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Part 2 - Strengthening Our Network Culture Michael Tuncap - January 2023 Partner Convening — Transcript

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0:00I would like to introduce my friend and
0:02colleague Michael tooncat
0:05[Applause]
0:13yesterday I checked into the hotel
0:15excited to be your Keynote
0:17and I told them
0:19Hi how are you and the the person who
0:23was working was like hello and I said
0:25guess what I'm the keynote tomorrow
0:27she was like good for you
0:31and I said do you think I could get a
0:33nice room
0:34she's like you can get the room I have
0:37oh and she's like I said thank you I'm
0:40still happy to be here
0:43she humbled me just like my sisters
0:44would in the island of Guam where they
0:47would remind you to slow your roll
0:48Little Oak
0:50and then here when I drove today to the
0:52parking lot guess what all the signs
0:54said no Convention Center parking
0:57The Joke is on me
1:01let's begin a good way huh cousins
1:04when you hear me
1:06saying take your two hands like this and
1:08rub them together
1:10because it's cold
1:11and Indigenous people we believe in
1:14science
1:17this warms you up
1:19when you say Patia make one clap patiah
1:22Patia
1:24Patia
1:26when you say luapati make two claps
1:29lower party
1:31[Applause]
1:32my name is
1:36you make two claps and everybody says
1:43many many
1:46patiah low party
1:49your party Isa
1:51is
1:59[Music]
2:16foreign
2:23[Music]
2:27foreign
2:36[Music]
2:48[Music]
3:07foreign
3:20[Music]
3:29[Music]
3:39go ahead and close your eyes
3:41take a deep breath
3:44and I want you to say your full name
3:46your first middle and last
3:50go ahead say it out loud
3:55take another deep breath
3:58and this time as you exhale I want you
3:59to say the name of the place you were
4:01born
4:07and cousins as we do our land
4:08acknowledgment the last thing I want you
4:10to reflect on take a deep breath
4:13and as you exhale say the name of any
4:16family members who came before you any
4:19ancestors family members who came before
4:22you
4:23go ahead and say their names
4:26David Therese tooncat
4:30go ahead and open your eyes cousins
4:33and whoever's sitting next to you just
4:35take a minute to tell them that what's
4:37that beautiful full name you were given
4:40anyone here have two middle names
4:43hey
4:45you're the winner okay
4:49share your name where are you from and
4:51who are those who came before you go
4:53ahead and share that now
5:04look how proud they are look everybody's
5:07so proud
5:13okay
5:21you all get an A plus plus for
5:24participation
5:26I can tell what kind of students you
5:28were
5:30y'all probably put pressure on your kids
5:31too
5:33so let me tell you where I just paddled
5:35to you from because I'm from the other
5:37side of the planet Earth
5:39and even though I've been told I speak
5:43good English
5:44as a microaggression
5:48I am from the village of a negua now on
5:52whom you get to cap La hence
6:05I'm the son of David and Therese tooncat
6:07from the chobe clan on the village of
6:09inigua on the island of Guam where we
6:12speak this Chamorro language where we
6:14have been since the beginning
6:16since the people were in front of time
6:20the tautomona the people in front
6:22imagine our word for ancestors means
6:24people in front
6:27isn't that a dissertation
6:29people in front
6:31and I used to always wonder Mama that
6:33don't make sense how can I be in front
6:35if they're the ancestors she's like
6:36you'll get it someday son so here's the
6:39map of the Pacific and imagine for many
6:42of you when you see the globe the
6:43Pacific doesn't look maybe as large as
6:46it is but it is a third of the whole
6:49planet Earth
6:51and so today I want you to radically
6:53reimagine the planet Earth
6:55I want you to think of the Pacific Ocean
6:57y'all as the blue continent
7:01and I think there's a reason that of all
7:04the places on the planet Earth that I
7:05come from
7:06that I only lived in from the time I was
7:09born
7:10to the time I was six years old
7:12that something deep inside me was
7:15connected to this ocean and Guam Saipan
7:19tinian Rhoda did you know that they have
7:22the deepest part of the planet Earth is
7:24called the Marianas Trench and that's
7:26where we are here Northern Marianas
7:28Islands the word for Guam originally was
7:31guahan and guahan it means we have
7:35it means we have and Guam doesn't
7:38actually translate into anything in our
7:40language but guahan which is our
7:43original word for who we are means we
7:46have
7:47so I'm going to teach you some tomorrow
7:49are you ready you did very good on the
7:51song now in our language it's very
7:53important to nod your head like this
7:56it's very indigenous
7:58means it's all good
8:00right right okay so repeat after me Tata
8:06how
8:08okay
8:10means where are you from
8:13where are you from okay and if you want
8:14to tell someone I am from this place you
8:17just say Tao Tao Tao Tao Bellingham
8:21Washington TaoTao Tacoma Washington okay
8:24so let's try Tata manuhau
8:27TaoTao Washington
8:30Monica
8:31The Tomorrow People my ancestors
8:33according to the scientists we've been
8:36in Guam for about 4 000 years and
8:39sometimes we're skeptical of science
8:41because of colonization
8:43but we'll take four thousand years that
8:45sounds good to us
8:47as long as you're telling us we're first
8:49we're cool
8:50there's no remix that timeline talking
8:53about someone discovered us how you
8:55discover me bro I'm here
8:57you ever heard of a really racist show
