[Criminal Justice AMOA]
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WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CRIMINAL JUSTICE.
WELCOME TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SHOW IN.
WE WANT TO ALSO EDUCATE OUR PUBLIC ABOUT CONCEPTS OF DEFLECTION AND DIVERSION.
WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT HOW DO WE HANDLE AND WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE IN CRIME, AND HOW DO WE PROCESS THEM THROUGH AND GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO SUCCEED AFTER THEY'VE COMMITTED A CRIME? BUT ONE OF OUR APPROACHES NOT TO EVER BECOME INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, ONE OF OUR APPROACHES IS TO INTRODUCE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AS LEADERS AND EMPOWER THEM WITH SKILL SETS THAT WOULD AVOID BAD DECISION MAKING.
WE WANT TO EMPOWER THEM WITH THE CONCEPT OF, IN MY SPHERE OF LEGAL PRACTICE, WE CALL IT PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS.
PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS IS HOW YOU TREAT OTHERS, IS HOW YOU TREAT OTHERS TO GET THEM TO CONSENT TO GOOD BEHAVIOR.
WHEN WE COME BACK IN A MINUTE, WE'RE GOING TO INTRODUCE YOU TO A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL LEADER IN OUR PARISH.
I CALL HER PROFESSOR B, PROFESSOR B B E A.
SHE'S GOING TO COME BACK IN A MINUTE WITH ME AND INTRODUCE HERSELF, INTRODUCE HER PROGRAM AND ORGANIZATION, AND THEN SHE'S GOING TO INTRODUCE YOU TO A YOUNG MAN THAT HAS TAKEN THE SKILLSETS THAT SHE'S TAUGHT HIM AND THAT, AND SHOWN HIM AND, AND, AND IS USING THAT SET OF EQUITY, INCLUSIVITY, AND DIVERSIFICATION OF DIVERSITY PRINCIPLES, AND USING THOSE GUIDES TO LEAD HIS LIFE AND TO SHOW OTHERS HOW TO AVOID GETTING INTO CRIME AND HOW TO STAY OUT OF THAT NEGATIVE WAY OF DOING LIFE.
SO WHEN WE COME BACK, GET READY TO SIT BACK AND GET PREPARED FOR PROFESSOR B AND A YOUTH LEADER IN BATON ROUGE.
UH, I'M DELIGHTED, I'M DELIGHTED TO HAVE PROFESSOR B, AND I'M GOING TO ASK HER TO SHARE WITH US QUICKLY THE NAME OF HER ORGANIZATION AND WHAT THAT ORGANIZATION IS ALL ABOUT.
AND THEN SHE'LL WALK US THROUGH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT IS MIND BOGGLING AS TO OUR PERSONIFICATION OF EQUITY PRINCIPLES, OUR, OUR CONCEPT OF FAIR TREATMENT AND RESPECT TO OTHERS.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A YOUNG MAN COME IN AND SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE THINGS HE'S DOING AND SOME OF THE SKILL SETS HE'S ACQUIRED.
AND HOPEFULLY MAYBE HE COULD TELL US WHERE HE IS GOING WITH ALL OF THIS.
SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, I'M GOING TO PASS THE BALL, PASS THE TORCH.
PROFESSOR B, WELL, FIRST THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND FOR ALL OF THE OUTSTANDING WORK THAT YOU DO.
OH, THANK YOU FOR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
AND FOR AMERICANS,
UH, I'VE BEEN AROUND A LONG, LONG TIME, SO WE'LL CATCH UP WITH ALL THE THINGS I'VE BEEN DOING.
BUT I WANNA TALK ABOUT WHAT PROFESSOR B AND I CALL YOU PROFESSOR B BECAUSE I, I HAVE TROUBLE WITH THAT LAST NAME,
I'LL JUST, SO I WANT YOU TO TELL HIM THE WHOLE NAME AND, AND THEN BEFORE YOU GET INTO THE SUBSTANCE, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU'VE GOT WHERE YOU, YOU ARE NOW.
WELL, MY NAME IS B GEMMA, AND I AM AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR AT BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
BUT I'M ALSO THE PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF THE AMERICA MY OYSTER ASSOCIATION.
AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S A VERY UNIQUE NAME,
AND SO OFTENTIMES THAT WORD, THAT PHRASE, THE OYSTER, THE PEARL, AND THE FACT THAT IT'S YOURS, IT IS FOUND WITHIN AMERICAN LIFE AND CULTURE.
