0:02 Welcome to Advance the Dream, our weekly community chat, where we celebrate legacy makers and family heroes who are actively advancing the dream in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We talk about health, challenges, highlights and heroes in an intergenerational fashion in hopes that his legacy of hope and equality continue to live on. This weekly series, powered by the Force for Health Network, is aired live on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn at eight a.m. Pacific Time, eleven a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
0:32 Then shared afterwards at advancedthedream.com. Now, let's meet our hosts, Force for Health Network co-founders, Dr. Robert Giglio and Lucy Howell, alongside our national director, Joshua Williams Jr., as we dive into this week's topic. Alrighty, how's it going? Dr. Rob Gillio and Joshua Williams. Welcome to another edition of Advance the Dream. My name is Lucy Howell. I'm based out of Tucson, Arizona, and I've got my partner here based out of State College, Pennsylvania, and Josh coming in from the northern panhandle of Florida, I believe.
1:13 This is a new series for us. We are in on episode four of season one. And like the intro said, we are trying to get together on a weekly, regular basis to invite the community to participate. We are live on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. So if you have comments and would like to share some thoughts, please tune in and do so. We are really here to talk about health, challenges, inequities, action, Highlights, heroes. And I'm excited to kind of bring groups like this together. A non-medical mom who's just passionate about making sure everybody has equal access.
2:01 We've got our chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Gillio, here acting in that capacity. And then, of course, we are partnered up with Joshua Williams for this event. community this brand this project this initiative called advance the dream um so i am excited about a couple things and um we'll get talking about um This movie, Rustin, that is phenomenal. I want to go ahead and show a quick clip. And I want to go ahead and I'm going to show two quick clips. But before we do, Rob, I'm handing it over to you.
2:38 Opening thoughts. We're excited. We've got some great guests today with Adrian Wallace and Derek Thompson. They'll be coming in on our second and third segment. Opening thoughts as we sit here on February. February. Opening thoughts. I want to reflect that it's an interesting screen right here to look at something you mentioned earlier, Lucy. So this is your I'm reacting to your reaction after our last show. But we've got a northern old white guy. We've got someone from the south and we have someone from the southwest.
3:14 We've got white, brown, darker skin, lighter skin, north, south, east, west. We all care about King's dream. And that speech he gave, what blows me away, the thing I learned in my research for today's call, he got a C in public speaking at Morehouse College. Public speaking. So some teacher gave him a grade, whether he gave a bad job in that class or he learned a lot from that grade. My takeaway is when someone criticizes my work, I can improve upon it and I can change the world with that input.
3:53 The man got to see, and yet we're still, I can echo his speech as one of the few in my life I can remember. That's my opening thought. And I love that because it lends itself towards, I'm leaning in towards any and all initiatives this year, is this whole concept of like perfectly imperfect. You know, we don't have to feel like we know everything or we're the best at anything. you know, to lean in towards action. And it doesn't matter what other people think about you or how they judge you. If you truly are authentic in what you feel and what you're trying to do, then just do it.
4:33 I know that that's my mantra this year is finally coming out of the gate and really trying to put intention into action. There was a great quote from the movie last night that we're going to talk about. And it said, intentionality without action is of no value. Isn't that interesting? Love that. Josh, what's your opening thoughts this morning? Well, number one, just glad to be here. Just glad to be anywhere on this morning in February. It has been a challenge the last few months as it relates to dealing with COVID.
5:15 Health challenges with relatives and so forth. So we're just still pushing along, trying to get as many people interested and knowledgeable about their health as possible. I think you've been such an incredible, you know, this doesn't just pop out of nowhere, this huge concept. And of course it's so much bigger when we came up with this concept of advance the dream. I mean, just thinking about how, um, of course it's part of the speech and it's so huge, but it was available like the URL and kind of like this whole deal.
5:47 So we're grabbing it. We're As it relates to reality health games, you know, reality health games is really at the core of what we're trying to do, which is, you know, create a dialogue platform to really allow individuals, families come to the table with real issues that they're dealing with. And you have, Josh. I mean, when you look at our generation, just the three of us in our fifties and sixties, we've got parents that are in their eighties and nineties. We've got kids, maybe late teens, early adults.
6:29 Some of you may even have grandkids, right? And so when we think about Dr. Martin Luther King, or at least when I do, and I've got so much to learn. I mean, just watching this one movie last night, I was like, I can't believe that I didn't know this. And here we are hosting a show and platform called Advance the Dream. You know what, though? Why are we hosting this show in part? I'm going to react to Josh's comment. Just glad to be anywhere today. I'm looking back now on a. Fifteen year anniversary of nearly dying of a widow maker's lesion in my heart.
7:09 That if I lived in Mississippi Delta, I would have been dead. You guys wouldn't even know me. I never would have met Lucy. Joshua said I met that guy a long time ago in New Orleans. This friendship never would have developed. I'm alive today because I had the knowledge of what to do and the access to high quality care quickly and the ability to afford it and seek that care without worrying about bankrupting my family. That access to care issue is a civil rights issue. It's a human equality and equity issue.
