This is mad fun!
You caduceus, go. Come on, man!
You want a nacho? No? You good?
I like to play a game called 21.
It's a half-court basketball game you play
when you have an odd number of people at the park.
The goal is to get to 21.
It is a game undeniably governed by other forces beyond your control.
But no matter how high I get or how low I fall playing 21,
I always remember something Han Solo said in "Star Wars, Episode V"...
"Never tell me the odds."
It's something I think about a lot these days
because I feel like we all got tipped back to zero on November 8th.
But bit by bit, point by point, we have to keep playing.
♪ Y'all in the wrong world ♪
♪ Space phenom, little kid, man ♪
♪ Welcome to Huang's world ♪
♪ World traveler the food good and delicious ♪
♪ Shanghai, Moscow, check out the pictures ♪
♪ L.A., New York, MIA or London ♪
♪ The schedule's vicious ♪
♪ Welcome to Huang's World ♪
Now!
- Hello? -What's up, Dad?
So you guys may be wondering why me and my dad
are on Facetime talking to you right now.
This little house here is where this man did this work with my mom.
Yo, where's Mom?
She was a big part of this.
Hey, Mom! - Hey, baby!
This is the house that you guys made me in, right?
Okay. "It's a lucky house"!
I got to do the show now, but I'll call you later.
All right. Bye!
We came back to D.C. because this is my hometown.
This was my America.
This is where I was made, where I was born, where I formed my first ideas
about what America meant to me.
And with everything that happened on November 8th,
we decided we can't just let this America fall apart and go by the wayside.
We have to be here.
We have to stand up, and we have to fight for the America we believe in.
I'm at the intersection of my life right now on Florida Ave., in D.C.-proper.
And we're going to to the first and oldest soul food restaurant
in the world, the World Famous Florida Ave. Grill.
We're protesting the inauguration by doing what I do best, eating.
What does the Florida Ave. Grill mean to you?
It's the oldest black-owned restaurant
continually operating, you know, in the country.
- Yeah. - Every spot in here has got a significance. - Yeah.
- You know, we have a booth were Dr. King planned the march on Washington.
Yeah, I mean, right across the street is Howard and most of the kids that work here
and our managers, like Dee right here.
- Hey, how you doing? - H.U., Howard.
Yeah, H.U., you know.
There's a lot of, like, old-timers that come in here.
I'll tell you, when I came to Howard in 1960, I didn't have any money, you know.
And the old ladies at the Florida Ave. Grill, they had me come in the back,
and they would just feed me anyway, you know.
And so, like, that's kind of, like, the legacy of this place, you know.
Yeah. You're here to hold it down.
That's the way we look at it.
What up? How's it going?
- Hey, I'm Andrew. - Nice to meet you.
- Yeah, nice to meet you. - Definitely, definitely.
You've been here before? - No, I haven't.
- So you are John Lewis' aide. - Yeah.
And you started off and you wrote "March" with him.
I saw the sign that said, 'White waiting, colored waiting.'
I saw the signs that said, 'White men, colored men, white women, colored women.'"
Yeah, I started in 2008.
I was working as his press secretary down in Atlanta on the re-election campaign.
And, you know, folks were talking about
what they were going to do after the campaign was over.
Then I'm like, "I'm going to a comic book convention."
- Yeah. - Everybody laughed at me Except for John Lewis.
And then John Lewis was like, you know, "Don't laugh.
There was a comic book during the movement.
It was very influential."
And that was the first time I heard about a comic called
"Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story."
- Yeah. - I was just amazed!
I mean, this is a beautiful 16-page, cover-to-cover comic book,
and it was just a beautiful introduction
to nonviolence, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Gandhi.
And so I'm reading this, like, just late at night after he's told me about it.
I'm like, "There should really be a John Lewis comic book."
You know, it was that win that gave us this feeling
that the spirit of history was behind us.
You ever watch "Battlestar Galactica"?
Yeah.
So all of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.
- Yes, yes! - Like, that's really What it felt like.
Each generation must write its own books.
Yeah, and it's a visual narrative.
