- 2 days ago
From the latest headlines to pressing world events, our panelists offer fresh insights, empowering the next generation of activists to engage and shape the world around them.
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00:00Thank you, thank you, thank you for inviting me out today, I'm so excited to be here.
00:18I am sitting across the Yolanda Renee chain and I have to say I feel like I'm sitting
00:23in two hours as a royalty, like what has it been like for you, I don't know, just moving
00:30about in the world as a descendant of Dr. King, but also what did that mean for your journey
00:34into politics?
00:37Well, I would say that for my whole life I kind of took, I guess, my family and what I
00:43came for granted, and my mom and my dad as well made sure to kind of educate me on our
00:51family history, and they made sure to enrich me, and just kind of just make sure that
00:58I understand where I came from, and I think I always thought, oh, well, my grandfather is
01:04a great guy, yes he did, but like I didn't really understand, I think it wasn't until
01:09I was nine that I really began to understand the significance, like it wasn't just words
01:14that I really understood the sacrifice, and the reason why we're here, all of us, we're
01:20here where we are today, because of their sacrifices, and because of their bravery, and their courage.
01:27So what is it, how have you decided to take up the faith? I'm not saying that you need to
01:32be taken within the success of using your father, but like what, who is your mom doing?
01:39Well, I just want to say, my parents never put any of this on me, and they never forced me
01:45to be involved in these issues. It was something that I kind of, I think, found myself. I think
01:52it helped that I saw the work at home, and I really saw what was going on, and it was always
01:57a conversation at dinner, what we were doing, what's going on in the world, and so I always
02:03knew what was going on. I always knew what was happening in the news, and whatnot, but then
02:08also, they kind of told me, my mom kind of told me, Yolanda, you don't have to go into
02:13this world, you don't, you don't have to be your grandparents, you don't have to be, you
02:18are your own person, and so, and it would always ask, like, are you sure when I decided, are
02:24you sure that you want to do this? And so then a part of me, it's almost like, I'm just too,
02:29like, like, kind of like when a child, like when a parent tells a child, oh, don't go by the
02:34fire, because, like, what happens if I, if I go? Like, what, I was like, because my parents
02:39think they don't get involved, but they're like, you don't have to be involved, and so
02:42part of me was like, well, what happened if I got involved? Um, so it was like, almost
02:47like a reverse psychology thing, um, but really just, I think, seeing the issues up front, and
02:52really just that general, like, curiosity, like, I just always had curiosity in me, and I think
02:58that I'm so lucky that I was able to see these issues up close, because I was able to see
03:02these issues up close, and to see the work, and to really, or be exposed to all different
03:07communities. Definitely, and at a young age, you're Gen Z, I'm a woman, but I feel like
03:14our voices, young voices in general, are typically the leading voices in all movements for freedom,
03:19and right now, we're seeing a lot taking place in the political stratosphere, the global stratosphere,
03:24people here in the United States are becoming more and more global citizens, so what do you
03:29think is the impact of young voices in today's stratosphere? Well, I think that with social
03:38media, and with the presence of social media, that's really been one of the greatest things
03:43to happen to us. I mean, obviously, there's a lot of controversial things about it, and about
03:50using the apps, but then also being able to communicate with people. I mean, I, because of social media,
03:57I'm able to connect with people from all over the world, just like in a, just instantly, and also
04:04being able to have a stage and a platform where you can really talk about the issues that you're
04:10concerned about, and so I really think that with the presence of social media, and with these apps,
04:16and if you look at a lot of movements, a lot of movements now, they've been, really, they've been
04:21operated through social media, and so that's been a very, that's played a very pivotal role, and it's
04:27really helped us to be able to reach more people, and to be able to make an impact.
04:33Okay. I get that. I completely agree. That's why I started my platform and doing what I'm doing,
04:38and we just had a brief conversation backstage. She asked me, have I, was I doing art and performance
04:43first, or activism first, and I said, I feel like art first, but not realizing that a lot of what I was
04:48doing was activism. It was maybe a year or two into doing parking lot pimping that I realized that as
04:55much as I did not like politics, everything white people do is political. Everything we do is a form of
05:00resistance, and harnessing that, I think, is the most useful tool that we can exercise in climates like
05:08these, but you have a track record for having the information, and giving the people the things
05:13they need to know, and I think we appreciate that. We've got a couple of subjects here that we think
05:18really pertains to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, but definitely want to hear your perspective on those. Is that
05:23okay? All right, so first on the docket, can you guess? It's Project 2025. Okay. It's been, it was floating
05:33around almost like a conspiracy theory at the top of the year, but as people are getting more and more
05:38exposed to it during their reading, it has become very real, and it is a threat to our rights as
05:45humans, women, everybody. What do you think are some of the specific policies that will affect us?
