June 18, 2025 • 28 mins
Highlights from Part 2 of today's podcast: Federal Agents Arresting Government Officials / 2 Pac and Kendrick…The Legacy of Activism in Hip Hop
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Still broadcasting from the Civic Cipher Studios. This is a
QR code where we share perspective, seek understanding, and shape outcomes.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm your host, Ramsy's job, and I am Q ward
And in this half of the show, we got a
lot more for you because we.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Are going to be talking about a white dairy farmer
so in Trump's USDA over alleged racial discrimination. And if
that sounds funny, it's because it is funny, objectively funny,
because well, you know what, we'll get into it when
the time is right. We're also going to be talking
about Kendrick Lamari just had a birthday. He's in the headlines,
and Tupac had a birthday before him, and I think
(00:36):
it's time for us to kind of let you know
kind of where we stand with those two. I'll certainly
speak for myself, but I haven't really gotten a lot
of pushback from Q. But those two really help shape
the culture hip hop culture, especially in ways that many
people don't know, and I think it's important for us
to kind of shine some light on that. But before
we get to all of those things, it is time,
(00:58):
as always for Q words clap back and Q I
just have one question for you, yes, please, Is it
okay to wave the Mexican flag on US soil?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
You know, that's a really really interesting question, man uh
And I think you and I spoke about this before
on the air and across you know, the digital airwaves
as well. Listening to black people make jokes about Mexican
people waving the Mexican flag while protesting deportation and that
(01:34):
being called stupid and then being told to just if
you love Mexico so much, why don't you just go back?
And it's interesting hearing black people laugh and use that rhetoric,
because once upon a time people said stuff like that
about us, to just go back to our country.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Funny part is this is technically dinner land. This is
what the San Bernardino, California.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Is not technical anything that the borders crossed them, that
this was actually Mexico.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Mexico facts, big facs.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I love America more than any other country in the world,
and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right
to criticize her perpetually. As a quote from one of
my favorite human beings of all time, the great, late
great James Baldwin, I knew that was a quote from him,
(02:35):
and it's hard to not start there, right, Like, we
are not allowed to be critical of this place that's
supposed to be the greatest nation on earth. Our white
fellow Americans can criticize her as much as they want
anytime anything isn't going their way. But when we try
to hold the country to that same standard, we are
(02:57):
told to just get out and or go back. Black
and brown people are not allowed to or supposed to
speak truth in this country, right, And when we do,
it's not out of hate.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It's out of hope, Like we hope.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
That all these promises that were made by these men
that we celebrate will come true one day. Right, It's
out of faith, it's out of love. And unfortunately, our
love is not blind. It's not we love this country
so much it can treat us like crap forever. It's like,
we helped build this place. And there's a certain courage,
(03:34):
you know, to be a person that's being persecuted in
this country and to still love it knowing that it
might not ever love you back. Yeah, to wave your
flag when you know people are hurling trash at you
inside they're starting the violence with you and then calling
you a criminal.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
You know, speaking your.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Native language, and people tell you just be American, just
speak English, and we have to continue to show up
and stand end up and keep listening to people tell
us to leave, and I say us because again, this
story isn't new. We're not in the cross hairs right now,
but we always have been and we know better. Eventually
we will be again. So go back to your country
(04:17):
if you don't like it here, just leave, like we're
the only ones ever told things like that. And the
funny thing is Rams and I are DJs. Well, Rams
is a DJ. I'm an old man that used to
play music for people. I can get you out on there, DJ,
several Saint Patrick's Day events in October Fest. You ever
(04:43):
remember anybody flying flags at those places being told you
don't belong here, or just go back to your country.
Never because I don't like ever. But let a black
person point out police brutality, or a Mexican family wave
a Mexican flag while we protest. Ice raids immigrant children
(05:04):
crying because when they get home from school their parents
might not be there.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
And we tell them just shut up.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
If you don't like it, leave, go back to your country,
and then they wrap themselves in the flag and call
that patriotism when it's really just a bully power flex,
an attempt to silence dissent, to punish people who have
self determination and pride for their own heritage. And too
many Americans are okay with just being quiet, and then
(05:36):
we have so called allies and even people who we
think we have some ethnic solidarity with, who just want
to be quiet and obedient and not start anything because
they it might impact them. And it's like, hey, man,
they gave us a little bit, don't mess it up
for the rest of us. You know, Patriotism is not
about being blindly loyal. It's about holding this country accountable,
(05:58):
holding your neighbors, your brothers and sisters, your friends and family,
your coworkers accountable. So Mexican flags at an Ice protests, Yeah,
that's not disrespect. That's what resistance to cruelty looks like,
cruelty to people who violate our constitution and tell us
that we're not being patriotic. America is supposed to be
(06:20):
the place where you fight against injustice. America is supposed
to be the place that speaks up for the rest
of the world when people are not being treated right.
So our country's culture. All of us collectively is the
problem here. That's what they want us to know, right,
So every time somebody screams, go back to your country,
(06:41):
you know, Ramses will call it fear or discomfort.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
I call it hate.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
But it's important to know that, at least voluntarily, we're
not going anywhere. We specifically us built this country. We've
gone to war and bled for this country, and in
every measurable way, we've shown up for a country that
has shown us for its entirety that it does not
love us back, and we've continued to fight for it.
