{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/h707w68g51/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Khaair Morrison Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eKhaair Morrison is a corporate lawyer from the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens. Morrison discusses his grandfather's connection to Malcolm X, his experience attending the black private school Cush Campus in Brooklyn, and his early involvement in activism as a Francis Lewis High School student opposing the proposed discontinuance of student Metrocards. Morrison shares his experiences since college of managing or consulting for political campaigns, plus working as a corporate lawyer during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMorrison reflects on how the pandemic has fostered progress on racial justice; he highlights the June 2020 repeal of section 50-a of the New York Civil Rights Law, which had permitted concealment of personnel records related to misconduct and discipline of police officers. Additionally, Morrison considers how the pandemic can spur reimagining of the criminal justice system and the education system; he also shares his hopes for the future development of South Jamaica.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/41028"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2020-08-02 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Khaair Morrison (Interviewee)","Syreeta Gates (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview conducted as part of the Queens Memory COVID-19 Project."]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1990s-2020 (temporal)","South Jamaica and Francis Lewis High School, Queens, NY; Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eKhaair Morrison is a corporate lawyer from the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens. Morrison discusses his grandfather's connection to Malcolm X, his experience attending the black private school Cush Campus in Brooklyn, and his early involvement in activism as a Francis Lewis High School student opposing the proposed discontinuance of student Metrocards. Morrison shares his experiences since college of managing or consulting for political campaigns, plus working as a corporate lawyer during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMorrison reflects on how the pandemic has fostered progress on racial justice; he highlights the June 2020 repeal of section 50-a of the New York Civil Rights Law, which had permitted concealment of personnel records related to misconduct and discipline of police officers. Additionally, Morrison considers how the pandemic can spur reimagining of the criminal justice system and the education system; he also shares his hopes for the future development of South Jamaica.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/public/images/audio-default.png","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - QPL_Khaair_Morrison_Audio.m4a"]},"duration":2729.024,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/public/images/audio-default.png","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/208/730/original/QPL_Khaair_Morrison_Audio.m4a?1695830665","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mp3","duration":2729.024,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: And, ooh! We are rocking and rolling. So the first request that I had is to say and spell your name for me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1.0,12.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Okay. Khaair Morrison. K H A A I R, Morrison, M O R R I S O N.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=12.0,22.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great! And then, because we need permission to use your audio. If you can say, \"I, first name, last name, consent, the Queens Public Library's use of this content,\" that would be great.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=22.0,34.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: I, Khaair Morrison, consent to the Queens Public Library or public library at large's use of this audio.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=34.0,43.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Okay, great. So we're going to hop in. Yeah. Who are you, how would you describe yourself and who are you in relation to the borough of Queens?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=43.0,53.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: So I am Khaair. I am Queens born and bred, lived here all my life, except for a quick stint in D.C. when I went to law school. But I consider myself a lawyer, an activist, and an organizer, and someone who's just deeply engaged in the betterment of our people, Black people, whether it be in New York or across the world. So my role has changed, I think over the last couple of years. I started pretty early in my activist career, unlike a lot of people, started in Francis Lewis High School in Queens, when the New York City, the State, and the MTA were trying to get rid of student MetroCards was sort of my first stint in activism in public policy. We led a school walk out where over a thousand kids walked out of their school to protest the MetroCards.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=53.0,117.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: We were the first student group to meet with the chairman of the MTA at the time, and met with Legislatures in New York. And we actually convinced the Board Of The MTA to stop their vote, which doesn't happen often. I don't think it's happened since as far as cuts. And then after that, I sort of got engaged in other things around juvenile justice detention, where I joined a youth group, with the Center for Court Innovation, where we created a comic book to sort of explain the juvenile justice system for kids who were getting arrested at the time. So they know what to wear to court, how to address a judge and sort of what the process was. And that was sort of like my first entrance into it all and kind of fueled me to continue on. So when I went to college, I went to Hunter College, and then was a CUNY Baccalaureate scholar where I created my own major.