January 9, 2023 • 38 mins
Tracy and Cara invite Red Table Talk favorite Dominic Dupont, nephew of Michael K. Williams, onto Let’s Red Table That to share how his life has changed since his visit to the Red Table. In his Red Table Talk appearance, he shared about his heartbreak over losing his uncle, and now he’s back to reveal the trials he’s faced since and the memories of his uncle that help him stay strong and sober.
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Cara Pressley
@thecareercheerleader Cara’s Instagram
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@FeelinSuccessful Cara’s TikTok
Tracy T. Rowe
@tracytrowe Tracy’s Instagram
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@tracytrowe Tracy’s TikTok
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So I always ask, now, are you ready? I'm ready.
I'm ready. I try to stay ready. Sorry, come on,
that's how you kick it off. Let me get my
sleeve pulled up. Let me get myself because ready. This
is gonna be a good, high energy and high obtain conversation,
and I'm ready for it. Let's kick it off. Hey, y'all, Hey,
(00:23):
what's up? And welcome to Let's Red Table that. I'm
Tracy t Brow and I'm Coral Pressley and I'm feeling
pretty excited about today's episode and conversation. What about you, Tracy,
how are you feeling about today? In the words of
our guests, I'm let's Cora, I'm I love it. Hey,
wait till we bring them on today. Okay, listen, and
(00:46):
we're gonna have a message straight from the Red Table
talk host later in today's episode, So anyone listening, please
do not miss that. And I mean, like for real,
straight up lit. I cannot wait to hear the message.
I cannot wear for this conversation. I am super geeked up.
Super excited would be the nineteen eighties version, but super
(01:07):
super geeked is the nineties version. I'm geeked all the
woe geeks. But first we are going to circle back.
This is a real gift for us. We're gonna go
back to the Red Table episode about fitting All. It
aired in May of this year, and we are being
joined by guests from that very episode. We're making Virtual
Red Table Talk history today. Car like we should we
(01:29):
go ahead and introduce them? I I don't know if anymore,
So come on, come on, introduced, introduce our guest. You
don't have to wait any longer. Our guest today is
not new to the Red Table, but this is his
first time at the Virtual Red Table, so we appreciate
him for coming. Dominie DuPont is here with us. You
(01:49):
of course remember him from his appearance on the actual
Red Table Talk where he shared about his uncle Michael
Kay Williams and their relationship through both of their ups
and downs. Don't we have them all? Right? So we
arevited him on here on our Virtual Red Table to
dive deeper, talk more in depth about the topic that
he touched on at the Red Table, as well as
here about the reception from his uncle's book entitled Scenes
(02:12):
from My Life. So welcome, welcome, thank you, thank you
so much for having me how are you doing. I'm good,
I'm good. Every day above Ground is really an opportunity
to just on a Michael on his legacy and to
add something additional to this thing that we call life, right,
(02:35):
And sometimes life is hard to figure out. Sometimes it
will throw you some curveballs and you're trying to figure
this out and trying to figure that out. But it's
a good place to start at to wake up and
I have life and have breath and for your bed
not to be a cooling boy. So thank you so
much for having me. I'm excited. You just said a
whole word right there. Absolutely, this is an amazing opportunity.
(02:55):
So I just want to say thank you as well
again for just joining us today. I'm excited to jump
into the episode Old So we're gonna kick it off
with our weight what segment. Okay, this is a part
of the show where we reveal which moments made us pause,
(03:15):
rewind and listen again. So actually we're gonna be dipper
right into a previous topic and we haven't had the
opportunity to have wait what with the person we were
waiting on the scenes. So Dominick, I'm excited because I
can say Okay, now wait what what? Now? Absolutely? Wait
what that's it? What happened? Here's what I want to know, Dominic.
(03:39):
When you shared you were living with Michael's mom, I
just thought that was beautiful. My understanding is that you're
actually living with Michael's mother. She's an amazing human being.
She's ninety four years old, and her grit, her strength.
You know, I see what Michael got it from. How
(04:00):
did living together affect both of your grieving journeys. Yeah,
so unfortunately my grandmother, Michael's mother, passed away July fourteen,
and so it's sort of like moves into this important
conversation that we're having about how things can impact people
(04:21):
and can affect people. And that's why you heard me
begin this conversation by talking about how grateful I am
to have life and breath and to have hope, because
one of the things I realized is when you don't
have those things, you are hopeless, and that is a
dark place to be. And I realized that in ways
that a lot of other people may not have really
(04:44):
understood the brevity of what that means and how that feels.
And to just think about some of those things, I mean,
like you said, I was living with my grandmother, Paula Williams.
That happened for me about two days after Michael died.
I immediately left Brooklyn. Took me two days to coordinate
(05:04):
with the Medical Examiner's office here and officials to have
his body transferred to Harrisburg, where he was ultimately laid
to rest. At What happened was two weeks after that,
Michael's brother, my father, had torn a yota uttery, went
into the hospital and unfortunately he passed away on the
(05:25):
second week of November. That impacted my grandmother greatly to
lose two of her children's, one September six and one
in mid November. You know, you asked me, I think
she really passed away from a broken heart. So I
stayed there from September to July, just taking care of her,
making sure that she's good. We had other family members
(05:48):
and support that were there, and like I said, ultimately,
the same way I went upstairs and found Michael deceased
is the same way that I went upstairs and found
my grandmother deceased in July four team. She was suffering, Yeah,
she was suffering. She was going through a lot of
Alzheimers in dementia had set in at a rate that
was unprecettented in my mind, and one she was ready
(06:13):
to go. She made that clear, and to she just said,
I want to be with my boys. So we went
through that. I am still back between New York and
Pennsylvania where my grandmother was living in where Michael we
call that michael second home, and that is now where
he rests that right with his brother and his mother
(06:34):
in the same place. So this she has been rough,
but I'm grateful. I'm hopeful. I see Michael winking at
us often about the work that needs to continue. Well,
let me say that I offer my sincerest sympathy to
you and your faith because having been in the position
where you were to find your uncle and then have
(06:57):
to suffer through the loss of two others so close
and near and beloved family members, I just can't even
imagine your grief. Thank you. At the same time, I
could tell through just your stories and how you speak
of them, that Joe family has a strong legacy that
will be upheld, and I'm grateful that You're able to
be here and speak it, spread their joy and spread
(07:18):
their love and everything that they meant to you. Thank
you so much. Thank you for picking up the mass
Soper Import Dominic and carrying that torch to have that
strong family Williams legacy lived through you. Thank you so much,
Carla and Tracy. I wouldn't have it any other way.
