July 18, 2025 • 41 mins
What role does Black radio play in shaping culture, informing communities, and driving change?
BIN President Tony Coles and National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial explore the power, responsibility, and future of Black media in this dynamic conversation.
Listen now!
BIN President Tony Coles and National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial explore the power, responsibility, and future of Black media in this dynamic conversation.
Listen now!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:17):
Check check.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
All right, all right, we're live. Good morning, Good morning,
National Urban League.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Good morning everyone.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Okay, I'm gonna try it again. I know y'all been talking.
We're gonna get it, get into the thing. Good morning everyone,
Good morning. Welcome to the National Urban League Conference. Here
in my hometown Cleveland is Cleveland, and how shall all right?
Come on clevelanders, all right, and for those of you
who are here visiting Cleveland, welcome to our beautiful city
(00:47):
of Cleveland, Ohio. All right, So I am Robin Sadler.
I'm gonna be your host here in the National Urban
League Now Experience Lounge. So we're gonna have an awesome,
awesome two days. A lot of amazing conversations are gonna happen.
You're gonna hear from some amazing and dynamic speakers, a
lot of great information, education and everything that makes the
(01:07):
Urban League what it is and what it has been
for over a century here in America. Okay, So our
first conversation that we're gonna be opening with is very
serious and also very necessary, the conversation about how Black
America is speaking in these perilous times. All Right, we
all know right now it's looking kind of crazy out here,
But we are here to create solutions. Correct, This is
(01:30):
a solution driven building, right, Okay, all right, So what
we're saying is tonight today, actually this morning, we're gonna
have our conversation with Tony Coles. Mister Coles is the
President of the Multicultural Business and Development and President of BEN,
a Black Information Network, which is the first and only
twenty four to seven comprehensive national audio news service dedicated
(01:53):
to providing an objective, accurate, and trusted source of continual
news coverage with a black voice and perspective. Also in conversation,
Mark Moreal, who has been the president of the National
Urban League since two thousand and three. His leadership speaks
for itself. He is the former mayor of one of
the most important cities in America is New Orleans and
(02:17):
house Come on New Orleans. Now, I used to live
in New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Come on New Orleans. Okay, all right, shout out to
New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
He is committed to empowerment initiatives that strengthen our communities.
But you will also learn more about this in our
conversation that we're going to witness this morning. So what
I need you all to do is get your energy up.
We are just starting this amazing, amazing two days of
experience right here in the lounge. Make some noise for
(02:45):
President Mark Morial and mister Tony Coles.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
What up, y'all? What up, y'all? Good morning, fantastic. This
loud is so.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Cool, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Isn't it cool? Yeah, I'm gonna give the creators who
created it. Let's give it up and give them a
round of applause.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Mark, Thanks Tony, thank you so much for joining us today.
We're really excited about this conversation. But first and foremost,
I have to say thank you Mark for joining us,
and more than anything, thank you for your clarity, your compassion,
your commitment to the Black community, and especially at this
(03:37):
moment in time.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
There is so much going on, really looking forward to
the conversation today, and I want it to be a
meaningful conversation because as we move into Trump two point
zero and all of the challenges that are facing, there's
a lot of concern in the black community, everyone from
black on reneurs to their families, to the to the
(04:02):
community at large. And you know, you shared this morning,
and you've been sharing the state of black America, and
I think that that is a fantastic place for us
to start for anyone that did not see the earlier presentation.
Would love your thoughts as we step into this second
(04:24):
term for the Trump administration. Would love to get your.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Thoughts on this.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Thank you very much. First of all, welcome to Cleveland.
Who's visiting Cleveland, who's visiting Cleveland? Give it up for
the land. Like we call New Orleans a big easy
in a big five oh four, they call Cleveland the land.
So let me just try to offer a perspective, if
(04:49):
folks would, just if you're on this side of the screen,
keep your keep your convo down. We are in a
state of emergency. State of emergency from many many reasons.
Many times when a crisis first begins, we don't feel
the pain completely and immediately. But I want to give
(05:12):
you some facts that came across my screen just in
the last week. And those facts are that the black
unemployment rate is rising as of last month's numbers, while
the white unemployment rate is either stable or declining.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Number two.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
In the month of March, we have the highest number
of black women laid off from jobs in modern American history,
and those are what we call leading indicators, first news,
first smidgeon of information. We'll find out over two or
(05:58):
three months whether those numbers are aberrational, meaning they stand out,
or whether they are the beginning of a trend, beginning
of a trend. Now it ought not be, it shouldn't be,
but Tony policies are driving this, the attack on diversity, equity,
(06:20):
and inclusion. Let's just kind of strip away the nomenclature.
It's an attack on black people, it's an attack on
brown people. It's an attack on women, it's an attack
on LGBTQ, it's an attack on Americans who deal with disabilities.
(06:43):
And what it is, it's an effort to really divide
America into two camps. An America of quote Americans and
an America of quote other Americans. And that's the old
adage that a house divided cannot stand. Should have all
(07:04):
of us concerned, because the nation cannot survive as a
divided house. In efforts to divide the house at a
time when shifting demographics or making us a mosaic, a gumbo,
a rainbow, a tapestry of American people is really really
(07:24):
disconcerting to us and to me and each and every
one of us has to be concerned enough about it
to in our own way, in our own place, to
be an advocate for something very different.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
What is that difference.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
That difference is a multi racial American democracy. That difference
is an America that works for everyone. That difference is
a place where everyone's dreams, hopes, aspirations, talents and abilities
can be poured into, can be nurtured so that we
can all rise.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
That's what's at stake in America today.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
And our greatest enemy as black people is complacency.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Silence.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I don't care, it doesn't affect me, it doesn't mean anything.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Our biggest enemy is complacency.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
We're strong enough, we're prepared enough, we have both voting
power and consumer power to really really fight back in
every way that we can and we must. And it
doesn't just affect us. But always, you know the old adage,
when America gets a cold, we catch what. When America
(08:43):
catches a cold, we catch what pneumonia. So it's always
severest for our communities when times are tough.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
So I want to take that a little bit further.
You talk about the biggest threat being complacency. You spend
a lot of time talking about the pillars of the
National Urban League. I would love to have you share
your view a little bit about the pillars, but more importantly,
which one of those pillars do you think is most
at risk in this administration?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (09:16):
So our five pillars, our five strategic pillars are one education,
two I like to say jobs and economic empowerment, three housing,
four health, five Justice. The justice lens is the lens
that drives everything because a justice lens says that whether
(09:41):
it's education, it should be equal. Whether it's health, we
should close the gap, whether it's housing, we need to
focus on the wealth gap, whatever it is. And I
think what's that greatest stake in the beginning is the
committe to Adjust and Fair America. How it manifests itself.