05:53Well, I have so much to say about this. Okay. I could go, I could go on and on about this, and, and how much
05:59of a setback it is, and so are you saying, wait, so the question is, how do you think it will set us
06:05back? Well, that can be an answer. I'm asking kind of what policies within it you think will affect us,
06:10but we can talk about it at large. I mean, well, overall, if, if you look through the document,
06:15there's so many things that they kind of cover on and, and talk about, and I really do think that it's,
06:21it's going to set us back. It's going to cause a lot of obstacles and, and division, and it really,
06:28if you look back at it, it's coming, it's almost a pushback, and so I say that to say that in 2020,
06:36with the rise of BLM, and after George Floyd, we really saw people coming to the streets and
06:42protesting, and even talking about voting rights, and so it seems like for the past two years after
06:49that, there's been pushback, and so Project 2025, along with the, with the acts that restrict voting
06:56rights, it's, it's really all an attempt to set us back, and to, and, and, and I think that we need
07:04to find a way to challenge it. I mean, I think the first thing to do is to, if you are old enough to go
07:10out and vote, I can't vote, um, myself, but I think just really, and if you're in a similar position
07:16with me, just encourage people to go out and vote. Encourage your, your cousins, or a lot of kids my age
07:22have an older sibling, so just encourage your sibling to go out and vote, and I think that there
07:28are, and, and even not just, um, the federal elections, but also more local elections, because
07:33I think that there are so many people and politicians who have ideas worth listening to. We just have to,
07:39um, come out and support that, and I think that really, like, the vote, and, and specifically, I think
07:45also the black women voting, we did it last time for the last election, I think that we can really
07:50do it again, and, and, and save, and, and save our country, and, and really the world from this
07:56Project 2025, because it's just going to create more division and, and chaos.
08:02Can I, can I piggyback off of you for a second about Project 2025? Something that I've been bringing
08:07up in a lot of interviews I've been doing lately, because you mentioned that this will set us back,
08:11there's been a lot of pushback in the last couple of years. I've been mentioning, um, Dr.
08:16Ibram Kendi's book, Stand From the Beginning. There was also a documentary on Netflix,
08:20that I was in. I didn't mean to plug myself, but I was in the documentary, but in the book,
08:25the opening of the book, the book was released, I want to say the year, Donald Trump's first year
08:32in office, and the way books happen is typically they're written before, and he basically made a lot
08:38of predictions in that, and he mentioned that with Donald Trump running for president, that this
08:45was just another illustration of the ebb and flow of progress that happens for black Americans,
08:50and so when we say there's pushback, pushback happens in pockets, but it's just like an ever,
08:57it feels like an everlasting flow, you know, when we were, when we were, um, I want to say not
09:03delivered, Jesus, but when we were emancipated from slavery, there was a pushback of Jim Crow.
09:09When Obama was president, there was the pushback of Trump, and there, there are definitely like
09:14little ripples in between time, but that pushback is almost inevitable because of the racist roots
09:19of this country, and so I just want people to ensure or make sure that people understand that
09:24Project 2025 isn't just a new thing. It's actually been in the work for some years, but one, this
09:30particular project isn't going away, but it is also an indicator that there is growing,
09:36there is growing resistance to our resistance that exists. Like, we became aware of this
09:42right up into the election year, because I think that's also something we have to hold ourselves
09:46accountable for. It's not about what we did in the last election. It's not about what we can do this
09:50election, particularly when we're talking about presidential election is what we do in between
09:54time, because some people ain't resting. Some people aren't waiting until your election year to
10:00start making a fuss, and it may seem like that, but once we get here, we often get in these positions
10:05where we feel like, oh, no one's listening to us, and this is just a result of the people not doing
10:10what they say they're going to do, but we have to be involved in every single election.