8:59called Ancient Aliens
9:01can you believe they said we didn't
9:03build the pyramids
9:05got tattoos everywhere all kind of proof
9:08talking about aliens came down here my
9:11pictures on the wall dog
9:14a archaeologist 2013 they reported that
9:19the Marianas especially our lady Stones
9:21they prove we're the first in Oceana
9:24this beautiful continent of indigenous
9:27people
9:28and this cousins
9:43[Music]
9:53foreign
10:03this is the infressi which is our
10:06Chamorro people this is what reminds us
10:08of of our cultural values that I'm going
10:11to share with you today this is my late
10:13beautiful mother Terese here in the
10:16beautiful like neon colored shirt
10:18that's her brother Sunny mate who's also
10:21passed away chief Master Sergeant my
10:23Auntie Jenny who passed away and then
10:25these are the surviving ancestors Auntie
10:27Marilyn and tilinda and to Sherry and
10:30Uncle Leslie imagine cousins my mom is
10:33one of 17 children
10:36same mom and dad for real
10:40and Papa Was a Rolling Stone
10:43so Papa also had five other children 22.
10:46this is way back in the day when there
10:49was no television
10:52and all you have is a small island of
10:54beautiful indigenous people with
10:56beautiful food
10:58loving each other and my mama was number
11:0114 and I have 52 first cousins from
11:04Justice and Nicholas side
11:07that's why they're afraid of us
11:10take that
11:12you can't stop us because we love each
11:14other in 2020 they said there was 65 000
11:17people like me here in Washington the
11:20Chamorro people 19 000 live in the
11:23Northern Marianas 93 000 live outside
11:26the Marianas okay so I'm getting you to
11:28see the diaspora right and this is the
11:32reason why I stand before you not random
11:35not just a coincidence but a product of
11:39colonization and of History
11:41that's why I stand before you and so
11:43many Pacific Islanders are coming to
11:45Washington
11:46this is the late Senator Angel Santos
11:49and to give you a quick historical
11:50lesson he's like the Malcolm X and the
11:54Martin Luther King of the Chamorro
11:55people
11:57and it was when I first learned about
11:59anger that something inside me James
12:02Baldwin would call it the fire this time
12:04that's when it was lit and I knew there
12:08was a reason that my hair grew this way
12:11and Senator Angel Santos he was the
12:13first in our Island to say our people
12:15have a right to live here
12:18because we are of this place our people
12:21have a right to our language because
12:23it's of our mouth it's of our way and
12:26our people have a right to sovereignty
12:28to determine their future what should
12:31happen to them on their own Island what
12:34should happen to their government and
12:36how they should exist and so Angel
12:38Santos is part of the reason why I'm
12:41here
12:42now repeat after me cousins sahafa
12:46sahafa
12:49sounds so indigenous when you say that
12:51sahafa means the why okay and this is
12:55the why okay this is the reason why
12:58our mission today
13:00is to focus on our education
13:03and career and on the common goals of
13:06what Julian ogun would call the
13:08properties of Perpetual light what is it
13:11that moves you towards Justice
13:16what is it that moves you towards
13:18achieving Equity towards peace and for
13:22many of us what is it that moves you
13:23towards healing right what is that
13:26Perpetual life right
13:29second we're trying to fight for equity
13:31in our counties in our communities right
13:34and I want you to take a moment I'm
13:37going to let you share with someone next
13:38to you in in just short in a few words
13:41when I tell you what is equity to you
13:43because it's such a popular term right
13:45now
13:46right and to be honest sometimes because
13:48it's popular it can lose its meaning
13:51you feel me so just on a real Grassroots
13:55down to earth level what does equity
13:58mean to you when I ask you that take one
14:00minute please to share that with someone
14:02or two people next to you what does
14:04equity mean to you
14:06Ready Set Go
14:10okay
14:12I'm gonna take a few hands if any Brave
14:16cousins
14:17want to share
14:20if any Brave doesn't want to share what
14:22what Equity means to them
14:27all right let's hear it hello hello okay
14:31my name is quiniqua Williams and I work
14:33for Lopez Island Family Resource Center
14:37um to me Equity is providing the
14:39resources that each individual needs to
14:42help them reach their full potential and
14:45so I'm sure a lot of people have seen
14:47the Box analogy but that's usually for
14:50equality
14:52Equity means so if you have a baby you
14:55have a middle schooler and you have an
14:56adult the height of those boxes will be
15:00different because each person will need
15:02a different height box for everybody to
15:04reach the same playing field and so what
15:09I might need to help me reach my full
15:11potential might be different than what
15:13my director needs or my colleague needs
15:15and so when we look at that in terms of
15:17like a work environment I may not have
15:21Excel training and I may need that
15:23whereas Barbara doesn't need Excel
15:25training so what what does it benefit
15:27Barbara to get more Excel training and
15:30so for me that's you know just making
15:32sure people have what they need to be
15:34successful is what Equity means
15:36excellent wow
15:41and that's why y'all we don't all need
15:43to be at this meeting
15:45can you dig it
15:46can I get a hey if you've ever been at a
15:49meeting you got no business being that
