1 00:00:15,642 --> 00:00:17,602 I love the Met so much. 2 00:00:17,686 --> 00:00:19,896 This is one of my kids' favorite places 3 00:00:19,980 --> 00:00:21,523 probably in New York City. 4 00:00:21,606 --> 00:00:24,901 Charlotte and Aidan couldn't get over the fact that, like, 5 00:00:24,985 --> 00:00:27,696 there were these ancient languages that no longer exist. 6 00:00:28,822 --> 00:00:31,950 And I actually remember being awed by the same thing, 7 00:00:32,033 --> 00:00:34,202 which I learned in fourth grade. 8 00:00:34,286 --> 00:00:36,204 Yeah, I don't remember learning it. 9 00:00:37,664 --> 00:00:39,374 That is so beautiful though. Look at that. 10 00:00:39,457 --> 00:00:40,584 Oh, my gosh. 11 00:00:40,667 --> 00:00:42,836 Diana, goddess of the hunt. 12 00:00:43,879 --> 00:00:48,300 Any time you're in this incredible space, you think about history 13 00:00:48,383 --> 00:00:53,054 and you think about those who are willing to step up and speak out. 14 00:00:53,138 --> 00:00:58,518 I hope, through our talking with and highlighting these women, you know, 15 00:00:58,602 --> 00:01:01,980 more people can see what it means to step up. 16 00:01:02,063 --> 00:01:07,652 What-- More people can see how you, whoever you are, can take a stand. 17 00:01:07,736 --> 00:01:08,862 And I love that. 18 00:01:10,947 --> 00:01:14,618 I'm here, and I'm proud, and I'm not gonna apologize. 19 00:01:18,204 --> 00:01:20,165 We got ourselves a show. 20 00:01:30,759 --> 00:01:36,640 Today, Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton are coming to this house 21 00:01:36,723 --> 00:01:37,766 to play with me. 22 00:01:38,516 --> 00:01:40,894 I can't believe they thought of me. 23 00:01:40,977 --> 00:01:43,605 "Hey, we like what you do, and we wanna come talk to you about it." 24 00:01:46,524 --> 00:01:47,484 It's nuts. 25 00:01:48,735 --> 00:01:52,697 Amber Ruffin was somebody who I really enjoyed watching, 26 00:01:52,781 --> 00:01:55,617 because her energy is just incredible. 27 00:01:55,700 --> 00:01:58,828 Having watched her for years on Late Night with Seth Meyers, 28 00:01:58,912 --> 00:02:01,081 and then now The Amber Ruffin Show… 29 00:02:01,164 --> 00:02:04,501 I just feel like I want her to be my friend. 30 00:02:05,418 --> 00:02:07,128 I can't wait to meet her. 31 00:02:10,173 --> 00:02:11,967 In order to get ready, 32 00:02:12,050 --> 00:02:17,013 I set out some limes so that I represent margaritas to the fullest. 33 00:02:17,097 --> 00:02:18,932 I'm always repping my marg set. 34 00:02:19,516 --> 00:02:22,852 Here we are on the banks of the Hudson River. 35 00:02:22,936 --> 00:02:23,770 It's beautiful. 36 00:02:26,731 --> 00:02:28,483 -Hello! -Hi! 37 00:02:28,567 --> 00:02:31,111 Hi, welcome! Come in! 38 00:02:31,194 --> 00:02:32,195 Hi! 39 00:02:34,489 --> 00:02:36,908 Can't I give you a hug? We all just tested negative. 40 00:02:36,992 --> 00:02:39,077 -Yay! -Yes! Why not? 41 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,955 -Let's celebrate our negativity! -Oh, yes! 42 00:02:42,038 --> 00:02:44,791 -This is my mom and my dad. -Oh, wow. 43 00:02:44,874 --> 00:02:46,543 This is when they were coming to see a show 44 00:02:46,626 --> 00:02:48,128 -at The Second City. -No! 45 00:02:48,211 --> 00:02:49,921 I used to perform there in Chicago. 46 00:02:53,133 --> 00:02:56,928 When I was a kid, I thought, "I'm gonna have my own mail route." 47 00:02:57,929 --> 00:03:02,100 It's just, you get to get out, you walk around, cute shorts. I was right. 48 00:03:02,183 --> 00:03:06,313 But no, I moved to Chicago to do The Second City. 49 00:03:06,396 --> 00:03:09,482 -That's a great place. -It's a fantastic place. 50 00:03:09,566 --> 00:03:12,110 Then I moved to Amsterdam and did Boom Chicago. 51 00:03:12,193 --> 00:03:14,487 Boom Chicago is a theater in Amsterdam 52 00:03:14,571 --> 00:03:18,033 -with such, famous alums as… -Yourself. 53 00:03:18,116 --> 00:03:19,743 …Amber Mildred Ruffin… 54 00:03:19,826 --> 00:03:21,328 -Jason Sudeikis… -Oh, wow. 55 00:03:21,411 --> 00:03:23,455 …Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele. 56 00:03:23,538 --> 00:03:25,624 And then I moved to LA, 57 00:03:25,707 --> 00:03:28,293 'cause I finally got up enough guts to be like, 58 00:03:28,376 --> 00:03:32,214 "Okay. If I got Second City, and I got Boom Chicago, 59 00:03:32,297 --> 00:03:36,176 maybe I can make acting or comedy a thing." 60 00:03:36,259 --> 00:03:39,221 But no. When I got to LA, I was mostly writing. 61 00:03:39,304 --> 00:03:40,430 Because no one was like, 62 00:03:40,513 --> 00:03:45,185 "W-We want a 35-year-old Black lady who is nerdy. 63 00:03:45,268 --> 00:03:47,854 We've written her and cast"-- No, no one's doing that. 64 00:03:47,938 --> 00:03:50,982 So I thought, "Oh, okay." It became clear if I wanted to do something… 65 00:03:51,066 --> 00:03:53,151 -You had to write it. -…I would have to write it. 66 00:03:53,235 --> 00:03:54,402 This spring, 67 00:03:54,486 --> 00:03:58,365 see the story of the Black woman who became a world renowned scientist, 68 00:03:58,448 --> 00:04:00,283 an accomplished cellist, 69 00:04:00,867 --> 00:04:02,744 -and activist. -The time for change is now… 70 00:04:02,827 --> 00:04:05,497 And a man who was white while she did it. 71 00:04:09,626 --> 00:04:11,586 Her mic was too high, but I fixed it. 72 00:04:11,670 --> 00:04:13,672 It's fixed because of me. 73 00:04:13,755 --> 00:04:15,840 When I first got a job at Seth Meyers, 74 00:04:15,924 --> 00:04:21,555 I was the only Black woman to write on any late-night network talk show. 75 00:04:21,638 --> 00:04:23,139 -Wow. -What year was that? 76 00:04:23,223 --> 00:04:24,099 2014. 77 00:04:24,182 --> 00:04:26,518 -2014. -Yeah. 78 00:04:26,601 --> 00:04:27,894 Not that long ago. 79 00:04:27,978 --> 00:04:29,604 But when George Floyd was murdered, 80 00:04:29,688 --> 00:04:34,859 I said, "Look, I've been harassed by police a billion times. 