December 19, 2023 • 22 mins
The BluePrint Connect Podcast LIVE is an extension of this year's 7th annual, 2023 Waymaker Men's Summit. Dive into the world of success, ambition, and inspiration! Join us for a special podcast episode featuring WayMaker HBCU MVP Award nominee, Trey Malcolm Causey, as he shares his journey from Morehouse College to future aspirations. Brought to you by Walmart at the #1 Men's Empowerment Conference – don't miss it!
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
I'm Lewis Carr, host of the Blueprint Connect Podcast. The
Blueprint Connect podcast is an extension of the Waymaker Men's Summit,
where we have consistently given men a prescription for growth,
not just for themselves, but also their families and their communities.
During these podcasts, we will educate and motivate our listeners
(00:22):
about entrepreneurship, careers, finances, health and relationships. This episode is
brought to you by Walmarts Black and Unlimited, The Walmart
Black and Unlimited program celebrate and empowers black excellence by
discovering the unlimited potential of black brands and creators. We're
(00:44):
live at the seventh annual Waymaker Men Summit in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Good afternoon, the Truth Us Whims here in the Waymaker's
Podcast Studio join today by none other than Trey Malcolm.
Cause you can tell them more how man, but you
can't tell him much? How about a man of more house?
Can you tell him anything? I think the same rule applies,
Same rule applies. Well, glad to have you here and
glad to have you agains Chicago. Tell us something about yourself.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Yeah, well, you know, I'm Treck.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
You know my father is a required is a retired
transportation guy. My mother was a crawfish farmer. I'm from uptown,
New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
UH.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
I went to UH, I went to a UH went
to went to Saint Ogg all all all black, all
all male Catholic school UH in New Orleans. And now
I'm now I'm in my last semester at Morehouse. So
it's just been a lovely journey.
Speaker 5 (01:41):
How does it feel to be a senior at Morehouse?
Speaker 4 (01:43):
Tell us about this experience. I think it feels like
the world is at your fingertips. I've made the most
out of UH, out of my time at Morehouse, I
think uh Morehouse showed me that everything in the in
the in the in the world is in mine and
everything that's in it, and it's and it's up to
me to just go out with the disciplines, with the discipline,
(02:03):
with the confidence and with a sortain candor and a
certain drive.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Of all the schools you could have gone to, why
More House?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Well, you know, I like to say, you know, Howard
is everyone's financial choice, but but nam, I think more
House is a dream come true. I can't even specialize
just when you come on campus, and let's say it's
lunch Hour twelve. You have thousands of black men in
college doing different things. Like all of us are fundamentally different,
(02:36):
Like black people are not a We're not a monolith.
We do entirely different things. Like my roommate does quantum physics.
He works in like a quantum research live and he's
getting his PTA Chicago and quantum engineering. My other my
other friend is in Boeling and he loves like aerospace.
And another guy is that is is that like Disney
(02:58):
like producing movies, animation, and you know, it's it's just
a wonderful experience.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
It's it's a It's true.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
It's a true black cosmopolitan environment, especially inside of a
city like Atlanta, which is which is just growing at
an incredible pace.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Tell us about growing up in New Orleans, because you know,
many of us see New Orleans in much many different ways,
but you grew up there.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
We see it very.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Often, brought there for celebration and other otherwise. But what's
life like growing up in New Orleans?
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Life in New Orleans was super fun. I think that
growing up, I was in a band. Uh, you know,
I played jazz.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Jazz? Is jazz is something too much? Yeah? Yeah, I
have to have to.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Uh, it's real, it's it's it's a real community. It's
it's such somewhere where the whole community embracement. You know,
the I heard good brother Lewis Carr talk about how
everyone has a weightmaker, no one pulls himself up, and
and I was, and there was waymakers all around me.
Just just come unity members, like oh, you know, when
(04:02):
you're hopping on this on the street car, you don't
have to you don't have to, you don't have to pay,
just just just get get get on. Or oh here's
a here's a free po boy, or or here's some
crawfish just to stay on the vision or just man.
I think there's countless examples of people just loving one
on one one another, and you know, having that spirit
(04:23):
of community that just nourishes everybody.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
And so I'm I'm a I'm a.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Proud uh person from New Orleans, and I love my city,
I love my state, and I think that it's a
grand place to grow up.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
So many of us really got to know New Orleans
if we hadn't known it before Katrina came.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
What's it been like? There were you there when Katrina came?
And what's it been like since then.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Yes, so I I think Katrina is really my earliest memory.