15:52right then they ask you what you think
15:55right and then you have to be like it's
15:57fine
15:59thanks for having me here okay anyone
16:01else real quickly want to share what
16:03Equity means to them this is our prior
16:05learning experience
16:07ple prior learning experience isn't that
16:10beautiful everybody has it we all bring
16:12it
16:14okay
16:17oh we got another one there it is thank
16:19you I got a team people
16:21it's also my security so watch out
16:25it's okay I didn't mind getting that
16:26intimate with you
16:28um so just to add an addition to that
16:31one of the things we talked about was
16:32it's not just the access it's that
16:35intentional assessment of what are the
16:38barriers preventing all of us from
16:40thriving and I think that's kind of the
16:42missing piece because we're so forward
16:44thinking here are the boxes but we don't
16:47really sit enough and let why do we need
16:49the different boxes in the first place
16:51and a lot of it lies in the systemic
16:53issues and that gets really hard so I
16:56think we can't talk about Equity like
16:58get to that next level without looking
17:00back just like you said the ancestors
17:01were like you know first forward so yeah
17:04that's what we kind of came up with tell
17:05us your name again oh my name is ARA she
17:08her pronouns I am the deib manager for
17:11Center for Human Services and I love
17:13these people because they all help come
17:14up with it so yay Give It Up
17:18and I know what y'all are thinking and
17:21we probably are related I know 23andMe
17:24we could be like 15 back okay
17:28all right well thank you for those two
17:30wonderful examples okay we're gonna jump
17:32in okay to a little bit of an activity
17:35now I want you to do me a favor we're
17:37going to use your notebook yeah that you
17:39have here
17:41now raise your hand if you think human
17:43beings were smart enough that we could
17:47achieve time travel
17:49raise your hand is it possible all right
17:52hey one two three four five six seven
17:54eight nine don't let them judge you 10
17:5611 12 to see 14 15 16 17 18 19. see what
18:01your judgment does to your colleagues
18:02they believe in time travel let them
18:04believe in it okay now let me ask you a
18:07second question y'all how many of you
18:09have ever felt Deja Vu the feeling of
18:11deja vu raise your hand High look around
18:13you Time Travelers
18:18they said my English is good ha ha
18:21okay so you have felt it I have for real
18:24felt it before sometimes in good ways
18:26like oh and I think this is going to be
18:29a good night and other times not good
18:30okay
18:32so I want you to get in the time machine
18:34cousins and on your paper por favor
18:382033 write down 2033.
18:43imagine the years 2033
18:46and if we could control and things go
18:50well in the next 10 years and I told you
18:54you could live anywhere you like
18:56maybe it's in your current home and you
18:58build it up but maybe you thought of
19:00moving somewhere when you retire or
19:03maybe you just thought of living in
19:04another place okay we're just going to
19:05play a game go ahead and write that
19:07place you think you might like to live
19:09in 2033.
19:1110 years from now
19:14I think in the next 10 years it would be
19:16beautiful if somehow I could be back in
19:18Guam
19:19where I once belonged
19:22I'm 43 and I would be 53 I think that
19:25would be amazing
19:27if I can convince my sons to move
19:30but I can't live without them because I
19:33have separation issues
19:35so I need them but I hope they'll come
19:38so where would you live okay so write
19:40that down
19:41now the years 2033. now what if I told
19:45you you could get a raise or a second
19:48income now if you're sitting by your
19:50boss bosses chill out
19:53this is a game do not put this on the
19:57performance evaluation for goals please
20:00bosses turn that boss brain off
20:03oh my goodness okay this is just a game
20:07okay so right 2033 what is maybe a job
20:12position
20:14or like I said maybe you have a second
20:16income and you have a second way you
20:19bring in money but dream what would that
20:22be
20:24I used to work full-time in education as
20:26a director of diversity director of Trio
20:28I was faculty and then I used to be a
20:32consultant on the side which was like my
20:34dream
20:35it's like oh I would love to do this
20:37it's a part-time now I'm doing it full
20:39time so be careful what you write
20:41it might come true
20:43okay that's why your boss is worried
20:45especially if you're amazing if you're
20:47amazing your boss is worried right now
20:49but boss don't be worried be proud
20:51because you've got an amazing superstar
20:53that you can help cultivate to their
20:55goals okay
20:57all right underneath that title position
21:00or Endeavor this is a fun part right a
21:03dollar amount salary per year or per
21:06month that you would like to earn in
21:082033 and think about the cost of living
21:11and think about the cost of gas and food
21:14and everything it's going to go up yes
21:16so write down a dollar amount maybe it's
21:19a hundred thousand two hundred I don't
21:22know a million but let's keep it real
21:24and have a good dream
21:26if I'm 53 I don't know how about 500 000
21:30that sounds like more than enough
21:33for me to have a tiny house for me my
21:36sons and then a common tiny house eating
21:38area so we don't irritate each other
21:41can you dig it yeah Marco and I are
21:43going to build it with indigenous solar
21:46panels
21:47so all you people who got funding
21:50that's what we're gonna do 2033.