81 00:04:34,943 --> 00:04:38,321 How about I just tell these stories straight to camera 82 00:04:38,405 --> 00:04:40,782 where I thought I was gonna be murdered by the police." 83 00:04:40,865 --> 00:04:44,536 Once when I was a teenager, I was brand-new to driving. 84 00:04:44,619 --> 00:04:47,122 I was living in Chicago, 85 00:04:47,205 --> 00:04:49,499 literally skipping down the street. 86 00:04:49,583 --> 00:04:51,334 I think I was going to a party. 87 00:04:51,418 --> 00:04:55,046 An old, white cop sees a young Black person. 88 00:04:55,130 --> 00:04:57,132 His gun is drawn, and he goes, 89 00:04:57,215 --> 00:04:59,801 "Hold it right there! Put your hands on the hood of the car! 90 00:04:59,885 --> 00:05:01,428 Pull over the car!" 91 00:05:01,511 --> 00:05:03,638 And I think, "This is how I die." 92 00:05:03,722 --> 00:05:06,892 I told a different story, and we did it for every show that week. 93 00:05:06,975 --> 00:05:09,811 And tonight, I'm out of stories. 94 00:05:09,895 --> 00:05:11,146 Just kidding. I have more. 95 00:05:11,229 --> 00:05:13,523 By that point, I had been on the show quite a bit. 96 00:05:13,607 --> 00:05:16,651 And it was like, "You know me. I'm basically this-- 97 00:05:16,735 --> 00:05:18,486 I'm a doofus, and I'm nerdy, 98 00:05:18,570 --> 00:05:21,489 and I'm not threatening really in any way." 99 00:05:21,573 --> 00:05:23,992 And that was how I was being treated. 100 00:05:24,075 --> 00:05:25,952 So I think that touched a lot of people, 101 00:05:26,036 --> 00:05:28,663 because it doesn't matter what you do. 102 00:05:29,831 --> 00:05:33,043 If-- If the right cop finds you, they're gonna do what they do. 103 00:05:33,126 --> 00:05:36,671 How did that affect the writer's room and the people you work with? 104 00:05:36,755 --> 00:05:39,591 Was it surprising, you think, to your white colleagues? 105 00:05:39,674 --> 00:05:42,093 Absolutely. Everyone said, "Oh, I had no idea." 106 00:05:42,177 --> 00:05:46,348 To make that journey took, I don't know, probably two years. 107 00:05:46,431 --> 00:05:49,434 You know what, Loretta? You're all right. 108 00:05:49,517 --> 00:05:50,685 Thanks, Earl. 109 00:05:50,769 --> 00:05:54,481 For some reason, earning your respect is something I'm interested in. 110 00:05:56,524 --> 00:06:00,487 You can find a gem of a Black writer anywhere, 111 00:06:00,570 --> 00:06:02,405 because they haven't been given any chances, 112 00:06:02,489 --> 00:06:04,908 and they've been just churning away, working very hard. 113 00:06:04,991 --> 00:06:08,119 So by the time you get to them, they're ready to go. 114 00:06:08,203 --> 00:06:12,123 And I have found that to be the case as I have started The Ruffin Show. 115 00:06:12,916 --> 00:06:14,960 -She. -Who. 116 00:06:15,043 --> 00:06:16,878 -Gives. -Back. 117 00:06:16,962 --> 00:06:19,548 -Everything. -Is. 118 00:06:19,631 --> 00:06:22,425 -The. -Genius. 119 00:06:22,509 --> 00:06:23,510 Loser. 120 00:06:24,344 --> 00:06:26,137 Facts. 121 00:06:26,221 --> 00:06:29,808 Coming in with the heat. Trying to get a second job. 122 00:06:29,891 --> 00:06:32,435 I'm here! I'm not far away! 123 00:06:33,812 --> 00:06:36,231 Welcome. This is the writer's room. 124 00:06:36,314 --> 00:06:39,484 The room is the happiest, sweetest place on earth. 125 00:06:39,568 --> 00:06:42,195 By the time we get to you, you will have developed a pitch. 126 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:43,280 Okay. Good. 127 00:06:43,947 --> 00:06:47,325 When I got The Amber Ruffin Show, my very first thought was, 128 00:06:47,409 --> 00:06:48,577 "How far can we push this?" 129 00:06:49,369 --> 00:06:52,998 Because, as a Black person, we've been writing with weights on. 130 00:06:53,081 --> 00:06:57,961 So I encourage you to pitch exactly what would come out of your mouth. 131 00:06:58,044 --> 00:06:59,045 Even you, Ian. 132 00:07:00,881 --> 00:07:05,051 My piece is, "Amber gets dubbed." So The Amber Ruffin Show gets edited by 133 00:07:05,719 --> 00:07:07,220 critical race theory critics. 134 00:07:08,138 --> 00:07:10,307 "I am proud of the resilience of Black people. 135 00:07:10,390 --> 00:07:12,225 -They went from being…" -Fine! 136 00:07:12,309 --> 00:07:15,812 "…to-- to excelling. 137 00:07:15,896 --> 00:07:19,024 -When we arrived here on…" -Cruise! 138 00:07:19,107 --> 00:07:23,653 "…ships, we knew we had some…" 139 00:07:23,737 --> 00:07:26,197 -Fun! -"…times ahead." 140 00:07:26,281 --> 00:07:28,825 "We looked to our heroes like Martin Luther King, 141 00:07:28,909 --> 00:07:31,745 -Rosa Parks, and Malcolm…" -Jamal Warner. 142 00:07:31,828 --> 00:07:33,622 "Et cetera, et cetera." 143 00:07:33,705 --> 00:07:35,916 I love that. That is great. 144 00:07:36,875 --> 00:07:40,795 When you write for what people would call, 145 00:07:40,879 --> 00:07:43,089 "the regular world with the regular audience," 146 00:07:43,173 --> 00:07:47,385 when you're Black, you know that you have to take all of your references 147 00:07:47,469 --> 00:07:48,845 and shrink them down to this. 148 00:07:48,929 --> 00:07:54,392 Like, I can't talk about Babyface. I can't talk about Mack 10. 149 00:07:55,810 --> 00:07:58,563 -I can't talk about-- I don't know-- -Waiting to Exhale. 150 00:07:58,647 --> 00:08:01,900 Waiting to Exhale. You know, I can't talk about, "Kenneth!" 151 00:08:01,983 --> 00:08:04,694 -So it shrinks to this. -You talk about Jamal. 152 00:08:04,778 --> 00:08:05,862 Denise! 153 00:08:07,906 --> 00:08:09,032 You don't like it? 154 00:08:09,115 --> 00:08:10,825 Ask me the question again. 155 00:08:11,409 --> 00:08:14,913 Everyone, five Malcolm-Jamal Warner pitches. 156 00:08:14,996 --> 00:08:18,959 And then… Oh, you get in an all-Black show, baby. 157 00:08:19,042 --> 00:08:22,420 The weights come off, and you can say anything. 158 00:08:22,504 --> 00:08:24,631 And you can be your full self. 159 00:08:24,714 --> 00:08:26,091 So work harder. 