(07:08):
For that reason, we will fly our flags, we will
celebrate our heritage, but we will not get out.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Because you said so.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
It takes a lot of courage, and it's going to
take a lot of perseverance because some days it feels
like a fight that will never win. But America doesn't
belong to them. For them to just take it from
us and kick us out, it's ours as well. So
I guess we just got to see how this plays out.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
One of the things that I really appreciated was American
flags at the No Kings protests last weekend, because that
flag doesn't just belong to Republicans. That flag belongs to everyone.
And I also saw lots of Mexican flags and that's
normal for US, of course. So everybody flying whatever your
(07:59):
flag is flying it. All right, let's have a conversation.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Que let's.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
There's a white dairy farmer suing Donald Trump's USDA over
alleged racial discrimination.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Oh please tell me more. I will.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I'm gonna You're gonna get mad, but I'm gonna have
to try to try to like humor this person's perspective.
You're right, let me pay them. I'm definitely gonna get
downright annoyed.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
With you for now. I know, I know, but you
know I gotta do it. So anyway.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
From the Black Information Network, a Wisconsin dairy farmer is
suing Trump's Department of Agriculture over alleged racial.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Discrimination against white farmers.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
According to the Associated Press, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for
Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit Monday, June sixteenth, on
behalf of the white dairy farmer, Adam Faust. The lawsuit
accuses the Trump administration of i legally denying financial assistance
to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities. In April,
the Wisconsin Institute warned the USDA of impending legal actions,
(09:04):
saying it had illegally continued to implement diversity, equity and
inclusion programs instituted under former President Joe Biden. Six Republican
Wisconsin congressmen also urged the USDA to investigate and end
the programs earlier this year. Quote, the USDA should honor
the President's promise to the American people to end racial
discrimination in the federal government, Fause said in a statement.
(09:25):
Goes on to say, after being ignored by a federal
agency that's meant to support agriculture, I hope my lawsuit
brings answers, accountability and results from the USDA.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Unquote.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
The lawsuit specifically cites through USDA programs that it alleges
put white male farmers at a disadvantage and violate the
Constitution's guarantee of equal treatment by discriminating based on race
and sex. Okay, so ah, let me ruffle your feathers.
(09:58):
Let's say, for instance, this person is making a good
faith argument. I know he's not, but let's say for
instance he is. Okay, let's say this person is legitimately
feels like the world is against me. And maybe not
this person, but maybe there are people out there who
(10:19):
all they consume is Fox News, and you know, people
are people, so they're susceptible to influence and all this
sort of stuff. Right, So hypothetically, this person fits that
bill and everything he sees says, you know, programs that
are celebrating diversity, and he doesn't fit into that box.
(10:41):
Programs that you know, loans and programs and whatever for
women and minorities and disabled and blah blah. He doesn't
fit in any of those boxes. The whole while he's
having a tough time, he's like, man, where's all the
money I was supposed to get when I grew up?
How Come I'm not a rock star? How Come I
haven't a million dollars yet? What's what's going on? What
(11:02):
is this company this country was supposed to You know,
your your dreams are supposed to come true if you.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Work hard and you do right. You know what, why
is that not happening? Oh man?
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Look at those minorities, Look at the crime in Chicago,
Look at these government programs. There's nothing left for people
like me. I'm struggling, Let's say, for instance, this person
exists and this is where they end up after, you know,
being fed all of this stuff. Now, do you want
(11:34):
to take it from here and me jump in after you?
Or do you want me to keep going?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I mean I don't I don't know what.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Take it from here means oh, I don't know how
to sell, and there's maybe a good faith argument here, so.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Okay, then then allow me to keep going. Please, So.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
To that person, I say, yes, equal treatment under the
law is what you're pursuing. You want everything to be
for everybody, and that's all well and good, and in
a perfect world i'd be I absolutely would agree with you. Right,
(12:11):
But you know, you're the type of person that has
this person is hypothetical example as the type of person
that feels that diversity, equity and inclusion programs are discriminatory,
not because of the diversity, not because of the inclusion,
but because of the equity.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
You prefer equality over equity, right because equality means you
get something or nobody gets more than what you get, okay,
And equity means that there are people that get more
because equity is more focused on outcomes, okay, and the
outcomes tend to favor.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
White men.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
This is a white man in this example, of course,
because white men historically have had X, Y, and Z,
and the white men are always at the top of
every list, and white men are always doing better. White
people are always doing better in every other race. They
have more money, they have better healthcare, they have live
in better zip codes with you know better, the police
treat them better, the courts treat them better, the government
(13:11):
treats them better. They hold more positions of power, they
write more laws, they influence the country, better, have more
voting power, et cetera, right on and on and on.
So for focused on outcomes, then you, the individual who
might feel like you're feeling a pinch, doesn't want that approach.
You want an equality approach.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Now you would say to me, well, look, I wish
I was born with some white privilege, but I had
to work and get everything out of the mud, same
as everybody else. Right, So this idea of white privilege, like,
I get that there are some rich white men, I'm
not one of them. I'm working in a field. I'm
a farmer, and they're programs that exist and I can't participate.
I need some of that, Okay, So let's talk about
(13:54):
the pinch that you're feeling, and let's compare that pinch
apples to apples to the pinch instead a black farmer
is feeling. So the one thing that's never held against
you is your skin color. Okay, white privilege, as we've said,
Q and I have said on this show, is the
the the ability to start at zero.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
That's white privilege.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
You're not starting behind the starting line, You're not starting
with any hurdles on your in your lane that you
have to overcome.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Nothing like that.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
White white privilege is being able to start at zero
and run affair race. You don't have to overcome systemic oppression.
