Shaun King – Giving a Tour of Morehouse College the Place that Shaped Him More Than Any Other

Shaun King
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The speaker, who is a leader at a campus, gives a tour of their past experiences as a graduate and discusses their own story and history, including their own graduate school and a science building. They show historic buildings on top floors and discuss their love for their community, including a post office where they used to take photos and a sign on a wall. They also mention their experiences living in a small town and their love for their community. The speaker discusses their new workshop and how it is a beautiful place to film.

AI: Summary ©

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			Assalamu alaikum.
		
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			It's good to see all of you.
		
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			I want to really welcome you to my
		
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			home.
		
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			This is a place that made me.
		
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			You would not know me.
		
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			I would not be half the leader I
		
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			am today.
		
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			Not only if I wasn't in this very
		
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			room, I'm going to tell you all about
		
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			this room and this campus, but I'm on
		
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			the campus of Morehouse College.
		
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			This is where I came to go to
		
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			school in 1997.
		
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			You know, I grew up in a very
		
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			racist small town in Kentucky that really never
		
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			even allowed me to be a leader.
		
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			When I came to this school and you're
		
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			going to see me walk around campus here.
		
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			It was the first time I really ever
		
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			felt fully welcomed and embraced.
		
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			This is a school for young Black men
		
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			who come not just from all over the
		
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			United States, but all over the world.
		
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			And right now we are standing in my
		
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			very favorite building.
		
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			This is what's called the Sale Hall Chapel.
		
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			And for a long time, not now, this
		
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			was the main meeting place on the campus
		
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			of Morehouse College.
		
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			And right here on this front row, there's
		
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			a very famous picture of Dr. Martin Luther
		
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			King, who was not a doctor.
		
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			He was just a student here.
		
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			And he used to attend sessions in this
		
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			room, Sale Hall, every single day.
		
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			And so there are pictures of him as
		
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			just a young teenage boy, just learning and
		
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			growing.
		
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			And I had so many important moments.
		
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			I gave multiple speeches from this mic.
		
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			I really honed my speaking.
		
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			And as a matter of fact, I'm almost
		
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			100% sure this is the very podium
		
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			that I spoke from 25 years ago.
		
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			I can't even believe it's even longer than
		
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			that.
		
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			That's how old I'm getting.
		
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			But this stage was where I gave one
		
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			of my most important speeches from my time
		
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			as a leader here on campus.
		
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			I was in this speech contest, the Otis
		
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			Moss Oratorical Contest.
		
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			And the first round was in this room.
		
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			And I so badly wanted to make it
		
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			to the finals.
		
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			But I didn't even finish my speech in
		
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			time.
		
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			They cut off and I was like, oh,
		
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			I'm done.
		
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			I'm toast.
		
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			I nailed my speech, but I didn't even
		
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			get to finish it.
		
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			But they let me into the final.
		
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			I made it to the finals anyway.
		
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			And I'm going to show you where I
		
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			gave that speech.
		
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			But in this room, so many brilliant thinkers
		
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			and leaders came and spoke to hundreds of
		
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			young brothers from all over the world.
		
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			Eventually, while young Martin Luther King was a
		
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			student here, his dad attended sessions in here
		
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			when he was a student.
		
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			Later, Dr. King gave a speech from this
		
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			podium.
		
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			He gave so many speeches in here.
		
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			For those of you who are scholars or
		
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			students of African-American history, W.
		
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			E.
		
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			B.
		
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			Du Bois spoke in this room.
		
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			As a matter of fact, there was a
		
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			time where he had an office in this
		
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			building.
		
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			And some of my first classes were here.
		
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			And so I just wanted to start here.
		
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			I'm going to take you all over the
		
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			campus.
		
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			This building and this space, it's where I
		
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			always bring guests because so much history happened
		
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			here.
		
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			This space has had 10,000 meetings.
		
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			I mean, thousands and thousands of important speeches
		
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			and classes have been held here.
		
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			This is on the top floor of Sale
		
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			Hall.
		
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			This is kind of right on the kind
		
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			of historic older part of the campus that
		
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			I'm about to show you around.
		
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			I took classes in this building.
		
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			I didn't have a class in this session,
		
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			but in this chapel here.
		
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			But I did so much.
		
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			I did organizing here.
		
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			I had, when I was a leader, I
		
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			would bring guest speakers to this space.
		
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			And I've always just loved it.
		
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			So I'm going to take you around the
		
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			Morehouse campus.
		
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			I've never done this on film, but when
		
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			I was a student, I used to give
		
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			tours for families.
		
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			When I was a student leader, I would
		
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			give tours of families and tours for donors.
		
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			And so it's cool now being able to
		
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			come here as a graduate, as a leader,
		
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			and show you this place that meant so
		
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			much to me.
		
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			I'm old enough to remember when we used
		
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			to have to go to a computer lab
		
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			because we couldn't own computers.
		
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			And so my computer lab was downstairs.
		
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			I took a class in this room right
		
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			here with Dr. Aaron Parker, a religion professor
		
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			that was a mentor to me.
		
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			I had classes all up and down this
		
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			hallway, and I used to go to the
		
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			computer lab.
		
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			But I'm going to show you around this
		
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			campus that made me.
		
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			And I'm going to talk a lot about
		
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			my own story and history.
		
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			But I'm going to talk to you about
		
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			some of the beautiful history that's happened here.
		