21:51underneath the dollar amount please
21:54write if you could buy a new car or a
21:56classic car in 2033 what's a car you
21:59always wish you could buy
22:01write it down
22:03on the paper I would buy a 68 Chevelle
22:06because that's what my pops drove on the
22:09island of Guam with his tight jeans
22:11listening to Grand Funk Railroad
22:16got your dream car
22:17all right
22:19two more things right what kind of house
22:21you would buy or condo or loft or tiny
22:24house or piece of land write what you
22:27would buy with this extra income or this
22:29new income what would you buy a dwelling
22:36all right
22:38now the last thing to write is who you
22:41would let
22:42hang out with you in the future
22:45some of you might be married and you can
22:47be honest maybe they're not coming maybe
22:49maybe your spouse is staying in the
22:52current house
22:53where they have a good attitude
22:56and you're going to the special house to
22:59preserve good relations now I hear
23:01people who are married who live across
23:03others part of the country married 30 40
23:05years very happy okay so that could be
23:07you and maybe you're like no my husband
23:10is coming right here with me
23:13that's not funny okay so write who you
23:16would bring maybe your kids maybe your
23:18friends maybe someone famous like The
23:21Rock
23:23Dwayne The Rock Johnson that's who my
23:25ex-wife is bringing to the Future
23:27she loves the rock okay
23:30all right everybody got their Utopia
23:33yes
23:35yes all right wonderful now I want you
23:38to close your eyes for a moment
23:40and imagine that on January 18th
23:442033 when you woke up from this
23:47beautiful home
23:48and you woke up to go and step into your
23:51dream car
23:53imagine that a 10.0 earthquake
23:57imagine that that earthquake
24:00hit your neighborhood
24:04okay the earthquake hits your
24:05neighborhood keep your eyes closed
24:07imagine the the devastation of what a
24:1010-point earthquake could do to houses
24:12cars telephone poles those kinds of
24:16things that are all around the
24:17neighborhood right that you see
24:19now imagine we're going to have to send
24:22an ambulance helicopters fire trucks
24:25we're going to have to send help
24:27because what usually follows the
24:31earthquakes
24:33after shocks yes and depending on
24:36whether you're near water you could even
24:38be at risk of a tsunami there could even
24:41be a tsunami warning
24:43so go ahead and open your eyes for those
24:45of you who raised your hand who've ever
24:47been in a real earthquake can you share
24:49what did it feel like
24:52anyone who's lived through an earthquake
24:54what do you remember
24:55yes can we get a microphone there what
24:58do you remember about being in the
24:59earthquake
25:01by the way it was almost everybody to
25:03raise their hand yeah hi my name is
25:06Darcy
25:07um
25:08I believe it was
25:102003 and I grew up with stories of
25:14earthquakes that had happened in western
25:15Washington
25:17um
25:18and I was living in Spokane and
25:22I felt and saw the 2003 earthquake in my
25:26basement apartment in Spokane and I
25:29thought it was the train rolling by on
25:31an elevated track
25:32because my furniture started to sway
25:36yeah and I had to call people and say
25:38does the train do that I've lived here
25:40for four years I'm not sure if I
25:43remember that the train does that yes
25:45and then I heard that the Nisqually
25:47Quake had happened and it really brought
25:50it home to me what must have happened
25:52across the whole of my state from the
25:54town where I grew up and where my family
25:56still lived and that I felt it within 30
26:0045 seconds a minute in Spokane across
26:04the Great mountains and across Eastern
26:07Washington and for all this geography
26:10it put us in the same place having
26:12similar experiences
26:14so it was a really interesting
26:15experience for me that's the earthquake
26:17I'm thinking of as well so thank you for
26:20citing that now cousins I want you to
26:22imagine now look around the room and I
26:25want you to tell your friend
26:27I'm glad you're safe let them know it's
26:30good to see you glad you made it
26:34I want you to tell them we're going to
26:36be all right we're going to be all right
26:39gotta let him know in the words of
26:40Kendrick we're going to be all right
26:42okay
26:44now because of the money you wrote on
26:47that paper you have the resources and so
