MetroFocus: November 18, 2020

> THIS IS 'METROFOCUS' WITH RAFAEL PI ROMAN, JACK FORD, AND JENNA FLANAGAN.

'METROFOCUS' IS MADE POSSIBLE BY SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III, SYLVIA A. AND SIMON B. POYTA PROGRAMMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM, BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ, BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG, AND BY JANET PRINDLE SEIDLER, JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD, CHERYL AND PHILIP MILSTEIN FAMILY, JUDY AND JOSH WESTON, DR. ROBERT C. AND TINA SOHN FOUNDATION.

FUNDING FOR 'CHASING THE DREAM' IS PROVIDED BY THE JPB FOUNDATION.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR 'CHASING THE DREAM' IS PROVIDED BY SUE AND EDWAR WACWACHENHEIM III.

> WELCOME TO 'METROFOCUS.'

I'M GENJENNA FLANAGAN.

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAS PUT MANY FAMILIES INTO FINANCIAL PERIL.

AS A RESULT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE FIND THEMSELVES STRUGGLING WITH FOOD INSECURITY.

ACROSS OUR REGION FOOD BANKS AND FOOD PANTRIES HAVE SEEN A SURGE IN DEMAND.

SO TO HELP MEET THAT DEMAND THE NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN PARTNERING WITH LOCAL FOOD RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS TO DELIVER FRESH PRODUCE TO THOSE WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN NEED.

SO JOINING ME NOW TO TALK ABOUT THAT PARTNERSHIP AS WELL AS THE CHALLENGES OF COMBATING FOOD INSECURITY AMID THE PANDEMIC IS RANDI SHUBIN RESNER, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE ISLAND HARVEST FOOD BANK, THE LARGEST FOOD ORGANIZATION ON LONG ISLAND.

RANDI, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

AND WE'RE ALSO JOINED BY NEW YORK STATE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE RICHARD BALL.

RICHARD, WELCOME.

GREAT TO BE WITH YOU, JENNA.

THEY BOTH JOIN ME AS PART OF OUR 'CHASING THE DREAM' INITIATIVE ON POVERTY, JUSTICE, AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA.

SO RANDI, I'D LIKE TO START WITH YOU AND JUST HAVE YOU TELL US JUST SORT OF A BRIEF SYNOPSIS ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES THAT FIND THEMSELVES IN NEED OF YOUR SERVICE.

SO A FOOD BANK ON LONG ISLAND HELPING IN NORMAL TIMES NOT DURING A PANDEMIC ABOUT 300,000 FAMILIES EACH YEAR.

SO IN A COMMUNITY THAT IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS HAVING SOME OF THE WEALTHIEST ZIP CODES IN THE COUNTRY, ABOUT 1 IN 10 LONG ISLANDERS ARE STRUGGLING WITH HUNGER.

AND WHAT WE USED TO SAY WAS THERE WERE POCKETS OF POVERTY ACROSS LONG ISLAND.

NOW WE OFTEN SAY THAT THERE ARE POCKETS OF WEALTH BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH NEED ACROSS LONG ISLAND.

IN RECENT MONTHS, SINCE MARCH, WE OPENED UP OUR EMERGENCY RESOURCE CENTER, AND IN JUST THE PAST SEVEN MONTHS WE HAVE HELPED MORE THAN 400,000 FAMILIES.

THE INCREASE HAS BEEN QUITE DRAMATIC.

WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN AND HOSTED ABOUT 1,000 FOOD DISTRIBUTION EVENTS IN JUST THESE PAST FEW MONTHS.

AND ARE REALLY DOING WHAT WE CAN TO MEET THE NEEDS OF SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING HERE ON LONG ISLAND.

I COULD GO ON AND ON WITH STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME TO THE FOOD BANK FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

OF COURSE.

OF COURSE.

AND SO RICHARD, THIS IS WHERE I WANT TO BRING YOU INTO THE CONVERSATION.

AND ASK HOW IS IT THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HAS STEPPED IN TO HELP PROVIDE FOOD TO THOSE WHO NEED IT?

WELL, THANKS.

THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION.

IT'S GREAT TO BE WITH YOU BOTH.

WE'RE FORTUNATE THAT WE ALREADY HAD GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE EMERGENCY FOOD SYSTEM AND THE PANTRY SYSTEM IN NEW YORK STATE.