And I know that God has a reason and a
purpose for me to just be involved in this process
the way there I am. And the reality is I
(07:39):
just walked by faith. Understood. Understood. You speak so holly
of Michael. We heard you say that he was an
amazing human being. People are gonna be listening, They're gonna
be watching, They're gonna be saying to themselves, if this
can happen to an amazing human being like him, it
can happen to me. And if we can prevent that,
(08:00):
then we're doing the right thing. A lot of us
were entertained and amazed by him, right, But you got
to get that additional personal insight, like can you share
a story just behind the scenes, another legacy piece that
just demonstrates what you saw and your uncle, or what
you'd like to just share about his legacy that people
don't know or people need to know. One of the
things that was incredible about Michael is that he found
(08:22):
the way to breathe life into his characters, and a
lot of that was because of his ability to turn
his pain and his trauma into art. And a lot
of people don't know that Michael went through a lot
of challenges. That was one of the purposes that we
thought it was so important to bring light shed light
(08:44):
on his new book, Scenes from My Life. Those things
that you hear about are the catalyst to conversations that
developed as Michael worked on healing himself and dealing with
the struggles of life, soro on life's terms and understanding
that there are points in our life where at times
(09:06):
we feel worthless and that is a difficult place to
be at. But through that all, Michael was committed to
helping people understand that they matter. And one of the
things that Michael was committed to was just ensuring that
people know that he was there to support them. And
(09:28):
one of the stories that I have, personal stories that
I have, and pretty recent right before he passed away,
we were shooting a docuseries that Michael had produced called
black Market. It's this idea that when the system fails you,
you create your own systems to survive financially and in
other means. We were leaving a pretty well known seafood
(09:51):
restaurant called Jimmy's. You know, they make pretty much like
the best crab cakes in Maryland. They are like in
the top two, and we could never find ourselves from Baltimore,
Maryland without stopping there to eat. Of course feed you well,
they take care of you. So everybody collecting their doggy
bags and getting them ready, and we had ordered a
few extra crab cakes to take home with us. We
(10:14):
saw this individual who didn't have a place to stay,
and they were looking for food, and it was clear
that they were suffering. Michael said, everybody pull a car,
but pull a car when we like, you know, we're
in Baltimore, Like, what's the matter? What happened? What's going on?
And he said, pulled up, car over, and we pulled
the car over, and he looked at everyone and said, everybody,
(10:36):
give me your bag, and he took stuff that was untouched, unopened,
and we we fed that young lady. But what was
even really more interesting to me, Michael didn't just like
throw them a bag and give them some cash. They
pulled over, he said, Hi, how are you doing? What's
your name? And I just looked yeah. The person said Janine,
(11:02):
and he said, Janine, how you doing? My name is Michael.
How you doing, sister? And she said things are tough,
but and Mike said I know, I've been there, and
he said, since, I have this for you, and he
gave a nice amount of cash and he gave up
some food and he said, I'm praying for you. And
that next day, when we went back and we saw
(11:22):
the same individual, Mike told over again and said hi, Janine,
and she looked and her eyes lit up, and he said,
do you remember my name? And she said, of course
I remember your name. Your name is Michael. And you
know why I remember that, not because you was on
a wire, not because you're a TV star. I remember
(11:44):
that because a lot of people who stopped and make
thrown me a few quarters or feel sympathy for me.
I didn't feel that from you. I felt the person
who cared enough to ask me what my name was.
It don't matter how I looked, or that I didn't
brush my teeth for a few days, or that I
didn't have money or food, or that I didn't look good.
(12:05):
And I was like, this is amazing, this guy right here.
It's just amazing and to see his humility and to
see how much he cared. Most people, like you said,
they just know him from how he breathed life censer characters,
and Mike was just such a genuine, amazing human being
and that really humbled every person that was in the
(12:27):
cars with us that he thought as much. There's a
ripple effect that happens from that because you get a
chance to witness the humanity of human to human connection.
And he actually saw, affirmed and loved Janine and let
her know that she mattered to him as a person
in real life, in real life, not just something to say,
(12:50):
not just how are you? You know, we rushed through
the journey so fast, but he was able to slow down,
like I love that. I appreciate you for sharing that.
And that's why these conversations are important so we can
continue this legacy. Right. Yeah, that was definitely a wait
what because Michael kay Williams said wait what when he
saw the name, what are we gonna do? Said? And
(13:13):
then it was like wait, like what, like somebody say something, right,
we just the true mission that we all have service
true example of leadership. Yeah that's good, absolutely, all right,
We're going to take a quick break, but when we
come back, we'll ask Dominic all our burning questions. Plus
(13:34):
we'll share that surprise message from the Red Table Talk host.
So you don't want to miss the rest of today's episode,
stay tuned. Let's get back into the rest of this episode. Dominic,
what did you think about this episode of Red Table Talk? Overall,
(13:55):
and just as a reminder of where the nation is
at with drug abuse? Provisional Day from cdc s National
Center for Health Statistics indicates that from April through a
drug overdose deaths increased by twenty eight point five percent
as compared to the previous years. So clearly, COVID has
made an impact on drug abuse. I think just drugs alcohol.
(14:18):
We were struggling. We still are struggling, Okay, sitting all another.
Synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths.
Even in small doses, it can be deadly. Over one
hundred and fifty people die every day from overdoses related
to synthetic opioids like fitting all according to the CDC.
How do you feel overall about continuing to spread the word?
(14:40):
How are you feeling, Dominic? Yeah, thank you, thank you
for asking that that is so important. I think it's
really important that we make sure that people are aware
that they're conscious of the decisions that they're making, how
it can impact them, impact the people who love them
that are closest to them, and impact the overall community.
(15:02):
You know, we all suffer when we lose someone, but
if it just things just a little bit more when
it's preventable. We know that overdoses can be prevented. We
know that test kits and some of the other things
that people like in groups like a SAP Foundation are
working on where they provide pentlone test strips and communities
(15:23):
to ensure that people, if they are going to engage
in that type of behavior, that they do it safely.
How did I feel about the overall episode? I loved it.
I love the fact that I was able to connect
with people who had similar experiences, that we could tap
into that for each other and with each other. And
(15:46):
it was also really just humbling to meet other people
who had what I identify survivor's remorse and some aspects
felt guilty was hoping that they could do more, but
also people who just acknowledge the importance of this issue
and are using their platforms to tell these stories about
(16:10):
how not to be in situations like us and our
families have been. It's preventable. We can do better, we
should do better, right. I love that the transparency of
your story through your uncle's story is going to help
someone not have to relive what you're living through. Now,
that part that's a that's big though, Tracy that you said,
(16:33):
because I think a lot of times people think of
the person who has the addiction, and I mean, that's
always something to work on, but the people closest to them,
family members, are directly impacted as well, and how can
we continue to share it and give them the support
that they need? Or absolutely absolutely one of the things
that is on top of mind for me from the book,
(16:53):
which I absolutely love and encourage anyone who can hear
me to get this book because it is a amazing.
I have notes throughout that I've made that we're just
absolutely resonating with me, and one of them was about
addiction and how he said that his mother told him,
you know, you gotta be careful because we got alcoholics
(17:14):
running through our family, and the part that he said
that before he even smoked crack, he was an addict,
that addiction was just as much a part of him
as the sound of his voice as the color of
his skin. When you hear that and read that, how
does that impact you as a family member? Are you
super conscious and careful now to say? Now, hold on
(17:35):
a second, not only do I have this legacy, but
I gotta really be careful about what it is I
indulge in and make sure that I'm careful about any
kind of anything that I've exposed in myself to Yeah. No,
that's a great question, Tracy, And the answer is that
I don't indulge in drinking or drugs at all at all.
(17:56):
I never have. And the reason why I never have
is because of a come a ssation that I had
with Michael and an elevator as he was coming down
from being high and in an argument ensued at our
apartment in the Vanderver States now currently known as Flatbush Gardens,
and he Michael looked in my eyes and said, don't
you ever use drugs? Dominant? And I think a huge
(18:19):
part of that conversation that he had with me when
I was seven years old and a project elevator was
because he never wanted me to be experiencing the things
that he was experiencing. How control substances, how it will handcuffy.
