{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/sj19k47z1q/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Oral history interview with KJ Kearney"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/212/original/LOHI_aviarybanner2.jpg?1741032082","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["1/21/22"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["KJ Kearney is a North Charleston native, community activist, writer, and founder of the online initiative Black Food Fridays, which supports and advertises Black-owned restaurants every Friday."]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["Copyright Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture"]}},{"label":{"en":["Access Note"]},"value":{"en":["For more information contact the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, 125 Bull Street, Charleston, SC 29424."]}},{"label":{"en":["Access Statement"]},"value":{"en":["All rights reserved."]}},{"label":{"en":["Interviewee"]},"value":{"en":["Kearney, Michael KJ, 1983-"]}},{"label":{"en":["Interviewer"]},"value":{"en":["Brown, Millicent E., 1948-"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject - Topical"]},"value":{"en":["African Americans","Activism","Political participation","Community organization"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject - Personal or Corporate"]},"value":{"en":["Summey, Keith, 1947-","Emanuel AME Church (Charleston, S.C.)","South Carolina State University"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject - Geographic"]},"value":{"en":["North Charleston (S.C.)","Charleston (S.C.)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject - Geographic County"]},"value":{"en":["Charleston County (S.C.)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Contributing Institution"]},"value":{"en":["Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture"]}},{"label":{"en":["Media Type"]},"value":{"en":["Oral Histories"]}},{"label":{"en":["Resource Locator"]},"value":{"en":["AMN 1168.001.027"]}},{"label":{"en":["Digitization Specifications"]},"value":{"en":["Mp4 derivative audio and video created using Davinci Resolve. Archival masters are mp4 files."]}},{"label":{"en":["Date Digital"]},"value":{"en":["2022"]}}],"summary":{"en":["KJ Kearney is a North Charleston native, community activist, writer, and founder of the online initiative Black Food Fridays, which supports and advertises Black-owned restaurants every Friday."]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["Copyright Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Lowcountry Digital Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Lowcountry Digital Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/212/original/LOHI_aviarybanner2.jpg?1741032082","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/291/381/small/kj-kearny.mp4_1757957721.jpg?1757957723","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - kj-kearny.mp4"]},"duration":2634.772,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/291/381/small/kj-kearny.mp4_1757957721.jpg?1757957723","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-cofc.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/291/381/original/kj-kearny.mp4?1757957716","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":2634.772,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Transcript of Interview with KJ Kearny [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nFor the record, would you give us your full name? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=0.0,5.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nMy full name is Michael KJ Kearney Jr. People know me as KJ Kearney. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=5.0,10.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nGreat. Can we have your birthplace, and I will say birthplace and place that you would consider to be the biggest influence on your childhood. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=10.0,22.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nMy birthplace and the biggest influence of my childhood are the same, North Charleston, South Carolina. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=22.0,29.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nAnd for the record, what title do you attach to your name? Either where are you working or how do you identify yourself professionally? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=29.0,42.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nProfessionally, I would identify myself as a community organizer. I think there's difference between organizer and activist, but I work for Charleston Promise Neighborhood. I'm the Community Engagement Project Manager for them, but I'm also the founder of an online initiative called Black Food Fridays, that organizes people around the ideal of participating or supporting black-owned restaurants every Friday? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=42.0,69.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWell, we're certainly going to get more into that. Why don't you start off just a little bit about, just so that we understand a little bit more about you and what growing up in North Charleston was like. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=69.0,86.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nGrowing up in North Charleston, I thought it was... The line between North Charleston and Charleston was very blurred for me as a child, because I didn't realize that it was its own city. So seeing as I had family both in Charleston and North Charleston, and we were visiting back and forth all the time, it didn't even... I think maybe I was in high school when I realized, oh, these are two separate cities. It's not like the dialect changes. The food is no different, the weather's no different. Where you need to be treated for doctors visits, or dentist appointments, or whatever, the lines were very blurred for me. So growing up in Charleston, I just thought of it as one big area and treated it as such.  MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWill you give us your birthdate? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=86.0,135.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWill you give us your birthdate? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=135.0,135.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWill you give us your birthdate?  KJ KEARNEY\n\nYeah, of course. May 13th, 1983. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=135.0,139.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWhere did you go to high school? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=139.0,140.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nI did one year at Academic Magnet High School, and then I graduated from Stall High School in North Charleston? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=140.0,148.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nIn what year? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=148.0,150.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\n2001. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=150.0,154.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYou know that for the purposes of this project, we've been talking to influencers, people that call themselves maybe different things, but we certainly recognize that they have been active in some way, shape or form in the last 20 years maybe. You made the distinction between being an organizer and an activist. Talk to us a little bit about that. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=154.0,187.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nYeah. So one of my first professional jobs as an organizer was with a nonprofit organization called Conservation Voters of South Carolina. So we worked on state wide environmental policy. And as a field director, my job was to go out into different communities and explain the different policies that were on the table, why they should care, and give them ways or resources for them to get involved with their local or state politicians on these issues, environmental issues that matter to them. And it was that job that taught me, or at least impressed upon me that there is a difference between someone who is a community organizer and an activist, right? So what happened was my niece at the time, one of my nieces asked me what I do. She was like, \"You're always in a meeting, but I don't know what you actually do.\" And so the first thing that came to my mind was to use to Beyonce to explain the difference between a community organizer and an activist. \n\nAnd I said, \"Beyoncé is the ultimate community organizer, right? She makes the song, she brings out the stadium, she does the insurance, the marketing, the management, all that, the merchandise, the insurance. She is the reason why her beehive, which I consider community activists, right, without her organizing the event there's no place for her beehive to come and show love, right?\" And I think of organizers and activists in the same way. It's not that they can't overlap, but an organizer is probably the person who's going to go to the police department and get the permit, and find out what the regulations are, and call the press, write the press release, so that the activists can come and have a place to be loud and abrupt and in your face or peaceful and whatever the situation calls for. I think those are two separate roles. \n\nAnd I think if they were evaluated as two separate roles, there would be a lot more, I feel, there would be a lot more opportunities for interaction. As it stands, I think people who are not good at the activation part, find themselves being put in that role, because they don't realize that in this movement, there are many different parts that have to be played. Someone could be the person who gets the water, who has bail money, so people can get out of jail, right? There's a role for that person, but there's also a role for the person who wants to shout truth to power. And so anyway, during that job, in my brain, started to see a distinguishing factor between the two. And that's why now I'm comfortable calling myself an organizer because in a lot of my jobs, my role has been to organize the gathering, the round table, the meeting, and so that other people can speak the truth. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=187.0,362.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nHold one second. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=362.0,366.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nDoes that make sense? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=366.0,368.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nIt did. No, it made a lot of sense. Sorry to stop you in mid thought by the way.  KJ KEARNEY\n\nIt's cool. Maybe Beyoncé is in this. [inaudible","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=368.0,379.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nIt's cool. Maybe Beyoncé is in this. [inaudible","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=379.0,379.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nIt's cool. Maybe Beyoncé is in this. [inaudible ] ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=379.0,387.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nI'm curious about whether that was frustrating for you, working with conservation voters, this learning process. You eloquently explained how you came to see the distinction, but while you were going through that training, what was that like for you? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=387.0,409.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nWell, I will say, I think it was a much more fulfilling experience because it wasn't a formalized training. It's not like my job said, \"Hey, we view this as blank and blank.