I GET TO CHAIR FOR THE GOVERNOR THE COUNCIL ON HUNGER AND FOOD POLICY.

WHERE WE HAVE NEW YORK FARMERS, WHERE WE HAVE CORNELL, WHERE WE HAVE THE STATE AGENCIES THAT DEAL IN HUNGER AND FOOD ISSUES.

AND WHERE WE HAVE OUR FOOD BANKS AND PANTRY SYSTEM AS WELL.

RANDI HAS BEEN A GREAT ASSET ON THE HUNGER AND FOOD POLICY COUNCIL.

SO AS WE HEADED INTO THIS PANDEMIC, WE HAD A HEAD START BECAUSE WE HAD RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL 10 OF OUR FOOD BANKS ACROSS THE STATE.

WE OBVIOUSLY AT AGRICULTURE KNOW WHERE THE FOOD IS.

I WANT TO POINT OUT, THERE WAS NEVER A FOOD SUPPLY ISSUE.

WE HAD PLENTY OF FOOD.

THE CHALLENGE WAS IT WAS IN ONE PLACE AND THE NEED BECAME IN A DIFFERENT PLACE.

MORE THAN HALF OF THE FOOD THAT WE PRODUCED IN NEW YORK TYPICALLY GOES THROUGH THE FOOD SERVICE SYSTEM.

RESTAURANTS, INSTITUTIONS, AND SCHOOLS.

AND SUDDENLY THAT VALVE WAS SHUT OFF.

AND SO WHEN COVID-19 HIT US IT REALLY HURT BOTH ENDS OF OUR FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN.

FARMERS ON ONE END WHO LOST HALF THEIR MARKET, CONSUMERS ON THE OTHER END WHO REALLY NEEDED THE HELP FINDING FOOD.

AND THAT'S WHERE RANDI AND HER ORGANIZATION CAME IN IN A BIG WAY.

WELL, JUST TO SORT OF BUILD ON THAT, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE NOURISH NEW YORK INITIATIVE AND IF THERE'S ANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU'VE ALSO PARTNERED WITH?

WE'VE PARTNERED WITH A LOT OF FOLKS.

BELIEVE ME.

WE WERE ABLE TO TO -- ONCE EARLY ON IN THE PANDEMIC GROCERY STORES WERE MOBBED.

THERE WAS HOARDING GOING ON.

AND THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS DEMAND, FOR EXAMPLE, ON MILK.

BUT JUST A COUPLE WEEKS INTO THE PANDEMIC AND SUDDENLY WE HAD A SITUATION WHERE SUPPLY WAREHOUSES WERE FULL, DAIRY PROCESSING FACILITIES COULDN'T HANDLE ANYMORE.

WE HAD FARMERS ACTUALLY DUMPING MILK ON THEIR FARMS BECAUSE THEY HAD NOWHERE TO GO WITH IT.

AT THE SAME TIME WE HAD A TREMENDOUS NEED.

WHEN THE GOVERNOR HEARD ABOUT THAT, HE WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY FOR US SOME FUNDING AND EMERGENCY HELP FOOD DOLLARS.

$25 MILLION TO BE EXACT.

WE WERE ABLE TO WITHIN ONE WEEK SET UP CONTRACTS AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL TEN FOOD BANKS, PRORATE THAT FUNDING.

I REMEMBER THIS STARTED ON A SUNDAY.

THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY WE HAD THE PROGRAM PUT TOGETHER.

AND TWO DAYS LATER I WAS ON LONG ISLAND WITH RANDI AND WE WERE DISTRIBUTING FOOD TO PEOPLE WHO NEEDED IT.

WE HAD TRAILER LOADS OF MILK, CHEESE, YOGURT, APPLES, POTATOES, SOME MEAT PRODUCTS, EGGS, AND IT WAS OVERWHELMING FROM AN EMOTIONAL STANDPOINT.

WELL, THAT DISTRIBUTION WAS OUR FIRST LARGEST LARGE DISTRIBUTION, LARGE SCALE.

SO ON THAT DAY WE SUPPORTED OVER 3,800 FAMILIES.

SO PEOPLE OFTEN SEE THE LINE SNAKED AROUND FOOD BANKS.

THAT WAS HAPPENING HERE ON LONG ISLAND AND ACROSS NEW YORK STATE AS WELL.