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			New students are just arriving.
		
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			I hear a band.
		
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			I hear a marching band practicing out in
		
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			the distance.
		
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			That's over in that direction is Clark Atlanta
		
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			University.
		
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			But all around me and behind me, this
		
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			is sacred ground to me.
		
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			And if you respect me or know me,
		
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			you have to know this place.
		
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			This place not only built leaders like Dr.
		
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			Martin Luther King, this place has built some
		
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			of the best leaders in the world.
		
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			It's built leaders who've gone on to serve
		
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			in the United States Senate and the United
		
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			Nations.
		
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			It's built civil rights leaders, humanitarians, business leaders,
		
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			and leaders, you know, like people, you know,
		
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			like Spike Lee or Sam Jackson.
		
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			But right now, this is the campus green.
		
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			And right here, this is where we have
		
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			our graduation right here on the campus green.
		
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			And there's just so many important buildings.
		
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			This is a cell hall behind me where
		
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			where I just showed you.
		
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			And so this is I don't know very
		
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			many people that would tell you that that's
		
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			their favorite building on campus.
		
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			It's far and away my favorite building.
		
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			I'm going to show you in front of
		
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			me is a building that I stay far
		
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			away from.
		
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			This is a science building.
		
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			I think I might have had a biology
		
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			class or the band is the band is
		
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			killing it.
		
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			That's that's Clark Atlanta University out in the
		
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			distance and probably the CAU marching band.
		
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			But just a beautiful science building.
		
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			But I'm taking you now to this is
		
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			the campus green.
		
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			I'm taking I'm going to show you Graves
		
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			Hall.
		
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			And I just love, love, love this building
		
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			so much.
		
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			And at one time, what I want you
		
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			to understand, I'm going to walk on the
		
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			grass here.
		
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			What I want you to understand is that
		
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			at one time, this was Morehouse College, this
		
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			building here that I stand in front of.
		
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			This was the entire college.
		
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			This was everything.
		
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			This was the classrooms.
		
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			This was the administrative building.
		
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			I'm going to be speaking here at Morehouse
		
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			on Sunday, but at the top of this
		
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			building, Graves Hall, which is the most historic
		
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			building on our campus.
		
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			I stayed in this building.
		
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			I stayed in room 104.
		
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			It was my finger.
		
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			I stayed.
		
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			There's like a little deck right there, but
		
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			like a balcony or porch.
		
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			I stayed.
		
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			I stayed right there in room 104 in
		
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			Graves Hall.
		
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			It was one of the honors of my
		
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			life.
		
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			I think my dear brother, Jeff Bennett, hooked
		
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			me up with that room.
		
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			I had a single room in there.
		
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			But, you know, brothers would use this building.
		
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			And at the top, there is like a
		
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			lookout tower.
		
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			And this building is on the highest piece
		
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			of land in all of Atlanta.
		
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			And during a period of lynching, brothers would
		
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			go up to this lookout tower and basically
		
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			look out all over the campus just to
		
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			make sure that they were safe.
		
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			And so, I mean, this place has just
		
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			deep historic significance.
		
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			And in front of Graves Hall here is
		
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			the tomb of one of our dearest leaders,
		
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			one of our most beloved presidents, Dr. Benjamin
		
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			Elijah Mays, and his wife, Dr. Sadie Mays.
		
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			Not only was Benjamin Elijah Mays famous for
		
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			being the president of Dr. Martin Luther King,
		
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			he was president for nearly 30 of the
		
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			most important years this university ever had.
		
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			And so many of our most beloved graduates,
		
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			he was their president.
		
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			And so, he's not a graduate of Morehouse,
		
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			but you would not find almost anyone that
		
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			is more revered on this campus than our
		
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			dear brother, Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays.
		
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			I'm going to take you and show you
		
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			some of Graves Hall where I stayed.
		
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			I'm not going to go in because brothers
		
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			are moving into the building, but I love,
		
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			love, love this building.
		
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			These steps, when I first learned, you see
		
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			a student coming out of the building.
		
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			When I first learned about Morehouse College, this
		
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			is when they had to send you a
		
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			brochure in the mail.
		
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			And so, I had to call somebody and
		
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			say, here's my address.
		
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			Can you please send me an application and
		
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			a brochure?
		
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			There was no applying online.
		
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			And there were brothers that were standing on
		
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			those steps right there.
		
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			And I remember just thinking, I got to
		
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			get to those steps.
		
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			And I grew up in a small town
		
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			in Kentucky where I had been mistreated and
		
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			harassed and assaulted.
		
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			And I had just missed my entire sophomore
		
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			and junior year of high school.
		
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			I had three spinal surgeries after I was
		
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			assaulted.
		
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			And I saw these brothers on those steps.
		
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			I was like, I have to find a
		
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			way to get out of this small town
		
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			that did me so much harm and make
		
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			it to these steps.
		
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			And being able to live in this building
		
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			and call this building home, that where thousands
		
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			of men, Dr. King lived in this building,
		
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			and so many of our most beloved graduates
		
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			lived here.
		
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			But for a while, this was the only
		
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			building.
		
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			This was right here.
		
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			Students are moving in, so there's a lot
		
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			of cardboard boxes and stuff.
		
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			But every classroom was here.
		
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			Every administrative office was here.
		
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			This was Morehouse College.
		