\" My experience in the field is how I came to that conclusion. So it was a fulfilling experience to be able to. And I didn't even realize that I had known the difference until my niece asked me the question, right? So out mouth of babe, she was like 10 years old at the time. And so, I credit her for helping me be able to distinguish that and say it out loud. \n\nBut the training itself was not a difficult training. I think the difficult part about doing community engagement work is that it never stops. It doesn't quit, especially political organizing. It's very emotionally taxing, physically taxing, intellectually draining sometimes. So I understand why people who work in politics burn out. It's just, it never, ever, ever stops. But on the other hand, your ability to learn never stops. Your ability to build relationships and meet new people never stops. And I thrived off of that portion of the position. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=409.0,486.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWere you like that in high school and junior high school and college? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=486.0,488.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nYeah. I won best all around in high school, my senior year in Mr. Stall High School. And part of the reason I went to an HBCU is because I still didn't feel black enough at the time, right. I thought it was a problem that everybody liked me, right. Everybody could talk to me and everybody wanted to be friends. And I was like, ugh. I want to be closer to this side than this side, so to speak. And so yeah, I've always been like this, but I never, I didn't think of it as a good thing in high school and elementary school, right. I just wanted to be one of the kids. Just, I want to be one of the regular kids. It never worked out that way. I was always winning most outstanding or best all around. And I was like, I don't want to be that. I just want to be one of the boys. You know what I mean? So yeah, that was my experience. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=488.0,538.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWhere did you end up going to school, to college? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=538.0,540.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nYes. The illustrious South Carolina State University, home of the Mighty Bulldogs and The Marching 101. It was the best decision I ever made. I was accepted to a lot of schools. Called to Charleston for one, they said they recruited me to play football, couple Ivy League schools, whatever. But I knew in my heart, I was only going to an HBCU. So for me, it was FAMU or South Carolina State. That was it like. Brown and all these other schools, thank you. Makes my portfolio look good that you want me. I ain't never had any intentions of going anywhere but one of those two schools. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=540.0,578.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWhere do you think you got that grounding in terms of identifying with race? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=578.0,590.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nThat's a very good question. I would say college. By way of my culture, I started learning more about race. So let me give an example. I played football at South Carolina State, and one of my best friends to this day is somebody I met on the team. His name is Rob Brown, he's from Johns Island. And so we were freshman, we didn't play a lot. So we would just be talking at practice. And our practices were open to anyone in the public. They could come and watch. And I remember distinctly these two girls walked up on us and said, \"I didn't know people from the islands played football.\" And I'm like, \"He's from Johns Island, of course, they play football.\" In my mind, I'm like, why wouldn't people from Johns Island... I didn't realize that they thought that we were from The Bahamas or Barbados or something. \n\nI'm like, \"Wait, we have an accent. What are you talking about?\" I had no clue. Because growing up in Charleston County School district, they did not elevate Gullah Geechee culture, or language, or dialect, or anything like that. So I didn't even realize that I was Gullah until I got to college. And then learning about my ancestral history in college then opened me up to different aspects of the delineation of how a black person in Charleston has to move versus everybody else in Charleston. And then it made me more aware of the overall issue of race, the distinguishing factors of what makes someone black or otherwise. \n\nAnd so all that stemmed from college. Inadvertently, from someone thinking I'm from Barbados and that leading me down this rabbit hole of discovering, well, what does it mean to be Gullah? And what does it mean to be Gullah as opposed to just another black person? What makes me special, and my history special, and all that stuff. All that started from them two little girls at practice. I don't mean to call them little girls. I don't know. They were in college, but, those two young ladies. How about that? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=590.0,712.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYou talked a few minutes ago about different interpretations of the movement. Tell me how you define the movement. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=712.0,724.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nOh man. Man, that's a good question Dr. Brown. One of the things I will say... What I'll say is, in my mind, analogies helped me take in information, right? And when I think of the movement, I think about a basketball team. That's the only thing that really comes to mind, is that on a basketball team, you have somebody who might be good at dribbling, shooting threes, free throws, defense, block, boxing out, whatever, right? But even though they all have different skill sets, the main objective is the same. We're all shooting towards the same basket. And for me, the movement is that collective body of energy and physical and mental and emotional capability all moving towards or shooting towards the same basket.