AND WE WERE FORTUNATE BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF THE GOVERNOR THROUGH NOURISH NEW YORK BECAUSE IT REALLY OPENED UP ALL CHANNELS FOR US AND REALLY CHANGED EVERYTHING.

WELL, IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY I BELIEVE YOU SAID 30,000 FAMILIES IN THOSE LONG LINES --

3,800 FAMILIES.

3,800.

EXCUSE ME.

BUT THE LONG LINES THAT WE'VE SEEN ON THE NEWS OF JUST SNAKING AROUND BUILDINGS, ET CETERA, CAN YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LOGISTICS OF DELIVERING FOOD TO THAT MANY PEOPLE?

BECAUSE AS I -- STUFF WOULD HAVE TO BE PORTIONED OUT AND IF IT NEEDS TO BE PROPERLY REFRIGERATED OR SOMETHING.

I MEAN, THERE'S GOT TO BE A SYSTEM THAT HAS TO BE SET UP IN PLACE FIRST TO EVEN BE ABLE TO DO THAT PROPERLY.

YOU KNOW, JENNA, YOU'RE RIGHT.

THANK YOU FOR ASKING THE QUESTION THAT WAY.

SO FOOD BANKS ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF ZRIBLTING FOOD FAIRLY QUICKLY.

HARVEST STARTED WHAT'S CALLED A FOOD RESCUE ORGANIZATION.

SO OUR MODEL IS BASED OFF PICKING UP FOOD AND IMMEDIATELY DISTRIBUTING THEM AND DOING IT SAFELY, WHETHER IT'S PERISHABLE PRODUCTS OR NON-PERISHABLE PRODUCT.

BUT IN THIS CASE TO DISTRIBUTE TO NEARLY 4,000 FAMILIES TAKES A LOT OF PLANNING AND PREPARATION.

AND SO WE WERE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE, WITH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE.

WE WORKED WITH THE LOCAL COUNTIES, WITH THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, WITH THE LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT.

BECAUSE IMAGINE WHEN WE'RE SUPPORTING 3,800 FAMILIES, NEARLY 4,000, THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE COMING VIA CAR AND THERE ARE ALSO ALWAYS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT COME BY FOOT WITH PUSH CARTS TO TAKE THE FOOD.

AND SO WE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO PLAN FOR BOTH.

WE HAD OVER 200 VOLUNTEERS ON SITE AT THAT PARTICULAR DISTRIBUTION.

AND WE'VE DONE THAT NOW THREE OTHER TIMES.

ON A LARGE SCALE.

BUT MOST OF OUR FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS ARE BETWEEN 100 PEOPLE AND ABOUT 1,000 TO 2,000 PEOPLE.

SO IT'S A BIG EFFORT.

AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE FOOD TEMPERATURES, A LOT OF THAT WAS HAPPENING DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.

AND NOR SOMFOR SOME REASON EVERF OUR EVENTS HAPPENED ON THE HOTTEST DAYS OF THE SUMMER.

SO WE BROUGHT OUT ALL OF OUR REFRIGERATED TRUCKS, OUR TRACTOR-TRAILER.

WE HAD A WHOLE SYSTEM OF HOW WE WOULD OFF-LOAD PRODUCTS AND HOW MUCH TIME IT WOULD BE OUT BEFORE IT WAS DISTRIBUTED.

AND SO IN THOSE -- ON THOSE DAYS WE NEEDED MORE VOLUNTEERS SO WE COULD TIME AND TASTE ALL OF THE PRODUCT.

PLUS YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, OF A VIRUS WHERE IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION, AND SO WE STEPPED UP THE SAFETY PROTOCOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE REALLY LOOKING OUT FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS, FOR OUR STAFF AND OF COURSE ALL THE PEOPLE COMING IN FOR HELP.

SO THAT ADDED ANOTHER LAYER ON TOP OF EVERYTHING.

SO IN ADDITION TO THE BOX OF PRODUCE THAT WE WERE DISTRIBUTING, THE BOX OF PERISHABLE PRODUCT, WHICH WAS MEAT AND DAIRY, WE ALSO DISTRIBUTED PPE TO EVERYBODY AT EVERY ONE OF OUR DISTRIBUTION EVENTS.

CONTINUING THROUGH TODAY.

AND THAT SEEMS LIKE THAT WOULD BE AS IMPORTANT -- AT LEAST DURING THE PANDEMIC AS THE FOOD.

