>> Monica Valentine: Good
evening.
>> MEMBERS OF AUDIENCE: Good
evening.
>> Monica Valentine: Welcome
to the Library of Congress.
My name is Monica Valentine,
and I'm a program specialist
here at the library.
The Library of Congress
is the world's largest library.
Our collections include
millions of books, films,
newspapers, manuscrap—,
excuse me, manuscripts,
photographs and more.
We are home
to the US Copyright Office
and home to the
Congressional Research Service,
which serves as the research arm
for our country's lawmakers.
Beyond that,
we're sometimes referred
to as the home of
American creativity and culture.
We look forward to all of you
out here finding your place at
the Library of Congress,
whether that is as a visitor,
a researcher, an intern,
or creator.
We want you to know that
the Library of Congress
is your library.
So we're here tonight
to talk about a historic event,
that's just one of the amazing
stories reflected
in our collections.
In 1968, at the Olympics
in Mexico City,
two African American athletes
from San Jose State University,
Dr. Tommie Smith and his
teammate John Carlos,
won the gold and bronze medals
in the 200-meter sprint,
respectively.
After their victory,
they chose to use their moment
on the Olympic medal stand
for more than just themselves.
They created one of the most
iconic moments of protest
in history, with each man
raising a single fist,
wearing a black glove.
That moment meant
to bring attention to racial
injustice in the U.S.
and South Africa
was captured by the media
and made its way
around the world.
This moment lives on
in the Library of Congress
as part of our Prints
and Photographs collection.
John Carlos shared his story
as a part of the Civil Rights
History Project,
a joint project of the library's
American Folklife Center
and the National Museum
of African American
History and Culture.
Dr. Smith has collaborated
with award winning
"New York Times"
best selling author
Derrick Barnes
and Emmy award winning
illustrator, Dawud Anyabwile
to share his story in
a graphic novel
for young readers.
This incredibly talented team
has created, "Victory Stand
Raising My Fist for Justice."
The book has been described
as authentic, groundbreaking,
and inspiring.
It has recently also
been longlisted for the 2022
National Book Award.
To help us understand
the legacy of Dr. Smith
and the making of Victory Stand,
we welcome Ramunda Lark Young.
Ramunda and her husband,
Derrick are the co-owners
and co-founders
of Mahogany Books,
which focuses
on books written for,
by, and about people
of African descent.
Known also as
a community activist,
Ramunda is a vice chair
of the Prince William County
Human Rights Commission
and a gubernatorial appointee
to the Council
on Women in Virginia.
In just a moment,
I will turn the program over
to our outstanding panel,
and I encourage you all
to pay close attention
and consider any questions
you might have for our guests
about their experience
or their work.
We'll have 15 minutes
for questions and answers
near the end of the program.
Raise your hand if you'd like
to ask a question
and wait for a staff member
with a microphone so that
we can all hear you.
We will also collect
questions in writing.
Will you please help me
welcome to the stage,
Ramunda Lark Young,
Dawud Anyabwile,
Derrick Barnes, and U.S Olympic
medalist and member
of the U.S. Olympic
and Paralympic Hall of Fame,
Dr. Tommie Smith.
[Applauding]
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
[clears throat]
How
are you all doing today?
>> MEMBERS OF AUDIENCE: Fine.
>> Ramunda Lark Young: I'm
excited, are you guys excited?
>> MEMBERS OF AUDIENCE: Yes.
>> Ramunda Lark Young: I mean,
excited,
history in the making.
To be here tonight,
it's an honor.
So I am excited to be here,
and I hope you all are,
too [clears throat].
But, Dr. Smith,
it is an honor to be here
to listen to your story,
your experience
that you've shared,
the bravery that you exhibited
that I don't know if I would
have had back then,
but I'm just excited
and honored
to have this
conversation with all of you.
And to Mr. Derrick Barnes,
I appreciate you and the work
that you do with black books
for kids.
And Mr. Dawud,
your illustrations are
out of this world.
So just to be up here
with an Emmy Award winning
illustrator, let's give
it up for that, first of all.
[Applauding]
Emmy.
The "New York Times"
best selling author,
give it up for that.
[Applauding]
And an Olympic gold medalist.
So give it up for that, too.
[Applauding]
And I really love this book
for a lot of different reasons,
so many reasons.
I read it from cover to cover.
And I love that a lot of times
we see you in your journey
and the iconic pose,
but this book delves into
so beautifully.
Derrick, you guys just
knocked it out of the park.
But so beautifully into
your history as
a young person all through
high school
and even through college.
And so I love that
you all will get an opportunity
to hear some of
that perspective,
and to read some of
that perspective
when you get your copies
of the book.
But we'll delve into a
little bit,
we won't give it all out.
You guys are part
of the VIP crew, I say,
because this is the first
kickoff event today is
and you all are here
to witness that.
So I'm excited.
Give yourselves a big round
of applause for making it out,
[Applauding]
to be a part of this.
So—so my big question
is for—for you,
I'll start with you, Derrick.
So as a kids' author,
I wanna kind of set the stage
for people to kind of get
to know who you are,
all of you.
But as a kids' author,
you could have written about
anything, any book,
any experience in history,
and you said yes to this book.
Why was it important
for you to say yes to this book?
>> Derrick Barnes: Well,
first of all, hello everyone.
Glad you guys showed up.
Lovely seeing
your beautiful faces.
You know, I—I feel like
it felt right until
my wheelhouse,
right into my body of work.
In 2017, my ninth book
came out and that was
my first hit book.
It was entitled, "Crown: An Ode
to the Fresh Cut."
But in 2016,
I hadn't had a book out
since 2010.
So we had just moved
to Charlotte, North Carolina,
and I almost considered
not even writing anymore,
like just getting a regular job.
And I was in the room
that was, that's
my office right now.
There's no furniture,
no book stands, nothing.
It was just completely empty.
But I was sitting there
on the floor and I would
write down
notes about books that I—
I mean, I wrote like 30 books
between 2010, 2017.
And I was trying to write books
to the gatekeepers
in the publishing industry,
and nothing was
happening for me.
So I have four boys,
one of my boys came
into the office one day,
and he was eating an apple.
I think he
was around 11 years old,
and he bit the album,
was chewing
and he looked down there
and he said,
"Daddy, you know
what you should do?"
I said, "What, son?"
"You should write
the blackest book ever."
[Laughs]
He's like, "You're already
not getting any book deals."
Then he bit the apple
and walked out.
[Laughs]
And listen, two weeks later,
I wrote, "Crown: An Ode
to the Fresh Cut,"
and he helped to remind me
of who I was writing for
instead of—
I—I mean, for anybody
that's watching,
instead of trying
to get your foot in the door,
work on your voice,
what are you trying to say?
