there was no walker, there was no toni morrison.s like many black folks who just had to suck it up and keep going. y'all with me and being raised in this environment and literally what she was taught was passed on to me, y'all with me. and it wasn't until i got to college and started going to therapy at the end of my college years because i had to that i began to unpack. wait a minute you've been damaged your entire by this system of oppression. just call it what it is, you know. bell always taught us me, including in peace bell hooks, you know you have to name the oppression. so we can't just say healing if we're not willing to name what has happened to us. why don't black folks want to talk about mississippi or south carolina? you know what i mean? why do we say that? you know, that's that's in past. let's just get over it. why do we black families or any family, jewish families, families. y'all know, i'm talking about? well, one minute they cursed each other out. the next minute, which i want to eat. y'all with■o me. and so for m

and and so the legacy is for me, how she really know toni morrison made this quote she was talking how you know, she mentioned toni, who's a good friend as a writer who really in her works. she's she is literally cultivating and engaging a black culture and black people everyday people are so different levels and it's her first collection a short stories where she's interrogating you know conversation interactions with elder in youth or are young girls with other girls and black women and black men? and you know how we how do we become whole? and it begins the self, right? she talked about with the self, the self. and then from there those relationships with others in the community and in nation building. right. and so it's so how, you know, found myself over these years in even writing this it really impacted me as to how i father how i was, you know, a partner, my wife and raising our children and, you know, really a model for what does it mean and how i the question here is like, how do we go forward? i mean, i think bombas work is really important in, that kind of way. and she's an

toni morrison, lord, all of the greats. this is state representative rula roman. i believe she was the youngest elected 29. she is thest palestinian american woman in this georgia state legislature. also the first had job wearing woman in the georgia state legislature. most, she is a proud foe need alumni. what we are going to talk about today, we have a lot to get there and you will w to take notes. ingo action withut how we go practical steps on how we feel the confidence go from agitatioo reaction. being matteoing anything about it. why? let's use our good. i know some of you in this room, politics may not be your first career option. that is okay. n different industries and sectors. then we will have some reflecti time and we will do an interactive exercise. s i the room, bear with me. it will not be that bad, i promise. filling the confidence cap. i will pretend i know how to multitask. bear with me. did you all know that fingerprints are the same. even on your han feet, if you are an identical twin yoe else can be you. that feels deep. right? no one else can

toni morrison, audrey lord, all of the greats. this is state representative rula roman. believe she was the elected at 29. she is the first palestinian american woman in this georgia statelatu. also the first had job wearing legislature. georgia s most importantly, she is a proud need alumni. we are going to talk about today, we have a l get there and you will want to take notes. weil about how we go from training to action with practical steps on how we feel the confidence cap. how we go from agitation to reaction being matted not doing anything about it. why? let's use our energy for good. i know some of you in this room, politics may not be first career option. that is okay. a difference in different industries and sectors. then we will have some reflection time and we will do an interactive. all my introverts in the room, bear with me. it will n that bad, i promise. filling the confidence cap. i will pretend i k how to multitask. bear with me.didou all know thao fingerprints are the same. are an identical twin youeet, have different fingerprints. that just tells us t

to travelha especially i gt back from japan just two weeks ago and black female novelists, so toni morrison, audrey, all of the grades. in georgia she was the youngest at 29 and first palestinian american womanec in the georgia legislature and also the first wearing a woman in the state legislature. and most a importantly, she is a proud alumni so that is why we arent spotlighting her so what e are going to talk about today, we have a lot to get through in a you're going toec want to take notes, so talk about how we go from training with practical steps on how we feel the confidence cap and go from education to action because being mad and not doing anything about it and then considering a career change. politics might not be your first option and that's okay you can still make a difference in different industries and sectors and then we are going to have some reflection time and demand interactive exercise, so bear with me it won't be that hard i promise. we are going to talk about filling the confidence cap and i'm going to pretend i know how to multitask with two hands, so bear with me.