AND SO GENERATION AFTER GENERATION INDIVIDUALS USE THAT EXPRESSION.
AND SO IT REPRESENTS OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE.
OFTENTIMES INDIVIDUALS WILL TELL THEM, THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER.
AND SO WE WANTED TO NAME IT THE AMERICA, MY OYSTER ASSOCIATION.
BUT BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE ISSUES AND BARRIERS AND OBSTACLES THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY AND SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY PERVADED THIS COUNTRY.
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BE COGNIZANT OF IF YOU HAVE HARD WORK, TENACITY, PERSEVERANCE, RESILIENCY, EMPATHY, AND INTEGRITY, YOU CAN BECOME WHOEVER IT IS THAT YOU ASPIRE TO BECOME IN AMERICA.AND IF NOT THAT, YOU MAY REACH THE SECOND BEST THING TO IT.
AND WE WANNA INSPIRE INDIVIDUALS NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE, NO MATTER THE MISTAKES THEY MAY HAVE MADE OR EVEN THE MISTAKES THEY HAVE YET TO MAKE.
THAT IF YOU HAVE BREATH IN YOUR BODY, AND IF YOU ARE ON THIS EARTH RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER, THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND YOU BETTER.
AND YOU EVEN HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO TELL YOU THANK YOU, FACE TO FACE.
BUT YOU HAVE THE GIFTS, TALENTS, AND ABILITIES TO MAKE THEIR LIVES BETTER TOO.
IF YOU'RE WILLING TO LOOK AT AMERICA AS THAT PROVERBIAL OYSTER IN THE PEARL IS YOURS NO MATTER WHAT.
SO, SO THIS SYMBOL THAT YOU'RE WEARING, UH, I, UH, I NOTICED THAT YOU'RE WEARING A, A NECKLACE AND A TELL US WHY YOU, YOU'RE SYMBOLIZED, UH, WHAT YOU'RE DOING THIS WAY.
TELL US WHAT THIS WELL, I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT, FIRST OF ALL, TO GOD, CUZ HE GAVE ME THE IDEA.
AND SO, SECONDLY, I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT FOR ALL THE AMAZING INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN SUPPORT OF AM AWAY AND MY JEWELER, I'LL GIVE HER A SHOUT OUT MISS CARMEN OF THE GILDED LILLY
IT'S A WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, AND SHE IS AN ENTREPRENEUR.
AND SO SHE IS A JEWELRY DESIGNER.
AND SO I WENT TO HER SHOP AND I TOLD HER, I SAID, MISS CARMEN, I HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT STARTING A NONPROFIT.
AND SHE'S LIKE, B WHAT WILL IT BE? WHAT'S THE NAME OF IT? I SAID, I'M THINKING ABOUT THE AMERICA, MY OYSTER ASSOCIATION.
AND SHE SHOWED ME IN HER SHOWCASE, SHE HAD JUST DESIGNED A NECKLACE JUST LIKE THIS ONE, SIMILAR, SIMILAR TO IT.
AND SO SHE TOLD ME, SHE SAID, BE, ONCE YOU GET YOUR NONPROFIT ESTABLISHED, I'M GONNA DESIGN ALL OF YOUR PIECES, AND THEY WILL BE A CONVERSATION STARTER.
SO WITHOUT YOU SAYING A WORD, PEOPLE WILL COME TO YOU AND ASK YOU, WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THE NECKLACE
AND I AM HER ONLY CUSTOMER TO HAVE A BLACK PEARL VERSION OF THIS NECKLACE IN BATON ROUGE.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SYMBOLIC APPROACH TO, TO LIVING, UH, YOUR FAITH.
SO THE MISSION AND PURPOSE, THE MISSION AND PURPOSE MM-HMM.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN TELL US HOW AND WHO THIS YOUNG MAN IS AND HOW HE'S BECOME AN INTEGRAL, INTEGRAL PART OF THE ORGANIZATION AND, AND HOW YOU WORK WITH HIM AND OTHERS TO CARRY OUT YOUR MISSION AND YOUR PURPOSE.
SO WHAT'S THE MISSION, AND THEN WHAT'S THE PURPOSE? AND THEN HOW DID THIS YOUNG MAN BECOME SYMBOLICALLY, UH, AN AMBASSADOR THAT'S RIGHT.