It's a visual literacy, so you have to use comic books.
And what's going on with the inauguration literally today
is that this is our generation's challenge,
and this is our time to step up and find out what we're made of.
And it doesn't mean you have to run for office.
It doesn't mean you have to march.
You can protest by writing a comic book.
Whatever it is you already have a passion for,
that is the way you're going to affect and change the world.
I hope marching and other projects like it have expanded that so that they understand,
like, it's a cultural battle.
It is Bob Dylan coming to the March on Washington.
It is Harry Belafonte helping organize the SNCC workers
and taking care of them in '64 and '65.
It's the food at the Florida Ave. Grill.
- Absolutely. - You know, like, It's really important for people to realize
that all of our tools are good enough.
Well, my father was a Muslim immigrant.
He came from the northern portion of Turkey, a place called Sinop.
So I never really knew him to be totally honest.
My mother married him, and they were together until I was 3, and my father left.
And the last time I actually even had any interaction with him I was 10.
As much as I didn't know my father, that absence drove me into comics.
It drove me into this place of refuge.
A lot of comic book heroes don't have fathers.
Right, and that's, I mean, for kids, you know, they need a hero
that's looking for justice for no other reason
than the fact that it's the right thing.
We all need them, and America needs one.
And crazy enough, Donald Trump is being sworn in right now, 11:45.
Donald Trump is being sworn in right now.
The office of President of the United States.
And I don't know if he is the father that America needs.
Sort of like the stepdad that we're all afraid of.
Yeah.
Like an abusive stepdad.
Right.
We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries.
This American carnage stops.
It means that we as a people have to be organized
to stop some of this and to show to the world that that's not America.
He does not represent us.
From this day forward, it's going to be only America first!
God bless you, and God bless America!
It's 11:57... Trump is sworn in, and we are going to be here in protest eating foods.
- Protest catfish. - Yeah.
- It's comfort food. - Yes!
That was the best catfish I've ever had because the cornmeal is light.
It's not overly battered.
It's mainly fish, but still a little... it's crispy,
and the celery... celery really jumps off.
- You can taste it, right? - Yeah, yeah.
I like the celery.
People gave their lives for us to have the right to vote,
for every person, no matter what your skin color is,
no matter where you're from, and the only way
that we can properly repay them for that sacrifice
is to exercise our right to vote each and every time we have the opportunity.
We didn't show up in 2010, and that's what halted so much of our great progress.
So are we going to allow that same thing to happen again?
Or are we going to be a force now for resistance
to protect the advancement that we secured?
And we have to protect our neighborhoods.
We have to protect the culture and our communities and histories.
We all have to stick together because the next challenge is going to be,
"How do we address all the attempts to divide us?"
I feel like this applies across the board, solidarity.
Just blocks from the celebrations of the Capitol
and the White House had been violent protests.
Police in riot gear marching... a reminder that souls doesn't happen here
in Washington, D.C., It happens in all of our homes, in all of our lives.
The good guy, hit him again.
Why are you backing up?
I'm not aggressive.
These are our streets!
We tell them when to go, when not to go!
Now they're admitting tear gas.
Hasn't been any... exploding.
No KKK! No fascist USA! No Trump!
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
This is what they want to see!
So when they come and see you act like... animals,
that's what they're going to say you are!
You're giving into Trump! You're letting Trump win!
When you do this shit, that's why they say, "Look at what you do!"
It delegitimizes it!
You're acting like dickheads!
When you... act like animals!
How the... else we supposed to...
You think that shit is going to make anything better?
Their behavior is illegal, and let's stop setting things on fire.
♪ Will the dust ever settle on us ♪
♪ The flames hiding in the smoke ♪
♪ Will there ever be enough ♪
♪ Or will the flames choke ♪
♪ Will our skins ever be dry ♪
♪ From the blood of the stillborn ♪
♪ Will the rain wash our minds ♪
♪ And drip from out thorns ♪
♪ As it falls all around ♪
♪ You see it hit the ground ♪
♪ I say to you let it come ♪
♪ Let it come down ♪
♪ As it falls all around ♪
♪ You see it hit the ground ♪
♪ I say to you let it come ♪
♪ Let it come ♪
♪ Let it come down, let it come down ♪
It's women in this country that are leading the march,
that are leading the movement for solidarity, and they're picking us all up.