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=117.0,171.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: I managed my first campaign in Queens. I was deputy campaign manager for Leroy Comrie, who was, you know, famously a City Council member and has been in politics for a long time, but was running against Malcolm Smith who was very famous, the first Black Majority leader of the New York State Senate, and a very popular guy, but had just gotten indicted for corruption, but was still running. So that was my first campaign and we ran against him. Tough race, but we still won with 70% of the vote. And then from there people started, you know, seeing the work I was doing and asking for me to manage their campaigns or at least consult. So I did Alyssia Hyman, who's an Assembly member. I was her first campaign manager, and then started doing races across the city. But I got bored and said to myself, like, what's next in my career?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=171.0,226.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: And I went to Howard University for law school, where I graduated and then sort of transitioned into becoming a corporate lawyer. So that's why I say I wear many different hats, in different roles, but now, you know, I think those roles are all coming together, because of COVID, because of the Black Lives Matter movement, trying to figure out where I'm the most useful and the most helpful for people during this. So I think my activism and organizer hat has sort of come back on where I've organized rallies and protests in Queens and at, across the City of New York and really just putting out different content to help explain to people what's going on. Because I think what happens is you often, you know, you see somebody die [unclear] you know what police brutality is, but you don't really know what the next steps are. So my lawyer hat then comes on and trying to educate people about what happens when you actually do get stopped by the police, how you should react. And then my policymaker hat comes on when I say, you know, these are things that policy makers should be thinking about and, you know, how you reform a whole system of, you know, institutional oppression. It's not sort of like an easy thing to do. And I do have to sort of wear different hats to try to, to fathom fighting all of this, but that's, that's me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=226.0,311.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: LOL in a nutshell.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=311.0,313.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Okay. So let's back up a little bit. You're from Queens. What part of Queens are you from? And talk to me a little bit actually about the work that your grandparents were doing as it relates to not only supporting like Black lives, but kind of like preparing you to be the man that you are today.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=313.0,337.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah. I'm from South Side, Jamaica, Queens. And yeah, I think my story's unique, because I tell people this all the time. I think I have the best of both worlds, meaning, as I feel like I've lived the full Black experience and the full Black American experience, meaning most people don't know this about me, but my father's side of the family, my father was incarcerated for most of my life. And most people don't know that, because I, if you look at my mother's side of the family, you find very educated, established folks and people don't understand how these dichotomous worlds form someone like me or my sisters, but it's an experience that I'm in a sense glad I had, because I got to experience like the real deal on both, both sides of the Black experience. And I think it made me who I am today, but my grandfather on my mother's side, James 67X or what his name was after Abdullah Abdur-Razzaq, he was chief of staff to Malcolm X.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=337.0,403.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: When Malcolm left the Nation, he left the Nation and helped build the organization that Malcolm later formed after he left the Nation Of Islam. And, he was just like a very educated man, like you could ask him a question on anything from languages to history and he knew the answer to those questions. It was very much a self starter, do it yourself type of person. I think that's sort of what that movement was about. That Black Power movement that Malcolm in the Nation started was like, you know, Black people need to sort of do things for themselves and be independent. And then my grandmother started a school called Cush Campus. And I think that was the most, the thing that probably influenced my life the most, because you don't really think about those early years of your life of education and how they shaped your worldview of things.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=403.0,468.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: But I didn't go to a public school. I went to a school called Cush Campus where we wore, you know, Kente cloths and we sung the Black National Anthem for our assemblies. We were, our grades and stuff were divided and the names were African nations like Mali, Songhai, Ghana, and things of that nature. So where, you know, you're Jewish and you go to, you go to Yeshiva or Hebrew school. We Black kids in America don't have that experience, but I, you know, was blessed to have that. Me and my sisters in my family and the classes were very small, like 35 students or less a class and teachers who look like me and teachers who were very focused on delivering education that was above what the public school schools are giving. My grandmother started the school by homeschooling her kids in her house. The Board of Education eventually sued her, because other parents in Crown Heights, Brooklyn were saying, \"hey, can you homeschool my kids as well?