BUT I DO WANT TO ASK YOU TO BUILD JUST A LITTLE ON -- BECAUSE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THE SUMMER AND ALL OF THE FAMILIES YOU WERE SERVICING.

BUT HERE WE ARE IN THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

AND OF COURSE THIS TENDS TO BE A TIME WHEN WE ARE CONDITIONS TO THINK ABOUT THE LESS FORTUNATE AND PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED.

ARE YOU SEEING AN EVEN BIGGER INCREASE?

OR WHAT'S HAPPENING AT LEAST WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION?

SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S AN INCREASE IN THE NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WE HAVE PEOPLE CALLING AND COMING TO OUR DISTRIBUTION POINTS WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN ON A FOOD LINE BEFORE.

SO WE'VE HAD PEOPLE FROM WALL STREET.

WE'VE HAD PHYSICIANS ON LINE.

WE'VE HAD PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY AND LANDSCAPING INDUSTRY.

AND EVERYBODY IN BETWEEN.

ONE OF OUR COMMON PHRASES THAT WE SAY TO VOLUNTEERS AT OUR DISTRIBUTION EVENTS IS TODAY WE ARE GOING TO SEE JAGUARS, MERCEDES AND BMWs LINING UP RIGHT NEXT TO THE FORDS, CHEVIES, AND MAZDAS.

BUT WE TREAT EVERYBODY WITH RESPECT BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW, OTHER THAN THEM BEING IMPACTED BY COVID, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES AND WE WOULD EXPECT THE SAME IF WE WERE ON LINE.

AND PEOPLE LAUGH WHENEVER WE SAY THAT UNTIL THE CARS START COMING ONTO THE LINE.

AND IT'S THE TRUTH ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING.

SO THE NEED IS INCREASED, WHICH MEANS THAT THE FOOD AND THE SUPPORT NEEDS TO INCREASE SO WE CAN SUPPORT EVERYBODY WHO'S COMING TO US FOR HELP.

PROGRAMS LIKE NOURISH NEW YORK WAS ONE OF THOSE VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAMS WHICH HELPED TO FILL IN THE GAPS AND BEYOND BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY ENABLED US TO ADD MANY DISTRIBUTION EVENTS THAT WE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE TO PEOPLE.

WELL, RANDI, WE'VE ONLY GOT ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT.

SO I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I ASK YOU, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY'RE SEEING THE STORY AND THEY'RE SAYING THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WANT TO SUPPORT, THAT'S SOMETHING I WANT TO HELP, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT?

WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE, ISLANDHARVEST.ORG.

OR IF YOU DON'T LIVE ON LONG ISLAND, THE FOOD BANK ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK IS CALLED FEEDING NEW YORK STATE.

AND THERE'S A LISTING OF ALL OF THE FOOD BANKS ACROSS THE STATE.

FOOD BANKS NEED HELP WITH FUNDS, FOOD, AND WITH PEOPLE ROLLING UP THEIR SLEEVES AND GETTING INVOLVED AND VOLUNTEERING.

WELL, LISTEN, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE TIME NOW TO THANK NEW YORK STATE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE RICHARD BALL AND OF COURSE HE RANDY SHUBIN DRESSNER, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ISLAND HARVEST FOOD BANK, THE LARGEST FOOD ORGANIZATION ON LONG ISLAND.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AND REMINDING US ABOUT THIS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT NEED THAT I'M SURE UNFORTUNATELY WE'LL AF CONTINUE TO SEE INTO 2021.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ABSOLUTELY.

YOU GOT IT.

THANK YOU.

> HELLO.

I'M JENNA FLANAGAN.

COMING OF AGE IS A DIFFICULT JOURNEY FOR MOST YOUNG PEOPLE AS THEY LEARN TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD FOR THEMSELVES.

THIS JOURNEY CAN BECOME EVEN MORE FRAUGHT WHEN ISSUES LIKE GENDER, CLASS, AND RACE ARE ADDED INTO THE MIX.

THESE ARE OFTEN SUBJECTS PARENTS HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME DISCUSSING OPENLY AND FRANKLY WITH THEIR KIDS.

