* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Black History Month Program ] [00:00:05] GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH AND WELCOME TO CITY HALL. WE ARE REALLY APPRECIATIVE FOR YOU ALL BEING HERE AND HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH 'CAUSE THAT'S WHY WE WE'RE HERE. TONIGHT IS A POWERFUL REFLECTION OF LEADERSHIP, LEGACY, AND COMMUNITY. WE ARE GATHERED IN THIS HISTORIC SPACE TO HONOR BLACK HISTORY, NOT ONLY AS SOMETHING WE REMEMBER, BUT SOMETHING WE ACTIVELY BUILD THROUGH YOUTH, VOICE, CIVIC LEADERSHIP, AND COLLECTIVE SERVICE. THIS EVENING'S PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS THE BRILLIANCE AND LEADERSHIP OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. MAKE SOME NOISE FOR THAT. WE WILL BE INSPIRED BY PERFORMANCES FROM THIS TALENTED YOUTH BAND HERE, THE TEXAS EMPOWERMENT BAND. WE ALSO HAVE PERFORMANCES FROM LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL, STEP TEAM AND DANCE TEAM. AND THEY'RE GONNA REMIND US THAT CULTURE AND CREATIVITY ARE ESSENTIAL PARTS OF OUR STORY. WE'RE ALSO HONORED TO HEAR FROM THIS YEAR'S MLK ORATORY WINNER WHOSE WORDS CARRY FORWARD DR. KING'S LEGACY OF COURAGE, TRUTH, AND JUSTICE THROUGH THE VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION. WE WE'RE ALSO GRATEFUL TO BE JOINED BY OUR COUNCILWOMAN AND OUR OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER, ZOE, WHO'S HERE. YES, YOU CAN MAKE SOME NOISE FOR THAT. REMINDING US OF THE CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO OUR YOUTH CULTURE AND COMMUNITY. THEIR PRESENCE REFLECTS THE IMPORTANCE OF REPRESENTATION AND LEADERSHIP WITHIN OUR CITY. TONIGHT IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO HONOR THE MANY BLACK LEADERS WHO SERVE HERE AT CITY HALL. YOUR DEDICATION, LEADERSHIP, AND SERVICE HAS HELPED SHAPE POLICIES, CREATE OPPORTUNITIES, AND MOVE FORWARD OUR COMMUNITY. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND THE WORK THAT YOU DO EVERY DAY. FOR THE PATHS YOU HAVE PAID FOR THOSE WHO WILL FOLLOW THE YOUTH EXHIBIT THAT YOU WILL SEE. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT ALREADY, IT YOU'LL EXPERIENCE REFLECTIONS OF RESILIENCE, EXCELLENCE, AND A VISION. EACH PIECE TELLS A STORY OF HISTORY, REMEMBERED IDENTITY AFFIRMED AND FUTURES IMAGINED. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO ENGAGE DEEPLY, CELEBRATE THE ARTS AND UPLIFT THE VOICES REPRESENTED HERE TO OUR YOUTH LEADERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR CREATIVITY, AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SHARE YOUR STORIES IN THIS SPACE. WE SEE YOU, WE HONOR YOU AND WE'RE PROUD OF YOU. WE'RE HONORED TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE TOGETHER IN THIS CHAMBERS. WE WELCOME YOU AND WE HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THE PROGRAM. THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THIS VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE BEHIND ME A VERY AMAZING, TALENTED YOUTH BAND FROM DISTRICT ONE AND THEY ARE THE TEXAS EMPOWERMENT YOUTH BAND AND THEY ARE GOING TO PLAY THE BLACK NATIONAL ANTHEM. AND SO WE WANT ALL OF YOU TO JOIN IN AND SINGING WHILE YOU EN ENJOY THEM PLAYING THE MUSIC. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. PLEASE ENJOY THE PROGRAM. [00:06:11] SO WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN OUR CELEBRATION TONIGHT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CELEBRATING THESE YOUNG PEOPLE. THESE ARE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, SO PLEASE MAKE SOME MORE NOISE FOR THE TEXAS EMPOWERMENT BAND HIGH SCHOOL. THEY'RE HIGH SCHOOLERS. HIGH SCHOOLERS. SORRY, SORRY. SHE LIKE MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE NOT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. I'M SORRY, HIGH SCHOOLERS. ALRIGHT, , CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GO GET OUR MLK ORATORY WINNER? SHE'S ALL, SHE, SHE'S, UH, MULTIPURPOSE TONIGHT. SHE'S ALSO DANCING WITH HER DANCE TEAM, SO PLEASE FORGIVE US. BUT THIS YEAR'S MLK ORATORY WINNER, I'M PROUD TO SAY, IS MY DAUGHTER ACTUALLY. SHE WAS NOMINATED FROM HER PRINCIPAL TO BE A PART OF THE MLK COMPETITION. AND I CAN EVEN SAY AS HER MOM, I AM BEYOND PROUD OF HER FOR ALL OF HER HARD WORK. AND SO MANY PEOPLE ARE WANTING HER TO COME AND PERFORM THIS AMAZING SPEECH AND SO DO WE. SO SHE WILL BE IN HERE JUST IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, BUT PLEASE AGAIN, BE INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE. SO IN JUST A SECOND, WE'RE GONNA BRING UP QUEEN WILLIAMS FROM LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY, WHO'S GONNA PERFORM HER MLK ORATORY SPEECH. AND HERE SHE COMES. WELCOME QUEEN THROUGH THE SECRET. GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. MY NAME IS QUEEN WILLIAMS, A FOURTH GRADE SCHOLAR AT LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY MEDIA AND PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE. AND TODAY I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT SOMETHING BIGGER THAN MYSELF AND BIGGER THAN ALL OF US. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT RACISM, DAMAGING LEADERSHIP AND RESPECT. Y'ALL KNOW THAT SONG THAT GO LIE? WHOA, I GOT MY BOOTS ON THE GROUND. WELL, YEAH, WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND BECAUSE MARTIN LUTHER KING DID FOR OVER 50 YEARS. AND IF HE WAS ALIVE TODAY, I WOULD TELL HIM THAT WHAT HE DID WAS GREAT, GROUNDBREAKING, AND HELPED A LOT OF PEOPLE. BUT THERE'S STILL RACISM, DAMAGING LEADERSHIP AND NOT RESPECTING PEOPLE. GOING ON. OVER 50 YEARS AGO, DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HAD A DREAM. NOT A SMALL DREAM, NOT A QUIET DREAM, BUT A DREAM. SO POWERFUL. WE STILL TALK ABOUT IT TODAY. RACISM SHOULD BE STOPPED BY TREATING PEOPLE FAIRLY AND WITH KINDNESS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE MISTREATED BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN? THIS IS SOMETHING BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FACING FOR OVER HUNDREDS OF YEARS AND IT MAKES ME SAD TO LEARN ABOUT THIS TYPE OF HISTORY. DR. KING SAID PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE JUDGED BY THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN, BUT BY THE CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT CURRENT LEADERS WHO CAUSE AMERICANS AND PEOPLE TO SEPARATE SOMETHING THAT MY ANCESTORS HAVE SEEN A LOT OF HERE IN AMERICA. A BAD LEADER DOESN'T LEAD BY EXAMPLE. A BAD LEADER ALSO DIVIDES PEOPLE INSTEAD OF UNITE THEM. DR. KING SHOWED US [00:10:01] A DIFFERENT WAY, A BETTER WAY, AND A BRAVER WAY. HE MARCHED PEACEFULLY, HE SPOKE WITHOUT FEAR, AND WHEN HE WAS PUSHED DOWN, HE GOT RIGHT BACK UP. DR. KING SAID THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S TRUE LEADERSHIP. LEADERSHIP DOESN'T JUST BELONG TO ADULTS. LEADERSHIP ALSO BELONGS TO EVERY SINGLE STUDENT THAT WILL STAND UP WHEN SOMEONE'S BEING PICKED ON AND THAT WILL UPLIFT AND CHEER ON OTHERS. RESPECT IS WHERE IT ALL BEGINS. RESPECT MEANS LISTENING. RESPECT MEANS CARING. I LISTEN TO A SONG ABOUT RESPECT AND HOW YOU SHOULD TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED. THAT'S THE GOLDEN RULE. DR. KING SAID, WE HAVE FLOWN THE AIR LIKE BIRDS. WE HAVE SW THE SEA LIKE FISHES, BUT HAVE YET TO LEARN THE SIMPLE ACT OF WALKING THE EARTH LIKE BROTHERS. WHAT I GOT OUTTA THIS QUOTE IS THAT A LACK OF RESPECT KEEPS US SEPARATED AS PEOPLE. SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO? WE SHOULD STAND UP WHEN WE SEE WRONG, SPEAK UP. WHEN WE HEAR HEY, RISE UP FOR FAIRNESS, JUSTICE AND LOVE. WE CAN BE THE GENERATION THAT DEMANDS GOOD LEADERSHIP. WE CAN BE THE GENERATION THAT REFUSES RACISM. AND WE CAN ALSO BE THE GENERATION THAT BUILDS A WORLD THAT BUILDS A WORLD FILLED WITH RESPECT AND PEACE. WHEN WE DO THIS, WE'RE HELPING DR. KING'S DREAM LIVE. ON ONE DAY PEOPLE WILL LOOK BACK AND SAY, THEY DIDN'T JUST TALK ABOUT THE DREAM, THEY MADE IT REAL. AND DON'T FORGET, KEEP YOUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND KEEP WALKING NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS SAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S, THAT'S MY BABY. OKAY, THAT'S MY BABY. I AM SUPER PROUD OF HER FOR JUST PUSHING FORWARD AND BEING COURAGEOUS ENOUGH TO WRITE THAT SPEECH. SO PLEASE MAKE SOME MORE NOISE FOR QUEEN WILLIAMS. NOW WE WILL HEAR FROM OUR COUNCILWOMAN, THE ONE AND ONLY DISTRICT ONE, NATASHA HARPER MADISON, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU. UM, I UH, I JUST GOT TO GET ME A LITTLE SUGAR. UM, FILA'S MOM, WHICH BY THE WAY, CAN WE GIVE IT UP FOR FAAH? AND Y'ALL DON'T KNOW THIS, YOU KNOW, BUT WE PILFERED FAAH FROM THE CARVER AND SHE'S BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PROGRAMMING FOR YEARS. AND SO SHE HAD TO DOUBLE DUTY FOR THIS BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND SHE DIDN'T SHY AWAY FROM IT AT ALL. SHE TOOK THAT CHALLENGE ON WILLINGLY AND HAPPILY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU PULLING THIS TOGETHER. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS NATASHA HARPER MADISON, I GET THE PROUD HONOR OF BEING THE DISTRICT ONE REPRESENTATIVE ON THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. I'M A EAST SIDE GIRL, BORN AND RAISED, AND IT TRULY IS, YOU KNOW, MY GREATEST HONOR TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHIFT POLICY IN A WAY THAT'S PERPETUAL, THAT'S FAIR. AND THAT HELPS PEOPLE LIVE A BETTER LIFE ALL WHILE, ALL WHILE THE YOUTH OF THE FUTURE WATCH US DO IT. SO QUEEN SAID SOMETHING, SHE ALLUDED TO WATCHING THE LEADERSHIP OF THE FUTURE AND HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE, BUT THEY'RE DOING WAY MORE THAN THAT. WE'RE GROOMING THEM RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE THEY ARE THE LEADERS OF THE FUTURE. SHE'S GETTING READY TO DO MY JOB A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER. I, UH, I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AMONGST THE HEROES IN THE BUILDING, UM, WHO LOOK LIKE ME AND SHARE MY ANCESTRY. OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, STEPHANIE HAYDEN HOWARD IS IN THE BUILDING. THANK YOU FOR COMING. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UM, AND UH, ANOTHER REALLY AWESOME OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS FILA'S MOM IS HERE. MY MOM IS HERE, MY KIDS ARE HERE. AND EMMANUEL'S MOM IS HERE. EMMANUEL JOINED THE DISTRICT ONE TEAM RECENTLY AND HIS MOM SAID, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO AUSTIN, TEXAS WITHOUT ME. CAN YOU WAIT FOR US PLEASE? I HAVEN'T MET YOU YET. WHERE'S YOUR MAMA? OH, THERE SHE IS. HI. NICE TO MEET YOU . SO AGAIN, THANK YOU GUYS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH. A TIME NOT ONLY FOR RECOGNITION, BUT A TIME FOR TRUE REFLECTION, CONNECTION AND POSSIBILITY. I'LL STRAY FROM MY TALKING POINTS FOR A MOMENT. 