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00:00hello everyone welcome to girls united a whole new world entering adulthood in 2020 that's
00:13going to be our topic of discussion i am miriam kahim bar and i'm excited very very excited to
00:20this panel about young women facing and embracing adulthood during this unprecedented year of major
00:28transition i have with me co-founder of the essence girls united sophia dennis and singer and member of
00:37the talented r&b a girl group june's diary brianna duvalge and then author community advocate and
00:45national youth director of the national action network mary pat hector thank you ladies thank
00:52you young you know women um it's such a privilege to have you on this panel and just you know
00:58have a conversation right um about these times with no further do they just go straight and
01:04open this time together um can you all share with me and um our audience you know how you doing in
01:13these challenging times yeah so i think covid has been a whirlwind definitely very unexpected for a
01:22lot of people specifically people who are just starting to you know get their foot on the mat
01:26people who are just giving their children to the water of you know what they're going to become
01:31and during these transitional periods in your life whether it be graduating high school or college
01:36getting ready to go into the workforce you know doing different things and taking different strides
01:40within your business like me personally supposed to be on a college tour shooting a documentary
01:46like interacting with people registering people to vote and a lot of that has had to be changed to
01:51digital movements that's definitely weird because i like to talk to people uh just kind of being secluded
02:00in my house for four months is not ideal i've not been in the same state for more than two weeks my entire
02:07life wow stationary in the same town in the same city so it does take a lot of understanding what's
02:16happening but then figuring like me personally i love to make dough i'm like baking every day
02:22i make pizza now like i'm a different person
02:26how about you brianna um yeah this this time has been really different for me um especially because
02:37i've never had this much time to be creative right right i think one thing that's important about right
02:43now is trying to stay positive and using this time to your advantage um so that's something that i've
02:49definitely been taking advantage of just working on music every single day um getting to know myself
02:55on a more spiritual level like taking advantage of this downtime to meditate and just connect with
03:01myself and find peace in this time because i'm not used to not doing anything just like you guys so
03:07i'm used to like always being on the go and being busy and so sometimes when you're
03:11when you have to stay in like this you can kind of get inside your head and say like oh am i doing
03:16enough or you know is am i going to be able to recover from this like what does my career look
03:22like after this so just finding different ways to be creative and make the most out of this time i
03:27think is really important right now for us to stay sane
03:30yeah so for me literally jam-packed busy um as a community organizer one of the many things that
03:44we do specifically through national action network is help the community and so literally just trying
03:49to figure out how we can get ppe equipment to marginalized communities specifically communities
03:54of color where a lot of these um items aren't found in stores um giving over a hundred thousand meals
04:02as an organization working with organizations like rise free to support students from hvcus to give them
04:08covet relief um you know getting students um from all across the country to come together and work
04:14as student navigators to ensure that those students um you know who need help providing them with the
04:20resources that they need to be successful during this time uh now marching and advocating for black
04:28life um every single day uh and organizing and helping young people see that their power uh and we saw that
04:37those same young people who had been marching and organizing showed up to the polls um sophia i'm so happy
04:44to say that georgia made history uh by the primary turnout that we had during that
04:50um during the past primary election here uh but it was work it was hard you talked about um taking a lot
04:57of our organizing online a lot of people you know as a community organizer literally having to try to
05:04figure out how we can one expand our reach right getting people to view our profile getting people
05:10to view our platform and then trying to convey to young people on college campuses why it's important
05:16to vote and um trying to figure out okay well how can we get this message to mean something as if we
05:22were face to face with them um we're getting them to register to vote online so it's been very very
05:27tough very very challenging um but i kind of feel like it's contributed a lot to my development as a
05:34person awesome awesome this is great this is you know um this is a good segue you know as we because
05:40you both uh kind of talked about the pandemic right 2020 started with the pandemic we're you know what
05:47a year then there is the the fight against the racial injustice you know as things have kind of
05:53and revealed which was kind of to me that last thing that you know made us all go like oh enough
06:01enough um how are your generations how are you feeling um i know you kind of talked about as a
06:08community advocate what you are doing but you know as a person as an individual or even your you know
06:14um your community as part in our community your generation how are you guys doing well let me just
06:20tell you i have to say i am so proud of this generation because a lot of people they believe
06:26that we didn't care about issues happening in the world that we were so disconnected and only cared
06:31about instagram and like you know these things that don't really matter and it was these young
06:38this generation that literally changed the world and got people in like london and black people in
06:45germany and black people in paris to say black lives matter um and you know they're building their
06:51movements abroad too um but i think that young people are just ready for change now i think they're
06:59tired of waiting for uh politicians who have been in office for 30 and 40 years to save them
07:06i think they're tired of um you know waiting i think they believe that you know the time is now
07:14for change and we're seeing that change happen like they got the national football league uh robert