SO TO HELP FACILITATE THESE CONVERSATIONS WITHIN FAMILIES AND GIVE CHILDREN OF COLOR A VARIETY OF NARRATIVES THAT REFLECT THE PROFUNDITY OF THEIR EXPERIENCES IN AN HONEST MANNER ARE AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER WADE HUDSON AND PUBLISHER AND EDITOR CHERYL WILLIS.

WHOSE NEW BOOK 'THE TALK: CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE, LOVE, AND TRUTH' AIMS TO SPARK THOSE VERY CONVERSATIONS WITH FAMILIES.

SO WADE AND CHERYL, WELCOME TO 'METROFOCUS.'

GOOD TO BE HERE, JENNA.

THANK YOU.

OH, ABSOLUTELY.

FIRST, I GUESS, EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS KIND OF INTUITIVE CONSIDERING EVERYTHING THE COUNTRY IS DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW, BUT WHY THIS BOOK?

WHEN DID IT COME INTO -- WHEN I GUESS WAS THE GENESIS OF THIS BOOK?

AND WHY DID YOU GUYS FEEL IT WAS NECESSARY?

WELL, ACTUALLY, THE IDEA FOR THIS BOOK WAS BORN IN 2018.

WE WERE WORKING ON ANOTHER ANTHOLOGY CALLED 'WE RISE, WE RESIST, WE RAISE OUR VOICES,' WHICH WAS A RESPONSE TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE POLITICAL CULTURE AT THE TIME, THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

SO WE FELT THAT BECAUSE OF THE TOXIC ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE TIME THAT CHILDREN NEEDED TO BE ENCOURAGED, THEY NEEDED TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE LOVED, SUPPORTED.

BECAUSE WE WERE READING STORIES ABOUT KIDS BULLYING OTHER KIDS BECAUSE THEY WERE DIFFERENT.

YOU KNOW, SO WE WANTED TO LET THEM KNOW THAT WE LOVE THEM AND IN SPITE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WE COULD GET THROUGH THIS.

SO WHEN THAT ANTHOLOGY WAS RELEASED IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT WE NEEDED TO EXPAND THE CONVERSATION AND TO DEAL WITH OTHER TOPICS THAT THAT PARTICULAR ANTHOLOGY DID NOT DEAL WITH.

THE TALK IS NEARLY AN EXTENSION OF SEVERAL BOOKS WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.

MM-HMM.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH IN OUR PUBLISHING PROGRAM FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS.

AND THAT AFFIRMATIONS OF BLACK LIVES AND MULTICULTURAL LIVES OF KIDS IN THIS COUNTRY.

SO 'THE TALK' IS NOT ONE TALK WITH BLACK KIDS ABOUT AVOIDING THE POLICE OR WHAT YOU CAN DO WHEN YOU HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE POLICE BUT IT'S A TALK THAT MANY PARENTS NEED TO HAVE WITH THEIR CHILDREN, WHETHER IT'S ABOUT BODY IMAGE OR SELF-ESTEEM OR BULLYING OR BEING DIFFERENT OR STEREOTYPES OF NATIVE CULTURE OR -- BECAUSE YOU SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE OR BECAUSE YOU'RE AN IMMIGRANT.

OF COURSE.

OF COURSE.

THIS OF COURSE IS AN ANTHOLOGY.

SO THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT YOUNG UP-AND-COMING AUTHORS WHO ARE INCLUDED.

I WAS WONDERING IF THERE WERE SOME NAMES YOU COULD HIGHLIGHT AND WHY YOU THOUGHT THEY BROUGHT A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE.

WELL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF AUTHORS, ILLUSTRATORS, THEY'RE FRIENDS, THEY ARE SELENA ALCONE, TRACY BAPTISTE, DEREK BARNES WHO'S THE WINNER OF THE NEWBERRY AWARD, NATASHA BUSCOS, COSBY CABRERA.

THERE'S A LIST OF -- RON COLON.

NICKY GRIMES.

THESE ARE FAMILIAR VOICES IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE.

AS WELL AS WADE HUDSON AND AS WELL AS?

AUTHORS WHO ARE MAYBE NOT SO WELL KNOWN OR SO MUCH HIGH-PROFILE BUT THEY'RE WONDERFUL WRITERS WHO SPEAK TO A NUMBER AND VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE.

THERE ARE MEMBERS OF OUR WRITING COMMUNITY, AND THESE ARE PEOPLE WE KNOW, THESE ARE WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS WE KNOW, AND SOME OF THEM WE HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH AS WELL.