26:50do I we evacuate
26:52hey
26:54so we're all safe okay now as we arrive
26:57to the next safe town we get a a notice
27:00from the Red Cross that says people left
27:03behind please send a rescue boat
27:06please send a rescue boat and just like
27:08the boat you're on right here
27:10this boat you're on that I paddled
27:12through earlier there are a limited
27:15number of seats on your boat okay
27:18now to the left here you'll see I
27:20described what I asked all of you to
27:22write
27:23your dream job High income great
27:25Community Dream Home dream car people
27:27you love right to the right these are
27:30our neighbors who've been left back in
27:32the neighborhood
27:34and what I need you to do in an
27:36emergency type situation you just have
27:38two three minutes to decide okay I want
27:40you to write on your paper these 10
27:42people go ahead on your paper write down
27:45art dealer Barista custodian dance
27:49teacher ex-convict former addict retired
27:53NFL player
27:55suspected gangster Dr crew Smith and a
27:58business investor
28:01go ahead and write those 10 people down
28:03now the important thing about the boat
28:05game y'all is you have to keep it real
28:10please keep it real keep it 100 do not
28:14feel politically correct that you must
28:17choose someone over someone else just be
28:19honest because the tsunamis come in and
28:23we gotta go
28:24okay we don't have time for all that
28:27political correctedness
28:30just be real okay
28:36now what I want you to do is just at the
28:38first glance
28:40after you have the 10 people okay I just
28:44want you to put a check
28:46next to people that you're thinking that
28:49maybe you you would not choose okay we
28:52have seven seats on our boat
28:55we cannot bring all ten because the boat
28:57will be above capacity and it'll sink
29:00the other three people by the way they
29:02cannot swim outside the boat because of
29:05the orcas they're all riled up
29:07they'll be eaten by the orcas no
29:09swimming outside the boat
29:11and rule number three you Democratic
29:14individuals
29:15no random Lotto out of a hat you can't
29:17be like I put three names in a hat ah
29:21I have I'm ready okay no random drawing
29:26okay everybody got the rules okay
29:29repeat after me don't judge me
29:33it's just a game
29:37don't report me to HR
29:41it's just a game
29:43okay all right on your mark
29:47you ready to keep it real
29:49okay if you have that one relative who
29:52will tell you things that seem rude but
29:54really they're just being honest be them
29:56for just two minutes okay be that cousin
29:59on your mark
30:02get set you're going to pick three
30:04people put a check mark
30:06okay everybody got three check marks
30:09if you have to be your Alter Ego some of
30:11you are looking at me like I am not
30:12going to play the game okay that's all
30:15right be your Alter Ego okay put three
30:17check marks everybody have three check
30:19marks
30:20for fun okay for for pretend okay and
30:23then I just want you to share with your
30:25group who are the three check marks that
30:27you picked
30:28okay and remember don't judge them on
30:32your mark get set go
30:42let's come back together y'all
30:44I'm gonna add a few things to make this
30:47easier for you okay because I know it's
30:50a tough game
30:52and I want to thank you for being a good
30:54sport I hope you don't feel judgmental
30:57to help you feel less pressure I want
31:00you to enjoy this music
31:02okay because doesn't that make you feel
31:05not as bad
31:10okay now on this piece of paper I want
31:13you to do me a favor okay the 10 people
31:16I want you to go ahead and you have to
31:20be honest though or it doesn't work
31:23the art dealer next to the art dealer
31:26tell me how old would you guess the art
31:29dealer is just write the average age of
31:31an art dealer write that down how old is
31:34the art dealer
31:36write an age next to them
31:39and then right in age next to the
31:41Barista an age next to the custodian
31:45dance teacher ex-convict and so forth so
31:49you have 10 ages of the people
31:54okay just be honest the first age that
31:56comes to mind I'll tell you art dealer I
31:59think they're 60. the Barista is 25. the
32:03custodian is 50. the dance teacher is
32:0630. the ex-convict to me is 40 something
32:10the former addict is 19.
32:15the retired NFL player 70. the suspected
32:18gangsters 15.