I was four years old at the time.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
It was.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
It was a couple weeks before my fifth birthday, and
I just you know, from what I can recall it,
it was you know, it's you know, it was a
natural disaster. But for me, it was like the old
flood stories, the old like you know, delude stories that
you know that are all over like the ancient world.
(05:19):
And uh, me and my family went first to I
think Mississippi, but then we settled in Houston for a
year or two and then my father is one of
the first people to come back because he really believed
in community. He believed, then we are here because we
have to lift people up and our community needs. And so,
you know, we came back and we helped build back
(05:40):
up our neighborhood. We did a lot of community program
programs and my dad did a lot of community programs
and uh, you know, you know community, you know that
there is no eye in.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Building up a child. It takes a village.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
And uh and and the village after New World As
they really came together and they lifted themselves, lifted themselms
themselves up despite all the despite all the isms that
affected black people in the New Orleans and the and
the aftermath of it. It's been covered in news articles
and you know, and and plenty of books on some
(06:18):
scholars much older and wiser than I at that time.
But for me, growing up in the aftermath of that
and seeing how people responded to it, I.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I would say that, you.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Know, it's it's uh, it's like a phoenix story, you know, like, yeah,
it was burned down, but I think it's coming back stronger.
It's it's coming back more more power, more uh, more
and more and more vibrant. And I would love for
the world to see the city.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
So you could have gone to Southern or you even
could have gone to Grambling, But you picked h Do
you picked more House?
Speaker 5 (06:50):
Yeah, it was HBCU and hbc you always in your future.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
Well, well, my dad said, either I go to an
IVY league or I could go to HBCU.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
That was it.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
He said, that is going to get the equivalent level
of edgy education at an at an IVY versus at
and met Moorehouse. And I picked more House one because
I guess I wanted to get it. We'll get away
from home and Southern was an hour away too close.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
But two more women at other than more House.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I'll just say, well, well there's always Spellman. There's always
always Spellman.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
But uh, you know, I'm a philosophy major, and uh,
the liberal arts at our college is very strong. Of
course you hear about like, you know, heavyweights like the
reverend doctor King.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, good alpha man, good alpha man, ice code.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Or guess what he said, or you know, or guys
like you know, uh, the theologian Howard Thurman or James
knapp Er at Thurprizil or Benjamin Lodge of May's all
these guys who who really pushed for change and who
did it in a very statesman way. I remember my
(07:59):
first time stepic on Morehouse College campus and I'm just amazed,
Like I'm guys are traveling to different states, different countries
and are talking about it in such a normal, regular way.
That just blew. That just blew my mind. It was
like a black utopia, it w uh. And especially as
I end off that year, I can as I end
(08:20):
off like I had the dream of it, and I've
seen the dream and now I'm going I'm living the dream.
And I would say that you know, ten out of
ten out of ten a Grand ex experience, so.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
A philosophy major, Yes, in your last semester. What's next
for you after graduation?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah, well that's a great question. Uh.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
You know, I spent two summers like on Wall Street
and investment banking.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
You know, I I've done like some.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Political work and like campaigns, even like voyard into like
tech and doing like a Google hackathon, trying to build
out this at this h like this AI product. But honestly,
you know, law school within the next three years. But
you know, I've been I've been in school since pre
K three, So I think I just need a breaker
(09:12):
to travel, you know, link back up with the family.
I felt like I've been neglecting them and just the
studies and just you know, being being in college. Uh
but but but yeah, after three years law school and
then go practice law.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I want to talk to you about Walmart because they've
kind of come into your life somehow with the HBCU
MVP award.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Talk about that, well, you know, you know, honestly, and
I was telling.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
Austin Taylor, he's he's the president of sant Agustine, And
I was telling me, I don't I don't think I
honestly did to deserve it.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
I'm I'm sure that there.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
Are a score of fellows who are equally as deserving,
if not more, who were going out into the world
and doing great change. But you know, as I think
of HBCUs, especially in the aftermath of UH, you know,
this summer's Supreme Court case with with like you know,
(10:13):
at the end of affirmative Action, I think that our
community has to really pivot towards sustainable UH, towards sustainable
UH goals like HBCUs produced black of forty percent of
black doctors, a percent of black judges, the majority of
black professionals come from HBCUs, despite having UH, despite having
(10:36):
a shred of UH, the resources that UH p w
p w wys have. And you know, when you think
of the Vice president of the current vice in the
United States, Kamala Kamala Harris to UH, you know w E. B.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Du Bois, Thurgoda Marshall, are are real.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Heavyweights of the people who wanted to seek change and
UH and had the courage and know how to to
to to to do so. You'll find that at HBCU's
our core, part of our core, part a core pillar
of our community and they you know, expouse the tenants
that I think our community should be you know, built
(11:14):
around it.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
And I can clearly say that in this podcast there
are two hbc you graduates here, me having been a
graduate of Southern which is why this keeps coming up
in our conversation. But you know, it's it's been interesting
as time has gone along and big companies have gotten
more interested in what takes place in diversity, equity and inclusion,
and much more interested in what takes place at HBCUs,
(11:36):
which is why this Walmart MVP Award comes through pretty
interestingly as we as we start to look at that
and think about what big corporations can do to engage
and get involved there, and engage and get involved in
sponsoring summits like the Waymaker Summit that we are here.