You don't have to overcome red lines.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Red lining.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
You don't have to or the legacy of redline. You
don't have to overcome you know, uh, corrupt policing in
car sobol systems. You don't have to overcome a healthcare
system that doesn't you know, prioritize your you know you
and ailments and issues that you know are relevant to
you and your your tribe. You don't have to deal
(14:54):
with housing discrimination. You don't have to deal with employment opportunities,
educational opportunities, those sorts of things. Everything is a fair
race for you. So a black farmer had to go
through a lot more and when time to get to
that point, and when times get tough, the pinch on
a black farmer is much more substantial, right, And this
is just if we're looking at the data. The data
(15:15):
bears this out. So when you're looking at equality, that's
for you the individual, and when people are looking at equity,
that's for everybody, the races. And since races get compared
to each other, this is where we have to focus
on the outcomes because no matter what if white people.
We had this example before when we discuss the Monopoly experiments,
(15:38):
if you don't know, please look them up, save them
as often as I need to. But the Monopoly experiments
really give insight into human psychology. In short, people were
allowed to play Monopoly. There's one group of people that
got to roll both dice, pass, go collect two hundred dollars,
play the game fair. And then there's one group of
people that only got to roll one dice, only got
one hundred, one pass and go blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
They were clearly at a disadvance after a few roles.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
One person that got to play the full game had
a ton of money and a ton of properties. The
person that didn't wasn't able to amass any real wealth. Right,
And then in the middle of the game, the rule
makers say, Okay, now everybody gets to play by the
same rules. Well, that's not fair because this person already
has this head start, and if that's the person I'm
(16:23):
competing with, that's the person you're comparing me to, there's
no way I'm ever going to catch up, right, So
we need some restorative economic justice. We need equity here,
and this lawsuit is one that it has to be
based on a very specific reality that doesn't account for
(16:46):
the fact that there is no equality without equity.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
All right. I know I talked a lot of that up,
but we got a minute left. Q your thoughts here.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
I think the point you make at the end of
that is the most important point, and just kind of
familiarizing people with the difference between equality and equity because
people think they're interchangeable. I'm sure a lot of people
think that those are synonyms, that they mean the same thing,
and they don't. An example that I like to use
most often is if I'm six foot one and you're
(17:17):
five foot one and the idea is that we both
need to see over this eight foot wall for the
same outcome, we don't need the same amount of assistance.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
That's the most simple that I can paint that picture.
That's good.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Be a two foot stool. I can see over the wall.
You give you a two foot stool, you're still staring
into the face of the wall. Right, So there's a
way that we can get equal outcomes. But equity is
what's required for that to happen.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Yeah, I think that's something that folks need to bear
in mind that really wrestle with whether or not DEI
and you know, what is.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
It white privilege exists or should exist or whatever? So
who thought?
Speaker 1 (18:00):
All right, let's talk about some people who one person
in particular is my hero and another one who has
recently become another hero of mine. So, as I mentioned,
Kendrick Lamar celebrated his birthday yesterday and.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Before that, Tupac celebrated his birthday the day before.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
And you know, there's a lot of you know, happy
birthdays and a lot of people, you know, recapping Kendrick's
last year of his life. And you know, these both
are entertainers, but they're really more than entertainers in my estimation,
and I'm going to make a case for that.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
First thing I want to.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Say, because it was Kendrick's birthday yesterday, is that big
boy who's a friend of ours, Big.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Boy who's on the radio in LA.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
He put up an interview and this was a year's
old interview with Kendrick on an older birthday of his,
and he was talking to him and he says, you know,
you know, I ended up getting money. This is Kendrick talking.
He's like, you know, I ended up getting money. And
you know, money once upon a time I thought money
was going to make me happy, and it didn't.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Of course, you can buy stuff, you can protect your
family or whatever, but it doesn't make you happy. You
have to work on yourself to get happy. And he's like,
and it's hard to tell that to someone who's still
in the hood if they never had money, right. So
I have to like kind of exist in two different worlds.
I can't tell people don't get money, you know, because
they have to. But I also have to kind of
(19:37):
bear in mind that what I need to share with
people is not just get out of the hood, but
also you need to have a spiritual component to your journey.
You need to kind of work on yourself in order
to find happiness. He also mentioned in this interview, and
this just stood out of my mind that the more
famous he got, the less he wanted to chase fame,
(19:57):
and I think that kind of speaks to his care character.
You know, Tupac famously said the same thing. You know,
these guys are both the same sign. I don't know
what sign it is. I'm not into that, but you know,
everyone was talking about it online. But Tupac famously said,
I just want the money at the fame. I'm a
simple man, right, But yeah, Kendrick's like, you know, the
(20:19):
the more famous I got, the less I wanted to
chase fame. And he mentioned that when he was battling
Drake recently, of course, saying only you like being famous
to Drake. And I think that these things are things
that really work for a true artist, okay, Because there's
(20:43):
a lot of people who are in the music business
and the entertainment business, and they are there because they
want to make money and have a fun job, and
they want to meet members of the opposite sex or
whatever it is that they're pushes. But there are some people,
you know, these once in a generation people who are
really artists, right, and they will create art that will
(21:05):
stand the test of time. I've made the argument before
on a few shows now that I believe Tupac to
be the greatest rapper of all time. Okay, And to me,
Tupac is a person that gives you access to feelings
(21:28):
that is not present in a lot of other.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Artists work. Right.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Of course, artists can make music that makes you feel
happy and makes you want to dance and makes you
want to go out and party and that sort of thing.