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			So, let me tell you a few places
		
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			that mean a lot to me.
		
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			There's a building here on the other side
		
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			I'm going to show you that I lived
		
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			in.
		
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			I used to actually work at Morehouse.
		
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			I was what we call RD, a resident
		
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			director.
		
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			And me, let me show you.
		
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			So, this is Robert Hall.
		
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			And it's been a dormitory for 100 years.
		
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			And I had an apartment.
		
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			And those four windows were our apartment, where
		
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			me and my wife and our two oldest
		
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			daughters actually lived here.
		
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			We were the only family that lived here.
		
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			And at the time, the only women and
		
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			girls that lived on the campus.
		
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			It's an all-male school.
		
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			But we lived right here in Robert Hall.
		
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			It was rough.
		
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			But we actually loved it.
		
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			We had such good memories because they would
		
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			come out here, like this was like their
		
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			front yard.
		
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			And because they were the only kids on
		
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			campus, like everybody loved them so much.
		
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			But this building, it matters to me.
		
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			It's now, I think it's an honors dorm
		
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			now.
		
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			And the rooms are so small.
		
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			Forever, they were doubles.
		
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			And two people should not stay in these
		
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			rooms.
		
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			But now they've made them into singles.
		
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			But we had a very tiny apartment here,
		
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			even though it's got four windows, it's way
		
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			smaller than it looked.
		
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			But we were super happy.
		
00:13:34 --> 00:13:39
			It's still Graves Hall, the historic building behind
		
00:13:39 --> 00:13:39
			me.
		
00:13:40 --> 00:13:44
			And I, man, I gave, I'm just trying
		
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47
			to, as I walk, I'm remembering things like
		
00:13:47 --> 00:13:51
			when I was running for student government president,
		
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54
			we had an outdoor debate.
		
00:13:55 --> 00:13:59
			My brothers weren't ready, you know, because outdoor
		
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01
			debate is a unique kind of thing.
		
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03
			And a matter of fact, we had this
		
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04
			outdoor debate right here.
		
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07
			And let me see if you can see
		
00:14:07 --> 00:14:07
			it.
		
00:14:09 --> 00:14:12
			Right here on, we just had to, you
		
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14
			just had to stand up here.
		
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16
			And we were debating each other, candidates back
		
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17
			and forth.
		
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18
			We gave speeches.
		
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20
			People could, you know, ask us questions.
		
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22
			And how are you, brother?
		
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24
			Yeah, I'm Sean.
		
00:14:24 --> 00:14:24
			How are you?
		
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27
			Oh, yeah.
		
00:14:27 --> 00:14:27
			Thank you.
		
00:14:27 --> 00:14:27
			Yeah.
		
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28
			Good to see you.
		
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29
			You're a freshman.
		
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30
			Yeah.
		
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31
			Congratulations, man.
		
00:14:31 --> 00:14:31
			Yeah.
		
00:14:31 --> 00:14:31
			Yeah.
		
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32
			Good to see you.
		
00:14:34 --> 00:14:34
			Oh, sure.
		
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
			Yeah.
		
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
			Yeah.
		
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35
			Yeah.
		
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36
			Yeah.
		
00:14:36 --> 00:14:36
			Yeah.
		
00:14:36 --> 00:14:36
			Yeah.
		
00:14:36 --> 00:14:36
			Come on.
		
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37
			Come on.
		
00:14:37 --> 00:14:37
			Yeah.
		
00:14:37 --> 00:14:37
			Yeah.
		
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38
			I love you.
		
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39
			Yeah, absolutely.
		
00:14:40 --> 00:14:43
			I had to pause for a minute to
		
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			take some photos, but man, I used to
		
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48
			go down these steps so much.
		
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51
			This is, it's where our little raggedy post
		
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			office is.
		
00:14:53 --> 00:14:58
			And, you know, my wife, Dr. Ray, we
		
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59
			weren't married back then, but we were dating.
		
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02
			And we would send letters to each other.
		
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06
			And I'm not, I'm not just trying to
		
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08
			be sweet, but like there was nothing I
		
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11
			look forward to more than getting a letter
		
00:15:11 --> 00:15:11
			from her.
		
00:15:12 --> 00:15:16
			And when I started here, when I first
		
00:15:16 --> 00:15:21
			started here in August of 1997, about half
		
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22
			the dormitory had girlfriends.
		
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26
			But this is a hard, hard place to
		
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27
			have a girlfriend somewhere far away.
		
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30
			We're Muslims now, so we don't talk about
		
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31
			boyfriends and girlfriends in the same way.
		
00:15:32 --> 00:15:35
			But back then we weren't Muslims.
		
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36
			And so, you know, my wife and I
		
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37
			were dating.
		
00:15:38 --> 00:15:42
			And by Christmas break, I think there were,
		
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44
			instead of there being like a hundred guys
		
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46
			who had girlfriends, there were two because everybody
		
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48
			had gotten their own local girlfriend.
		
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51
			But Ray and I were writing each other
		
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52
			letters.
		
00:15:53 --> 00:15:57
			And this post office, this post office was
		
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59
			like my, my favorite place.
		
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02
			And sometimes I would get little gift packages
		
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04
			or something from my mother or somebody else
		
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05
			that cared about us.
		