32:21Dr Cruz Smith is 40 and fit and has
32:24their own book
32:26the business investor as we all know is
32:3050 something okay so that's just me
32:33first gut reaction just be honest how
32:36old are they
32:39foreign
32:40age
32:43[Music]
32:4510 ages
32:47okay
32:48all right I'm gonna give you one more
32:51minute to return to the debate now that
32:54you know how old they are and if you
32:56want to change your mind
32:58based on this new information you have
33:01you maybe will tell your your your
33:04people in your village that you change
33:06your vote okay I'm gonna give you one
33:09minute to add or change anything now
33:11that you know how old they are can you
33:13please take a minute to maybe change if
33:16you want to on your mark get set
33:20go
33:22one minute
33:26all right
33:29[Music]
33:30I'm gonna have you add more information
33:32okay
33:35I'm gonna have you add some very
33:37important information
33:38okay now you just have to be honest go
33:42quick first good yes
33:44next to each person's age I want you to
33:47tell me where do you think they are from
33:51for example I would imagine that the art
33:54dealer is from France
33:58yeah okay
34:00I would imagine the art dealers from
34:03France
34:04to me I when I think our dealer I don't
34:07think
34:09Tacoma Washington
34:11and I'm from Tacoma so no cap okay
34:15but we have the Tacoma Art Museum don't
34:17get me wrong but I don't think of Tacoma
34:19when I think of an art dealer
34:21right I think of France
34:24okay
34:25you choose whatever comes to your gut
34:27just keep it real do not edit it to
34:30sound diverse or you fail the assignment
34:32if you're trying to manipulate the
34:34answers don't even take the tests
34:37be real be honest
34:39okay where are they from
34:44okay
34:45and once I see you nod your head that
34:48you they have a place they're from just
34:49nod your head I know you're you're good
34:51on that point I'm giving you one last
34:54layer in a minute okay
34:57all right when you have a place there
34:59from
35:02it's hard right because now you know a
35:04little bit more about them right
35:07by the way they cannot all be from
35:09Washington
35:10okay if they are you're very cool and
35:13maybe you've lived in a lot of
35:14Washington places
35:16okay
35:22okay if you have some places of at least
35:25some people then you have some info I'm
35:27gonna give you one minute to return to
35:29your discussion maybe change your vote
35:32on your mark get set go
35:37okay that's time
35:40last thing to add last thing to add and
35:43then I promise you we're finished with
35:45this very difficult exercise
35:49I want you to keep it a hundred this is
35:51really the hardest part because you
35:52don't want to put the wrong answer just
35:54put what comes to mind okay what name do
35:57you think of
35:59write a first last name whatever you
36:01want give them a name when I think of
36:03the art dealer I think that the art
36:04dealer's name is Francois
36:08Francois the art dealer
36:11the barista's name is Becky
36:14Becky the Barista at Dutch Brothers
36:17who is always so bright in the morning
36:19good morning toon cap how are you that's
36:23the barista the custodians joke you know
36:26Joe everybody know Joe Joe the custodian
36:28Hey Joe
36:31now cousins I'm sure you can imagine as
36:34you play this right how hard it is to be
36:36honest because we're so politically
36:38correct in 2023. sometimes we're so
36:42politically correct that it makes us
36:45afraid to be honest
36:47and if we cannot be honest we cannot
36:49really serve the people that need us so
36:52I want to say thank you
36:54for being a good sport
36:56now
36:58look at the names you wrote look at the
37:00ages and the places that they're from
37:03and tell me what you think about how
37:06your brain works
37:08and why do you think you answered in
37:10this way
37:12because I'll tell you what this is
37:16a professor jacket
37:18you better ask somebody
37:20this by the way look at the brand
37:25Calvin Klein and I swear the ancestors
37:28just work in mysterious ways that that's
37:31what Michael J fox was wearing in back
37:33to their future
37:35okay because the other gray jacket I
37:38have
37:39to submit to the man is a Nautica jacket
37:43and I know if I don't wear this
37:45professor jacket I may not look like the
37:47Keynote
37:49I may look like something else
37:53and so most days I teach I feel the
37:55pressure to wear this jacket
37:58even though I really don't like it
38:01I especially don't like it when I have
38:03to work around you because it makes them
38:05uncomfortable just the presence of
38:07clothes like this makes young people
38:10that are incarcerated feel uncomfortable
38:13so I don't wear that when I'm around
38:16them
38:17a few weeks ago I wore this exact jacket
38:20as I tried to enter the Green Hill
38:22School in Chehalis Washington where I
38:25have been teaching for a year and a half
38:27with Professor Rashad Norris
38:30and the Green Hill school is a maximum
38:32security facility
38:35where young men between 16 to 24 are
38:37incarcerated many of them will go on to
38:40Department of Corrections once they turn
38:4324.