AND AMBASSADOR TO CARRY OUT THIS PURPOSE? WELL, THE AMERICA, MY OYSTER ASSOCIATION, OUR MISSION IS TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO PRESERVE THE DIVERSE HISTORIES, RECOGNIZE THE VARIOUS STRUGGLES, AND BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE THE VICTORIES OF ALL INDIVIDUALS IN AMERICA, THOSE WHO ARE BORN HERE, AND THOSE WHO IMMIGRATE TO THIS COUNTRY.
BECAUSE WE BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS VALUE AND EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE RICHNESS OF AMERICAN LIFE AND CULTURE.
SO, SO THE IDEA IS THAT BY MAKING AND MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THEY'RE IMPORTANT, THAT EVERYBODY WE MEET, WE LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY ARE IMPORTANT.
AND THAT THEY HAVE, AND THEY CARRY WITH HIM ABILITY TO OVERCOME DIVERSITY, TO ADVERSITY.
TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES THAT, THAT EVERYBODY AT ONE POINT IN TIME PROBABLY WILL FACE.
AND WE INEVITABLY, SO, SO THE MISSION IS TO RAISE THE SELF-ESTEEM, AWARENESS AND AWARENESS AND TO GIVE, I GUESS, SOME SENSE OF SELF-EFFICACY.
SO THAT YOU WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, AND THEN YOU CAN GO OUT AND DO LIKE PROFESSOR B AND CHANGE THE WORLD.
I WANT HIM TO GO EVEN FURTHER
AND PARTICULARLY WITH OUR NATION'S YOUTH.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE IMPLEMENTED BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA TODAY.
BUILDING I AM AWAY A BUILD, BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA.
TODAY WITH A M O A WITH AM O A WITH YES SIR.
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LEADERSHIP, UH, TALENT TO.AND SO WE WANTED TO CULTIVATE WITHIN MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, WORKING PROFESSIONALS, LIFELONG LEARNERS, THE ABILITY TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE THE FUTURE LEADERS OF TOMORROW.
AND FOR MANY OF THEM, THEY'RE THE LEADERS OF TODAY.
BECAUSE OFTENTIMES INDIVIDUALS MAY NOT REALIZE THIS, BUT WHEN YOU WALK OUT THE DOOR, YOU'RE A LEADER.
WHEN YOU'RE IN YOUR HOME AROUND YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, YOU'RE A LEADER.
YOU JUST HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT TYPE OF LEADER YOU WANT TO BECOME.
MY MOTHER WAS A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER, AND I WAS ONE OF HER SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND SHE DID NOT GIVE ME AN EASY TIME.
I'D ALWAYS RAISE MY HAND TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS, AND SHE'D IGNORE ME,
AND SO, AND MY MOTHER ALSO USED TO SAY SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PICK OR CHOOSES.
AND SO MY MOTHER, SHE TOLD HER CHILDREN ONE DAY, AND I CARRIED THIS WITH ME.
AND I ACTUALLY INSTILLED THIS IN MY STUDENTS WHEN I'M TEACHING.
SHE TOLD THEM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ON A TELEVISION SCREEN OR A COVER OF A MAGAZINE TO BE A ROLE MODEL.
AND THE KIDS, THEY WERE PERPLEXED.
AND THEY WERE LIKE, HOW IS THAT, YOU KNOW, SISTER GEMMA? AND SHE SAID, BECAUSE EVERYONE IS A ROLE MODEL, BECAUSE SOMEONE WILL MODEL THEIR LIFE BASED ON HOW YOU LIVE YOURS.
AND WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT, THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE WILL BE PAYING THE MOST ATTENTION TO YOU.
SO YOU HAVE TO DECIDE IF YOU WANNA BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL OR A BAD ONE, BUT EITHER WAY, YOU'RE GONNA BE A ROLE MODEL.
SO HOW DID IT COME THAT THIS YOUNG PERSON THAT SITS BETWEEN YOU AND I, HOW, HOW, HOW DOES IT COME ABOUT THAT THIS LEADER, THIS YOUNG LEADER, SITS HERE TODAY AND PERHAPS HE'S WILLING TO, TO TELL US HIMSELF, OR PERHAPS HE IS GONNA LET YOU TELL IT THROUGH YOUR EYES AND, UH, UH, OF HAVING NURTURED HIM AND DIRECTED HIM.