Think about your body of work
and what kind of legacy
you wanna leave behind.
So when I was offered
the opportunity
to write this book,
it fit right into the lineage
or the legacy that I want
to leave behind.
I mean, to be a part
of this man's story is—
I—I couldn't turn it down.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Absolutely.
>> Derrick Barnes:
I couldn't turn it down.
>> Ramunda Lark Young: Absolutely.
And if you all
have not read, "Crown: An Ode
to the Fresh Cut—"
>> Derrick Barnes:
What's wrong with you?
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
What's wrong with you?
[Laughs]
Tell them, Derrick,
what's wrong with you?
Get the book.
You can get at Mahogany Books
is where my husband and I own.
Or any bookseller.
But it's a powerful book.
One of the most awarded
children's books,
I would say in
history that I've seen so far.
>> Derrick Barnes: Yeah,
I won like eight awards for it.
So I had never won anything
before and never been
on any list.
So I kept pushing,
kept pushing forward
and just led me here today,
sitting next to this brother.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Absolutely, absolutely.
So, Dr. Smith,
I love this book,
as I mentioned earlier,
that it gives some back story
to who you were.
And a lot of us
don't know that back story,
we see the photo.
But who are you as a person?
So my question for you is
you went to great lengths
sharing about
your parents journey
as sharecroppers
and moving place to place,
both of you.
Derrick, you guys just wrote
it out very beautifully
and it was
just wonderful to read.
But why was it important
for you to give
that in-depth journey,
giving that space in this book?
Why was that important?
Why did we need to know that?
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
[Clears throat] I am—
thank you for— thank you.
It's good to see everybody.
God is good,
look at your smiling faces.
I—It's a pleasure.
I'm one of 12,
seven girls, lord have mercy,
[Laughs]
and five boys born
in the backwoods of Texas.
Texarkana, Texas.
Moved to California
in the early 50s
on a labor camp.
Came to California
with some of the
Western foreigners,
western sharecroppers
brought us in to California
to work on their farms,
put us on labor camps,
and we had to work diligently,
night and day just to pay
the people who brought us here
to work, brought us to
California to work on the farms.
And I never,
never talked very much.
I mean, you have seven sisters,
you don't have
any space to talk.
[Laughs]
But I always wanted to talk,
but I never grew into the idea
of maybe you will have a word
someday and maybe
you could do something with it.
So I was blessed with speed
because I had seven sisters,
you know, to stay away from.
I was blessed with speed
to—to—to
move around and to use some way,
but I didn't know how.
You can't run races
in cotton fields.
You have to pick
the cotton first, make space.
But I had one sister, Sally,
who was right over me.
She was faster than me,
Sally was built
like Tarzan, you know.
And I got many beats from Sally
because I could beat her.
And she knew I could
beat her in any race.
Now I'm talking about
childhood now, little guys
age seven and eight,
but I never would beat her
because if I beat her
in a race,
she'd beat me physically
for beating her in a race.
[Laughs]
So I always was a close second.
But I grew into understanding
winning because I never could.
And I promised myse— myself,
myself, thank you.
I promised myself
if I beat Sally,
I'm gonna beat
everybody else I run against.
And so I just kept at it,
kept at it, kept working,
kept working.
And one day at school,
the principal called us out
to race and I beat Sally
for the first time.
Sally couldn't beat me up
because I beat her because
the principal was there.
So after I crossed
the finish line,
everything was great.
I watched them cross,
all of them first
and I was smiling.
I saw Sally, face 'cause
I knew I was gonna get beat.
She reached in the pocket,
I was ducking and diving
and she came out with a nickel,
a nickel, folks.
She gave me the nickel.
I became a professional athlete
in the fourth grade 'cause
she gave me that nickel
and she said,
"Tommy, you take this
and you spend it any way
you want to now."
Anybody who's old enough
to know what a nickel was
back in the 50s knew
that was some money.
I bought me all the candy
I could and I ate it.
All the candy I bought
I ate it.
Anyway I know
that's—that's—that's
superfluous here, but I want it
to be something.
And I knew if I had the ability
to do something,
I wanted to share it
with the rest of the world.
I wanted to be a glow in
a light of lives.
And I went on to grammar school,
to high school,
to college, and I majored
in sociology with a minor
in physical education
and military science.
Can you believe that?
Military sci—
Oh, I was a good
first lieutenant.
Anyway,
that's another whole story.
But that's how Tommy
made his background.
And from that I built a bridge
and I heard my wife grunt.
So I thought,
I've got to shut up
and keep on moving.
[Laughs]
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
No, but I love that you included
that story in the book,
that you and Derrick made sure
that that was there ,
and people got a sense
of who you were and
the relationships that you have
with your sisters
and your family.
So I love that people get
that kind of inside
bird's eye view of who you are
and what challenged you,
and what made you really strive
to go for what you went for.
My question next
is for you, Derrick.
So I love that you started
with Dr. Smith's childhood,
all the way up
to the post Olympic medal.
What struck you most
about his childhood story?
So he talked about
it a little bit.
But what struck you most
as you were writing
this about it?
>> Derrick Barnes:
Well, the fact there was so many
of them, but
that it's kind of common
when you think about
families in the— in the South,
black families in the South
during that era in the 40s
and 50s,
but they were so close knit.
You know, one of the lines
in the book is like,
we—we didn't—
we didn't have a lot,
but we had plenty
'cause we had each other,
you know.
No running water, no plumbing,
no— he didn't see
a cement sidewalk
until he went to college,
you know.
But they had each other
and they worked
in the fields together,
and this was a family unit.
And this is where he learned
and got his work ethic from,
watching his father—
you know, another line
in the book.
His father was Superman
before he knew who Superman was.
And I really tried to structure
the story centered around that—
those 19 seconds
that it took him
to win that race.
And I kind of broke up
the whole book,
and stretched those
19 seconds out.
And every time he took a turn—
when I sat down and talk to him,
and I came to your house,
I had never talked
to a track and field athlete
before about—
And he really looks at track
and field from a scientific.
point of view,
you know, like his body is a—
a Ferrari.
So, you know,
what percentage to decelerate,
to accelerate
when you go around, you know,
a specific turn,
you're running a 200—
I never had
that conversation before.
And, you know,
one of the things
that I did not know
before I did research on him
is that he injured himself
during the race prior
to the final.
So he should not
have been able to run this race,
but he knew how—
F—first of all,
God was with him that day.
You know, the fact
that he wo—won that race
and he was injured,
and to be on that
number one podium,
like this thing,
if he had finished
in fourth place,
even in third place,
but he finished first place,
his fist rose the highest,
you know, because of that race.
So I found out so many things
I did not know about him,
but, you know, his relationship
with his family
really touched me.