38:44and as I walked up to the front in this
38:46jacket at 2 10 for graduation I walked
38:50up to the gate where I always check in
38:51same guy that sees me every Monday and
38:53Wednesday and I noticed there's this
38:55African-American woman she's not being
38:57allowed to go into the building and he
38:59tells her
39:00um ma'am you cannot come into the
39:02building because it's 2 10 and you're
39:03late and she says but I drove from
39:05Seattle and it took me two hours and I
39:07couldn't control the traffic and you
39:09guys have no parking so I had to park in
39:11the neighborhood and he says I'm sorry I
39:13can't help you and she goes I don't know
39:15what I'm going to do so I thought haha
39:18I am Professor tooncab I can help her
39:21and I have this jacket
39:23so I walked through the door and I'm
39:24like hey how are you it's me so they let
39:27me through the first door there's two
39:29doors to get into a prison then I get to
39:31the second door and I see the guy who
39:33always sees me and I'm like hey I'm here
39:35for the graduation I have stuff like
39:36that okay I have stuff and he says I'm
39:39sorry but did you hear what I told her I
39:41said yeah I think you said that she
39:43can't come in and he goes yeah we don't
39:45allow people in late I said oh that's
39:47interesting is that a new policy and he
39:50goes what I said is that a policy of the
39:52facility he goes yes I think so I said
39:56well can I please talk to your
39:57supervisor
39:59and he goes there are no supervisors
40:02I said come on man this is a state
40:04facility I'm sure you have a direct
40:06command a direct report and we'd like to
40:08talk to them whoever that person is
40:10and he says okay well you'll have to
40:12wait out here I said that's fine could
40:14we please go to the restroom first
40:16because we both just drove from far away
40:18he was like no you can't come in
40:21so he wouldn't let us come into the
40:22waiting room so we sat on the side and I
40:25said you know what sister I'm so sorry
40:26this not we they go through diversity
40:29training this is not supposed to happen
40:30to us but don't worry I'm sure somebody
40:33will be out any minute so then we're
40:35waiting then another guy comes out this
40:37guy by the way is a very masculine
40:39strong european-american brother like he
40:42could be in the Vikings TV show okay and
40:46I know he could beat me up big dude his
40:48friend comes out and he's like hey I
40:51understand you want to talk to a
40:52supervisor I go yeah how you doing I'm
40:53Professor toonkamp do you recognize me
40:55I'll come on Monday on Wednesday he
40:56wouldn't shake my hand
40:57and then he goes well I'm not the
40:59supervisor
41:00but I'm just here to tell you there's no
41:02supervisors it's like huh okay well
41:06we'll wait then bro we'll wait he goes
41:08back inside right then a very concerned
41:11white woman sees us and it's cold this
41:13is when it was snowing like December
41:1515th roughly This Woman's he's just like
41:18hey why are you guys outside
41:20she went up to the door she's like come
41:22in here it's cold out there
41:24hey girl I know
41:27I said thank you sister I was like we
41:29was trying to come inside but they told
41:31us we couldn't
41:31foil that's silly this is a Lobby I go I
41:34know I come here every Monday on
41:36Wednesday so then guess what the big
41:38brother the big dude he comes out and he
41:40goes hey I told you to go outside you
41:44can't come in here and he was about to
41:45put his hands on me and push us out the
41:47door me and this African-American woman
41:50okay how tall are you brother
41:52can you be my audience participation
41:55please stand up we're cousins though and
41:57I know I'm safe with you I can feel it
41:59in your eyes can I give you a hug
42:02you feel that we related you know what
42:04I'm saying so this homeboy is about your
42:06size you know what I'm saying and then
42:07he's like putting his hands up trying to
42:09push me out and I have PTSD so I said
42:11Hey brother please don't push me I'll go
42:13outside but you know how to push me man
42:15you know I'm gonna walk outside and His
42:18Hands is already on me right
42:20thank you brother I appreciate that
42:23you got to see though the visual right
42:24because we're scared and this woman is
42:27shorter than I am so now we're outside
42:29the front of the building okay
42:31and then I'm like man I'm gonna tell
42:34your supervisor and I was trying to pull
42:36like you know like a white woman's card
42:38where I'd be like I'm gonna write a
42:40letter and Report you and I promise I'm
42:43going to tell your supervisor supervisor
42:45supervisor
42:47ah and I stayed out there in this jacket
42:49waiting okay then time is going by and
42:53this woman she's like we're gonna miss
42:55the graduation I drove all the way up
42:57here for nothing I'm so frustrated I
43:00said don't worry we'll come in at the
43:01end and you can still give them the gift
43:03and they'll know you made it
43:05then after a supervisor comes out okay
43:09third Caucasian gentleman he comes out
43:12and he says hello I heard you requesting
43:14the supervisor I'm the supervisor and I
43:16say hi I'm Michael tooncap nice to meet
43:18you
43:19and I he won't shake my hand
43:21I say I have identification
43:24and I'm just here for the graduation I'm
43:26a professor at Highline College I teach
43:28with Rashad Norris we've been coming
43:30every Monday and Wednesday I was just
43:31here for the final presentation do you
43:33remember me on Monday it was like yeah