It will take you farther than you want to go,
it will keep you longer than you want to be kept.
(18:41):
And that's how it works. So I was always conscious
of that, and that is the reason why to this day,
I am hyper sensitive to making sure that I do
what's necessary to stay away from control substances, and I
encourage other people who are deal with this sickness to
(19:02):
to get the help that they need. I know it's difficult.
I acknowledge that it can be with you, it can
draw you in, and I want to be sensitive to that.
I want to be there to help people who are
dealing with trauma and pain and trying to find effective
ways to do that without putting themselves in a position
where they can accidentally kill themselves because of it, because
(19:26):
they're trying to cope. You said at the Red Table
you were still processing what happened and what you saw
in September when Michael died. Where are you now on
your journey of healing and grief. I will forever be
affected by that. Those dates means something, that your means
something to think that Labor Day is a day where
(19:47):
someone will feel free and feel joyous and just celebrating.
Those are things that I think about. So, yeah, those
things stay with me and on the journey of healing,
I just have to be mindful of of the important
things that I need to do to maintain my sanity
and not allow insanity to creep in on me. And
(20:08):
a huge part of that is staying connected to the
work that Michael was doing scenes for my life, honoring
his legacy, and knowing that Michael is winking at me
when we are doing this work to help save people.
I love that you said he winks at you. How
do you identify when you know that he's giving you
a wink? Yeah, so a lot of how I identify
(20:32):
when I feel like Michael is present in the room.
It's almost hard to put into language. It almost escapes
language for me. And one of the things is when
I connect with people in my space, there is something
I feel like a sort of like a tug at
my heart when there are things that are happening in
(20:54):
a room, when their connections being made on so many
different levels that has absolutely nothing to do with me.
Oftentimes absolutely nothing to do with the people who are
in the room. It is something beyond that has aligned
us and brought us two together, and everyone who was
(21:15):
involved in that process is an AWE is saying, wait
a minute, what just happened here? And more importantly, why
is it happening? And I see Mike winking, and I
hear his voice saying, because I am present and I
am involved in, how do we help make the world
a better place? Even though I am not in the
(21:37):
world right now, even though I'm not present here, I
am in a place where I am watching over things
and doing the best that I can to look out
for people to help people. Where I am, the spirit
is still present. And what I often like to say
is God was short on a few angels and said
(22:00):
this day I will see you in paradise. This day
I will bring another one. He gives life, he takes
it away. But there are things that we are involved in.
And I believe as a believer that God uses us
and sends angels to encamp around us and protect us,
and that humbles me. And those are things that correlate
(22:22):
with how I feel when I sense Michael's presence and
when he's winking and saying I'm here, I'm still making moves.
Say what right? As you continue to navigate this journey
and go day to day and, like you say, encounter
other people personally and professionally. How has the release of
(22:44):
your uncle's memoir, even just months after his death affected
your actual journey? Has it helped you to power forward?
Tell us how you feel unequivocally absolutely, yes, I have
been empowered. I've been made more aware, more sensitive to
the core, alling all my life and how I can
serve be of service. Michael was about all of those
(23:07):
things his book. Scenes from My Life are true. Scenes
from his life are true experiences, They are true things,
real things, transparent things. Mike went deep, he pulled the
layers back, and he did the same thing with his characters,
and the reality is those things, doing those things. Being
(23:27):
that transparent, being that vulnerable helps people because they say,
if Michael Kay Williams can do it, if he can
be that vulnerable, if he can be that transparent, he
can talk about his struggles, then so can I. And
that is the first start to healing, communicating, talking about it,
getting it out, addressing whatever those issues are so that
(23:52):
you can move forward and do that in a way
that's consistent with your vision and your purpose for your life,
and no one should know that better than that individual. Yeah,
now that's true. We're going to take a short birth
right now, and when we returned, we'll be back to
continue our conversation with our amazing guest, Dominant. Dunt Okay,
(24:16):
I have to ask you a question here because as
we're all nieces and nephews of somebody, right, yes, ma'am
your uncle, you're right. He was vulnerable. He pulled the
layers back, he gave us all the t all the milk.
He didn't hold back a single piece of fruit. Everything
is out. Okay, when you read this book, Dominant, were
you like, oh, wait a minute, I didn't want to
(24:37):
know that. Hold on, I'm feeling some kind of way
about knowniced by my uncle at or were you like
I already knew that. So there's a few things. I think.
One of the main things was how Michael struggled with
his idea who he was, how comfortable he was with
his masculinity, what that meant to pee bull, some of
(25:00):
the challenges that he had being identified as blackie or fagged,
some of those derogatory things that helped thrust him into
trying to identify who he is. Those challenges are present
in the world of addiction. Those things impacted me because
we have been together a very long time. He supported
(25:22):
me throughout my incarceration. The reality is is, you know,
I was aware of some of the challenges that Michael
expressed about being molested and some of those other things
that he talked about. You know, we talked later on
about how that happened and who some of those individuals was,
but those things really shocked you did get an opportunity
to talk to him about that. Absolutely. Me and Michael
(25:45):
very close if you'll read the book. But there's one thing. Yeah,
we were like brothers. I mean, he is my uncle,
but you know, he speaks to that in a book
or whatever about his support and that, which in a
lot of ways, that's that's very accurate. Me and Michael
were like even though I spent twenty close to twenty
one years in prison, he was like a brother to me.
(26:08):
And I have a twin brother, Mike. Mike's like my
third you know, He's like my third ground. Oh wow,
we didn't know you were a twin. I did not
know that, right. Shout out to thank you and shout out,
shout out, Nolan. And there's a whole another conversation we
could have about one years from carceration, because that experience
also brought you here and knowing that you had your
support with your family and from your uncle too. But
(26:30):
we'll have to have you back for a conversation about that. Okay,
when you do your own memoir, we'll have you back. Absolutely.
Let me ask you about some of these roles, because
I personally loved on my little role and I'm about
the way he used to walk down the street. I
want to ask you, say, what chocolate man with that sweat,
(26:55):
come on in the trench? I just come on now.
The roles are so powerful, you know what I mean,
I can I'm just I just want to say thank
you to the honor again. It just talked to you
as I think about that role is just where we are.
Everything he brought to these roles, the power and just
what you remember. I mean, you don't have to remember
the story of the actual wire episode. Do you know
(27:16):
what admits when you heard that little everything from oh
my little in the Wire, the chalky white Boardwalk Empire
and which he couldn't escape his own reality. Do you
think those things and the power you had to bring
to these roles it encouraged his off and on drug use.
Do you think it impacted it or are you aware
in any way based on conversations and just your relationship.
(27:37):
You know, I think certain roles kick up trauma. And
one of Michael's last roles in Lovecraft Country the Tulsa massacre.
