Episode 100: Flint Town, March For Our Lives, Yes And!!!

If you're not willing to stand up to the NRA, find another line of work. Because if they're not willing, if they're not willing to exercise even a moment, even a moment of backbone, if they're not willing to find another line of work for themselves, We'll make it more convenient for them to need another job.

That was Representative Dan Kildee representing the 5th District of Michigan on Saturday at the March for Our Lives rally in Flint, Michigan. And this is episode 100 of the weekly Yes Am podcast.

Hello everyone, welcome to episode 100, 1-0-0, triple digits of the Weekly Yes And Podcast. I am your host, the creator of Live Yes And and the Weekly Yes And Podcast, Travis Thomas. And this is a special episode. I am actually at the West Palm Beach Airport right now.

It is Monday.

I am flying out to Flint, Michigan for for the Gear Up to Lead Conference 2018. I'll be one of 3 featured speakers on Wednesday. And I just thought, what would be a meaningful episode for episode 100? 'Cause it feels monumental for me, considering I just started this podcast about 2 years ago. So I thought, wouldn't it be cool to chronicle a little bit of my week back to Flint doing Gear Up to Lead? I'll be doing a few more speaking engagements as well, but I just kind of wanted to capture Sort of the week, a day in the week. That doesn't really make sense, does it? A week in the life of Travis as he goes back to Flint, my hometown, which I love very much. I've been watching the Flintown documentary, which for a lot of people from Flint has been tough to watch, but I think it is a very eye-opening documentary to the rest of the country or the rest of the world with some of the challenges and difficulties going on in Flint right now. But yeah, so I get to go home to Flint. Talk to hopefully about 1,000 young people in Flint on Wednesday and do some other events as well. And so, getting ready to get on the plane. I've got a long day of travel ahead of me with a 3-hour layover in Chicago. And I just wanted to capture some ideas and thoughts along the way. So, Gear Up to Lead 2018 Flint, episode 100.

Here we go.

We are going to be talking about the This is Travis in Flint with a little check-in for the week. I am not recording in the Toyota Prius sound booth. I am actually in the Dodge Durango sound booth today, compliments of my one and other big brother, Mr. Tiger Thomas, who is letting me use his vehicle this week as I cruise around Flint. But just wanted to give a little bit of a recap from the last few days since I arrived in Flint. I wanted to do more live check-ins than I ended up doing, but that's okay. I'm glad you're here. And if you can tell that my voice is a little hoarse, it's because I've been doing a lot of speaking this week, which started when I got into town. And then on Tuesday, I went and spoke to the Town Center Family Dental team, of which my sister-in-law Lori Thomas, Dr. Lori Thomas, is one of the dentists, and got to speak to her staff of about 15, 20 people. A little, a little lunch inspirational talk, and had a great job, had a great time sharing the yes sand to her dental team over there at Town Center Family Dental. And then the big event was on Wednesday. The big event Wednesday, downtown Flint, Gear Up to Lead 2018. And this event is all about sharing the ideas of growth mindset, empathy, action, responsibility to the youth of Flint, Michigan, which I can't think of a better group of people in our country right now to share inspiration and ideas with. And so I was able to share the stage with 2 other really inspiring men. I had to stay. I kind of kicked things off at the beginning for an hour. We talked about living that yes and having a growth mindset, victor mindset, and there were nearly 1,000 kids from Flint schools in attendance for this event, which was really inspiring. Trevor Reagan from Train Ugly shared all of his growth mindset expertise, and then the afternoon keynote was the inspiring Aurel Moody from Brooklyn. Aurel is Sold a million-dollar business, rags to riches, grew up in Brooklyn, and just a really, really engaging and inspiring guy. And so the entire Gear Up to Lead event was a smashing success. Would have loved to get some more sound bites from the crew, but that's okay. I want to thank Winston Studdy, Kelly, Adam Hartley, and the entire crew. I have just left the Gear Up to Lead event, which was a lot of fun, super inspiring. I'll have more to share on that later, but I'm heading over right now to Powers Catholic High School. This is the high school that my 2 nieces go to, and it's also the high school that, uh, Jazz Martis, who has appeared on the Weekly Yes and podcast before— Jazz created the chapter, the Euphrates chapter, at Powers Catholic High School. Euphrates Institute, started by my good friend Janessa Ganz Wilder. Her amazing organization, Jazz, created the first high school chapter at Powers Catholic High School. And today he is having a film, a documentary by a local documentary filmmaker named Mike Ramsdale. Mike and I played soccer together growing up. you know, 20-plus years ago. And I haven't been in contact with him since, but I'm excited to see his documentary. And so, that's where I'm heading right now. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm here with Devin McCumella. And Devin is a part of a big event happening down in Flint on Saturday. Devin, tell us what's going on.