IT'S A FAMILY KIND OF APPROACH.

THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS WITH THE FIRST ANTHOLOGY.

AND IT WAS THAT WAY WITH 'THE TALK' AS WELL.

WELL, WADE, BECAUSE YOU ARE ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ANTHOLOGY I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD JUST GIVE THE AUDIENCE AN IDEA OF WHAT KIND OF NARRATIVES ARE IN THIS BOOK BECAUSE YOU TELL A VERY PERSONAL STORY.

YES.

IN FACT, MY SELECTION'S CALLED 'THE BITE.'

AND I'M RECALLING AN EXPERIENCE THAT I HAD WHEN I WAS 8 YEARS OF AGE.

I GREW UP IN THE SOUTH, AND MY FAMILY WAS VERY POOR.

THERE WERE EIGHT CHILDREN IN THE FAMILY.

AND I WANTED A BIKE.

DURING THE EARLY FALL I STARTED SELECTING THE BIKE THAT I WANTED TO GET.

AND MY BROTHER WHO WAS A YOUNGER THAN I, ALSO WANTED THE SAME BIKE.

SO WE JUST KNEW WE WERE GOING TO GET THIS BIKE.

SO AS CHRISTMAS CAME, STARTED TO COME CLOSE, OUR PARENTS REALLY DIDN'T SAY THAT THEY WEREN'T GOING TO GET THE BIKE OR THEY WERE GOING TO GET THE BIKE.

THEY JUST AVOIDED THE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.

SO ON CHRISTMAS DAY MY BROTHER AND I RAN TO THE CHRISTMAS TREE LOOKING FOR THE BIKE AND THE BIKE WASN'T THERE.

AND SO I WAS REALLY DISTRAUGHT.

MY CHRISTMAS WAS RUINED.

SO I WENT TO THE BEDROOM AND I LAID IN BED AND MY FATHER CAME IN.

AND HE HAD THIS REALLY DIFFICULT CONVERSATION WITH ME, EXPLAINING THAT WE WERE TOO POOR TO BUY THE BIKE.

AND I HAD NEVER HEARD THE WORD 'POOR' BEFORE OR 'STRUGGLING' BEFORE.

SO THAT REALLY HELPED TO OPEN MY EYES ABOUT MY FAMILY'S CONDITION.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I FIND SO INTERESTING IS BECAUSE I BELIEVE YOU GUYS ARE PUBLISHING UNDER JUSTICE US BOOKS.

IF I'M CORRECT, THAT'S THE NAME OF THE INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING COMPANY?

YES.

OKAY.

SO THERE SEEMS TO BE THAT YOU WERE DEFINITELY LOOKING TO FILL A NEED THAT WAS IN THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY.

NOW, WE'VE HEARD FROM VARIOUS DIFFERENT RESOURCES IN OTHER NEWS OUTLETS THAT PUBLISHING CAN LEAN TOWARD, YOU KNOW, VERY WHITE AND VERY SORT OF UPPER MIDDLE-CLASS, MAINSTREAM.

WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT TO CREATE A SPACE FOR KIDS WHO WEREN'T WHITE, WHO WEREN'T EVEN MIDDLE CLASS, WHO WERE STRUGGLING WITH SOME OF THESE ISSUES TO HAVE A PLACE WHERE THEY COULD BE REFLECTED IN AN HONEST MANNER?

YOU KNOW, WE STARTED OUR COMPANY OVER 30 YEARS AGO, AND WE HAVE TWO CHILDREN.

WHEN THEY WERE GROWING UP, WE WANTED TO HAVE BOOKS AND LEARNING MATERIALS FOR THEM THAT REFLECTED WHO THEY WERE.

AND IT WAS VERY HARD TO FIND THEM IN THE RETAIL MARKET AND EVEN IN SCHOOLS WHERE MINORITIES, AS WE WERE CALLED AT THAT TIME, WERE NOT NECESSARILY PORTRAYED.

SO WE REALLY STARTED OUR COMPANY FOR OUR CHILDREN AND TO PROVIDE MATERIALS THAT REFLECTED THEM IN A POSITIVE LIGHT.

WE HAD EXPERIENCE IN PUBLISHING.