\n\nAnd so part if my —if I could say issue, with how the movement is organized these days is that it seems to be, more people seem to be comfortable with being in their own silo and not realizing that, hey, as long as this person and I are shooting towards the same basket, how we get there is inconsequential. At least to me, right? And when I say inconsequential, what I mean is, Reverend Nelson Rivers told me that before he organizes with anybody, he needs to know where their money coming from. Because their money will determine where their loyalties lie. And so, yes, we all could be shooting towards the same basket. I think there is nuance in the conversation in terms of people's motives towards shooting towards the same basket. So let's get that out there, right? If you have a good understanding of why we're all shooting towards the same basket, then I think those interconnected pieces matter less than why we're shooting towards the basket in the first place. \n\nSo, in a real life example, going back to the whole organizer activist thing, right? If you are the person who— you’re down the picket, you're down the barricade and blockade, right. And I'm the person who reads the books and studies the policy, I don't feel like there's enough connection between those types of people. Between the people who are willing and able to be in the streets, the people who are willing or able to do the research, the people who are willing and able to bail people, raise money, to cook food, to watch the children, right? To provide transportation, all of those things. \n\nAll those people are just as important. They're all shooting, in my mind, towards the same basket. They're just playing different... They're utilizing different skill sets. That's the part of the movement that I like to see more pronounced in terms of respecting that KJ might only be good for watching the child. That's the only thing I can do. It doesn't mean I care less about black people because I can't march or won't march, or doesn't mean that because I have a whole lot of money that I don't care. We have to find— I think do a better job of finding out where people can engage and then utilizing them for the collective effort of shooting towards the same basket. I'm tripping. Does that make sense? All right. All right. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=724.0,930.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWe're loving it. Don't worry. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=930.0,932.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nI'm going to stop asking if that makes sense. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=932.0,935.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYou lived in Charleston. I imagine you came back after graduating from State? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=935.0,940.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nYes ma'am. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=940.0,942.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nThen, lots was going on. This was a busy era. And tell us just a little bit about your level of involvement. You've described beautifully the different skill sets that you see being needed, but let's talk about how KJ starts off with this job, and then has to look around and see that there is still murder going on in your own neighborhood of North Charleston. And then all kinds of other things going on. What's going on with you, politically? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=942.0,993.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nOoh, politically, that's a very good question. KJ is trying to figure out his political identity. I graduated college in 2005. And so while I've been blessed with a youthful exterior, right, I think sometimes people don't realize that there are a lot of people like myself, who've just been around the scene for a long time. And so throughout their process, I would like to say that I got it, that I understood what my role is and how I could best be serving the community. But I didn't. So it was a bunch of me figuring stuff out by trying different things. So I used to write about sneakers, and I'd write 2000 word essays about cargo shorts, right. I traveled and got to write for big publications all over the world. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=993.0,1044.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nLike what? \n\n\nKJ KEARNEY","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1044.0,1046.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Acclaim Magazine in Australia. Did some work with a guy named Rick Williams in Detroit, who at the time owned a really big sneaker store called a Burn Rubber. I spoke at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas to talk about street wear and sneakers. And so those experience led me to creating street wear experiences here in Charleston, which taught me how... So I had the writing down power, right, and then putting on events like The BIG MIX during Charleston fashion week. As a way to include people who look like me and wore the kind of sneakers that I wore, who weren't being involved in Charleston fashion week. It was like, “All right, will just make our own thing.” So then that taught me how to bring people together, to convene, to do the organizing thing that I was talking about. Then that morphed into me becoming a columnist for Charleston City Paper, which helped me as I ran for office, political office. And then running for office, led me into working for the nonprofit, the Conservation Voters of South Carolina, which then opened me up, right? \n\nSo every one of these different things, I can see thorough lines. Quitting my job before I had a job. That means then I had to go and become a substitute teacher, right. Which got me into the education system and I tolerated children. But then after I got there, I was like, “Oh, I love working with kids.” So then I worked in education, right? So all of these things are what led me to becoming the KJ we're seeing today, but it wasn't without trial and effort. It wasn't without me making mistakes, saying things I probably had no business saying, being in places I probably had no business being, doing things I probably had no business doing. But all in the effort to find out who I am, so then I can add to whatever movement I decided to be a part of. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1046.0,1159.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nCan you identify what the hardest parts of all of that trajectory were for you? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1159.0,1168.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nI would say one of the hardest parts... Oh man. The hardest part is figuring out that none of what you do matters until you're honest with yourself, right? And so I found myself with all this energy and excitement and willingness to be a part of something, just diving head first into a lot of things, just to see if that's the spark, right? Is that the thing that I need to be doing? And like I said, some very good experiences came from that, but then some very horrible things came from that as well. I think a real life example of... A horrible thing is, running for office was one of the worst things I've ever done in my life. I'm not going to lie. But it was also one of the best things in terms of the contacts that I was able to get, my understanding of political policy and what words mean? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1168.0,1231.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nWould you identify what office you ran for and when? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1231.0,1234.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nYes ma'am. I ran for District 15, for the South Carolina House of Representatives. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1234.0,1240.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWNAt the age of? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1240.0,1242.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nOh man. Well, this was 2016. So that's what, five years ago? So yeah, I was like 32 years old, maybe 31, 32 years old. No political experience, right. Again, me just trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do, just jumping into things. I got a phone call. I was a teacher's assistant at the time. I got a phone call... ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1242.0,1265.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nGo ahead. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1265.0,1266.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nOkay. I was a teacher's assistant at the time and I got a phone call. It was like, \"Hey, you ever thought about running for office?\" I was like, \"Yeah, one day. Maybe when I'm 50 years old.\" And it's like, \"Oh, there's an opportunity for you to do it now.\" And because of my personality, I was like, \"All right, let's go. Let's do it.\" So I jumped into it. And not having any preparation, no research, that's what made the process hard. Cause I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't realize how many people want stuff from you. Running for office is just like getting married, I presume, I've never been married. But, when you tell people that you need a cake, the price is $10, when you tell people you need a wedding cake, now the price is $100. \n\nIt's the same thing when you're running for office, right? When you want your homeboys to help or someone in the community to help. “Yeah, no problem. I'll be there.” Oh, I'm doing this because I'm running for office, “That'll be $5,000, right.” And I'm just like, \"What?\" And I gave people money I had no business giving money to. It was a very real life trial by fire. But what I would also say is that helped me figure out where my place in the world was and where I could be useful going forward, as I decide and figure out who I am and then decide where I want to place myself. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1266.0,1346.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nThen let's talk specifically then. As you decided, after the political route didn't turn out quite as you had planned, what then did you decide were the better avenues for you and for your energies? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1346.0,1369.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nIf I had to summarize what I learned from that experience going forward that helped me out, was I realized I had a skillset, which was take complicated issues and break them down so that my 10 year old niece can understand, right? A conversation I had when I was on a campaign trail, I gave a speech somewhere. I was feeling myself, I thought I did a really good job. And some guy comes up to me and he was like, \"Man, I really enjoyed what you said. I'm really going to consider voting for you. But what does being a state representative have to do with building stuff?\" And I'm like, \"Did I say it was an architect or... Help me. If I'm wrong, correct me.\" He was like, \"No, you kept talking about infrastructure. You kept talking about how you want to work on infrastructure.\" \n\nI'm just like, \"I'm new to the political process. I'm learning, so forgive me. But what does building stuff have...\" And I'm like, \"Oh, you think infrastructure means the infrastructure of buildings, building buildings. Oh no, no, no. I'm talking about roads and sewers and things like that.\" And he like, \"Oh, that's what that means.