Because I have—
I have— I don't have 12 kids,
[laughs]
but it really touched me.
You know, the fact that
you don't need much,
but if you have family
to support you and lift you up—
You know, his sister, Sally,
she—she came to all your events—
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
Yes, she did.
>> Derrick Barnes:
In high school.
I mean, when nobody else
would show up, she was there.
Family, family is everything.
And I learned a lot
about studying, you know,
the Smith family.
Ramunda Lark Young:
Yeah. You're definitely close
with your boys.
You talk about your boys
and your amazing wife often,
which is always
a beautiful thing
to see and to hear.
I don't know if we see
a lot of that in our community,
as much as I would love to see,
for a lot of different
reasons sometimes.
So we have this,
an Emmy Award winning
illustrator down here
that's low key chillin' with us
but amazing, amazing work.
And so my question for you,
Dawoud, is please share
a particular part of the book
that you were extremely eager
to illustrate because
of the actual scene before you.
And if there was a scene
that really sticks out,
can you describe that scene?
And you guys,
I wish we had a big projector
so you all could see
the work that
this amazing illustrator did.
You'll see it in your books.
But the expressions,
the joy, the pain, you—
It's all in these faces that
you so beautifully illustrated.
So what would be
one of those scenes
that you were excited to do?
And did you read the book first?
Did you have the script first
and went from there, correct?
>> Dawud Anyabwile:
Yeah, I've always—
I always go through the script
at least twice.
I'll read it twice.
And then, you know,
I have conversations
with Derrick
and he'll even help me out with,
like, things
that he may visualize,
like some reference.
And then Dr. Smith,
ironically, he—he lived like
in the vicinity of
where I lived down in Georgia.
So I got a chance to stop
by his house and talk to him.
And he was actually showing
me some of his— some of his work
from his archives, photos
and things like that.
The actual gold medal
and things like that.
But I never laid
my eyes on before.
So all that helped
to spark these visions
in my mind.
In terms like a specific scene,
that's really hard to say,
'cause there were so many
different scenes
that I wanted to tackle
from reading it.
I think one that—
For me, one that stood—stood
out was the—
When he was explaining
the era of time, you know,
with the lynchings
and things of that nature,
which, for a lot of us,
is—is unfathomable.
Like we don't— we don't see,
I—it doesn't exist anymore.
And a lot of those remnants
have basically been eradicated
where, you know,
there might be a Walmart,
where there were trees,
where people were lynched,
and things like that.
So we're kind
of resurrecting that—that
feeling.
And so I think getting
to that scene was—
it was a powerful
two-page spread.
And, you know,
I kind of envisioned it
in my mind, you know,
just from growing up in—
My father having a lot of books
on lynchings
and hidden histories
of America and things like that.
And we grew up in Philadelphia,
so that—that was
the—the birth place.
So there was like a lot
of iconic things just
in our neighborhood growing up.
So—so I had a perspective
coming to it
that I couldn't wait
to get to.
And then there
were other—other things.
So that's kind of more
the dramatic side,
but also the—the
tender moments of the family
and the children,
'cause I like doing things
for family and—and
children as well, so
that just those
communal shots,
they're not action shots,
but they're just tender moments,
you know, between him
and his father,
him and his mother,
or the father and mother,
how they relate or
how all the children relate.
You know, I like getting
into that and then feeling
like I'm there, you know?
So I say it's really hard
to say, the—there's
so many scenes.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: So many.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
They really were,
they really were.
But that one about the lynching
was a very poignant one
that I just looked at that,
and it was so many different
things happening on that page.
But it just really struck me
the detail and the care
that you took in showing
that it was—it was crazy,
to be honest, just to see that.
>> Dawud Anyabwile: Well—
I'm sorry.
I also think cinematic
'cause I do storyboards
for film and television.
I've been doing graphic novels
and comic books for years.
So I worked on a lot of movies
and things like that.
So when I work on these scenes,
even though I'm resurrecting
these ideas and—and feelings,
I also think about it
thematically,
like, how can you make
this dynamic?
You know, even if
it's a family scene
and we're just sitting there,
it's a tender moment.
How's the camera going to—
How's the lighting?
You know, you got
to make it epic, you know?
So I think of it like this
is the movie,
and then I just—
I illustrate it
like a storyboard.
Ramunda Lark Young:
Love it, love it, love it.
And everybody will, too
as you open up the pages
and see it for yourselves.
My next question
is for you, Derrick.
I'm sorry, for Mr. Smith.
So there was
one powerful exchange.
You've talked about
your race with
your sister, Sally.
And there was an exchange
that served as the motivation
for the rest of your life.
That's on the page.
This incident served for
just a catalyst for you,
and it's on page 78.
And it says,
"After you just ran the race
against your sister,
Sally and won,"
let me say, "And won."
that's—
You may clear that.
We knew that he won that race.
But he said—
Your dad says,
"Tommy, if I ever find out
that you finished second place,
it's over and you'll
be back here working
in these fields with us."
Why did that linger with you
as an adult?
You mentioned that it—it
struck with—
stuck with you from then,
even to this day.
Why did not going back
and working at the labor camps,
as you mentioned,
really struck you?
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
Daddy always told his kids,
when you grow up,
he want us to be somebody
because he didn't see himself
a person at that particular time
that would do us any good
by keeping us in the fields.
Although he needed us
in the fields because
we made $3 a hundred
for picking cotton,
which took us about 4 hours
to get 100 pounds, you know.
So that was a lot
of money back then.
So we needed
all the kids in the field.
Can you see all
the kids in the field,
and he's looking around
and saying, "Work?"
And we thought
that was a triumph to work.
That was it.
It was glad to have a job,
although it was in the primary
stage of making money,
but it was money
we needed [clears throat].
One day, this was
a turning point in my life.
One day, the principal
of the school told Sally
who was in the seventh grade
and I was in the fourth grade
to have a race because
they were going
to Bakersfield, California
for an AAU meet.
Some of you people know
where the AAU meeting
was back in those days.
And well, I said,
"Daddy," Daddy's
Madagascar background, you know,
big chest, slanted eyes,
red eyes by the way, dark.
And he looked at me, he said,
"Tell me what you want."
I said, "Mr. Fotch,"
F-O-C-T-H was
the principal's name,
"Wants me to go to Bakersfield
and run in a meet."
He was in the hog pen, y'all
feeding the hogs, okay?
And he stood up.
I said, "Oh, Lord,
I'm gonna get a whooping."
He said, "No.
You told me, you know, you—
we need everybody
in the field to work.
We need the money."
He bent back over,
then he stood up again
and I said,
"That's two whoopings."
[laugh]
He said, "Now, I'm gonna
let you go this weekend.
