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Sister Circle | Yusef Salaam of The Central Park Five Talks Journey From Trauma To Triumph | TVONE — Transcript

by Sister Circle TV · 3,295 words · 443 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00welcome back to sister circle life at 15
0:02years old in 1989 he along with four
0:05other black teenage boys was arrested
0:08accused of an incarcerated for raping a
0:11white woman while she was jogging in
0:12Central Park a crime they did not commit
0:15freed after nearly seven years behind
0:18bars he's used his trauma as a means to
0:20empower and advocate for young black men
0:23and women in the arena's of social
0:25justice reform political placement and
0:27education please welcome the brave the
0:30bold and the unapologetically black
0:33Yusef Salaam
0:36[Applause]
0:50such a pleasure came down to the circle
0:54today so let's jump right into it I mean
0:57how have you been able to manage the
1:00global response since the movie when
1:03they see us has come out and how are you
1:04navigating that now I would say gently I
1:08think that rising to the occasion that
1:11you realized that you were born on
1:13purpose yes and you're starting to
1:15realize that purpose you're starting to
1:16realize that you can add value to the
1:18world you can use your platform for the
1:20greater good yeah again talking about
1:23when they see us when you were
1:25approached about doing this movie what
1:27were your first thoughts what was the
1:28thing that came to your mind I was like
1:30yeah yeah you know cuz the thing about
1:33it is that we have done a documentary
1:35and the documentary gave us our voices
1:37back yeah and it was like okay what next
1:39and the best thing that we could do next
1:41was to actually have this wee portrayal
1:44of us whatever we did everything that
1:46happened we brought back to life and I
1:49think these young actors that took our
1:51stories you know I mean shoot Angelou
1:55Ellis just she portrayed my mom that was
1:58seeing that would there were times where
1:59I was on set and I would see her and she
2:02would just get into character and I was
2:03like holy shucks that's my mom right
2:05right and it was so beautiful to see
2:06that that strength that power that thing
2:09that I keep telling folks about you know
2:10she's my rock and my you know she's been
2:12in she's been in my corner
2:13yes since they won yeah absolutely you
2:16know I know because you have to relive
2:19so much of this with with the with the
2:21movie in the documentary and your life's
2:23work but how you're saying and I had to
2:25go through those things because it's my
2:26purpose but when you look back sometimes
2:29when you were sitting in that jail cell
2:31do you ever go back to any of those
2:32times and if you do where what what was
2:35that like or what is it like to relive
2:37some of that so I remember it all and
2:38when I look back I can see the path but
2:41when you're going through it you can the
2:43only thing that you have to do is you
2:45have to keep on walking they said when
2:46you're walking through he'll keep on
2:47walking and if you don't do that if you
2:49give up then you not only does your body
2:52become in bondage but also your mind and
2:55you need to keep your mind free so that
2:57you can do what you need to do but when
2:59did you know you had this type of
3:01strength yes Wow
3:03I found out that we were all born with
3:06it and I found out that in those quiet
3:08times I would hear my grandmother I
3:10would hear my mother I would hear every
3:11elder that was talking to me before I
3:13would hear their advice my grandmother
3:15would say things like be still and
3:16listen and to be able to really digest
3:19that it became apparent wow this is this
3:23is there's this it looks like magic it
3:25looks like luck but really it's laboring
3:29under correct knowledge
3:30it's utilizing these skills these things
3:32that you've been given to really turn
3:34lemons into lemonade we recently had
3:39Brian banks here at the show and I have
3:42to ask this as young black innocent boys
3:47in jail how do you how do you hold on to
3:51hope in a hopeless situation how do you
3:55how do you maintain a positive psyche in
3:58a moment like that you have to think
4:00about yourself as your past present
4:02future self you have to project yourself
4:04into your own future so that you know
4:06that as you
4:07soli sees that you will one day reap
4:09that you know I mean I think about
4:11Nipsey Hussle all the time and I say man
4:13has a young man who was sowing seeds of
4:15trees that he would never sit in the
4:17shade of oh my god but as we begin to
4:19think about ourselves in our future
4:21selves it makes sense because instead of