BUT I'M JUST GOING TO THROW THE BALL TO YOU TO INTRODUCE HIM.
WELL, AND YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND, UH, I, I'M TOLD THAT YOU'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK.
I'M VERY PROUD OF MR. TIMOTHY NECU.
HE WAS OUR FIRST GRADUATE OF OUR CLASS OF 2021.
WE IMPLEMENTED THE PROGRAM IN 2021.
AND HE WAS A PART OF THE FIRST CLASS OF LEADERS THAT WERE OUR GRADUATES.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, HE ENDED UP BEING A DIVERSITY CHAMPION, CUZ IT'S A THREE TIER SYSTEM.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO, YOU KNOW HOW YOU HAVE, UH, MAGNA CUM LATI, YOU KNOW, WITH WHEN STUDENTS GRADUATE AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION.
SO FOR MR. NAKA, HE WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE ALL OF THE COURSES, WHICH ARE TAUGHT THROUGH LINKEDIN LEARNING.
SO THEY'RE GETTING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING THROUGH LINKEDIN LEARNING.
NOW, IS IT SCHOOL BASE OR AFTER SCHOOL OR WE KIDS, I GIVE, I GIVE CREDIT TO THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LIBRARY SYSTEM WHO HAS BEEN MARVELOUS TO THE AMERICAN, MY OYSTER ASSOCIATION.
THEY'RE ONE OF OUR MAJOR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND ONE OF OUR MOST SUPPORTIVE.
AND SO I'D SPOKEN WITH THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH LIBRARIAN AS WELL AS THE DIGITAL RESOURCE LIBRARIAN AND THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE LIBRARY.
AND I, I PROPOSED TO THEM THE IDEA OF CREATING ONLINE CERTIFICATION TRAINING FOR STUDENTS THAT WERE IN, UH, SECONDARY AND POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND ALSO WORKING PROFESSIONALS.
AND THAT'S HOW WE CREATED BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA TODAY WITH AM O A.
AND SO THE ONLY THING THAT THE STUDENT NEEDED WAS AN ACTIVE LIBRARY CARD.
AND THEN THEY HAVE A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED TO THEM AS THEY TAKE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING TAUGHT THROUGH LINKEDIN LEARNING AND UDEMY, U D M Y.
AND SO THEY WOULD TAKE COURSES THAT WE SPECIALLY CURATE IT ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ALSO EMPATHY TRAINING.
ALL OF THE STUDENTS HAD TO TAKE A MANDATORY COURSE ON COMMUNICATING WITH EMPATHY BECAUSE WE BELIEVE EMPATHY IS A SOURCE OF FOR IT ALL.
THE RIGHT LEVEL OF EMPATHY BUILDS SOMEONE'S WORLD UP, BUT A LACK OF EMPATHY WILL TEAR SOMEONE'S WORLD DOWN.
AND SO WE WANT ALL OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE TO REALIZE THAT THEY NEED A FIRM FOUNDATION, NOT JUST WITH THEIR ACADEMICS MM-HMM.
ACCOUNTABILITY, RESPONSIBILITY, SELF-EFFICACY, AS YOU MENTIONED MM-HMM.
TELL TELL THE PUBLIC YOUR NAME AGAIN.
SO, MY NAME IS TIMOTHY AMICUS.
I GO TO EPISCOPAL AND I GRADUATED THROUGH THE A O A COURSE.
UM, WHAT'D YOU LEARN? WHAT DID, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE ORGANIZATION.
IN THE ORGANIZATION AND, AND WHAT COMING OUT OF IT AND HAVEN'T EXCELLED AT IT.
TELL ME WHAT, WHAT LEADERSHIP AND WHAT, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO WITH ALL OF THIS AND, AND, AND, AND HOW YOU CAN TAKE
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IT AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS.JUST JUST SHARE WITH US WHAT, WHAT YOU THINK IT'S DONE FOR YOU.
SO I, THERE THERE'S A LONG LIST OF COURSES THAT YOU COULD TAKE THROUGH THE AM OOA PROGRAM.
AND I ENDED UP TAKING A LOT OF THE COURSES ABOUT UNCONSCIOUS BIAS CUZ I FOUND THAT VERY FASCINATING.