But if you lose,
you'll be out in the field
next weekend with the rest
of your brothers and sisters.
You know—you know,
I didn't lose race.
You know,
I didn't lose that race.
I would have tripped somebody
before I lost that race [laugh].
I won the race in the crowds
to stand because nobody
ever seen this long legged,
5'7" I guess, or eight, maybe
118-pound guy run that fast
and knees that high.
So I ran the race,
came back to daddy,
and he didn't say nothing.
It was Sally, the one that said,
"Tell me how'd you do?"
I said, "I won."
She said, "I knew that."
[Laughs]
And Daddy from then on said,
"Well, boy, you know,
you're doing pretty good,
just keep on going."
But what was the epitaph,
and a great one of that race
in Mexico City?
Daddy had never seen me run
in his life. Never.
I ran a plethora of races.
Now, my mother was busy
working and raising kids.
And my background,
you know, was helping.
I was seven, so I changed
diapers of the younger kids
'cause there was five after me
and got whooped into a beat up
by the older kids.
So I was up my neck,
was on swivel all the time.
So at the Mexico,
I went to Mexico City.
I went back down home
to San Jose State
in Fresno, California.
If you know the 190 miles
and went back there,
he was feeding the hogs,
a new set of hogs, by the way.
And he—he raised about
the hog pin again,
and he said,
"Boy, you know,
some of these people around here
were saying you
did something bad."
He didn't know he couldn't read,
he didn't know where I was
or what I was doing. I said,
"Well, dad, I ran a race."
He said, "[indistinct] boy,
you still running [laugh]?
I said, "Yes, sir."
And that's how it went
from then on.
I won a race, but my mother,
she received feces
in the mailbox.
She received bad letters
in the mailbox.
She died at age 57
because of all the stress
of what had happened.
Because I went to Mexico City,
made a world
statement of faith and not hate.
I was raising a family,
my dad respected people,
took us to
church every Sunday.
So it was something
that I felt needed doing.
And it wasn't just Tommy,
it was a whole track team
and many track teams doing.
Even the Harvard rowing team
came in with us
'cause it wasn't
a black right thing.
It was a human right,
which included everyone.
I've talked—
I'm ready to get off here.
But, thank you.
Ramunda Lark Young: It's good.
No, no, no, but it's important.
I think— and it leads
really into my next question.
When you say what happened
to your mom and receiving feces
in the mail for a—a silent
protest, really silent protest.
And my question then leads
me to Derrick.
You know, the story is one
that is really layered
with so many different
facets, right?
We've talked about some.
And as most black people's lives
are, one of those things
that sticks out to me is the
reality of being in the prime
of our winningest moment,
winningest,
as Mr. Smith mentioned,
standing up there,
winning his moments.
And not just even
as an illustrator,
you have those winning moments
and— But you're still
being relegated to being
reminded of our blackness
in those situations,
our humanity.
And so have you ever
experienced that as an
illustrator, as a writer,
that you are reminded,
it doesn't matter
if you won an Emmy,
if it doesn't matter if you've
been on the "New York Times",
it doesn't matter if you
won an Olympic medal,
it is there that you really
are reminded of who you are
versus the things
that you are doing at that moment.
Have you ever
been experience those?
And if so, can you share?
>> Dawud Anyabwile: Oh,
you want me go?
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Either one.
>> Dawud Anyabwile: Oh, yeah.
No, I mean—
Well, I guess with me,
like the way I was raised,
you know, my father, he—
You know, he's since passed on,
him and my mother.
But my father wrote books
on the black family
since the early 70s.
He wrote one of the first books
on "Kwanzaa," and,
you know, before people
were even utilizing it,
but back in the early 70s.
So since we were young,
he always had us be aware
of self who we are,
you know,
understanding our history.
And—and that's
how I was aware of you,
Dr. Smith, when I was younger,
'cause my dad had that poster,
you know, all that,
and those images
were always around us.
And so I never really went
into the world thinking
in terms of
like I needed validation.
You know, we had
self validation in the home.
Me and my brothers
and my mom was a creative person
and my dad
was the researcher.
So I had that balance
of—of him saying,
"Hey, you know, whatever you do,
go out, you know,
own what you create,
you know.
Know who you are.
And with my mom,
it was like whatever you create,
you know, she—she actually,
she was a musician.
So she always connected me,
helped me to understand
the connection
between music and art
and classical music,
classic soul, hip hop,
all that stuff,
how it all merged
and how it all was a part of us.
So when I went to the world,
like when I get awards
and things like that,
I always look at it like,
that's like somebody
patting you on the back saying,
"Oh, that's— good job,
keep going."
But I never looked at it as,
this is my arrival,
this is what made me.
I look at it like,
it's something that adds
to—to my—
You know, it adds to my value
in terms of how
other people see me.
But for me personally,
I already know what my value is.
So I'm never fooled when
I'm in a situation
where somebody wants
to treat me as how
they see a black man, you know,
or how they see—
How we should be portrayed,
because I don't go for that.
It's like, I already
know who I am.
And if somebody—
I take people on their own
merit because I too
am an humanitarian, I take
anybody on their own merit.
But I'm not a clown either,
where if somebody wants
to try to say I'm not something
or I don't have a value,
then I'll be like, you know,
then you just missed out
on what I have to offer.
But I'm no less, no less than,
and that's what I teach my sons
and even young kids.
You know, I always speak
at schools and things like that,
and I always try to get them
to understand their value
and not to worry about
what other people place on you.
And then all the things
that you receive
such as the gold medal
and the—the honor—honorings
and awards
and all those things,
those add to our
intrinsic values in terms
of how people—
how other people see us.
But we understand that
our greatness within
and how far-reaching that is.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Got it, powerful, powerful.
Did you wanna add anything
to that, Mr. Barnes or not?
>> Derrick Barnes: Oh, yeah.
I mean, you know,
I'm kind of along the same lines
as Brother Dawud,
but he is a little bit
more modest than me.
Like, I want to win
every damn thing [laughs],
everything.
And it's not from—
I'm a very competitive person.
But like, when I first got
into this business,
into children's publishing,
I wasn't made aware
of all the, you know,
the large awards
like the Coretta Scott King,
Newbery and Prince.
And so once I got a taste
of that and I saw
what it does to that book,
like it—it makes that book
far-reaching across the planet.
So I'm extremely,
extremely competitive person.
But I understand that I—I write
for all children, but I
write to black children.
And if I create a book
with a beautiful black child
as a protagonist
and I win an award,
that book is everywhere.
So the whole world has no choice
but to see how beautiful
and brilliant
this baby is, you know?
But yeah, I wanna win everything.
I wanna win Emmys
and Oscars.
I want to win bowling
trophies, everything.