(10:04):
We see it manifesting itself in the big Ugly Bill
that Congress passed. That big ugly bill has as its
blueprint cutting healthcare. It will affect White America, but it
will be disproportionally affect Black America. Cutting aid to veterans
(10:25):
and veterans hospitals. It will affect White America and every
ethnic group, but it will always disproportionally impact our community.
That's how we have to look at this. Public policy counts,
laws count who's calling the shots counts.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
We can't. Now will we survive? We have always survived.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Our ancestors survived from eighteen ninety six to nineteen fifty
four in an America which was setdated, which was in
America where the clan and violence was meted out. They
survived in that period of time. They built this institution
called the National Urban League. They built historically by colleges
(11:13):
and universities, they built churches to be able to survive.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So we can survive, but survival is not the aim.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Thriving is the aim, because to be a full and
complete participant in America means we must thrive. So let's
not get caught saying we are satisfied with survival survive
we will. Let's keep our focus on thriving, thriving fully
and completely in what we are going to be in
(11:45):
two hundred and fifty years. We're on our way to
the third American century. That's where we are, so it's
time for us to focus on thriving.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
So, speaking of thriving, we know that black business is
the cornerstone of helping our community thrive. As I talk
to a lot of business leaders. There's a lot of
concern from the policies to tariffs to all of those things.
Want to talk a little bit about black business and
(12:16):
what you think is needed right now to not only
help them survive, but to thrive moving forward.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Well, let's celebrate all of the black businesses that are
participating in this lounge in the Creators Suite that's next door.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Let's really give it up for them.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
So part of our commitment is to help people one
connect with major brands and major corporations that.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Are committed to our community.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Our other commitment is to elevate black brands and black
business owners. So we have the power as a community
that spends almost two trillion dollars a year in the
American economy to direct those dollars to black businesses, to
direct those dollars to businesses at are sensitive and responsive
to our community.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
We've got to recognize that we have power.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
So there are many discussions underway to think about how
we can elevate that most significantly. But remember the pandemic,
and the pandemic caused almost forty percent of black owned
businesses to shut down either permanently or temporarily. While twenty
(13:26):
percent of mainstream businesses were impacted by the pandemic. So
those businesses were impacted, but look at it, our businesses
were impacted to an even greater extent.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Now, with this assault, this assault on.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Diversity, equity and inclusion, which is trying to intimidate mainstream
businesses and governments from doing business with our businesses, we
once again find a great challenge ahead of us. A
national Urban the National Urban League. We have thirteen entrepreneurship centers.
Those entrepreneurship centers provide free services to small businesses with
(14:09):
a focus on black owned businesses. That work has to
accelerate and has to continue, and I have immense respect
for all of you who are entrepreneurs are working to
become entrepreneurs. I was an entrepreneur when I was much younger.
I had two businesses and then I had a law
(14:32):
firm of my own. It's the toughest thing I ever did,
but it was the most rewarding thing I ever had
an opportunity to do, because I loved being my own boss.
Even when the bank account was short, I was calling
my own shots and it was a joy in that.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
So something very closely related to that is capital and
access to capital. What can be done right now to
help that, especially at a time when we know there's
not a lot of capital available.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
So foundationally, my message to black owned businesses is to
educate yourself about capital formation and what is necessary to
access capital. So capital formation is to understand there's a
difference between a bank loan and equity, and there are
(15:30):
differences between bank.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Loans and bank loans. You can go online.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
You can find a lender that will give you money
with a twenty two percent interest rate. Right you might
do more research and find a CDFI, a community development
financial institution that may lend you money at nine percent,
for example, when it comes to borrowing. When it comes
(15:56):
to equity, there are forms of equity. Many mainstream businesses
can fund their businesses with equity from friends and family.
Friends and family members that will become investors in their businesses,
not giving them a gift, but investing in their business
so that they might be able to get a return.
(16:16):
And then there's an institutional marketplace. This is an area
where we need to do more work to get up
to speed.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
The other thing I learned from being a.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Lawyer also representing small businesses is if you are gonna
pursue capital, you have got to have a good set
of financial statements. Or if you're going to pursue capital,
you have to have a business plan and some projections.
Everybody's not ready to go out and raise capital, either
(16:48):
in the equity market or the debt market. This is
an area where we have to learn. There are funds
out there, there are initiatives out there that want to
invest in black owned businesses, but you got to be ready.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
You got to have your so called blank together, right.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
You gotta have it together in order to pursue this
capital is tough, but I think there are more opportunities
today than historically there have been. But I also say this,
and this is a powerful thing. Post COVID, there's a
surge in those in our community that want to be
(17:25):
self employed, want to be entrepreneurs, want to take their
side hustle and turn it into their main gig. And
that's a powerful thing because one of the ways our
community survived during the days of segregation was by creating businesses.
(17:46):
In my own family, my grandfather, born the son of
a slave in Saint John the Baptist Parish, came to Washington,
d C. Went to Howard University School of Medicine, went
back to New Orleans, but he built an insurance company,
an insurance company which when he sold it in the
early nineteen seventies, he got a handsome amount in the
(18:09):
seven figures.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Right, We built businesses.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
We built insurance companies, We built grocery stores, we built
law firms, we built a florist, we built funeral homes,
we built I looked at a New Orleans census, Black
business census from nineteen forty, and there were eight to
ten newspapers.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
There were forty grocery stores.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Now, mind you, some of them may have been corner
grocery stores, but they were grocery stores, and they were
owned by a family. And that family built wealth and
the opportunity to live a decent life off of that business.
So one of the strategies historically in tough times that our.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Communities used was building businesses.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Entrepreneurship by the very same in this moment, I think
the same is indeed true. But you've got to invest
in knowledge. Some entrepreneurs are very good at their business.
They understand their product, they understand their service, but need
help getting themselves better organized. They're finances organized, they're receivables organized,
(19:20):
they're payables organized. If they're hiring employees. I heard Magic
Johnson say this. He said, the biggest mistake that black
businesses make is hiring their family.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
He said this, and I just heard him say this.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
He said, I paid my family to stay away. He says,
just because you love them don't mean they can help you.