10:14Can I say something really? Absolutely. Two other things about that? Well, I think that,
10:19and going back to the social media thing and bouncing off what you said, without social media,
10:24I don't think we would not have been able to see this Project 2025. It would not have gotten as viral,
10:29so imagine going through the elections without knowing about this, and so I think that really
10:37that causes a lot of action to be done, and so connecting that, seeing that a lot of times with
10:43this, with Project 2025, and any sort of pushback that really is almost, even though the pushback can
10:50be very, very ugly, very horrible, and can show the worst of our country, I think that through that
10:57pushback, it's almost feedback in a way, because it shows us what we need to work on, what we need
11:01to do, and what's next for us. It really shows us, like, the state of our country right now,
11:07and so if it weren't for social media, and even Project 2025, and even Donald Trump being in office,
11:13I mean, he brought up all the prejudices that are still in our country, and all the racism and
11:20discrimination that's still very present in our country, and a lot of times, I mean, people can see
11:25that without, I guess, him being in office, or without Project 2025, but it really shows to the
11:30world, and maybe those who are living in bubbles, what, like, the true state of this country.
11:36Amen. Thank you so much for bringing that into the conversation. I do want to switch gears a little
11:41bit here to talk about something else that I think has been affecting maybe even some of you guys'
11:46family in this room, climate change. Yeah, so a couple of weeks ago, Hurricane Helene came through
11:54and busted up Florida, the southern Georgia border, and now Hurricane Milton has come and
12:00created devastating effects, so climate change is real, as we're seeing evidence of, and we see how
12:05it affects us all, so how do we address it? How do we ensure that marginalized communities
12:09aren't harmed in the process, or we mitigate that harm in as much as possible?
12:14Well, first of all, all these issues are, all of them are connected.
12:17I think whether we're talking about gender equality, LGBTQIA+, race, class, and climate change,
12:28they all are connected, as we see. I mean, because of the hurricanes, I mean, there are people without
12:34homes, there are people who have lost everything, and who have to really start from the beginning.
12:40I mean, I saw this thing the other day where it was, it was a friend of one of my friends,
12:44but basically the family, I believe they were either in Florida, or in, but they were somewhere
12:49that, where Helene had impacted them, and that family didn't have a house anymore, and so they
12:55were, like, had to set up a GoFundMe, and to, I guess, get the house rebuilt, and to really start
13:01over again. I mean, people have, people have lost a lot because of this, and the reason why we're seeing
13:06a rise in all the hurricanes is because of, is because of climate change. I mean, climate change, like you
13:10said, definitely exists, and for, because there are a lot of people who are like, oh, that doesn't
13:15exist, oh, there's no impact, but this is evidence of how it impacts us, because a lot of times, I
13:20think, because we're thinking that it's climate change, it doesn't have an impact on us, it's just
13:25like, the climate around us, but clearly, it, I mean, we live in this climate, we rely on this climate,
13:31this, this climate, this earth is what provides for us, and so if we don't have, if we don't even have an
13:37earth, then we can't even solve the other issues. I mean, if we don't even have, like, a space,
13:41and everything's destroyed in that space, then how are we going to, how are we going to solve and,
13:48and work on the other issues, and so I think that climate change is so important, and I think that,
13:53I hope that, I mean, again, unfortunately, with the hurricanes, going back to, I think, certain things
14:00happening, because people need to see that that thing exists, and the state that our country is in,
14:06and it could be with social issues, but also with issues as well, like climate change, because,
14:11I guess, seeing this, I mean, seeing this, because everyone is, like, well, how are, I mean, the other
14:16day with all the tornadoes, I think they counted 16, or they found 16 tornadoes, and once, that's,
14:24that's not normal, and I think it's a, it's a record broken, and that hasn't happened, and so you have to
14:29start to think, well, what's causing that, and, and the only thing that you can really conclude to is
14:34climate change, that, and that shows that climate change exists, and has impacted us, and it's
14:40starting to, at first, I think climate change has been around for a very long time, and we've been
14:45warned about it for over a hundred years, but now we're starting to see it emerge in our lives, and
14:51how it's, and how it's affected our lives, and so it's unfortunate that people have had to lose
14:57everything, and that we've had to go to this, this far for people to see, but then I hope also that
15:03through that, so that we don't have to go to it, or be in an even worse position, because we can be
15:08in an even worse place right now, and so I hope that, that really encourages people to find ways to
15:15support the climate, and to really see that this is an issue. Yeah, um, climate change is scary.