7:41 I wouldn't be here. I would have been dead and everything I've accomplished in the last fifteen years just been over. I mean, some markers somewhere in some field and some mediocre cemetery in some mediocre town in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania. All right. We're here because I had access to the high quality health care and equity. And King, one of the biggest things he said in his life, he echoed it, was the access to health care. The inaccess, inequality in health care is one of the worst inequalities.
8:11 I'm not paraphrasing it correctly, quoting it correctly, but I'm paraphrasing it. And it couldn't be more true because if we don't advance the health of ourselves and our fellow citizens. Josh, when we started talking to that alpha conference way back when we first met and we looked at the statistics of the life expectancy of the African-American male alpha, we're talking college graduates, guys with doctorate degrees, lawyer degrees, engineers, every walk of life, successful community leaders.
8:48 Dying in droves, ten, fifteen years before people who look just like me on their campus die. Today, because of certain inequity issues and health literacy issues, not knowing the best way to make the best decisions. So I get excited when we get together and have leaders on this call that are the experienced ones, as well as the ones that are about, are growing their experience with that mentorship. I think one of the major reasons that we're also doing this show is what we've been hearing from some of those leaders.
9:23 And Josh, you've been incredible in making all these introductions over the years. And we're hearing the same thing. It'll be interesting to see what Derek and Adrian have to say from two different generations here, executive reflections and collegiate reflections. But this whole concept of leadership being anxious or scared or not certain or not confident that the knowledge base from our generation that's still walking around, seventy, eighty, ninety year old, you know, African-Americans might not be translating or transferring to our younger youth.
9:58 And that's a perfect, perfect segue for this movie that I watched last night. And Bayard Rustin is a name that I had never heard of before. So as I watched this movie unfold, it was like mind blowing. I want to go ahead and let's watch this trailer and let's set the stage for what we're going to be talking about a little bit later. This is an Academy Award winning nomination. And so I'm going to be rooting for this show. So an epic demonstration in our nation's capital, organized in eight weeks.
10:43 Do this, Dr. King. Own your power. There's one person who can organize an event of this scale. What the hell would buy Rosten? His attention-grabbing antics make him an easy target. He must not mention the unmentionable. Our new offices! A demonstration made up of angelic troublemakers such as yourselves. Make sure you are there! On August twenty-eight, black, white, young, old, rich, working-class, poor will descend on Washington, D.C. This new generation is restless and angry. The pacifist is opposed to using violence, but must be prepared to receive it.
11:29 You're irrelevant. It's Friday night. I've been called worse. Your mere presence could derail the fight for racial justice in this country a good ten, fifteen years. On the day that I was born black, I was also born homosexual. We're calling for a peaceful march on Washington. We are committed to the cause of altering the trajectory of this country towards freedom. They either believe in freedom and justice for all or they do not. Wow. Let me go ahead and remove that. And I'm gonna play one more clip from that movie.
12:31 It's about a minute long, and then we're gonna pull Adrian Wallace in and have a little conversation, okay? Now this clip, let me just set it up a little bit. This was right before the march, and there was a question asked whether or not they should really be fundraising with these envelopes, because they thought that these pledge cards were for financial, and they weren't. Just watch this. To be begging the day of. I do solemnly swear to commit myself to the civil rights struggle. And do pledge my heart, mind, and body, unequivocally and without regard to personal sacrifice, to the achievement of social peace through social justice.
13:18 I pledge to carry the message of the march to my friends and neighbors back home. and to arouse them to an equal commitment and an equal effort. I will march and I will write letters. I will demonstrate and I will vote. I will work to make sure that my voice and those of my brothers ring clear and determined from every corner of this land. So, I mean, it was not a financial pledge. It was simply a pledge for action and to share. And really those two things even more so are just foundational concepts of what it is that we're trying to do.
14:04 A reminder that that March was organized and they were expecting a hundred thousand people and over two hundred and fifty thousand people came. The organizational efforts that happened within three months of conception to execution is incredible. And now Sonia Morgan is saying that hopefully people can hear on Facebook. I'm getting a comment on Facebook that they can't hear anything. We're going to kind of keep going and maybe show this on a recording and not interrupt for tech stuff. Sonia, good to see you on here.
14:50 We're going to keep moving. Maybe check your sound. OK, so Derek and Adrian came in to the backstage, but I'm not seeing Adrian yet. Adrian, if you are there backstage, why don't you go ahead and check your camera? Oh, perfect. OK, Josh, Adrian is on deck. Can you go ahead and please introduce this incredible person? individual. Yes, no problem, no problem. This is probably one of my proudest moments on the show is actually getting the opportunity to introduce someone who has played an emotional, a professional, and a foundational part in my development as a young man.