You know, I think the reality is when you are
involved in this line of work, you know, you sacrifice
a part of who you are. Michael had concerns about
killing Edris Albert and the wire. You know, he's vocal
(27:59):
about that right, talked to Davis Signment about it. And
you know, the reality is is that you know, it's
a sacrifice. When you go to the places that Michael
went to breathe life into these characters, it's a wonder
terrible things that happened earlier. Yes, it takes a lot
of therapy, a lot of conversations and support from loved
(28:22):
ones and family members to get through this process. And
you know, but Michael also loved art, and he also
loved helping people, and his roles the space that he
created a black, openly gay mail to still have strength
and power and not be weak or not be soft.
(28:43):
Was something that had never been accomplished in the history
of and that's what I'm just calling it. What it is,
that it had not been accomplished, that's anything I've ever seen.
It was necessary, something I can tell you. Let me
say this. I'm representing what we laughingly call the gay
community here, the leg booty community, and as a member
(29:05):
of the community, I appreciate and respect and honor that
it is unparamount, okay, because there are so many people
who are people of color, who are in the gay community,
who are queer, who are quiet and never acknowledge, whether
personally or professionally, in any character ever. And so for him,
(29:30):
for him, it takes a lot of strength and grit
to be able to do that and stand firm and that. So, no,
that is absolutely something to celebrate, and I applaud it,
no doubt. It is not lost on us. And so
now I'm gonna tell you this some other stuff that's
not lost on me, because there's so much from scenes
from my life. Oh my gosh, like this book. I'm
(29:50):
telling you, I felt like I was having a conversation
with him. It was so good He emphasized the belief
in pursuing dreams and callings and that it includes breaking
free from the labels and the limits of to put
on you. Have you had to break out of the
boxes other try to put on you so that you
can live your life your way. We talked a little
bit earlier about some of my challenges being formally incarcerated
(30:14):
in a place where I had to get permission to
use the bathroom, being told when they eat, when I
can't eat, how much time I can have on the phone,
being told when I can walk somewhere, and how I
can walk somewhere, how fast I did would be back
from that place I walked to. Are all things that
can impact you. And you can feel like you're in
(30:37):
a situation where you are in a box even when
you get out of that box. So there are some
emotional psychological and you heard me earlier talk about it
when I talked about not allowing insanity to creep in
on me, figuring out a new way to do things
in my life and to live my life in a
way that makes me happy. And so yeah, I've had
(31:02):
several times where I've had to work really hard to
pursue my dreams and my calling, and to ensure that
I don't subscribe to labels. I don't subscribe to an
inmate or a prisoner, identify myself as someone who made
a bad decision, was held accountable and responsible for that decision,
(31:22):
and understands that there's not a perfect person on this planet.
We learn from those decisions and choices, and we move forward,
and we work really hard honor people, our victims, people
that we have hurt. We use that to elevate an
important conversation about awareness and how do we help people heal.
(31:47):
And that is my life's work. So I'm happy about that.
I'm happy to be broken out of that box sensors,
to be in that place where I'm able to do
that now it's a blessing to lift as that is
so powerful. And then I want to believe that your uncle,
because he knew what it was like to be in
a box of sorts, right, he knew how hard it
(32:09):
was for him to try to live kind of the
best of both worlds. He'd be in Vandevere and then
he'd be with Robin, and he was kind of living
that double life. At no point that I ever feel
while reading the book that he felt like he had
to choose and that he had an opportunity to still
pursue his dream. And the one thing that I wrote,
and this is a note that I took from the
book as a quote from him, is the permission to
(32:32):
dream is so important that even if you are in
a place where you literally are incarcerated, you still have
the permission to dream. And so I'm so grateful that
even though you had to overcome some obstacles, and like
you said, you paid your restitution and now you're having
an opportunity to fulfill your purpose. And I'm grateful for that.
(32:55):
So thank you. Yeah, no, I appreciate that, and thank you.
Thank you so much. Look, like said, the reality is,
I know certain people I've experienced that you can just
walk in the streets of New York City and you
can see people prison as a place where you're at
in your mind and your space. If you're on bondage,
even if you free, you're really not free. But what
(33:16):
I also learned is freedom is not free. You gotta
be responsible, and you gotta do the right thing. And
having permission to dream and having the things that you
need gives you some space to breathe. It gives you
some time to think about things that may seem impossible.
That's how Michael thought about his life. Who would think
(33:36):
someone like me would reach the place that they've reached
in their life, not just because TV actor that is
a job, but to be in a place where he
can help people and use his platform where his voice
mattered is something that he was really happy about. So
(33:57):
so thank you. And he said, at the core of
his work is served. Yes, ma'am, and I was your
no voice still matters, you know what I mean? Like
to have his legacy continue the way it is, And
I'm grateful that you are here to continue carrying that
torch for him, for us, for your family. Again, I'm
just honest. Let me ask you, was there anything else
that you wanted to share or any other point that
(34:18):
you wanted to make at the Red Table that you
couldn't because now you can make it right table. Well, no,
thank you so much. I appreciate that the team Jada,
her mom, her daughter, everyone was just amazing her staff there,
and thankfully they gave me an opportunity to, you know,
(34:39):
such an important conversation. So I was really honored and
blessed to be there and to just see the work
that's happening there. Um, I'm honored and blessed to be
able to have this platform now, and I just want
to say thank you to Jada, thank you to her
staff the rest of the host there for giving us
an opportunity to highlight such an important issue. I said
(35:03):
that there, but I think it's worth restating and just
so privileged to be able to connect with you guys,
and thankful and humble. So even though I said that there,
I think it's worth restating here. I just want to
thank you, Tracy and Carla. The Red Table has given
us such a gift of awareness and healing and growth,
(35:25):
and having you there and then at this virtual Red
Table has been a gift for us as well. I
would like to wrap our conversation with you up by
quoting from the book that I encourage everyone to get.
Scenes from my life from memo are from Michael kay
william book, and this is what it says. I don't
want to be in the spotlight. I want to be
(35:48):
the spotlight itself shine on others. I love powerful. I
love that indeed powerful. Okay, So, now speaking to Sharon Dominic,
are you ready, okay, because we actually received a message
from someone who was especially grateful you came to the
Red Table and we finally get to share it with
(36:10):
you now here it is. Hey, Dominic, just wanted to
take a moment out to thank you so much for
joining us at the Red Table to share your journey
with your uncle Michael Kay Williams. And I'm excited that
you're continuing to share that journey on Let's Red Table,
that it's so important for so many people, and I
(36:32):
can't wait to hear what else you share at the
Virtual Red Table. Thank you, Thank you. Gam Yeah, that
was a message right from Gammy. We love our gam
and details it like it is so you know, she
wanted to make sure that you got a special acknowledgment
from her from the Red Table to the Virtual Red Table.
(36:53):
Thank you so much for being here with us today.
Thank you so much, guys, it's really a president appreciate
you guys so much. Keep up the great work. Thank
you so much. We want to know how you're feeling
about this new season a Red Table talk. We are
open to talk about anything with you all, so please
send in your questions at Let's Red Table. That's at
(37:15):
red Table talk dot com or don't forget. You can
also leave us a voicemail at speak pipe dot com
slash Let's Red Table that Yes, we can't wait to
hear your voices. Go to speak pipe dot com. Just
talking out and why are you talking? We want to
talk to you one more time and say thank you,
yes you, thank you so much for listening. Make sure
(37:37):
you subscribe on I Heart Radio app and please rate
this podcast on Apple podcast. Y'all know we want to
find We'll be back next week for another episode of
Let's Red Table Back Special. Thanks to executive producers j
Pett Smith, Valon Jethro and Ellen Racketon. Thank you to
our producer Kyleague Canehru and our associate producer your land
(38:00):
to Chow. And finally, thanks to our sound engineer Stephanie Aguilar.