\" And they sued her to shut her down. And the judge found that they were providing education above what the Board of Education at the time was providing and kept the school open. And eventually it was one of the longest run, Black private schools in Brooklyn. But that was just for me to transition from that to like Francis Lewis High School, a pretty diverse school and amazing place, but I already came in there understanding my Blackness, knowing my history. So I could question anything that was being thrown at me. I had a different level of understanding of it. So like that was my, you know, early years of my life, seeing Black successful people. And I think it's something that a lot of us, you know, need. And I think it's the conversation is being had again now on how you bring that Black Power, stuff now. And it's really just, self-empowerment in a sense. But yeah, that's sort of how my, my grandparents taught me to, to live my life. You know, focused on self-improvement, but at the same time how your self improvement can help your people as well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=468.0,609.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Absolutely. And as someone born and bred in South side, Jamaica, Queens, what are like some of your fondest memories of being from this particular neighborhood that grew up, grew us up?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=609.0,623.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah, I think, I think what, when people talk about neighborhoods in New York or how neighborhoods used to be, South Side still sort of like that, meaning I know who my neighbors are, we still talk to our neighbors. Like everybody, it was sort of like a village growing up, like people knew who you were, which is weird, because it doesn't happen a lot in other places. But my mom had a dance school for a while in the neighborhood and she was like, my sisters dance and were involved in like dancing [unclear] in Rochdale. So like people knew, like, if you're walking through Rochdale mall or something, \"Oh, that's Alyia's brother or like, that's Tarika's brother, that's, Tenicia's brother.\" Like people knew who you were. So it was, it was a real community. And I think that's what I sort of appreciated about it the most.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=623.0,677.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. Got it. Okay. Now let's hop into present day. Let's talk about COVID a little bit, how, let's just talk about, you know, what, how it has impacted you personally? Specifically how it has impacted Queens and yeah, what do you think? Yeah, I'll just start with those two questions right now.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=677.0,700.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah. I mean, this has been like the most, I think the most interesting period of my life. Because, you know, COVID hit and I, you know, I'm blessed to be in a position where my job is safe. I'm working remotely, as an attorney. Even the pro bono work I do is, you know, virtual court hearings. So it hasn't affected my work life on that level. It's affected it as far as like, you know, you just being motivated to work when you're sitting at home. That's a little different. But I say it's been one of the most interesting and challenging periods, because, like, you just see like the world changing before you. My grandmother passed in May. Friends were having family pass, she didn't pass from COVID, but it's just like COVID and then on top of that, you're having all this other stuff sort of happening around you.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=700.0,716.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: So I think it's been a challenging period in that. But like on the bright side of it, is, I felt, was felt feeling anxious for a while. But that anxiety sort of turned into creativity in a sense where I had been thinking a lot more about my own life and, you know, next steps. And then when you add in the Black Lives Matter and all this other stuff that's going on, it's made me really focus on, you know, what's next for me. And what's, again, how I can be more helpful, and figuring that out for myself, you know?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=716.0,791.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Absolutely. And this, you know, we know about the Civil Rights movement in a very particular way, but we are living through amazing and frustrating times. Like, we can just talk about this summer alone, right? Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, we can talk about Minneapolis, a city that unless you were talking about Prince--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=791.0,814.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah!","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=814.0,814.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: --people might not be talking about at all. You know, we're talking about Kentucky, you know. How have you supported, and, or got hip to, you know, what, what has been happening specifically with Black bodies consistently getting killed in public on kind of like on television. And yeah. How has that not only shaped where you are currently, like, mentally, but, in what ways have you chosen to, you know, support the movement for Black lives?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=814.0,856.