And that's a hard, hard lesson. But I thought it
was a wisdom It was a wisdom point for Magic
about how you have to think about this.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
And so sometimes we need to understand.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
If I need somebody to handle money, they need to
have some expertise in handling.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Money, and I need to trust them.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Right, Magic Johnson said the other thing, which I thought
was also brilliant, and he told me this. He didn't
say this public. He says, I sign every check, every
single check. I don't care if I have to spend
three hours going through every payment. I'm going to improve
every payment as an entrepreneur because I don't want to
(20:23):
learn after the fact that somebody made a mistake or
somebody made an error in judgment. Sometimes little lessons, small
lessons are worth more than their weight and go.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
So you talk a lot about the entrepreneurs, the businesses,
and at the heart of that is really they're local
businesses helping local black communities. We hear a lot right now,
a lot of noise about what's happening at the federal
government level. I don't feel, from my perspective, we hear
enough about what's happening with local government. Would love your
(21:01):
thought on how much that matters and what you would
like to see people doing more of.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
So, Cleveland's got a great, youthful mayor by the name
of Justin Bibb. He was here this morning. He and
I were talking, and he's got this massive initiative to
redevelop the lake front of Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Now imagine as he does that.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
His ability to include African American businesses in that initiative.
He's got a second initiative to basically upgrade, improve, and
expand the Cleveland Hopkins Airport. And I shared with him
that while I was mayor of New Orleans, I leveraged
(21:52):
I rebuilding of the airport to create entrepreneurship opportunities for
dozens and dozens of black owned businesses, from planners and architects, engineers, contractors, retailers.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Restaurants all the way across the board.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
You're so right that at the local level, where we
have elected officials who are aligned, businesses who are aligned
because they rely on the black consumer dollar, and an
environment where we can build a lot more sustainable businesses
in our community, there is no doubt about that, right,
(22:32):
And you're right, we don't hear enough about what is local.
But while you're here in Cleveland, venture out if you
have time, spend money with a black owned business here
in Cleveland. There are several who are here. Make it
a point to search and to find and to use
a portion of your consumer spending.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Can't do it for every.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Product, can't do it for every good, can't do it
for every services. But if we make an effort, we
can also stimulate the economy other communities. New Orleans has
a growing and a significant Vietnamese American community. I remember
when in the late eighties and the early nineties, when
(23:14):
I became much more familiar with that community and it's
inner workings. I figured out they had their own money
lending operation, they had their own system to support the
businesses in their own community. It was quite marvelous because
they were able to do things without relying on institutional banking,
(23:39):
by pooling their resources, by working together, by trusting each other.
Speaker 4 (23:47):
And by the way, as someone who was born and
raised an Ohio thank you for bringing the conference to Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Oh yeah, let's give Cleveland a hand. Cleveland Mayor Bill
Marsha Maccabee, Kevin Clayton, those three people, with many many others,
really really three years ago told us we want a
conference in Cleveland and we'll guarantee a great experience. How
(24:15):
many of y'all were out last night? Was anybody at
Rocket Arena last night? Just want to make sure y'all
made your curfew.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Well.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
Having grown up in Ohio, I never thought there would
be a day where we would have the opportunity to
have a conversation like this in Cleveland, and so it
really makes me proud that this is here. I want
to go back to the way that we started the
conversation talking about the state of Black America and thinking
(24:46):
about the report. Is there one thing? I know there's
a lot of content in there, but is there one
thing that you want to make sure that every person
that's sitting here today when they leave, they take back
with them they have evangelize and they act upon.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
I think the thing I hope people take away not
only from the report but from this entire conference is
a call to action to be an active person in
your own community. We have to be active voters and
champions of civic engagement. We have to be active in
the community conversations and decisions that impact us, whether it's
(25:27):
at the school board or the city council or the
Zoning and Planning commission. We have to be active in
our communities. And we have to be active and aware
that the threat is real and that we must fight back.
We must fight back intelligently, but we must indeed fight back.
(25:49):
And I want to thank you and also congratulate the
Black Information Network, which I learned a new term.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
I learned a new term this morning was voice. What'd
you call it? Voice?
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Audio news?
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Audio news? You know, I'm used to saying radio, and
now it's.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Audio news because the news is delivered through multiple channels,
through the internet, through traditional radio.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
It's really fascinating.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
But the Black Information Network, I think is one of
those sources for information by us about us that I
also would recommend. So I want to thank you and
your team for your leadership and really building its presence,
and certainly for your presence here today.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Well, thank you. We appreciate that and for us, you
know much aligned with everything that the organization does. You know,
it was really important to us to have black writers,
black producers, black anchors, not only finding the stories from
our community, but amplifying those stories and telling them from
(26:54):
a perspective that you don't hear in a lot of
other places.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
So writing and reporting with news with perspective and with
sensitivity and compassion is really important.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Absolutely, thank you.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Again, thinking about the report and thinking about everything that
you've shared, what gives you the most hope out of that?
Speaker 3 (27:16):
You know, I tell you what gives me the most
hope is when I see these young people, I see
these college students, I see these high school students, I
see all of you, all who are young professionals. When
I see the power in your step, the pride in
your voice, the creativity and intelligence that you bring to
(27:36):
the table, that's what gives me hope. That's what gives
me hope. But I also get hope from the wisdom
of the elders, from the instructions and stories and encouragement
of those who have fought, the battles have fought, The
(27:56):
wars have been in our community, leading the way for generations.
And what I say is, we need both. We need
the wisdom of the elders, we need the energy of
young people. It gives me hope. History gives me hope
because history teaches us that we can be resilient and
(28:18):
we can survive.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
But make no mistake.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
About it, I sometimes feel, after doing this work for
a long time, that the last several months have been
a kick in the gut. Why would anyone want to
turn progress backwards in America in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Why?
Speaker 3 (28:40):
What is the motivation other than division and hate and
an effort to suppress Why? But notwithstanding that, that's why
I am, and we are at the Urban League so
determined to push back and fight back with everything we have.