But the line that I famously and repeatedly share from
from Tupac's Dear Mama is when he says, even as
a crack fiend, Mama, you always was a black queen, Mama,
(21:58):
I finally understand for a woman in Ain't he's trying
to raise a man?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Now. These aren't overly complicated lyrics.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
There's there's nothing there that you know, you couldn't get
any other lyricists to write. But the fact that he
chose to write it, I think speaks volumes to who
he was.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
And that's not the only song he wrote. He wrote songs.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
About like the whole sum total of the black experience,
multifaceted experience in this country, and I think he captured
it all very well.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
But it's these.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Songs that are the timeless songs that really matter to me.
But not only does he choose to say this, but
the way he says it right, He doesn't shy away
from crack fiend Mama Right. Crack really affected black people
very very much so in this country, and it was
(22:51):
done intentionally, and I hear the forgiveness and I hear
the love in his voice. I don't see him shying
away from it, and I see him leaning into that reality.
He's making black art and sharing it with everyone. But
as a black person who comes from a place where
there was crack when I was little, and I saw
what it did, and I grew up afraid that really happened.
(23:14):
I was afraid every day walking to school. I was afraid,
like that was what the environment was at Compton, California
in the eighties, That's where I saw it. For him
to say that it mattered to me, and I've yet
to find a bar and hip hop that paints that
picture any better, that gives you any that imbues more
(23:36):
feeling than that one, right, But then he adds to it,
you always was a black queen, Mama. And if that's
not the most beautiful thing that you could say to
somebody who's been through that, a black woman who has
been at the bottom the whole time in this country,
(23:57):
for him to uplift her, Drake could never. Now, let's
flip this, Kendrick. You know, I feel like we talked
about this on the on the show the other day,
but I want to bring it back because you know,
here we are, I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA.
(24:23):
That's a song that we're gonna chant forever. It may
as well come from a slave field, right. It just
is empowering. It is it is black, but it is
also human because I don't want to deny other people
who feel and connect with that music. If you are
a homo sapient sapien and you feel that music, then
(24:45):
it is your music too, Okay. But that is it
is so part and parcel to the black experience that
I could not fix my mouth to say anything other
than it is just the most beautiful art that is
being created today. And it is in the same vein
(25:05):
is what Tupac's art meant and stood for Tupac. You know,
keep your head up. There's another song I mentioned the
other day. Now, there's a song I Love Myself Kendrick
does right, and go back and listen to the lyrics
if you haven't heard it in a while. I Love myself.
Imagine being born in a country.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
That hates you. Everywhere you look.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Everything bad only happens to black people, and everything good
always happens to white people on TV whatever, Right, and
it's hard to love yourself. You question God? Why couldn't
I have just been born like that would have been
way easier. Why do I have to feel? Why is
everybody poor? Why is everybody crying? Why is there always
drama where I'm at? These are feelings I know well,
(25:50):
especially when I was little. But a song I Love Myself.
You cannot know how what that means to people unless
you have walked in those type of shoes.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
So art, I.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Don't know that art can become more beautiful than that. Right,
if God got us, then we gonna be alright. That's
a song about hope. That's a protest song, like a
bona fide protest song, especially after twenty twenty and now
it's people still.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Play it right. And so Kendrick Lamar.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
And Tupac have shaped this culture and have kept this
culture true to its north star in ways that other
people haven't. There have been people who've been successful, there
have been people who've done tons of things. But I
think that every chance I get for people that say
hip hop doesn't have anything valuable to offer, people to say,
(26:48):
people who say whatever it is. If they say, I
will put Kendrick in front of you, I will put
Tupac in front of you, all their songs, full catalogs,
and I will make this argument. And I haven't been
beaten yet. I got about a minute left on my clock. Q.
Anything you want to add here?
Speaker 3 (27:05):
You know I heard Kendrick Lamar said take my baby
to school, and I pray for m He never had
to rap another.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Lyric ever done that too.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Yeah, to become my favorite after that, and arguing who's
the best, that's difficult. I don't rate tupacasts the greatest
of all time, but I don't disagree with it either.
The most potent voice that I've ever heard sing or
rap is Tupac Shakur. I think when you talk about
(27:33):
skill and greatness and all that stuff. We're talking about
something different. But the most potent and one of the
most important minds and voices that we've ever had in
any genre, in any art form is Tupaca marshakur So
Kendrick Lamar. Following is some good footsteps and almost spooky
that they were almost born on the same day.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
That's hilarious special.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
They both cared more about us than just the things
that come with being a successful rapper.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yeah, no, I love that, ah man. Well, you know,
if Tupac.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Was the one rapper that I showed to like people
that never heard of rap before, I think that he
would paint a picture of what rap music is probably
better than anyone else if I use his full catalog.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
So yeah, he's always going to be that to me.