Yeah. So, on Saturday, I am organizing a sibling event to the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. It's basically a rally to get students talking about solutions for gun violence in the United States. As you probably know, the United States has more gun deaths per capita than probably any other nation of its size. And especially being the powerhouse of the world, it's kind of unsettling. So, I think that in the wake of the Parkland shooting, and you see the Douglas Stoneman students kind of letting the world know that this time is much different than before. And seeing student activism kind of inspired me to kind of join the fight against gun violence. And so, if you can make it, that'd be awesome.

Yeah. Well, you know, I live about an hour away from Parkland, down in Florida. My wife and daughter are going to be at the Parkland march on Saturday morning, so they're going to drive to that. And so, obviously, I'll still be here, so I'm going to try to make the Flint event. What is it specifically about this that sort of inspired you to action, Devin?

So, I think that after— in the wake of the previous tragedies, you know, you see people on Twitter and social media talking about how, oh, we're going to do something, we're going to change it, this is bad, this is awful, let's do something. And then a couple weeks go by, and then it's all about the next major sporting event or the next thing.

Yeah.

And so, this time, you have students holding representatives in the government accountable. You have accountability. And so, I think that kind of keeps it in the news, keeps it in the media. And a month has gone by, a month and a half, kind of, and it's still being talked about, still being discussed. And you have marches like this. This is just one of many. And so, I think that this time is truly special, because the next generation has kind of taken responsibility for change, instead of leaving it to elected officials.

Yeah. And we were at the Gear Up to Lead event today in Flint, and Devin came up at the end. and spoke in front of about 900 kids. What was that experience like for you today?

It was, it was really awesome. I was quite nervous. I'm not a professional speaker by any means, but I think having an audience kind of inspired me even more that people— to see people come up to me after, tell me I did a good job and ask for a flyer. It just kind of— it's instant gratification because, you know, you're contributing to something much greater than yourself.

Yeah, well, you totally crushed it. You did awesome today. And I know that in the last few weeks you've done some media and some interviews and things like that. What's this experience been like for you, kind of being thrust into the limelight a little bit?

Um, it's— I think overwhelming is not the right word. It's, it's a little overwhelming in that I'm not used to it, but I think that it's, it's been some of the best weeks of my life in that I feel like I'm actually contributing to something that's, that's really worthwhile. And I think that— I mean, this is just the beginning. I think this feeling is going to become kind of the status quo as I thrust myself even further into the political arena and to kind of take up bigger issues along the way.

And now you're a senior this year, correct?

Yeah.

All right, what's next for you next year?

Uh, next year I'm going to study political science, public policy studies, and economics at the University of Chicago, so I'll be, I'll be staying active.

All right, fantastic. Hey man, thanks for your time.

Yeah, thank you.

All right, I am here at Powers High School with the one and only Jazz Martis, the founder of the Euphrates here at Powers. So, uh, Jazz, we just watched a documentary, extremely moving. Tell us about today's event.

Well, with Euphrates' message of inform, inspire, transform, we feel that it is important not only to talk about issues that everyone knows about, but to shine a light on issues that are equally, if not important as others, to let people know about what's going on in our world today. So we screened Michael Ramsdell's film When Elephants fight. And it comes from an old Congolese proverb that says, when elephants fight, it's the grass that suffers. And it's about the exploitation of the people of Congo and how they are living on what could possibly be the wealthiest country on Earth with the amount of land, with minerals, and yet it's one of the poorest countries on Earth. I was just talking to someone and saying it's basically the opposite of Wakanda in Black Panther, that with all these resources, instead of being able to have great technological advancements, other people are coming in and taking advantage of them. And we were honored to have Michael come in and talk about it and really put a human face on the staggering statistics of the number of people who have lost their lives in the conflict.

Wow.

Yeah, again, tremendously powerful. I think we're going to try to get Michael on here in a second. But tell us about— you've been doing Euphrates Now here at Powers for 6 months since the beginning of the school year. And just tell us how that's been and what you've seen and just how you're feeling about it.