BOTH WADE AND I HAD WORKED IN PUBLISHING AND WRITING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND A LOT OF OUR PROJECTS WERE TURNED DOWN BY THE MAJOR PUBLISHING COMPANIES.

SO WE KNEW HOW TO DO THIS WORK, AND WE DID IT -- BIT THE BULLET AND LEAPT OUT ON FAITH AND STARTED OUR OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY.

ACTUALLY, WE STARTED OUR OWN PUBLISHER WITH ONE BOOK BUT THEN EXPANDED.

ACTUALLY, BEFORE WE STARTED JUST US BOOKS WE HAD GONE TO SEVERAL PUBLISHING HOUSES.

TO MANAGE WHAT WE HAD WRITTEN.

AND WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS NO MARKET FOR THESE KINDS OF MANUSCRIPTS.

ONE EDITOR EVEN SAID BLACK PEOPLE DON'T BUY BOOKS.

AND WE KNEW THAT WASN'T TRUE.

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT WAS THESE BOOKS WERE NOT AVAILABLE IN THE MARKETPLACE.

AND ALSO THAT BOOKS FOR OUR CHILDREN NEED TO BE DIVERSE.

THEY'RE AFRICAN-AMERICANS, UPPER MIDDLE CLASS, MIDDLE CLASS, POOR.

THERE'S A DIVERSITY TO OUR CULTURE AND THAT SHOULD BE REFLECTED IN THE BOOKS AND MATERIALS THAT WE HAVE.

CHERYL, SPEAKING OF THE DIVERSITY WITHIN AT LEAST JUST THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, LET ALONE SO MANY OF THE OTHER EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN AMERICA BUT I WAS WONDERING WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR NOT JUST 'THE TALK' TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES BUT TO ALSO TALK ABOUT HOW THEY FREQUENTLY OVERLAP?

SOMETIMES WHEN A STORY ABOUT RACE OR ABOUT CLASS OR ABOUT BODY IMAGE IS PRESENTED TO A YOUNG PERSON IT'S PRESENTED IN A SORT OF LINEAR FASHION.

AND THIS WAS A SERIES OF STORIES WHERE ACTUALLY THESE ISSUES COMPOUND ON ONE ANOTHER.

ABSOLUTELY.

THE TALKS ARE INTERGENERATIONAL.

THEY'RE MULTILAYERED.

THEY DON'T EXIST IN SILOS.

AND ALTHOUGH WE ARE BACK 365 DAYS A YEAR, WE'RE ALSO PUBLISHERS.

WE'RE PARENTS.

OUR CHILDREN BRUSH THEIR TEETH.

THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE COMMON AND UNIVERSAL IN ALL CULTURES.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF INTERSECTION HERE.

THERE'S A VIETNAMESE AMERICAN.

THERE'S A MEXICAN AMERICAN.

THERE ARE BLACKS.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE BIRACIAL.

IN THIS COLLECTION.

NATIVE STORIES ARE IN THIS COLLECTION AS WELL.

AND ALSO, JENNA, WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A WHITE VOICE IN THIS COLLECTION.

SO WE INVITED ALEX GIBBLITS.

HE HAS WRITTEN A PIECE ABOUT WHITE PRIVILEGE AND EXPLAINING IT TO HIS DAUGHTER IN THE PIECE.

SO IN HAVING TO TALK ABOUT THE TALKS, BECAUSE THERE ARE A VARIETY OF TALKS, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO COME TO THE TABLE.

NOT JUST PEOPLE OF COLOR.

BECAUSE WE COULD HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD AND THE RACIAL PROBLEM, WE WOULD HAVE DONE IT YEARS AGO.

SO WE NEED EVERYBODY TO THE TABLE INCLUDING WHITE PEOPLE.

AND THESE IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS MUST BE HAD BY ALL OF US.

AND AFTER THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE TO GET UP AND DO THE WORK TO MAKE THIS A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYBODY.

YES, AND I DID THINK THAT WAS SO UNIQUE AND INTERESTING THAT THIS ANTHOLOGY DID AS YOU SAID INTENTIONALLY INCLUDE A TALK OR A NARRATIVE WRITTEN BY A WHITE AUTHOR AS WELL.

SO CLEARLY THIS BOOK IS FOR EVERYONE.

IT IS NOT CERTAINLY JUST SOMETHING FOR THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SECTION OF THE BOOKSTORE.

IT'S FOR EVERYONE.