'CAUSE I HAD A REALLY GREAT INTERVIEW THE OTHER DAY AND THE INTERVIEWER ASKED ME A QUESTION AFTER I SAID, YOU KNOW, HE SAID, WHAT DOES BLACK HISTORY MONTH MEAN TO YOU? AND I SAID, ALL THE STANDARD ANSWERS, RIGHT? UM, BUT THEN I SAID, MY KID TAUGHT ME SOMETHING ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH, MAGNOLIA, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE IN THE CAR AND , SHE SAID, I, SHE SAID, [00:15:01] I WONDER WHY BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY. AND I SAID, WELL, USE THAT COMPUTER IN YOUR BACK POCKET AND FIND OUT. AND SO SHE DID. SHE WENT TO GOOGLE UNIVERSITY AND FOUND OUT THAT TWO REALLY PHENOMENAL, EXTRAORDINARY INFLUENTIAL BLACK LEADERS WERE BORN IN FEBRUARY. AND, AND I WAS LAST WEEK YEARS OLD WHEN I FOUND OUT NOW, YOU KNOW, TOO, UM, THAT TO SAY IT, IT FELT LIKE, SO THE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN WANTING TO EXPLAIN TO MY CHILDREN THAT THE WORLD AIN'T ALL GOOD AND AIN'T ALL BAD IS TRICKY WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND, UM, AND YOU LIVE ON THE INTERNET. UM, SO I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE THE NERVE TO STILL HAVE HOPE AND TO BE BOLD ENOUGH TO NOT JUST DO WHAT EVERYBODY SAYS. DO I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S LEADERSHIP AND YOUR STRENGTH AND YOUR HONESTY AND YOUR COURAGE. I AM MY GREATEST HONOR AS BEING A PARENT IS WHEN THEY CHALLENGE ME. NOW, DON'T GET ME WRONG. SO I'M, BUT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, I THINK IT'S A, I THINK IT'S A BLESSING TO HAVE CHILDREN THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO PARENT. 'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE KIND OF KIDS THAT GREW UP TO BE PEOPLE THAT OTHER FOLKS DON'T GET OVER ON. IN WHICH CASE I SAY HONOR THAT BLESSING WHEN THEY'RE GIVEN THE PUSHBACK. 'CAUSE IT IS IN FACT HOW THEY'RE DEVELOPING THAT LEADERSHIP. I, UH, I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE TEXAS EMPOWERMENT BAND. THANK YOU. NOT MIDDLE SCHOOLERS , WHOSE ARTISTRY UPS UPLIFTS US AND WHO WILL CLOSE THIS EVENING, UM, BY SENDING US OUT WITH SOME INSPIRED AND ENERGIZED ENERGY. I, UH, I UH, AM READING THE LAST PAGE OF MY SPEECH RIGHT NOW. AND SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS BACK THIS BACK, BACK ALL THE WAY BACK UP, . OKAY, THERE WE GO. SO, UH, WE ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT LEE LEWIS ELEMENTARY IS IN THE BUILDING. MY KIDS ARE ALUM OF LEE LEWIS ELEMENTARY. DID DID WE GET A PRESIDENT? DID WE GET A PRINCIPAL MORE IN THE BUILDING TONIGHT? NO. WELL, THAT'S ALL RIGHT. WE'LL GIVE HIM HIS FLOWERS. EVEN WITH A MA WITH NOT IN THE ROOM. AS A, AS A STUDENT ADVOCATE, AS A PARENT, I WATCHED PRINCIPAL MOORE TAKE LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL AND TAKE A SCHOOL THAT A LOT OF FOLKS COUNTED OUT AND COUNTED DOWN AND, AND MAKE THEM SEE THE POTENTIAL, FORCE THEM TO SEE THAT OUR KIDS ARE WORTH IT. AND THEN, AND THEN HE SAID, WATCH THIS. YOU KNOW, THE WELL-MEANING, UH, PROGRESSIVE FOLKS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS LOVE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ARTS. WHY DO WE MAKE IT A MEDIA ACADEMY? WHAT PRINCIPAL MOORE AND PEOPLE LIKE HIM ARE EXACTLY THE TYPE OF FOLKS THAT WE PRODUCE WHEN WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BE BOLD AND EXTRAORDINARY. AND THAT IS WHAT I HOPE THAT WE'RE PASSING ON TO THESE FOLKS WHO ARE IN THE ROOM TONIGHT, THE YOUTH AND OTHERWISE. SO IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM AN EXTRAORDINARY, WE ALREADY DID THAT AND WE ALREADY DID THAT TOO, . SO I LIKE TO GO OFF SCRIPT, BUT IT'S HARD TO JUMP BACK IN. SO WHILE REFLECTION ON THE PAST IS ESSENTIAL, BLACK HISTORY IS NOT CONFINED TO WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN. WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY SAID TO ME ONE TIME, BEING BLACK IN AMERICA IS NOT POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS. IT'S PRESENT TRAUMATIC STRESS. THE PIECE STILL STANDS, BUT IT HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE. EVERY MICROAGGRESSION, EVERY MACROAGGRESSION, EVERY TIME THAT YOU KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU HAVE TO PLAY DUMB IN A ROOM THAT YOU RUN INTELLECTUAL LAPSE AROUND. THAT'S THAT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? WE GET TO, WE GET TO TAKE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT PEOPLE DON'T TALK ABOUT WHEN WE GO, YOU KNOW HOW IT IS. OH, IT'S, IT'S THAT WE DON'T SAY THE WORDS, WE JUST ALLUDE TO IT. WE GOTTA STOP ALLUDING TO IT IN A TIME WHERE ALLUDING TO IT SOMEHOW MAKES YOU COMPLICIT. BECAUSE THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS YOU HAVE TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND SAY THE WORDS, I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU. YOU HAVE LOVE IS THE ONLY COMBATANT TO WHAT QUEEN WAS UP HERE TALKING ABOUT WHEN SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT LEADERSHIP THAT SEEKS TO DIVIDE PEOPLE. LOVE IS THE ONLY COMBATANT AND WE ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN DO IT. I APPRECIATE LOOKING AT THIS ROOM. I WILL BE SELFISHLY, I LOVE SEEING CHAMBERS AS BLACK Y'ALL. SO I'M IN THIS BUILDING A LOT. AND WHEN I LOOK OUT INTO THIS AUDIENCE, GENERALLY SPEAKING, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THIS. THIS ROOM LOOKS LIKE ME. AND THAT SHOULDN'T BE ABNORMAL. I HOPE Y'ALL TAKE THAT AWAY. THERE'S AN ELECTION COMING UP. SO THE WAY THIS THING WORKS IS YOU DO IT FOR FOUR YEARS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS BUREAUCRACY MOVES SLOW. SO YOU GOTTA DO IT FOR FOUR MORE YEARS IN ORDER FOR IT TO COUNT. SO I'M COMING TO THE END OF MY EIGHT YEARS IN JANUARY. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? THAT MEANS THIS NOVEMBER, WHEN PEOPLE GO TO THE POLLS, THEY'RE GONNA VOTE FOR THIS SEAT. I'M GONNA VOTE FOR MY COUNCIL MEMBER IN NOVEMBER. IF Y'ALL LIVE IN D ONE, IF YOUR KIDS GO TO LL CAMPBELL, YOU PROBABLY LIVE IN D ONE. YOU ARE GONNA BE VOTING FOR YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER THIS YEAR. AND SO MY HOPE IS THAT YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION. MUCH LIKE CURRENT LEADERSHIP, AGAIN, I'LL ALLUDE TO CURRENT LEADERSHIP. THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO WANNA DO IT BECAUSE THEY WANNA BE SEEN. AND I APPRECIATE THAT DESIRE FOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. [00:20:01] BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT A DISTRICT THAT'S BEEN DISINVESTED IN FOR NEARLY A HUNDRED YEARS NEEDS. THIS CITY IS STILL GROWING AND IT'S STILL CHANGING WHETHER YOU WANT IT TO OR NOT. AND THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, IF WE ARE NOT AT THE TABLE TO HAVE A SAY AND HOW IT CHANGES, IT'S GONNA CHANGE. THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT'S GUARANTEED. BUT THE HOW HOUSING THAT'S AFFORDABLE PERPETUALLY, THAT'S ACCESSIBLE, THAT'S LIVABLE. HOW ABOUT THAT? HOW ABOUT TRANSIT? THAT MAKES SENSE. WHEN I TRAVEL TO OTHER CITIES AND I REALIZE Y'ALL GOT IT LIKE THIS AND WE HAVE TRANSIT THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, NOT CONNECTED. AND IT DOESN'T OFFER THE OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYBODY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO ENJOY THE SAME LIVED EXPERIENCE. AND MY HOPE IS THAT THE LEADER OF THE FUTURE, THE PERSON WHO'S GONNA BE STOMPING UP AND DOWN AND GOING TO Y'ALL'S CHURCHES AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS AND STICKING SIGNS IN YOUR YARD, I HOPE THEY GET THAT. WHAT AUSTIN NEEDS IS NOT SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO BE SEEN. WHAT AUSTIN NEEDS IS SOMEBODY WHO'S WILLING TO SIT DOWN WITH 82 PAGES WORTH OF THE EST BRIEFING YOU'VE EVER READ IN YOUR LIFE AND MAKE IT MAKE SENSE FOR THE PEOPLE YOU REPRESENT. AND THAT'S THEIR ONLY JOB. SO WHEN THEY'RE ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS, THE ONES YOU SHOULD BE ASKING ARE ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT. WHERE DO PEOPLE LIVE? WHERE DO THEY WORK? AND HOW DO THEY GET WHERE THEY GOTTA GO? AND THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS I'D STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO ASK YOUR FUTURE REPRESENTATIVE. CONSIDERING I'VE GONE ALL THE WAY OFF SCRIPT. I'M GONNA SKIP TO LIKE THE BACK PAGE 'CAUSE I'M PROBABLY ALL RIGHT. NO, NOT A CHANCE. NOT EVEN . OKAY. NO, NO, NO, I'M BACK. THANK YOU'ALL. IT WAS THAT ENERGY YOU SENT ME THAT GOOD JUJU. SO, AND THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO RESTART MOST MAGICALLY. BLACK HISTORY IS ABOUT LOOKING AHEAD. IT'S ABOUT LOOKING AHEAD AND RECOGNIZING THAT FEBRUARY IS A MONTH FOR ALL OF US TO RECOGNIZE A MONTH THAT CELEBRATES A PEOPLE, A AMERICAN PEOPLE BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH. IT'S ALL OF OURS. IF YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ME AND YOU SAY HAPPY JUNETEENTH TO YOUR BLACK FRIENDS ON JUNETEENTH, BUT YOU DON'T GO DO SOMETHING, HANG OUT, GO TO THE PARADE, IT'S YOUR HOLIDAY TOO. EMANCIPATION IS WORTH CELEBRATING BY EVERYBODY. AND SO MY HOPE IS KEEP GOING TO THE FEBRUARY EVENTS THAT CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND GO TO JUNETEENTH EVENTS AND CELEBRATE EMANCIPATION OF YOUR NEIGHBORS. BUT ALSO EVERY DAY, EVERY DAY AND EVERY OPPORTUNITY WHEN YOU SEE A THING AND YOU KNOW IT'S NOT RIGHT AND IT DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT AND YOUR STOMACH GETS, 'CAUSE IT'S NOT BE BRAVE, BE BOLD. AND REMEMBER THE ONLY COMBATANT FOR PURE AND UNADULTERATED HATE AND EVIL IS LOVE. I LOVE Y'ALL. THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT. I'M GONNA GIVE YOU SOME MORE FLOWERS. SO I WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW THAT THIS ONE RIGHT HERE IS THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE. SO WHEN YOU CALL THE DISTRICT ONE OFFICE, THIS IS THE PERSON THAT YOU TALK TO WHEN YOU INVITE US TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS. THIS IS THE PERSON THAT YOU TALK TO. IF THERE'S A CHALLENGE THAT WE NEED TO REP, WE DON'T, OBVIOUSLY THE FIVE OF US IN OUR STRONG AND MIGHTY TEAM, WE DON'T PATCH UP THE ROADS, BUT WE TALK TO THE PEOPLE WHO DO. AND SO THIS IS THE PERSON THAT YOU TALK TO WHEN YOU CALL THE DISTRICT ONE OFFICE. SO I JUST REALLY WANT TO, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING THAT FACE AND FOR LISTENING. I, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES Y'ALL ARE YELLING SO LOUD. I CAN HEAR IT IN MY OFFICE. THAT SAID, THOUGH, EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU APPROACH THE CALL WITH GRACE AND WITH COMPASSION, AND BY THE END OF IT, THAT PERSON IS SAYING THANK YOU AND SINGING YOUR PRAISES. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER, CAN YOU ALL PLEASE MAKE SOME MORE NOISE FOR COUNCILWOMAN NATASHA HARPER MADISON. AND AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, COUNCIL MEMBER Z QUADRI HERE, AND COUNCIL MEMBER VANESSA FUENTES. AND CONGRATULATIONS. ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A COUPLE MORE SPEAKERS AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GET INTO THE YOUTH PERFORMANCES. WE, WE WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE YOUTH ART. HAVE ANYONE GOT A CHANCE TO SEE SOME OF THAT ART OUT THERE? WELL, WE HAVE SOME OF OUR LEADERS HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE MAKING THE ART. SO REPRESENTING LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY AND BLACK SHARE. WE HAVE MRS. FRANKLIN AND MRS. MORELO, [00:25:04] YOU FOUND YOUR RIGHT. I KNOW YOU USED FORCE . ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS SHERE FRANKLIN AND I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH OUR CAMPUS BLACKSHIRE ELEMENTARY FINE ARTS ACADEMY FOR SIX YEARS. FOR A MOMENT, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE US ON A BRIEF JOURNEY THROUGHOUT HISTORY WHERE PROMINENT AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERS HELPED PAVE THE WAY IN OUR COMMUNITY SO THAT OUR STUDENTS COULD BE A PART OF AN EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS ONE TODAY, BLACK SHERE WAS FOUNDED IN 1891 TO PROVIDE FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION TO AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS. FRIENDLY. R RICE WAS THE PRINCIPAL OF OUR SCHOOL FOR 41 YEARS, FROM 1931 TO 1972, WHERE HE HELPED CREATE A SCHOOL GARDEN, OFFERED A FREE HOT LUNCH PROGRAM AND SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCHOOL LIBRARY. OVER TIME, THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND POPULATION AROUND THE SCHOOL BEGAN TO CHANGE. IN 2015, THE SCHOOL DECIDED TO ADOPT A FINE ARTS PROGRAM TO SUPPORT ENROLLMENT AND CONTINUE THE LEGACY OF BLACK SHEAR FRIENDLY R RICE AS WELL AS OTHER LEADERS. THROUGHOUT THE 135 YEARS OF OUR SCHOOL'S HISTORY, ADVOCATED FOR EQUITY TO ENSURE STUDENTS HAD ACCESS TO FOOD, DIVERSE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES, RICH LITERATURE AND CREATIVE LEARNING THROUGH THE FINE ARTS PROGRAM. TODAY, OUR SCHOOL IS A COMMUNITY WHERE YOU COME AS YOU ARE, AND YOUR CULTURE AND TALENTS ARE WELCOMED AND APPRECIATED. THE ARTS HAVE BEEN AN EXTENSION OF OURSELVES, A MOUTHPIECE THAT SPEAKS OUR STORIES, FEARS, HOPES, AND DREAMS. I HAVE THE HONOR THIS EVENING TO SPEAK ABOUT THE WONDERFUL STUDENTS WHO CREATED THE ART THAT WE WILL SEE, AND OUR CAMPUS ART TEACHER, MS. LORI LOCKHART, WHO HELPED THEM ALONG THE WAY. SHE LEFT A LETTER THAT SHE WANTED ME TO SHARE SINCE SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO COME TODAY. I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY SINCERELY THANKING FILA MUI FOR INVITING OUR STUDENTS TO BE PART OF THIS INCREDIBLE CELEBRATION AND EXHIBITION, AS WELL AS SHEREE FRANKLIN FOR BEING HERE TODAY. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR AMAZING STUDENTS WHO POURED THEIR TIME, CREATIVITY, AND HEART INTO THE ARTWORK YOU WILL SEE HERE. THE PROJECT BEGAN WITH EXPLORATION OF A POWERFUL BOOK OF VIBRANT ILLUSTRATIONS IN POETRY, THE ABCS OF BLACK HISTORY BY RIO CORTEZ AND LAUREN SIMMER, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS MANY OF THE TRIUMPHS, JOYS, AND HEARTBREAKS OF BLACK HISTORY ACROSS TIME. THIS BOOK OPENS WITH A QUOTE, QUOTE FROM JAMES BALDWIN. HISTORY IS NOT THE PAST, IT IS THE PRESENT. WE CARRY OUR HISTORY WITH US, WE ARE OUR HISTORY. AFTER REFLECTING ON THE BOOK AND ITS MESSAGE, STUDENTS WORK TOGETHER AND USE THEIR CHROMEBOOKS TO RESEARCH AN AFRICAN AMERICAN INDIVIDUAL FROM ANY TIME IN HISTORY WHO PERSONALLY INSPIRES THEM. USING A PRINTED REFERENCE IMAGE, THEY CAREFULLY CREATED A DETAILED PROFILE TRANSFER. FROM THERE, STUDENTS MADE INTENTIONAL CHOICES ABOUT THE MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES USED TO RENDER THEIR SUBJECTS LIKENESS. THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, THEY ENCOUNTER AND WORK THROUGH THE MANY CHALLENGES THAT COME WITH DRAWING, SHADING, AND PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOR. THESE MOMENTS REQUIRE PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, AND A WILLINGNESS TO PUSH BEYOND THEIR COMFORT ZONES, OFTEN SPENDING EXTRA TIME REFINING THEIR WORK AND STRENGTHENING THEIR SKILLS ALONGSIDE ME. AFTER COMPLETING THEIR ARTWORK, STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN SELF-ASSESSMENT, IDENTIFYING AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENTS, AND RETURNING TO THEIR PIECES TO MAKE THOUGHTFUL REVISIONS. THROUGH THIS REFLECTION, THEY NOT ONLY EVALUATED THEIR WORK CRITICALLY, BUT ALSO THEY RECOGNIZED THEIR STRENGTHS, THE UNIQUE WAYS THEIR SKILLS HAVE GROWN, AND HOW THEIR TALENTS SHINE. WATCHING THE STUDENTS GROW, BOTH AS ARTISTS AND AS INDIVIDUALS, HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY MEANINGFUL TO ME, AND I AM SO PROUD OF THEM. IT HAS TRULY BEEN AN HONOR TO SUPPORT THEM, TO SUPPORT THEIR CREATIVE EXPRESSION, AND TO LEARN ALONGSIDE SUCH Y BRIGHT YOUNG MINDS AS THEY USE THEIR ART TO CELEBRATE THE BLACK LEADERS AND ARTISTS WHO INSPIRE THEM. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND FOR SUPPORTING, HONORING, AND SHARING IN THE SPECIAL MOMENT OF THEIR CREATIVE JOURNEY. SINCERELY, MS. LOCKHART, IN CLOSING, THIS EXHIBIT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO REFLECT ON HISTORY AND THINK ABOUT MEMORABLE BLACK HISTORICAL FIGURES WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND PROGRESSION OF OUR EXPERIENCES IN VARIOUS FIELDS OF LIFE. ALL OF THEM TOOK RISKS AND NEVER GAVE UP ON THEIR DREAMS. JUST AS OUR YOUNG ARTISTS CREATED ART THAT ALLOWS US TO PAUSE, REMEMBER, AND HAVE A HEART OF GRATITUDE, I HOPE [00:30:01] THAT OUR STUDENTS CAN CONTINUE TO PAUSE IN THEIR OWN LIVES, CAPTURING IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND MOMENTS THROUGH THE POWER OF THEIR ART. THANK YOU. HELLO. HELLO. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. HOW ARE YOU GUYS? . HI, I'M ALICIA MARILLO. UM, I AM THE ART TEACHER AT LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY. WOO WOO. UM, I JUST WANNA START OFF BY SAYING I AM HONESTLY JUST SO GRATEFUL TO, FOR BEING HERE RIGHT NOW AND BEING IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY RIGHT NOW. AND, WHEW. IT'S SO FUNNY, I TEACH IN FRONT OF A CLASSROOM EVERY DAY, ALL DAY, AND I STILL JUST SEEN EVERYBODY HERE. OOH, MIXING. SO NERVOUS, BUT SO GRATEFUL TO BE HERE RIGHT NOW AND JUST HEARING EVERYBODY TALK ABOUT, UH, WHAT BLACK HISTORY MEANS TO THEM AND BEING ABLE TO HEAR, UM, TEXAS EMPOWERMENT PERFORM. WOW, Y'ALL DID SO AMAZING, BY THE WAY. IT'S JUST SO GOOD. SO, SO GOOD. UH, QUEEN GOT TO HEAR HIS QUEEN SPEECH, AND THAT'S AN AMAZING SPEECH TOO. JUST SO GOOD. OH MY GOODNESS. SO PROUD OF EVERYBODY. UM, I WANNA SAY, I WANT, I VERY, I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR FILA FOR REACHING OUT TO US AND, UM, ALLOWING OUR STUDENTS TO PRESENT THEIR ARTWORKS HERE. UM, I JUST FEEL LIKE IT'S SUCH A BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS. SO THANK YOU, FILA. EVERYTHING LOOKS AMAZING AND THE ARTWORK, OH MY GOSH, THE, WHENEVER YOU SENT ME PICTURES OF EVERYTHING GOING ON, I JUST SO EXCITED. EVERYTHING TURNED OUT SO AMAZING. UM, I JUST WANNA SAY, UM, I'M ALSO GRATEFUL FOR WORK, UH, BEING ABLE TO WORK AT LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY, UH, NOW THIS YEAR. I'VE BEEN WORKING THERE ABOUT FOUR YEARS. UM, AND I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY THERE. UM, I DO WANNA SAY, LIKE, ONE THING I'VE LEARNED ABOUT WORKING AT LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY IS THE LEGACY, LEGACY, LEGACY, LEGACY. SO IMPORTANT ON THAT CAMPUS. OH MY GOODNESS. THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE I MEET THERE. AND EVEN WHEN I GO, I GO TO DIFFERENT PLACES IN AUSTIN, I MEET OTHER PEOPLE THAT THEY ASK ME, THEY'RE LIKE, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? AND I'M LIKE, OH, I'M FROM, UH, OH, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? WHERE DO YOU WORK? AND I'M LIKE, OH, I WORK AT LEE LEWIS CAMP ELEMENTARY. THEY'RE LIKE, WHAT? LIKE, I HAVE MY DAUGHTER USED TO GO THERE, MY GRAND, MY UH, NIECE NEPHEWS. IT'S JUST THE LEGACY THAT LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL HAS CREATED IS JUST SO AMAZING. IT'S JUST MAKES ME SO PROUD TO BE WORKING AT LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY AND WORKING WITH OUR, UM, AMAZING SCHOLARS TOO. IT'S JUST, JUST MAKES ME PROUD TO BE A BLUE DRAGON AT LEE LEWIS CAMP ELEMENTARY. IF YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW, WE'RE CALLED THE BLUE DRAGONS, OR THE DRAGON LEADERS, SORRY, BACKWARDS DRAGON LEADERS. AND THEN OUR STUDENTS ARE CALLED THE SCHOLARS. UM, SO VERY GRATEFUL TO BE WORKING AT LEE LEWIS CAMP, CAMP ELEMENTARY. UM, I KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN THE ARTWORK OUT THERE YET OR NOT, BUT, UM, MY SCHOLARS HAVE DID A COLLAGE, UH, FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND THE PROCESS OF MAKING THAT, UM, THAT, UH, COLLAGE, THERE'S JUST MULTIPLE STEPS TO IT. AND I DIDN'T THINK THIS PROJECT WAS GONNA TAKE AS LONG, BUT THE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME ABOUT THIS PROJECT WAS THE STUDENT'S CURIOSITY, THE SCHOLAR'S CURIOSITY. UM, IT WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE A COUPLE OF DAYS, BUT IT TURNED OUT LASTING A LOT LONGER BECAUSE WE HAD A DAY. SO THE FIRST DAY, THE FIRST LAYER OF OUR PROJECT WAS, UM, UM, ADDING OUR COLLAGE COLORED PAPER. AND FOR THAT, WE LEARNED ABOUT THAT DAY. WE LEARNED ABOUT BLACK HISTORY, HOW IT STARTED, WHO STARTED IT. UM, WE LEARNED ABOUT THE COLORS AND WHY THE COLORS ARE IMPORTANT. AND EVEN THERE I WAS LIKE, OH, IT'S NOT GONNA TAKE THAT LONG. THE KIDS AREN'T GONNA BE INTERESTED. BUT WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT, MAN, THE KIDS MISS WHAT? NO. WHY IS THAT THAT COLOR MISS? WHY IS THIS? THEY WERE ASKING SO MANY QUESTIONS AND THE AMOUNT OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD WAS JUST AMAZING. DISCUSSIONS WOULD LAST A WHOLE DAY OR TWO, JUST TALKING ABOUT BLACK HISTORY AND LIKE WHY THEY THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AND WHAT, WHAT IT MEANS TO THEM. AND I THINK THAT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT, UM, DOING THINGS LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR, OUR SCHOLARS AND JUST KIDS IN, IN GENERAL, THEY'RE SPONGES. THEY SOAK UP SO MUCH AND THEY, THEY, THEY NEED THAT PERSON THERE TO GUIDE THEM AND INSPIRE THEM TO, UM, TO, TO, TO FEED THEIR CURIOSITY. AND I THINK JUST DOING THIS PROJECT REALLY, REALLY FED THAT CURIOSITY. THEN, UM, WE MOVE FORWARD THE NEXT DAY. WE, UH, AND LET ME JUST GO BACK AND STEP, STEP BACK A SECOND AND SAY, UM, I WANT TO, UH, SAY THANK YOU TO MR. BEASLEY TOO. UM, HE IS A PART OF CREATIVE ACTION. HE ALSO HAS BROUGHT IN, SO WE HAVE ALSO INTEGRATED SOCIAL STUDIES INTO THE ARTS CLASSROOM TOO. AND MR. BEASLEY HAS BEEN A GREAT HELP IN TRYING TO, UH, PROVIDE THE STUDENTS WITH THE NECESSARY INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED FOR THESE PROJECTS. AND EVEN THEN, THIS PROJECT DOESN'T JUST STOP THERE. THESE [00:35:01] STUDENT, THE SCHOLARS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE WHOEVER THEY CHOSE FOR THEIR PROJECTS, THEY'RE GOING TO EXPAND ON THAT AND THEY'RE GONNA BE RESEARCHING, CREATING MORE. UM, UM, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER, IT'S UM, UM, UM, TRADING CARDS AND, UH, POSTERS, JUST HIGHLIGHTING THESE DIFFERENT LEADERS THAT THEY CHOSE. SO ME AND MR. BEASLEY WERE WORKING TOGETHER AND WE HAD A LIST. LET ME SAY, LET ME TELL Y'ALL, WE HAD A LIST OF DIFFERENT LEADERS AND, UH, FIGURES THAT WE THOUGHT THE STUDENTS SHOULD LEARN ABOUT. BUT EVEN PRESENTING THAT THE STUDENTS WERE LIKE, OH, MISS, CAN WE, CAN WE, CAN WE RESEARCH THEM? MISS? CAN WE DO THIS PERSON? CAN WE DO? AND SO I'M ADDING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ON THIS LIST 'CAUSE THEIR EXCITEMENT. THEY WERE JUST SO EXCITED TO, TO LEARN ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT LEADERS. AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CHOSE PEOPLE FROM THE PAST AND EVEN THE PRESENT. AND SOME OF THE STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT THE PEOPLE FROM THE PAST, BUT