4:23saying Yolo and live in a reckless life
4:25live in a careless life
4:27we live a life on purpose we live a life
4:29of value and we live a life that we know
4:31that one day we'll be able to achieve
4:32this our children's children's children
4:35will be able to reap the benefits of
4:37everything that we're doing right now I
4:38think that's the most important thing
4:40yes and I think your children are doing
4:41the same thing and as a father how are
4:44you able to still do your life's work
4:46but still shield them and protect them
4:48from what this world is like and allow
4:51them to experience it at the same time
4:52so I tell my children all the time I
4:56have seven girls and three boys face and
4:59I tell them all the time since there
5:00were babies stay on point yeah you know
5:03and they get it they understand it more
5:07then I would have helped and you know
5:10it's this is the the difficulty is to
5:14shut off the story because if they're
5:20running around in the backyard I'll
5:22catch myself and say oh no everything is
5:24safe they're good they're in my backyard
5:25yeah you know I can hear the cars coming
5:27coming down the cul-de-sac because we
5:30live in you know a quiet area and things
5:32like that so it's a lot safer yeah but
5:34when I'm home I like to kick my feet up
5:35and be fine daddy you know BB I kind of
5:39turned it off a bit yeah and then when I
5:40get back out in the world I'm healed
5:42because I know what I'm doing it for you
5:45know my children not only for them but
5:48realizing that they have to live in the
5:50world of a thought like Donald Trump you
5:55know well let's talk about your advocacy
5:57let's talk about your organization's
5:58Yusef speaks yes I have two young black
6:02men that I'm still raising they're
6:03they're in their 20s like I'm still
6:05raising and you have to teach them every
6:07day especially in the world we live in
6:08what do you say to these young men and
6:11women through your organization I think
6:15I think a lot of it is encouraging them
6:18to believe in themselves you know when I
6:20was in prison about six months in
6:21somebody asked me who was I and I wrote
6:23it in my book of poetry and that
6:26question the answer to that question was
6:29searching to find who has come a
6:31beautiful soul a powerful one and it's
6:33the realization and understanding that
6:35God created us and God took something of
6:38himself and placed it inside of us and
6:40so our quest is to figure out who are we
6:42and then once we find out who we are we
6:46can live in that purpose but we have to
6:47know that we were one of over 400
6:50million options when our parents got
6:52together and we made it we swim the
6:53fastest so therefore we were born on
6:55purpose and with a purpose and once we
6:58understand that we can believe in
6:59ourselves we can we can turn off all of
7:01the negative voices that are out there
7:05telling us that we're not worth anything
7:07therefore we produce worthlessness but
7:09we're worth everything especially young
7:11people they're the ones that are going
7:12to be the future movies and shakers of
7:14tomorrow we've got more with Central
7:19Park 5 soldier and survivor Yusef Salaam
7:22and the rest of the sisters are also
7:23gonna join us with the conversation so
7:25please stay with us you don't want to
7:26miss that yes you go oh circle I does
7:30promise activist philanthropist and
7:32history maker Yusef Salaam is back with
7:34us along with our sister Selena and quad
7:35joining the conversation - Miska you are
7:38going to kick things off yeah I'm happy
7:39that you're here with us it really is
7:45we're gonna talk about the state of our
7:47country today 24 hours within 24 hours
7:50there were two massive shootings now El
7:52Paso Texas and then also Dayton Ohio
7:55what are your thoughts on how far gun
7:59control has come okay and then also how
8:04imminent hate crimes are you know Donald
8:09Trump being the head of this country I
8:12think says a lot it's not that him he
8:14himself is the problem but the thoughts
8:16that he continues to put out there in
8:19the world allows people to think that
8:20it's okay and so black bodies are then
8:23less valued you know when the police
8:25come after us they come after us as if
8:27they're slave catchers they do and we
8:29look at the holes the landscape of
8:31everything and it becomes very apparent
8:33that you know we live in two very
8:35different Americas one way you're
8:37afforded every option under the law and
8:41the other way you're not giving any of
8:43those rights you know and I think that
8:45that's a real big problem especially as
8:47we look at some of these manifestos that
8:50have
8:51merged as these killings have happened
8:53you know and I think about that but I