15:24Yes. If you take it seriously, it is scary, because I think what we're seeing, what, what, exactly what
15:29you're explaining, is that climate change could, used to be this very distant thing to us, that we
15:38would think wouldn't affect our generations, or especially Gen Alpha would think that, oh, this
15:44isn't going to affect me, and probably not my grandchildren, but we're experiencing the effects
15:48of it today, and we can think of each day as just getting started, based on where climate change can
15:54go, if we can continue to heat up the earth. Um, I see a lot of young faces in the crowd, but I do have
15:59to ask, have y'all seen this movie, um, Day After Tomorrow? If you have not seen it, go look in your
16:05streaming services and watch it, and I remember people laughing at that movie, saying, oh, New York would
16:10never flood, or this would never happen, and New York has flooded since. You know, places in Atlanta
16:15have flooded since. During Hurricane Helene, I saw different photos in different areas of the city of Atlanta
16:19where houses were completely submerged underwater, so we're literally seeing it happen now, and it can only
16:25get worse, and that's why we need people. We need people at various levels in government to be working
16:30towards this, but I mention that because I live in Midtown now. I'm about to move. It's too expensive. I live in
16:37Midtown now, and I am about to move, like I said, but we, when there was a water main break in Midtown, when this
16:45recent flooding happened due to Hurricane Helene, we were not affected, and that is because of the
16:50geography, the geographical landscape. That is also because of racialized segregation where certain
16:56neighborhoods were affected, and so when we think about marginalized communities being affected most
16:59by climate change, that's exactly how Hurricane Katrina happened. Yes. So when I say it's not just
17:04about voting for the president, you need to know who in your local government is making decisions about
17:09urban development, who is making decisions about what's going to protect your community specifically,
17:13so that's why we say vote down. That's why we say it's not just about the big ends. It's about being
17:19involved every day, every election in between, and it sounds like good talking points, and I feel like
17:24we're at a space now where we're understanding how necessary that type of deeply entrenched and
17:30ingrained focus is when it comes to exercising our right to vote, but that is how we push back. That is
17:35how we fight back. We cannot wait. We cannot wait on some of these politicians. We cannot wait on some of
17:40these big companies to reduce their carbon footprint, especially when they're paying
17:43certain politicians to make them allow to increase their carbon footprints, so I don't know. If I get
17:50an opportunity in this conversation every time, I'm going to draw back to the fact that you need to be
17:54voting in every election. So next up, I have a lot of women in the room. This is Girls GU. Let's talk about
18:00reproductive rights. Reproductive health for women. It has become paramount in discussions as of late,
18:07particularly with the rollback on Roe v. Wade, particularly with the rollback in different
18:11states on their abortion laws. Here in Georgia, we did have a federal judge just overturned that six-week
18:17ban. They ruled it unconstitutional, but that is not the end of it. It is a constant fight, so can you
18:23talk to us about these restrictive abortion laws and what we can do to make sense of it all?
18:30I mean, and as we're talking about each issue, I mean, really it's showing that, I mean, whether that
18:36be climate change or even with reproductive rights, there really has been a pushback. I mean, even
18:41if we're talking about affirmative action being overturned by the Supreme Court, but I think, well,
18:48there's a big impact. I mean, all of this has an impact, and it really impacts people or young
18:56girls and women who are specifically that, specifically, I guess, the young girls or high
19:04school age and young women, and so that really impacts a lot of people, and it's a whole thing.
19:09I mean, and my mom talks about this all the time, but I was born in 2008, and with all the recent
19:16pushback, with all the laws that have been passed, and I have less rights now than when I was born in
19:242008, that just shows how, that shows how far back that we've gone with everything, and so it seems that
19:33in a place where we're always trying to, I mean, think about it like a building, and a building that's been
19:39around for a long time, you're always trying to maintain the building, you're always trying to add
19:43the renovations to it, and add new things to it, and expand the building, but it seems like
19:48with all these laws, and then even with the, with the new reproductive rights being more restrictive,
19:56it seems like we're restricting the building. It doesn't seem like we're expanding the building,
20:01and, and if, and if we're always trying to expand this country, politicians are like, what can I do
20:06better, or here's my plan to improve this, and the point is about improvement. I don't see any
20:11improvement. I mean, even with girls my age, and, and if you're born in 2008, and, and probably even
20:172007, I mean, you were born with, you were born with more rights than you have now, and, and so that
20:24just says a lot, and because we should be expanding. I mean, everything is all about expansion. Every day,
20:30when, when you think about the universe, and in science, um, you, you're taught that the universe is
20:36expanding every day with new plans, and so everything is all about expansion. This country
20:41should be about expansion, and, and this idea of being able to expand, but it seems like we've just
20:49overall, we've gone backwards, and, and so I think that, again, going to what you said, and a lot of
20:57people may be tired of hearing this, but we really have to vote. I mean, that's, and, and even that, I mean,
21:02they're trying to make that harder as well. I mean, and, and why do you think that is the case?