[Laughing]
Ramunda Lark Young: Oh, no.
Derrick Barnes: That's the kind
of person I am.
Because we put so much
into this work, man.
We put so much in this work.
I was—I was talking to a artist,
you know, last week.
And we're talking about
when you purchase these books,
it's like you're not just
purchasing the story,
but you're purchasing
like months out
of our lives,
like a year or so
out of our lives.
So we put so much into it.
And—and it's not so much
that we— you know,
just like you were saying
that I don't—I don't measure
my worth by these—
by these awards,
but you're gonna see me.
[Laughs]
You're gonna see me.
>> Ramunda Lark Young: I know.
That's right.
We'll be looking for
that bowling trophy
posted on social media,
we'll look.
So let's set the stage, right?
So, Dr. Smith,
you are 24 years old.
It's the evening
of October 16, 1968.
You're at the starting blocks
of the 200-meter run.
You hunch down,
the shot fires,
and you're off, right?
[clears throat]
You run your fastest
ra—race yet,
clocking in at 19.83 seconds,
a world record.
And then after that,
you put on your tracksuit,
you walk to the podium
to receive your gold medal.
My question for you is,
as you were walking
to the podium,
what was going on
through your mind
at that very moment
as you're walking up?
'Cause you've already thought
perhaps you have
your glove with you,
you have your no shoes on,
you have all these things.
and we'll ask that question
as well. But what was going
through your mind
as you just made
this world record
and you're walking up
to the podium
to take your medal?
What were you thinking?
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: I gotta
get across the track.
Not around it,
I have to get across it.
I've been around it.
These electric shocks
going through the brain
itemized what I have to do.
Like don't fall on lane three,
because that's where
you ran the race.
Walk across it with pride.
We had, of course,
the black socks,
my Sunday socks by the way,
the black gloves.
We had—
I had a scarf around my neck
and I had a lot to say,
but I had no time to say it.
That's why it's called
silent gesture.
In my mind—
I'm a Gemini, so my mind
took off, went
to someplace else.
That's how I think it was,
this family out front.
And the lady said "Hi,"
and I turned around.
I wanted to so bad
to stop and take a picture.
But like, I'm sorry,
I couldn't, you know.
I was in a hurry
a—and I knew I had a message.
As he called my name,
and I stepped up
on the victory stand,
that was my whole life.
That one giant step,
you've heard that before,
haven't you?
One giant step for man,
you've heard that before?
That's how I felt.
Way up high, and I stood there
and my—
Automatic my hands went up.
Now, this is history for me.
I'm a 24-year-old,
skinny kid, broke,
no college education yet.
That's another story, now.
And I had something
to say and couldn't say it.
Because I was a docile kid.
But I had a lot to say,
because when I was
on the track training,
I couldn't talk to anybody
if it wasn't
about Coach Bud Winter
about the science of speed,
which I had.
So there I was,
locked into the minds
of America, in fact,
the entire world.
They hung the medal
around my neck,
I stood there proud.
I know the flag was coming up,
which I'm also proud of now.
Why am I proud of it?
Not because of that
it was representing hate,
I had a lot of my people
die in making America
what it is.
So why am I gonna hate
something which they fought for?
Who are Tommie Smith to—to
negatively display idiocy
because of racist America?
And the flag,
it was prior to me.
We turn.
Now, I said I was
ROTC, remember?
I turn with the military turn.
If you ever see that—
that pose again
or even the—the—the
motion picture of it,
you'll see that military
right turn,
that was sweet, boy.
I mean, I was sweet,
you know.
[Laughs]
Turn real quick,
and the Star-Spangled Banner
started playing and just chill
within my body.
And you notice when
that right arm went up,
everything was still
massively still.
I paid Bower,
The Lord Prayer,
come on now.
I prayed the entire song,
one minute and 30 seconds.
When it was finished,
notice they're on what they are.
It didn't flop down.
It came down
with power and pride.
And then I did my left turn—
left turn [chanting]
boy, I was sweet.
Turn left,
and I—I talking like this.
But it was more serious than it.
I just get a magical feeling
when I talk about it because
it's down there, I can feel it.
And then I said,
"Well, it's over."
My life had been threatened
several times before
I left San Jose to go to Mexico.
My wife— I was married
at that time, 24 years old.
My life was threatened.
In San Jose and I was
practicing for Mexico games.
It was the end of the chapter
at that book.
That was it.
A lot of it is here.
And these young guys right here
are masterful minds.
I tell you, if you notice
there are different,
but they're so much alike
in their professions.
That's why I'm proud
to work with them,
because they can tell the story
and it's all here,
it's here, itemized directly.
No fat on it,
it's all down the line.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
All is skinny [laugh].
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: Yeah,
and I'm off the subject now,
so I'll hush again [laugh].
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
No, no, no.
So my my other
question and a lot
of people ask, you know,
want to know the backlash.
You talked about a little bit,
but what was some of
that backlash you faced when
you made this silent protest?
That's part one.
And then part two,
what would you—
and you may have already said,
we think of Colin Kaepernick
right now, who also
made a silent protest.
Have you talked to him?
And what—
You know, what if you
did talk to him,
what have you said to him?
Number one.
And then two,
what was the backlash
that you faced?
'Cause we've seen the backlash
that Colin faced
and is still facing,
no matter whatever settlement
or whatever happened,
years of—of dealing
with that backlash.
And so what was
that backlash for you
and what words have you
shared with him, if any?
I don't wanna assume, but—
Tommie Smith: Yeah, right.
Even before we left to go—
to go to the Olympic Games
in Mexico City,
my life had been threatened
several times and I didn't know
what to do about it
because I was
on an Olympic team.
It was called the Olympic
Project for Human Rights.
So there were other
athletes also involved.
The Olympic Project
for Human Rights
the umbrella started at
San Jose State University
and I was a student.
In fact, I was on the board
that started the Olympic
Project for Human Rights.
So I had to be very particular
of what I was doing,
how I was saying it,
and have respect
for who I was talking
to all the time.
Because you're human
no matter what color you are.
You still got the same
responsibility
for everybody else.
And we were just insubordinate
than the white folks.
And I use that freely
because you should
get to hear the truth.
Don't try to hide something
that you know
that is going to get you
in trouble later on.
So—so—so
the merciful thing
about the Olympic Project
for Human Rights,
that there were other countries,
I think I just said that
I'm beginning
to repeat myself now.
There were other countries,
athletes from other countries
that understood what
we were saying,
especially the
countries of color.
But there was also,
I said Harvard team,
because it was a human rights
issue and not
a black rights issue.
Human rights issue
is a part of it,
so that was our battle.
That was our fight.
And he's 24 years old,
I recognize this from
being a part of the system
and not being recognized
for who I was,
not how fast I ran.