We talked about a number of things, but you experienced
(11:57):
more house and I'm thinking that you got this MVP award,
but some of the things that you've done in college, Yeah,
can you talk about some of those things?
Speaker 5 (12:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Well, I'm the past president of the Mars College debate team.
I've been abating since ninth grade. I actually have a
speech impediment. I have a stutter. I started debating because
I had a speech impediment, because I was.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
You know, ninth grade.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
I was like, look, this cannot hold me back like
I used to be mute for a period of time.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
It's not wanting to talk whats so whatsoever. And I
went from that to.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Being a debater, especially in Louisiana, where it was super
you know, it's super racist, you know, but it's debating
is a thing where, uh it shows your intellectualism and
it shows and I'm and as a debated black debater.
Of course, we've all seen the great debaters like thissel exactly,
and uh it's one of those. It's it's it's really
(12:50):
the forefront of black debaters. Right, King debated, right like
the majority of buildings, the majority of buildings of Morehouse
College campus is named after debaters.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
You know. It's it's one of those old you know, it's.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
The art of rhetoric, the art of oratory, and it's
one of those old traditions that have been in the
academy universities for.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Thousands of years. And uh so that's how I did it.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Actually, last night, I debated Rutgers at the Apollo at
the Apollo Theater at Harlem.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Yeah, yeah, tell me more about that. What was that experience?
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Like, it was crazy.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
The apology you at the Apollo for once, That's a
big deal.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
It was. It was crazy.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
I'm like because I stayed in Harlem before for like
summer internships, but being at the Apollo and seeing the crowd,
it was just mind you I'm coming back from ninth
grade where I had a stutter where I just I
could not do it. And I started at Saint oh two,
I'm at the Apollo, or I'm at University of San
Francisco or I'm at First Pennsylvania. Like we've like morehouse team,
(13:53):
Like we have a pretty great budget just because of the.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Are the alumn that we have produced.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
We had, we have a study pipeline to a lot
of Grand Grab PROG programs like you know, I'm like
Ivy's and also international fellowships and uh international institutions. Uh
like crazy enough, had we had an intelligence officer come
and yeah, just coming like really try to recruit guys
(14:20):
just because of the the type of UH skills and
the type of UH the type of attributes that you
gained when you debate. But besides that, it's that's like
a core part of my Morass experience. Like I travel
all the time. You know, I got a lot of
Delta Myles. It's it's what's super fun. Besides that, I'm
(14:42):
the treasurer of the Moras College Poole team. Uh So,
you know I love riding horses and riding horses since
I was younger, and being able to play against guys
like uh, you know University of Virginia or you know
Yale or I think we could be playing Yale in October.
Berkeley's coming up, and you know, being able to like
I I like it a treasure because like I'm managing
(15:05):
like the income and like the upkeep of horses, and
I'm trying to launch like a fundraising campaign right now
so we can get a stable because people are trying.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
To eat horses.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
And you got got some Saudi Arabia wanting to come
play with us, and it's just.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
It's super fun.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
And in a place like Morehouse, it's it's insane because
even the guys on my own my team do completely
separate things, you know, like they're like, if there's one
thing I can stipulate us to HBCU guys, is that
they're there. There is not a monolith uh of black people.
We do incredible things. We we all come in different
(15:39):
shades and different colors. There are you know, black lit
they are Afro Latinos, Afro, Afro Asians, Afro uh for anything,
and uh, you know there are there's a billion of
us all over the world. And the beautiful Shucus is
you know they come from the entire African diaspora. And
that's the video of it.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yeah, there's a special beauty of being in a place
like that with people like that that can really give
you an opening for all the things that you can
possibly do. And walking onto an HBCU campus, you know,
if you're on the campus of Rutgers, if you're on
the campus of Yale, if you're on the campus of
these other schools p wi's, it's a big deal. If
you become on the debate team. It's a big deal
(16:21):
if you become student body president. But you walk into
a campus like a Moorhouse, Yes, and you know it's
going to be a black man who's going to be
a suit president and you are one of them, and
so it's not a big deal if you are and
nobody looks at it askew or anything else and gives
you such opportunity when you're when you're there, when I
think and then think more about what this whole hbc
(16:43):
U m VP, this connection to Walmart is. It'd love
for you to talk about what that means for you
and what you think about that with respect your visibility
for the future.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Good good question.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
I think that one just you know, Honodetic, just a
company like like Walmart would be.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
You know, with say, hey, like you are h C MVP.