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah, I mean, it's, I had a law school professor tell me once that, you know, when I look at myself and some of my classmates, you know, we went to Howard, we went to the school that Thurgood Marshall went to, we went to a historically Black college. And with all that history a lot of us, you know, I think sometimes what people expected of us when you go to that school is to come out and become, you know, a civil rights lawyer. And that was probably where my head was when I first entered law school. But this law school professor used to tell me, she said the movement needs money too. And it made a lot more sense to me when this, everything just sort of hitting the fan and things have been hitting the fan for years, but because of COVID and people's full attention was on this and still, still is on this.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=856.0,913.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: It made me think like, 'all right, now, one, as a corporate lawyer who makes a little bit of money, how can I figure out, like where, where can I use these tools that I now have?' So one, I think that the biggest thing I've been able to do is donate and convince people to donate. We raised, like on my birthday, my birthday was around May 31st, and a little bit before that I said, I woke up one day and I said, 'I'm going to give to a bail fund.' And it was the Minnesota Bail Relief Fund, but I also challenged friends at my law firm and using social media and stuff to, to donate. And we raised $10,000 in a matter of two days to give to the Minnesota Bail Relief Fund. So that was like the first step. And then I, you know, again, put on my activist hat, like, what else can I do from a different perspective to sort of organize and continue to bring attention to this.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=913.0,979.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: So, Congressman Meeks, who is a mentor of mine, I asked him, \"hey, do you want to go on Instagram Live with me, to explain what members of Congress are doing, and police reform stuff that is happening on that level?\" So we did an Instagram Live. Over a hundred people watched it, and it got pretty good feedback. And a lot of people after were like, \"man, I didn't even know this is what a member of Congress did.\" And he was pretty blunt about what he can do or what you can't do and where we need to focus our other attention, like state legislature and different campaigns across the country. So that was another thing. And then I think what is always important is on the ground. How, what are you doing on the ground? So making sure I supported activists in who are on the ground in other states, but also in New York, because I think New York is often left out of the conversation and I'll say it because I don't think enough people do, like we have a mayor who is pretty silent on and acquiesces to issues around policing, where you know the 'I can't breathe' phrase didn't come from George Floyd, it came from Eric Garner in Staten Island, where five or so police officers, none of them faced time. And partly it took almost five years to fire one of the officers under this mayor. So, you know, refocusing our attention on, you know, Minnesota and all these other places are important, but this stuff is happening in our city too. This stuff is happening in South Side, Jamaica Queens, where cops will jump out of an unmarked car, push you, push you on the ground and search you without any reasonable suspicion without any probable cause. And just disrespect you like that as if it's normal and then hop back in the car and keep it moving, like, that's just supposed to happen. And people are becoming so accustomed to that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=979.0,1105.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: So helping to organize around the New York stuff and one thing was the New York state legislature, there was a law in New York that's called 50A that basically allowed any police misconduct. You couldn't get the files publicly of police officers who committed misconduct. So, there was a big push to repeal that and it got repealed in New York. The Governor signed it, the appeal, I think, in June or late May, so things of that nature. But also just like back to the conversation of like how I even chose to become a corporate lawyer after law school, understanding that people like me need to be in those spaces as well. Like, the firm I worked for donated a hundred K to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and has, you know, expanded their, their pro bono on things like, notice of claim clinics, which are basically, if you're suing the police in New York, you have to file a notice of claim. So we do pro bono work like, I've filed notices of claim on behalf of the people who have an assault claim or something like that against police, and just different, different ways, you know, this is a layered conversation. But like Black Lives Matter, I think it, the big focus is on police reform, but at the same time in defunding, you know, military institutions like the police. But at the same time it's like, this is a multi-dimensional conversation in a, we need to be in all these spaces, because decisions are made and institutional racism can't be dismantled unless you have the keys to, you know, dismantle it or the tools to dismantle it. And if we're not in, in these institutions that have historically controlled the wheels of power, then you know, nothing will ever change. And right now I think people are less complacent about it than they've ever been, and the attention is on it. And we have sort of flipped the conversation in a sense where you are, it used to be, you talk about race too much, you are, you are the problem, but if you talk about race too little right now, you are the problem, you know. I think at least that's what the majority of folks think. And then on top of that, you have a President who, you know, that's like a whole other conversation and another, you know, two days of conversation about why we need to get him out of office as well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1105.0,1255.