21:08Because the vote, the vote is powerful. It, it really is powerful, and so we must use that. Even
21:15now, if you feel like you don't have a lot of power, I mean, that's, voting is a lot of power, and so you
21:20must use that one power to make an impact. I think that's the first thing that we can do, and if you
21:25can't vote, encourage the people around you to vote, because this, like, these issues aren't going to just
21:30go away, like, and a lot of people, I think, feel like, oh, we can, like, it's not going to be an
21:36issue for me, or they can kind of live in a bubble until they see how it affects them personally,
21:42or someone close to them personally, and, and, and then, and then they want to, I guess, go out and
21:47do something, but then it's too late, and so I think that we really, I mean, and I, and again, we've, we've said
21:53this a lot in this conversation, because election season is here, and so if you can, and, and you're
22:00old enough, please go out and vote, I mean, just for the sake of people my age, because we want a
22:05better world, and we, and, and, and it just feels, like, really, like, every day, like, something else
22:10is being stripped away, so please, please, please come, please go out, and, and vote, just, and, and do it
22:17for, even if you don't understand why you're doing it, do it for your kids, your family, or your little
22:22cousins, or your little siblings, because we really want a better world, and we really don't want to be
22:27going through this, and again, these problems are going to be growing, so I think that's my, my biggest
22:33message overall for all these issues, especially now, more than ever, in the election season.
22:40And I, I would just piggyback on that to say, do it for yourself, I mean, yes, please do it for the
22:46people who come after us, but a lot of what we're experiencing is affecting us right now, today,
22:52so, while yes, the motivation to make a better future should, I don't know, like, that's, that
22:58what, that's what makes an altruistic being, but in reality, I need y'all to also be voting for
23:05yourselves, voting for your own right to have power, you know, I just started a non-profit organization,
23:10it's called Good People, we have two different wings, but one of the reasons that I wanted to
23:15start it, I used to be a high school teacher, U.S. history teacher, and we would have to discuss
23:19social contract theory, and John Locke's social contract theory, for which this country was
23:24built upon, states that the people should provide power, or the people should give power to the
23:30government, but only if the government, in turn, protects the people, and we've lost the plot.
23:35And granted, we was never in the plot, so that's why we've lost it, but that's what, that is a message
23:43that I'm impressing upon people, because sometimes it's not enough to ask somebody to vote for their
23:47neighbor, but if you can vote for yourself, and sometimes it's not enough for people to just
23:52understand that they should just engage in this election, because it's so dire, they're all dire,
23:57that's not a lie, we will probably continue to say it every four years, because it is the truth,
24:01we have been set back 400 years, we have catch-up to do, and it's not going to happen overnight,
24:07and so you voting is not just for your young ones that are going to be skittering around whatever
24:13this earth looks like in the coming years, it's for what your day-to-day looks like.