Let's Red Table. Hey, that's table, that's tables. Hey,
So I always ask, now, are you ready? I'm ready.
I'm ready. I try to stay ready. Sorry, come on,
that's how you kick it off. Let me get my
sleeve pulled up. Let me get myself because ready. This
is gonna be a good, high energy and high obtain conversation,
and I'm ready for it. Let's kick it off. Hey, y'all, Hey,
(00:23):
what's up? And welcome to Let's Red Table that. I'm
Tracy t Brow and I'm Coral Pressley and I'm feeling
pretty excited about today's episode and conversation. What about you, Tracy,
how are you feeling about today? In the words of
our guests, I'm let's Cora, I'm I love it. Hey,
wait till we bring them on today. Okay, listen, and
(00:46):
we're gonna have a message straight from the Red Table
talk host later in today's episode, So anyone listening, please
do not miss that. And I mean, like for real,
straight up lit. I cannot wait to hear the message.
I cannot wear for this conversation. I am super geeked up.
Super excited would be the nineteen eighties version, but super
(01:07):
super geeked is the nineties version. I'm geeked all the
woe geeks. But first we are going to circle back.
This is a real gift for us. We're gonna go
back to the Red Table episode about fitting All. It
aired in May of this year, and we are being
joined by guests from that very episode. We're making Virtual
Red Table Talk history today. Car like we should we
(01:29):
go ahead and introduce them? I I don't know if anymore,
So come on, come on, introduced, introduce our guest. You
don't have to wait any longer. Our guest today is
not new to the Red Table, but this is his
first time at the Virtual Red Table, so we appreciate
him for coming. Dominie DuPont is here with us. You
(01:49):
of course remember him from his appearance on the actual
Red Table Talk where he shared about his uncle Michael
Kay Williams and their relationship through both of their ups
and downs. Don't we have them all? Right? So we
arevited him on here on our Virtual Red Table to
dive deeper, talk more in depth about the topic that
he touched on at the Red Table, as well as
here about the reception from his uncle's book entitled Scenes
(02:12):
from My Life. So welcome, welcome, thank you, thank you
so much for having me how are you doing. I'm good,
I'm good. Every day above Ground is really an opportunity
to just on a Michael on his legacy and to
add something additional to this thing that we call life, right,
(02:35):
And sometimes life is hard to figure out. Sometimes it
will throw you some curveballs and you're trying to figure
this out and trying to figure that out. But it's
a good place to start at to wake up and
I have life and have breath and for your bed
not to be a cooling boy. So thank you so
much for having me. I'm excited. You just said a
whole word right there. Absolutely, this is an amazing opportunity.
(02:55):
So I just want to say thank you as well
again for just joining us today. I'm excited to jump
into the episode Old So we're gonna kick it off
with our weight what segment. Okay, this is a part
of the show where we reveal which moments made us pause,
(03:15):
rewind and listen again. So actually we're gonna be dipper
right into a previous topic and we haven't had the
opportunity to have wait what with the person we were
waiting on the scenes. So Dominick, I'm excited because I
can say Okay, now wait what what? Now? Absolutely? Wait
what that's it? What happened? Here's what I want to know, Dominic.
(03:39):
When you shared you were living with Michael's mom, I
just thought that was beautiful. My understanding is that you're
actually living with Michael's mother. She's an amazing human being.
She's ninety four years old, and her grit, her strength.
You know, I see what Michael got it from. How
(04:00):
did living together affect both of your grieving journeys. Yeah,
so unfortunately my grandmother, Michael's mother, passed away July fourteen,
and so it's sort of like moves into this important
conversation that we're having about how things can impact people
(04:21):
and can affect people. And that's why you heard me
begin this conversation by talking about how grateful I am
to have life and breath and to have hope, because
one of the things I realized is when you don't
have those things, you are hopeless, and that is a
dark place to be. And I realized that in ways
that a lot of other people may not have really
(04:44):
understood the brevity of what that means and how that feels.
And to just think about some of those things, I mean,
like you said, I was living with my grandmother, Paula Williams.
That happened for me about two days after Michael died.
I immediately left Brooklyn. Took me two days to coordinate
(05:04):
with the Medical Examiner's office here and officials to have
his body transferred to Harrisburg, where he was ultimately laid
to rest. At What happened was two weeks after that,
Michael's brother, my father, had torn a yota uttery, went
into the hospital and unfortunately he passed away on the
(05:25):
second week of November. That impacted my grandmother greatly to
lose two of her children's, one September six and one
in mid November. You know, you asked me, I think
she really passed away from a broken heart. So I
stayed there from September to July, just taking care of her,
making sure that she's good. We had other family members
(05:48):
and support that were there, and like I said, ultimately,
the same way I went upstairs and found Michael deceased
is the same way that I went upstairs and found
my grandmother deceased in July four team. She was suffering, Yeah,
she was suffering. She was going through a lot of
Alzheimers in dementia had set in at a rate that
was unprecettented in my mind, and one she was ready
(06:13):
to go. She made that clear, and to she just said,
I want to be with my boys. So we went
through that. I am still back between New York and
Pennsylvania where my grandmother was living in where Michael we
call that michael second home, and that is now where
he rests that right with his brother and his mother
(06:34):
in the same place. So this she has been rough,
but I'm grateful. I'm hopeful. I see Michael winking at
us often about the work that needs to continue. Well,
let me say that I offer my sincerest sympathy to
you and your faith because having been in the position
where you were to find your uncle and then have
(06:57):
to suffer through the loss of two others so close
and near and beloved family members, I just can't even
imagine your grief. Thank you. At the same time, I
could tell through just your stories and how you speak
of them, that Joe family has a strong legacy that
will be upheld, and I'm grateful that You're able to
be here and speak it, spread their joy and spread
(07:18):
their love and everything that they meant to you. Thank
you so much. Thank you for picking up the mass
Soper Import Dominic and carrying that torch to have that
strong family Williams legacy lived through you. Thank you so much,
Carla and Tracy. I wouldn't have it any other way.