In solidarity, to declare that women's rights are human rights!
We send a message to our new government that we will not stop
until women enjoy equal status.
The "...Trump" dog is great.
- What the... America? - Thank you. I love it.
Make your head great again, brother.
Thank you. Thank you.
Yo, made in China!
Yeah!
I like that! I like that!
There is a man that has been elected president who's cutting everybody down.
But it's women in his country that are leading the march,
that are leading the movement for solidarity, and they're picking us all up.
And I think it's time to follow their lead.
What are some of the issues that matter to you that you're marching for?
Oh, well, I have daughters marching for reproductive rights and rights for everyone.
I just can't stand the hate anymore.
Donald Trump has got to go!
Hey, hey, ho, ho.
I think what's actually inspiring us
is the fact that there's over half a million people, and they're here in solidarity.
It's one of the most polite, kind protests that I think I've ever been to.
And it's just people thinking about, like, "What's good?
What can we have come out of this that is positive and can actually be encouraging?"
Well, I'm a Republican actually, I think?
Yeah.
I think I'm going to stick with it.
The reason I chose to follow my parents' footsteps, I guess, is economic-based.
But I'm here because women's rights are just mad important.
We probably disagree on economics.
- Sure. - But that doesn't mean We don't have respect for each other.
- Exactly. - That doesn't mean We can't march together, and it doesn't mean
we disparage Muslims or disabled people or women.
Of course not. Never.
Yeah.
I'm here to congratulate Donald Trump because if it weren't for Dirty Don,
we wouldn't all be out here.
- Look at what you did, Donald. - A dirty old men who drone.
Look what you did.
What do we want? Justice!
When do we want it? Now!
So we've been marching, interviewing, standing for about 4 1/2 hours,
and we're going to check out what food offerings there
are here at the Women's March on Washington.
I think I'm going South Philly Steaks.
Yes, because marches are a dangerous place for people with IBS.
Irritable bowel syndrome.
Oh, yes. Yes.
Keep it with safe foods.
Do you have the Monash University app?
No, what's that?
It tells you exactly what you can eat... - Oh! - ...and what you can't.
So this is for people with my situation?
Yes, I have IBS.
Oh, IBS gang!
Okay, okay!
She knows the handshake!
What are you going to order?
I'm going to order Philly cheese steak.
I'm not supposed to eat bread, but... Yeah, we got to live.
- It's women's march. - Let's do it. Yeah!
We're not going anywhere!
But just to add a little bit more flavor, we put the french fries in the steak.
It's a Pittsburgh thing.
We got it with whiz.
We got it with onions, and I told them, "Dust it with Old Bay," which is a D.C. thing.
Solidarity in a sandwich.
Congratulations!
Let's see what happens.
I have high standard for steak.
- Yeah. - I'm from Argentina.
Oh, okay!
IBS gang stick together.
Do you want a bite of this sandwich?
There you go. We're sharing a sandwich.
Here, have a bite.
Oh, yeah! Have a bite.
Yes!
That's delicious.
There's enough to go around!
Eight people have eaten this sandwich.
Oh, yeah, she wants some. Yes, get in there!
Eat some sandwich!
The solidarity sandwich!
Whose lives matter?
Black lives matter!
- Whose lives matter? - Black lives matter!
Love trumps hate! Love trumps hate!
Why is it that you guys feel this way?
These are concepts in the Bible.
Okay.
They're not my feelings but the truth!
What does the Bible say about Black Lives Matter?
The Bible says all lives matter.
I don't think they're saying that all lives don't matter,
but it's that black people have been oppressed in America for so long that is...
They're not the only people who have been oppressed.
They're not, but it was a priority that
- they've been downtrodden... - The Irish were enslaved
- by the British for 400 years. - Yes.