So anyway, that's going to do it for us.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Here on the QR Code, today's show is produced by
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Civic Cipher. I am your host, Rams's job on all
social media.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
I am q ward on all social media as.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Well, and we want you to check us out tomorrow
as we share our news with our voice from our
perspective right here on the QR code.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
And until then, y'all peace, peace,
Still broadcasting from the Civic Cipher Studios. This is a
QR code where we share perspective, seek understanding, and shape outcomes.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm your host, Ramsy's job, and I am Q ward
And in this half of the show, we got a
lot more for you because we.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Are going to be talking about a white dairy farmer
so in Trump's USDA over alleged racial discrimination. And if
that sounds funny, it's because it is funny, objectively funny,
because well, you know what, we'll get into it when
the time is right. We're also going to be talking
about Kendrick Lamari just had a birthday. He's in the headlines,
and Tupac had a birthday before him, and I think
(00:36):
it's time for us to kind of let you know
kind of where we stand with those two. I'll certainly
speak for myself, but I haven't really gotten a lot
of pushback from Q. But those two really help shape
the culture hip hop culture, especially in ways that many
people don't know, and I think it's important for us
to kind of shine some light on that. But before
we get to all of those things, it is time,
(00:58):
as always for Q words clap back and Q I
just have one question for you, yes, please, Is it
okay to wave the Mexican flag on US soil?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
You know, that's a really really interesting question, man uh
And I think you and I spoke about this before
on the air and across you know, the digital airwaves
as well. Listening to black people make jokes about Mexican
people waving the Mexican flag while protesting deportation and that
(01:34):
being called stupid and then being told to just if
you love Mexico so much, why don't you just go back?
And it's interesting hearing black people laugh and use that rhetoric,
because once upon a time people said stuff like that
about us, to just go back to our country.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Funny part is this is technically dinner land. This is
what the San Bernardino, California.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Is not technical anything that the borders crossed them, that
this was actually Mexico.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Mexico facts, big facs.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I love America more than any other country in the world,
and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right
to criticize her perpetually. As a quote from one of
my favorite human beings of all time, the great, late
great James Baldwin, I knew that was a quote from him,
(02:35):
and it's hard to not start there, right, Like, we
are not allowed to be critical of this place that's
supposed to be the greatest nation on earth. Our white
fellow Americans can criticize her as much as they want
anytime anything isn't going their way. But when we try
to hold the country to that same standard, we are
(02:57):
told to just get out and or go back. Black
and brown people are not allowed to or supposed to
speak truth in this country, right, And when we do,
it's not out of hate.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It's out of hope, Like we hope.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
That all these promises that were made by these men
that we celebrate will come true one day. Right, It's
out of faith, it's out of love. And unfortunately, our
love is not blind. It's not we love this country
so much it can treat us like crap forever. It's like,
we helped build this place. And there's a certain courage,
(03:34):
you know, to be a person that's being persecuted in
this country and to still love it knowing that it
might not ever love you back. Yeah, to wave your
flag when you know people are hurling trash at you
inside they're starting the violence with you and then calling
you a criminal.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
You know, speaking your.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Native language, and people tell you just be American, just
speak English, and we have to continue to show up
and stand end up and keep listening to people tell
us to leave, and I say us because again, this
story isn't new. We're not in the cross hairs right now,
but we always have been and we know better. Eventually
we will be again. So go back to your country
(04:17):
if you don't like it here, just leave, like we're
the only ones ever told things like that. And the
funny thing is Rams and I are DJs. Well, Rams
is a DJ. I'm an old man that used to
play music for people. I can get you out on there, DJ,
several Saint Patrick's Day events in October Fest. You ever
(04:43):
remember anybody flying flags at those places being told you
don't belong here, or just go back to your country.
Never because I don't like ever. But let a black
person point out police brutality, or a Mexican family wave
a Mexican flag while we protest. Ice raids immigrant children
(05:04):
crying because when they get home from school their parents
might not be there.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
And we tell them just shut up.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
If you don't like it, leave, go back to your country,
and then they wrap themselves in the flag and call
that patriotism when it's really just a bully power flex,
an attempt to silence dissent, to punish people who have
self determination and pride for their own heritage. And too
many Americans are okay with just being quiet, and then
(05:36):
we have so called allies and even people who we
think we have some ethnic solidarity with, who just want
to be quiet and obedient and not start anything because
they it might impact them. And it's like, hey, man,
they gave us a little bit, don't mess it up
for the rest of us. You know, Patriotism is not
about being blindly loyal. It's about holding this country accountable,
(05:58):
holding your neighbors, your brothers and sisters, your friends and family,
your coworkers accountable. So Mexican flags at an Ice protests, Yeah,
that's not disrespect. That's what resistance to cruelty looks like,
cruelty to people who violate our constitution and tell us
that we're not being patriotic. America is supposed to be
(06:20):
the place where you fight against injustice. America is supposed
to be the place that speaks up for the rest
of the world when people are not being treated right.
So our country's culture. All of us collectively is the
problem here. That's what they want us to know, right,
So every time somebody screams, go back to your country,
(06:41):
you know, Ramses will call it fear or discomfort.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
I call it hate.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
But it's important to know that, at least voluntarily, we're
not going anywhere. We specifically us built this country. We've
gone to war and bled for this country, and in
every measurable way, we've shown up for a country that
has shown us for its entirety that it does not
love us back, and we've continued to fight for it.
(07:08):
For that reason, we will fly our flags, we will
celebrate our heritage, but we will not get out.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Because you said so.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
It takes a lot of courage, and it's going to
take a lot of perseverance because some days it feels
like a fight that will never win. But America doesn't
belong to them. For them to just take it from
us and kick us out, it's ours as well. So
I guess we just got to see how this plays out.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
One of the things that I really appreciated was American
flags at the No Kings protests last weekend, because that
flag doesn't just belong to Republicans. That flag belongs to everyone.