160 00:08:29,469 --> 00:08:31,596 I operate like this: 161 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,765 I want people to feel less gaslit. 162 00:08:34,849 --> 00:08:36,268 And that's my main goal. 163 00:08:36,351 --> 00:08:39,145 So, when the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict came in, 164 00:08:39,229 --> 00:08:41,481 you know, it really broke my little heart. 165 00:08:41,565 --> 00:08:43,733 And I thought, "Well, if I'm feeling this way, 166 00:08:43,817 --> 00:08:46,236 I don't want you to feel this way, and I'm gonna come get you." 167 00:08:46,319 --> 00:08:49,614 Now, just a few minutes before we started taping the show, 168 00:08:49,698 --> 00:08:52,409 Kyle Rittenhouse, the man accused of shooting three people 169 00:08:52,492 --> 00:08:57,581 during a Black Lives Matter protest, was declared not guilty on all charges. 170 00:08:58,248 --> 00:09:04,045 I-- I didn't even let the verdict touch my brain and heart yet. 171 00:09:04,129 --> 00:09:08,717 And as I was saying the words, I just was so sad. 172 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,637 I don't care about Kyle Rittenhouse. I don't care about that racist judge. 173 00:09:12,721 --> 00:09:16,850 And I don't care about how up that jury must be. 174 00:09:16,933 --> 00:09:20,228 White people have been getting away with murder since time began. 175 00:09:20,312 --> 00:09:22,397 I don't care about that. I care about you. 176 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:26,484 And I can't believe I have to say this, but you matter. 177 00:09:27,527 --> 00:09:30,697 The world we're in now, and the three of us know this, 178 00:09:30,780 --> 00:09:35,243 you know, speaking out, speaking up, carries threats and dangers. 179 00:09:35,327 --> 00:09:38,872 And that makes it very h-hard to keep coming back 180 00:09:38,955 --> 00:09:41,666 and educating, informing, making people think. 181 00:09:41,750 --> 00:09:44,502 But you keep going. H-How do you do that? 182 00:09:44,586 --> 00:09:49,174 It's in your nature to help people and make sure they feel good. 183 00:09:49,257 --> 00:09:50,383 Well, it's in your nature. 184 00:09:51,176 --> 00:09:54,554 It's not in everyone's nature to try to help people and make people feel good. 185 00:09:54,638 --> 00:10:00,477 It's the vast majority of us want, hugs and kisses and pats on the back. 186 00:10:02,020 --> 00:10:06,316 Okay, so, we wrote some sketches, but we wrote a special one for you. 187 00:10:06,399 --> 00:10:08,235 -Oh, yay. -Do you want to read it with me? 188 00:10:08,318 --> 00:10:09,236 I would love it. 189 00:10:09,319 --> 00:10:10,654 -And Chelsea… -Yes, ma'am. 190 00:10:10,737 --> 00:10:12,906 …would you mind auditioning for the role of Chelsea? 191 00:10:14,032 --> 00:10:15,909 I'm just really trying to make myself indispensable. 192 00:10:17,410 --> 00:10:21,164 "I'm joined today by special guests, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. 193 00:10:21,248 --> 00:10:23,208 We have so many exciting things to get to and-- 194 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,002 Wait a minute. W-What is that?" 195 00:10:26,503 --> 00:10:28,672 -"W-What's what?" -"That." 196 00:10:28,755 --> 00:10:32,717 Cut to a beautiful and glimmering pantsuit on a mannequin torso. 197 00:10:32,801 --> 00:10:37,472 "Why, that's the most glorious pantsuit I've ever seen. 198 00:10:37,556 --> 00:10:41,184 This is too much, but thank you. I love it." 199 00:10:41,268 --> 00:10:43,770 "What are you talking about? This isn't a gift." 200 00:10:43,853 --> 00:10:47,107 "Well, as someone who famously wears pantsuits all the time, 201 00:10:47,190 --> 00:10:50,485 it's kind of my thing and I'm sure no one would object 202 00:10:50,569 --> 00:10:52,362 if I claimed it." 203 00:10:52,445 --> 00:10:55,282 "Well, hold on. I also famously wear a lot of pantsuits." 204 00:10:55,365 --> 00:10:59,286 "I hate to pull rank, but I was Secretary of State." 205 00:10:59,369 --> 00:11:01,079 "Right. 'Was.'" 206 00:11:01,162 --> 00:11:03,873 "We can settle this like the reasonable adults we are. 207 00:11:03,957 --> 00:11:09,212 You each stand on either side of the room and let the suit decide. 208 00:11:09,296 --> 00:11:11,965 Ladies, take your positions." 209 00:11:12,048 --> 00:11:14,050 "Come on, pantsuit! Come on to mama!" 210 00:11:14,134 --> 00:11:16,177 "Who's a good little pantsuit? 211 00:11:16,261 --> 00:11:19,556 Get over here and get on these legs, you little stinker!" 212 00:11:19,639 --> 00:11:21,892 "You want a treat? I got a little treat for you!" 213 00:11:21,975 --> 00:11:24,019 -"Come on! Come on!" -"Come on!" 214 00:11:24,102 --> 00:11:26,271 "The mannequin wavers indecisively for a beat 215 00:11:26,354 --> 00:11:28,231 and then suddenly darts out of the studio." 216 00:11:28,315 --> 00:11:30,358 "No!" 217 00:11:30,442 --> 00:11:31,526 "She's gone. 218 00:11:31,610 --> 00:11:34,321 All we can do is hope she finds a loving home." 219 00:11:36,740 --> 00:11:39,492 "Cut to the pantsuit standing in front of an office door. 220 00:11:39,576 --> 00:11:41,244 The door opens to reveal Rachel Maddow." 221 00:11:41,328 --> 00:11:44,623 "Look at you! Get over here and get on these legs, you little stinker!" 222 00:11:46,082 --> 00:11:47,208 Yeah! 223 00:11:48,501 --> 00:11:49,544 That was great. 224 00:11:50,295 --> 00:11:52,589 Painful, but great. 225 00:11:52,672 --> 00:11:55,926 I can't thank you guys enough. I mean, what an incredible experience. 226 00:11:56,009 --> 00:11:58,136 I've always heard about a writer's room. 227 00:11:58,220 --> 00:11:59,221 It's this! 228 00:12:00,055 --> 00:12:02,599 I don't think Amber likes to toot her own horn, 229 00:12:02,682 --> 00:12:05,769 but as a Black female comedian, 230 00:12:05,852 --> 00:12:10,649 seeing her do what she's done is so inspiring. 231 00:12:10,732 --> 00:12:15,445 Like, she-- she is literally breaking down barriers. 