THEN SOME OF THEM, THEY WERE LEARN, UH, EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT THE PEOPLE FROM THE PRESENT AND BUILD ON THAT INFORMATION. UM, SO IT WAS REALLY AWESOME FOR HOW THE STUDENTS PICK OUT WHO THEY WERE VERY INTERESTED IN. AND EVEN WITH LEARNING ABOUT THESE LEADERS, WHAT SOME PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IS, AND THIS IS WHAT WE, WE HAD A HUGE DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS. WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF BLACK HISTORY AND SOME OF THESE LEADERS, THEY THINK, OH, SOME OF THIS STUFF HAPPENED HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO. NO, SOMETHING WE GOT TO TALK ABOUT IS THAT SOME OF THIS STUFF, LIKE, I MEAN, WE HAVE RUBY BRIDGES. RUBY BRIDGES IS STILL ALIVE TODAY. SO THAT JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW RECENT, HOW, HOW RECENT THE STUFF HAS IS AND HOW, UM, CLOSE IT COULD BE TO US. I HAD A STUDENT JUST GO MISS THAT. YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED UP HER AGE, LIKE RUBY BRIDGES SPECIFICALLY. WE LOOKED UP HER AGE. SOME STUDENTS ARE LIKE, MISS, THAT'S AS OLD AS MY GRANDMA. AND I'M LIKE, YEAH, SOME PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE JUST HOW CLOSE SOME OF THIS STUFF IS. SO THIS PROJECT IS, I THINK WAS AN AMAZING PROJECT FOR THE STUDENTS, UH, BECAUSE WE GOT TO LEARN SO MUCH AND WE'RE STILL LEARNING, ADDING ONTO IT. STUDENTS ARE TEACHING ME SOME STUFF AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. APPRECIATE THAT TOO. UM, SO WE HAD A GREAT JOB, A GREAT, GREAT JOB. WE HAD A GREAT TIME PRESENTING, UH, CREATING THIS PROJECT AND I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU GUYS GOT TO SEE IT. UM, THE LAST THING I JUST WANNA SAY IS, UM, ON THE, THE LAST STEP OF THAT PROJECT, WE GOT TO, UM, MAKE A LIST. SO WE ALREADY, WE BUILT, WE LEARNED, WE LEARNED ABOUT EVERYTHING. AND THEN WE HAD A LIST OF JUST WORDS THAT THE STUDENTS FEEL LIKE REPRESENTED THESE LEADERS AND THESE FIGURES THAT THEY SELECTED. AND, UM, I STARTED OFF WITH SMALL LIST, BUT THEN THE STUDENTS, THEY CAME UP WITH ALL THESE BIG WORDS, EMPOWERMENT, FREEDOM, UM, LEGACY, JUST ALL THESE OTHER WORDS THAT THEY WANTED TO ADD TO IT. UM, THAT JUST MADE ME SO PROUD TO BE THEIR, TO BE THEIR, UH, THEIR DRAGON LEADER. UM, JUST SO PROUD TO HAVE THEM IN MY CLASSROOM. AND I JUST LOVE THE EXPERIENCE THAT WE, WE HAD TOGETHER MAKING THIS PROJECT. AND I HOPE, UH, WITH THIS PROJECT, THE STUDENTS ALSO HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP INSPIRE. 'CAUSE I MEAN, OUR, OUR STUDENTS, OUR KIDS, THEY'RE OUR FUTURE. SO WITH THEM BEING, UH, SPONGES, SOAKING EVERYTHING IN, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE GREAT TO HAVE THEM KNOW ABOUT THIS STUFF. AND MAYBE THAT'LL HELP INSPIRE THEM TO BUILD A, BUILD A FUTURE, BUILD A BETTER, BETTER FUTURE, UM, UM, FROM HERE ON OUT. UM, SO THAT'S JUST OUR PROCESS FOR OUR PROJECT. AND I APPRECIATE AGAIN, FOR YOU INVITING ME AND I APPRECIATE JUST BEING HERE RIGHT NOW. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, . ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU AGAIN TO MS. FRANKLIN AND MS. MARILLO. AND THANK YOU TO MS. LOCKHART. AND WE HAVE ANOTHER ARTIST HERE WHO CREATED AN AMAZING PIECE OF OUR COUNCILWOMAN. BRANDON, PLEASE WAVE YOUR HAND. SO WHEN YOU SEE ON THAT GALLERY OF HEROES, THAT IS BRANDON'S PIECE. ALL RIGHT. I KNOW Y'ALL TIRED OF HEARING US TALKING, RIGHT? OKAY, WELL WE DONE TALKING. NOW WE ARE GONNA HAVE THE YOUTH. SO WE GOTTA BRING THE ENERGY UP 'CAUSE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GONNA TAKE IT OUT. AND JUST FOR YOUR AWARENESS AFTER THIS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A RECEPTION. WE DO HAVE FOOD, ALL RIGHT? NOT SNACKS, BUT FOOD AND THAT YOU ALL CAN ENJOY AFTER THIS. SO WE WILL, UM, AFTER WE LEAVE FROM CHAMBERS, WE WILL GO INTO THE ATRIUM AND HAVE SOME FOOD. BUT BEFORE THAT, WE'RE GONNA CELEBRATE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE. ARE Y'ALL READY TO SEE THE LEE LEWIS CAMPBELL STEP STAGE? ALL RIGHT, WELL I HAVE THE GREAT HONOR OF BRINGING FORWARD THE LEE LEWIS BLUE DRAGON STEP SQUAD. [00:40:39] I CAN EAT WHAT I WANNA BE, BE BOYS AND GIRLS. LISTEN UP. YOU CAN BE ANYTHING IN THE WORLD WHEN I GET SNAPPING LIKE BY MYSELF, JUMP OFF THE PORCH. SAY I'M TOO. STOP PLAYING ME. STOP PLAYING ME. STOP PLAYING ME, MAMA. STOP PLAYING ME. STOP PLAYING F 40. THAT'S THE BRAND NEW. TRY TO PUT ME IN A BOX. DON'T TRY TO BLEND PURPOSE WITH ATTENTION. MISSION LOUD TOO. QUIET LOUD. BUT I WAS BY THE MASTER'S HAND. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. BUT THAT WASN'T THE PLAN. I DON'T NEED FROM THE CROWD STAND. BLUEPRINT DAY WANT ME TO LIFE SO THEY FEEL RIGHT. WANT ME TO PLAY SMALL SOUL. THEY FEEL RIGHT. BUT I WAS MADE TO SHINE IN MY OWN LANE. I TOOK PEOPLE TO OPERATE IN MY DOMAIN. DIFFERENT DNA DIFFERENT CAR AND DIFFERENT GREAT SOUL FALL BEFORE, BEFORE THE, THAT'S MYLINE. THAT'S MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I SAID, YOU DON'T BEAT BETTER HYPE. I GOT THE NEW DAMN Y'ALL CALLING [00:45:01] SOLDIER BOY BACK THREE TIMES FROM LEFT, RIGHT? SUPERMAN. THAT SONG, THAT SONG BE YOU, THAT SONG BE YOU, THAT SONG SUPERMAN. OH, WHY CRACK THAT ROB CAR SUPER JOCKING ON THEM? HATE HIM. I DO THAT SOLDIER. BOY, I LEFT CRACK THAT THING. I'M JOCKING ON. JOCKING ON YOU. AND IF WE GET THE FIGHT THEN ON COKE. ON COKE, YOU CATCH ME AT YOUR LOCAL PARTY? YES. I CRACK IT EVERY DAY. HATERS GETTING MAD BECAUSE I GOT ME SO BAD. ALL RIGHT, THAT WAS THE BLUE DRAGON DANCING. GIVE IT UP NOW. GIVING UP FOR THE BLUE REAGAN STAB FLOOR. OH, I, OH, I THINK THEY LIKE ME BETTER YET. I KNOW. NICE, NICE CAMERA. ACTUALLY WHAT I WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR. OH, I THINK THEY LIKE, I CALL DRIVING. SO THE, TO THE MY ICE ON DJ. IF YOU NEED SWAG POLE, I GOT POISON. I GOT GO INSIDE MY DAI WAS BORN LIKE THIS INSIDE, NOT TRANSFORM LIKE THIS, THIS WEAPON. DONATE, MEDITATE OFF YOUR, OFF YOUR HEAD. THIS THAT PUT KISS THE, THIS THAT I GOT, I GOT, I GOT IT IS BEEN A [00:50:01] LONG DAY WITHOUT YOU, MY FRIEND. AND I'LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT WHEN I SEE YOU. WE'VE COME A LONG WAY FROM WHERE WE BEGAN. I'LL ALL IT DAMN, WHO KNEW ALL THE PLANES WE FLEW, THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN THROUGH. THEN I'LL BE STANDING RIGHT HERE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT ANOTHER PATH. I KNOW WE LOVE TO HIT THE ROAD AND LAUGH, BUT SOMETHING TOLD ME THAT IT WOULDN'T LAST HAD TO SWITCH UP. WE LOVE YOU, YOU FIVE. OKAY, YOU CAN BEAT THREE, FIVE, THE TOP. WE NEVER STEP SUCCESS. WE THE BEST BOO DRAGON THAT WE'RE ON THE TOP. WE NEVER STEP, STEP, STEP SUCCESS. WE BETTER THAN THE REST. 5, 6, 7. YOUR DADDY, MAMA, YOUR THE DOG, THE CATS. THE DRAGON WAS HOLDING YOU LEFT AND THAT'S THE REASON YOU LEFT. I LEFT MY HOME. I LEFT MY HOME, I LEFT MY HOME. I LEFT MY HOME. I WAS PROUD. MY DAD WAS PROUD. MY DAD WAS PROUD. I A I DRAGON. I'M A BLUE DRAGON. HA HA. I'M A BLUE DRAGON. I'M A BLUE DRAGON. I'M A BLUE I FIVE. OKAY, AND Y'ALL PLEASE MAKE SOME MORE NOISE FOR THE BLUE DRAGON DANCE. ALRIGHT, SO WE HAVE ONE MORE PIECE OF THIS PERFORMANCE BEFORE WE CONCLUDE OUR PROGRAM AND GO INTO OUR RECEPTION. BUT I WANNA SAY REALLY QUICKLY, THE BLUE DRAGON STEP TEAM IS IN JEOPARDY OF LOSING THEIR FUNDING NEXT YEAR. IT'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE A PROGRAM. SO IT'S UP TO US AS THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO HAVE A PROGRAM. AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHTED ALL THE WORK THAT THESE YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING. SO PLEASE MAKE SOME MORE NOISE FOR THE BLUE DRAGON OF DANCE AND 17. ALRIGHT, ARE Y'ALL READY TO HAVE A PARTY HERE IN CHAMBERS? YES. IT DON'T SOUND LIKE IT. I SAID ARE Y'ALL READY TO HAVE A PARTY HERE AT CHAMBERS? ALRIGHT, WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE THE TEXAS EMPOWERMENT BAN AND THEY ARE NOT MIDDLE SCHOOLERS FOR THE RECORD. THEY ARE HIGH SCHOOLERS. THEY'RE GONNA CLOSE US OUT. AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING AND PARTICIPATING IN OUR BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM. IMMEDIATELY AFTER [00:55:01] THEIR PERFORMANCE, WE ARE GOING TO GO INTO THE ATRIUM. WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME FOOD, WE'RE GONNA EXPERIENCE THE EXHIBIT UNTIL IT IS TIME FOR US TO GO. ALL RIGHT? SO I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET UP AND DANCE. 'CAUSE I HEARD SOME OF THEY SOUNDCHECK AND THEY ARE ABOUT TO HAVE CHAMBERS LIT RIGHT NOW. ALL RIGHT, SO Y'ALL SHOW SOME MORE LOVE FOR THE TEXAS EMPOWERMENT BAND. HOPE Y'ALL ENJOYED THAT. WE HAVE A COUPLE OF MORE SONGS THAT WE'RE GONNA PLAY BEFORE Y'ALL GET ON OUTTA HERE. SO HOPE Y'ALL ENJOYED THE REST OF THE MUSIC. [01:04:31] ALRIGHT, SO THAT WAS OF COURSE MICHAEL JACKSON. DO YOU REMEMBER THE TOM? UM, MOST OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN IN MUSIC AND BAND SINCE THEY STARTED AT TEX EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY. UH, I HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE ELEMENTARY AND NOW THEY'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL. UM, WE HAVE A FEW SENIORS RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU ARE A SENIOR RIGHT NOW. SO THEY'RE GETTING READY [01:05:01] TO GRADUATE AND GO OFF TO COLLEGE. UM, AND MOST OF OUR STUDENTS THAT HAVE GRADUATED FROM TEXAS EMPOWERMENT, THEY GRADUATE AND GO TO COLLEGE WITH A FULL RIDE SCHOLARSHIP TO THE COLLEGE OF THEIR CHOICE. SO, UH, I'M SO THANKFUL TO BE A PART OF THAT PROGRAM. UM, I'VE BEEN TEACHING THERE FOR EIGHT YEARS NOW AND IT'S JUST BEEN A AMAZING JOURNEY WITH THE STUDENTS. UM, AND YEAH, WE, WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN. WE HAVE A CONCERT COMING UP ALSO. LITTLE QUICK PLUG. ALL RIGHT, IF YOU ARE MORE INTERESTED IN THAT, I'LL GIVE Y'ALL MORE INFORMATION. BUT IT'LL BE IN MARCH. SI ON MARCH 6TH. AND, UH, THE, THE CONCERT IS CALLED THE FUNKY PANTHER BECAUSE WE ARE THE TEX EMPOWERMENT PANTHERS. UM, SO YEAH, IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE COME AND SEE ME. I'LL SHOW YOU WHERE YOU CAN BUY A TICKET AND EVERYTHING. AND, UH, YEAH, WE'RE GONNA PLAY ONE MORE SONG. MOST OF Y'ALL, YOU MIGHT KNOW IT, YOU MIGHT NOT, BUT IF YOU WANNA GET UP AND DANCE, I KNOW'S SOME ROOM OVER HERE IF YOU WANT TO GET UP AND DO A LITTLE TWO STEP OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, FEEL FREE. COME ON MISS DAM. HEY, THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY AUNTIE RIGHT THERE, MAN. Y'ALL, COME ON NOW. UH, SO YES, Y'ALL HOPE Y'ALL ENJOYED IT. ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS THE TEX EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY PANTHERS BAND, AND THANK YOU. YEP. [01:10:23] PLEASE MAKE SOME MORE NOISE FOR THE TEXAS EMPOWERMENT BAND. SO, LIKE I SAID, WE DO HAVE FOOD. IT IS IN ANOTHER ROOM. IT IS OUR, UM, GIMME, WHAT IS IT? I'M OUR, WHERE'S OUR, OUR VENDING MACHINE. SORRY, I DREW A BLANK. IT'S IN OUR VENDING MACHINE ROOM. WE'LL GUIDE YOU THERE. OKAY. EMMANUEL RIGHT HERE WILL MAKE SURE TO GET YOU SOME FOOD. FOLLOW HIM TO THE VENDING MACHINE ROOM. PLEASE EXPERIENCE THE ART. AND IF YOU NEED YOUR PARKING VALIDATED, PLEASE SEE THE FRONT DESK IF YOU NEED YOUR PARKING VALIDATED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.