Speaker 4 (29:00):
You say, and I'm thinking especially to a lot of
the college and the high school youth, but for everyone
in the room that, yeah, the past few months have
really been a kick to them, and it's hard for
them to find hope right now.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
What advice do you have for them? Seize the moment,
seize the time. When my hope meter goes down.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
I go to thinking, and I think about Harriet Tubman
walking in the swamps of eastern Maryland with rattlesnakes. She
didn't have a flashlight, she didn't have a cell phone
with an app that gave her the weather or the directions.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
She didn't have an umbrella.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
She didn't have anything but faith and hope as she
led members of her family and others to freedom. I
think about that, Or I think about my grandparents and
my parents who couldn't go to downtown New Orleans on
(30:15):
Canal Street and they could go into these stores that
they could shop, they couldn't try any clothes on. Or
I think about the indignity of walking in a place
there was a little boy. There was a Sears store
in our neighborhood. We'd go to the Seers store and
(30:38):
there it was as a little boy, colored bathroom, white bathroom.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
I was a little boy, and I was I had
to go to the bathroom.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
One of the ways my parents resisted, You're not going
to the bathroom in this store. We're not going in
a segregate bathroom. You're not gonna drink from that segregated
water fountain. You just better hold it till we get home,
or you know, if an accident happens, it happens. That
(31:13):
was their mindset.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
We are not If we can resist.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
This segregated system, we're not gonna participate because we're fighting
it through protests and through the courts. When things get tough,
I think about what it took for them versus what
we have today. More d's more dds, more ba's more bs.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
I mean that's a Bachelor of Science, y'all.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Jds, mds ms, MBA's PhDs eds. We got more cheves
and caddies and lexus and benzes then your grandparents and
(32:07):
my grandparents and mother's.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Firm could have ever imagined.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
To get hope and resilience, we got to stretch into
history and recognize the difficulties that prior generations have to
deal with and recognize not that this ain't nothing, but
we can lick it and we can beat it.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
But we must push back and we must fight back.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
So in this moment, not only for us, but for many,
because not only is there an attack campaign, there's a
campaign of intimidation. Intimidate college presidents, intimidate corporate leaders, intimidate
people who want to do the right thing.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
We got to help them have backbone. I'm told all
the time.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
You know, if you speak out too much, they might
come and take your money. If you speak out too much,
they may come and make life difficult for them. What
they can't take away from me is my dignity. What
they can't take away from me is the pride that
(33:15):
I stand on shoulders of parents and grandparents whoever. If
they ever thought I was being weak, they'd say, boy,
we raise you differently. You better step up and stand up.
This is a call to action for our generation, not
just for us as black people, but for white Americans,
black and brown Americans, and Americans of all communities who
(33:38):
know that what is happening in this country is wrong,
who know what is happening in this country will lead
us down the wrong path. We have to build a
coalition of those who are willing, those who are able,
those who are passionate, those that want to stand up.
This is bigger than politics. There's an element of morality
(34:02):
that is taking place when you stand up and you
say with a straight face that you can take health
care away from millions of Americans.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Just take it away from the mother.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
Who is expecting, who wants to birth her baby in
a safe place. Just take it away from the seventy
five year old senior citizen who's in a nursing home
or an assistant care facility for who without that Medicaid
check it's gonna work. Take it away from the mother
(34:40):
who's got that disabled child, who that program at the
Department of Education which allows for a special services plan
to be Just take it away, and you can take
it away and you don't feel it.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
Because you don't have any capassion and you don't have
any care. I say to.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
I talked to a lot of corporate CEOs, and I
say to them, have you ever examined whether you're daddy
was educated on the GI bill?
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Have you ever educated.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Whether your daddy and mama got that first home that
they bought in the forties and fifties because of a
government insured mortgage. Have you ever examined that maybe you
don't like unions, but your daddy was in a union
and that's why you were able to go to the
(35:40):
school you went to to put you where you are.
I say this to my white friends and my white compatriots.
Don't think about you, think about the ladder that it
takes to achieve success in America. It doesn't just happen
in many insta this is in one generation. It happens
(36:02):
to multiple generations. So same thing with us.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
We need to.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Understand and know from whence our parents and grandparents came,
what they dealt with, what pain they had to deal with,
what suffering all of our families are to say, you
might be successful, I have a family of great success,
but man, I got some cousins, you know, and my
(36:27):
phone's always.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
I'm always getting calls.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
We all have in our families a combination of success
and suffering and challenges.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
That we have to overcome. So we've got to remember that.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Lit Lacking in the conversation in America today is the
word compassion.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
Compassion caring about.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
Others, not just being selfish and thinking about yourself, caring
if you've got some success, caring about the outcome of others.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
We live in a community, we live in a nation.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
We're interdependent, and for us to move ahead, we've got
to think about others. And that's missing. So we shouldn't
let see. Things in America today are contagious. Selfishness is contagious.
Hate is contagious, just like caring and love are contagious
(37:35):
and so we got to spread a positive attitude. If
we're going to fight this moment, it requires that. It
requires that. So it's a call to action to every
one of you that comes to Cleveland and is part
of the Urban League movement, or you may be part
(37:55):
of other civil rights or social justice it is. It
is absolutely necessary that we take this energy back home,
and we take this caring, and we take this commitment
back home. So I'm just grateful to be with you
this morning.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
I think that is a great place to wrap things up.
I do have one quick question related to that. I
know that you, I know that your team has put
in so much time and effort in planning this conference.
It's something that I look forward to every year because
I leave here inspired. I leave here feeling the hope
(38:33):
and motivated to do more. Is there anything for first
time attendees that you want them to know about this
conference that you want them to take with them through
the next few days.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
I want you to come back next year, and a
year after that, and a year after that and a
year after that. But I also aproposa what you said.
I'd love if you give our team to I call
them team an Uel. A round of applause for all
of the work they do to organize guys, create and
idate everything you see here. You know we have a commitment.
(39:07):
We want to run things well. We want to run
things on time, We want to run things efficiently. We
want to be responsive to everyone's needs and wants and
challenges when you come into our house. We want to
treat everyone like a VIP guest. And that's the aim
that we have. So I'm grateful to the team. They
(39:30):
came to me a few years ago and they ideated
this lounge after COVID. They came last year, Ron and
I went to another event. We saw this creator's lounge.
We looked at each other and we said, we got
to do one too. And so this team is always ideating, creating,
thinking about how we can meet the moment of time
(39:53):
and meet what people want to be able to engage.
So please give them a round of applause. They deserve
all the credit today. And I want to just close
up Tony by thanking you and bi in Black Information
Network for leaning into this partnership and also for leaning in.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Let's give Tony a round of applause. This is a
man you need to know.
Speaker 3 (40:16):
Bi In is something you need to know in terms
of what they're doing in there in acendency. We're talking
about doing some other things together, so I'm hopeful that
we can bring that to fruition me too.
Speaker 4 (40:29):
Thank you so much, Mark Moreal, Thank.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
You, Nekid.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
All right, everyone makes some noise once again for President
Mark Morial and Tony Coles. Thank you. Thank you for
that presentation and that conversation while they're taking pictures. All right,
I hope all of you took something so amazing from
that conversation about what is next for our community as
a whole, taking it back to your cities and your
(41:01):
neighborhoods so that we can continue the good work that
we're doing here today. So DJ Electric, I gotta work
with my DJ. I know he's in here, but I
know where the DJ is. DJ behind me over there
are DJ Electrics.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Is that you up there on my car? Right over here?
All right?