07:22roger goodell to get on national television and say black lives matter i appreciate peaceful protests
07:28which is something i never would have thought i would have seen literally three months before that
07:33he would have never said that so um i believe that this generation is fired up i believe that they
07:39are energized and i believe they're going to change the world and we're witnessing the resurgence of the
07:45civil rights movement yeah how about you sophia and brianna what are your take on uh how you feeling
07:51on that on this particular issue and your surroundings your friends and uh so on and so forth yeah in order
07:57to change the world we must face it and it's extraordinarily important that while we face that
08:03that we're facing the youth that's why you know my personal organization is called facing it's about
08:08coming face to face with the issues that we care about it's about coming face to face with people
08:12who oppose us and ensuring that we create platforms and we have conversations that can change the way that
08:17people think for the better of other people and for the better of ourselves it's for us as a community
08:24of gen z to ensure that we are being vocal on all different aspects at the dinner table
08:29out of out of out of protest on social media no matter where you are that you're being vocal and
08:35that you're speaking the truth about things that you actually care about and speaking from your opinion
08:40that is true uh gen z in general there's social media activism there's so many different ways to get
08:47involved but a lot of times people feel as though they can't bring anything to a conversation if they
08:52have opposing views or if their way about going on to things is different it's really important for
08:57us to ensure that we are creating space specifically within the black community at this moment with
09:03everything that's happening the way that covet has impacted our community and other communities
09:08uh but then also when we talk about the fight for racial justice and to ensure that these inequities
09:13and these injustices are not carried out that they become history as opposed to the current this has
09:18been the status quo since 1600 and nothing has changed this is probably america's most consistent
09:25uh consistent level is the racism that we experience in this country so it's important for us to convene
09:32in our communities and ensure that we are educating one another that we are bringing specific conversations
09:37that may not necessarily be ready to be mainstream yet to our and ensuring that we're having conversations
09:45on how we can make those things change how we can face those things to change them and man yeah i mean
09:52they said it pretty perfectly the most important thing is us continuing to be active spread awareness
09:58about everything that's going on um presenting actionable things that we can do to make change and to make
10:05it better um but aside from that i think what gets lost in the sauce sometimes is just the emotional
10:12aspect of it i know for me and my friends it's it's been a very emotional ride just the whole thing
10:19that everything that we've been going through and so i think aside from being active and going out and
10:24voting and making sure we're spreading awareness which are all things that we have to do and we will
10:28continue to do it's like calling your friends and checking on them or having like a meditation
10:33session together or creating um whether it be music or art or uh you know anything that you guys can do
10:41together to kind of um put a release out there because our art is so beautiful so i think you know
10:47we have to kind of add that in there too when we talk about activism it's like how are we how are we
10:52coping with it because it affects us emotionally as a people as well yes this is this it's it is it is
10:59such you know you it's really well said because even the energy is drawn from inside right if you
11:06don't take care of you know oneself then you know you can give so much right you get to a point where
11:14you you know you're going to hit the roof and then just you know um you know just dive down so
11:20definitely a a good way to say don't forget you know as much as you know i get goose i was getting
11:26goosebumps listening to you ladies because just the energy the you know you're such vibrant uh you know
11:33young women but encourage you to don't forget about you know making sure that you are full
11:39who fill yourself up so with that um kind of just want to jump on your profession right being these
11:45vibrant professionals how do you view your professional life right in this 2020 how do you
11:53view professional this is open to all of you
11:55i talk a lot so i'll let one you go to go first
12:01you want to go first because you want to talk about how you've been thinking about your music
12:07so why don't all of you yeah yeah no um i think that there's a lot of opportunity in my field right
12:14now and there always kind of has been but especially now um with social media it's a lot easier to be
12:20independent um and that's something that me and my group june's diary take full advantage of just
12:26not being controlled by anyone um and i would say that that's probably the best thing about being an
12:33entertainer is that you can really take your life into your own hands say what you want to say represent
12:37what you want to represent um and uplift people and literally saves people save people's lives with your
12:45music um so there's been a lot of development just over the years with social media people being able
12:52to put themselves out there um all the information about you know being able to put your music on
12:57itunes sell your music through youtube there's so many ways to monetize yourself and be independent
13:04um but i just i love it i love being an artist and there's so much to look forward to
13:08anyone that wants to see how you know their career is getting uh impacted and how you see your future
13:17um you know with 2020 what has happened you know has it reshaped the way you had been thinking about
13:24your career kind of want to hear you about how 2020 is reshaping the way you've been thinking about
13:30your career your professional life right a career yeah so i think go for it oh well i was gonna say aside
13:37from just community organizing 2020 has shown me the importance of just adapting um you know it's
13:45so easy to get caught up with the way things are or have been um and and just like i talked about
13:51earlier being a community organizer the importance or just the knowledge of adapting um and trying to