232 00:12:15,528 --> 00:12:16,988 Right? That-- 233 00:12:17,072 --> 00:12:19,658 -It's like really cool. -It's really gutsy. 234 00:12:19,741 --> 00:12:20,742 That's why we're here! 235 00:12:20,825 --> 00:12:23,036 A-plus to me. 236 00:12:24,204 --> 00:12:27,249 Okay, so here's the rest of our day. 237 00:12:28,625 --> 00:12:31,294 We're going to cut up all these limes and make margaritas. 238 00:12:31,378 --> 00:12:32,837 That's the only reason I have these limes. 239 00:12:36,841 --> 00:12:38,552 It's such a fun afternoon, wasn't it? 240 00:12:38,635 --> 00:12:41,596 Oh, my gosh. I think it was one of the more fun afternoons that we've had. 241 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:43,390 We had a great time. 242 00:12:43,473 --> 00:12:46,059 And we learned so much. We laughed a lot. 243 00:12:46,142 --> 00:12:47,894 We did. 244 00:12:47,978 --> 00:12:51,064 Humor is definitely an interesting way to make change. 245 00:12:51,147 --> 00:12:53,108 And it makes me curious about 246 00:12:53,191 --> 00:12:56,570 the other ways people who step up keep their emotional balance. 247 00:13:00,073 --> 00:13:02,409 I heard we could get some dance lessons here! 248 00:13:02,492 --> 00:13:03,535 Yeah! 249 00:13:03,618 --> 00:13:05,787 Ms. Hillary. First step-- 250 00:13:05,870 --> 00:13:08,164 I'm putting my daughter up in the main place. 251 00:13:09,374 --> 00:13:12,168 -I'm standing behind. -Put me in, Coach. I'm ready. 252 00:13:14,337 --> 00:13:16,965 Dancing genes in my family skipped a generation. 253 00:13:18,258 --> 00:13:19,426 Don't test me on it. 254 00:13:21,219 --> 00:13:24,180 Line dancing is always my outlet. 255 00:13:24,264 --> 00:13:27,559 I've been a nurse, for 40-plus years. 256 00:13:28,059 --> 00:13:29,728 Since 1979. 257 00:13:31,479 --> 00:13:33,273 I'm from the Philippines. 258 00:13:33,356 --> 00:13:35,734 But you know when you're young, you want excitement, 259 00:13:35,817 --> 00:13:39,571 you want to get out of the country. So, why not go to Iraq? 260 00:13:40,572 --> 00:13:42,407 Belinda has worked in combat zones. 261 00:13:42,490 --> 00:13:45,368 She's cared for people at the height of the AIDS epidemic. 262 00:13:46,036 --> 00:13:50,790 And in 2020, she found herself at the epicenter of COVID-19 in Queens. 263 00:13:52,292 --> 00:13:53,919 Talk about stepping up. 264 00:13:54,002 --> 00:13:57,130 Belinda, you have comforted people, and you've saved lives. 265 00:13:58,006 --> 00:14:01,343 But even with everything you've experienced as a nurse, 266 00:14:01,426 --> 00:14:05,847 didn't you say that COVID was by far the toughest challenge for you? 267 00:14:05,931 --> 00:14:07,849 I've seen death, you know. 268 00:14:07,933 --> 00:14:11,603 But not as much as this one, the volume of them. 269 00:14:11,686 --> 00:14:13,688 -And the ceaselessness. -Yeah. 270 00:14:13,772 --> 00:14:14,940 Just that it didn't stop. 271 00:14:15,023 --> 00:14:16,524 Well, I-I read somewhere 272 00:14:16,608 --> 00:14:21,238 that 4% of the nurses in the United States are Filipino. 273 00:14:21,321 --> 00:14:22,781 -Are Filipino nurses, yeah. -Yeah. 274 00:14:22,864 --> 00:14:26,534 And 30% of the nurses who died from COVID were Filipino. 275 00:14:26,618 --> 00:14:30,538 Well, and-- and some of your colleagues got sick with COVID. 276 00:14:30,622 --> 00:14:32,374 Yeah, one of our nurses died. 277 00:14:32,874 --> 00:14:36,002 I think I still have that PTSD from this. 278 00:14:37,170 --> 00:14:40,840 This is the first time that I thought I was not in America. 279 00:14:41,841 --> 00:14:43,802 I'm back to the war zone. 280 00:14:44,928 --> 00:14:46,388 And it's worse. 281 00:14:48,014 --> 00:14:49,849 I got COVID myself. 282 00:14:51,059 --> 00:14:54,604 The thought of my patients-- You know, like when they cannot breathe, 283 00:14:54,688 --> 00:14:56,523 and then they are turning blue. 284 00:14:56,606 --> 00:14:59,901 And then you just see them, like, dying in front of you. 285 00:14:59,985 --> 00:15:04,030 And then I got the shortness of breath, and I was so scared. 286 00:15:09,411 --> 00:15:10,954 Well, I just think about, you know, 287 00:15:11,037 --> 00:15:14,332 all of you who are on the front line as being incredibly gutsy. 288 00:15:14,416 --> 00:15:16,626 And I'm just so grateful to you 289 00:15:16,710 --> 00:15:19,379 and to everybody like you who's out there working 290 00:15:19,462 --> 00:15:21,715 -to keep us healthy and take care of us… -Yeah. 291 00:15:21,798 --> 00:15:23,174 -…when we're sick. -Right. 292 00:15:23,258 --> 00:15:26,887 Well, grateful, and also I'm just so sorry that we continue to ask so much. 293 00:15:28,179 --> 00:15:32,434 What nurses have been through over the last two years is so difficult. 294 00:15:32,517 --> 00:15:34,352 And are still going through. 295 00:15:34,436 --> 00:15:36,813 But there was also good thing about it. You know? 296 00:15:36,897 --> 00:15:39,691 This restaurant, all the restaurants around, 297 00:15:39,774 --> 00:15:42,861 they were sending us food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. 298 00:15:42,944 --> 00:15:46,072 And then we-- we'd receive letters from everywhere. 299 00:15:46,156 --> 00:15:48,074 As soon as I come out of the hospital, 300 00:15:48,158 --> 00:15:51,369 I heard the-- the people in their cars beeping. 301 00:15:51,453 --> 00:15:52,621 Beep! Beep! Beep! 302 00:15:52,704 --> 00:15:54,456 They were saluting us. 303 00:15:54,539 --> 00:15:56,124 And it made me feel so good. "Okay," 304 00:15:56,207 --> 00:15:58,627 I said, "They're-- They're with us." You know? 305 00:15:58,710 --> 00:16:01,213 We're-- I'm not alone. We're not alone. 306 00:16:01,296 --> 00:16:04,090 We thought we're alone, dealing with this, right? 307 00:16:04,174 --> 00:16:05,175 But we're not alone. 308 00:16:06,009 --> 00:16:07,135 Should we do some more dancing? 