AND WE ARE ALL OUR BIAS BASED UPON OUR UPBRINGINGS AND EXPERIENCES AND THINGS THAT WE JUST HEAR AND, AND, AND BELIEVE PERHAPS.
SO WE WALK AROUND WITH THESE, WE MAKE DECISIONS ALL THE TIME BECAUSE WE'RE CONSCIOUS, WE'RE AWAKE.
BUT YOU'RE SAYING THAT I CAN, UM, USE BIAS AND NOT KNOW MM-HMM.
SO YOU LEARNED TO, YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF, UH, UNCONSCIOUS BIAS.
UM, FROM MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE, WE CALL THAT IMPLICIT BIAS.
AND I'M TRAINED AS A JUDGE HOW TO NOT UTILIZE THAT.
AND THERE ARE TECHNIQUES THAT I'VE LEARNED TO TRY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WHEN I MAKE DECISIONS THAT I'M NOT UNCONSCIOUSLY USING MY PERCEPTION OF, OF CORRECTNESS OR MY, MY EXPERIENCES.
I'M DOING IT FROM A, A, A PLANNED INTERVENTION SO THAT I WON'T USE THOSE UNCONSCIOUS BIASES.
SO YOU'VE GONE TO A CLASS I THINK? YES.
SO THERE'S ONLINE COURSES AND THEY HAVE, UM, LIKE TEACHERS BASICALLY TALKING ABOUT THE ISSUES WITH UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AND HOW TO CORRECT THAT AND HOW TO AVOID UNCONSCIOUS BIAS.
AND FROM WHAT I FOUND, I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT EVERYBODY IS AWARE OF UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AH.
AND HOW IT CAN AFFECT THEIR LIFE.
ONE OF MY BIGGEST PASSIONS IS LEARNING MM-HMM.
AND SO I THINK THROUGH TEACHING PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT UNCONSCIOUS, WHAT UNCONSCIOUS BIAS IS AND HOW TO BE EMPATHETIC AND THE ISSUES WITH DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY, I THINK THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO ACTUALLY FIX THESE PROBLEMS. I THINK EDUCATION IS KEY.
AND SO I THINK THIS IS JUST ONE STEP ON THE PATH TO THIS GOAL OF CREATING A BETTER AMERICA, UM, THROUGH THESE COURSES THAT WHERE PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT HOW TO AVOID THESE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT, UM, THEY MAY NOT WANT TO BE INTO.
AND THE MORE WE LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENCES, THE BETTER WE'LL BE IN A POSITION TO NOT USE DIFFERENCES TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE BIASED, THAT ARE BIASED DECISIONS.
THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S A LOT FOR A YOUNG MAN.
AND LET ME SHARE THIS WITH YOU, TIMOTHY.
UM, SOME OF US OLDER ADULTS ARE JUST NOW LEARNING ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY LEARNED.
AND, AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN 18, WE, THIS CONCEPT OF, UH, UNCONSCIOUS BIAS OR IMPLICIT BIAS HAS, IS A RECENT PHENOMENON THAT A LOT OF US NOW ARE ACTUALLY STUDYING AND ARE LEARNING ABOUT.
AND, UH, SO I WANT TO, UH, THANK YOU PARTICULARLY FOR HAVING ENGAGED YOURSELF AND, AND NOW YOU'RE A LEADER AND, AND THE SKILL SET.
SO CAN YOU SHARE AN EXPERIENCE MAYBE WHERE YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE, UH, EXERCISING UNCONSCIOUS BIAS OR IMPLICIT BIAS? I DUNNO IF I CAN THINK OF AN EXPERIENCE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
BUT I KNOW THAT ESPECIALLY IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE A, ESPECIALLY WITH SOCIOECONOMIC UM-HUH
WE MAY HAVE CERTAIN PRESUMPTIONS TOWARDS THEIR ABILITY TO DO WORK AND THEIR ABILITY TO LEARN.
AND I THINK THAT THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE OF UNCONSCIOUS BIAS THAT IS VERY PREVALENT IN TODAY'S WORLD.
AND THIS IS ONE WAY THAT WE CAN HELP END UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AND HELP BRING AWARENESS TO UNCONSCIOUS BIAS BY TEACHING PEOPLE ABOUT HOW FOR ONE SOCIOECONOMIC, UM, CLASS CAN INFLUENCE PEOPLE'S DECISIONS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND DIFFERENT IDEAS.