And I also saw lots of Mexican flags and that's
normal for US, of course. So everybody flying whatever your
(07:59):
flag is flying it. All right, let's have a conversation.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Que let's.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
There's a white dairy farmer suing Donald Trump's USDA over
alleged racial discrimination.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Oh please tell me more. I will.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I'm gonna You're gonna get mad, but I'm gonna have
to try to try to like humor this person's perspective.
You're right, let me pay them. I'm definitely gonna get
downright annoyed.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
With you for now. I know, I know, but you
know I gotta do it. So anyway.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
From the Black Information Network, a Wisconsin dairy farmer is
suing Trump's Department of Agriculture over alleged racial.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Discrimination against white farmers.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
According to the Associated Press, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for
Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit Monday, June sixteenth, on
behalf of the white dairy farmer, Adam Faust. The lawsuit
accuses the Trump administration of i legally denying financial assistance
to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities. In April,
the Wisconsin Institute warned the USDA of impending legal actions,
(09:04):
saying it had illegally continued to implement diversity, equity and
inclusion programs instituted under former President Joe Biden. Six Republican
Wisconsin congressmen also urged the USDA to investigate and end
the programs earlier this year. Quote, the USDA should honor
the President's promise to the American people to end racial
discrimination in the federal government, Fause said in a statement.
(09:25):
Goes on to say, after being ignored by a federal
agency that's meant to support agriculture, I hope my lawsuit
brings answers, accountability and results from the USDA.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Unquote.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
The lawsuit specifically cites through USDA programs that it alleges
put white male farmers at a disadvantage and violate the
Constitution's guarantee of equal treatment by discriminating based on race
and sex. Okay, so ah, let me ruffle your feathers.
(09:58):
Let's say, for instance, this person is making a good
faith argument. I know he's not, but let's say for
instance he is. Okay, let's say this person is legitimately
feels like the world is against me. And maybe not
this person, but maybe there are people out there who
(10:19):
all they consume is Fox News, and you know, people
are people, so they're susceptible to influence and all this
sort of stuff. Right, So hypothetically, this person fits that
bill and everything he sees says, you know, programs that
are celebrating diversity, and he doesn't fit into that box.
(10:41):
Programs that you know, loans and programs and whatever for
women and minorities and disabled and blah blah. He doesn't
fit in any of those boxes. The whole while he's
having a tough time, he's like, man, where's all the
money I was supposed to get when I grew up?
How Come I'm not a rock star? How Come I
haven't a million dollars yet? What's what's going on? What
(11:02):
is this company this country was supposed to You know,
your your dreams are supposed to come true if you.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Work hard and you do right. You know what, why
is that not happening? Oh man?
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Look at those minorities, Look at the crime in Chicago,
Look at these government programs. There's nothing left for people
like me. I'm struggling, Let's say, for instance, this person
exists and this is where they end up after, you know,
being fed all of this stuff. Now, do you want
(11:34):
to take it from here and me jump in after you?
Or do you want me to keep going?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I mean I don't I don't know what.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Take it from here means oh, I don't know how
to sell, and there's maybe a good faith argument here, so.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Okay, then then allow me to keep going. Please, So.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
To that person, I say, yes, equal treatment under the
law is what you're pursuing. You want everything to be
for everybody, and that's all well and good, and in
a perfect world i'd be I absolutely would agree with you. Right,
(12:11):
But you know, you're the type of person that has
this person is hypothetical example as the type of person
that feels that diversity, equity and inclusion programs are discriminatory,
not because of the diversity, not because of the inclusion,
but because of the equity.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
You prefer equality over equity, right because equality means you
get something or nobody gets more than what you get, okay,
And equity means that there are people that get more
because equity is more focused on outcomes, okay, and the
outcomes tend to favor.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
White men.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
This is a white man in this example, of course,
because white men historically have had X, Y, and Z,
and the white men are always at the top of
every list, and white men are always doing better. White
people are always doing better in every other race. They
have more money, they have better healthcare, they have live
in better zip codes with you know better, the police
treat them better, the courts treat them better, the government
(13:11):
treats them better. They hold more positions of power, they
write more laws, they influence the country, better, have more
voting power, et cetera, right on and on and on.
So for focused on outcomes, then you, the individual who
might feel like you're feeling a pinch, doesn't want that approach.
You want an equality approach.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Now you would say to me, well, look, I wish
I was born with some white privilege, but I had
to work and get everything out of the mud, same
as everybody else. Right, So this idea of white privilege, like,
I get that there are some rich white men, I'm
not one of them. I'm working in a field. I'm
a farmer, and they're programs that exist and I can't participate.
I need some of that, Okay, So let's talk about
(13:54):
the pinch that you're feeling, and let's compare that pinch
apples to apples to the pinch instead a black farmer
is feeling. So the one thing that's never held against
you is your skin color. Okay, white privilege, as we've said,
Q and I have said on this show, is the
the the ability to start at zero.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
That's white privilege.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
You're not starting behind the starting line, You're not starting
with any hurdles on your in your lane that you
have to overcome.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Nothing like that.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
White white privilege is being able to start at zero
and run affair race. You don't have to overcome systemic oppression.