Well, as I look back at my time at Powers, I see on memories of my closest friends and fellow students at Powers Catholic glimmers of hope in their eyes of how people really have a yearning to bring about change. And I think that Euphrates is the best vehicle to accomplish that, that all of these people had these different ideas of, oh, I want to help out this way, I want to help out that way, this is the cause that I'm most passionate about. But Euphrates is a way to kind of hone all of that passion that young people have and direct it in a positive way. So I've been very proud of the things that we've been able to accomplish, of bringing all of these people together, and to be able to bring about substantive change in our local community. People are now exposed to issues that they weren't 6 months ago. People are more organized than they were 6 months ago. And it is incremental progress, but it is progress nonetheless.

Yeah, and I know, uh, you know, uh, this podcast will be shared with Inspired to Give, and you know that we've, we've introduced you to Inspired to Give, and you've done some great stuff for us. When you think, when you think about this, this idea of sort of inspiration leading to action, you know, what, what, what's been a highlight for you this year as you've seen sort of your fellow students here at Powers sort of inspired to take positive action?

I would say that Before our meeting, first meeting, which was in September on the International Day of Peace, I was worried the days before and even leading up to our first meeting that nobody was going to show up. And I got caught up talking to somebody, so I walked into the meeting where it was going to be about a minute late, and there were about 25 people in there. So from that moment, it instilled in me hope that we were actually going to bring about change. I knew that whether it was just going to be my brother and I, or whether it was going to be half the school, we were going to accomplish something. But when I saw a substantive group of people there and ready to be directed in however we were going to bring about change, that really gave me hope. So whether we, we have an event which involves the entire school or whether we have one where it's only a couple dozen people, I know that what matters is the people that are there, not the people that are not there. So we have to focus on bringing about change no matter how many people are there, great number, small number.

Yeah, and so, uh, kind of a nice legacy that you get to leave as, as you leave Powers. And, and do you see, uh, hope that it will continue with you being gone?

Uh, I absolutely do. And you know, my favorite quote of all time, it's my, uh, senior quote. If my brother was here, he'd recite it in a monotone voice because everyone's sick of me saying it, but it's an old Greek proverb that says, a society grows great when old men plant trees shade they know they shall never sit in. So my hope with Euphrates is I may not be able to see its greatest impact, its most long-term impact, but whether that's 5, 10, 15 years down the line, it gives me a reason to continue fighting for progress, to know that I was there at the very beginning.

Awesome, man.

Thanks, brother.

Thank you so much.

Friday, I got the opportunity to go into one of the sponsors for Gear Up to Lead, which is Northgate Manufacturing, and I got to speak to 100 of their workers for an hour and do a little Live Yes And workshop. And a lot of these workers are— they're factory workers, they work on the line in the manufacturing company. And again, we got to talk about what it means to live Yes And, collaboration mindset. And for me to be able to do this in the city that I was raised in, the city that I love, was just really, really special. Then I ended the day on Friday by speaking at my niece's school to her soccer team, the varsity and JV soccer team for Powers Catholic High School, the returning state champion girls soccer team. And so we talked a little bit about leadership and what does sort of inspired leadership look like as they move into their second season. So it has been a blast so far. Um, it's cold, but hey, it's Michigan. And, uh, tomorrow, Saturday, March 24th, as Hollister and Trinity will be in Parkland, Florida for the Parkland, Florida March for Our Lives march there, I will be going downtown, uh, Flint for, uh, the rally happening in Flint, Michigan for March for Our Lives. I'm gonna try to get some sound clips, uh, as I know Hollister and Trinity will grab some video and things like that and be able to share on the podcast. So there you have it. It is Saturday, March 24th. Yes, that is Huey Lewis playing in the background. It is the power of love down here in Flint, Michigan. I am downtown Flint, Michigan, right across the street from the beautiful farmers market as we get ready for the March of Our Lives rally here in downtown Flint. So a nice showing so far.

We haven't started.