The Bible says, "The sins of the father are not the sins of the son."
But the Bible also says, "Do unto others as you would like done unto yourself."
Sure. When I was a sinner like you people, I wouldn't want people to preach to us.
But black people have been in oppressed America for so long.
Well, they ought to stop playing the victim card,
pull up their boots and start working hard
and doing your part. Make America great again!
I think that everybody here is trying to do that.
Go, Trump! Go, Trump! No gay, gay, gay!
No homo USA!
Go, Trump! Go, Trump!
Go... Go, Trump! Go, Trump!
No gay, gay, gay!
If you think for a second the American people
don't see this for what it is, we do!
You had enough money to put that... Kenyan Muslim
on your wall, didn't you?!
End of message.
This piece I wrote today is called "No Coupons."
Dad, we need to get rid of the prime rib coupons!
The tourist come in for the 10.99 prime rib, drink ice water and never tip!
"It's a loss leader," he said.
"No one is going to pay full price to buy steak from Chinese people.
We have to compete on price."
You sell steak because you said people wouldn't pay full price for Chinese food.
"Eddie, immigrants can't sell anything full price in America,"
my father said.
My name is Eddie Huang.
I was born in America.
My ancestors are from China, and my parents were born in Taiwan.
I sell Taiwanese gua bao for full... price in America.
A week and a half after the article went out,
there was this individual who was very, very adamant,
wouldn't stop calling for probably 2 1/2 hours.
I personally call for a boycott on your restaurant.
You are the stupidest business people in a long time.
I hope somebody throws black paint all over your mural and ruins it.
If you think for a second the American people
don't see this for what it is, we do.
We are not stupid!
You had enough money to put that... Kenyan Muslim
on your wall, didn't you?!
You have a good day, you racist bigoted Democrat!
End of message.
So, we're at Mama Ayesha's right now, and this is a 56-year-old restaurant.
And since its opening, they had this mural, and ever since then, all 10 presidents,
they put on this mural.
And so there's been a little bit of a question if Trump is going to make the wall.
Yeah, he's going up there.
- He's going up there? - Yeah.
We left space for two more presidents, Okay.
Regardless of who it was because it's what the mural means to us.
You know, Mama came here on her own.
She worked odds, ends, you know,
cooks here and there and finally opened up the restaurant,
saved enough money, opened it all on her own.
And in a way, the presidents serve the country,
and Mama Ayesha serves the neighborhood.
- Mm-hmm. - And we'll welcoming them to D.C.
- This is my father, Samir. - How are you? Eddie.
- Nice to meet you. - Samir. Nice to meet you.
Definitely. Hi. Eddie. Nice to meet you.
Eddie, I don't work here.
- Oh, cool. - But it's a pleasure meeting you.
Nice to meet you. Yeah.
When you guys opened up, were you the first Palestinian restaurant in D.C.?
The very, very first Palestinian restaurant,
as a matter of fact, Middle Eastern restaurant in DC.
- Oh, wow! - Back in the '50s.
Why is it that Mama Ayesha came from Palestine to America?
She was running farms back in Palestine before the creation of the State of Israel,
and after the war of '48, she lost everything.
And she went and started working at the Syrian embassy as a cook.
She didn't have any green card.
She didn't have any papers to stay, so she worked at the embassy for a while
until she got her papers.
And she moved on and opened this restaurant.
Oh, we got food. Good.
Lamb chop, kofta kebab, shista woo.
Shish kebab.
There's one chop that we will fight over.
And it's all yours.
- I'm here all night. - All right.
I'm going to try the lamb chop first.
All right.
That's incredible!
- It's good. - Mm-hmm.
You know, everything here looks simple.
A lot of it comes out of a steam table.
It's very humble coming out of the refrigerator.
But I'm telling you, the flavor is out of control!
The Muslim community though is specifically being targeted and singled out by Trump
almost more than any other group besides maybe Mexicans or women.
But he is going next level trying to ban Muslims.
Humanity is beautiful for all our differences.
- Mm-hmm. - But we forget about how much We have in common with one another.