and people like tony morrison and people you know, just who they are; right? and maybe that came with their age and being elder so i should mention people that are story tellers their life and connect with them and you know, i had those models. >> (multiple voices.) >> and when we approach as elders they sort of see us as harmless. >> right. right (laughter). >> that's true someone is sitting there and- >> (multiple voices). >> coming up to take. >> you're much more open to. >> my mother was like i said passed at 1 hundred and 4 but a curious person with her life and always said she may with living in north beach the first chinese person an open authoritative but because she was curious this was a really modeling for myself and i feel like elders we just have a we're able to approach 0 anyone and hey how are you? and they're open to take with us. >> i think for me my challenge and career forced me to be a more public person and away from work i became more quiet and less engaged. so this pierson of being in the room and doing what i needed to do and saying wha

so part of my looking back has everything to do with picking up thece i am to use the title of toni morrison'sonderful documentary. and it has something to do with trying to figure out how tndmy h of covid, trying to find my feet cal moment. and so i think it's really an effort on my part to write myself into some kind of stability, as it orientation to. and so that's just the personal side of it. the political side of it, i think, outsoced our responsibility for democracy for too long. you know, democracy requires particular kinds of people to work, not struggling every singe day to make endsabove the watery can attend to their civic onsibilities, you know? so i'm thinking what i what i'm trying tonsist upon in this moment is that politicians aren't going to save and so that theydty■t traditional leads aren't going to save us. we're going to have to save this. how? succinct you describe the challenge in this moment. and i think that one of the things that's most striking ou stories that you tell in this book, which is framed by essentially three towering figures in the black freedom le, ey ar

my looking back has everything to do with picking up the pieces that i am to use the title of toni morrison's wonderful documentary. and it has something to do with trying to figure out how to find my feet, post all of the death of covid, trying to find my feet in the morass of this political moment. and so i think it's really an effort on my part to write myself into some kind of stability, as it were, some kind of orientation to now. and so that's just the personal side of it. the political side of it, i think, is that we've outsourced our responsibility for democracy for too long. you know, democracy requires particular kinds of people to work, not folks who are, you know, struggling every single day to make ends meet and keeping their noses above head, above the water, so that they can so so they don't have time to attend to their civic responsibilities, you know? so i'm thinking what i what i'm trying to insist upon in this moment is that politicians aren't going to save us and so that the traditional leaders aren't going to save us. we're going to have to save this. how? i really apprec

one of my favorite authors, the great toni morrison, said books are a form of political action.ooks are knowledge. books are reflection. books your mind if reading your book can change one person's mind, whose mind would you want it to change. i'll start. yeah, well, with my memoir, just those who are cynical, those who have hope, those who don't think that there's any light at the end the tunnel, you know, i'm hoping that it wakes them up and makes realize that we there's work to do but we can get there. i think my book is for two groups of people one the same as edwin's anyone who is exhaust outed by feeling personally hurt by our mental health care systems and whma lost or belief that there's anything we can do to change the number of people who are suffering, to keep people from being shot and hurt out in public to do something about the number of americans don't have homes. this is actually while so much of this history is is difficult, it's also a very hopeful story. many of the people who you meet along the way will fill with hope and possibility. and then on a more perso

and people like tony morrison and people you know, just who they are; right? and maybe that came with their age and being elder so i should mention people that are story tellers their life and connect with them and you know, i had those models. >> (multiple voices.) >> and when we approach as elders they sort of see us as harmless. >> right. right (laughter). >> that's true someone is sitting there and- >> (multiple voices). >> coming up to take. >> you're much more open to. >> my mother was like i said passed at 1 hundred and 4 but a curious person with her life and always said she may with living in north beach the first chinese person an open authoritative but because she was curious this was a really modeling for myself and i feel like elders we just have a we're able to approach 0 anyone and hey how are you? and they're open to take with us. >> i think for me my challenge and career forced me to be a more public person and away from work i became more quiet and less engaged. so this pierson of being in the room and doing what i needed to do and saying wha