Speaker 2 (41:15):
My partner in crime today IDJ Electrics. So what we're
gonna do is we're gonna give you a little bit
of music so that you all can get ready for
our next session that is coming to the stage in
just minutes. There's some food over there, of course, you
want to shop the vendors and make sure you utilize
your social media. Tell folks what is happening here with us,
and we'll be back in just a few minutes versus
(41:40):
sixteen seven
Speaker 3 (41:47):
D
Check check.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
All right, all right, we're live. Good morning, Good morning,
National Urban League.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Good morning everyone.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Okay, I'm gonna try it again. I know y'all been talking.
We're gonna get it, get into the thing. Good morning everyone,
Good morning. Welcome to the National Urban League Conference. Here
in my hometown Cleveland is Cleveland, and how shall all right?
Come on clevelanders, all right, and for those of you
who are here visiting Cleveland, welcome to our beautiful city
(00:47):
of Cleveland, Ohio. All right, So I am Robin Sadler.
I'm gonna be your host here in the National Urban
League Now Experience Lounge. So we're gonna have an awesome,
awesome two days. A lot of amazing conversations are gonna happen.
You're gonna hear from some amazing and dynamic speakers, a
lot of great information, education and everything that makes the
(01:07):
Urban League what it is and what it has been
for over a century here in America. Okay, So our
first conversation that we're gonna be opening with is very
serious and also very necessary, the conversation about how Black
America is speaking in these perilous times. All Right, we
all know right now it's looking kind of crazy out here,
But we are here to create solutions. Correct, This is
(01:30):
a solution driven building, right, Okay, all right, So what
we're saying is tonight today, actually this morning, we're gonna
have our conversation with Tony Coles. Mister Coles is the
President of the Multicultural Business and Development and President of BEN,
a Black Information Network, which is the first and only
twenty four to seven comprehensive national audio news service dedicated
(01:53):
to providing an objective, accurate, and trusted source of continual
news coverage with a black voice and perspective. Also in conversation,
Mark Moreal, who has been the president of the National
Urban League since two thousand and three. His leadership speaks
for itself. He is the former mayor of one of
the most important cities in America is New Orleans and
(02:17):
house Come on New Orleans. Now, I used to live
in New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Come on New Orleans. Okay, all right, shout out to
New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
He is committed to empowerment initiatives that strengthen our communities.
But you will also learn more about this in our
conversation that we're going to witness this morning. So what
I need you all to do is get your energy up.
We are just starting this amazing, amazing two days of
experience right here in the lounge. Make some noise for
(02:45):
President Mark Morial and mister Tony Coles.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
What up, y'all? What up, y'all? Good morning, fantastic. This
loud is so.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Cool, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Isn't it cool? Yeah, I'm gonna give the creators who
created it. Let's give it up and give them a
round of applause.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Mark, Thanks Tony, thank you so much for joining us today.
We're really excited about this conversation. But first and foremost,
I have to say thank you Mark for joining us,
and more than anything, thank you for your clarity, your compassion,
your commitment to the Black community, and especially at this
(03:37):
moment in time.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
There is so much going on, really looking forward to
the conversation today, and I want it to be a
meaningful conversation because as we move into Trump two point
zero and all of the challenges that are facing, there's
a lot of concern in the black community, everyone from
black on reneurs to their families, to the to the
(04:02):
community at large. And you know, you shared this morning,
and you've been sharing the state of black America, and
I think that that is a fantastic place for us
to start for anyone that did not see the earlier presentation.
Would love your thoughts as we step into this second
(04:24):
term for the Trump administration. Would love to get your.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Thoughts on this.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Thank you very much. First of all, welcome to Cleveland.
Who's visiting Cleveland, who's visiting Cleveland? Give it up for
the land. Like we call New Orleans a big easy
in a big five oh four, they call Cleveland the land.
So let me just try to offer a perspective, if
(04:49):
folks would, just if you're on this side of the screen,
keep your keep your convo down. We are in a
state of emergency. State of emergency from many many reasons.
Many times when a crisis first begins, we don't feel
the pain completely and immediately. But I want to give
(05:12):
you some facts that came across my screen just in
the last week. And those facts are that the black
unemployment rate is rising as of last month's numbers, while
the white unemployment rate is either stable or declining.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Number two.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
In the month of March, we have the highest number
of black women laid off from jobs in modern American history,
and those are what we call leading indicators, first news,
first smidgeon of information. We'll find out over two or
(05:58):
three months whether those numbers are aberrational, meaning they stand out,
or whether they are the beginning of a trend, beginning
of a trend. Now it ought not be, it shouldn't be,
but Tony policies are driving this, the attack on diversity, equity,
(06:20):
and inclusion. Let's just kind of strip away the nomenclature.
It's an attack on black people, it's an attack on
brown people. It's an attack on women, it's an attack
on LGBTQ, it's an attack on Americans who deal with disabilities.
(06:43):
And what it is, it's an effort to really divide
America into two camps. An America of quote Americans and
an America of quote other Americans. And that's the old
adage that a house divided cannot stand. Should have all
(07:04):
of us concerned, because the nation cannot survive as a
divided house. In efforts to divide the house at a
time when shifting demographics or making us a mosaic, a gumbo,
a rainbow, a tapestry of American people is really really
(07:24):
disconcerting to us and to me and each and every
one of us has to be concerned enough about it
to in our own way, in our own place, to
be an advocate for something very different.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
What is that difference.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
That difference is a multi racial American democracy. That difference
is an America that works for everyone. That difference is
a place where everyone's dreams, hopes, aspirations, talents and abilities
can be poured into, can be nurtured so that we
can all rise.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
That's what's at stake in America today.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
And our greatest enemy as black people is complacency.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Silence.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I don't care, it doesn't affect me, it doesn't mean anything.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Our biggest enemy is complacency.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
We're strong enough, we're prepared enough, we have both voting
power and consumer power to really really fight back in
every way that we can and we must. And it
doesn't just affect us. But always, you know the old adage,
when America gets a cold, we catch what. When America
(08:43):
catches a cold, we catch what pneumonia. So it's always
severest for our communities when times are tough.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
So I want to take that a little bit further.
You talk about the biggest threat being complacency. You spend
a lot of time talking about the pillars of the
National Urban League. I would love to have you share
your view a little bit about the pillars, but more importantly,
which one of those pillars do you think is most
at risk in this administration?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (09:16):
So our five pillars, our five strategic pillars are one education,
two I like to say jobs and economic empowerment, three housing,
four health, five Justice. The justice lens is the lens
that drives everything because a justice lens says that whether
(09:41):
it's education, it should be equal. Whether it's health, we
should close the gap, whether it's housing, we need to
focus on the wealth gap, whatever it is. And I
think what's that greatest stake in the beginning is the
committe to Adjust and Fair America. How it manifests itself.
