We shall overcome.

Justice and Freedom.

We want it now.

No justice no peace!

[car horn honking] Let her go!

Let her go!

Activism is a verb, it’s not a noun, it’s not a person.

It's not a thing.

Is action an action to go towards some type of social change, some type of social justice?

And so I'm okay with that because it means that I am doing something to impact this world, to to make some type of change and fighting against some type of injustice.

So if activism, then the verb is what you're calling me, then absolutely.

I'll take that.

I'm doing the work.

Studying history honestly gives me a lot of hope.

Learning about, like, the activist movements and like how quickly the fight against, like, segregation in Tallahassee picked up.

You know what I mean?

Like what?

You know, it was there was the fire at Wilhemina and Carrie Patterson's house, you know, I mean, they burn that cross in the house the next day.

FAMU came together and they're like Uh-Uh, Nuh-Uh And then the entire Civic Council started from that.

This whole huge movement from a single incident started.

So now that we're here, whatever movement happens, obviously I love TCAC but we're not the saviors of all, be all like we'll just be a part of whatever movement is happening.

But we'll have the experience to hopefully try to help guide things in the right direction and way.

People say, Fred, you created history by doing certain things.

And I thought about that and what I come up with is this: It’s not that we created history.

I think we were more captured by the historical moment in which we were born.

And so we were all part of, I would say, an army, so to speak, of people who said, I'm on this mission.

I'll tell you, when I took part in that anti-apartheid protest at Northwestern University back in the 1980s, and I left because I had a dinner date before the police arrived and I kind of shamefully called my mother said, Yeah, I'm sorry, but I was at a protest, but I left before I could get arrested.

[laugh] My mother said Tananareve, I went to jail so you wouldn't have to.

Those individuals actually studied how to protest.

And they had a they had an agenda of what they were going to do, how they were going to do it and why they were doing it.

And so when we look at these organic movements today, we don't necessarily perhaps see the the that level of detail, but it's just more organic at this point.

Before the evening was over, we hadn't thought about the nine other black candidates would run for the city commission all lost.

And we tried to analyze why we never won.

And as the evening wore own, I said, I made this statement to to, uh, Herman and said Herman, you know, we are sitting here debating how to get somebody else to do something that we aren't willing to do.

Most of these leaders there was an inflection point in their life where they said, If not me, then who?

And if not now, then when?

And that's what you will see in True Leaders.

Now, some people will raise their hand because of ego and narcissism, but other individuals who really, truly have it in their heart.

There was something that there was a point in their life.

They said, Oh, this is this is my calling and this is what I'm going to do.

There are still people trying to fight to get the police station on the south side.

So we had to mobilize afterward and kind of like, you know, be super thorough, like follow up and make sure we were still speaking out against it, going to these city hall meetings, holding rallies and marches, you know what I mean?

Pressuring city commissioners through demands, petitions, letters, etcetera, etcetera.

You know, that was really crucial for me.

And it made me see like also how much like work and dedication you have to put in and to this kind of work and how like you can't just like let go of a campaign immediately.

You kind of have to like win what you're demanding and then defend it as well because if you don't defend it, if you just are like, Oh, we did it.

Yeah, and step away or like dissolve your organization, nothing will happen.

And it kind of made me like recognize the power of like grassroots organizations and what organizing does.

Because when is one?

Because you look for one big leader and every time that leader goes away, then the movement either slows down tremendously or it goes away.

So Martin Luther King, for example, with the civil rights movement, as much as people want to say that it lived on, it slowed down and then like other leaders that were civil rights leaders, when they left that community, the movement left along with it.

So now when you have smaller movements is not necessarily dependent on one leader or one specific leader.

It's really those activities or those smaller movements that's really lead that that's pushing the community.

So if you want to use social media to spread information about things, to make graphics and design, to help organizations and movements, to give donations and resources awesome.

Love it.

But it's not the end all, be all.

And in a lot of ways it can sabotage movements.

And more than that, Americans need to learn critical thinking skills and like, learn to understand that.

Like, what's being published in the media is just not necessarily true.

Even if someone has good intentions because there's a lot of way misinformatio It’s a generational divide, right?

That any younger generation is going to want change and they're going to want it now.

They're going to want it rapidly and they're not going to understand or care about the consequences of that change and that and moving it now, which is okay.

Right then there's going to be a middle age generation that will say, I understand the younger generation wanting to change and I understand that the younger generation wanted to change quickly and not caring about the consequences.

However, there may need to be a nuanced piece to it.

They're going to have an older generation who has lived through several different obstacles and to understanding the evolution of the movement, who will want the change to be more strategic and slow.

Do not be fooled by the fact that you've been invited in for that job interview.

Do not be fooled by the fact that you were able to move into that neighborhood.

And more and more people of all races are seeing sort of past that veneer of equality.

As time goes on, you know, that this sort of raving fear of being out bred is now bubbling to the surface.

And also for people who are invested in, you know, the struggle for black lives and the dignity of black lives, as you put it so well, are realizing there's a real uphill road.

You know, two years ago with George Floyd, a lot of us were like, wow, this is unbelievable.

There's so much awareness and even in two years, you see the receding and the backlash and it's so okay.

It's not a straight line.

It's a little bit forward, a little bit back.

And it's a multi generational effort.

I think the intergenerational conversation needs to be, okay, guys, we marched in the sixties, you know, we got some stuff done, but we need to take it to the next level and reminding that young generation, let's take it to the next level or, letting them march, because I did I didn't go out and march, but I was at home with my cell phone.

And I told them if you get arrested, call me.

I'll be there for you.

You know, I’ll represent you for free.

I get you to the system.

That was my role, you know, that was their role.

My dad's role might be something else, but we we can't push each other away because we're not necessarily going to going to, you know, I'm not necessarily going to march, but I know what I can do as a as an attorney.

You know, my dad's not necessarily going to march.

He's not an attorney.

So I just try to meet people where they're at and be like, hey, what's your feelings?

What are you thinking?

Here's what I'm feeling.

Here's what I thinking.

Well, can we kind of, like, come to an agreement on or of not like, what can I learn from this discussion or dialog?

Like, I don't really feel like debate really does much, you know, like the only debates, like debating doesn't really teach anyone anything or make them be like, hey, let me like reflect on my own point of view.

Like the way the human brain works is when you debate with someone, when you try to change their point of view in an antagonistic way, even if you're totally correct, they're just like, Well, I'm going to take my point of view more now because I'm hurt.

You know.

What we are experiencing from my assessment is another another evolutionary point.

And it's going to be hard.

It's going to be painful.

But I think it's time for our generation of leaders to stand up.

You know, we we and I love him.

We talk about King as though King is still here.

We talk about Fannie Lou Hamer as though Fannie Lou Hamer is still here.

Eventually, my daughter should be talking about someone of my generation.

She's only four years old, so hopefully when she's 40, we still won't be talking about when King what king would have said.

We'll be talking about something or someone of this generation, what they did, what they would have said to help change the shape of what this nation will be for her children.

I want to walk worthy.

I want to walk worthy.

my calling to fulfill Please order my steps, Lord.

Oh Lord!

I’ll do your blessed will The world is ever changing.

Oh Yes it is, yes it is, but you are still the same If you order my steps, order my steps, order my steps I’ll praise your name.