15:31 Adrian Wallace, I met a few years ago when he was first the Louisiana District Director of Louisiana. of Alpha Phi Alpha and actually he had matriculated all the way up to the highest level, which is our national general president, who he served as the thirtieth general president, reached around and tapped me to be his special assistant. And I have been with him on this trail since then. He is a professional at all walks. He was the, I guess you would say the beginning instrument, but not the first, but to kind of get the Memorial Foundation off the ground, he actually walked the walk to actually get that process really, really going.
16:19 We started it before him, but he came in and took the reins and what he did with it, we can see the results. So without further ado, I'd like to introduce to some and present to others our own brother, Adrian L. Wallace. Wow. Wow. Thank you for that. After that introduction, I can hardly wait to hear what I've got to say. Adrienne, it's so wonderful to see you again. If you recall, the last time that we spoke was when we were doing a Advance the Dream session with our Angel Capital Association. And we were talking really at the high level of the barriers of wealth generation and startup capital, right?
17:04 Within the African-American space. So it's wonderful to see you again and kick it off, Josh. Part of why, and I don't know if you were listening to the first part of the show, I didn't see your camera. So were you able to watch part of what we were just doing with the Rustin preview? I did see that as I came on, yes. Okay, have you seen the movie yet? I have not. It's on my list. I do have Netflix. It's on my list. Yeah. I challenge everybody, everybody this month, Black History Month, let's go watch Rustin so we can be that much more, you know, educated about Rustin.
17:43 All the parts of history that we really don't know much about. At least me. I don't speak for you guys. You guys are frontline. Adrian, it's hard to get someone a little bit more frontline unless you're right there, right, John Lewis and those guys. But I don't want to talk. This is your time. What do you feel? I'm just going to throw out some questions for you. In twenty twenty four, how do you feel the state of the union is when it comes to advancing the dream and carrying on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.
18:16 What's your executive reflection as we sit here in February of two thousand twenty four? Do you think we're sliding backwards? You think we're doing well and where do you think some of the gaps are? What are you concerned about? Well, that's a lot of ground to cover. Let me just share with you. my own personal commentary. Let me say this. I'm not at home. I'm on the highway. Actually, I'm at my son's house in Cincinnati. It's twenty four degrees and snow outside from South Louisiana. This is a different experience.
18:47 But at any rate, as I look at where our country is, I am very disturbed and very concerned. And that's regardless of what party we're in. But We have lost civility in this country. It is difficult to just have a conversation without it getting so combative. And there was a time when we could look at people in Congress and say that there's some statesmen in there. I don't know the last time we can honestly say that there's any statesmen in Congress right now. And that's just my personal commentary.
19:35 But we are at a very difficult point, and I think in our nation's history more so than some people may think. I want to choose my words carefully here, but let me say that if we're not careful as a country, we can easily find ourselves with a different kind of, not just government, but different kind of situation that we thought would be impossible here. And let me be maybe a little bit more specific here in that Frederick Douglass said that the struggle continues. And unfortunately, we find ourselves fighting some of the same battles now in twenty twenty four that we thought had already been won.
20:33 We thought subtle law was subtle law, but evidently subtle law is not subtle law. It depends on who's interpreting the law now. So we find ourselves fighting some of the very same battles when it comes to equality, whether it's race, gender, or what have you. We find ourselves fighting some of the same battles for voter rights. where there is voter suppression, that's real, whether we care to admit it or not. And it's being done in a number of not so subtle ways. I'll give you one example and I'll try to redact this because I don't want to put anyone into a difficult situation.
21:14 In Louisiana, based on the last census, based on the last census, Louisiana was supposed to have gotten a third black congressional black district. And without going through all the details that George probably knows this, the state legislature simply refused to do it. It went up to the Supreme Court. Alabama had a similar case. Anyway, at any rate, finally now we will be getting what looks like a third black congressional district. But let me tell you what, the battle is not over. What some of the Republicans have done or tried to do, they've tried to elicit support from certain people, high-profile Black people in the communities to go on record to say that a third Black congressional district is not needed.
22:06 So here again, we find ourselves just fighting the same kind of battles just for equality. So voting rights is very important. But to try to get to your point, I think that the country is at, to use Malcolm Black, the country is at a tipping point. in the next election the elections are going to be very pivotal to that but uh we need to pay attention to what's going on but wallace as the past general president of alpha phi alpha you had an opportunity to meet with of course congressman And I had a chance to see them and meet them as well as you met them.
22:53 So thank you for introducing me to some of those people like John Lewis and Coretta Scott King. I remember you had a meeting in your suite with Coretta Scott King on the memorial. and what we were trying to do as it relates to trying to gather the family's support. You spoke earlier about the process of those statements that we were looking for that we had there at one time are no longer there. Could you talk about some of the statesmen that were there at that time and how they felt about Alpha Phi Alpha pushing the movement and so forth?