SO I THINK THAT'S ONE VERY PREVALENT EXAMPLE OF THAT'S AMAZING.
UM, I, UM, I WANT TO THINK ABOUT THE INTERACTIONS THAT WE GO THROUGH ON A DAILY BASIS.
WE GO THROUGH AND WE INTERACT WITH, WITH PEOPLE EVERY DAY, AND WE WE'RE NOT AWARE PERHAPS THAT WE ARE JUDGING THEM AND NOT KNOWING THAT THE JUDGING IS OCCURRING AND WE'RE NOT INTENDING MM-HMM.
AND THAT'S WHAT UNCONSCIOUS DECISION MAKING IS ABOUT BECAUSE OF OUR EXPERIENCE AND OUR NATURAL, UH, INNATENESS TO DEAL WITH CIRCUMSTANCES THAT, UM, HELPS US TO RESOLVE SITUATIONS.
SO WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK IN A MINUTE AND WE WANT
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YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT TIMOTHY JUST TOLD US ABOUT MAKING DECISIONS.AND THOSE DECISIONS ARE BASED UPON YOU NOT BEING OBJECTIVE AND DON'T KNOW IT, DON'T, YOU'RE NOT AWARE THAT YOU'RE MAKING A DECISION AND IT'S BASED UPON SOME BIAS AND YOU DID NOT KNOW THAT YOU WERE MAKING THAT DECISION BASED UPON SOME, SOME BIAS PERCEPTION.
SO THIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE B YOU CAME IN WITH THE IDEA OF DIVERSITY AND YOU MENTIONED ANOTHER WORD, ANOTHER WORD THAT A LOT OF US PROBABLY JOINED WITH DIVERSITY, INCLUSIVITY WITHOUT DISTINGUISHING OR CONTRASTING THOSE, THOSE, THOSE CONCEPTS.
SO WHEN WE COME BACK, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS DIVERSITY.
UH, SHARE WITH US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND WHAT IS INCLUSIVITY AND HOW EMPATHY, UH, ENCAPSULATES ALL OF THAT AND MAKES YOU'RE A POWERFUL LEADER.
BECAUSE I, I THINK THAT WITH THE ABILITY TO HAVE THIS EMPATHETIC APPROACH TO EVERYBODY AND, AND THEN, AND THEN IT, AND MAKES CERTAIN THAT IT'S INCLUSIVE IS INCLUSIVE AND THAT IT'S HAS DIVERSITY PRINCIPLES AND AS A PART OF IT, WE WILL DO A BETTER JOB AT HOW WE DO BUSINESS AND HOW WE, UM, INCLUDE EVERYBODY AND, AND HAVE EVERYBODY AT THE TABLE.
AND WHAT WE ARE, WE'RE GOING, I'M GOING TO COME BACK AND ASK YOU, IS THIS TIMOTHY, FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IN YOUR EDUCATION IN THIS AREA, WHAT PLANS HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT FOR YOUR FUTURE? WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE YOU GONE THROUGH WITH THIS PROGRAM THAT HAVE PREPARED YOU TO SAY, OKAY, THESE ARE MY OPTIONS.
OR I HAVE SOME OPTIONS NOW THAT I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT BEFORE.
I WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS INDOCTRINATION, I'LL CALL IT INDOCTRINATION OF UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLES OF EQUITY, INCLUSIVITY AND EMPATHY, HOW THAT HAS MADE YOU OR RECREATED YOU OR GIVEN YOU A WIDER APPROACH TO THINGS.
WE COME BACK, I'D LIKE YOU TO SHARE THAT.
THEY STILL, AND TIM WILL BE BACK IN A MINUTE.
I'M SO DELIGHTED TO HAVE THIS BE HERE ALONG WITH HER STUDENT, TIM.
AND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA TODAY.
BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA TODAY.
AND IT STARTS WITH, IT STARTS WITH EMPATHY.
EMPATHY INVOLVED IN INCLUSIVITY AND HOW DO WE BUILD A BETTER AMERICA? HOW DO WE BUILD A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT HAS OUR VALUES, THAT THAT HAS OUR PRINCIPLES OF RELATIONSHIPS.
SO WE'RE STARTING WITH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, WE'RE STARTING WITH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND WE WANT THEM TO KNOW, AND WE WANT THEM TO ACQUIRE SKILLSETS THAT WILL HELP THEM BUILD A BETTER AMERICA FOR THEMSELVES.