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Absolutely. Absolutely. So, you know, as someone who is well versed in the law, I think it's equally as important to talk about the wins that we as a community have made during this time, and even like 2020, I think it's the wins that kind of like keep you going. So are there any, like, laws that have been passed? I know you mentioned that before that we should take heed to. Are there any, like, campaigns that are kind of like making major strides? Like what are the wins that we've been able to have during this time?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1255.0,1292.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah, I think in New York, 50A was like a huge, huge win. Because now you can, you can, it seems like a small one, but it's a huge win. Because now you can get the records of these police officers. You don't know how many police get into misconduct and you can't even tell, you can't even figure out like if they've done it in the past. So that's, that's, I think one of the big wins for New York, as well as any, any police misconduct case or any police killing in New York, I think if it's an unarmed person automatically goes to the Attorney General of New York versus how it is now, local prosecutors deal with it. And the problem with that is local prosecutors work with the police every day. So it's like, you're prosecuting your friend. I don't know if you know, justice will be met the same way. So now it's sort of taken out of their hands and given to the Attorney General, which is a great thing. I think in the bigger picture, like the conversation people are having the wins on the corporate level of corporations rethinking their Boards and what that means for diversity having, you know, major corporations, I think it was, what's that company? Reddit, or one of those companies, I forget the name, there was a board member who took himself off and gave his position to--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1292.0,1386.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Yeah, it was Serena Williams' husband.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1386.0,1386.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Serena, yeah. Like those, those are the conversations that are often missed, but have some of the biggest impacts, because it makes other companies think, 'okay, this is exactly what we have to do as well.' We have to, like, you have a board full of just white men and in 2020, your company looks backwards. So I think that's happening. And just the bigger conversation, it was hard to not have because people are sitting at home during COVID, it has nothing on, but the news and their social media, and they see the Black Lives Matter movement, really progressing the cultural conversation of police reform, the militarization of police and just racial justice and what institutional racism means. I think before it was hard for people of privilege to sort of understand what institutional racism meant, like, or how they benefited off of it. But I have like white friends who are very now, like, who maybe understood it a little bit before, but now they, they truly sort of understanding what their white privilege allows them to have in all walks of life, whether it be healthcare, policing, getting a job, you name it. And I think that is like the biggest win for the movement. Because even if the laws don't change now, we're holding people a lot more accountable where they're going to have to change soon. Like this was this, wasn't a couple inches that we took. This was a couple yards.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1386.0,1488.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Absolutely. Absolutely. And do you think this would be possible without COVID like this forward movement, this rapid forward movement?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1488.0,1498.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: No, no, no, no. Not at all. I'm pessimistic about that. I think you, you, it's hard to get people's attention in a day where you're running around, your commuting. People don't read the news. People don't like to watch the news. And not because they're dumb. They just don't want to hear about it. It's like, they've, you know, people want to go home and process a reality TV show or something like that because it kind of de-stresses them from all the things that happened in their day. But, this kind of forced you to just be present in a way, even organizers, I think that people could write books probably about how organizing changed during this period. And some people would say it, it made it harder to organize. I'd say it made it easier. I've seen people who I've never seen at protests get out of their house for this, 'cause they had no, you know, no excuse, where are they going? Even if, even if they had work even like me. There were days where I had work, but I'm working remote. So I could hop out and go to Roy Wilkins Park or something for two hours and run back to my, to my laptop. So it was, I think this changed the game. And it's crazy because even the Presidential election, I was telling someone yesterday, I think COVID is, knock on wood, one of the best things that's probably gonna happen for Joe Biden, 'cause I'm not sure if, if this didn't turn out so badly, if people would be getting out to vote the way they did in the primaries, or I hope they get out to vote in, in November.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1498.0,1598.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it, got it. You had mentioned, you know, education, what do you think the future of education will look like? Both for like, you know, elementary school kids, young kids, you know, people getting their undergrad or graduate degrees, you know, and even teachers, like, what do you think education now looks like moving forward when I mean, you know, Francis Lewis, Cardozo, two, three, 4,000 students, you know, what do you think?