13:57figure out how we can move to more online programs um talking about issues like student hunger food
14:03and security on historically black colleges and universities um online but then also on a personal
14:10level you know young people are hustlers okay so i also have a business right and so i have to learn
14:15as like a young co-business owner um the importance of adapting as well and you know moving everything
14:22from out of store but online and you know took a hard hit but you know again you adapt to those times
14:30and you learn from it and you grow and you build um so yeah okay and for me personally i think this
14:37time has definitely been kind of this capsule of understanding the ways in which i can be fulfilled
14:43and while some of them might not be professional and it might be like staying up till two in the
14:47morning to make brioche bread or something like that uh i think your 20s your younger years your late
14:54teen should really be about experiencing as many things as you can so that you can ensure that you have
14:59options in which you can be fulfilled in and it doesn't matter which field those are in whether
15:04it be something that's not professional or something that's extraordinarily professional
15:10it's really it's really shown me something about getting over a hurdle this is probably the toughest
15:16time that any business owner has had to go through in the past like 60 years maybe i think even
15:22the 2008 um the 2008 recession is far different from this because this is like people are actually
15:28like dying and people are catching this disease businesses have to close and so during this time
15:33period i'm actually very lucky to experience this very early on so that whatever comes in like 2025
15:41i'm definitely someone who's of the professional mindset of when bad things happen i don't mind
15:53because now i know what not to do and that's right to do sometimes it's lessons learned in understanding
16:01all the bad experiences that can happen and figuring out ways to avoid that figuring out ways to reshape
16:06your business like you said you know shifting to e-commerce shifting to online like you said increasing
16:12your social um increasing your social abilities on social media understanding your consumer in a different
16:18way understanding what they want to hear understanding what they want you to post
16:22understanding the things that are important and as it comes to politics what is related to coping
16:27and what is the type of content that we can produce to ensure that people have the information on how
16:33to protect themselves okay oh this is good so you all kind of have you know have had a way of
16:40the way you started your professional right your career um what i would be interested if you can share
16:46with your audiences give us a piece of advice as a young woman of your age right i mean it's a multiple
16:53i read you're amazing where you've started you know brianna getting back you know going back to school
16:59after making an amazing choice to be an entertainer that landed you to an amazing place sophia you know fat
17:07face is amazing and then you matt you know starting at age 12 is amazing so what kind of what one piece
17:15of advice do you have for young women of your generation i would have to say if i could talk to
17:23my younger self basically i would say you have to set goals you have to make a plan and then you want
17:29to create actionable items that you can do to achieve that goal and don't wait for anybody don't depend on
17:37anybody and don't make excuses you have to stick to the plan and whatever goals you set for yourself
17:44they're achievable you just have to stick with it how about you are you are you brie um brian i want
17:54to say mary pat um i would have to say you do not need anyone's permission um to take space you can truly
18:05make a difference and i have to learn that as um a black woman it took a really long time for me to just
18:12walk in my truth and not be afraid to speak up despite how people might feel about it um you know
18:19you don't need permission to take up space you don't need permission to um you don't need anyone's
18:23validation to be great and speak up and i also love to say i have to say this during these times if you
18:30are a young person and you are watching this i encourage you right now to run for office we need you in those
18:36positions of power do it now um i will knock on doors for you be and me let's get to it man sophia
18:45any last word uh yeah so see your hands see your feet see the end of the beam sounds like a random
18:52quote uh i grew up doing gymnastics competitively for like 13 years and whenever we would be on the
18:58beam which is like a three inch wide thing with like your feet and you're up in the air uh when you're
19:03doing your series they'd say see your hands see your feet see the end of the beam it just really
19:08means take it slow take it step by step you know the process that you are going down you need to be
19:15the most equipped to understand what you need to do whether that be in terms of you know with your body
19:20with your mind with the things that you plan to do within business within the world how you plan to
19:25move within the world ensuring that you are just covering your tracks taking it slow looking at
19:31your finances you know really understanding what you're doing because you know you're not going
19:38to do anything and no one's going to tell you to do anything unless they trust and believe that you
19:42can do something you're not going to come up with an idea if it's not possible for you to do it uh you
19:47know it's really important for young people to think outside the box that you know you don't all we
19:53don't all have to be business owners that's not an ideal path for everyone if i'm a business owner then
19:59how am i supposed to hire like dope black women uh we don't all have to be social media influencers
20:05we don't all have to go down these different paths a lot of times as young black women we hear the
20:11we hear the phrase quite a bit black women are not monolithic black women are not monolithic
20:15but i think there's a lot of space for us to expand even further than that yeah the same our phenotype
20:22is different but we can all do different things we can all be successful in different fields we can all
20:27create and innovate consume and produce right i don't really know what i just said
20:35what an amazing way to wrap our time together you know it's been such a privilege and thank you
20:41honestly for the leadership in your hearts and uh that you continue to demonstrate
20:46um keep it up we need you and we are excited that we have you thank you
20:55bye
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