And I know that God has a reason and a
purpose for me to just be involved in this process
the way there I am. And the reality is I
(07:39):
just walked by faith. Understood. Understood. You speak so holly
of Michael. We heard you say that he was an
amazing human being. People are gonna be listening, They're gonna
be watching, They're gonna be saying to themselves, if this
can happen to an amazing human being like him, it
can happen to me. And if we can prevent that,
(08:00):
then we're doing the right thing. A lot of us
were entertained and amazed by him, right, But you got
to get that additional personal insight, like can you share
a story just behind the scenes, another legacy piece that
just demonstrates what you saw and your uncle, or what
you'd like to just share about his legacy that people
don't know or people need to know. One of the
things that was incredible about Michael is that he found
(08:22):
the way to breathe life into his characters, and a
lot of that was because of his ability to turn
his pain and his trauma into art. And a lot
of people don't know that Michael went through a lot
of challenges. That was one of the purposes that we
thought it was so important to bring light shed light
(08:44):
on his new book, Scenes from My Life. Those things
that you hear about are the catalyst to conversations that
developed as Michael worked on healing himself and dealing with
the struggles of life, soro on life's terms and understanding
that there are points in our life where at times
(09:06):
we feel worthless and that is a difficult place to
be at. But through that all, Michael was committed to
helping people understand that they matter. And one of the
things that Michael was committed to was just ensuring that
people know that he was there to support them. And
(09:28):
one of the stories that I have, personal stories that
I have, and pretty recent right before he passed away,
we were shooting a docuseries that Michael had produced called
black Market. It's this idea that when the system fails you,
you create your own systems to survive financially and in
other means. We were leaving a pretty well known seafood
(09:51):
restaurant called Jimmy's. You know, they make pretty much like
the best crab cakes in Maryland. They are like in
the top two, and we could never find ourselves from Baltimore,
Maryland without stopping there to eat. Of course feed you well,
they take care of you. So everybody collecting their doggy
bags and getting them ready, and we had ordered a
few extra crab cakes to take home with us. We
(10:14):
saw this individual who didn't have a place to stay,
and they were looking for food, and it was clear
that they were suffering. Michael said, everybody pull a car,
but pull a car when we like, you know, we're
in Baltimore, Like, what's the matter? What happened? What's going on?
And he said, pulled up, car over, and we pulled
the car over, and he looked at everyone and said, everybody,
(10:36):
give me your bag, and he took stuff that was untouched, unopened,
and we we fed that young lady. But what was
even really more interesting to me, Michael didn't just like
throw them a bag and give them some cash. They
pulled over, he said, Hi, how are you doing? What's
your name? And I just looked yeah. The person said Janine,
(11:02):
and he said, Janine, how you doing? My name is Michael.
How you doing, sister? And she said things are tough,
but and Mike said I know, I've been there, and
he said, since, I have this for you, and he
gave a nice amount of cash and he gave up
some food and he said, I'm praying for you. And
that next day, when we went back and we saw
(11:22):
the same individual, Mike told over again and said hi, Janine,
and she looked and her eyes lit up, and he said,
do you remember my name? And she said, of course
I remember your name. Your name is Michael. And you
know why I remember that, not because you was on
a wire, not because you're a TV star. I remember
(11:44):
that because a lot of people who stopped and make
thrown me a few quarters or feel sympathy for me.
I didn't feel that from you. I felt the person
who cared enough to ask me what my name was.
It don't matter how I looked, or that I didn't
brush my teeth for a few days, or that I
didn't have money or food, or that I didn't look good.
(12:05):
And I was like, this is amazing, this guy right here.
It's just amazing and to see his humility and to
see how much he cared. Most people, like you said,
they just know him from how he breathed life censer characters,
and Mike was just such a genuine, amazing human being
and that really humbled every person that was in the
(12:27):
cars with us that he thought as much. There's a
ripple effect that happens from that because you get a
chance to witness the humanity of human to human connection.
And he actually saw, affirmed and loved Janine and let
her know that she mattered to him as a person
in real life, in real life, not just something to say,
(12:50):
not just how are you? You know, we rushed through
the journey so fast, but he was able to slow down,
like I love that. I appreciate you for sharing that.
And that's why these conversations are important so we can
continue this legacy. Right. Yeah, that was definitely a wait
what because Michael kay Williams said wait what when he
saw the name, what are we gonna do? Said? And
(13:13):
then it was like wait, like what, like somebody say something, right,
we just the true mission that we all have service
true example of leadership. Yeah that's good, absolutely, all right,
We're going to take a quick break, but when we
come back, we'll ask Dominic all our burning questions. Plus
(13:34):
we'll share that surprise message from the Red Table Talk host.
So you don't want to miss the rest of today's episode,
stay tuned. Let's get back into the rest of this episode. Dominic,
what did you think about this episode of Red Table Talk? Overall,
(13:55):
and just as a reminder of where the nation is
at with drug abuse? Provisional Day from cdc s National
Center for Health Statistics indicates that from April through a
drug overdose deaths increased by twenty eight point five percent
as compared to the previous years. So clearly, COVID has
made an impact on drug abuse. I think just drugs alcohol.
(14:18):
We were struggling. We still are struggling, Okay, sitting all another.
Synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths.
Even in small doses, it can be deadly. Over one
hundred and fifty people die every day from overdoses related
to synthetic opioids like fitting all according to the CDC.
How do you feel overall about continuing to spread the word?
(14:40):
How are you feeling, Dominic? Yeah, thank you, thank you
for asking that that is so important. I think it's
really important that we make sure that people are aware
that they're conscious of the decisions that they're making, how
it can impact them, impact the people who love them
that are closest to them, and impact the overall community.
(15:02):
You know, we all suffer when we lose someone, but
if it just things just a little bit more when
it's preventable. We know that overdoses can be prevented. We
know that test kits and some of the other things
that people like in groups like a SAP Foundation are
working on where they provide pentlone test strips and communities
(15:23):
to ensure that people, if they are going to engage
in that type of behavior, that they do it safely.
How did I feel about the overall episode? I loved it.
I love the fact that I was able to connect
with people who had similar experiences, that we could tap
into that for each other and with each other. And
(15:46):
it was also really just humbling to meet other people
who had what I identify survivor's remorse and some aspects
felt guilty was hoping that they could do more, but
also people who just acknowledge the importance of this issue
and are using their platforms to tell these stories about
(16:10):
how not to be in situations like us and our
families have been. It's preventable. We can do better, we
should do better, right. I love that the transparency of
your story through your uncle's story is going to help
someone not have to relive what you're living through. Now,
that part that's a that's big though, Tracy that you said,
(16:33):
because I think a lot of times people think of
the person who has the addiction, and I mean, that's
always something to work on, but the people closest to them,
family members, are directly impacted as well, and how can
we continue to share it and give them the support
that they need? Or absolutely absolutely one of the things
that is on top of mind for me from the book,
(16:53):
which I absolutely love and encourage anyone who can hear
me to get this book because it is a amazing.
I have notes throughout that I've made that we're just
absolutely resonating with me, and one of them was about
addiction and how he said that his mother told him,
you know, you gotta be careful because we got alcoholics
(17:14):
running through our family, and the part that he said
that before he even smoked crack, he was an addict,
that addiction was just as much a part of him
as the sound of his voice as the color of
his skin. When you hear that and read that, how
does that impact you as a family member? Are you
super conscious and careful now to say? Now, hold on
(17:35):
a second, not only do I have this legacy, but
I gotta really be careful about what it is I
indulge in and make sure that I'm careful about any
kind of anything that I've exposed in myself to Yeah. No,
that's a great question, Tracy, And the answer is that
I don't indulge in drinking or drugs at all at all.
(17:56):
I never have. And the reason why I never have
is because of a come a ssation that I had
with Michael and an elevator as he was coming down
from being high and in an argument ensued at our
apartment in the Vanderver States now currently known as Flatbush Gardens,
and he Michael looked in my eyes and said, don't
you ever use drugs? Dominant? And I think a huge
(18:19):
part of that conversation that he had with me when
I was seven years old and a project elevator was
because he never wanted me to be experiencing the things
that he was experiencing. How control substances, how it will handcuffy.
It will take you farther than you want to go,
it will keep you longer than you want to be kept.