(10:04):
We see it manifesting itself in the big Ugly Bill
that Congress passed. That big ugly bill has as its
blueprint cutting healthcare. It will affect White America, but it
will be disproportionally affect Black America. Cutting aid to veterans
(10:25):
and veterans hospitals. It will affect White America and every
ethnic group, but it will always disproportionally impact our community.
That's how we have to look at this. Public policy counts,
laws count who's calling the shots counts.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
We can't. Now will we survive? We have always survived.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Our ancestors survived from eighteen ninety six to nineteen fifty
four in an America which was setdated, which was in
America where the clan and violence was meted out. They
survived in that period of time. They built this institution
called the National Urban League. They built historically by colleges
(11:13):
and universities, they built churches to be able to survive.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So we can survive, but survival is not the aim.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Thriving is the aim, because to be a full and
complete participant in America means we must thrive. So let's
not get caught saying we are satisfied with survival survive
we will. Let's keep our focus on thriving, thriving fully
and completely in what we are going to be in
(11:45):
two hundred and fifty years. We're on our way to
the third American century. That's where we are, so it's
time for us to focus on thriving.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
So, speaking of thriving, we know that black business is
the cornerstone of helping our community thrive. As I talk
to a lot of business leaders. There's a lot of
concern from the policies to tariffs to all of those things.
Want to talk a little bit about black business and
(12:16):
what you think is needed right now to not only
help them survive, but to thrive moving forward.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Well, let's celebrate all of the black businesses that are
participating in this lounge in the Creators Suite that's next door.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Let's really give it up for them.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
So part of our commitment is to help people one
connect with major brands and major corporations that.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Are committed to our community.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Our other commitment is to elevate black brands and black
business owners. So we have the power as a community
that spends almost two trillion dollars a year in the
American economy to direct those dollars to black businesses, to
direct those dollars to businesses at are sensitive and responsive
to our community.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
We've got to recognize that we have power.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
So there are many discussions underway to think about how
we can elevate that most significantly. But remember the pandemic,
and the pandemic caused almost forty percent of black owned
businesses to shut down either permanently or temporarily. While twenty
(13:26):
percent of mainstream businesses were impacted by the pandemic. So
those businesses were impacted, but look at it, our businesses
were impacted to an even greater extent.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Now, with this assault, this assault on.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Diversity, equity and inclusion, which is trying to intimidate mainstream
businesses and governments from doing business with our businesses, we
once again find a great challenge ahead of us. A
national Urban the National Urban League. We have thirteen entrepreneurship centers.
Those entrepreneurship centers provide free services to small businesses with
(14:09):
a focus on black owned businesses. That work has to
accelerate and has to continue, and I have immense respect
for all of you who are entrepreneurs are working to
become entrepreneurs. I was an entrepreneur when I was much younger.
I had two businesses and then I had a law
(14:32):
firm of my own. It's the toughest thing I ever did,
but it was the most rewarding thing I ever had
an opportunity to do, because I loved being my own boss.
Even when the bank account was short, I was calling
my own shots and it was a joy in that.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
So something very closely related to that is capital and
access to capital. What can be done right now to
help that, especially at a time when we know there's
not a lot of capital available.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
So foundationally, my message to black owned businesses is to
educate yourself about capital formation and what is necessary to
access capital. So capital formation is to understand there's a
difference between a bank loan and equity, and there are
(15:30):
differences between bank.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Loans and bank loans. You can go online.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
You can find a lender that will give you money
with a twenty two percent interest rate. Right you might
do more research and find a CDFI, a community development
financial institution that may lend you money at nine percent,
for example, when it comes to borrowing. When it comes
(15:56):
to equity, there are forms of equity. Many mainstream businesses
can fund their businesses with equity from friends and family.
Friends and family members that will become investors in their businesses,
not giving them a gift, but investing in their business
so that they might be able to get a return.
(16:16):
And then there's an institutional marketplace. This is an area
where we need to do more work to get up
to speed.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
The other thing I learned from being a.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Lawyer also representing small businesses is if you are gonna
pursue capital, you have got to have a good set
of financial statements. Or if you're going to pursue capital,
you have to have a business plan and some projections.
Everybody's not ready to go out and raise capital, either
(16:48):
in the equity market or the debt market. This is
an area where we have to learn. There are funds
out there, there are initiatives out there that want to
invest in black owned businesses, but you got to be ready.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
You got to have your so called blank together, right.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
You gotta have it together in order to pursue this
capital is tough, but I think there are more opportunities
today than historically there have been. But I also say this,
and this is a powerful thing. Post COVID, there's a
surge in those in our community that want to be
(17:25):
self employed, want to be entrepreneurs, want to take their
side hustle and turn it into their main gig. And
that's a powerful thing because one of the ways our
community survived during the days of segregation was by creating businesses.
(17:46):
In my own family, my grandfather, born the son of
a slave in Saint John the Baptist Parish, came to Washington,
d C. Went to Howard University School of Medicine, went
back to New Orleans, but he built an insurance company,
an insurance company which when he sold it in the
early nineteen seventies, he got a handsome amount in the
(18:09):
seven figures.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Right, We built businesses.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
We built insurance companies, We built grocery stores, we built
law firms, we built a florist, we built funeral homes,
we built I looked at a New Orleans census, Black
business census from nineteen forty, and there were eight to
ten newspapers.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
There were forty grocery stores.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Now, mind you, some of them may have been corner
grocery stores, but they were grocery stores, and they were
owned by a family. And that family built wealth and
the opportunity to live a decent life off of that business.
So one of the strategies historically in tough times that our.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Communities used was building businesses.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Entrepreneurship by the very same in this moment, I think
the same is indeed true. But you've got to invest
in knowledge. Some entrepreneurs are very good at their business.
They understand their product, they understand their service, but need
help getting themselves better organized. They're finances organized, they're receivables organized,
(19:20):
they're payables organized. If they're hiring employees. I heard Magic
Johnson say this. He said, the biggest mistake that black
businesses make is hiring their family.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
He said this, and I just heard him say this.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
He said, I paid my family to stay away. He says,
just because you love them don't mean they can help you.
And that's a hard, hard lesson. But I thought it
was a wisdom It was a wisdom point for Magic
about how you have to think about this.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
And so sometimes we need to understand.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
If I need somebody to handle money, they need to
have some expertise in handling.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Money, and I need to trust them.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Right, Magic Johnson said the other thing, which I thought
was also brilliant, and he told me this. He didn't
say this public. He says, I sign every check, every
single check. I don't care if I have to spend
three hours going through every payment. I'm going to improve
every payment as an entrepreneur because I don't want to
(20:23):
learn after the fact that somebody made a mistake or
somebody made an error in judgment. Sometimes little lessons, small
lessons are worth more than their weight and go.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
So you talk a lot about the entrepreneurs, the businesses,
and at the heart of that is really they're local
businesses helping local black communities. We hear a lot right now,
a lot of noise about what's happening at the federal
government level. I don't feel, from my perspective, we hear
enough about what's happening with local government. Would love your
(21:01):
thought on how much that matters and what you would
like to see people doing more of.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
So, Cleveland's got a great, youthful mayor by the name
of Justin Bibb. He was here this morning. He and
I were talking, and he's got this massive initiative to
redevelop the lake front of Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Now imagine as he does that.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
His ability to include African American businesses in that initiative.