00:16:06 --> 00:16:10
			But man, everywhere I walk, I remember this
		
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13
			is, this is a place called the Kilgore
		
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14
			Campus Center.
		
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16
			It's just kind of like a central hub
		
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17
			to the campus.
		
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20
			When I was, when I was student government
		
00:16:20 --> 00:16:25
			president, I was actually like sworn in and
		
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26
			inaugurated.
		
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29
			Politics are a big deal here, student politics
		
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30
			and student leadership.
		
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34
			So when I became student government president, I
		
00:16:34 --> 00:16:38
			was sworn in and inaugurated right here on
		
00:16:38 --> 00:16:38
			the steps.
		
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41
			I mean, I had a dashiki who was
		
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43
			doing the black power fist, you know, that
		
00:16:43 --> 00:16:47
			we were into it, but yeah, right, right
		
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48
			here on these steps.
		
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51
			And so many people that worked hard to
		
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53
			elect me were here and, but it was
		
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54
			a cool moment.
		
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58
			A few more places that I have to
		
00:16:58 --> 00:17:02
			show you that just really mattered to me.
		
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04
			There's a video playing in the background here,
		
00:17:04 --> 00:17:08
			just like a little, a little documentary about
		
00:17:08 --> 00:17:11
			Morehouse, just showing it to, to the students.
		
00:17:14 --> 00:17:18
			There's a cafeteria right there behind me.
		
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20
			When I was a student, it didn't look
		
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21
			like this.
		
00:17:21 --> 00:17:24
			Like when I was a student, everybody ate
		
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26
			the same meal and it just was what
		
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27
			it was, what it was.
		
00:17:27 --> 00:17:31
			Now they've got choices and options and you
		
00:17:31 --> 00:17:36
			know, pizza and hamburgers and salads and desserts.
		
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37
			We didn't have all that.
		
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39
			Like every day it was like a, it
		
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40
			was like a high school cafeteria.
		
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41
			And I don't mean a new school.
		
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44
			I mean like old school on, on this
		
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45
			day you ate this and that's what everybody
		
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46
			ate.
		
00:17:47 --> 00:17:50
			I'm going to take you to the dorm
		
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53
			that I went to, my freshman dorm.
		
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56
			It's, it's called LLC now.
		
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59
			It used to be called Thurman Hall, but
		
00:17:59 --> 00:18:04
			these dorms are the quad and I got
		
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06
			to say something about the quad.
		
00:18:06 --> 00:18:12
			So these dorms are not known to be
		
00:18:12 --> 00:18:17
			fancy or they're, they're not even nice.
		
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18
			Okay.
		
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19
			I'm just going to be real about it,
		
00:18:19 --> 00:18:23
			but I love these dorms the most because
		
00:18:23 --> 00:18:27
			they're so simple and so basic that when
		
00:18:27 --> 00:18:30
			you stay here, all you're focusing on, all
		
00:18:30 --> 00:18:34
			you're thinking about is class and your social
		
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36
			life growing and getting better.
		
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41
			Like it's a very, very simple place to
		
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41
			live.
		
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44
			And I mean, we, I grew up, you
		
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46
			know, me and my roommate who was my
		
00:18:46 --> 00:18:50
			best friend from high school, Willis you know,
		
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51
			he used to spend the night at my
		
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52
			house as a kid.
		
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54
			And so we never minded staying with each
		
00:18:54 --> 00:18:57
			other, but we both grew up simple anyway.
		
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00
			And so, you know, it wasn't like it
		
00:19:00 --> 00:19:03
			was like, we didn't come from, you know,
		
00:19:03 --> 00:19:07
			wealth, but even for us, we're like, Oh,
		
00:19:07 --> 00:19:10
			we're sharing a bathroom with 80 dudes.
		
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13
			Oh, I'm sleeping, I'm sleeping in the same
		
00:19:13 --> 00:19:16
			room with somebody, even though this was my
		
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16
			best friend.
		
00:19:17 --> 00:19:21
			So I want to show you my dorm.
		
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22
			I'm not going to go up to my
		
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22
			room.
		
00:19:24 --> 00:19:27
			I, I do, I don't want to go
		
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29
			there and barge in, but maybe I'll go
		
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31
			up there and check and see if somebody's
		
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31
			there.
		
00:19:32 --> 00:19:38
			But this is, this is LLC, a super,
		
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40
			super simple dorm.
		
00:19:40 --> 00:19:43
			And all of these dorms called, we call
		
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44
			them a quad because there are four of
		
00:19:44 --> 00:19:49
			them, but I stay all the way up
		
00:19:49 --> 00:19:52
			in the top corner in 325.
		
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56
			And, uh, we were so, we were so
		
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56
			dumb.
		
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59
			We called, uh, we called 325 and we
		
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01
			called the third floor LLC.
		
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02
			We call it the penthouse.
		
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05
			It was nothing fancy about it.
		
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05
			Okay.
		
00:20:05 --> 00:20:08
			It was the least penthouse of all penthouses.
		
00:20:08 --> 00:20:11
			It was nothing penthousey about it, but, um,
		
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14
			no, man, I love being there.
		
00:20:14 --> 00:20:17
			Um, it was a simple, a simple way
		
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19
			of life, a simple way to do things.
		
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23
			But, uh, I, you know, I was president
		
00:20:23 --> 00:20:26
			of my dorm, um, freshman year.
		