I'm really blessed.
Speaker 5 (17:03):
You know how many people on HBCUs for you to
be the m v P. That's a pretty big deal.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Yeah, I'm you know, I'm honored. Uh And I you know,
I hope I can continue to serve others and like
serve my community.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
I think that, you know, hold mm hmm, I think
that I I I just want to hold up the
torch hold life.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
You know, I'm Alpha.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
I pledge that I pledge that more house like Alpha
Alpha Alpha Alphattorney Corporated nineteen six yard you heard of
heard of them, but it's.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Not cap Alpha side.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
But it's okay, I understand, you know, you know there
there has to be a first and then you know
the the.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Others because it gets better after that.
Speaker 6 (17:52):
But but but I think, uh, part of it, something
that's been instilled is in in order to lead, you
have to serve like you are servant leaders, Like you
did not get here by yourself.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Like uh, like the world doesn't owe you anything. It's
up to you to go and serve. I think JFK
had a speech where he was like what did he say?
He said, do not ask what your country for you
you can do for your country and replace that with people,
Replace that with community, replace that with your local neighborhood,
even your family. You know, Like it's a change in it.
(18:35):
It's a change in perspective. It's all about there's an
old Uh what is it? There's an old uh? Uh
what is it African symbolism or is it I am
because we are because like you are an I, but
you also are in also are are in a we.
And so when I think of Walmart hsu V MVP
Award and I think of the type of attributes traits
(18:58):
that that that we want to and still is like
the ideal model. It's a commitment to intellectualism. It's a
commitment to service. It's it's a commitment to leadership, and
it's a commitment to holding UH the light out and
really being a trendsetter and UH trail blazers that others
cannot follow.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
I'm not gonna step on the uh on the lead.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
But part of what's happening here in this summit is
talking about how we overcome uncomfortability. Talk about a time
or some situations where you are uncomfortable and how.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
You overcame it got you, I uh, huh hmm. There's
there's been a lot.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
There's been a lot, and you gave us one, which
is a stuttering year and.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
You uh, I think you know, I could say riding
a horse, but I would say, you know, just really
letting go of fear, letting go like I think it's
our not even letting go understanding that like fear is
(20:02):
going to happen, and so there's no way around it.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Like uh, I tell you. Teddy Roosevel had a speech.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
And it was like a man in any area when
and he said it, and I'm going to paraphrase, but
he said it is I would rather be you know,
try try again and fail than be in that gray
area that neither gray area with those folks that neither
know victory nor defeat, who don't want to try. And
I think failure is a part like you fail upwards,
like you fail, you learn, you fail again, you.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Learn, and it's like a continuous thing.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
And you never stopped failing because because the day you're like, man,
I haven't failed in no why that's probably that's that's
probably because you stopped, you stopped trying.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
When have you failed?
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (20:40):
You know, I think I think I failed stats my
first semester in college, But everybody, you know, yeah, I
got to a next semester, so I failed, got back
up and and and and uh, you know, got a
you know the better. But I think, man, I failed
a lot. I don't even look at the I don't
even look at them as failures. I look at them
(21:02):
as lessons. And uh, and and and L can be
two things. It can either be a loss or a lesson.
And you can recover from from any anything. You can
transcend in anything.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
So when you took statistics again, did you get the
aid because you'd already taken it before.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
How did you just decide?
Speaker 4 (21:18):
I mean, actually there was a different professor, so so
some some sometimes you might have to go a different
trail off the mountain, but you know, you'll you'll be
able to you'll be able to get.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Up the mountain.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
And uh and I think I think the thing that
that that allows me to transcend everything is commits community.
I think you are who you who you who you
hang around, if if you if you hang around uh
people who do grand stuff and uh, and it can
constantly push you up. Then you're gonna go off and
(21:50):
do and do great things because it's gonna it's gonna
it's it's gonna normalize it. And if I've had the
benefit of you know, my grandmother told me some wisdom
and I guess I'll I'll leave it here. That's just
some of the last words. And she said, uh, be
careful who your friends are, because you know, God whispers
into into the ears of your best friend because that's
the person you're probably going to listen to the most.
(22:10):
And so and so make sure to uh make sure
to keep the right the right ones around you.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
And listen to your grandmother because they always have wisdom.