America is the greatest experiment running.
We all are here.
We all have this excellent opportunity.
Now what are we going to do with it?
And I think that when you look at Mama Ayesha, you see what she did with it,
and we're still here 56 years later.
Yeah. And again, I think that starts with including people.
- Yes! - We're in a binary mind-set.
That's not going for growth.
You never know what someone could bring to your neighborhood
or your country if you don't give them a chance.
Absolutely. We've almost forgotten where we've come from.
I think he's very confused about where the power of this country comes from,
and the power in this country has always come from immigrants.
So we are at Little Red Fox, which is next to Comet Pizza, ground zero for fake news.
Under arrest in Washington, 28-year-old Edgar Welch,
accused of firing an assault weapon, said he was investigating Pizzagate.
- Pizzagate. - Pizzagate.
A fake conspiracy theory.
Online message board 4chan suggested that the word pizza was code
for child sex trafficking at the restaurant.
And we're meeting Erick Sanchez.
You actually have tried to bring a lot of awareness
to Comet Pizza and fake news with your work, right?
That's right. This entire strip of businesses has unfortunately felt the brunt,
whether it's been harassing phone calls, other things of that nature,
so we decided to do a weekend of action.
We just packed these joints up right before Christmastime.
People are coming out, buying pizza, going to the book shop,
just trying to frequent these local businesses.
This isn't harmless, it isn't a victimless crime,
and these people that are profiting off of
fake news sites, it's really hurting real people
on the ground just trying to support their communities.
How's it been here since the Comet Pizza fiasco?
It's been a little crazy.
Yeah, I mean, social media has been blowing up with,
like, threats and I had to take down, like, pictures of my son that are on there
because people kept posting about it.
He's, like, a 2-year-old and they just kept, like, posting nasty comments.
Even after everybody found out it was fake news, there's still nasty comments?
Yeah.
They claim he was, like, a false flag.
It's a little scary when people are threatening you,
and luckily, we have a really strong community.
We've been as busy as we've ever been just
because the neighborhood wants to support us so much.
Well, we're here to support.
Cool, man. Thanks.
- So nice to meet you. - Thank you so much.
Spending money at local businesses - that support the right values... - For sure.
To stand up for the right thing, you're voting as well.
Every time you spend money, you're voting.
What do you think we need to be doing as Americans?
- The only thing we need to do - Right now is realize
Where our allies are and make sure we keep those people continuously engaged.
- I hope that all these folks - Who came out
For the march last week, that they stay connected
- because it's going to attack - Every part of us.
- It's going to attack, you know, - Immigration rights, You know, the labor unions,
the women's groups, LGBTQ groups because we're literally,
for the first time, like, ever, all in this together.
- Yeah. - Like, if one of us gets... We're all... The time for empty talk is over.
Now arrives the hour of action.
We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone
but rather to let it shine as an example.
We will shine!
How do you believe the world view is of America with all the divisiveness
that we have going on with the election?
I really believe in the strength of the people and the strength of populace.
You're still very hopeful?
I'm very... I'll always remain hopeful!
We are strong because this is a country
that draws on the strength of the entire world.
What are your thoughts about this president and immigrants?
I would tell Donald Trump, "Please be tolerant.
Please be compassionate.
And cut it out with the hate."
I think he's very confused about where the power of this country comes from,
and the power of this country has always come from immigrants.
Everyone here, besides Native Americans, are immigrants.
What do you see as the role of art in holding the administration accountable?
This is a good question. The law mirrors culture.
The law mirrors what's happening in the street.
Maybe we don't continually look towards the three branches
of government to create change.
We create the change ourselves and know that we will drag them along.
I think, in 2017, it's not about getting mad, - it's about getting busy. - All right.
What does getting busy look like?
You are an attractive guy no matter what anybody says.
Thank you. You an attractive man.
All right? You shut this down.
So we're going to meet Jared Taylor here,
and Jared has views that you could categorize as alt-right.
And we are going to be as objective as possible over some fire Peking duck skins.
So we're here in my favorite restaurant in all of the DMV.