\" It was like, right. And that conversation completely changed how I approached anything. It's like, okay, I can take in the big level, the high level things, but if the least of us do not understand then what... It don't mean nothing, right? So that running for office... If I didn't run for office, I wouldn't have learned that lesson. That lesson carried me, because I was working in public education at the time, right. \n\nSo it carried me through school. Then when I got the job to be an organizer, that's why I was so good at my job. Because I can take all these policies and be like, what's the least common denominator here? What's the thing that everybody here can understand that we can build upon? And so that's where I figured out, okay, that's where my gift is. My gift is taking all the complicated issues, of whatever it is I want to be a part of and synthesizing it in a way so that as many people can understand as possible. I think that's what led me to the job I have now and then the creation of Black Food Fridays. I think that's why it's been so successful, is because I'm not going to talk about the big overlying issues. I'm going to take those big overall issues, and I'm going to distill it into a 60 second reel. \n\nBecause that's all people, what their attention spans can handle. It's 60 seconds at a time. So it also required me to get rid of my ego a little faster than I probably would have. Because I pride myself on being a nerd and I pride myself on how much I know. And I want to tell you how much I know, but then in the real world when you're campaigning, no one gives a shit. They don't care about all the books you read. They just, explain how that makes a difference in my life, period. So I had to murder my ego in the sense of, oh, it's not about how many books I've read or how many Ted Talks I've watched. It's about, can I take that information and explain it to my 10 year old niece or my 61 year old mother or anyone in between. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1369.0,1572.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYou went down the path of culture. And of course, culture is a very broad term, but specifically food ways and that kind of thing, talk about that pathway that takes us into Black Food Fridays. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1572.0,1595.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nThat pathway was accidental Dr. Brown, right. That pathway came because, as a self-proclaimed nerd working on that whole Beyonce, right, structure of community organizer and activist, that was a lot of research. And I was like, I need to take a break. But for me, a break is not no mental work. It's just different mental work. So I was like, well I created this list during Black History Month that went viral, of all the black owned restaurants in Charleston. Apparently no one had compiled a list, a shareable list. And so, it got shared seven, eight-thousand times. I'm like, I know a lot of people, but I don't know 8,000 people, right? So I was like, \"Oh, well maybe there's something here.” So that was February of 2020. So that little nugget was put in my head, oh, maybe people do care about black food or at least where they can go eat. \n\nThen I did an event for Charleston Wine and Food Festival that March. I hosted an event called Soul Stroll. I told somebody there, I was interested in this food thing. They saw my list. They're like, well, you already know where all the black restaurants are. We're going to go on the tour, and you can lead the tour. I'm like... Because again, like I told you earlier, I just jump into things like, all right, cool. I've never done it, but I'll do it. So I did the tour. On the tour, I'm spitting out the information that I read because I'm a nerd and these people on this bus they're like, their minds are blown. Wait a minute, black people or Africans were enslaved because of rice, not cotton. South Charleston was the richest city in the 13 colonies because of rice, not cotton. \n\nAnd that's why they went to West Africa because West Africans knew how to, right? Stuff that I had just been reading because I like to read, automatically, it started just flowing out of me. And I'm looking at these 30 people on the bus and their minds are, boom. And I'm like, “Oh, okay. These are all up. I like putting people on.” I like research. I like black people. I like food. I'm like, “Oh snap.” This is synthesizing all the things that I like into one path. So then COVID comes, basically the beginning of April when everyone— end of March, everything in the world shuts down. And I'm like, “Well I won't be able to go to school, cause I worked at a school.” I'm like, “Well, school shut down. I need something to do.” I was like, “All right, well that whole black food thing, that list I made, I'll just make an Instagram where I talk about what black restaurants are open during COVID.\" \n\nThat was the initial purpose of Black Food Fridays. And then when I... I thought maybe I'll post once or twice a week, maybe three times, from feeling froggy. And that turned into, and every single day for two years posting on Instagram. Black restaurant was open here, check them out, black restaurant open here, check them out. Oh, did you know this? Ooh, people like that. Oh, did you know this about black people and food? Did you know that this man who invented this thing was black, right? All these things start coming out and then it just takes off. So it's like, I talked about murdering my ego, but I still have one. And so it felt good to see people respond to this information. And so I just, I never stopped. It just kept scratching the itch over and over. \n\nAnd it took all the skills I learned, from public education and organizing and running for office and all that other stuff and writing, and all. It all coalesced through this idea that people want to be exposed to black food culture and black food information. And that's how it's matured to this point. It's not just what restaurants are open, now people are coming to learn things. Yesterday I posted something about grits being made out of corn. And there are people in the comments that were like, I had no clue that grits were made out of corn. I had no clue. So it's stuff like that, that I enjoy. And I think we'll continue the process as I grow and expand Black Food Fridays. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1595.0,1852.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWNCan you relate that process to your activist friends? The fact that in the same timeframe we've had, the Emmanuel massacre, we've had George Floyd. We've had all these really awful social confrontations. How do you square them up with what you're doing? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1852.0,1900.