know. What did it start with?
01:20:14 --> 01:20:20 Wait, I think I think What did you say?
01:20:21 --> 01:20:24 Woolworths! Woolworths! Woolworths! Yeah, that's it. That's it right there. There you go.
01:20:26 --> 01:20:30 Woolworths. I knew you had it right there. Did you say Woolworths?
01:20:31 --> 01:20:33 Yeah, I did. No, you didn't. Okay, all right.
01:20:35 --> 01:20:41 Woolworths! He said Woolworths. okay huh i said play play back the tape no i
01:20:41 --> 01:20:45 wanted to say bloomingdale's i'm like no walmart you say walmart that's what you said.
01:20:51 --> 01:20:55 So but uh you guys did good you guys did good i figured you would i was gonna
01:20:55 --> 01:20:59 say now we can't we can't have y'all like you know that's the you know we can't
01:20:59 --> 01:21:03 we can't have the leader you know not know these answers to these questions
01:21:03 --> 01:21:08 so you know so all right so all right well hold on dave We got the second part.
01:21:08 --> 01:21:13 We got Leonard's Lounge. He always tries to get him. I love the floor.
01:21:13 --> 01:21:19 Do you have time for five quick questions with David? Yeah.
01:21:20 --> 01:21:23 He always tries to get the answer I get him. So go ahead.
01:21:23 --> 01:21:30 So these are all going to be Jeopardy $200 level questions. Okay. Okay.
01:21:31 --> 01:21:38 All right. All right. First question. The first black American Supreme Court
01:21:38 --> 01:21:44 justice, Thurgood Marshall, attended what HBCU? Wow.
01:21:44 --> 01:21:47 Tuxkegee? Dave, I knew you weren't black.
01:21:48 --> 01:21:53 Which one? Okay, go ahead. Well, no, I'm going to see if Florida was going to end. Okay.
01:21:54 --> 01:22:00 Oh, Howard University. Yeah, Howard. Law school.
01:22:00 --> 01:22:02 Yeah. Yeah, Howard. All right.
01:22:03 --> 01:22:05 Y'all next $200 question.
01:22:06 --> 01:22:15 This North Carolina HBCU claims to have the greatest homecoming on earth.
01:22:16 --> 01:22:20 Y'all know what HBCU this is in North Carolina.
01:22:21 --> 01:22:26 Is it AT&T? Yep. North Carolina A&T. A&T. A&T, sorry.
01:22:27 --> 01:22:30 I'm thinking about my phone. A&T. I know.
01:22:30 --> 01:22:34 Sorry, A&T. Yes. All right, last question.
01:22:35 --> 01:22:38 And this right here is a, in fact, you know, this is too easy.
01:22:38 --> 01:22:42 I'm going to raise this to the $400 question. Oh, it's easy. Okay.
01:22:43 --> 01:22:49 There are only two historically all women HBCUs.
01:22:50 --> 01:22:56 One is Spelman. Of course. And the other is this North Carolina College.
01:22:58 --> 01:23:06 I have no idea. Wow. Does it start with a P? It does. Nah. Okay.
01:23:06 --> 01:23:08 Why I got Pace in my head?
01:23:10 --> 01:23:14 You're on your own with this one, Brother David, because I have no clue. Is it Pace University?
01:23:16 --> 01:23:19 You asked me if it started with a P, and I told you no. See?
01:23:19 --> 01:23:23 Oh, I thought you said yes. Oh, okay. No. Oh, okay.
01:23:23 --> 01:23:25 Wow. It starts with a B.
01:23:26 --> 01:23:29 Wow. A B. Buford?
01:23:30 --> 01:23:35 Bennett College. Ah. I've never even heard of that. Yes, small.
01:23:36 --> 01:23:39 And it's actually, I believe it's right now.
01:23:40 --> 01:23:43 It's very close to another HBCU, maybe North Carolina A&T. Like,
01:23:43 --> 01:23:45 they may be really close. I forget.
01:23:45 --> 01:23:48 But I never knew that was an all-female school. Yeah.
01:23:49 --> 01:23:52 I've heard of Bennett. Yeah, wow. I never knew that. Okay, of course,
01:23:52 --> 01:23:54 everybody thinks about Spelman. Yeah.
01:23:54 --> 01:23:59 So, yeah. Okay, well, that I didn't know. So that was pretty good.
01:23:59 --> 01:24:01 I didn't know. I said it every day.
01:24:01 --> 01:24:05 Okay. All right. Well, great, great, great. That was awesome.