23:33 Well, sure. We were blessed that we had really believed in our bipartisan support as we took on this task mentioned i was not the initiator of it the fraternity had started this oh the mid-nineties i think and by the time i came was coming into office uh milton davis who was my predecessor as general president the legislation was finally passed i'll never forget josh you remember the fall of the year before I was general president-elect. And so when that legislation was passed, I knew that when I took office in January, it was passed in October and signed in November, that I knew my whole agenda had to change.
24:20 So we began to work. We met with Mrs. King. We met with the family members because Andrew Young was critical to what we had to do. And also, In Maryland, gosh, I hope I get a name correct. His name, Paul Sarbanes and Connie Morella, I think, were in Congress at the time. They were early champions of what we were doing. And the bill did pass. It was signed. So our work was cut out for us to begin this process, which was not easy at all. So we set up a separate foundation. And the proper name for the memorial, not monument, as it's sometimes called, is the Martin Luther King Jr.
25:07 Memorial Project. So we set up a foundation to begin raising the money. We had to go back to Congress to get approval for a specific site in Area One. And that was a whole other battle. But the whole process of actually... constructing the memorial, if you will, we were guided by several things. One was that it was not just about Dr. King, it was about the man, the movement, and the message. And the message continues to resonate with us even today, that it's not just about black or white, it's about the humanity of man, or mankind, I should say.
25:54 And that Dr. King saw a colorblind society. And the winning architectural design forum was out of San Francisco, a Caucasian forum. And the actual sculpture, if you will, was designed by an Asian person. And some people question, well, why was that? Well, Dr. King did not see color. He saw character. He saw content of the character. So I think the memorial is very reflective of that. And the greatest endorsement that I've ever heard was when Mrs. King was given a preview of the model of what it was going to look like.
26:31 And she said she liked it. She really, really liked it. So to me, that was the best endorsement that we could get in terms of what the memorial actually looks like. But yeah, there were many, many folks that was a part of that. But I will say this, it was not easy. There were those who really within the Park Service itself, was not in favor of it. And Josh, you may remember that the first site we were offered was a very small site. And I walked that site, I looked at that site, and had I been maybe a more selfish kind of person with four years in my term, we could have taken that small site.
27:20 And when I say small, it was probably... Oh, I don't know, maybe twenty five by twenty five, maybe something like that. So we could probably put a statue there and put some roses or flowers or something around it and call it a day and say, here it is. We felt very strongly and I felt very strongly that Dr. King and all that he stood for and all that the movement stood for deserved something much more representative than that. And so we fought and that became a real battle. of trying to get a site because most of the sites, all the sites, major sites in area one, as they call it, around the reflecting plant in that area had already been taken.
28:01 And so they knew that there was only maybe one more major memorial or monument that could be placed there. And we wanted Dr. King to be there. So it was quite a struggle. There was a fifty-month period where it looked like it wasn't going anywhere because we dug our heels and said, no, we want, here's a site that we believe that would be appropriate. And we did get that site in time permitted on another telecast and go into much more detail about what that was like. But what you see there now is the efforts that really span several decades.
28:37 It's been several centuries, sir, I think. I look at the brilliant design you put in there. Where a king is coming out of the rock, it is reminiscent of Michelangelo's designs as infinite or unfinished works, which are adjacent to the David statue in Florence. And Michelangelo's concept there was that a sculpture is never finished, but yet it's got to be, it is showing that king is coming out of that rock, but there's so much more that could be carved to it. with the generations that follow and visit it.
29:13 It's an infinite work, not just a finite collection. I think it's absolutely brilliant. And I really thank you and those who you led, the two of you and the others that worked so hard on this. You made it all happen while some of us were totally unaware of the efforts. But my kids and my grandkids are so appreciative of it. It means so much. And it is an example of what can be done by young men and women that have a cause. King was thirty-four years old when he gave that speech. Thirty-four years old.
29:52 It blows me away. A bunch of middle-aged alphas helped make that happen, you know? And he gave that speech because others behind him helped prepare the platform and the stage of what we just learned about watching Rustin. So, you know, there was this incredible movement and team and effort you know, behind what was happening. And he just happened to be the orator, the deliverer, you know, of what he truly felt. But it was really this huge effort to actually make that I have a dream speech happen to the degree that it did right there.
30:30 You know, Lucy, you're fascinated with it, but what's the beauty of you bringing up this Rustin piece is the full circle part of it where they're pledging, to dedicate their character and their actions, including the vote. Did you notice who the executive producers that made that film possible were? The former presidents and first lady of the United States, the Obamas, helped fund and make that movie happen. Talk about advance the dream, the legacy, the knowledge, the story of the King story, but also then dealing with issues of gender preference as a sub topic in that side of that movie as well, advancing the inequity issues and making people aware here years, you know, forty, fifty years later.