You don't have to overcome red lines.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Red lining.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
You don't have to or the legacy of redline. You
don't have to overcome you know, uh, corrupt policing in
car sobol systems. You don't have to overcome a healthcare
system that doesn't you know, prioritize your you know you
and ailments and issues that you know are relevant to
you and your your tribe. You don't have to deal
(14:54):
with housing discrimination. You don't have to deal with employment opportunities,
educational opportunities, those sorts of things. Everything is a fair
race for you. So a black farmer had to go
through a lot more and when time to get to
that point, and when times get tough, the pinch on
a black farmer is much more substantial, right, And this
is just if we're looking at the data. The data
(15:15):
bears this out. So when you're looking at equality, that's
for you the individual, and when people are looking at equity,
that's for everybody, the races. And since races get compared
to each other, this is where we have to focus
on the outcomes because no matter what if white people.
We had this example before when we discuss the Monopoly experiments,
(15:38):
if you don't know, please look them up, save them
as often as I need to. But the Monopoly experiments
really give insight into human psychology. In short, people were
allowed to play Monopoly. There's one group of people that
got to roll both dice, pass, go collect two hundred dollars,
play the game fair. And then there's one group of
people that only got to roll one dice, only got
one hundred, one pass and go blah blah blah.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
They were clearly at a disadvance after a few roles.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
One person that got to play the full game had
a ton of money and a ton of properties. The
person that didn't wasn't able to amass any real wealth. Right,
And then in the middle of the game, the rule
makers say, Okay, now everybody gets to play by the
same rules. Well, that's not fair because this person already
has this head start, and if that's the person I'm
(16:23):
competing with, that's the person you're comparing me to, there's
no way I'm ever going to catch up, right, So
we need some restorative economic justice. We need equity here,
and this lawsuit is one that it has to be
based on a very specific reality that doesn't account for
(16:46):
the fact that there is no equality without equity.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
All right. I know I talked a lot of that up,
but we got a minute left. Q your thoughts here.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
I think the point you make at the end of
that is the most important point, and just kind of
familiarizing people with the difference between equality and equity because
people think they're interchangeable. I'm sure a lot of people
think that those are synonyms, that they mean the same thing,
and they don't. An example that I like to use
most often is if I'm six foot one and you're
(17:17):
five foot one and the idea is that we both
need to see over this eight foot wall for the
same outcome, we don't need the same amount of assistance.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
That's the most simple that I can paint that picture.
That's good.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Be a two foot stool. I can see over the wall.
You give you a two foot stool, you're still staring
into the face of the wall. Right, So there's a
way that we can get equal outcomes. But equity is
what's required for that to happen.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Yeah, I think that's something that folks need to bear
in mind that really wrestle with whether or not DEI
and you know, what is.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
It white privilege exists or should exist or whatever? So
who thought?
Speaker 1 (18:00):
All right, let's talk about some people who one person
in particular is my hero and another one who has
recently become another hero of mine. So, as I mentioned,
Kendrick Lamar celebrated his birthday yesterday and.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Before that, Tupac celebrated his birthday the day before.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
And you know, there's a lot of you know, happy
birthdays and a lot of people, you know, recapping Kendrick's
last year of his life. And you know, these both
are entertainers, but they're really more than entertainers in my estimation,
and I'm going to make a case for that.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
First thing I want to.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Say, because it was Kendrick's birthday yesterday, is that big
boy who's a friend of ours, Big.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Boy who's on the radio in LA.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
He put up an interview and this was a year's
old interview with Kendrick on an older birthday of his,
and he was talking to him and he says, you know,
you know, I ended up getting money. This is Kendrick talking.
He's like, you know, I ended up getting money. And
you know, money once upon a time I thought money
was going to make me happy, and it didn't.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Of course, you can buy stuff, you can protect your
family or whatever, but it doesn't make you happy. You
have to work on yourself to get happy. And he's like,
and it's hard to tell that to someone who's still
in the hood if they never had money, right. So
I have to like kind of exist in two different worlds.
I can't tell people don't get money, you know, because
they have to. But I also have to kind of
(19:37):
bear in mind that what I need to share with
people is not just get out of the hood, but
also you need to have a spiritual component to your journey.
You need to kind of work on yourself in order
to find happiness. He also mentioned in this interview, and
this just stood out of my mind that the more
famous he got, the less he wanted to chase fame,
(19:57):
and I think that kind of speaks to his care character.
You know, Tupac famously said the same thing. You know,
these guys are both the same sign. I don't know
what sign it is. I'm not into that, but you know,
everyone was talking about it online. But Tupac famously said,
I just want the money at the fame. I'm a
simple man, right, But yeah, Kendrick's like, you know, the
(20:19):
the more famous I got, the less I wanted to
chase fame. And he mentioned that when he was battling
Drake recently, of course, saying only you like being famous
to Drake. And I think that these things are things
that really work for a true artist, okay, Because there's
(20:43):
a lot of people who are in the music business
and the entertainment business, and they are there because they
want to make money and have a fun job, and
they want to meet members of the opposite sex or
whatever it is that they're pushes. But there are some people,
you know, these once in a generation people who are
really artists, right, and they will create art that will
(21:05):
stand the test of time. I've made the argument before
on a few shows now that I believe Tupac to
be the greatest rapper of all time. Okay, And to me,
Tupac is a person that gives you access to feelings
(21:28):
that is not present in a lot of other.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Artists work. Right.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Of course, artists can make music that makes you feel
happy and makes you want to dance and makes you
want to go out and party and that sort of thing.