43:36you look familiar but you can't come in
43:37because I heard you tell my staff
43:40they're culturally insensitive
43:42because I left that part out of the
43:44story as he wouldn't let us in okay I
43:46said to him hey man you're really being
43:49culturally insensitive pushing me like
43:51this like forcing me out don't you guys
43:54go through diversity training or
43:55something like that
43:57and so he says and I heard you said
44:00we're culturally insensitive so you
44:02can't come in
44:03I said brother that's exactly what it
44:05means to be culturally insensitive
44:07you just proven my point man I said can
44:10I please talk to and I name the three
44:13superintendents and the assistant
44:15superintendent then I named this person
44:17at the top of the state and said I meet
44:19with them I know these people and I'm
44:21going to report this because this is
44:23unacceptable
44:24cannot do this to us even if we were
44:27just people off the street not here for
44:29the graduation we have a human right
44:31dignity that you have to treat us with
44:34my brother
44:35so he turns and he goes back inside okay
44:37it's one hour now in the cold
44:40have to go to the bathroom both of us
44:42okay
44:43and guess who walks out now now the
44:46president of Centralia College and the
44:49vice president of instruction because
44:51the graduation is over
44:53and we missed it
44:55and they're walking out and
44:57they look at me sitting out on the bench
45:01the supervisor who is a person of color
45:04she sees them because they're all coming
45:06out now
45:07she comes to me and she says
45:10hi
45:11do I know you
45:14I said sister it's Michael tooncat we
45:17just were on the zoom together on
45:19Thursday you know me and she pretended
45:21she didn't know me
45:23and her white co-worker I said my sister
45:26don't let this man make you feel the
45:28pressure that you can't be honest you
45:31know me I'm just here for the graduation
45:32look I have the gifts for the kids for
45:34the Youth
45:35she goes I'm sorry I can't let you in
45:37because of covet protocol I said why
45:39aren't y'all wearing a mask
45:41we go oh if we wear it once we go inside
45:43I said man this feels so inappropriate I
45:47can't believe that I'm here to volunteer
45:49and that I drove all this way to pay my
45:51respect to these young Brothers
45:53and you won't even let me come in to use
45:54the restroom then the president and the
45:57VP come out and guess what doctors I'll
46:00say her name because she's my mentor Dr
46:02Joyce Hammer says
46:04he
46:08that's Mikey what are you doing out here
46:11I said Dr Hammer I'm sorry I missed the
46:13graduation they wouldn't let me in
46:15she goes what do you mean they wouldn't
46:16let you in why wouldn't they let you in
46:18I said well Dr Hammer
46:20because I'm a brown man
46:23because I'm a man of color
46:26because racism Dr Hammer and the
46:28president goes well I'm sure that has
46:30nothing to do with it and I said Mr
46:32President do you have a PhD he goes yes
46:34I do
46:35I said Mr President just think
46:37critically sir why do you suppose I
46:38would not be allowed into this space I
46:41have the same kind of jacket you have
46:43he goes well I hope it's not because of
46:45race okay
46:47then the warden turned around went back
46:49inside
46:51and they never let me in
46:55and my people in closing
46:59we have to build more boats
47:04every city I serve
47:07from my Village of enigma
47:11to Tacoma Washington to Bellingham
47:14to the Tri-Cities to Pasco to Kennewick
47:17to Spokane to Oakland to continent
47:21every city I go young men of color
47:24are being hunted
47:28sometimes by one another
47:32in a state of post-traumatic stress
47:35disorder
47:36because they don't know that they come
47:39from something ancient and powerful and
47:43great a civilization of math and science
47:47and diaspora and pyramids
47:51philosophy the alphabet created by us
47:56our people
47:59and they've been called suspected
48:02gangsters
48:04since the moment they put on a herd
48:08when it rained
48:11and they simply tried to protect
48:13themselves from their brain
48:18and we must surely
48:21we can build more boats
48:23maybe there aren't enough seats on that
48:26boat
48:27so maybe we'll build more boats
48:30until we are all battling
48:34right direction
48:36in a good way
48:38till we all have whatever it is we hope
48:41we could be
48:43that job
48:46enough money for that meal to pay that
48:49bill that rent
48:51to buy those clothes for that bag
48:56that is the radical
48:58reimaginable
49:01that we compel you
49:04that Dr King compelled us
49:07to reimagine
49:09and why he said we cannot wait it's now
49:13we cannot wait it's now
49:31Patia
49:33Lua party
49:36is uh
49:41he hardly give
49:47I speaking
49:50in
49:58on now
50:22[Music]
50:26we want to present just a little token
50:28of our gratitude for all your love and
50:31for all that you do for all our people
50:35thank you
50:36[Applause]
50:43this is yours hey and don't judge me for
50:47doing the gender blue big thing it was
50:48they were in the same bag five or ten
50:50okay in fact you can keep the blue one
50:53let me decolonize but that's a better
50:54blanket so you got to get that one you
50:56know what I'm saying
50:58don't
50:59[Applause]
51:06and if you feel safe and if you're
51:08shutting it here go ahead and just give
51:10your friend some elbow be like it's okay
51:12girl we on the boat okay tell them we're
51:14all on the boat we're gonna be all right
51:17thank you so much
51:20[Applause]

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