309 00:16:07,219 --> 00:16:08,428 -We should. Let's do it. -Yes. 310 00:16:08,511 --> 00:16:09,512 Okay. 311 00:16:10,555 --> 00:16:12,974 One, two, three and four. 312 00:16:13,058 --> 00:16:15,644 Back, six, seven and eight. 313 00:16:22,776 --> 00:16:24,527 I need to do this every week. 314 00:16:24,611 --> 00:16:27,697 -Right? -You're such a good sport. 315 00:16:32,661 --> 00:16:34,204 I really admire people 316 00:16:34,287 --> 00:16:37,624 who invent things that further our common humanity 317 00:16:37,707 --> 00:16:41,586 and help solve problems and answer questions for us all. 318 00:16:41,670 --> 00:16:43,630 And we need more people like that. 319 00:16:43,713 --> 00:16:45,674 And so many more women. 320 00:16:45,757 --> 00:16:50,095 I'm still struck that less than a quarter of all patents in the United States 321 00:16:50,178 --> 00:16:51,263 go to women. 322 00:16:57,143 --> 00:16:59,062 I don't often get to meet somebody 323 00:16:59,145 --> 00:17:01,523 who is so motivated to make a difference 324 00:17:01,606 --> 00:17:06,151 that literally in her kitchen, she makes something that can help people. 325 00:17:10,031 --> 00:17:12,867 It does look like a meth lab, but it's really not. 326 00:17:12,950 --> 00:17:16,287 You know, normally we cook food in the kitchen. 327 00:17:16,371 --> 00:17:20,333 But today it's going to be a silicone mask. 328 00:17:22,377 --> 00:17:26,214 I met Alice in Puerto Rico after the terrible hurricane there. 329 00:17:26,298 --> 00:17:28,341 I vividly remember talking to my mom 330 00:17:28,425 --> 00:17:31,595 when she was in Puerto Rico five years ago. 331 00:17:31,678 --> 00:17:36,224 And I think she answered my question of, like, "Hi, how are you?" with like, 332 00:17:36,308 --> 00:17:38,435 "I just met the most amazing woman!" 333 00:17:38,518 --> 00:17:40,353 "She's created these SolarPuffs!" 334 00:17:41,146 --> 00:17:44,274 People were literally doing surgery in the streets 335 00:17:44,357 --> 00:17:47,068 and there was no light except for flashlights. 336 00:17:47,152 --> 00:17:52,490 And Alice created collapsible and easily transportable solar light. 337 00:17:52,574 --> 00:17:57,037 They were so sensible and really ingenious. 338 00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:00,540 That kind of stepping up-- I mean, she just embodies it. 339 00:18:01,124 --> 00:18:03,668 Oh, my God! 340 00:18:03,752 --> 00:18:05,462 -Can you believe it? -Oh, my God. 341 00:18:05,545 --> 00:18:07,964 It's so good to see you! 342 00:18:08,048 --> 00:18:10,342 -I'm meeting you finally! -Hi! 343 00:18:10,425 --> 00:18:12,385 Welcome to my humble abode. 344 00:18:12,469 --> 00:18:14,554 -Oh, we're so happy to be here. -We're so excited. 345 00:18:15,555 --> 00:18:18,683 How does an idea in the mind of an inventor, 346 00:18:18,767 --> 00:18:21,269 a designer like you, end up here? 347 00:18:21,353 --> 00:18:22,687 You know, there's a saying, 348 00:18:22,771 --> 00:18:25,482 "A worried mom does better research than the FBI." 349 00:18:26,191 --> 00:18:29,569 So, my son was born with asthma, 350 00:18:29,653 --> 00:18:31,112 and I did my research, 351 00:18:31,196 --> 00:18:36,660 and back then, it was one out of four kids had asthma in New York City. 352 00:18:36,743 --> 00:18:39,955 That's like 300% higher than the rest of the country. 353 00:18:40,038 --> 00:18:42,582 That's when I focused on solar energy. 354 00:18:42,666 --> 00:18:44,292 You were worried about the respiratory… 355 00:18:44,376 --> 00:18:45,961 -Absolutely! -…effects of, 356 00:18:46,044 --> 00:18:49,047 you know, the pollution that comes from fossil fuel creation. Yeah. 357 00:18:49,130 --> 00:18:53,802 Seventy-five percent of the pollution in New York comes from the buildings, 358 00:18:53,885 --> 00:18:55,345 not from the cars. 359 00:18:55,428 --> 00:18:56,972 Because they're so old and inefficient. 360 00:18:57,055 --> 00:18:58,056 Yeah! 361 00:18:58,139 --> 00:19:01,977 You know, cooling systems, lighting systems, they're on all the time. 362 00:19:02,060 --> 00:19:04,312 The sun is the most powerful source of energy 363 00:19:04,396 --> 00:19:06,231 that comes to the earth every day. 364 00:19:06,314 --> 00:19:10,902 So why not just use a simple solar light and design it beautifully? 365 00:19:10,986 --> 00:19:13,446 How many versions until you got to this? 366 00:19:13,530 --> 00:19:17,826 Like, 168. 367 00:19:17,909 --> 00:19:20,328 -Wow. -This is the mega-puff, 368 00:19:20,412 --> 00:19:24,165 which is the bigger version of that, but it also has phone charging. 369 00:19:24,249 --> 00:19:25,667 Now you're just showing off. 370 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:29,296 We're still evolving. 371 00:19:29,379 --> 00:19:32,465 But it kind of got on hold, because with the pandemic, 372 00:19:32,549 --> 00:19:34,843 I-- I guess you could call this a pivot. 373 00:19:34,926 --> 00:19:39,180 But the doctors were having these terrible wounds on their faces. 374 00:19:39,264 --> 00:19:41,558 The doctors, nurses and others in hospitals-- 375 00:19:41,641 --> 00:19:42,475 Exactly. 376 00:19:42,559 --> 00:19:45,103 You could see the black and purple. 377 00:19:45,186 --> 00:19:47,188 And then there were the deaf, 378 00:19:47,272 --> 00:19:50,901 because the deaf need to see people's mouths and faces. 379 00:19:50,984 --> 00:19:53,236 We're basically faceless now. 380 00:19:54,154 --> 00:19:56,823 I feel like our humanity has been cut off. 381 00:19:56,907 --> 00:20:00,285 Like, walking past your neighbors and you don't even recognize them. 382 00:20:00,869 --> 00:20:02,954 And then they were throwing these masks away, 383 00:20:03,038 --> 00:20:04,748 and they're made out of plastic. 384 00:20:04,831 --> 00:20:06,875 They're made out of air-spun polypropylene, 385 00:20:06,958 --> 00:20:11,046 which is deadly to the oceans and the landfills and aquatic life. 386 00:20:11,129 --> 00:20:14,216 They last 450 years in the ocean. 