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29
			And it's where, you know, before I was
		
00:20:29 --> 00:20:32
			student government president of the whole campus, I
		
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34
			was just president of that small dormitory.
		
00:20:34 --> 00:20:37
			It's about, about 150 students.
		
00:20:38 --> 00:20:41
			And that that's where I built my base.
		
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43
			You know, it's like, it's where I built
		
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43
			my crew.
		
00:20:44 --> 00:20:47
			Those students I'm friends with so many of
		
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49
			those brothers to this very day, 25 years
		
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51
			later, it was like my, my homies.
		
00:20:51 --> 00:20:56
			In some ways you feel like Morehouse, Morehouse
		
00:20:56 --> 00:21:01
			is listen, if you've seen black Panther, I
		
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02
			don't want to say that Morehouse is like
		
00:21:02 --> 00:21:06
			Wakanda, but for black men, this is the
		
00:21:06 --> 00:21:09
			closest thing we have to Wakanda in America.
		
00:21:09 --> 00:21:12
			I mean, a place that's built just for
		
00:21:12 --> 00:21:16
			black men, where like, even on this campus,
		
00:21:16 --> 00:21:19
			even our police officers love us.
		
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21
			Do you understand what I'm saying on this
		
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22
			campus?
		
00:21:22 --> 00:21:25
			We actually get along with the police on
		
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25
			this campus.
		
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28
			Police come here because they love and respect
		
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29
			black men and want to protect us.
		
00:21:30 --> 00:21:33
			And so, I mean, it was just a,
		
00:21:33 --> 00:21:36
			a beautiful experience for us to be in
		
00:21:36 --> 00:21:41
			a place that was literally imagined and constructed
		
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43
			and built with us in mind.
		
00:21:44 --> 00:21:50
			And so, Morehouse, I mean, it, it's shaped
		
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51
			us in so many ways.
		
00:21:52 --> 00:21:55
			I'm, I'm walking down the campus.
		
00:21:56 --> 00:21:59
			I wish I could, there's some meetings going
		
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00
			on in some of the buildings.
		
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03
			There's, there's one major place left that I
		
00:22:03 --> 00:22:06
			have to show you that just meant a
		
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06
			lot to me.
		
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08
			We're going to go to King Chapel.
		
00:22:09 --> 00:22:13
			It's the, the largest auditorium in the entire
		
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15
			Atlanta University Center.
		
00:22:15 --> 00:22:19
			But so much of who I am as
		
00:22:19 --> 00:22:23
			a young man happened in, in that space.
		
00:22:24 --> 00:22:27
			There's a, a building here called Brawley Hall
		
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28
			that I'm about to show you.
		
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31
			First, thank you all for being here with
		
00:22:31 --> 00:22:34
			me, for letting me just walk and talk
		
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35
			and show you the place that means so
		
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36
			much to me.
		
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38
			And so many of you all treat me
		
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40
			with so much love and respect.
		
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42
			I wish you could be here with me
		
00:22:42 --> 00:22:45
			and feel my heart and feel, you just,
		
00:22:45 --> 00:22:48
			it's beautiful because there are hundreds of students
		
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49
			that are moving here on campus.
		
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52
			You know, black families from all over the
		
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54
			world that are bringing their young men here
		
00:22:54 --> 00:23:00
			to really show us the next generation of
		
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00
			leaders.
		
00:23:01 --> 00:23:05
			Behind me is a building called Brawley Hall.
		
00:23:06 --> 00:23:10
			And this was where my department, I was
		
00:23:10 --> 00:23:13
			an African American studies major and that's in
		
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14
			the history department here.
		
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17
			I took maybe half of my classes in
		
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19
			this, this simple building.
		
00:23:20 --> 00:23:24
			I mean, I probably took 30 classes in
		
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26
			this building, every English class, every history class,
		
00:23:27 --> 00:23:30
			every language class that I took, I took
		
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30
			here.
		
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32
			I used to work in this building.
		
00:23:32 --> 00:23:36
			I was a work study student in the
		
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38
			African American studies department.
		
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41
			I was a part, we founded the African
		
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43
			American studies club here called the William Tucker
		
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44
			Society.
		
00:23:44 --> 00:23:48
			But this building behind me, it meant as
		
00:23:48 --> 00:23:51
			much to me as, as any other building.
		
00:23:51 --> 00:23:54
			Like so much of my knowledge base came
		
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56
			from this space here.
		
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57
			Let me show you real quick.
		
00:23:59 --> 00:24:02
			Off in the distance is our football stadium.
		
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05
			And right here is the building I really
		
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06
			wanted to show you.
		
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08
			This is King Chapel.
		
00:24:08 --> 00:24:14
			And this is a monument to one of
		
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16
			our most famous and beloved graduates, Dr. Howard
		
00:24:16 --> 00:24:20
			Thurman, who was a mentor to Martin Luther
		
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20
			King.
		
00:24:21 --> 00:24:24
			He has a book called Jesus and the
		
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24
			Disinherited.
		
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26
			He's passed, long ago passed away.
		
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28
			A very beloved theologian.
		
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31
			He had a book that Dr. King was
		
00:24:31 --> 00:24:34
			said to actually have with him when he
		
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36
			was assassinated, called Jesus and the Disinherited.
		
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39
			So I'm going to show you in this
		
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41
			building and show you around.
		