24:18We only have a little bit of time, but I did want to make sure that we talked about mental health,
24:22because election season can also be weighing on a lot of people, especially this particular
24:27election cycle, it's something new, it's something different every day, something meant to stress
24:30you out, something meant to rage bait you, some new information that you're trying to understand
24:34if this is real or not, so what do you think, do you have any practices, one, to preserve your own
24:42mental health, and then as far as mental health services, how can we, in what ways can mental
24:47health services improve to support us? Well, I just want to acknowledge at first that before going
24:55into the ways and the things that we can do, that this is draining, all this is draining, talking about
25:01these issues can be draining, constantly looking on the news can be draining, and just really, this can
25:07all be draining, and I remember in middle school, I was very lucky to take classes, which really
25:14educated us on these topics, and a lot of times, I would come home very emotionally drained, I mean,
25:19it was like very heavy information, and so I had to find ways to kind of, I guess, you have to find ways,
25:26and if you decide to go into this work very, and you're frequently doing this work, you have to
25:32find ways to reconnect, and be able to connect back again, and so I think a lot of times, finding
25:39some sort of escapism, watching something funny, or just doing stuff that you enjoy, and obviously,
25:47overall, mental health is really, and that's also been on the rise, and so I think that it's great that
25:53we're talking about it more, because I've talked about it with family, and my parents, and they were
26:00like, look, when we were your age, this wasn't really like a topic, this wasn't really an option,
26:06we didn't really talk about this as much, and so I really think that, and one of the good things that
26:12the pandemic did is really, we've been able to focus more on mental health, and so I think it's so
26:18important that you create your own, you create your own kind of environment, and I think that we all
26:27have the ability to build our own environment, we can decide the people we want to be around, and
26:34the activities that we can do, and the things that make us happy, and so being able to, yes, go and work
26:40and battle, and train, and whatnot, but then also make sure that you create an environment that's
26:47ideal to you, make sure that you surround yourself by people that you want to be with, put yourself in
26:52issues, or finally start that passion project outside of, and it can be something outside of
26:58activism, but just, and also service, I mean, I think, I believe that there are studies have shown that
27:04engaging in service has, is, it's proven that your mental health increases just by, just by helping
27:13someone, and so making sure that you're doing service and action projects, or, and, and that sort
27:20of work, because that's also very fulfilling, and if, if there is something, or if you, if there's
27:26something that, I guess, has been bothering you, making sure to talk, I think that, for me, I'm very
27:32lucky in that, when something is wrong, I'm able to kind of, I can't hold it in, and I know that for
27:38some people, they have to hold it in, and so finding a way, finding that person to talk to, or a trusted
27:44adult, or even a professional, I think it's so important, I don't think that you should just be
27:48able to hold it in, and really, if you create that environment, and, and really surround yourself by the
27:55people that you love, and you value, and you want to be around with, then if there's something, if there's
28:00something wrong, if there's something bothering you, then you'll be able to talk about it, and
28:05hopefully have their support, I think it's so important to have a support system, so that when
28:10you need to, because there may be times, even if, if you aren't, like, depressed, or, or anxious, there
28:16may be times where you feel those feelings, and so it's important that you have kind of a mattress to
28:22fall back on, and so I think that your support unit really does that, and just making sure, like, doing,
28:28just, just making sure, just putting time into yourself. For sure. That's the biggest thing.
28:33And I would like to, I think you said it, but I just want to draw out the point that self-care
28:38is a communal responsibility, y'all. We got to make sure one another is taking care of, we got to make
28:45sure that we, one another is also taking care of themselves, and, you know, we cannot put the
28:50pressure on one another that I think is, has been baked into our community that we must perform at all
28:57times, that we must be on goal at all times, that we must be resisting at all times, because rest is
29:01also resistance, and I didn't say that it's actually a book, and the author also has these
29:06beautiful, like, rest deck cards that you can put into your daily routine to remind yourself
29:10to take time for yourself, to remind yourself to not exert all of your energy for somebody else and
29:14for other efforts that do not pour into you. One of my biggest things is making sure that you are
29:20pouring into yourself so you can have something to pour out, you know, to community. So is there
29:26anything else that you would want to say to people during this time we've got, is it, is it still
29:32above or less than 30 days? Who knows, but around 30 days left. Less, goodness gracious, I say, we got
29:38less than 30 days, so what would you say to the people? Well, I think that for these 30 days, we need
29:44to, we need to lock in, like, just to, just to put it blatantly, we need to, we need to lock in, we need to get
29:50in there. If you can vote, vote, and really just help to just find a way to contribute. I think that
29:57everyone can contribute in their own ways, just spreading the message, and also during all this
30:03time, don't get drained, so make sure that you're, especially during the weekends or during your time
30:08off, that you're usually, that you are taking that time off, because that's so important, so that you
30:13can come back, and you can still be strong, and they'll recharge. Amen. So I'm so glad that you said
30:18that. We are about to wrap up. So glad you said we got a lock in, because if you, are you guys from
30:23here? Y'all from Georgia in this room? So I'm actually having a lock in next Sunday at the Gathering
30:28Spot with good people, and I'd love to invite all of you out. It's a free event. We've got musical
30:33artists, Deontay Hitchcock is performing. We've also partnered with a couple of different
30:37organizations to show you how you can lock in. You do not have to be registered to vote,
30:41because you can still be active if you're not registered to vote, and I know our deadline
30:44has passed, so please watch my pages for us to post it today and over the weekend so you
30:48can get information and register, and that's at LeneVenny on our platforms. Where can we find
30:53you on socials? Just my full name, Yolanda Renee King, and then you can also go to our organization,
31:02the drummajorinstitute.org, and yeah. Okay. Thank you so much for your time, Yolanda. Thank
31:08you guys. Thank you. Enjoy your summit day. Hopefully I'll see y'all next weekend. Have
31:13fun. All right, one more time for Lene and Yolanda.