387 00:20:14,299 --> 00:20:18,303 Like, billions of masks per country get thrown away. 388 00:20:18,386 --> 00:20:20,222 I had no idea the number was so large. 389 00:20:20,305 --> 00:20:23,141 But it makes sense that it would be up in the billions. 390 00:20:23,808 --> 00:20:25,894 This is the 21st century. Why-- 391 00:20:25,977 --> 00:20:32,108 Why the hell are we still wearing masks that were designed cheap for utility only? 392 00:20:33,318 --> 00:20:36,029 During lockdown, I turned my kitchen into a lab. 393 00:20:36,112 --> 00:20:38,615 So, instead of cooking a chicken, 394 00:20:38,698 --> 00:20:42,953 we're gonna be doing a very preliminary prototype of the mask. 395 00:20:43,036 --> 00:20:47,832 Part chemistry experiment, part, you know, Julia Child's kitchen. 396 00:20:47,916 --> 00:20:50,627 -I like both chemistry and cooking. -Thomas Edison. 397 00:20:51,753 --> 00:20:54,673 This is the curing solution. 398 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,593 Look at that syringe. Okay. 399 00:20:58,677 --> 00:21:01,972 -I'm ready. -And this is the silicone. 400 00:21:02,055 --> 00:21:05,892 -Pull. Mix them together. Stir slowly. -Okay. 401 00:21:05,976 --> 00:21:08,311 -Because if you stir fast… -What would happen? 402 00:21:08,395 --> 00:21:09,938 …there's too many bubbles. 403 00:21:10,021 --> 00:21:13,316 Sing to yourself John Lennon, you know… 404 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:15,485 I'm just thinking "Wheels on the Bus." 405 00:21:15,569 --> 00:21:17,279 -You're not-- -That's 'cause my kids are little. 406 00:21:17,362 --> 00:21:21,241 The wheels on the bus Go round and round 407 00:21:21,324 --> 00:21:24,160 You can see it's getting thicker. 408 00:21:24,703 --> 00:21:26,413 Make a puddle in the middle. 409 00:21:26,496 --> 00:21:31,459 You just follow the edges until it just, you know, drains off. 410 00:21:32,210 --> 00:21:34,379 Oh, you're good. Look at that! 411 00:21:34,462 --> 00:21:35,463 Am I? 412 00:21:35,964 --> 00:21:38,425 So when did you first start working on your mask? 413 00:21:38,508 --> 00:21:40,677 Like, how soon into the pandemic? 414 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:43,179 It was, like, in March, April. 415 00:21:43,263 --> 00:21:45,390 -So, at the very beginning? Wow. -2020, yeah. 416 00:21:45,473 --> 00:21:50,645 But it took a freaking year to finally get a mass-producible prototype. 417 00:21:50,729 --> 00:21:52,689 Why did it take so long, do you think? 418 00:21:52,772 --> 00:21:56,568 Well, you wouldn't believe how many people tell you that it can't be done. 419 00:21:56,651 --> 00:21:59,696 It's never been done before, so you can't do it. 420 00:21:59,779 --> 00:22:04,701 And then trying to find someone that would try to do it is incredibly hard. 421 00:22:05,869 --> 00:22:07,370 Right, now what happens? 422 00:22:07,454 --> 00:22:08,747 We put it in the oven. 423 00:22:08,830 --> 00:22:10,540 I mean, just the regular oven? 424 00:22:10,624 --> 00:22:12,626 -Just your kitchen oven? -Yeah. Yeah. 425 00:22:13,293 --> 00:22:15,712 One of the reasons we really wanted to talk with you 426 00:22:15,795 --> 00:22:19,007 is because you're trying to figure out how to make something better 427 00:22:19,090 --> 00:22:20,634 or how to make what you wanna do, 428 00:22:20,717 --> 00:22:24,012 your vision of what you wanna create possible. 429 00:22:24,095 --> 00:22:29,768 I've had times where I was rolled up in a fetal position on the bathroom floor. 430 00:22:29,851 --> 00:22:31,728 But with every single failure, 431 00:22:31,811 --> 00:22:35,190 then you're at a point where you can see around corners. 432 00:22:35,273 --> 00:22:37,150 And that's through experience. 433 00:22:38,652 --> 00:22:41,238 Trim them all off so we can dislodge it. 434 00:22:43,615 --> 00:22:45,075 Doesn't that look yummy? 435 00:22:45,575 --> 00:22:49,329 It's so overwhelming and so daunting, but if you can just, you know, 436 00:22:49,412 --> 00:22:50,789 take that one step-- 437 00:22:50,872 --> 00:22:52,249 -Solve that one problem… -Yeah. 438 00:22:52,332 --> 00:22:53,541 …for that one person. 439 00:22:53,625 --> 00:22:57,003 The whole reason why I started all of my inventions 440 00:22:57,087 --> 00:22:59,631 was because of my son. 441 00:22:59,714 --> 00:23:03,552 And what little I do now will have an effect 442 00:23:03,635 --> 00:23:09,349 or have some sort of impact later on for his kids and his grandchildren. 443 00:23:09,975 --> 00:23:11,810 Do you see what she sees? 444 00:23:11,893 --> 00:23:15,814 That is exactly what I want young girls and young boys to see. 445 00:23:15,897 --> 00:23:20,277 That somebody is really laboring day in and day out, 446 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:25,907 failing over and over again, but so motivated to creating inventions 447 00:23:25,991 --> 00:23:27,284 that's gonna help people. 448 00:23:28,118 --> 00:23:31,037 So, Hillary, I think you decimated this thing. 449 00:23:31,121 --> 00:23:32,539 I think I did decimate it. 450 00:23:32,622 --> 00:23:34,666 I think I pulled too much of it off. 451 00:23:34,749 --> 00:23:36,251 Oh, my God, look at her. 452 00:23:36,334 --> 00:23:38,253 -Look at her! -Look at you, girl. 453 00:23:38,336 --> 00:23:40,005 Look at-- Chelsea did this. 454 00:23:40,088 --> 00:23:41,089 Thank you, Alice. 455 00:23:41,172 --> 00:23:43,174 -Which one did a better job? -See! 456 00:23:43,258 --> 00:23:45,594 -I'm just saying. -It's not even close. 457 00:23:45,677 --> 00:23:47,637 So this is the final product. 458 00:23:47,721 --> 00:23:53,184 The silicone is recyclable, and the filter is biodegradable. 459 00:23:53,268 --> 00:23:55,312 -Should I try to put it on? -Yeah. 460 00:23:55,395 --> 00:23:56,688 That is really cool. 461 00:23:58,023 --> 00:23:59,524 Also, you can wear lipstick too. 462 00:24:00,859 --> 00:24:02,277 I have to take my camera out. 463 00:24:06,323 --> 00:24:08,992 Great mother and daughter! 