8:55also couple it and tied it and tie it
8:57into what happened in that church with
9:00that young man Dylan roof went in and
9:02shot all of those parishioners and they
9:06arrested him they arrested him I didn't
9:08said he killed him they arrested me they
9:10captured him alive yeah and then then he
9:13took him to dinner before they sent him
9:15to prison
9:16you know and I think that when we look
9:18at what's happening in America you could
9:20be a young Tamir rice and police won't
9:22even ask a question but when they see
9:23you with a what they think is a gun they
9:25just drive up and shoot you down you
9:28know Mike Brown you know and you know
9:32you said that the list goes on and on
9:34Eric Gardner Sandra bland Trayvon Martin
9:38you know kalief Browder for lendo
9:40Castillo when we sit and reflect on the
9:46killings of our young african-american
9:49people what comes to mind you know I
9:52know for me personally there's a
9:55hopelessness that happens what stirs in
9:58your heart when you think of these legs
10:01and I call them swing yes exactly these
10:04murders so so what comes to my mind
10:06immediately is they want us to live in
10:08fear and fear if we understand it as an
10:12acronym is false evidence appearing real
10:14yes and so as we begin to understand
10:16that we have to live full as my friend
10:18Les Brown says and I empty we can't live
10:21annex permission to live we were here
10:22and we were born on purposes it so
10:24therefore we have to be able to just say
10:25you know what I want to give it all I
10:28wanna I don't I don't want to
10:30necessarily look at all of the rocks
10:31that are being thrown at us which is the
10:34murderers these systemic racism the
10:37white supremacy white male dominance all
10:38of these you know isms and destructive
10:41things that are constantly forcing us to
10:44hide and duck for cover we gotta say no
10:47yeah you know what I'm saying we have to
10:49be able to boldly put our shoulders to
10:52the grind and press forward because we
10:54are about maybe 50 plus years after the
10:58assassination of dr. Martin Luther King
10:59and
11:00Malcolm X and we're still dealing with a
11:03lot of those things but I say that
11:04because with we we are the opportunity
11:08is that we're still in a young timeline
11:11we haven't this is not like eons we are
11:14literally about to Chum ship things into
11:17the right perspective change things I
11:20felt like when you look at the Central
11:22Park jogger case we went through
11:24everything that we went through because
11:25just as we were formed in our mothers
11:27stomachs we were formed in the belly of
11:29the beast in order to attack the system
11:32as it appears today we're still going
11:35through civil rights I know a lot of
11:36people say the civil rights is still not
11:38I mean it's the movement is still moving
11:40yes I think civil rights Human Rights
11:42all of the rights that we look for you
11:45know we hope that we have freedom
11:46justice and equality but the reality is
11:48that two people who have always seen
11:52themselves in their privileged equality
11:57looks like Oh pressure there's something
12:01we have to truly understand from that
12:02perspective it's a vantage point it's a
12:04thing where oh my god
12:05the beautiful thing is that our the the
12:08world that we live in right now this
12:10kaleidoscope of the family that
12:12represents the human family the children
12:15of former slaves and the children of
12:17former slave owners one a different
12:18tomorrow it's just like good cop bad cop
12:21there are a whole lot of good cops but
12:25the spotlight is continuously shown on
12:27the bad cops just like there are a whole
12:29lot of good people but the spotlight is
12:31continuously shown on the evil yes and
12:33they need us they need us in order to
12:36participate but we have to refuse you
12:40talk about evil people and there are a
12:42lot of evil people who wrote letters to
12:43you while you were in jail and you
12:46decided to not throw them away because
12:48of their vitriol and you know just the
12:52hate you save some yes why and this one
12:56in particular because you said it talked
12:58about time this one this one in
13:00particular because this this empowers me
13:04to remember
13:05what we are up against I can hide in
13:10plain sight
13:10or I could jump in and jumping in
13:14doesn't necessarily mean that I take a
13:15gun and I shoot white people but what
13:17that does mean is that I teach and train
13:19the future generations that we have to
13:22think about ourselves as a present as
13:25our past future as a past future present
13:28self and I'm saying as we merge those
13:32realities here we are right now what
13:34were we and what do we want to become