01:24:05 --> 01:24:07 That was awesome. There you go. There you go.
01:24:07 --> 01:24:15 All right. Well, let me, Flora, can you do us a favor and give your information
01:24:15 --> 01:24:18 one more time in case people want to get a hold of you?
01:24:19 --> 01:24:26 Sure. Do that before we sign off? Sure. So all of my socials on X slash Twitter,
01:24:26 --> 01:24:30 whatever you want to call it, Insta, Facebook is Floor, F-L-E-U-R,
01:24:30 --> 01:24:31 has purpose, all one word.
01:24:32 --> 01:24:36 And my email address, the easiest to get in contact with me would be Floor at
01:24:36 --> 01:24:40 SocialImpactStrat.com.
01:24:41 --> 01:24:46 Tell us the origin behind your name, by the way. So, you know,
01:24:46 --> 01:24:52 it's very interesting because my mom was born and raised in a rural town in
01:24:52 --> 01:24:54 North Carolina called Roanoke Rapids.
01:24:55 --> 01:24:58 It's in Halifax County, just outside of Emporia, over the VA line.
01:24:59 --> 01:25:03 And when she moved to New Jersey to go to school, she really got into these
01:25:03 --> 01:25:07 like Harlequin romance novels. And so my two sisters and I have these really,
01:25:07 --> 01:25:13 I would say, exotic kind of names for a woman whose name is Elsie.
01:25:14 --> 01:25:17 You know, like she just fell in love with these novels. So my name is French
01:25:17 --> 01:25:19 for flower. It's really pronounced Fleur.
01:25:20 --> 01:25:24 And then my oldest sister's name is Azure, A-Z-U-R-E, which is glue in French.
01:25:24 --> 01:25:28 And then my youngest sister's name is Pia. I'm the middle. And that's pretty in Italian.
01:25:29 --> 01:25:34 So, yeah, she just gave us these crazy, like, cute names. and people always
01:25:34 --> 01:25:37 ask and I'm like, yeah, no. They don't even have...
01:25:39 --> 01:25:44 I thought it was German all this time. No, it's French.
01:25:45 --> 01:25:51 Okay, Fleur. Now, Fleur, when you introduce yourself, how do you say your first name? Fleur.
01:25:52 --> 01:25:55 But I answer to Fleur because it's hard.
01:25:55 --> 01:25:58 It's, you know, EU. The EU is, yeah, so it's fine.
01:25:58 --> 01:26:02 Well, I was saying Fleur and then I always looked at it as Fleur.
01:26:02 --> 01:26:06 Now I can see the French Because I talk French in school So I can see the French
01:26:06 --> 01:26:13 Okay, good, good Well, there you have it Ladies and gentlemen We had,
01:26:14 --> 01:26:18 We were lucky to be graced by the presence of Ms. Flora Kendall,
01:26:18 --> 01:26:22 president of the Delaware NAACP.
01:26:22 --> 01:26:24 You guys heard what she had to say.
01:26:24 --> 01:26:28 You see she's not playing. She is definitely looking for this job.
01:26:28 --> 01:26:30 So we definitely need to support her.
01:26:31 --> 01:26:35 Reach out to her when you can.
01:26:36 --> 01:26:40 Get involved. We all need to be involved. There's a lot of things that we need
01:26:40 --> 01:26:45 to be involved in these days. And we just definitely need to do our parts in
01:26:45 --> 01:26:48 making sure that Delaware is doing its part.
01:26:49 --> 01:26:53 So we want to thank you for coming on our show and spending time with us today.
01:26:54 --> 01:26:57 We really enjoyed your time that you spent with us.
01:26:57 --> 01:27:03 And we're hoping that people heard you loud and clear with what you had to say on the show today.
01:27:04 --> 01:27:07 Absolutely. Thank you, dear brothers. I appreciate the opportunity and look
01:27:07 --> 01:27:11 forward to coming back soon. OK, don't worry. We'll bring you back. OK. Yeah.
01:27:11 --> 01:27:14 All right. All right, everyone. We want to say thank you.
01:27:15 --> 01:27:18 Have a wonderful night. Leonard, you want to add anything?
01:27:19 --> 01:27:23 No, you know, just check us out next week and we appreciate everybody for listening.
01:27:23 --> 01:27:25 OK, thank you. Have a good night.
01:27:29 --> 01:27:33 Tune in next week, ladies and gentlemen, for another edition of News and Trends
01:27:33 --> 01:27:35 with your host, Dave and Lynn.
01:27:42 --> 01:27:45 I'm out. I'm out. I'm out. I'm out.