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1598.0,1631.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah, I mean, I think, yeah, I have a lot of thoughts on that. I mean, one, I sit on the board of a charter school in Queens and they have schools in Queens and Brooklyn called New Visions Charter School. So it's been interesting, like, being onboarded to this board and seeing, you know, how we're opening up our, our schools, and hearing from principals, and, like, a new level of me being involved in the education process as someone who, you know, is young, but not involved, you know, I don't walk in high schools or anything anymore, but the, we have high schools. And to, to hear the process of them and being a board member, who is voting on, you know, this is how this campus is going to open up, or what are some procedures we need to take as far as students, you know, who are, don't have wifi at home or are already falling behind. But now, now maybe falling behind even more because they're not getting that attention they need. So having those conversations has sort of enlightened me. But at the same time, I think COVID, it may be a good thing, because we have to rethink, we've been having to rethink how we do education for a while now, whether it be the length of period of time people are in schools, like some people propose that, you know, it's a full year sort of thing when you're in high school and you're in elementary school, because kids need to be engaged that way. It's making people think about economically more like, how are we, how are we transitioning kids into certain careers? 'Cause I think a lot of people realize not how pointless their career was, but how easy it was for them in that career to get laid off or fired, during this period of time. So I think we're, we're really, have to reshape and reimagine, creatively and be bold about it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1631.0,1749.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Like not some weak, some weak, we're just going to fund this more. We're just gonna hire some more teachers, like no, put something really together about how American education, at least in New York, how we really change class sizes. How we, maybe, extended the length of time kids are in for during the day, because you see the cuts to summer youth programs and all these other things. And then what are we really teaching, teaching people? Like, there are tons of kids who they get to high school and in high school and they may not want to go to college. They may not want to get a master's degree, but we don't have people who are, schools that are really focused on teaching kids how to get into sort of, vocational roles. And I think that, that, like now I hope that conversation is being had in the halls of, you know, City Hall and wherever else they need to be had.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1749.0,1808.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Absolutely. And then looking at, you know, education and politics, but just politics on its own. One, can you talk, more intricately around how you got involved in politics and then, explain a little bit about those various roles that you have played in politics, whether it's a campaign manager, et cetera, et cetera.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1808.0,1834.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah. So I was, I, I, activism to me is separate from politics, because like politics to me is, is you are campaigning, or you're working for someone who is in office. Where activism you're sort of on a broader scale. You may be trying to influence politics, but you're also just influencing culture in maybe a specific policy agenda, or, if that makes sense. So I went from activism and then I sort of said to myself, oh, you know, Obama got elected. I think I interned on his campaign, but I still wasn't really understanding what that, you know, what that was. And I got Leroy Comrie, Senator Comrie when he was running, I was working as a consultant for a lobbyist in New York who was representing real estate companies and things of that nature and knew him well. And he, you know, he saw me as a young man who, and he literally just approached me and was like, \"do you want to work on my campaign?\" And I, I didn't understand what that meant yet, but, you know, I did my research and I said, \"yeah.\" He didn't follow up with me. So I hounded him and made sure he followed up. When I got to the first meeting, it was me and him and one of his other staff. So it was like, 'okay, my role, and this is going to be bigger than I even imagined it was going to be.' And then I wound up being sort of the deputy campaign manager and that that's, you know, you're running their mail that they send to people, their message, their policies, their social media, their field, like, how are you, what events are you going to, knocking on doors, phone calls. And I was 20 and I was in undergrad at the time. So it was like, it was a summer and it was just crazy and a great experience. And I learned a lot and that was sort of like when people started to notice me politically. From there, I worked for him while he was in his first year in the Senate, but then I eventually went to law school and then eventually people started getting asked, asking me, and they still do like, \"hey, do you want to give me advice on my race?\" And so that's like one type of work you can do, like managing campaigns, consulting for campaigns. I eventually also did the policy stuff, working for him and, you know, proposing ideas for legislation. And that type of work, which is completely different. And I was actually working for the government at the time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1834.0,1991.