They've been through it. Trey Malcolm Corsey, congratulations on Ben
Walmart hbc U MVP, and thank you so much for
stopping by the podcast here.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Thank you, Hey, thank you, thank you for hostening
I'm Lewis Carr, host of the Blueprint Connect Podcast. The
Blueprint Connect podcast is an extension of the Waymaker Men's Summit,
where we have consistently given men a prescription for growth,
not just for themselves, but also their families and their communities.
During these podcasts, we will educate and motivate our listeners
(00:22):
about entrepreneurship, careers, finances, health and relationships. This episode is
brought to you by Walmarts Black and Unlimited, The Walmart
Black and Unlimited program celebrate and empowers black excellence by
discovering the unlimited potential of black brands and creators. We're
(00:44):
live at the seventh annual Waymaker Men Summit in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Good afternoon, the Truth Us Whims here in the Waymaker's
Podcast Studio join today by none other than Trey Malcolm.
Cause you can tell them more how man, but you
can't tell him much? How about a man of more house?
Can you tell him anything? I think the same rule applies,
Same rule applies. Well, glad to have you here and
glad to have you agains Chicago. Tell us something about yourself.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Yeah, well, you know, I'm Treck.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
You know my father is a required is a retired
transportation guy. My mother was a crawfish farmer. I'm from uptown,
New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
UH.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
I went to UH, I went to a UH went
to went to Saint Ogg all all all black, all
all male Catholic school UH in New Orleans. And now
I'm now I'm in my last semester at Morehouse. So
it's just been a lovely journey.
Speaker 5 (01:41):
How does it feel to be a senior at Morehouse?
Speaker 4 (01:43):
Tell us about this experience. I think it feels like
the world is at your fingertips. I've made the most
out of UH, out of my time at Morehouse, I
think uh Morehouse showed me that everything in the in
the in the in the world is in mine and
everything that's in it, and it's and it's up to
me to just go out with the disciplines, with the discipline,
(02:03):
with the confidence and with a sortain candor and a
certain drive.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Of all the schools you could have gone to, why
More House?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Well, you know, I like to say, you know, Howard
is everyone's financial choice, but but nam, I think more
House is a dream come true. I can't even specialize
just when you come on campus, and let's say it's
lunch Hour twelve. You have thousands of black men in
college doing different things. Like all of us are fundamentally different,
(02:36):
Like black people are not a We're not a monolith.
We do entirely different things. Like my roommate does quantum physics.
He works in like a quantum research live and he's
getting his PTA Chicago and quantum engineering. My other my
other friend is in Boeling and he loves like aerospace.
And another guy is that is is that like Disney
(02:58):
like producing movies, animation, and you know, it's it's just
a wonderful experience.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
It's it's a It's true.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
It's a true black cosmopolitan environment, especially inside of a
city like Atlanta, which is which is just growing at
an incredible pace.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Tell us about growing up in New Orleans, because you know,
many of us see New Orleans in much many different ways,
but you grew up there.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
We see it very.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Often, brought there for celebration and other otherwise. But what's
life like growing up in New Orleans?
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Life in New Orleans was super fun. I think that
growing up, I was in a band. Uh, you know,
I played jazz.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Jazz? Is jazz is something too much? Yeah? Yeah, I
have to have to.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Uh, it's real, it's it's it's a real community. It's
it's such somewhere where the whole community embracement. You know,
the I heard good brother Lewis Carr talk about how
everyone has a weightmaker, no one pulls himself up, and
and I was, and there was waymakers all around me.
Just just come unity members, like oh, you know, when
(04:02):
you're hopping on this on the street car, you don't
have to you don't have to, you don't have to pay,
just just just get get get on. Or oh here's
a here's a free po boy, or or here's some
crawfish just to stay on the vision or just man.
I think there's countless examples of people just loving one
on one one another, and you know, having that spirit
(04:23):
of community that just nourishes everybody.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
And so I'm I'm a I'm a.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Proud uh person from New Orleans, and I love my city,
I love my state, and I think that it's a
grand place to grow up.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
So many of us really got to know New Orleans
if we hadn't known it before Katrina came.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
What's it been like? There were you there when Katrina came?
And what's it been like since then.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Yes, so I I think Katrina is really my earliest memory.
I was four years old at the time.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
It was.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
It was a couple weeks before my fifth birthday, and
I just you know, from what I can recall it,
it was you know, it's you know, it was a
natural disaster. But for me, it was like the old
flood stories, the old like you know, delude stories that
you know that are all over like the ancient world.