464 00:24:09,075 --> 00:24:11,286 And we are smiling, and you can even see it. 465 00:24:16,625 --> 00:24:22,130 One of the just indomitable and certainly gutsy women is Jackie. 466 00:24:22,214 --> 00:24:24,799 -Amazing. -Like, she's a New York City firefighter. 467 00:24:24,883 --> 00:24:27,344 And for years, she's made it her personal mission 468 00:24:27,427 --> 00:24:29,721 to get more women into the fire department. 469 00:24:34,267 --> 00:24:37,771 Where are they going? And their radio wasn't on. 470 00:24:38,605 --> 00:24:41,566 And I'll tell you, if I ever had to be in a foxhole, 471 00:24:41,650 --> 00:24:45,153 she'd be, like, the first person I would want there with me. 472 00:24:47,155 --> 00:24:50,242 As a little girl, I wanted to help people in their darkest hour. 473 00:24:50,825 --> 00:24:52,994 But I didn't even think there were female firefighters. 474 00:24:53,078 --> 00:24:54,204 Jackie! 475 00:24:55,413 --> 00:24:57,082 Here's the honest truth. 476 00:24:57,165 --> 00:25:00,335 When I called, a male firefighter answered the phone. 477 00:25:00,418 --> 00:25:01,878 He hung up the phone on me. 478 00:25:02,837 --> 00:25:04,047 He didn't want me here. 479 00:25:05,006 --> 00:25:06,007 That didn't deter me. 480 00:25:06,091 --> 00:25:08,552 -How many did Jackie do? -More than you! 481 00:25:08,635 --> 00:25:13,598 I needed to change the mindset that men have of women on this job. 482 00:25:13,682 --> 00:25:17,644 So, any woman that came on after me that needed help, 483 00:25:17,727 --> 00:25:21,523 drilling, support, a mentor, I'm going to do it. 484 00:25:34,744 --> 00:25:38,540 The exam is very competitive. Over 40,000 people actually sit for them. 485 00:25:38,623 --> 00:25:40,333 -Wow. -How many people make it 486 00:25:40,417 --> 00:25:41,668 from the exam to training? 487 00:25:41,751 --> 00:25:43,545 Depends on the class. You know how I know? 488 00:25:43,628 --> 00:25:45,088 Because you have to say this mantra. 489 00:25:45,171 --> 00:25:46,756 -What's the mantra? -You remember your mantra? 490 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,259 -Yes! -Oh, my God! Okay, here I go. You ready? 491 00:25:49,342 --> 00:25:50,594 -Be loud! -Okay. 492 00:25:50,677 --> 00:25:55,473 Okay. Ma'am, the count on deck is 311 highly motivated, 493 00:25:55,557 --> 00:25:59,019 truly dedicated FDNY probies, ma'am! 494 00:25:59,102 --> 00:26:01,396 A lean, a mean, a blue machine! 495 00:26:01,479 --> 00:26:03,440 Hoorah, hoorah, hoorah! 496 00:26:04,608 --> 00:26:06,902 -I'm like, I wanna stand up! -Yeah, yeah! 497 00:26:07,652 --> 00:26:09,529 I have to yell or else it's not done right, so… 498 00:26:09,613 --> 00:26:10,614 Yeah. Yeah. 499 00:26:10,697 --> 00:26:12,741 It's the same standard for a male and a woman. 500 00:26:12,824 --> 00:26:15,994 Thirty push-ups, 30 sit-ups, everybody has to do them. 501 00:26:16,077 --> 00:26:19,748 Mile-and-a-half run under 12 minutes. 502 00:26:19,831 --> 00:26:22,083 -Four pull-ups… -You lost me at pull-ups. 503 00:26:22,167 --> 00:26:25,670 I was like, "Oh, I could do that. I could-- I could not do that." 504 00:26:27,380 --> 00:26:29,633 I want every firehouse in the city of New York-- 505 00:26:29,716 --> 00:26:31,092 -That was my goal… -Yeah. 506 00:26:31,176 --> 00:26:33,762 -…to at least have one female firefighter. -Right. 507 00:26:33,845 --> 00:26:36,056 -And in '06, I was the 29th woman. -Yeah. 508 00:26:36,139 --> 00:26:38,516 We got to maybe 30. It took us like six or seven years. 509 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:39,809 I'm like, "This is ridiculous." 510 00:26:39,893 --> 00:26:42,979 I wanted to change that paradigm. So how could I recruit? 511 00:26:43,063 --> 00:26:46,566 I said, "I will go to every sporting event, 512 00:26:46,650 --> 00:26:47,943 every school, every college, 513 00:26:48,026 --> 00:26:52,155 and offer orientation and exposure to my career." 514 00:26:52,864 --> 00:26:57,327 And in doing so, the number has quadrupled. 515 00:26:57,410 --> 00:26:59,579 -That's a good feeling, isn't it? -It's a great feeling. 516 00:26:59,663 --> 00:27:02,123 I wouldn't have become a firefighter if it wasn't for Jackie. 517 00:27:02,207 --> 00:27:03,875 Before her, I've never met a female firefighter. 518 00:27:03,959 --> 00:27:05,502 You know, as a medic, an EMT, 519 00:27:05,585 --> 00:27:07,754 I just watched the firefighters go inside the buildings. 520 00:27:07,837 --> 00:27:10,423 And I'm standing there thinking, "I wanna go in there. I can do that." 521 00:27:10,507 --> 00:27:13,260 But it wasn't really until you saw a woman firefighter… 522 00:27:13,343 --> 00:27:14,844 -Right. -…that you said, "Oh, wait a minute. 523 00:27:14,928 --> 00:27:16,805 -I could do this." Right? -Yes. 524 00:27:16,888 --> 00:27:19,849 Y-You run into any lingering questions like, 525 00:27:19,933 --> 00:27:22,894 -"Are you really a firefighter?" -All the time. 526 00:27:22,978 --> 00:27:24,980 When you wear your gear, you're doing the same job. 527 00:27:25,063 --> 00:27:26,898 They can't tell if you're a male or a female. 528 00:27:27,399 --> 00:27:30,527 But when it's all said and done, every so often, 529 00:27:30,610 --> 00:27:33,363 you take off your helmet, and it's always the same reaction. 530 00:27:33,446 --> 00:27:37,033 It's the cell phones out, and they're always like, "That's a girl!" 531 00:27:37,117 --> 00:27:40,412 -We're like unicorns. -Yeah. 532 00:27:40,495 --> 00:27:41,913 They're like, "Girl power!" 533 00:27:42,789 --> 00:27:45,333 The guys I work with, they're like, "Yeah, yeah. Girl power." 534 00:27:45,417 --> 00:27:46,835 They get a little jealous. 535 00:27:46,918 --> 00:27:49,296 Listen, if I'm lucky enough to get the nozzle, 536 00:27:49,379 --> 00:27:52,173 and then there's fire all in front of you, 537 00:27:53,174 --> 00:27:56,386 nobody can say you're no good then when you put it all out. 538 00:27:56,469 --> 00:27:59,097 "She put out that fire? She put it out?" 539 00:27:59,180 --> 00:28:01,433 -"Yes, I did." -That's always a good reaction. 