How fast I ran was a platform
for me to save my pride
in who I was and how much
we needed America
to come together
in any strife there might be.
Okay.
And Hebrew 11 and one
would tell you this about faith
and about the goodness of it,
and bringing together the faces
of those who
believed in themselves.
Young and—
Your students, especially you.
I see all,
I see you students running.
You got to start believing
in yourself now.
You can't be all mom
and daddy all your life.
Right now I know
you're refrigerator
and rent parts.
But you gotta—
you gotta understand that
you're going to be closed
one day and you're going,
"What happened to me?
I can't go in there
and get no free meal."
No, no, no more free meal.
And I'm off again. Go ahead.
I like to get off.
>> Derrick Barnes: Also,
people don't realize that
that race was his last race.
You don't think about that.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: Well,
thank you very much.
That was great.
[Applauding]
Derrick Barnes: Which is crazy.
I mean, you had—
I don't know if you had
thought about going to the—
What was that?
The '72 Olympics?
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
The '72 games.
>> Derrick Barnes: You have your
mind set on that you may never
race again at 24.
And how—and how
young of a man are you now?
I don't [laughs], I don't know
if they know that.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
Watch it [laughs].
[cross talk]
I'm very proud of it,
very proud of it.
[Laughs] 78 years old.
[Applauding]
And I can still hit
a little bit, too.
>> Derrick Barnes: I know,
I know it [laugh].
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
If you're my crutch,
I can go out there
and do it [laughs].
Boy, if I had a brain,
I'd be able to think.
So many things
running through my mind now.
>> Derrick Barnes: Well,
she was asking about, like
what actually happened
after the race.
Like he wasn't able to get a
job in a lot
of different places.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: First of
all, I was kicked off the team.
>> Derrick Barnes:
Kicked off the team.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
Sent me home.
I was afraid to go to class
because as soon as I got home,
a rock sailed through
my window,
broke my window,
was on it and said,
It was the N-word on it.
"You will die at 1:30 tomorrow."
I should have kept it.
I should have kept
the rock, too.
But at that particular time,
I—I wasn't thinking
about being important.
I was thinking about
my—my—my grades because I hadn't
graduated from college yet.
You know, I needed that degree.
So I went to college.
I went at night.
I was afraid to go to college
during the day because
I was afraid somebody
would shoot me.
And I wasn't far off in that
thinking because I had received
death threats.
You know, receiving something
like that is—
is unimaginable almost.
I kind of looked at it
and kind of threw the paper
on—on the dresser,
the one I didn't have.
And I just—
Things that I remember,
I just should've hung
on to them.
But I didn't go to Mexico to do
that to be great.
I went to Mexico to win
the Olympic Games,
win it, and then
make a statement,
then go home,
finish my education, get a job,
go to church, marry, and die.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
And here you sit.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: Here I sit.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Here you are
on the cover of this book.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
Isn't this something?
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Here we are listening
to your story.
[Applauding]
It's just an honor
to hear it from your mouth
and to read it on these pages.
And as I started out earlier
at the beginning,
I don't know if I would
have had that courage
to even do it.
There was some kind
of premeditation in my mind
there to have that glove,
to put that scarf
around your neck.
So there was
a lot of things there.
But to have
that type of bravery,
I just wish that upon all of us.
And there's young people,
as you mentioned here
in the audience,
that are facing things
all the time.
There's older people in the
audience facing things
all the time.
But that bravery
that you exhibited there,
even a silent protest
and all the things
that you went through
for all these years
that you've endured
and still have the same
positive energy outlook
that you have is unfathomable.
So just I want to give
a big round of applause
for that,
just to have that.
[Applauding]
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: Thank you,
thank you [applauding].
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
My—my last question here
before we open it up
for Q and A really quickly is—
So Derrick I wanna
end it with you as well.
So you're an author
of 11 books, is it?
How many books?
>> Derrick Barnes:
I think is 50.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
You said 50?
>> Derrick Barnes: Yeah, 16.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Okay, 16.
Okay, 16 books.
And so right now
we're having this discussion
during Banned Books Week,
nationally recognized
Banned Books Week,
where many authors' works
are being censored,
schools around the country
are challenging and banning
books because of facts.
There's plenty of facts
in this book here.
Because of facts
that were shared.
And there are certain parents
and leaders who are not open
to reading tons of books,
whether it's Toni Morrison,
whether it's the "Kaffir Boy,"
whether it's "Monster"
by Dean Myers,
lots of books that are out there
that are being banned.
And so my question for you is,
what are your thoughts
around that?
Is there any fear
of this book being banned?
I mean, 'cause there's lots
of amazing facts in here
that people need to see
and people need to read about.
But I don't know
what people's feelings are.
The book is not out yet.
>> Derrick Barnes:
Well, you know,
this harkening back to,
you know, what Brother Solo
told me, "Make the blackest
book you possibly can."
I had a meeting with
a consortium of popular
black children book authors
and illustrators.
And that was my message
to them,
keep moving forward,
keep cracking these books out.
You know, like I said,
I'm very big on lineage
and artists that came before me.
I'm from Kansas City,
Missouri, and there's this
19-foot statue
of Charlie Parker right
behind the Negro
League Baseball Museum.
Every time I go home,
no matter what time it is,
I sit out there
and talk to Brother Charlie,
and just say thank you.
And I'm—
And I have the baton
to use a track reference.
And we—we can't allow
these book bans
to keep us from
telling the truth.
What kind of society—
I mean, there hasn't been
one society in human history
that has succeeded
by banning books at all,
and we can't allow that
to make us fearful.
I'm not gonna change my story.
I'm not gonna change my content.
You know, as a matter of fact,
I'm going to ramp it up,
ramp it up.
We have to.
We—we have an obligation,
just like I feel like
I have an obligation to those
that came before me.
I have an obligation
to my children,
to these children
to—to—to children,
not only in this country.
But we—we have an obligation
to tell the truth
about American history.
And I want to keep doing that.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Yeah, well, thank you.
We at Mahogany Books,
will keep selling it though too.
>> Derrick Barnes: I love it.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
You know, because
our customers need it. We desire
it. We need it as well.
So thank you.
But I just wanna say
thank you to each of you
for sharing your gifts,
for sharing your talents, for
sharing this amazing story.
And I'm just excited
for the world to read it, too.
So we'll open it up
for questions and answers.
Yes.
In the beautiful green dress.
>> MEMBER OF AUDIENCE: First of
all this was simply a phenomenal
panel. I have not been able
to get off the edge of my seat
and just thinking about
everyone who would have
just have lived and
died and fought for the moment
that you took to pay homage.
You know, my—
I'm a third generation
or fourth generation
descendant of American slavery.