This is the greatest Peking duck you can get outside of China.
It is a rite of passage for anyone who has lived in this area,
especially people on Capitol Hill have come here, done meetings, broken bread.
So we are going to meet Jared Taylor here,
and Jared has views that you could categorize as alt-right.
And we are going to be as objective as possible over some fire Peking duck skins.
- Hey, how's it going? - Good to see you.
Does this qualify as moderate attire?
- Yeah. Welcome. - Thank you.
All right. - Come on in.
Peking Gourmet, their innovation is that they use two ovens,
and they render it first here, keep the moisture, and then they bring up the head.
Yes, absolutely.
It is absolutely what makes them very special.
Yeah. I've been coming here since I was, like, 1 years old.
I mean, I never knew how you guys did it
until I got to see it today. It's pretty cool.
- How's it going? - Very well.
- How are you? - Nice to meet you.
Thank you for meeting us, Mr. Taylor.
- Well, it's my pleasure. - Yeah. Have you been here before?
Yes, I've been here before.
So tell us about yourself.
What kind of business do you do?
I run a nonprofit organization.
It's called New Century Foundation.
Hello, I'm Jared Taylor with American Renaissance,
and I'd like to talk about the reality of race.
And then what is the kind of work that American Renaissance does?
Well, I describe it as race realism and white advocacy.
Mm-hmm.
And race realism is the recognition that race is a genuine biological phenomenon.
It's not some sort of sociological optical illusion
as some people would suggest that it is.
And white advocacy is standing up for the legitimate interest of whites as a group.
Okay. I will just tell you I don't agree with the points, but that is why we're here.
- Right, right. - That is our business today.
- Yes. - But what is it that you want To do sociologically with this information?
I believe that there is average temperament, average capacity to defer gratification,
an average in terms of how likely one is to commit a crime.
There are... and they differ from population to population.
You think that there is a racial probability
that you will commit a crime depending on your race?
The likelihood to commit crime is clearly a genetic... a genetic...
has a genetic component to it, and you can find this if you look at adoption studies.
The children of criminals, even if they're adopted
and reared by law-abiding middle-class families, are more likely subsequently
to be criminals - than the children - Who are given up for adoption.
If there is a group that is, say, five times more likely to commit crime,
do you think that is information that you should just be completely ignored?
What would you do with the information?
I think that could very well affect immigration policies, for example.
If there is a group that is known to be 10 times more likely to commit violent crime,
why would we want to increase that population?
When you're factoring in violent crime, are you factoring in violent crime
from the crusades, from the inquisition, from mercantilism and colonization?
- Of course not. - Because if so then, like,
You probably shouldn't let white people into the country.
I'm talking about violent crime today. Come on.
I think you have to look at the whole scope of it.
Why?
I always see people on the conservative side do this, is you're framing the timeline,
and that's why probability and statistics, I don't give as much weight as you do
because you can make them say whatever you want.
No. Oh, come on.
You understand that better than that.
They're just words. I do understand.
I know what I can do with numbers.
Numbers reflect reality.
Of course they reflect reality.
They reflect your reality.
In terms of historical trends of violence,
Europeans have probably, on a per capita basis, killed more than anybody else
but because they were technologically more advanced.
Where does gunpowder come from?
It comes from China.
It's just that Western civilization took things from people.
And I think when you get to older civilizations, they become more benevolent.
They don't hang onto things like genetics as much.
They understand how experience changes you.
Base them on facts instead.
That's essential.
But what I find interesting is you're so into facts, and you're so into science,
but then you supported Donald Trump, right?
Well, that's a whole different question.
That's a whole different subject.
Let me... Let's get back to... But I want to know how it is you voted for Donald Trump
when you're so into facts, because his entire campaign is not based in facts.
It was all based in propaganda and emotion.
I voted for Donald Trump for one reason only.
His policies, if implemented, would slow the dispossession
of whites in the United States.
If you were to deport all illegal immigrants, if you were to think very hard
about letting in any Muslims, all of this would slow the rate
at which whites are becoming a minority.
