00:00What a year. Crazy. Can we talk about how magical it is for women? Black women, women of color. I mean, history. History has been made. I just feel so proud. I feel like more than ever, it's an amazing time to be a woman. The representation we now see. Yes. It's no longer a niche like, oh, black woman for a month, for a week, for a year. No, it's here. Here to stay.
00:30And you look crazy if you're not on board. That's right. I felt like I could hear the glass ceiling break. I don't think I fully realized what representation would feel like until we saw it in the White House. To know we elected our first black woman as vice president.
00:46You know, being mixed with black and Indian, I love seeing my culture represented on both sides. Now that there's this prominent figure at the head of this country, it now becomes like Kamala Harris. Oh, we have a point of reference.
01:00It makes me happy just as, you know, as a woman, as a black woman, as a woman, as an immigrant. Yes. I'm out here like, yes. You know, the Caribbean culture is represented up in there. I'm excited about it.
01:10You know, when I talk about shrimp curry or curry shrimp, whichever way you say it. Okay. Say how you feeling. Shrimp curry.
01:16I don't know about you all, but I feel like the bar has been raised. Yeah. Like any limitations that I felt like I had before now, because that ceiling has been broken, I feel like nothing is impossible.
01:27Nothing. Yeah, 100%. I'm excited for the kids. Yes. Yes. I'm excited for the little girls.
01:31Who for you guys growing up was like somebody you looked up to? Because I know for me, and especially now that I'm a mom, Claire Huxtable was the ultimate woman for me.
01:39Like she could just make you tea and read you at the same time for Phil. Claire Huxtable on screen and Felicia Rashad in real life.
01:46In real life. Debbie Allen. I mean, let's just talk about the family. I mean, the family.
01:49I'm going to throw Debbie Allen in there too. Debbie. I did. Debbie Allen. She's in there on her toes.
01:54Yeah. Dancing her way through. I mean, Oprah for sure. You know. Mother Opie.
01:59Oh, okay. It's going to be music for me. It's Faith Evans. It's Mary J. Black. Oh, right.
02:03It's them for me. Like every day. Just mind blowing, right. They look like me. They sounded like me.
02:09The things they said were the things that I wanted to say. And, you know, it was way too growing for me as a child.
02:15It was a style for me. Yeah. Especially with Faith.
02:18Lauren Hill for me was like, she was the one. Everything could be possible. When I saw Lauren Hill, I was like, oh, you can do all of it.
02:24And you can be all of these things. And she always missed that like hip hop and R&B.
02:27And that's just like my whole whole thing. You know, she really acts like. Triple threat.
02:32You can't match this rapper slash actress.
02:35Bars.
02:38Speaking of unapologetically, can we talk about the fact that this year we're finally talking about black women and their hair in the workplace?
02:47Absolutely. Unreal.
02:49Like, I wasn't. I mean, this is this is crazy that this is we're now getting to this place.
02:54It freaks me out. It's 2020. We're talking about the fact that there was a time somebody told you you couldn't go into a place with your hair like this.
03:00I've had conversations with family members, high ranking, running the entire department.
03:06Someone will come up. Is your hair supposed to be like that?
03:10She's their boss, you know, touching her hair.
03:13And so I'm glad I'm proud of the Crown Act. I'm proud that these things have been implemented.
03:18And I think now more so than ever, we have the opportunity to implement this, make it effective, be committed to it, be accountable for it.
03:27And like, you know all about this with your background.
03:30Who would have thought in May the world, right, would come to its knees and face the racial injustice that's been happening?
03:39Boom.
03:39Boom.
03:39Right. And so who would have thought also that diversity and inclusion is something that I've been doing now for 20 years would come to the forefront.
03:46I've never in my life or in my career seen such a demand for this work in corporations.
03:51And so I think it's time, you know, for the world to see our magic and our brilliance and all the intelligence that we bring into these spaces.
03:58It's not just about filling a quota.
03:59That part.
04:00Yeah.
04:01How do you guys feel about the black squares and then afterwards?
04:03You know, I think people do their best to try to be proactive when there's an opportunity to do so.
04:10But follow through is everything.
04:11That's right.
04:12We can't think George Floyd was just a one day thing.
04:14This has been a domino effect and we have a responsibility to keep the narrative going to make sure people stay just as passionate as they did in May.
04:21That's right.
04:21In June.
04:22Allyship is an action word.
04:23We don't want to see performative allyship.
04:25Right.
04:25What steps are you taking to wield your power, use the privilege that you have to actually drive change?
04:30Like, fight with us.
04:31Yes.
04:32Stand with us.
04:33Yes.
04:33Right.
04:33When you see us carrying this weight, like, don't say, oh, that's nice.
04:36Look how strong she is.
04:37No, I need you to lock arms with us.
04:39Yes.
04:39And do the work.
04:40If you're not, don't call yourself an ally.
04:43No, it's not just a black person's problem.
04:45It affects everybody.
04:46If we stand still, okay, the world stands still.
04:49Yeah.
04:49And that's why when some of our ally friends say that they're colorblind, I'm like, no, don't be colorblind.
04:54Be color conscious.
04:55You know, I want you to see the beauty of who we are.
04:58I want you to see all of the nuances of who we are.
05:01You don't get to say you don't see it.
05:02That's right.
05:02Because we're literally living it.
05:04We're literally living it every single day.
05:06Every day.
05:06We're seeing the fear of raising black sons in this world and having black partners and being black people in this country.
05:13And it's so important.
05:14Like, you have to see us.
05:15It's not just here.
05:16It's happening everywhere.
05:17It's in our system at this point, and we're just sick of it.
05:21So I'm grateful for the full-eye exposure.
05:23I'm grateful for the time.
05:25I'm grateful that everyone's taking the time.
05:27We have the time.
05:28I'm so glad that we could sit and have these conversations.
05:31Because, I mean, even just sitting here looking at us, the diversity is so beautiful here.
05:36We just add such value.
05:37So I'm so thankful for you guys.
05:38Cheers.
05:38Thanks for coming.
05:39Cheers.
05:39Cheers for that.
05:40Cheers.
05:40Cheers.
05:41Come on, y'all.
05:42Ice?
05:42Ice.
05:43Ice.
05:44Hello, ice.
05:45There you go.
05:45You
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