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44
			It looks like there's some sessions going on
		
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45
			in there right now.
		
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46
			But I'm going to show you.
		
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50
			I mean, this building is beautiful to me.
		
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53
			I'm going up the steps.
		
00:24:54 --> 00:25:00
			I'm speaking here on Sunday night at a
		
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02
			very special program.
		
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04
			I might be able to film it.
		
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05
			I don't know.
		
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08
			There's a video going on in the background,
		
00:25:08 --> 00:25:11
			but let me show you this beautiful statue
		
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11
			of Dr. King.
		
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12
			One second.
		
00:25:14 --> 00:25:18
			So a beautiful statue of Dr. Martin Luther
		
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18
			King.
		
00:25:19 --> 00:25:23
			That's one of the most famous monuments on
		
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23
			our campus.
		
00:25:24 --> 00:25:27
			I love this statue of Dr. King.
		
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28
			But let me take you inside.
		
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29
			Okay.
		
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31
			Hello.
		
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33
			Hi.
		
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34
			Good to see you.
		
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35
			Good.
		
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38
			Let me take you inside.
		
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39
			Okay.
		
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42
			I love this building so much.
		
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45
			Hey, brother, how are you doing?
		
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45
			Good.
		
00:25:48 --> 00:25:50
			All right.
		
00:25:50 --> 00:25:55
			So we're walking into King Chapel.
		
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58
			Just a beautiful, beautiful space.
		
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01
			And I want to show you all around.
		
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01
			Okay.
		
00:26:01 --> 00:26:09
			So here's a statue of Gandhi.
		
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12
			And this is his wife.
		
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15
			Beautiful portrait of Dr. King.
		
00:26:15 --> 00:26:17
			Also see Malcolm X there in the portrait.
		
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20
			Portrait of Nelson Mandela.
		
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21
			I'll tell you more about that in a
		
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22
			minute.
		
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23
			Another portrait of Gandhi.
		
00:26:25 --> 00:26:28
			But this space, this is we're in the
		
00:26:28 --> 00:26:32
			the foyer of King Chapel.
		
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34
			And I want to show you a sign
		
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35
			real quick.
		
00:26:36 --> 00:26:39
			These are families and parents that are here
		
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39
			for their children.
		
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41
			I'm gonna show you a little sign real
		
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41
			quick.
		
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42
			Okay.
		
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43
			I'm gonna tell you a story.
		
00:26:44 --> 00:26:50
			So on this sign, it says, notice how
		
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52
			many people can fit into the building.
		
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55
			2,501.
		
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57
			So let me tell you the story about
		
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57
			that.
		
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00
			2,501.
		
00:27:00 --> 00:27:05
			And so they decided.
		
00:27:06 --> 00:27:09
			So I'm here in King Chapel.
		
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09
			Okay.
		
00:27:09 --> 00:27:12
			Just every time I walk in here, it
		
00:27:12 --> 00:27:15
			gives me so many memories, but it holds
		
00:27:15 --> 00:27:22
			2,501 people because not 2,500, but
		
00:27:22 --> 00:27:25
			2,501 because Dr. King said there's always
		
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27
			room for one more.
		
00:27:28 --> 00:27:30
			So I'm inside of King Chapel.
		
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32
			Good to see you, man.
		
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33
			You all right?
		
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34
			Yeah, good.
		
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36
			Good brother.
		
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36
			Good to see you.
		
00:27:38 --> 00:27:41
			So look, these are, these are student leaders
		
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43
			who are preparing new student orientation.
		
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44
			Good brother.
		
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44
			You all right?
		
00:27:46 --> 00:27:49
			So these guys are working, preparing for programs
		
00:27:49 --> 00:27:53
			here tonight, but I'm gonna come up from
		
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53
			the stage.
		
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56
			Hey, how are you doing brother?
		
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56
			Good.
		
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01
			I want to show you this from up
		
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02
			here.
		
00:28:02 --> 00:28:06
			So this is, this is where I learned
		
00:28:06 --> 00:28:08
			to speak for real.
		
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08
			Okay.
		
00:28:09 --> 00:28:12
			I don't know if there is a harder
		
00:28:12 --> 00:28:16
			place to speak in all of America than
		
00:28:16 --> 00:28:18
			this auditorium there.
		
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20
			It's one, it's enormous.
		
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22
			It's beautiful.
		
00:28:23 --> 00:28:27
			Even in the, in the balcony upstairs and
		
00:28:27 --> 00:28:31
			down here, it seats 2,501 people.
		
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33
			So just beautiful.
		
00:28:33 --> 00:28:36
			And so just wanting you all to see
		
00:28:36 --> 00:28:38
			it and you know, hello.
		
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40
			Hi, how are you?
		
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41
			Hey, how are you?
		
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42
			Good to see you.
		
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43
			Yeah.
		
00:28:43 --> 00:28:46
			I cannot believe you have a kid in
		
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47
			college now.
		
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49
			I'm still bugging off of that.
		
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52
			Salaam alaikum.
		
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53
			I'm back.
		
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56
			This campus, you know, I was a leader
		
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57
			here.
		
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57
			I worked here.
		
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59
			So I've had to stop several times as
		
00:28:59 --> 00:29:02
			people recognize me, but it's, it's beautiful.
		
00:29:02 --> 00:29:05
			I'm on the stage, this stage.
		