31:22 It's interesting that you even said that without seeing the movie, because there was a character in there that kept pressing the hey, women are here to women need to be part of this conversation, too. So it's interesting that you said that, you know, Adrian, we have to have to have to have you back. for multiple conversations. This hour just goes way too fast, these fifteen, twenty-minute segments of these roundtables. We've got Derek Thompson. You represent executive reflections for us, a generation who's been on the ground, has led, and really continues the fight.
31:59 Before we bring in Derek, the collegiate reflection, somebody who is a young man starting to forge his path. What's your message to the youth right now? You started saying some concerns, but what's your message? And let's just call it to the thirteen to eighteen year olds. So not really Derek, who's collegiate right now, but this youth group. Sure. I think that we, it's been said before in different ways, that we as a country, as a people, cannot forget our history. We cannot forget from which we have come and what we have gone through.
32:41 I'm not as old as some. I was not obviously in Dr. King's generation, but I remember growing up in South Louisiana. I remember having to go to the back door of many places. I remember a small donut place that had a help wanted sign and it said whites only. I remember black and white water fountains. So I'm old enough, I'm a child of the sixties. So I remember very vividly the struggle. And quite frankly, I don't know if I'd have had the same kind of intestinal fortitude that those people had back then, because what they endured is just almost unbelievable.
33:20 So my message to, and I get a little concerned with some of the younger people who don't have an appreciation and don't recognize how we got to where we are as a country and as a people. So when I go back to the man, the movement, And the message, yes, celebrate Dr. King, but certainly I think Dr. King will be the first one to say he didn't do it by himself. There were many people that helped him, black and white, that helped the movement. And the message is that we must remain vigilant. We must vote regularly, even in local elections, because that's where it starts.
33:57 And we've seen that in local elections, that people have gotten on school boards, state boards of education, and they've begun to try to whitewash our history. They've tried to take over state legislatures and gerrymander and voter suppress. So the challenges are very real and very similar. And it seems that they're even bolder now than they were sometimes, you know, thirty, forty years ago. So we have to be very vigilant and not take anything for granted. So to the young people, the torch does pass to you to not sleepwalk through what's going on in the country.
34:45 Be well informed. Listen to all sides of it. But make an independent, intelligent, principle-based decision. And we're going to bring Derek on. And part of the conversation in the past has been, what role do the parents play in this whole deal versus being dependent on the schools and then being, you know, hey, youth, come on, just kind of step up and be more aware. Do you have a special message for the parents of the youth right now? Is that to me? Yep. Pull out as much as I can before I bring Gary on.
35:27 Yep. Well, Again, and I try to do this with my grandkids. I'm up here with one of the younger ones now, and we have conversations about things. Because I will understand that's a different culture in terms of who they look to. So I try to have conversations and just inform them about the importance and have the clarity of thought on the issues. And even trying to... trying to share with them how certain terminology came along, such as high on the hog. eating high on the hog. I mean, we use it, but we understand what that is.
36:10 Once upon a time, we couldn't afford to eat high on the hog. That's why we ate everything else. We ate pig feet, we ate pig tails, we ate all of that stuff. So when you eat high on the hog, you were eating a good cut of meat. So they say, oh, I didn't know what that was about. But the point of it is we lose things if we don't tell them and give them the context of what things were all about. So I think for parents, you know, we have to be certain that Black history, we live it every day, that they understand the why, not just the who, but they understand the why.
36:50 I think that that's so important. And I welcome you to stay if you'd like to. We would like to go ahead and get some collegiate reflections. If we can come back the last eight minutes so that we can have this intergenerational conversation after you listen to Derek speak, you're welcome to. But I understand if you have to go. But I will go ahead and pass. Thank you so much for taking the time. Thank all of you for the invitation. Thank you so much. We will be pulling you back on many different occasions, especially as Josh, you know, Josh knows how to find me.
37:26 I know. I know he does. But, you know, thank you for. participating in today's Executive Reflections. We're just sweeping the surface. Brother Wallace, once again, thanks for your time, your attention. As you have taught me because you brought me on as one of the youngest, assistants on your team, the youngest assistant on your team, and just having the opportunity to be there, to understand, to meet these people, these giants that we've talked about was an opportunity that I'll never forget.
38:00 And with that in mind, I'm bringing on Derek Thompson now, who is a graduate of Southern Mississippi. Derek was in my program since the seventh grade and he has now just made it early from Mississippi and been this administration with a with a idea of wanting to be an NFL owner. one day uh he is not a member of our beloved fraternity yet but we he is on the way once he gets finished with all this uh this school work and i am not hazing him at all I'm just pointing him in the right direction.
38:41 That's it. But Derek has been with the program for a number of years. What he has done has been remarkable. He is, like I said, just graduated. He graduated early, summa cum laude. He finished with a four point O in the last four semesters of his study. He's getting ready to go back for his master's next, I think in the fall. So I wanted to introduce without further additional time is Derrick Thompson, our graduate for this moment out of You Do Matter. Good morning, Derrick. Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Josh.