(18:41):
And that's how it works. So I was always conscious
of that, and that is the reason why to this day,
I am hyper sensitive to making sure that I do
what's necessary to stay away from control substances, and I
encourage other people who are deal with this sickness to
(19:02):
to get the help that they need. I know it's difficult.
I acknowledge that it can be with you, it can
draw you in, and I want to be sensitive to that.
I want to be there to help people who are
dealing with trauma and pain and trying to find effective
ways to do that without putting themselves in a position
where they can accidentally kill themselves because of it, because
(19:26):
they're trying to cope. You said at the Red Table
you were still processing what happened and what you saw
in September when Michael died. Where are you now on
your journey of healing and grief. I will forever be
affected by that. Those dates means something, that your means
something to think that Labor Day is a day where
(19:47):
someone will feel free and feel joyous and just celebrating.
Those are things that I think about. So, yeah, those
things stay with me and on the journey of healing,
I just have to be mindful of of the important
things that I need to do to maintain my sanity
and not allow insanity to creep in on me. And
(20:08):
a huge part of that is staying connected to the
work that Michael was doing scenes for my life, honoring
his legacy, and knowing that Michael is winking at me
when we are doing this work to help save people.
I love that you said he winks at you. How
do you identify when you know that he's giving you
a wink? Yeah, so a lot of how I identify
(20:32):
when I feel like Michael is present in the room.
It's almost hard to put into language. It almost escapes
language for me. And one of the things is when
I connect with people in my space, there is something
I feel like a sort of like a tug at
my heart when there are things that are happening in
(20:54):
a room, when their connections being made on so many
different levels that has absolutely nothing to do with me.
Oftentimes absolutely nothing to do with the people who are
in the room. It is something beyond that has aligned
us and brought us two together, and everyone who was
(21:15):
involved in that process is an AWE is saying, wait
a minute, what just happened here? And more importantly, why
is it happening? And I see Mike winking, and I
hear his voice saying, because I am present and I
am involved in, how do we help make the world
a better place? Even though I am not in the
(21:37):
world right now, even though I'm not present here, I
am in a place where I am watching over things
and doing the best that I can to look out
for people to help people. Where I am, the spirit
is still present. And what I often like to say
is God was short on a few angels and said
(22:00):
this day I will see you in paradise. This day
I will bring another one. He gives life, he takes
it away. But there are things that we are involved in.
And I believe as a believer that God uses us
and sends angels to encamp around us and protect us,
and that humbles me. And those are things that correlate
(22:22):
with how I feel when I sense Michael's presence and
when he's winking and saying I'm here, I'm still making moves.
Say what right? As you continue to navigate this journey
and go day to day and, like you say, encounter
other people personally and professionally. How has the release of
(22:44):
your uncle's memoir, even just months after his death affected
your actual journey? Has it helped you to power forward?
Tell us how you feel unequivocally absolutely, yes, I have
been empowered. I've been made more aware, more sensitive to
the core, alling all my life and how I can
serve be of service. Michael was about all of those
(23:07):
things his book. Scenes from My Life are true. Scenes
from his life are true experiences, They are true things,
real things, transparent things. Mike went deep, he pulled the
layers back, and he did the same thing with his characters,
and the reality is those things, doing those things. Being
(23:27):
that transparent, being that vulnerable helps people because they say,
if Michael Kay Williams can do it, if he can
be that vulnerable, if he can be that transparent, he
can talk about his struggles, then so can I. And
that is the first start to healing, communicating, talking about it,
getting it out, addressing whatever those issues are so that
(23:52):
you can move forward and do that in a way
that's consistent with your vision and your purpose for your life,
and no one should know that better than that individual. Yeah,
now that's true. We're going to take a short birth
right now, and when we returned, we'll be back to
continue our conversation with our amazing guest, Dominant. Dunt Okay,
(24:16):
I have to ask you a question here because as
we're all nieces and nephews of somebody, right, yes, ma'am
your uncle, you're right. He was vulnerable. He pulled the
layers back, he gave us all the t all the milk.
He didn't hold back a single piece of fruit. Everything
is out. Okay, when you read this book, Dominant, were
you like, oh, wait a minute, I didn't want to
(24:37):
know that. Hold on, I'm feeling some kind of way
about knowniced by my uncle at or were you like
I already knew that. So there's a few things. I think.
One of the main things was how Michael struggled with
his idea who he was, how comfortable he was with
his masculinity, what that meant to pee bull, some of
(25:00):
the challenges that he had being identified as blackie or fagged,
some of those derogatory things that helped thrust him into
trying to identify who he is. Those challenges are present
in the world of addiction. Those things impacted me because
we have been together a very long time. He supported
(25:22):
me throughout my incarceration. The reality is is, you know,
I was aware of some of the challenges that Michael
expressed about being molested and some of those other things
that he talked about. You know, we talked later on
about how that happened and who some of those individuals was,
but those things really shocked you did get an opportunity
to talk to him about that. Absolutely. Me and Michael
(25:45):
very close if you'll read the book. But there's one thing. Yeah,
we were like brothers. I mean, he is my uncle,
but you know, he speaks to that in a book
or whatever about his support and that, which in a
lot of ways, that's that's very accurate. Me and Michael
were like even though I spent twenty close to twenty
one years in prison, he was like a brother to me.
(26:08):
And I have a twin brother, Mike. Mike's like my
third you know, He's like my third ground. Oh wow,
we didn't know you were a twin. I did not
know that, right. Shout out to thank you and shout out,
shout out, Nolan. And there's a whole another conversation we
could have about one years from carceration, because that experience
also brought you here and knowing that you had your
support with your family and from your uncle too. But
(26:30):
we'll have to have you back for a conversation about that. Okay,
when you do your own memoir, we'll have you back. Absolutely.
Let me ask you about some of these roles, because
I personally loved on my little role and I'm about
the way he used to walk down the street. I
want to ask you, say, what chocolate man with that sweat,
(26:55):
come on in the trench? I just come on now.
The roles are so powerful, you know what I mean,
I can I'm just I just want to say thank
you to the honor again. It just talked to you
as I think about that role is just where we are.
Everything he brought to these roles, the power and just
what you remember. I mean, you don't have to remember
the story of the actual wire episode. Do you know
(27:16):
what admits when you heard that little everything from oh
my little in the Wire, the chalky white Boardwalk Empire
and which he couldn't escape his own reality. Do you
think those things and the power you had to bring
to these roles it encouraged his off and on drug use.
Do you think it impacted it or are you aware
in any way based on conversations and just your relationship.
(27:37):
You know, I think certain roles kick up trauma. And
one of Michael's last roles in Lovecraft Country the Tulsa massacre.
You know, I think the reality is when you are
involved in this line of work, you know, you sacrifice
a part of who you are. Michael had concerns about
killing Edris Albert and the wire. You know, he's vocal
(27:59):
about that right, talked to Davis Signment about it. And
you know, the reality is is that you know, it's
a sacrifice. When you go to the places that Michael
went to breathe life into these characters, it's a wonder
terrible things that happened earlier. Yes, it takes a lot
of therapy, a lot of conversations and support from loved
(28:22):
ones and family members to get through this process. And
you know, but Michael also loved art, and he also
loved helping people, and his roles the space that he
created a black, openly gay mail to still have strength
and power and not be weak or not be soft.