WE'VE BUILT OUR AMERICA FOR OURSELVES.
WE'VE DONE THE BEST WE CAN, BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO START BUILDING THEIR FUTURE.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY BUILD THE BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE, WHICH KEEPS THEM OUT OF TROUBLE, KEEPS THEM OUTTA CRIME.
AND ONE OF THOSE WAYS IS TO TEACH THEM PROFESSOR B LEADERSHIP.
THROUGH THE MODEL THAT YOU HAVE ADVOCATED AND HAVE UN HAS UN HAVE UNDERTAKEN OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
I BELIEVE IT'S FOUR YEARS YOU, THIS ORGANIZATION.
OH, IT'S, UH, WE FOUNDED IT IN 2016, SO IT'S MORE YEARS THAN THAT.
SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS ASK YOUR STUDENT, TIM, NOW THAT HE'S GONE THROUGH YOUR PROGRAM AND SUCCEEDED AT A HIGH LEVEL, WHAT IS HIS ACTION PLAN? WHAT IS HE GOING TO TAKE FROM ALL OF HIS TRAINING, ALL OF HIS TIME WITH YOU MM-HMM.
WHAT'S HE GOING TO DO WITH IT? WELL, I WILL SAY THIS BEFORE HE SPEAKS, JUST SO THAT YOUR VIEWERS KNOW, MR. TIMOTHY, AS I MENTIONED TO YOU, HE WAS OUR AM O A DIVERSITY CHAMPION.
UH, THE FIRST LEVEL HAPPENS TO BE THE SUPPORTER OF DIVERSITY.
SECOND LEVEL IS THE ADVOCATE FOR DIVERSITY AND THE HIGHEST LEVEL HAPPENS TO BE THE DIVERSITY CHAMPION.
AND FOR OUR 2021 CLASS OF GRADUATES, HE WAS THE YOUNGEST GRADUATE CUZ HE WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND SO HE WAS ADAMANT THAT HE WANTED TO TAKE THESE CLASSES SO THAT HE COULD FINISH THEM AND COMPLETE THEM BEFORE HIS OLDER SIBLINGS.
SO IT WAS A COMPETITION
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AND HIMSELF.AND SO THEY WERE SO ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT LEARNING FROM THESE ONLINE COURSES THAT WE DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT A SPECIAL PROGRAM AND YOU COULD SEE THE A O A DIVERSITY AMBASSADORS.
SO THAT WAS A STEP UP FROM JUST BEING A GRADUATE OF AM O A.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOUR VIEWERS, HE IS AN AM O A DIVERSITY AMBASSADOR.
AND SO WE HAD A TRAINING WITH THEM IN 2022.
IT WAS JANUARY OF 2022 AT THE GOODWOOD LIBRARY MM-HMM.
AND SO THEY RECEIVED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AS WELL AS CLIFTON STRS TRAINING, AND THEY DID AN ASSESSMENT AND THEN THEY MET WITH AN EXPERT IN CLIFTON STRENGTHS TRAINING, MR. KENNETH JOHNSON, WHO IS IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA.
AND SO HE DID A ZOOM PRESENTATION WITH THEM.
THEY'D ALREADY DONE THEIR ASSESSMENTS BEFORE THE MEETING, AND THEN AFTER THEY HAD SPOKEN WITH HIM THAT DAY, THEY EACH MET WITH HIM PRIVATELY AND HE CONSULTED WITH THEM.
AND ALSO THAT DAY I TAUGHT THEM ABOUT SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND THE DIFFERENT MODELS OF LEADERSHIP SUCH AS ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP, TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP, SERVANT LEADERSHIP, AND AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP.
BUT WE WANT YOUNG PEOPLE TO PARTICULARLY GRASP ON TO SERVANT LEADERSHIP.
SO WHAT KIND OF LEADER ARE YOU
UM, I HOPE THAT WE CAN USE AND REALLY BRING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND EMPATHY INTO OUR DAILY LIVES IN SCHOOL AND IN THE WORKPLACE.
THAT'S A LONG WAY FOR ME, BUT
UM, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN REALLY USE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS IN THE WORKPLACE, CREATE A BETTER WORKPLACE FOR EVERYBODY AND HAVE AN AMERICA WHERE EVERYBODY'S ACCEPTED, EVERYBODY'S INCLUDED.