(05:19):
And uh, me and my family went first to I
think Mississippi, but then we settled in Houston for a
year or two and then my father is one of
the first people to come back because he really believed
in community. He believed, then we are here because we
have to lift people up and our community needs. And so,
you know, we came back and we helped build back
(05:40):
up our neighborhood. We did a lot of community program
programs and my dad did a lot of community programs
and uh, you know, you know community, you know that
there is no eye in.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Building up a child. It takes a village.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
And uh and and the village after New World As
they really came together and they lifted themselves, lifted themselms
themselves up despite all the despite all the isms that
affected black people in the New Orleans and the and
the aftermath of it. It's been covered in news articles
and you know, and and plenty of books on some
(06:18):
scholars much older and wiser than I at that time.
But for me, growing up in the aftermath of that
and seeing how people responded to it, I.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I would say that, you.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Know, it's it's uh, it's like a phoenix story, you know, like, yeah,
it was burned down, but I think it's coming back stronger.
It's it's coming back more more power, more uh, more
and more and more vibrant. And I would love for
the world to see the city.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
So you could have gone to Southern or you even
could have gone to Grambling, But you picked h Do
you picked more House?
Speaker 5 (06:50):
Yeah, it was HBCU and hbc you always in your future.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
Well, well, my dad said, either I go to an
IVY league or I could go to HBCU.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
That was it.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
He said, that is going to get the equivalent level
of edgy education at an at an IVY versus at
and met Moorehouse. And I picked more House one because
I guess I wanted to get it. We'll get away
from home and Southern was an hour away too close.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
But two more women at other than more House.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I'll just say, well, well there's always Spellman. There's always
always Spellman.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
But uh, you know, I'm a philosophy major, and uh,
the liberal arts at our college is very strong. Of
course you hear about like, you know, heavyweights like the
reverend doctor King.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, good alpha man, good alpha man, ice code.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Or guess what he said, or you know, or guys
like you know, uh, the theologian Howard Thurman or James
knapp Er at Thurprizil or Benjamin Lodge of May's all
these guys who who really pushed for change and who
did it in a very statesman way. I remember my
(07:59):
first time stepic on Morehouse College campus and I'm just amazed,
Like I'm guys are traveling to different states, different countries
and are talking about it in such a normal, regular way.
That just blew. That just blew my mind. It was
like a black utopia, it w uh. And especially as
I end off that year, I can as I end
(08:20):
off like I had the dream of it, and I've
seen the dream and now I'm going I'm living the dream.
And I would say that you know, ten out of
ten out of ten a Grand ex experience, so.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
A philosophy major, Yes, in your last semester. What's next
for you after graduation?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah, well that's a great question. Uh.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
You know, I spent two summers like on Wall Street
and investment banking.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
You know, I I've done like some.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Political work and like campaigns, even like voyard into like
tech and doing like a Google hackathon, trying to build
out this at this h like this AI product. But honestly,
you know, law school within the next three years. But
you know, I've been I've been in school since pre
K three, So I think I just need a breaker
(09:12):
to travel, you know, link back up with the family.
I felt like I've been neglecting them and just the
studies and just you know, being being in college. Uh
but but but yeah, after three years law school and
then go practice law.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I want to talk to you about Walmart because they've
kind of come into your life somehow with the HBCU
MVP award.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Talk about that, well, you know, you know, honestly, and
I was telling.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
Austin Taylor, he's he's the president of sant Agustine, And
I was telling me, I don't I don't think I
honestly did to deserve it.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
I'm I'm sure that there.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
Are a score of fellows who are equally as deserving,
if not more, who were going out into the world
and doing great change. But you know, as I think
of HBCUs, especially in the aftermath of UH, you know,
this summer's Supreme Court case with with like you know,
(10:13):
at the end of affirmative Action, I think that our
community has to really pivot towards sustainable UH, towards sustainable
UH goals like HBCUs produced black of forty percent of
black doctors, a percent of black judges, the majority of
black professionals come from HBCUs, despite having UH, despite having
(10:36):
a shred of UH, the resources that UH p w
p w wys have. And you know, when you think
of the Vice president of the current vice in the
United States, Kamala Kamala Harris to UH, you know w E. B.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Du Bois, Thurgoda Marshall, are are real.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Heavyweights of the people who wanted to seek change and
UH and had the courage and know how to to
to to to do so. You'll find that at HBCU's
our core, part of our core, part a core pillar
of our community and they you know, expouse the tenants
that I think our community should be you know, built
(11:14):
around it.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
And I can clearly say that in this podcast there
are two hbc you graduates here, me having been a
graduate of Southern which is why this keeps coming up
in our conversation. But you know, it's it's been interesting
as time has gone along and big companies have gotten
more interested in what takes place in diversity, equity and inclusion,
and much more interested in what takes place at HBCUs,
(11:36):
which is why this Walmart MVP Award comes through pretty
interestingly as we as we start to look at that
and think about what big corporations can do to engage
and get involved there, and engage and get involved in
sponsoring summits like the Waymaker Summit that we are here.