- I wish... - Why are you so worried About the white dispossession of America?
Because I want my people to survive.
Is that so strange? We don't control China.
We don't control any place where whites are not a majority.
And if we become a minority, we will not control our own destiny anymore.
I grew up in this country as a minority - as the children of immigrants. - Mm-hmm.
I was their first child born in America.
And while I didn't have much possession or didn't have much control,
I really enjoyed myself.
And I think that if you ask a lot of Americans,
they would say that I had a lot to offer this country.
You know, according to you, I guess, I would be
perpetuating the dispossession of white America.
That is true. That is true.
So, would you say that you wouldn't want me in this country?
At some point when my ancestors built this nation,
they did not build it with the intention of giving it away
to Mexicans or Chinese or Haitians or to anyone else.
Do you... Do you consider... You keep saying your ancestors built this country.
Right.
You consider that a fact.
Who else built it?
Black people, Native Americans, Chinese people who came and built the railroads.
You think none of that could have been achieved... Italian people.
But they're Europeans, aren't they?
But you believe in evolution, right?
Evolution, I think, explains a great deal. Mm-hmm.
So according to evolutionary theory, we're all out of Africa,
so at some point your ancestors were sub-Saharan Africans.
So what? At some point our ancestors were unisonian
- or animal. - That's what I'm saying.
At any point in time, we could say you were an African.
- So what? - So you're choosing To pick this point in time and say
you're a descendant of white Europeans.
Why would you think I'm choosing this point of time?
Because it's in favor of your politics at this point.
It's because I'm alive now!
Come on.
My issue with you is that I don't think you have enough compassion and vision.
Not because I don't like what things are now,
it's that I have hope and belief in what they could be.
Look... I'm going to be a thousand with you, man, and I'm going to be honest. - Yeah.
It's kind of getting to the point where the chances are slim to none.
How am I going to pull myself by the boot straps when I don't even have boots?
So we're right here on Good Hope Road, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive,
and we're going to meet Tony Lewis Jr.
You want to know about Tony Lewis Jr.?
You want to know about this father?
You look it up on Google. You'll see.
But we are not going to sensationalize
or tell you the story that's been told thousands of times.
We want to talk about the positivity
and the way people are changing how they get money out here.
- What up, man? - What's up, bro?
- What's good? - For real, man. How are you?
Definitely, definitely. You know we had to come in the neighborhood out here.
- There's no question, man. - Yeah.
Yeah. You know, obviously, it's the... D.C. used to to be chocolate city.
Yeah, yeah. Still is.
It still is in a bigger scheme of things.
But we're about 49 percent African-American now.
- Yeah. - But this community Is still 90, 95-percent African American.
- Yeah. - You know what I mean?
Also, it's been been unfortunately the most economically depressed.
It's very evident, right?
And you start to question, like, how can that be where
there's 50 cranes up in the city right now?
- Yeah. - Our income gap Is the largest of any American city.
- Yeah. - You know, things like that
Where you're just like, "Okay, what can we do again to connect the dots?"
A lot of people out here talk about fiscal responsibility.
You have to just, like, trust the market and capitalism.
But the thing is, you can't have a fair market, and you can't have capitalism
if people don't have the same starting line.
You know, like Dr. King said, right, "How am I going to pull myself by the boot straps
when I don't even have boots?"
We're at Capitol Hill Crab Cakes.
- Yeah, man. - We're gonna do this.
Capitol Hill Crab Cakes', one of my favorites in Ward 8.
And one of the things, you know, this is something just to have a spot like this
in this community means everything.
What up, man? What's good?
What's up, man? How you doing?
Nice to meet you. Thank you for having us.
Definitely. Thank you for coming.
- How long you been here? - About a year and a half.
Respect, respect. Congratulations.
What gave you the motivation, the idea to come here and do this?
Well, actually, you know, just being from the neighborhood
and noticing, like, just the lack of food.
You know what I mean? And just being a food desert.
You've got over 250,000 people on this side of town, so, you know, that's...
- They need to eat. - Who you telling?