00:29:08 --> 00:29:11
			There's probably no stage I've ever been on
		
00:29:11 --> 00:29:14
			in the world that has meant more to
		
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15
			me than this one.
		
00:29:17 --> 00:29:19
			They've, I see this floor is new or
		
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20
			new-ish.
		
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22
			This isn't the same floor I used to
		
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22
			speak on.
		
00:29:22 --> 00:29:27
			I knew that floor well, but this stage
		
00:29:27 --> 00:29:32
			where you could speak to 2,501 Black
		
00:29:32 --> 00:29:34
			men from all over the world.
		
00:29:34 --> 00:29:36
			I mean, there's no place like this place.
		
00:29:37 --> 00:29:41
			And I mean, I've seen speakers here, like
		
00:29:41 --> 00:29:43
			if you're old enough to know what Showtime
		
00:29:43 --> 00:29:46
			at the Apollo is, like if you don't
		
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48
			do well here, it's rough.
		
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49
			It's really rough.
		
00:29:50 --> 00:29:55
			I've seen speakers get heckled or laughed at,
		
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57
			or people just start murmuring and talking like,
		
00:29:57 --> 00:30:00
			if you don't nail it here, it's not
		
00:30:00 --> 00:30:02
			a, it's not a great place to speak.
		
00:30:02 --> 00:30:08
			And so I really, really learned how to
		
00:30:08 --> 00:30:12
			keep an audience, how to, how to engage
		
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13
			people from this stage.
		
00:30:14 --> 00:30:17
			You know, I gave, I'm trying to think,
		
00:30:17 --> 00:30:20
			you know, I won the Otis Moss oratorical
		
00:30:20 --> 00:30:24
			contest here on this stage and winning that
		
00:30:24 --> 00:30:27
			contest is what eventually helped me run and
		
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28
			become student government president.
		
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30
			I was well-known as a student leader,
		
00:30:30 --> 00:30:34
			as an activist, but when I won that
		
00:30:34 --> 00:30:39
			oratorical contest here, I immediately became maybe the
		
00:30:39 --> 00:30:41
			most known student on campus.
		
00:30:42 --> 00:30:47
			And I won $500, which in 1999, I
		
00:30:47 --> 00:30:51
			think that was March of 1999, that $500
		
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52
			changed my life.
		
00:30:52 --> 00:30:54
			I bought my first laptop with that.
		
00:30:54 --> 00:30:56
			And I had that laptop for like four
		
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56
			years.
		
00:30:57 --> 00:31:02
			And, and so, so many people have spoken
		
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02
			on this stage.
		
00:31:03 --> 00:31:06
			Nelson Mandela spoke on this stage.
		
00:31:08 --> 00:31:12
			Funerals of so many beloved civil rights leaders
		
00:31:12 --> 00:31:15
			and heroes happened on this stage.
		
00:31:17 --> 00:31:22
			So many dignitaries and humanitarians have spoken on
		
00:31:22 --> 00:31:26
			this stage and every chance I ever got
		
00:31:26 --> 00:31:29
			to, to speak here was just one of
		
00:31:29 --> 00:31:31
			the biggest honors of my life.
		
00:31:31 --> 00:31:33
			Even this, this podium is new.
		
00:31:34 --> 00:31:37
			Like, I don't know if the old podiums
		
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37
			are still here.
		
00:31:37 --> 00:31:39
			I hope they didn't throw them away.
		
00:31:40 --> 00:31:45
			But this space is just so special to
		
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45
			me.
		
00:31:45 --> 00:31:48
			And I can't wait to speak here on
		
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49
			Sunday night.
		
00:31:49 --> 00:31:52
			I'm speaking at something called spirit night.
		
00:31:53 --> 00:31:55
			Tonight is welcome to the house.
		
00:31:55 --> 00:31:57
			I was the, I was the lead speaker
		
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58
			at welcome to the house one, one year,
		
00:31:59 --> 00:32:03
			maybe two years, just a powerful moment for
		
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04
			students and parents.
		
00:32:04 --> 00:32:09
			Um, but parents leave on Friday night.
		
00:32:10 --> 00:32:12
			And so on Sunday, after all the parents
		
00:32:12 --> 00:32:15
			are gone, uh, I'm going to speak here
		
00:32:15 --> 00:32:17
			to all of the students.
		
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20
			And, uh, if I can film it, I
		
00:32:20 --> 00:32:23
			will, but it's, it's a private, a private
		
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23
			moment.
		
00:32:24 --> 00:32:29
			So, um, King chapel, there's, I mean, you
		
00:32:29 --> 00:32:32
			know, as a student leader here, um, they
		
00:32:32 --> 00:32:36
			really just let you like, not feel like
		
00:32:36 --> 00:32:39
			you own the campus, but they just allow
		
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40
			you to go anywhere, you know?
		
00:32:41 --> 00:32:44
			And so, um, um, you know, being back
		
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45
			here, Oh, okay.
		
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46
			I'm going to show you.
		
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47
			I'm glad this is back here.
		
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48
			Okay.
		
00:32:49 --> 00:32:52
			Um, this, I knew they wouldn't throw it
		
00:32:52 --> 00:32:57
			away, but this, uh, so I'm backstage and
		
00:32:57 --> 00:33:01
			this is, this it's like a podium, a
		
00:33:01 --> 00:33:05
			pulpit, uh, that they can wheel back.
		