I would say probably a couple of hundred people. I'm standing right next to a Mahatma Gandhi statue, which I didn't even know existed down here, which is really beautiful. And just excited, although cold, but excited for the rally to get started here. All right, I am just leaving the March for Our Lives rally in Flint, Michigan. This wasn't a march, it was a rally. So this was the Flint chapter. It's about 30 degrees out. I'm just leaving, enjoying the heat of the Dodge Durango audio booth here, compliments of Tiger Thomas. So the rally, a huge success. I think we started off, I think when I got there, around 100 people. When I left, I left during the question and answer portion, 'cause I need to get home, but there were over 300 people that came out. And again, the cool thing about this is this was a student-organized event, and they had the Flint mayor, They had a few politicians representing the state. Everyone came out and they spoke a few words. But this was the kids that put this event together. And I have a little audio interview I did the other day with Devin McCumala from Flint Powers, who really headed this up on the student side of things. And so, really inspiring. And so, just so cool to see. I think the overarching message of the rally was just How impressive and how powerful this movement is, because it is kid-driven, and it is our youth sort of taking charge and not being silenced. I think one of the key ideas that I loved from one of the speakers was talking about whenever we have one of these shootings, Congress will take a moment of silence. And after each shooting, they'll take a moment of silence. And then they'll be silent for weeks, silent for months, silent for years. And from an action standpoint, the time for silence is over as we take action, as we take inspired action, and to just make not only our country, but our children and our schools a safer place to be. And so, yes. The time for silence is over, and again, as we continue to listen and pray and be inspired to action, what is that action that we are inspired to take? So I'm really glad that I was able to make it to the Flint rally. Really excited that Trinity and Hollister made it to the Parkland rally, and hopefully I can get a soundbite from. All right, I am back from my Michigan trip and sitting here with my daughter Trinity, who marched at the rally down in Parkland with Hollister. And Trinity, I wanted to get your take.

What was the experience like being in Parkland, being a part of the march and the rally?

What was that like for you?

It was really cool. It was really cool. There were like 20,000 people there and there were a bunch of different speakers. The speaking was actually the longest part. That was about like 2 hours and a half. And then after everyone was finished speaking, you would march from this one like park to Marjory Stoneman Douglas. And that was That wasn't that long of a march. That was probably like 2 miles. And when you walked past the school, you're supposed to be silent. Um, and that's about it.

All right, that's it for Trinity. Trin, thanks for your thoughts on the Parkland rally. All right, so this is the last recording for episode 100.

I am back in Florida. From my week-long trip in Flint. Recovering, under the weather here a little bit, but feeling a lot better today. And my trip ended after a long travel day from Michigan to Chicago, Chicago to Florida, with a few delays in there. But again, always looking for opportunities to connect with people. It's nice when, when other people instigate. On my flight back from Chicago to Florida, you know, I knew I was going to be in the middle seat. Because I was one of the last people to board on Southwest. So on the flight back, sitting next to this gentleman who started telling me that he's a professional boxer. His name is Montana Love.

How awesome is that, right?

Montana Love. So he told me all about his pro career. He's 10-0. I think he's a lightweight, and he is up and coming. Just fought on Showtime a few weeks ago and is a few fights away from Really kind of cracking into sort of, you know, the top 10 for his weight class. But great guy, showed me all of his videos, and might even be someone that I meet with and work with at some point from a kind of a mental leadership character side of things. But great guy, got to hear his entire life story growing up in Cleveland, about his mother and his father and the kids that he has now. And I picked his brain about You know, the mental aspect of boxing and what is his purpose. And it was a lot of fun. So I want to send love to Mr. Montana Love. And, uh, and then my Uber drive, right? I got in late, so I grabbed an Uber from West Palm to my home in Jupiter, which is only like a 20-minute ride. But in that 20 minutes, my Uber driver is from Greece.

Yeah.

He was born and raised in Greece, came to the United States. Went to school here, found his wife who was American, so they had kids here. They moved back to Greece for a while, and then he recently moved back to the United States. And I asked for the reason why, and he just said that politically it's just sort of a mess over in Greece right now. Which for me, if you're coming to the United States because your politics is a mess, Yikes. But what I learned more about Greece in 20 minutes than I had in my entire life. And again, just this opportunity to ask someone about their self, empathically be curious about someone else's perspective, and just be willing to be open to connection. And obviously, the world is a so much more interesting place when we are interested in other people. Kind of sounds obvious, but if you're like me, it's really fun to tell people how cool you are, but yet it's a lot more interesting to actually find out about them and hear their story. So there you have it, everybody. Episode 100, my trip to Flint and back and all of the inspiration and connection along the way. If you enjoyed this podcast or any of my podcasts, make sure you go to iTunes and give me a rating. Or review. You can check out more of me at liveyesand.com, and you can always follow me on social media @LiveYesAnd. Episode 100 for the Weekly Yes And Podcast and Inspired to Give.

Have a great day.

Love you, Juju.

Bye.