13:36you know and so I look at this and I say
13:38to myself this right here wanted me to
13:40duck for cover this letter is telling me
13:42that 20 to 30 years from now some people
13:45would never forget and maybe the one
13:46time that I don't check my back is the
13:48one time that somebody might just be
13:49there to say hello but the reality is
13:52this that right there was a whisper into
13:55the darker enclaves of society after
13:57Donald Trump said bring back the death
13:59penalty being bring back all police we
14:01hadn't even going to trial yet we were
14:04already being judged in the court of
14:06public opinion and so if you think about
14:09what they could have done we could have
14:11become modern-day Emmett tales they may
14:13be somebody to come into our homes to
14:15drag us from our beds to beat us to
14:18death shoot us in the head as they did
14:19him entire khanjan around our necks
14:21but as they wrote in the papers Pat
14:23Buchanan's kind of seized on that moment
14:25as he just went a step further
14:27he went full-on racist yeah and what he
14:30said was we should take the eldest one
14:33Corey wives and hang him from a tree in
14:36Central Park
14:37we should take the others and horse with
14:39them oh my god mind you die oxy
14:43ribonucleic acid free dose they found
14:46out we didn't do it because of this
14:47thing called DNA that fingerprint that
14:50is individual to each and every one of
14:52us
14:52they found that we didn't do it because
14:54of that and when they reject all of
14:57their evidence my god do you forgive
15:00those people do you forgive the
15:02prosecutor
15:05that's a good question it is that's so
15:08my good friend my brother Cory wise he
15:12says you can forgive but you must not
15:14forget and the reality of the matter is
15:17that what I want us to understand as a
15:20society these folks built their careers
15:23off of our backs these folks were able
15:25to live lavish lives because of the
15:28trauma that they put us through you see
15:31what I'm saying and so it's important to
15:33look at it from that vantage point that
15:34we want good prosecutors we want good
15:37police office we want good everything
15:39but the reality is that we keep having
15:41people who are overstepping the bounds
15:44of the law in all black bodies are the
15:47ones that are collateral damage you know
15:51you have this book and you talk about it
15:54briefly yes these books actually I've
15:56got a cover for each of you
15:59these books were poems that I wrote
16:02while I was in prison some of which I
16:05never edited they just came to me and I
16:07wrote it down
16:07and I said wow what am I gonna do with
16:09this one of the most famous poems in
16:11here is the poem that I said when I got
16:15sentenced that my sentencing they said
16:17do you have anything to say before we
16:18sentence you and I stood up and I said
16:20this rhyme you know back then it was
16:22always a message in the music and all
16:24the music in the message and so that was
16:25my medium of communication and I said
16:28this rhyme that not only talked about my
16:31case but it also drew into the courtroom
16:33what happened to the young use of
16:36Hawkins you know who was murdered
16:38because of racism that Rahm was called I
16:41stand accused the very next day the New
16:44York Post had a photo of my Ryan on the
16:47front page in the headline said Salaam
16:51baloney you know and you know like I
16:55said in here are motivational things
16:58things that I want people to understand
16:59like we have the power to win you know I
17:02quoted Assata Shakur and I kind of put
17:04my own twist on it that we have to love
17:06each other and respect each other we
17:08have nothing to lose but our chains but
17:11we have to understand that they want us
17:12to live in a world of fear they want us
17:14to live in a world
17:15of hopelessness they want us to not be
17:17prepared they want us to forget that
17:20they have thought about this thing that
17:23has gone on into our lifetimes where
17:28they still have their foot on our necks
17:30you said thank you so much for being
17:34here sharing the message and living a
17:37purpose
17:38we appreciate you know we celebrate your
17:40resilience your amazing work my god if
17:42you want more information about his
17:44story and his advocacy work please visit
17:46Yousef speaks com

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This page contains the full transcript of Sister Circle | Yusef Salaam of The Central Park Five Talks Journey From Trauma To Triumph | TVONE by Sister Circle TV, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 3,295 words across 443 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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