He's got a second initiative to basically upgrade, improve, and
expand the Cleveland Hopkins Airport. And I shared with him
that while I was mayor of New Orleans, I leveraged
(21:52):
I rebuilding of the airport to create entrepreneurship opportunities for
dozens and dozens of black owned businesses, from planners and architects, engineers, contractors, retailers.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Restaurants all the way across the board.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
You're so right that at the local level, where we
have elected officials who are aligned, businesses who are aligned
because they rely on the black consumer dollar, and an
environment where we can build a lot more sustainable businesses
in our community, there is no doubt about that, right,
(22:32):
And you're right, we don't hear enough about what is local.
But while you're here in Cleveland, venture out if you
have time, spend money with a black owned business here
in Cleveland. There are several who are here. Make it
a point to search and to find and to use
a portion of your consumer spending.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Can't do it for every.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Product, can't do it for every good, can't do it
for every services. But if we make an effort, we
can also stimulate the economy other communities. New Orleans has
a growing and a significant Vietnamese American community. I remember
when in the late eighties and the early nineties, when
(23:14):
I became much more familiar with that community and it's
inner workings. I figured out they had their own money
lending operation, they had their own system to support the
businesses in their own community. It was quite marvelous because
they were able to do things without relying on institutional banking,
(23:39):
by pooling their resources, by working together, by trusting each other.
Speaker 4 (23:47):
And by the way, as someone who was born and
raised an Ohio thank you for bringing the conference to Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Oh yeah, let's give Cleveland a hand. Cleveland Mayor Bill
Marsha Maccabee, Kevin Clayton, those three people, with many many others,
really really three years ago told us we want a
conference in Cleveland and we'll guarantee a great experience. How
(24:15):
many of y'all were out last night? Was anybody at
Rocket Arena last night? Just want to make sure y'all
made your curfew.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Well.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
Having grown up in Ohio, I never thought there would
be a day where we would have the opportunity to
have a conversation like this in Cleveland, and so it
really makes me proud that this is here. I want
to go back to the way that we started the
conversation talking about the state of Black America and thinking
(24:46):
about the report. Is there one thing? I know there's
a lot of content in there, but is there one
thing that you want to make sure that every person
that's sitting here today when they leave, they take back
with them they have evangelize and they act upon.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
I think the thing I hope people take away not
only from the report but from this entire conference is
a call to action to be an active person in
your own community. We have to be active voters and
champions of civic engagement. We have to be active in
the community conversations and decisions that impact us, whether it's
(25:27):
at the school board or the city council or the
Zoning and Planning commission. We have to be active in
our communities. And we have to be active and aware
that the threat is real and that we must fight back.
We must fight back intelligently, but we must indeed fight back.
(25:49):
And I want to thank you and also congratulate the
Black Information Network, which I learned a new term.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
I learned a new term this morning was voice. What'd
you call it? Voice?
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Audio news?
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Audio news? You know, I'm used to saying radio, and
now it's.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Audio news because the news is delivered through multiple channels,
through the internet, through traditional radio.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
It's really fascinating.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
But the Black Information Network, I think is one of
those sources for information by us about us that I
also would recommend. So I want to thank you and
your team for your leadership and really building its presence,
and certainly for your presence here today.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Well, thank you. We appreciate that and for us, you
know much aligned with everything that the organization does. You know,
it was really important to us to have black writers,
black producers, black anchors, not only finding the stories from
our community, but amplifying those stories and telling them from
(26:54):
a perspective that you don't hear in a lot of
other places.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
So writing and reporting with news with perspective and with
sensitivity and compassion is really important.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Absolutely, thank you.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Again, thinking about the report and thinking about everything that
you've shared, what gives you the most hope out of that?
Speaker 3 (27:16):
You know, I tell you what gives me the most
hope is when I see these young people, I see
these college students, I see these high school students, I
see all of you, all who are young professionals. When
I see the power in your step, the pride in
your voice, the creativity and intelligence that you bring to
(27:36):
the table, that's what gives me hope. That's what gives
me hope. But I also get hope from the wisdom
of the elders, from the instructions and stories and encouragement
of those who have fought, the battles have fought, The
(27:56):
wars have been in our community, leading the way for generations.
And what I say is, we need both. We need
the wisdom of the elders, we need the energy of
young people. It gives me hope. History gives me hope
because history teaches us that we can be resilient and
(28:18):
we can survive.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
But make no mistake.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
About it, I sometimes feel, after doing this work for
a long time, that the last several months have been
a kick in the gut. Why would anyone want to
turn progress backwards in America in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Why?
Speaker 3 (28:40):
What is the motivation other than division and hate and
an effort to suppress Why? But notwithstanding that, that's why
I am, and we are at the Urban League so
determined to push back and fight back with everything we have.
Speaker 4 (29:00):
You say, and I'm thinking especially to a lot of
the college and the high school youth, but for everyone
in the room that, yeah, the past few months have
really been a kick to them, and it's hard for
them to find hope right now.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
What advice do you have for them? Seize the moment,
seize the time. When my hope meter goes down.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
I go to thinking, and I think about Harriet Tubman
walking in the swamps of eastern Maryland with rattlesnakes. She
didn't have a flashlight, she didn't have a cell phone
with an app that gave her the weather or the directions.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
She didn't have an umbrella.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
She didn't have anything but faith and hope as she
led members of her family and others to freedom. I
think about that, Or I think about my grandparents and
my parents who couldn't go to downtown New Orleans on
(30:15):
Canal Street and they could go into these stores that
they could shop, they couldn't try any clothes on. Or
I think about the indignity of walking in a place
there was a little boy. There was a Sears store
in our neighborhood. We'd go to the Seers store and
(30:38):
there it was as a little boy, colored bathroom, white bathroom.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
I was a little boy, and I was I had
to go to the bathroom.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
One of the ways my parents resisted, You're not going
to the bathroom in this store. We're not going in
a segregate bathroom. You're not gonna drink from that segregated
water fountain. You just better hold it till we get home,
or you know, if an accident happens, it happens. That
(31:13):
was their mindset.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
We are not If we can resist.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
This segregated system, we're not gonna participate because we're fighting
it through protests and through the courts. When things get tough,
I think about what it took for them versus what
we have today. More d's more dds, more ba's more bs.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
I mean that's a Bachelor of Science, y'all.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Jds, mds ms, MBA's PhDs eds. We got more cheves
and caddies and lexus and benzes then your grandparents and
(32:07):
my grandparents and mother's.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Firm could have ever imagined.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
To get hope and resilience, we got to stretch into
history and recognize the difficulties that prior generations have to
deal with and recognize not that this ain't nothing, but
we can lick it and we can beat it.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
But we must push back and we must fight back.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
So in this moment, not only for us, but for many,
because not only is there an attack campaign, there's a
campaign of intimidation. Intimidate college presidents, intimidate corporate leaders, intimidate
people who want to do the right thing.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
We got to help them have backbone. I'm told all
the time.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
You know, if you speak out too much, they might
come and take your money. If you speak out too much,
they may come and make life difficult for them. What
they can't take away from me is my dignity. What
they can't take away from me is the pride that
(33:15):
I stand on shoulders of parents and grandparents whoever. If
they ever thought I was being weak, they'd say, boy,
we raise you differently. You better step up and stand up.