(28:43):
Was something that had never been accomplished in the history
of and that's what I'm just calling it. What it is,
that it had not been accomplished, that's anything I've ever seen.
It was necessary, something I can tell you. Let me
say this. I'm representing what we laughingly call the gay
community here, the leg booty community, and as a member
(29:05):
of the community, I appreciate and respect and honor that
it is unparamount, okay, because there are so many people
who are people of color, who are in the gay community,
who are queer, who are quiet and never acknowledge, whether
personally or professionally, in any character ever. And so for him,
(29:30):
for him, it takes a lot of strength and grit
to be able to do that and stand firm and that. So, no,
that is absolutely something to celebrate, and I applaud it,
no doubt. It is not lost on us. And so
now I'm gonna tell you this some other stuff that's
not lost on me, because there's so much from scenes
from my life. Oh my gosh, like this book. I'm
(29:50):
telling you, I felt like I was having a conversation
with him. It was so good He emphasized the belief
in pursuing dreams and callings and that it includes breaking
free from the labels and the limits of to put
on you. Have you had to break out of the
boxes other try to put on you so that you
can live your life your way. We talked a little
bit earlier about some of my challenges being formally incarcerated
(30:14):
in a place where I had to get permission to
use the bathroom, being told when they eat, when I
can't eat, how much time I can have on the phone,
being told when I can walk somewhere, and how I
can walk somewhere, how fast I did would be back
from that place I walked to. Are all things that
can impact you. And you can feel like you're in
(30:37):
a situation where you are in a box even when
you get out of that box. So there are some
emotional psychological and you heard me earlier talk about it
when I talked about not allowing insanity to creep in
on me, figuring out a new way to do things
in my life and to live my life in a
way that makes me happy. And so yeah, I've had
(31:02):
several times where I've had to work really hard to
pursue my dreams and my calling, and to ensure that
I don't subscribe to labels. I don't subscribe to an
inmate or a prisoner, identify myself as someone who made
a bad decision, was held accountable and responsible for that decision,
(31:22):
and understands that there's not a perfect person on this planet.
We learn from those decisions and choices, and we move forward,
and we work really hard honor people, our victims, people
that we have hurt. We use that to elevate an
important conversation about awareness and how do we help people heal.
(31:47):
And that is my life's work. So I'm happy about that.
I'm happy to be broken out of that box sensors,
to be in that place where I'm able to do
that now it's a blessing to lift as that is
so powerful. And then I want to believe that your uncle,
because he knew what it was like to be in
a box of sorts, right, he knew how hard it
(32:09):
was for him to try to live kind of the
best of both worlds. He'd be in Vandevere and then
he'd be with Robin, and he was kind of living
that double life. At no point that I ever feel
while reading the book that he felt like he had
to choose and that he had an opportunity to still
pursue his dream. And the one thing that I wrote,
and this is a note that I took from the
book as a quote from him, is the permission to
(32:32):
dream is so important that even if you are in
a place where you literally are incarcerated, you still have
the permission to dream. And so I'm so grateful that
even though you had to overcome some obstacles, and like
you said, you paid your restitution and now you're having
an opportunity to fulfill your purpose. And I'm grateful for that.
(32:55):
So thank you. Yeah, no, I appreciate that, and thank you.
Thank you so much. Look, like said, the reality is,
I know certain people I've experienced that you can just
walk in the streets of New York City and you
can see people prison as a place where you're at
in your mind and your space. If you're on bondage,
even if you free, you're really not free. But what
(33:16):
I also learned is freedom is not free. You gotta
be responsible, and you gotta do the right thing. And
having permission to dream and having the things that you
need gives you some space to breathe. It gives you
some time to think about things that may seem impossible.
That's how Michael thought about his life. Who would think
(33:36):
someone like me would reach the place that they've reached
in their life, not just because TV actor that is
a job, but to be in a place where he
can help people and use his platform where his voice
mattered is something that he was really happy about. So
(33:57):
so thank you. And he said, at the core of
his work is served. Yes, ma'am, and I was your
no voice still matters, you know what I mean? Like
to have his legacy continue the way it is, And
I'm grateful that you are here to continue carrying that
torch for him, for us, for your family. Again, I'm
just honest. Let me ask you, was there anything else
that you wanted to share or any other point that
(34:18):
you wanted to make at the Red Table that you
couldn't because now you can make it right table. Well, no,
thank you so much. I appreciate that the team Jada,
her mom, her daughter, everyone was just amazing her staff there,
and thankfully they gave me an opportunity to, you know,
(34:39):
such an important conversation. So I was really honored and
blessed to be there and to just see the work
that's happening there. Um, I'm honored and blessed to be
able to have this platform now, and I just want
to say thank you to Jada, thank you to her
staff the rest of the host there for giving us
an opportunity to highlight such an important issue. I said
(35:03):
that there, but I think it's worth restating and just
so privileged to be able to connect with you guys,
and thankful and humble. So even though I said that there,
I think it's worth restating here. I just want to
thank you, Tracy and Carla. The Red Table has given
us such a gift of awareness and healing and growth,
(35:25):
and having you there and then at this virtual Red
Table has been a gift for us as well. I
would like to wrap our conversation with you up by
quoting from the book that I encourage everyone to get.
Scenes from my life from memo are from Michael kay
william book, and this is what it says. I don't
want to be in the spotlight. I want to be
(35:48):
the spotlight itself shine on others. I love powerful. I
love that indeed powerful. Okay, So, now speaking to Sharon Dominic,
are you ready, okay, because we actually received a message
from someone who was especially grateful you came to the
Red Table and we finally get to share it with
(36:10):
you now here it is. Hey, Dominic, just wanted to
take a moment out to thank you so much for
joining us at the Red Table to share your journey
with your uncle Michael Kay Williams. And I'm excited that
you're continuing to share that journey on Let's Red Table,
that it's so important for so many people, and I
(36:32):
can't wait to hear what else you share at the
Virtual Red Table. Thank you, Thank you. Gam Yeah, that
was a message right from Gammy. We love our gam
and details it like it is so you know, she
wanted to make sure that you got a special acknowledgment
from her from the Red Table to the Virtual Red Table.
(36:53):
Thank you so much for being here with us today.
Thank you so much, guys, it's really a president appreciate
you guys so much. Keep up the great work. Thank
you so much. We want to know how you're feeling
about this new season a Red Table talk. We are
open to talk about anything with you all, so please
send in your questions at Let's Red Table. That's at
(37:15):
red Table talk dot com or don't forget. You can
also leave us a voicemail at speak pipe dot com
slash Let's Red Table that Yes, we can't wait to
hear your voices. Go to speak pipe dot com. Just
talking out and why are you talking? We want to
talk to you one more time and say thank you,
yes you, thank you so much for listening. Make sure
(37:37):
you subscribe on I Heart Radio app and please rate
this podcast on Apple podcast. Y'all know we want to
find We'll be back next week for another episode of
Let's Red Table Back Special. Thanks to executive producers j
Pett Smith, Valon Jethro and Ellen Racketon. Thank you to
our producer Kyleague Canehru and our associate producer your land
(38:00):
to Chow. And finally, thanks to our sound engineer Stephanie Aguilar.
Let's Red Table. Hey, that's table, that's tables. Hey,
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