A DIVERSE AMERICA THAT CONSIDERS EVERYBODY'S OPINIONS MM-HMM.
SO BEING AN AMBASSADOR MEANS WHAT TO YOU? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? WELL, I THINK THAT, THAT BEING AN AMBASSADOR OF A M O A IS BEING A FACE OF THE PROGRAM, BEING A FACE OF THE ORGANIZATION, BEING A ROLE MODEL.
BUT, UH, A ROLE MODEL IS SOMEONE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO IDENTIFY WITH, PEOPLE WANT TO FOLLOW.
PEOPLE WANT YOU TO GUIDE THEM AND SHOW THEM HOW TO BE A GOOD SERVANT, HOW TO BE A GOOD AMERICAN CITIZEN.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT 30 SECONDS, SO I'D LIKE TO PASS THE BALL BACK TO YOU, PROFESSOR B AND LET YOU CLOSE US OUT, CLOSE US OUT AND TELL OUR COMMUNITY THAT YOU'RE A GREAT AMBASSADOR FOR THE ORGANIZATION, THAT YOU REPRESENT YOUR TIME.
WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO TELL ALL OF YOUR LISTENERS AND VIEWERS THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US HAS BEEN GIVEN MULTITUDES OF GIFTS, TALENTS, AND ABILITIES, SOME THAT WE HAVEN'T EVEN DISCOVERED WITHIN OURSELVES YET.
AND WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY AS LONG AS WE HAVE BREADTH IN OUR BODIES TO LOOK PAST THE OBSTACLES THAT WE FACE AND INSTEAD TAKE HOLD OF THE PROMISE.
AND THAT IS THE PROMISE OF LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS FOR ALL OF US.
NOT FOR SOME, NOT FOR FEW, BUT FOR ALL OF US.
BUT IN ORDER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TAKE HOLD OF THAT, WE HAVE TO REALIZE WHAT OUR POTENTIAL HAPPENS TO BE AND THAT OUR POTENTIAL IS GREATER THAN ANY NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENT, ANY NEGATIVE WORD THAT'S BEEN SAID OVER YOU, AND ANY NEGATIVE MENTALITY THAT POSSIBLY MAY SEEK TO OVERTAKE YOU OR THAT YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED BY OTHERS.
AND SO, THE AMERICA, MY OYSTER ASSOCIATION, WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE AMERICA A BETTER PLACE FOR US ALL, NO MATTER WHETHER IT IS IN THE, WHAT WE CONSIDER A SMALL WAY OR A GREAT GRAND WAY, WHATEVER WAY IS MUCH APPRECIATED BECAUSE YOU'RE CHANGING SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE FOR THE BETTER.
BY FIRST REALIZING THAT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO.
AND SO WE WANT EVERYONE TO FEEL ENCOURAGED AND TO KNOW THAT IN LIFE YOU WILL COME ACROSS MEAN AND RUDE PEOPLE, AS MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO SAY.
BUT THERE'LL BE ONE PERSON WITH A SMILE ON THEIR FACE AND AN ENCOURAGING WORD, AND THEY MAKE UP FOR ALL THE REST.
AND YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE TO BE THAT PERSON.
WE ALL HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE THAT PERSON NO
[00:30:01]
MATTER WHAT WE FACED, NO MATTER OUR HISTORY.LET'S LOOK AT OUR PRESENT AND LET'S WORK FOR AN EVEN GREATER TOMORROW.
NOT JUST FOR OURSELVES, NOT FOR THOSE WHO JUST HAVE A SIMILARITY OR COMMONALITY WITH US, BUT LET'S TRY AND MAKE IT A BETTER AMERICA FOR ALL.
AND WE WELCOME YOU TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE AMERICAN MY OYSTER ASSOCIATION BY VISITING OUR WEBSITE, WWW DOT V T H E A M O A DOT O R G.
AND ALSO WE ARE ON YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM, AND FACEBOOK.
THE AMERICA MY OYSTER ASSOCIATION.
LET'S BUILD TOGETHER A BETTER AMERICA.
LET'S COLLABORATE AND LET'S MAKE SURE THAT YOU CONTACT A O A, JUST IN CASE YOU NEED TO FIND AND IDENTIFY WITH ONE OF ITS GREATEST AMBASSADORS.