00:33:05 --> 00:33:09
			And, uh, this, uh, this pulpit, I spoke
		
00:33:09 --> 00:33:12
			from, uh, this may be remodeled.
		
00:33:12 --> 00:33:15
			I don't know, but I remember, I remember,
		
00:33:15 --> 00:33:18
			I remember these bars, uh, very well.
		
00:33:18 --> 00:33:21
			And, uh, and yeah, I think they've just
		
00:33:21 --> 00:33:24
			remodeled this, but, uh, I spoke from this
		
00:33:24 --> 00:33:27
			platform out there many times.
		
00:33:27 --> 00:33:31
			There's a, a picture of, uh, of John
		
00:33:31 --> 00:33:33
			Lewis back here behind me.
		
00:33:33 --> 00:33:36
			Uh, I remember these chairs.
		
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37
			Well, I know you don't care about chairs
		
00:33:37 --> 00:33:40
			and pulpits, but these things are like sacred
		
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41
			to me.
		
00:33:41 --> 00:33:44
			I have so many memories here and, uh,
		
00:33:45 --> 00:33:48
			this place just makes me, uh, just makes
		
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49
			me happy.
		
00:33:49 --> 00:33:51
			And so, uh, you're seeing a place that
		
00:33:51 --> 00:33:54
			really helps shape and mold me and make
		
00:33:54 --> 00:33:58
			me into, uh, the man and leader that
		
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58
			I am today.
		
00:33:59 --> 00:34:03
			Um, it's good to see this, uh, this
		
00:34:03 --> 00:34:06
			building is such wonderful shape and condition.
		
00:34:07 --> 00:34:10
			Um, I love this space.
		
00:34:10 --> 00:34:12
			It's this place was, uh, an incubator for
		
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12
			me.
		
00:34:12 --> 00:34:15
			It was like a hospital for me where
		
00:34:15 --> 00:34:18
			I not only healed, but I healed and
		
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19
			grew and developed.
		
00:34:20 --> 00:34:22
			Uh, it was like a cocoon for me
		
00:34:22 --> 00:34:26
			where, uh, it really showed me how to
		
00:34:26 --> 00:34:28
			become a man, a leader.
		
00:34:28 --> 00:34:31
			It showed me how to, how to speak,
		
00:34:31 --> 00:34:33
			how to lead meetings.
		
00:34:33 --> 00:34:35
			I mean, I, I could take you, I
		
00:34:35 --> 00:34:39
			could do this tour for, for a day,
		
00:34:39 --> 00:34:41
			like to show you where to show you
		
00:34:41 --> 00:34:44
			my office when I was student government president
		
00:34:44 --> 00:34:46
			to show you where I first learned how
		
00:34:46 --> 00:34:48
			to lead a meeting, how to set an
		
00:34:48 --> 00:34:51
			agenda, how to manage a budget.
		
00:34:51 --> 00:34:53
			Uh, these are all me, all the basic
		
00:34:53 --> 00:34:57
			things that, uh, that I learned, uh, back
		
00:34:57 --> 00:34:59
			in the back, there's like a, uh, a
		
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00
			private library.
		
00:35:01 --> 00:35:03
			Uh, I think I may have heard a
		
00:35:03 --> 00:35:05
			meeting going on in there, but it's a
		
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06
			beautiful, beautiful space.
		
00:35:06 --> 00:35:08
			It's one of my favorite buildings on campus,
		
00:35:09 --> 00:35:12
			but, um, I love this place.
		
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13
			And again, you know, what I was telling
		
00:35:13 --> 00:35:16
			you earlier is you, you wouldn't know me
		
00:35:16 --> 00:35:19
			if I had gone anywhere else, I wouldn't
		
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20
			have been embraced like this.
		
00:35:21 --> 00:35:23
			I wouldn't have had the same opportunities that
		
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24
			I've had.
		
00:35:24 --> 00:35:26
			And so just wanted to give you a
		
00:35:26 --> 00:35:30
			real glimpse into, you know, the place that,
		
00:35:30 --> 00:35:33
			that really made me and developed me into
		
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33
			a leader.
		
00:35:33 --> 00:35:40
			Um, they're having a meeting upstairs, but, uh,
		
00:35:40 --> 00:35:43
			just, you know, to be in a place
		
00:35:43 --> 00:35:49
			that's meant for you, uh, that was imagined
		
00:35:49 --> 00:35:51
			with you in mind that was crafted with
		
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52
			you in mind.
		
00:35:52 --> 00:35:55
			I can't, I can't tell you how valuable
		
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56
			that is.
		
00:35:56 --> 00:35:59
			And so, uh, if I get a chance
		
00:35:59 --> 00:36:02
			to film some more, I will, uh, but
		
00:36:02 --> 00:36:05
			it's just, uh, a beautiful, beautiful place.
		
00:36:05 --> 00:36:08
			And this, this campus just means the world
		
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08
			to me.
		
00:36:08 --> 00:36:11
			So, uh, my wife is here.
		
00:36:11 --> 00:36:13
			So I'm gonna go see her and, uh,
		
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15
			I'll see if she wants to be on
		
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16
			film that I might put that up later.
		
00:36:16 --> 00:36:16
			All right.
		
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17
			Salaam alaikum.
		
00:36:18 --> 00:36:18
			Take care of you all.