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: And now my role has sort of transitioned a bit, because I don't, I'm not as interested in running campaigns. I take on clients every once in a while, if I find the race is interesting enough, and would challenge me enough or is actually just really needed, like, there's like the person doesn't know how to run a race and we want them to win. So I'm involved in that every once in a while. But mainly now I help fundraise. Last year I, I had, you know, the opportunity to raise money for a lot of presidential candidates, which is my first sort of foot in the door and that. Julian Castro, who I met while I was in law school, he was coming to New York and I knew one of his staff members. And I said, \"hey, I have friends.\" And this is kind of the role I think I try to play, like, how do I get information to people? So I have friends who are very educated, but don't, didn't know anything about who they're going to vote for. So I said, 'let me try to make a series of this, where some small, tight knit events in somebody's apartment,' and we host somebody and raise some money for them. So the first person was Julian Castro, who was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama and the former mayor of San Antonio. I got him to come to my friend's apartment in Manhattan. It was 40 of us in the room. And it was real intimate, like people really got to ask him questions about, you know, untaped, just raw. And I was sort of inspired by that first event, and that we put it together in a week. And then I started doing more, I co-hosted an event for Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, for Beto O'Rourke. I did another one for Julian eventually. And even Joe Biden. I think I co-sponsored an event for Joe Biden, probably right before COVID. So yeah, I, I wear many different hats in politics and now I'm kind of just my role, I think, is how I get information, not just to like people who are thinking about voting, but people who are running. And I have, I have, I don't know how, and it's hard to explain, but at such a young age, been able to sit in a unique space where I kind of run my own stuff and no one's, no one's my boss in that lane. But people seek my advice and they're, they're sitting Senators and, and members of Congress and they trust me to give them advice. And I'm blessed for that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=1991.0,2156.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. Got it. And as we think about, you know, life in this changing, ever evolving, changing world, what do you think is possible like after COVID and how is the work that we are doing, going to shape that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2156.0,2178.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: I think, when you really think about it, anything is possible after COVID. And what I mean by that is, you know, we've had to reimagine the world and in a very short period of time and from businesses to like your everyday life of social interaction, everything has sort of changed. Like even before me and you know, me and you got on this, we were talking about, \"are we doing this through a video chat or a phone call,\" a conversation that probably wouldn't have happened five months ago. So even, even our social interactions are changing. I think the work we do now though, and when, when people, you know, say there is opportunity in destruction, I think this is exactly what that means, but we see the world is, unemployment is up. We see, you know, our healthcare system broken, our education system broken, our criminal justice system broken in so many other, other things that stem from that. And we have to say to ourselves now in this short period of time we have, 'cause I don't think we have forever to do it. How do we start to reimagine those things? I think the work is already being done in certain aspects in our criminal justice and criminal justice spaces. There are a lot of activists who are policymakers and just thinkers who are really thinking about like the best approaches. And, I think it's like, I'm actually excited about where we are after this. 'Cause I think if we do it right now, like the world is just going to, our worlds personally and our personal lives and in the bigger picture of things can, can be amazing.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2178.0,2288.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it, got it. And you know, where we're not going to assume that people listening to this would know what the process is for running for office. Like, is it different from, you know, running for Councilman versus President or Senate or any other area in government. Can you break down, you know, what's essentially the process for running for office.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2288.0,2316.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Yeah. So, it's different in, in different whatever you're running for. So let's like start with very local. If you're in New York City and you're running, you want to run, you want to run for City Council, and City Council is, the 51 members, from all five boroughs who basically are the body that creates law in New York City. And on the State level, you have the State Senate and you have the State Assembly and the Governor of New York. You have the City, the City you have New York City Council and you have the Mayor. And basically the State government is, you know, kind of think about it like the City Council is below the State government. And in some sense, the federal government's above the state government, but not, that's not completely true because the State powers are different than the federal government's powers. But I like to tell people all politics is local and be more involved, to me, your State and local politics, because the Governor's the one who signed the bill to, you know, get rid of the 50A bill that we were just talking about.