31:19That was so insightful. I saw a lot of people locked in. So that's how those conversations
31:24go, but I'm not going to talk too long, because I don't think you all understand who is standing
31:29on this stage right now. The co-creator of EssenceGU. Y'all give it up for Miss Rochelle Dennis.
31:41There we go. There we go. Improvising. Pivoting. That's what it's all about, guys.
31:45Hey, Atlanta. How are you guys? Okay. I know it's not 12 yet, but I need you guys to be a
31:51little bit louder than that. How are you guys? Okay. So really quickly, since we're all family
31:58here, this is all about networking. This is all about connecting. Turn to somebody to
32:03your left. Say hi. Introduce yourself.
32:10Now, turn to your right. Say hi. Introduce yourself.
32:14Now, I know you don't know the person behind you, so turn around and say hi and introduce
32:19yourself.
32:20See how that works? All right. So since it's our first, or first, oh God. I can't read today.
32:29Since it's our fifth anniversary, we had to go all out with the amazing activations. So
32:34how many people got Tooth Gems? Anybody got Tooth Gems yet today?
32:38I'm first online.
32:39Oh, you're first online. Oh, you're first online? Okay. Don't worry. There's plenty
32:43of time in the day. But make sure that you check out all the amazing activations from
32:48our sponsors, Cantu, AT&T, Coke Zero Sugar, Bodycology, Carol's Daughter, and Isler.
32:56That was a mouthful. But shout out to them for, again, making this all possible. And yes,
33:01please make sure that you take advantage of everything today. This is all for you guys.
33:04We know Essence got the aunties on lock, but it's all about the next gen today. With aunties
33:09right next to us, beside us, they make the world go around. So I hope you guys have an
33:15amazing time. Make sure to stop us in the hallway. We have an amazing host, Myasia. So
33:21Myasia, I will turn it back to you because we're going to do a little giveaway. What was
33:28that? Can we give it up for this outfit?
33:34She looks, oh yes, it's the 360 for me. All right. Thank you. So Rochelle, before we actually
33:42get into this giveaway, I want everybody to look at this QR code right here. Please pull
33:45your phone out right now. You pull your phone out. You can scan this QR code. And it's basically
33:51just going to take SSG to the next level. It's going to take you to the newsletter and the
33:56survey. So please make sure you sign up for those because we want to make sure that it continues
34:00to elevate the summit. It's popping and that everybody knows exactly what's going on. All
34:04right. So in the meanwhile, we did say we're going to give away something, right? Who likes
34:09free stuff?
34:12Y'all got to do better than this. Who likes free stuff?
34:15All right. So we're giving away a Tesla today. No, I'm just playing. I'm just playing.
34:24Just kidding. Just kidding. Next year. Next year. All right. So we're going to do some
34:28trivia. All right. So whoever can answer this question first, the loudest, actually you have
34:33to stand up and say it so that I know exactly who it is that's answering it. I have something
34:37for you. Okay. So the first question, what day is voting day? Who got it? It was somewhere
34:46over here. I feel like it was. Everybody agrees it was her. Come on up and claim your prize.
34:54The price is right. All right. I have one more question for you. Y'all ready? That bag is
35:01heavy too. It's a nice gift bag. Man, I wanted that for myself. All right. What date does early
35:08voting start? Wow. Who said it? She got it. Y'all give her a round of applause.
35:19All right. So make sure, like I said, you scan this QR code, sign up for the newsletter so that
35:24you can get all the updates. And we're actually going to take a quick little break. I think,
35:29yeah, we're ready to go to break. So in about 20 minutes, we'll come back. So if you want to leave,
35:32you want to go get your tooth gems. If you want to network, if you just kind of want to hang out
35:37and talk to the person next to you, you want to take pictures, this is the perfect time to do that
35:41because once we come back in 20 minutes, the ball is rolling. Okay. All right. Thank you, ladies.
35:46Peace.
35:46Peace.
35:46Peace.
36:16Peace.
36:20Peace.
36:22Peace.
36:23Peace.
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