And it's good that it's somebody from the neighborhood that owns this.
Yeah. Working my way up.
Yeah, and then you do your thing, and then the kids will work for you.
They're going to open their own spots, too.
And that's the whole point of it.
Horatio, you make this mumbo sauce yourself?
Yes, sir. Make them myself from scratch.
Okay. And he got the gugrecu out here.
Yeah, you know, because we celebrate, man.
These all my sandbox right there.
Like, literally, man, this guy in Kindergarten, my first friend.
First friend raise your hand, first friend.
Right there. Second friend.
All of them. All of them. All of them. All of them.
Yeah, yeah, all of them.
- Yep. - There's levels to them, man.
Here we go. I like this one.
You see the lines on it?
You see that was fitting at the bottom of the fryer basket.
That one is fried the hardest.
Mm. You double-fried this.
- Unh-uh. - No?
No.
It's crazy thin and crispy.
Yeah, baby.
What temperature then?
Fried to shit, man, you know, about 350.
Really? Yo, try it.
This is crazy good.
So usually when you fry a wing, 350, it'll be hard.
It'll be crispy, but the ligaments will be a little bit tough.
This is tender.
I feel like chef is hiding a few things right now
because the temperature, 350, would not have done this.
We're on the south side. You know what I'm saying?
You're trying to play me.
And people, you know, every once in a while,
- you know, - Everything is just a carry-out.
- Oh, baby. - It's not just a carry-out, baby.
No.
I'm drinking vuva over here, baby.
So y'all from the neighborhood, too?
- Born and raised out here? - Yeah.
Born and raised here, yeah.
Towns looming here, too.
- Lucia High School. - Okay.
Yeah, just ran for office.
Yeah, what got you into politics and running?
Just doing a lot of work that.
This need was so great, - and I'm just trying to find - A vehicle to help.
Get the constant calls, Facebook inboxes.
And I figured, instead of keeping going to the government,
ask for this, let's get in a seat.
You know, I come under the leash of Marion Barry, man, - D.C. legend. - Yeah.
A lot of people outside of DC, they've only seen the scandals
with Marion Barry and the hearsay.
What does Marion Barry mean to y'all who grew up in D.C.?
Man, he created the largest black middle class
in the United States, man, you know, in P.G. County.
But opened up a lot of doors for people
who normally wouldn't have those opportunities.
A lot of young brothers, like, we was on the street, and he let us do us.
What is it that helped you take pride in being a good citizen, giving back?
You know, honestly, it was my father.
- Even from prison, - My dad always encouraged me Never to come to prison.
He always encouraged me to do well in school.
Before going to prison, you know, he went to jail when I was 9.
Been in jail 28 years now.
But you know what I mean? It's about family.
It's about raising your children.
It's about being a pillar in your community.
It's a lot tougher to be compassionate.
- Yeah. - You know?
- Oh, absolutely! - That's a harder game.
And it's a lot tougher to stop violence from happening
than to commit and act of violence.
You know what I mean? So, you know, I think we have to continue to help young men
see that and know that and know their value really is here.
You know what I mean? They have so much to contribute, and we need their contributions.
We're not trying to just set an example for D.C., but we trying to set
an example for our country what young brothers can look like.
I'm not a naive man, and I'm very aware that there's always hate around us.
But 2016 was a year where I felt some people started to justify hate,
and there were a lot of people that rose up yelling and screaming
and discriminating against other people, telling them that, "This is my country.
This is not your country."
And there was only enough room for one type of person with one type of history.
But if 2016 is going to be anything in my memory,
it is going to be a reminder of what happens when we don't all do our civic duties,
when we don't all carry the pains and struggles and injustices
that touch anyone else in this country.
And while there was a lot of pain and there was a lot of struggle
and it felt like we had hit a level of hell we had never gone to,
those feelings are inaccurate.
Humanity has been under attack for as long as humanity has existed,
and it is our duty as human beings to stand up every day,
to say something because by fighting and by standing up for something,
this too shall pass.
Rise! Rise! Rise! Rise!
Water is life!