We talked about a number of things, but you experienced
(11:57):
more house and I'm thinking that you got this MVP award,
but some of the things that you've done in college, Yeah,
can you talk about some of those things?
Speaker 5 (12:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Well, I'm the past president of the Mars College debate team.
I've been abating since ninth grade. I actually have a
speech impediment. I have a stutter. I started debating because
I had a speech impediment, because I was.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
You know, ninth grade.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
I was like, look, this cannot hold me back like
I used to be mute for a period of time.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
It's not wanting to talk whats so whatsoever. And I
went from that to.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Being a debater, especially in Louisiana, where it was super
you know, it's super racist, you know, but it's debating
is a thing where, uh it shows your intellectualism and
it shows and I'm and as a debated black debater.
Of course, we've all seen the great debaters like thissel exactly,
and uh it's one of those. It's it's it's really
(12:50):
the forefront of black debaters. Right, King debated, right like
the majority of buildings, the majority of buildings of Morehouse
College campus is named after debaters.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
You know. It's it's one of those old you know, it's.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
The art of rhetoric, the art of oratory, and it's
one of those old traditions that have been in the
academy universities for.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Thousands of years. And uh so that's how I did it.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Actually, last night, I debated Rutgers at the Apollo at
the Apollo Theater at Harlem.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Yeah, yeah, tell me more about that. What was that experience?
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Like, it was crazy.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
The apology you at the Apollo for once, That's a
big deal.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
It was. It was crazy.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
I'm like because I stayed in Harlem before for like
summer internships, but being at the Apollo and seeing the crowd,
it was just mind you I'm coming back from ninth
grade where I had a stutter where I just I
could not do it. And I started at Saint oh two,
I'm at the Apollo, or I'm at University of San
Francisco or I'm at First Pennsylvania. Like we've like morehouse team,
(13:53):
Like we have a pretty great budget just because of the.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Are the alumn that we have produced.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
We had, we have a study pipeline to a lot
of Grand Grab PROG programs like you know, I'm like
Ivy's and also international fellowships and uh international institutions. Uh
like crazy enough, had we had an intelligence officer come
and yeah, just coming like really try to recruit guys
(14:20):
just because of the the type of UH skills and
the type of UH the type of attributes that you
gained when you debate. But besides that, it's that's like
a core part of my Morass experience. Like I travel
all the time. You know, I got a lot of
Delta Myles. It's it's what's super fun. Besides that, I'm
(14:42):
the treasurer of the Moras College Poole team. Uh So,
you know I love riding horses and riding horses since
I was younger, and being able to play against guys
like uh, you know University of Virginia or you know
Yale or I think we could be playing Yale in October.
Berkeley's coming up, and you know, being able to like
I I like it a treasure because like I'm managing
(15:05):
like the income and like the upkeep of horses, and
I'm trying to launch like a fundraising campaign right now
so we can get a stable because people are trying.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
To eat horses.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
And you got got some Saudi Arabia wanting to come
play with us, and it's just.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
It's super fun.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
And in a place like Morehouse, it's it's insane because
even the guys on my own my team do completely
separate things, you know, like they're like, if there's one
thing I can stipulate us to HBCU guys, is that
they're there. There is not a monolith uh of black people.
We do incredible things. We we all come in different
(15:39):
shades and different colors. There are you know, black lit
they are Afro Latinos, Afro, Afro Asians, Afro uh for anything,
and uh, you know there are there's a billion of
us all over the world. And the beautiful Shucus is
you know they come from the entire African diaspora. And
that's the video of it.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yeah, there's a special beauty of being in a place
like that with people like that that can really give
you an opening for all the things that you can
possibly do. And walking onto an HBCU campus, you know,
if you're on the campus of Rutgers, if you're on
the campus of Yale, if you're on the campus of
these other schools p wi's, it's a big deal. If
you become on the debate team. It's a big deal
(16:21):
if you become student body president. But you walk into
a campus like a Moorhouse, Yes, and you know it's
going to be a black man who's going to be
a suit president and you are one of them, and
so it's not a big deal if you are and
nobody looks at it askew or anything else and gives
you such opportunity when you're when you're there, when I
think and then think more about what this whole hbc
(16:43):
U m VP, this connection to Walmart is. It'd love
for you to talk about what that means for you
and what you think about that with respect your visibility
for the future.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Good good question.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
I think that one just you know, Honodetic, just a
company like like Walmart would be.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
You know, with say, hey, like you are h C MVP.
