Karen: Black people are in crisis. People are afraid for their lives in the streets. There is police brutality and no justice. Eric Garner, no justice. You have neighbors calling the cops. No matter where you are in this country right now, if you're a person of color, you're under siege, particularly a black person. Black women aren't even being heard, even by their medical folks. They're not taking their pain seriously. We're in crisis. What do we do?
Drew McCaskill, Marketing Executive & Crisis Manager:
1. Take the blinders off and recognize the fact that no matter how much we've achieved, no matter how much money that we have in the bank, know that we are still vulnerable.
Our degrees will not save us. Our adherence to, or attempts at assimilation will not save us.
1. Take the blinders off and recognize the fact that no matter how much we've achieved, no matter how much money that we have in the bank, know that we are still vulnerable.
Our degrees will not save us. Our adherence to, or attempts at assimilation will not save us.
Regardless of socio-economics, we are all the same.
We have not come far enough,
to start throwing other black people away.
So, you can't throw the gays away.
You can't throw the immigrants away.
You can't throw the poor people away.
You can't throw the loud girl on the train that's cursing away.
You can't throw the dude with his pants sagging away.
Because we need each other in order to survive.
to start throwing other black people away.
So, you can't throw the gays away.
You can't throw the immigrants away.
You can't throw the poor people away.
You can't throw the loud girl on the train that's cursing away.
You can't throw the dude with his pants sagging away.
Because we need each other in order to survive.
2. Knowing and understanding that we have to work together to protect ourselves and that we cannot give people the benefit of the doubt. At this point, we have to operate in sort of crisis a mode and say, 'we're fighting for our lives' and take that mentality into almost everything that we do. We are at a heightened stance of alert.
So, we have to take a look at our surroundings and be really careful.
Don't necessarily give it the benefit of the doubt.
We have to operate together. We have to coalescence.
So, we have to take a look at our surroundings and be really careful.
Don't necessarily give it the benefit of the doubt.
We have to operate together. We have to coalescence.
We have to get the believers and the non-believers
in the room together. We have to rally!
in the room together. We have to rally!
Every state election, has to be a national election for black folks.
3. We have to recognize our pocket of power.
We actually do have economic power.
We have to use it wisely.
We have to use it strategically.
We have to use it in concert with each other.
We also wield an incredible amount of power in terms of influence.
An influence in social and digital spaces.
We control a lot of the narratives that take place in this country.
We've got to start to recognize the fact that...
We actually do have economic power.
We have to use it wisely.
We have to use it strategically.
We have to use it in concert with each other.
We also wield an incredible amount of power in terms of influence.
An influence in social and digital spaces.
We control a lot of the narratives that take place in this country.
We've got to start to recognize the fact that...
when something happens on twitter,
9 times out of 10, somebody black started it.
9 times out of 10, somebody black started it.
So we have to use that power for good (and not for the pettiness).
Vincent Bragg, Founder & CEO, Concreates:
Concreates is a creative agency powered by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women across the country.
Concreates is a creative agency powered by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women across the country.
Origin of the fist bump? Listen on demand.
Karen: "Recidivism happens when there's no opportunities."
Karen: "People go back when there's no forward... Concreates is creating a forward lane."