39:19 How you doing, Ms. Lucy? And how you doing, Dr. Rob? Welcome to Collegiate Reflections. And you've been with Josh with You Do Matter. Josh and Derrick, just lay the foundation a little bit on, um, the last few years, how you've worked with him with your, you do matter foundation. And, you know, I'm curious, Derek, then to get your reflections on advancing the dream, twenty, twenty four status. If I'm going to take you off stage right now, and then I'm going to bring you on if you are still around.
39:53 Okay. All right. Uh, Derek, actually, um, um, uh, came to the program, I think he was in the seventh or eighth grade when I got introduced to Derrick through his parents. Derrick has been a young man who has actually had an opportunity, and we got some pictures of him, of course, building a robot in class. We had some classes at Delgado Community College on a Saturday morning that he participated in with us. We also had programs at, when he met Dr. Rob for the first time, we was at a church and we were doing the healthy piece at that particular church when he was introduced to Dr. Rob.
40:38 So, Darryl has been around, he has been active. I knew for a fact that he would go off to college and probably be a summa cum laude graduate just by his study habits and his determination to get finished. We are working with him now because we want him to be one of those first black nfl owners or nba owners or even both of them because then we can have free tickets first i i'm going to let derek off the hook and i'm going to be quiet a little bit you impressed me from way back josh and i talked about someday he's going to be an alpha um i i want to remind you of something sir martin luther king was an alpha But the entire time at Morehouse College, he never joined the fraternity.
41:29 He never became an alpha until he was twenty five years old in graduate school. So if you're really going to follow the leadership of a great man, a great movement, it's never too late to get involved with that group. So don't don't take any grief on the alpha thing from Josh here. King didn't join till he was twenty five. I challenge you to think about it sooner, though. But then you. What did you think of Josh and the program when you were in it? Was it like, I got nothing better to do on Saturdays, or this is really cool, this is really special?
42:06 Or how, as a child, how did you react to this? Were you looked upon by your peers as someone doing something cool or something kind of, you were a nerd? What was it like for you then, and what is it like for you now, having had that experience? How has it affected you now? Well, initially, my parents, it was at St. Mary, my church. That's where I met Mr. Josh. And they start, he mentioned to me about this program that he was doing, the You Do Matter program on Saturdays. And we would meet ever so often, pretty much every Saturday at a church.
42:47 And the main focus was to uh develop our technology skills but me personally i also felt like i learned a lot of life skills throughout um by being determined i felt like i developed my work ethic in the you do my you do matter program because i would say my work ethic in middle school through high school was not the same as it was in college like i had a three point two gpa in high school But when I went to college, almost a four point three point eighty five. The work, the work ethic, how does it feel now as you're sitting there as a college graduate and you're looking at Martin Luther King Day coming up?
43:37 What role are you playing in advance? How would you advance the dream with your life skills and what you know about yourself, your community, civil rights movement, America and the world as it is now? How are you going to advance the dream with your skills, sir? So I went to a PWI, not to say that something like I'm the only black person that ever went to Southern Miss, but just being a person to come from USM with a high GPA, summa cum laude, just to show people that you can go anywhere and succeed.
44:17 Hopefully, Mr. Josh, he's been helping me to become one of these owners, as you look right now, there's not one black owner in the NBA or NFL. So I feel like I can be someone that could be an owner as a person of color. What, what does, how, what do you think the current state is of the union? I'm going to ask the same questions that we asked Adrian earlier, you know, how confident, what do you feel? right now in two thousand twenty four as it relates to the legacy of Martin Luther King from your generation's perspective?
45:00 Honestly, I feel like we made some progress, but progress can easily be halted at the same time. Depending on what happens in these next few years, a lot can change, unfortunately, so I feel like we made progress, but we have so far to go and it's up to us pretty much the young generation to go out and vote to make these changes pretty much be a driving force. I'm bringing Adrian back in because I love this concept of intergenerational conversations and community conversations. I mean, do you have a message for your youth?
45:46 I mean, do you feel like you're in like a, a leader type role or are you just trying to get through or what do you feel like your peers should hear from you as a representative of kind of, you do matter alumni program or I'm just trying to pull some things out that should be heard and said and be candid. What grade your peers on, making efforts towards maintaining equal rights and really kind of fighting the fight. And you're twenty two, twenty three, twenty one, twenty one, twenty one. So you're my son's age.
46:30 I don't know. Do you feel like you feel like you even have a duty? I'm just curious what the mindset is right now of your generation. I feel like we should we should be able to look at each other and see how to work with this. You should be able to look at each other and be inspired to do things like vote, go out in your community, be active, um, basically just do right in the world. That's one of the things that, you know, I'm jealous of what each other is accomplishing and turning into haters.