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2316.0,2383.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: The Mayor's the person who's in charge of the police department and the sanitation department and schools and all that stuff. So the federal government and who your president is matters. But to me what's more important in where power is really shown is on the State and local level. So, you're running for city council or any of these positions, you usually have to get petitions done. First you have to decide if you're going to run as a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent, most elections in New York City are obviously the Democrat, generally takes it in most areas except for a few places in the State. So say you're running for the Democratic primary. You get petitions to run. Sometimes they're like 900. Sometimes they're a thousand people in your district. You get those signed by people. And then you try to make it on the ballot. Once you're on the ballot, which it's not always easy to get on the ballot.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2383.0,2441.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: 'Cause people will challenge your petitions. They'll say, \"this person doesn't live here or this person is dead,\" or you know, \"this person didn't sign,\" there's so many challenges people can make, but once you get on the ballot, then you're in a race. Like you run in the primary. You need staff, you need volunteers. You need to fundraise. New York City is beautiful because we have publicly funded elections, which means, the City matches your donations. So you have, somebody gives you $10, the city will match that by eight. And, that funds your campaign. You can choose to opt out, but most people obviously choose to opt into that system. And it makes things a little bit more equal. So not just people with big money are running for office. And then once you, you're running in a primary, you're probably running against incumbents, somebody who is already there. Or, it's an open primary, where you know, which will happen in New York City soon, there'll be 35 new council, council members, which is the biggest turnover we've ever had in New York City, where 35 new members, 35 new people will have that office. So it's gonna be a competitive year and the Mayor in 2021 is up. So yeah, it's, it's, it's not hard to run for office in the sense that you just have to really know the process, and have good people on your team who, you know, know what they're going to throw at you. I mean, institutions are real. The Democratic Party is real. They'll support usually the person who's in the office, but what you'll find is people sit in office for 40, 40 plus years and they need to go. So I encourage people to run. I, I promised myself that I always try to help people who are, you know, the underdogs. If, if they're coming with real game, I'm not just going to help anybody. But if you're talking about real policy issues that will help people and you're a serious candidate, you're serious about running and you're not just doing this for a title, but you've been in your neighborhood, building a base and doing real work. And, yeah, I think what's happening now you see a lot of new people winning. From Alexandria Ocasio who a member of Congress to local politics. The game is changing for sure. For sure.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2441.0,2595.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. Got it. And what do you wish for your beloved South Jamaica, Queens after COVID is done or on, on the other side of COVID?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2595.0,2609.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Real growth! I think where our neighborhood has been stagnant for a long period of time, and that's not because of the people who live in it, but the people who are leaders, I don't think they've come together enough to help us figure everything out, you know? Meaning there's food deserts where we live. You know, that's getting quality access to food. Quality businesses, and I don't bash any business, but when you have a neighborhood where the same businesses keep opening up. That means that there's not a plan that no one is saying, \"all right, we already have this type of food, or we already have this type of clothing store, why not another bank?\" You know, so we don't have to open up another check cash checking place. Why not another, this or that. Getting real about how we plan our real estate and developers who are coming into our neighborhoods. And because we live in a neighborhood that is unique, it's extreme poverty. You have a lot of public housing. But at the same time, you have one of the wealthiest Black neighborhoods in the country, middle-class Black neighborhoods in the country in Southeast Queens. But, some of the highest voting turnout in the city. But that hasn't, to me translated into real growth for our neighborhood and the institutions in our neighborhood. So, I hope after this, we see some fresh faces, new people running, and getting involved, but at the same time, even the older folks, just, just helping us to lead in building our institutions up.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2609.0,2709.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. And what do you wish for yourself after COVID?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2709.0,2712.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Khaair Morrison: Growth as well! New adventures, new opportunities, and new ways to help as much as I can.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2712.0,2725.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730/transcript/57969/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great. Thank you. I'm going to stop the recording.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107781/file/208730#t=2725.0,2729.024"}]}]}]}