We recently visited
the plantation
where my grandmother's
grandmother freed herself from.
It wasn't an
Emancipation Proclamation,
she freed herself
from Kent Island.
And as I drive there often,
I think about the large body
of water that separates
that land or that island
from the rest of Annapolis
where the military was.
And—
Excuse me, I didn't even
prepare these remarks.
I think about that body of water
and what it would take
to prepare to try to cross
that body of water into freeing
yourself and let alone
to see now, years later,
people like you taking a stand
for people that were
a part of your family,
but people that were part
of families that
you didn't even know.
And so I've spent really
the last five years
or so trying
to discover my family's lineage.
I'm trying to discover where
was our family's dismantled?
Trying to discover why
was this systemic removal—
Understanding the systemic
removal of fathers from families
and how you—
The difference it made
for you to have your father,
to have your mom,
and to have the foundation
that many people today
who want to have a voice,
who want to speak up—
And I often coach those youth
in the inner city,
they don't have
that same stability.
They don't have
the foundation to stand on
with experiencing sort of—
The prejudice today
is more internal
in the black community
and even amongst those of us
who have risen to leadership,
whereas they're inadvertently
hating each other now.
Whereas one point,
we were standing together,
we were taking victory
stands together.
So I'm curious to know,
was the same hatred
coming from people who
were of non-descendant of color,
or did you receive that
same backlash coming
from black people
who felt like, you know,
a sense of entitlement
that you took
or maybe they wanted to
take the stand
that they didn't
have a chance to take?
And how did you deal with that?
Because that is one
of the—
I think it's one
of the greatest
challenges right now.
If we do not find a way
to show up and stand
together in numbers
for whatever the future holds
and to really restore
our families,
the foundation of what
we should be building on.
And I'm working on that
for the future myself.
But that's another story.
But how did you deal with
external backlash
and internal backlash
from people who look like you,
who didn't believe
that you should have a voice,
who didn't believe that you
should take a stand,
but—but—but knew
that it was necessary
for you to do that?
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
That—that's a question, huh?
[Laughs]
I mean, I can tell that—
I can tell that you have
a whole history of—of questions.
And for me,
it was both sides.
I dealt with the individuals who
came to me with the guys.
I know you have
some slavery issues,
I'll make it very short.
Came to me with
the different problems of
how we could do.
And you can't stop.
You must continue.
I don't have a direct answer,
but you should continue
and rely on faith.
What is faith?
Some of the things,
hopefully the evidence
of things not seen,
but without what? Work.
Faith is dead.
So you can't lie
your inside problems on what
other people think.
They're going to think
it anyway.
You're going to
be hated anyways.
Yes. By some—some—
by your own folks.
You're going to be hated
because they have their way
of doing things.
But this was my way
on the victory stand
to show or to prove,
or to excite or to give back.
You have your ways.
You all have your ways.
But—but you haven't had
a chance to do it yet.
Some of you have
and think it's enough.
But you're here,
continue to do what you do.
Don't die on the vine
no matter what your age is.
Don't die on the vine.
Do what you believe
is necessary to cultivate
an entity called S-E-L-F.
Look in the mirror
and you might see it.
You just might.
So that's about
all I can go into the drama
and there's drama.
But you were just talking about,
believe in your self.
Because silence,
it's not an option.
You must speak up.
How many times to quit now?
How many times
have you been in a conversation
and didn't say anything?
As soon as the conversation
was over, you
started saying something.
"I should have said something.
You know he was wrong."
No, you hush because
you had your chance,
you didn't say anything.
Silence is not an option,
speak up. Juan, speak up.
[Laughs]
Okay?
>> Ramunda Lark Young: Yeah.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
I'm through now.
>> MEMBER OF AUDIENCE:
Thank you so much.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Question over here.
>> MEMBER OF AUDIENCE:
[Clears throat] Hello.
I didn't know when I
started this day that I would be
in the same room as a legend.
I can take my mask off.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith:
Yeah, yeah, we can understand.
Thank you.
>> MEMBER OF AUDIENCE: Yeah.
So I actually teach history,
and I have taught sport history
before and of course
shared your story.
What— And this is
to community college students
so often first
generation students.
Students who have had
traditionally disadvantaged
backgrounds. And what advice
would you give to them
that I could pass on to them
from the Olympic legend
himself, who feel that
they don't have a voice?
And you might
have just answered it,
but what would you
suggest to them
who—who don't feel
that they have that space,
They don't have
that Olympic podium
to—to make that silent
gesture?
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: You know,
actually, they do have a podium,
which is just as big as mine.
You get up in the morning,
that's your podium.
You go in the bathroom
and you're going to really
have a podium
if you didn't have
a good night last night,
you know.
You know, whatever—
Wherever you are,
you make something happen.
What did John Lewis say?
You know, make bad trouble
good trouble? Come on.
Yeah, you know.
There's always be trouble.
Always be trouble.
Don't feel sorry for yourself
just because somebody
didn't blow a horn
in your behalf.
Self, S-E-L-F.
Get up and rejoice
that you got a voice.
>> Derrick Barnes: Also—also,
to that point.
I mean, I thought that
this would be his—his life story
as a perfect subject
for a children's book.
You know, the first chapter
I entitled "The Country Boy."
Because when I first sat
and met with him,
I was very excited.
First of all, just—just
pulling up in your driveway.
And when I went down
to his man cave,
it's like a museum.
It was fan art
and there were trophies.
And every prominent American
figure you can think of
has a picture of him—him
and his beautiful wife
with this person.
So I was kind of nervous.
When I sat down,
I was thinking like,
"This brother is probably
tired of telling this story."
But he was so—
He was— He had the same amount
of energy, like he probably
told it the first time.
And the more he talked,
the more comfortable I felt
in his presence like he could
be my father or be my uncle.
And when I found out
more about him
and him being from Texas,
being a part
of this large family,
and I said, "He's just a—
He's a country boy
from Texas, man.
But that is so important
because you don't have
to be from some famous
civil rights family.
You don't have
to be from wealth.
All you have to do
is recognize that there's
a problem in my space.
Somebody is not
being treated properly.
I need to say something.
I need to do something.
It could be on your block,
it could be in your classroom,
it could be in your city.
Educate yourself.
That is the most primary thing
we can do, especially
when we talk about the youth
and all these book bans.
Educate yourself about
the history of your people,
about America,
about your neighborhood,
and just speak up
and say something, you know?
And the fact that I feel
like we were all given
and blessed with a multitude
of gifts and he was,
you know, amongst the many gifts
that he has,
he was given the gift of speed.
And I talk to my sons
all the time about what our—
What our blessings
and gifts are.
It's not about
that primary thing.
I was given the gift to write
and to manipulate
the English language.