I'm really blessed.
Speaker 5 (17:03):
You know how many people on HBCUs for you to
be the m v P. That's a pretty big deal.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Yeah, I'm you know, I'm honored. Uh And I you know,
I hope I can continue to serve others and like
serve my community.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
I think that, you know, hold mm hmm, I think
that I I I just want to hold up the
torch hold life.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
You know, I'm Alpha.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
I pledge that I pledge that more house like Alpha
Alpha Alpha Alphattorney Corporated nineteen six yard you heard of
heard of them, but it's.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Not cap Alpha side.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
But it's okay, I understand, you know, you know there
there has to be a first and then you know
the the.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Others because it gets better after that.
Speaker 6 (17:52):
But but but I think, uh, part of it, something
that's been instilled is in in order to lead, you
have to serve like you are servant leaders, Like you
did not get here by yourself.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Like uh, like the world doesn't owe you anything. It's
up to you to go and serve. I think JFK
had a speech where he was like what did he say?
He said, do not ask what your country for you
you can do for your country and replace that with people,
Replace that with community, replace that with your local neighborhood,
even your family. You know, Like it's a change in it.
(18:35):
It's a change in perspective. It's all about there's an
old Uh what is it? There's an old uh? Uh
what is it African symbolism or is it I am
because we are because like you are an I, but
you also are in also are are in a we.
And so when I think of Walmart hsu V MVP
Award and I think of the type of attributes traits
(18:58):
that that that we want to and still is like
the ideal model. It's a commitment to intellectualism. It's a
commitment to service. It's it's a commitment to leadership, and
it's a commitment to holding UH the light out and
really being a trendsetter and UH trail blazers that others
cannot follow.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
I'm not gonna step on the uh on the lead.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
But part of what's happening here in this summit is
talking about how we overcome uncomfortability. Talk about a time
or some situations where you are uncomfortable and how.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
You overcame it got you, I uh, huh hmm. There's
there's been a lot.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
There's been a lot, and you gave us one, which
is a stuttering year and.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
You uh, I think you know, I could say riding
a horse, but I would say, you know, just really
letting go of fear, letting go like I think it's
our not even letting go understanding that like fear is
(20:02):
going to happen, and so there's no way around it.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Like uh, I tell you. Teddy Roosevel had a speech.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
And it was like a man in any area when
and he said it, and I'm going to paraphrase, but
he said it is I would rather be you know,
try try again and fail than be in that gray
area that neither gray area with those folks that neither
know victory nor defeat, who don't want to try. And
I think failure is a part like you fail upwards,
like you fail, you learn, you fail again, you.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Learn, and it's like a continuous thing.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
And you never stopped failing because because the day you're like, man,
I haven't failed in no why that's probably that's that's
probably because you stopped, you stopped trying.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
When have you failed?
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (20:40):
You know, I think I think I failed stats my
first semester in college, But everybody, you know, yeah, I
got to a next semester, so I failed, got back
up and and and and uh, you know, got a
you know the better. But I think, man, I failed
a lot. I don't even look at the I don't
even look at them as failures. I look at them
(21:02):
as lessons. And uh, and and and L can be
two things. It can either be a loss or a lesson.
And you can recover from from any anything. You can
transcend in anything.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
So when you took statistics again, did you get the
aid because you'd already taken it before.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
How did you just decide?
Speaker 4 (21:18):
I mean, actually there was a different professor, so so
some some sometimes you might have to go a different
trail off the mountain, but you know, you'll you'll be
able to you'll be able to get.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Up the mountain.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
And uh and I think I think the thing that
that that allows me to transcend everything is commits community.
I think you are who you who you who you
hang around, if if you if you hang around uh
people who do grand stuff and uh, and it can
constantly push you up. Then you're gonna go off and
(21:50):
do and do great things because it's gonna it's gonna
it's it's gonna normalize it. And if I've had the
benefit of you know, my grandmother told me some wisdom
and I guess I'll I'll leave it here. That's just
some of the last words. And she said, uh, be
careful who your friends are, because you know, God whispers
into into the ears of your best friend because that's
the person you're probably going to listen to the most.
(22:10):
And so and so make sure to uh make sure
to keep the right the right ones around you.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
And listen to your grandmother because they always have wisdom.
They've been through it. Trey Malcolm Corsey, congratulations on Ben
Walmart hbc U MVP, and thank you so much for
stopping by the podcast here.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Thank you, Hey, thank you, thank you for hostening
Host
Louis Carr
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