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nThat's why you got your PhD. You asking good questions ma'am. Well, I guess how I square it personally is that I always believe that food is political act, right? And so the reason why some people have access and some people don't, that's political. The reason why some people can only get this and they can never get that, is political. So for me, Black Food Fridays has always been this act of operating under the level of influence, right? To do political work without people realizing until it's too late, right. Once they get invested in this ideal of, “Oh, I got to spend my money with a black person every Friday,” that's a political act. Getting people to change where they spend their money is political. So someone might come to my page and not realize that I'm trying to indoctrinate them and then get indoctrinated, right? \n\nHow do I compare that to my previous political work is that, this is easier than the overt political work, right? When you are overtly coming to talk about roads in schools and insert policy, right? You're going to be met head on with a lot of resistance. Even if you are on the right side of history, right? You're going to be met with resistance because you're challenging some pretty core things that everybody, or that people believe. And some people are so rooted into what they believe that they'll just spend the time fighting with you versus listening to what you have to say. However, with food that is not usually the case. Many people, despite the political implications, do not see food as a political activity. Therefore, I can build rapport with people by showing them these tiny food facts, right, or these black food facts or these places you can go eat and reminding them every Friday to go spend your money with a black person. \n\nAnd the whole time it's really political propaganda that they're eating, no pun intended, with Black Food Fridays and then they realize, “Oh, snap, now I'm telling my friends you need to eat at a black restaurant.” It's Black Food Fridays, right? That's political agenda, right? It's the same exact thing. The difference is I've learned through doing Black Food Fridays, and I will give credit to books I've read. Like Adrienne Maree Brown, who talks about Pleasure Activism, right. And how one of the greatest ways to... I'm paraphrasing a lot of her work. But one of the greatest ways to create change, lasting change, is to make change a pleasurable experience. And I think that's the part of movement work that some people don't want to participate in because, I think some people feels like it devalues their work. If people are having fun, then they're not getting the seriousness of the issue. \n\nI get that, I 100% get that. That's not the route for me. The route I've chosen is through an edutainment standpoint where you're going to have fun. Because no one gets mad looking at a slice of pizza, right? No one gets mad looking at sweet potato pie. But by the time you're done with me or throughout the process of becoming a fan or subscriber of the Black Food Fridays, most people become radicalized and they don't even realize it, right. \n\nSome people do hit me up and say, \"Yo, I didn't realize this. But two months ago my office was like, yo, we need a caterer.\" And I was like, \"Oh, we need to hire a black caterer.\" Right. And then they'll come back and say, “I've never said that in my life. I've never openly said, ‘We need to hire a black person to do this work.’\" And I'd be like, \"Welcome to the family baby. You just got politically radicalized.\" The symmetry is there in so many ways. The only difference is, I would consider my work the iron fists in the velvet glove. And then sometimes with some other organizers or activists, it's all iron fists. Mine is a lot of velvet glove, same strength, right, it's just smoother to the touch. That's it. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=1900.0,2150.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nYou have faith in the political process KJ, at this point in your life? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2150.0,2156.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nNo. Excuse me. No, I don't have faith in the political process. I have faith in people. I think a lot of the focus on the politicians is necessary, but also takes energy away from where the true power is, which is in the— I’m not a Marxist, but in the proletariat. In the working class, in the everyday people, that's where real political power is. I think we've seen examples over time, especially in the last, I would say 10 years, of how people have been able to drum up the individual will of people to create widespread movements. I think Bernie Sanders is a great example of that. Give me $1, we're not going to focus on the big donors. I think Obama did a good job because he was an organizer. I think AOC. And truthfully, to an extent, I think the Republican Party has done a good job of co-opting that kind of work. \n\nWhereas the Democratic side might use hope and a promise of a better tomorrow, it's still on an individual basis. The Republican party has done the same thing, except they use different tactics, right? They use a lot of fear mongering, in my opinion. A lot of these people are going to take your job, you don't want that. These people are going to take your house, you don't want that. These people are going to have babies with your daughter, you don't want that, right? These people going to make your child feel bad in school. You'll talk about racism. You don't want your child to feel bad about being white. So, it's still the individual approach to politics. It's just their individual approach is to the individual fear. But I see the similarities are still there. It's the same exact thing. So the process, no. I don't have faith in the process because the process wasn't created for us to be successful. \n\nBut I think within the process, if the focus is on the people, then you can build widespread movement. One of the things I learned from running from office... If I ran for office, I would never do a statewide thing again ever. I would only run for local office, mayor, city council, something like that, because that's where real change can happen. In the neighborhood of [Jaco","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2156.0,2295.