But the line that I famously and repeatedly share from
from Tupac's Dear Mama is when he says, even as
a crack fiend, Mama, you always was a black queen, Mama,
(21:58):
I finally understand for a woman in Ain't he's trying
to raise a man?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Now. These aren't overly complicated lyrics.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
There's there's nothing there that you know, you couldn't get
any other lyricists to write. But the fact that he
chose to write it, I think speaks volumes to who
he was.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
And that's not the only song he wrote. He wrote songs.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
About like the whole sum total of the black experience,
multifaceted experience in this country, and I think he captured
it all very well.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
But it's these.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Songs that are the timeless songs that really matter to me.
But not only does he choose to say this, but
the way he says it right, He doesn't shy away
from crack fiend Mama Right. Crack really affected black people
very very much so in this country, and it was
(22:51):
done intentionally, and I hear the forgiveness and I hear
the love in his voice. I don't see him shying
away from it, and I see him leaning into that reality.
He's making black art and sharing it with everyone. But
as a black person who comes from a place where
there was crack when I was little, and I saw
what it did, and I grew up afraid that really happened.
(23:14):
I was afraid every day walking to school. I was afraid,
like that was what the environment was at Compton, California
in the eighties, That's where I saw it. For him
to say that it mattered to me, and I've yet
to find a bar and hip hop that paints that
picture any better, that gives you any that imbues more
(23:36):
feeling than that one, right, But then he adds to it,
you always was a black queen, Mama. And if that's
not the most beautiful thing that you could say to
somebody who's been through that, a black woman who has
been at the bottom the whole time in this country,
(23:57):
for him to uplift her, Drake could never. Now, let's
flip this, Kendrick. You know, I feel like we talked
about this on the on the show the other day,
but I want to bring it back because you know,
here we are, I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA.
(24:23):
That's a song that we're gonna chant forever. It may
as well come from a slave field, right. It just
is empowering. It is it is black, but it is
also human because I don't want to deny other people
who feel and connect with that music. If you are
a homo sapient sapien and you feel that music, then
(24:45):
it is your music too, Okay. But that is it
is so part and parcel to the black experience that
I could not fix my mouth to say anything other
than it is just the most beautiful art that is
being created today. And it is in the same vein
(25:05):
is what Tupac's art meant and stood for Tupac. You know,
keep your head up. There's another song I mentioned the
other day. Now, there's a song I Love Myself Kendrick
does right, and go back and listen to the lyrics
if you haven't heard it in a while. I Love myself.
Imagine being born in a country.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
That hates you. Everywhere you look.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Everything bad only happens to black people, and everything good
always happens to white people on TV whatever, Right, and
it's hard to love yourself. You question God? Why couldn't
I have just been born like that would have been
way easier. Why do I have to feel? Why is
everybody poor? Why is everybody crying? Why is there always
drama where I'm at? These are feelings I know well,
(25:50):
especially when I was little. But a song I Love Myself.
You cannot know how what that means to people unless
you have walked in those type of shoes.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
So art, I.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Don't know that art can become more beautiful than that. Right,
if God got us, then we gonna be alright. That's
a song about hope. That's a protest song, like a
bona fide protest song, especially after twenty twenty and now
it's people still.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Play it right. And so Kendrick Lamar.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
And Tupac have shaped this culture and have kept this
culture true to its north star in ways that other
people haven't. There have been people who've been successful, there
have been people who've done tons of things. But I
think that every chance I get for people that say
hip hop doesn't have anything valuable to offer, people to say,
(26:48):
people who say whatever it is. If they say, I
will put Kendrick in front of you, I will put
Tupac in front of you, all their songs, full catalogs,
and I will make this argument. And I haven't been
beaten yet. I got about a minute left on my clock. Q.
Anything you want to add here?
Speaker 3 (27:05):
You know I heard Kendrick Lamar said take my baby
to school, and I pray for m He never had
to rap another.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Lyric ever done that too.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Yeah, to become my favorite after that, and arguing who's
the best, that's difficult. I don't rate tupacasts the greatest
of all time, but I don't disagree with it either.
The most potent voice that I've ever heard sing or
rap is Tupac Shakur. I think when you talk about
(27:33):
skill and greatness and all that stuff. We're talking about
something different. But the most potent and one of the
most important minds and voices that we've ever had in
any genre, in any art form is Tupaca marshakur So
Kendrick Lamar. Following is some good footsteps and almost spooky
that they were almost born on the same day.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
That's hilarious special.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
They both cared more about us than just the things
that come with being a successful rapper.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yeah, no, I love that, ah man. Well, you know,
if Tupac.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Was the one rapper that I showed to like people
that never heard of rap before, I think that he
would paint a picture of what rap music is probably
better than anyone else if I use his full catalog.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
So yeah, he's always going to be that to me.
So anyway, that's going to do it for us.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Here on the QR Code, today's show is produced by
Chris Thompson. If you have some thought you'd like to share,
please use the red microphone talk that feature on the
iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe
and download all of our episodes. You can also be
sure to check us out on all social media at
Civic Cipher. I am your host, Rams's job on all
social media.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
I am q ward on all social media as.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Well, and we want you to check us out tomorrow
as we share our news with our voice from our
perspective right here on the QR code.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
And until then, y'all peace, peace,
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