This is a call to action for our generation, not
just for us as black people, but for white Americans,
black and brown Americans, and Americans of all communities who
(33:38):
know that what is happening in this country is wrong,
who know what is happening in this country will lead
us down the wrong path. We have to build a
coalition of those who are willing, those who are able,
those who are passionate, those that want to stand up.
This is bigger than politics. There's an element of morality
(34:02):
that is taking place when you stand up and you
say with a straight face that you can take health
care away from millions of Americans.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Just take it away from the mother.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
Who is expecting, who wants to birth her baby in
a safe place. Just take it away from the seventy
five year old senior citizen who's in a nursing home
or an assistant care facility for who without that Medicaid
check it's gonna work. Take it away from the mother
(34:40):
who's got that disabled child, who that program at the
Department of Education which allows for a special services plan
to be Just take it away, and you can take
it away and you don't feel it.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
Because you don't have any capassion and you don't have
any care. I say to.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
I talked to a lot of corporate CEOs, and I
say to them, have you ever examined whether you're daddy
was educated on the GI bill?
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Have you ever educated.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Whether your daddy and mama got that first home that
they bought in the forties and fifties because of a
government insured mortgage. Have you ever examined that maybe you
don't like unions, but your daddy was in a union
and that's why you were able to go to the
(35:40):
school you went to to put you where you are.
I say this to my white friends and my white compatriots.
Don't think about you, think about the ladder that it
takes to achieve success in America. It doesn't just happen
in many insta this is in one generation. It happens
(36:02):
to multiple generations. So same thing with us.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
We need to.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Understand and know from whence our parents and grandparents came,
what they dealt with, what pain they had to deal with,
what suffering all of our families are to say, you
might be successful, I have a family of great success,
but man, I got some cousins, you know, and my
(36:27):
phone's always.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
I'm always getting calls.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
We all have in our families a combination of success
and suffering and challenges.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
That we have to overcome. So we've got to remember that.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Lit Lacking in the conversation in America today is the
word compassion.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
Compassion caring about.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
Others, not just being selfish and thinking about yourself, caring
if you've got some success, caring about the outcome of others.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
We live in a community, we live in a nation.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
We're interdependent, and for us to move ahead, we've got
to think about others. And that's missing. So we shouldn't
let see. Things in America today are contagious. Selfishness is contagious.
Hate is contagious, just like caring and love are contagious
(37:35):
and so we got to spread a positive attitude. If
we're going to fight this moment, it requires that. It
requires that. So it's a call to action to every
one of you that comes to Cleveland and is part
of the Urban League movement, or you may be part
(37:55):
of other civil rights or social justice it is. It
is absolutely necessary that we take this energy back home,
and we take this caring, and we take this commitment
back home. So I'm just grateful to be with you
this morning.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
I think that is a great place to wrap things up.
I do have one quick question related to that. I
know that you, I know that your team has put
in so much time and effort in planning this conference.
It's something that I look forward to every year because
I leave here inspired. I leave here feeling the hope
(38:33):
and motivated to do more. Is there anything for first
time attendees that you want them to know about this
conference that you want them to take with them through
the next few days.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
I want you to come back next year, and a
year after that, and a year after that and a
year after that. But I also aproposa what you said.
I'd love if you give our team to I call
them team an Uel. A round of applause for all
of the work they do to organize guys, create and
idate everything you see here. You know we have a commitment.
(39:07):
We want to run things well. We want to run
things on time, We want to run things efficiently. We
want to be responsive to everyone's needs and wants and
challenges when you come into our house. We want to
treat everyone like a VIP guest. And that's the aim
that we have. So I'm grateful to the team. They
(39:30):
came to me a few years ago and they ideated
this lounge after COVID. They came last year, Ron and
I went to another event. We saw this creator's lounge.
We looked at each other and we said, we got
to do one too. And so this team is always ideating, creating,
thinking about how we can meet the moment of time
(39:53):
and meet what people want to be able to engage.
So please give them a round of applause. They deserve
all the credit today. And I want to just close
up Tony by thanking you and bi in Black Information
Network for leaning into this partnership and also for leaning in.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Let's give Tony a round of applause. This is a
man you need to know.
Speaker 3 (40:16):
Bi In is something you need to know in terms
of what they're doing in there in acendency. We're talking
about doing some other things together, so I'm hopeful that
we can bring that to fruition me too.
Speaker 4 (40:29):
Thank you so much, Mark Moreal, Thank.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
You, Nekid.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
All right, everyone makes some noise once again for President
Mark Morial and Tony Coles. Thank you. Thank you for
that presentation and that conversation while they're taking pictures. All right,
I hope all of you took something so amazing from
that conversation about what is next for our community as
a whole, taking it back to your cities and your
(41:01):
neighborhoods so that we can continue the good work that
we're doing here today. So DJ Electric, I gotta work
with my DJ. I know he's in here, but I
know where the DJ is. DJ behind me over there
are DJ Electrics.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Is that you up there on my car? Right over here?
All right?
Speaker 2 (41:15):
My partner in crime today IDJ Electrics. So what we're
gonna do is we're gonna give you a little bit
of music so that you all can get ready for
our next session that is coming to the stage in
just minutes. There's some food over there, of course, you
want to shop the vendors and make sure you utilize
your social media. Tell folks what is happening here with us,
and we'll be back in just a few minutes versus
(41:40):
sixteen seven
Speaker 3 (41:47):
D
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