But that's not what I am.
I need to utilize that God say
use that to touch people.
He was given
the gift of speed.
Again, he won that race.
The fact that he was on
that number one stand
and he overcame that injury.
You know, he used his speed
to connect with people.
So whatever your gifts are,
and I'm not just talking
to the kids,
whatever your gifts are,
use them to connect people,
to help people,
to try to change
where you live,
to try to change this country,
to make it a better place
no matter what it is.
You might be a good listener.
You might—You might
make a good a good potato salad.
It ain't about the potato salad,
it's about the people
that gather around
your potato salad.
It's going to have
a conversation.
So use whatever
god has blessed you with
in order to make this world
a better place.
And I thank God
for you winning that race.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Absolutely.
[Indistinct]
>> Derrick Barnes: There you go.
[Cross talk]
>> Ramunda Lark Young: Question.
MEMBER OF AUDIENCE:
Dr. Smith, thank you
for writing this book
and—and taking opportunities
to share your story.
But other people have also
tried to share your story.
Academic books
have been written,
documentaries and other authors
have written about
your experience, your life,
and tried to make sense
of what it means.
Is there anything
that they've gotten wrong
or—or something
that you wanna correct
that's become part
of our popular memory
of—of your history?
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: You know,
what they have said
came from them, their hearts.
And even if it's a lie
and I'm not there
to read about it,
it's them that said it.
And I know that the lie
can ruin anybody's
bowl of gravy. But a lot
of people still eat it.
So what I'm saying, I can't
protect them from idiocy.
Maybe they didn't know.
Maybe they're trying to hurt me.
But if you're trying
to hurt somebody,
you'd better be careful.
God don't like ugly, you know.
So it doesn't really bother me
unless I let it bother me.
After all this time,
Tommie, do—do what
you think is best
for what you're doing.
That's what I do.
I'm not a magician.
Even magicians lie.
You got to watch
what you're doing.
Just be your
inside showing out.
Okay? That's a little synopsis
of—of literary push
that I heard before.
Be yourself from the inside
and showing out
to the outside
and being proud enough
to back it up and smile
and strut on down the road.
You'll make it.
You'll make it, somehow.
I said, faith.
>> Ramunda Lark Young: We have
time for one more question.
>> Dr. Tommie Smith: There's a
little one right there.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
One of our young attendees.
>> MEMBER OF AUDIENCE:
Not sure I'm gonna
say this right.
But what made you want
to write? I personally
love to write things.
I recently rewrote a story
that I had for a class
and I wanted to do
my own characters.
I wanted to do
my own setting and stuff.
I might not have done
the correct or spelled—spelled
words correctly
or did the right punctuation.
But I love to write,
and I think it inspires me
that—that—that—
[Cross talk]
That someone's word can inspire
you to write something.
>> Derrick Barnes: Listen,
I've been writing—
I've been published
since 2004.
So I was like, one of these days
a kid that I met
in a school visit on
presentation is going
to come up to me
and they've won
more awards than me
on the "New York Times"
bestsellers list. And
this might be you one day, man.
So I'm telling you,
read everything you—you—get
your hands on
and really try to focus
on your own individual
voice like the world needs,
your voice.
There's plenty of other authors
out here that are saying
what they need to say
and tell them the stories.
They need to tell, but the
world needs your stories.
So just
continue to work on that.
I—I started writing
in the fifth grade.
I was ten years old
and I really didn't read a lot
growing up.
I'm a huge music fan,
so I used to read
the liner notes on—on albums,
like all the song lyrics
were on it.
And so I used to copy down
the Stevie Wonder lyrics,
"Earth, Wind and Fire."
Roberta Flack, first woman
I ever fell in love with.
[Laughs]
And then I fell in love
with hip hop music.
And my teacher Michelle,
in the fifth grade recognized
that me and my friends
were in the hip hop.
So she introduced us
to the writers
in the Harlem
Renaissance in the 1920s.
So Langston Hughes
is one of my homeboys.
He's from Missouri.
I fell in love with his work.
And—and through his work,
I learned about
character development,
dialogue. So really, like,
studied the greats like—like
study the writers that
you really look up to
and really, you know,
check out the literary devices
that they use and
how they use their own voices.
And just in the whole journey
of figuring out what you wanna
say, like, you know,
again, the world needs
your voice, man.
And I'm looking forward
to come to one of your
book signings one day.
I'll be there.
[Cross talk]
>> Ramunda Lark Young: Let me
know when your book is done.
[Applauding]
>> MEMBER OF AUDIENCE: Quick
comment. I just wanna thank
Mahogany Books.
[Applauding]
We have to support independent
and we have to support
black owned book sellers
because our big box stores
aren't doing these kinds
of community events.
And I'm a big fan.
One of the best gifts my
husband gave me was a big
gift certificate Christmas
big, big gift certificate
that I blew
through in like a month.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Thank you.
And we—we absolutely love you,
which we travel very far
to come to you.
And where we live doesn't have
a black bookstore.
And so thank you for all
that you do,
you and your husband
and your daughter,
all that you do.
It's—it's not—
You don't just sell books,
it's beyond that.
Like the books, again,
that's just the avenue
that you do to create community,
to get stories out.
The events you put on
are phenomenal.
And if you guys aren't following
them, if you haven't
shopped there,
do yourself a favor.
You'll thank me later.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
I'm thanking you now.
[Indistinct]
[Laughs]
>> MEMBER OF AUDIENCE: I have
to say one thing
'cause
they won't say this, all right?
We just moved
to Winter Park, Florida.
They flew up from Florida today
to be here for this.
And they're flying back tomorrow
so she can get to school.
[Applauding]
So I wanna let you know
how serious what she says,
how serious she means by that.
She loves Mahogany Books, so.
>> Ramunda Lark Young:
Thank you, thank you for that.
That means a lot.
And not just for me,
but other independent
booksellers that are
around the country
that I'm in contact with
who are going through
these ups and downs
and the support that
we get from people like you
to fly here from Florida.
I know you came
to see Dr. Smith,
but it's just—it's just humbling
that to see people
be excited about books.
To be honest,
to be excited about books,
and to have a young person
here who's excited
about writing.
I can't wait to have
your book in our bookstore.
But yeah, thank you
for— thank you.
Thank you for that.
[Applaud]
All right.
So thank you all.
We will stand and take a photo
if you want to take
a photo of us.
I'll—I'll do one with
and then I'll let the three,
the trifecta do one as well.
But thank you all for coming.
Thank you to the
Library of Congress
for hosting this event.
[Applaud]
Let's give it up.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Follow them on all Instagram,
on all social media
at the Library of Congress.
But thank you all.
Have a great night.
>> Derrick Barnes: Thank y'all.