47:16 If I may, I love what the young man is saying there. And I was having a conversation with someone else. He's probably late thirties or whatever. So that whole generation, say from, well, let's say the adults, say from twenty one to about thirty five or so, all the millennials go up even to even that high. We mentioned about voting, but also what the young man is talking about. And I encourage them to pursue that about ownership, ownership of a sports team, whichever one it may be. So the other component, the other leg of this whole conversation has to be economic empowerment.
47:57 Economic empowerment is just absolutely a must. My wife and I, we worked in the corporate sector. We have a small business. So as a matter of fact, before I retired, I ran a business incubator. And I work with those first stage startups, mom and pops who are trying to grow their business. So this economic empowerment is something that is very, very important along with political empowerment. It's difficult to have one without the other and be successful. So I commend the young man for his dreams.
48:32 Who knows where his path is going to take him? It may take him down that path or it may take him. We may be talking to a future billionaire right now. It's certainly possible. So the economic component of this, I would say for the young people, look at that. I'm not saying forsake the corporate side, but look at the economic empowerment And then we have to, as a people, have to talk about also generational wealth. What does that look like? And how do we set that up for his generation? I had a conversation with my family, and they brought the conversation to me, so that made me even more excited about generational wealth.
49:08 And you don't have to be a multimillionaire to do that. You start where you are. So I just wanted to throw that in about the whole economic empowerment piece. That's good, Brother Wallace, because since you mentioned that, I have been invited to invite these young men to the Alpha Alpha Regional Conference for lunch. So you would see some of these guys there. And it's always good. I always want to surround them with good people so that they could actually begin to see how this business thing works.
49:42 And with that in mind, like I said, I will have them there for lunch on that Saturday. So we have an opportunity to actually do some other talking with them and also getting some comments that we could actually bring back as well. You bring up a constant point that's always coming up on our show also, which is what we really want to try and focus, which is this intersection between health and wealth. And quite frankly, you nailed it on the head. And when you look at the history, right, four hundred years since slavery as of twenty nineteen and then we're going.
50:20 It's only since the sixties where the civil rights, I mean, people are still walking around who lived that. You said it yourself, right? You're a child of the sixties. And so when you look at other peers and you're seeing houses being handed down, you see other assets being handed down generationally. you know, from family to family versus just starting from scratch and having that anxiety, that stress, that whole issue of economic stability. where other families who have had centuries or generations of generational wealth come down.
50:58 And it can be achieved in one generation. Like the ability for a family to perhaps have a successful exit as a startup. Sometimes it takes as much effort to... start up something new and exit it as it does to just to work a lifetime and not build that wealth. Right. And so to encourage people to think big and to think about that generational wealth is such a huge and important component. You know, Derek, if you're going to be an NBA owner or an NFL owner, you know, especially the NFL, I mean, that's hundreds of millions of dollars of assets and wealth that you need to go accumulate to get there.
51:44 I love it. Derek said something, though, that speaks to that, Derek. I'm just going to quote you about, you developed a superior work ethic that you proved with your focus and your work, you could achieve anything, anywhere, including that PWI institution you went to. I think many people in your, I've got five daughters, one of which probably is a neighbor of your son, sir, in Cincinnati, Mr. Wallace. But I watched their generation and certain folks think they're going to pull some quick gimmicky thing off and have wealth galore, or they're going to become a sports superstar right from high school.
52:27 And it's less than a one, one thousandth of one percent that really makes their wealth immense wealth from that channel. So the ability to have a work ethic and whatever you're passionate about, be it becoming an NFL star. or an NFL owner, or starting your own business, or inventing a better way of doing something. The foundation, I think, that you do matter in what Josh has done is talk about that anything is a possibility if you view that you do, in fact, matter and you're willing to work for what you believe in and work towards a goal.
53:04 And now you have the academic skills and credentials to do that. So I'm excited. I can't wait to talk to you in ten years to see what you're doing. But between now and in ten years, one of the things I would encourage you to do is look at the four people on this call and then look at maybe the four hundred people we could introduce you to that could mentor you, that could invite you to the right lunches or to apply for the right jobs that could get you talk to the right bank or the right lawyer, run the right events that could put you in a position where you very well might achieve your dream.
53:39 Network up and mentor up. Teach others what you know that you've learned in your generation that people like me have to learn. It's interesting, Dr. Wallace used the term whitewash earlier. High on the hog is one term. He was talking about whitewashing history, which is a very interesting term on many levels. Is it a racial term or is it a term that's just in the way we talk about things, whitewashing? And what I'm saying is it's probably both. It probably has the roots in both ways. But this whole advance the dream thing is so important.
54:18 You being at that school where you were at a predominantly white university influence and you shared your culture with a generation like mine that had limited exposure. And so I need to understand my white history as part of the civil rights movement, what my ancestors did right and what they did wrong. I'm also kind of a child of the sixties, but in a different neighborhood, watching it on television unfold just a few miles away from where I was living, not really affecting me. I guess what I'm saying is your role as a mentor to others, I don't want you to underestimate there of what you've accomplished with your peers.