ABSOLUTELY.

AND IT'S LITERATURE.

THERE'S A COMBINATION -- IT'S VERY CAREFULLY CURATED.

SO THEY ARE ESSAYS, THEY'RE POEMS, THEY'RE LETTERS, THEY ARE LISTS.

THERE ARE RESOURCES IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK, AND THEY'RE BLACK AND WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PEOPLE OF VARIOUS CULTURES THAT REALLY COMPLEMENT THE STORIES THAT ARE IN THE COLLECTION.

AND ACTUALLY IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN RELEASED AT A MORE IMPORTANT TIME.

AGAIN, WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS COLLECTION TWO YEARS AGO.

AND NOW THE SOCIAL JUSTICE THRUST IS RIGHT IN OUR FACE NOW.

SO THE BOOK IS JUST SO IMPORTANT FOR THIS PARTICULAR TIME.

IT IS.

AND OF COURSE TIMING IS EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY FOR THE RELEASE OF AN ARTISTIC PIECE.

WE'RE SLOWLY COMING UP ON THE END OF OUR TIME.

BUT I DO WANT TO ASK ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER BOOKS THAT ARE PUBLISHED FROM JUST US BOOKS.

AND I ASK BECAUSE SO OFTEN, AND THIS IS TAPPING INTO MY OWN EXPERIENCE, BUT AS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILD FREQUENTLY BOOKS THAT ARE WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN OF COLOR ARE USUALLY ABOUT HEAVIER SUBJECTS, YOU KNOW, HISTORY AND -- IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WE UNDERSTAND THESE.

BUT AS I WAS GOING THROUGH SOME OF THESE TITLES I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT THERE'S ALSO JUST BOOKS THAT HAPPEN TO BE ABOUT CHILDREN OF COLOR.

ABSOLUTELY.

THERE'S 'JAMAL'S DAY.'

ABOUT A LITTLE BOY WHO JUST LOVES TO GO TO SCHOOL.

THERE'S 'WHEN I WAS LITTLE' ABOUT A GRANDFATHER AND A GRANDSON WHO GO FISHING TOGETHER.

THERE'S A LITTLE GIRL WHO LOVES TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO AND PAINT AND DO STORIES.

'THE OLD BLUE HOUSE' ABOUT A LITTLE GIRL AND HER GRANDMOTHER VISITING THE SOUTH.

THERE ARE A VARIETY OF EXPERIENCES OF KIDS BEING KIDS AND THEY HAPPEN TO BE BLACK KIDS.

ALSO WE FOCUS ON BOOKS FOR BOYS.

BECAUSE BLACK BOYS ARE OFTEN LEFT OUT OF A LOT OF THE BOOKS THAT ARE PUBLISHED.

AND THERE'S A SERIES CALLED KID CARAMEL.

IT'S ABOUT A LITTLE BOY, A LITTLE BLACK BOY THAT CONSIDERS HIMSELF A DETECTIVE.

SO HE GOES AROUND HIS COMMUNITY TRYING TO SOLVE CASES.

THERE ARE FOUR BOOKS IN THAT SERIES.

WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER BOOK CALLED 'NEAT.'

AND THEY'RE FIVE -- THREE HIGH SCHOOL YOUNGSTERS.

SO THE BOOKS REVOLVE AROUND THEIR INTERRELATIONSHIPS AND THE THINGS THEY DO IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT YOU THAT DO HAVE BOOKS LIKE 'BOOK OF BLACK HEROES FROM A TO Z' OF GREAT WOMEN IN THE STRUGGLE FOR POLITICAL LEADERS.

SO THERE ARE BIOGRAPHIES AS WELL.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME.

I WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING ME.

WADE HUDS OKAY AND CHERYL WILLIS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THE BOOK IS CALLED 'THE TALK: CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LOVE AND TRUTH.'

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

ABSOLUTELY, JENNA.

THANK YOU.

ABSOLUTELY.

BYE-BYE.

'METROFOCUS' IS MADE POSSIBLE BY SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III, SYLVIA A. AND SIMON B. POYTA PROGRAMMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM, BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ, BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG, AND BY JANET PRINDLE SEIDLER, JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD, CHERYL AND PHILIP MILSTEIN FAMILY, JUDY AND JOSH WESTON, DR. ROBERT C. AND TINA SOHN FOUNDATION.