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"], right? If the [Jaco Cherokee","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2295.0,2296.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"] neighborhood and the Union Heights neighborhood linked up, right? There's a bunch of taxpayers, there's a bunch of voters because it's all older people. A lot of older people. They vote, that's a real voting block and yeah, they might not make a difference in what Joe Biden thinks. But I damn sure believe that they can mobilize on Keith Summey. Keith Summey would care about three or four black neighborhoods building a coalition and doing... We want this. \n\nThat's where the power is, so that's what I believe in. The power of the people, not so much the power of the process. I think the people can use the process, but the process is inherently flawed. So why would I believe in the thing that's... Let me rephrase that. The process is not flawed. The process works exactly how it's supposed to work and it benefits exactly who it's supposed to benefit. So it's not flawed. I still don't like it, but I still believe that the process can be shaped and melded by the people on the ground. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2296.0,2353.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nAs we close out, I'm going to ask you to think about the fact that your words are going to be available to people young and old 5, 10, 20, or more years from now. What is it that you want to say for those who will listen, not just today or tomorrow, but even in the future? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2353.0,2390.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEY\n\nOkay. I would say that, to anyone who is watching this 10, 20, 50 years from now, take everything that I have said and anyone else you have been watching from this series with grace, and with the ideal of that this is true for us today. And what is true for us today in 2022, may not be true for you in 2075 when you're watching this. Take the nuggets that you find useful in the work that you're doing whenever you watch this and run with it. Understand that the people, myself included, who are giving you their thoughts and feelings are still people. Their thinking is flawed, their thinking is biased, their thinking is shaped by their experiences. So, take everything you hear here in these videos with grace and understand that most of the people, all of the people who are speaking, no matter what side of the aisle they're on, they're doing what they think is best for them and their people and their families. \n\nAnd so, sometimes I've had conversations with some of my elders where they'll say, \"Oh, the civil rights movement was misguided, right. This whole focus on integration, we should have been focusing on getting this money, right.\" That could very well be true, right. But at the time it felt like the right move, right. Peace and love and hope and integration. It felt right at the time in 1964 or 5, right? So I applaud those who in 2022 say, yeah I was part of the movement, but yo we should have been... We boycotted the Montgomery Bus system for 381 days, and 381 days we could have bought our own damn bus, right. \n\nThey wasn't thinking that way then, but they shouldn't be thought of as less than because at the time that's not where their mind was. And that's the thing that I would leave to anybody who watches this video. We're speaking to where we are at this time today. You might ask me the same question 20 years from now, I might have a completely different set of idea. So just watch with grace, the end. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2390.0,2526.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nI said it was going to be our last question, but I lied. Where are you going to take KJ? That's the last question? Where does KJ think the next steps will be for him? ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2526.0,2539.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KJ KEARNEYKJ just realized who he was at 36, 35 years old. So I feel like I've only been me, the me that I am comfortable with for three years. Where do I see KJ going from here? Well, now that I know what my deal breakers are, what I'll stand for, what I won't stand for, who I'm willing to work with, who I'm not willing. I know those things. The only thing I can say in truth is that the KJ in the future, I want to become even more mindful than the KJ you see today. Because the KJ that you see today versus the one 10 years ago is a completely different person. I was not a mindful person 10 years ago. I didn't care about what other people thought. I care about what I thought. And what I thought was right, right? Now I understand that there's many ways to view things. \n\nI hope to continue to grow and process as a person and take in the feelings of other people as I make my decisions going forward. But I see KJ becoming a— continuing his advocacy for black food, for black people, for black food ways. I see, creating resources for people who want to do this work 50 years from now. Use my work as a foundational text, if you will, to build upon and do bigger and better things. I look at myself as a bottom rung ladder, right? Maybe middle rung, because I've stepped on the rungs of other people to get here. And all I want is for somebody to use me to keep going. That's what I hope. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2539.0,2631.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nThe end. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2631.0,2632.0"},{"id":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381/transcript/84164/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"MILLICENT BROWN\n\nThe end. ","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://lcdl.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3440/collection_resources/160069/file/291381#t=2632.0,2634.0"}]}]}]}