55:05 I can't wait to see what you teach everyone in your grad school going forward. But lean on us to mentor you and introduce you and network for you the other way around. I think that that's a good segue into my last question for Derek is, you know, if you had to choose a mentor who has had the most influence in your life so far, who would that be and why? Let's see. I would say mostly my dad. My dad, because he owns his own business. What'd you say? I said, I was glad he said that because he deserves it.
55:57 Eric becoming the man that he is today. I could say that because they sacrificed to get him to where he needed to be on those Saturday mornings when he could have been laying in the bed, stuff of that nature. So I give all the credit to those third parties. Of course, parents who actually led the charge in making sure that their kid was able to participate. And his family did that. It goes back to the question that I had for Adrienne earlier, the special message for parents, because I'm hearing too much of the school district's trying to do this, the school district's trying to do that.
56:38 And I get that, but the foundation of the character really starts at home, right? And oftentimes, The kids don't want to listen to their parents because they're their parents. My husband trains athletes and the parent can say, hey, every day, the same exact words that Glenn will say, but because they're the parents, they deflect it. And so oftentimes you do have to kind of lean out to a mentor. We are all encouraging, you know, the mentor up. I call it wing tapping. You got to reach up and always strive to connect with people that you want to be like.
57:12 Right. You got to look sideways and say, like, who am I hanging out with? Because a reflection of who I am. And then how can I help, you know, your twenty one, twenty two year old? Self is so close to sixteen, seventeen and eighteen year olds who are looking for that transitional pathway. Right. And so never underestimate the power of your voice. If you were to reach back to your high school and perhaps either adopt, you know, one or two folks or maybe even lead a junior advanced dream team. you know, or, or you do matter deal.
57:46 So anyways, again, we can speak on all of this. Maybe we should extend it to a two hour show. We're not going to do that yet, but we're just going to stay consistent on Saturday mornings, have this platform so that we can really connect intergenerational conversations and continue to communicate in a mixed racial, you know, type of way, um, and have these conversations because, um, it matters, right? Like Josh's group, you do matter. This conversation matters and we have to continue to celebrate and support these conversations.
58:26 It's really important conversations. Adrian, you are a wealth of experience and knowledge and perspectives and reflections. And again, we're only tapping the surface. We invite you to come back. Thank you. Thank each of you, doctor. Thank you. Thank you, Lucy. you'd like. And Derek, you know, I encourage you to, you know, challenge your peers, your friends. I encourage everybody by the end of this month, please turn on Netflix and please watch Rustin so that we can at least start to appreciate all of the efforts behind Martin Luther King's incredible I Have a Dream speech.
59:02 And final words going around the table, Rob? I look above my shoulder where it says, force for health, protect the gift. The gift is your health. The gift is today. You only have today. The past was past. The future you don't know. What are you going to do today to take care of yourself just enough so that you can make a difference in someone else's life the way Josh did with his You Do Matter program? Josh, final words as we wrap up? Basically, once again, just glad to the fact to be here. Glad to be anywhere, to tell you the truth.
59:42 But I wanted to thank Brother Wallace, of course, and Derek for coming on this morning to share with us. You guys, I know you could have been doing plenty of things this morning, but I'm just grateful and thankful that you thought enough of me to actually want to come on and see what this little guy had to say to these other two people. So I appreciate it. I'm glad that you guys joined in with us. Adrian, like I said, you know where you stand with me. Derek, you're on the other side of me. So I'm just appreciative that to see Adrian, who's actually my mentor, and to see Derek, who's my mentee, to know that I've done a great job with what I was supposed to do.
1:00:28 Adrian, final words? Yes, real briefly. And this is not a black history thing per se. This is, I guess, as I started about my concern for the country, I would just say to all of us, black, white, yellow, whatever, that freedom is not free. Never has been. And we as a country need to really, truly pay attention to what's going on. Because if we don't, We may wake up one day and not recognize this country. Yeah. Yeah. Derek, you have the final word, Collegiate Reflector. Yes, ma'am. Just thank you to Mr.
1:01:15 Josh for having me on. I really enjoyed this little roundtable discussion. Yeah, that's it. Thanks for having me on. Okay, wonderful. So I encourage you, you know, we're here every Saturday. You can find more information at advancedthedream.com. You'll see many of our videos at advancedthedream.tv. Of course, this is all powered and hosted by the Force for Health Network at theforceforhealth.com. You can actually join our community, our Advance the Dream community for free. And you can connect with folks.
1:01:50 You can connect with resources. You can earn badges and really help, you know, level up your healthy citizenship game and be a more compassionate, culturally sensitive Force for Health global citizen of the world. So that's it. It's February seventeenth. Have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for sharing it with us. And till next week. Thank you, everybody. Thanks. Thank you.
Transcript is auto-generated from the broadcast captions and lightly cleaned; timestamps jump to the moment on YouTube.
Advance the Dream · Episode Recap ·