540 00:28:01,516 --> 00:28:03,393 I'm not happy your house is on fire. 541 00:28:03,476 --> 00:28:05,854 I'm just happy I could be at that emergency helping you 542 00:28:05,937 --> 00:28:07,230 during that time of need. 543 00:28:07,314 --> 00:28:09,566 During that time of need. 544 00:28:09,649 --> 00:28:10,817 Quick roll call before we get started. 545 00:28:10,901 --> 00:28:12,611 -Jackie, take the can. -10-4. 546 00:28:12,694 --> 00:28:16,364 There's a self-respect that you get when you work hard at something. 547 00:28:18,074 --> 00:28:23,288 You put your whole heart in it, every fiber in your being to get it. 548 00:28:23,371 --> 00:28:25,206 When you get it-- 549 00:28:25,290 --> 00:28:26,499 Excuse me. Give me a second. 550 00:28:27,918 --> 00:28:29,336 There's nobody who can take it away. 551 00:28:29,419 --> 00:28:31,379 You know how hard it was for me to get here? 552 00:28:32,505 --> 00:28:34,966 I'm the fourth woman ever on this job to be in Squad. 553 00:28:35,675 --> 00:28:38,220 They didn't want me, and now I represent the fire department. 554 00:28:38,970 --> 00:28:41,056 So when I tell a young girl I got your back, 555 00:28:41,139 --> 00:28:45,143 I will stay late tutoring, running, training. 556 00:28:45,227 --> 00:28:47,646 I will do everything in my power to get you. 557 00:28:49,189 --> 00:28:51,316 I'm in Squad 270. Come find me. 558 00:28:54,486 --> 00:28:57,030 But now, here it goes, Chelsea. And you're gonna just… 559 00:28:57,113 --> 00:28:59,157 I feel like I'm teaching my kids to tie their shoes. 560 00:28:59,241 --> 00:29:02,577 -Exactly. Just gonna scrunch these down… -And you'll be ready to jump in. 561 00:29:02,661 --> 00:29:04,663 -Then I gotta shimmy. -All right, yes. 562 00:29:04,746 --> 00:29:06,289 -Put on your helmet. -Yes, ma'am. 563 00:29:06,373 --> 00:29:10,168 Right. So, now, here's the test. Something called black mamba. 564 00:29:10,252 --> 00:29:13,004 Reach in, and hand over hand, and you're gonna pull. 565 00:29:13,088 --> 00:29:14,673 -Move some hose. -This is not gonna go as you hope. 566 00:29:14,756 --> 00:29:16,466 -Yes, it is. -Move what you got. 567 00:29:16,550 --> 00:29:18,843 -It's kind of like a dance move. -Yeah. 568 00:29:18,927 --> 00:29:20,387 Okay. 569 00:29:20,470 --> 00:29:22,013 -We have faith in her, right? -Yes. 570 00:29:22,097 --> 00:29:24,891 -Totally. I'm ready. -Come on. You got this. Reach. 571 00:29:24,975 --> 00:29:26,351 Come on. You can do it on your own. 572 00:29:26,434 --> 00:29:28,770 -See, look at that. Pull. -Not really. 573 00:29:28,853 --> 00:29:31,064 -E-plus. -I got an E-plus? I didn't even get a D! 574 00:29:31,147 --> 00:29:33,066 You gotta walk faster. 575 00:29:33,149 --> 00:29:36,319 Faster. You're sashaying. This is not the Champs-Élysées. 576 00:29:36,403 --> 00:29:39,114 -Urgent. Urgent. -Let's go. Walk, walk, walk. 577 00:29:39,197 --> 00:29:41,741 See how fast-- There we go. Come on, quickly. Urgency. 578 00:29:41,825 --> 00:29:43,994 Boom! You got this. 579 00:29:44,077 --> 00:29:46,121 -Come up one more. Right. All right. -Okay. 580 00:29:46,204 --> 00:29:48,415 Now hold with both hands. 581 00:29:48,498 --> 00:29:50,834 -Put your body in front of my body. -All right. I'm ready. 582 00:29:50,917 --> 00:29:53,378 Ready? Circle, circle. Like me. 583 00:29:53,461 --> 00:29:55,922 One step forward. Go. 584 00:29:56,590 --> 00:29:58,800 -Good work. -Y-- Well, yeah. 585 00:29:58,884 --> 00:30:00,760 Mama's like, "You don't know my baby." 586 00:30:02,929 --> 00:30:06,099 I mean, I already had a lot of respect for our firefighters. 587 00:30:06,182 --> 00:30:09,436 Especially our fierce female firefighters, including Jackie. 588 00:30:09,519 --> 00:30:13,106 But after kind of putting on all that gear and attempting to lift the hose, 589 00:30:13,189 --> 00:30:14,649 -my respect, like, skyrocketed. -Yeah. 590 00:30:14,733 --> 00:30:17,402 And you didn't even have on all the heavy stuff they have to wear. 591 00:30:17,485 --> 00:30:20,071 I know. I had on about half of what they have to wear. 592 00:30:20,155 --> 00:30:21,990 -It was deeply humbling… -Yeah. 593 00:30:22,073 --> 00:30:24,993 …and left me so much more in awe and full of gratitude. 594 00:30:25,076 --> 00:30:27,370 Well, I mean, at least they thought you could do it. 595 00:30:27,454 --> 00:30:30,081 -That's true. -They took a look at me, and they said, 596 00:30:30,165 --> 00:30:31,333 "Well, you can watch." 597 00:30:31,416 --> 00:30:33,335 You were a great cheerleader. 598 00:30:36,254 --> 00:30:38,673 Now, we get to meet Kimberlé. 599 00:30:38,757 --> 00:30:41,343 -Talk about a gutsy woman. I mean-- -Oh, my goodness. 600 00:30:43,470 --> 00:30:45,931 She coined the term "intersectionality" 601 00:30:46,014 --> 00:30:49,976 and she is one of the founders of what's called critical race theory. 602 00:30:50,060 --> 00:30:53,063 You know, that starts with the idea that in our history, 603 00:30:53,146 --> 00:30:56,566 racism is woven, going back to slavery, 604 00:30:56,650 --> 00:30:59,236 into our public policies and our laws, 605 00:30:59,319 --> 00:31:03,073 which therefore does have a broad impact on our society. 606 00:31:04,282 --> 00:31:07,118 She's someone who has helped so many people understand 607 00:31:07,202 --> 00:31:12,207 the ways in which racism and inequality are entrenched and perpetuated in America. 608 00:31:13,208 --> 00:31:17,837 She's a pioneering legal scholar, a law professor and a fierce advocate. 609 00:31:18,588 --> 00:31:22,175 Some have tried to drum up controversy about her work 610 00:31:22,259 --> 00:31:28,098 as a way to prevent actually teaching about our real history in America. 611 00:31:28,181 --> 00:31:30,100 You are not teaching my children 612 00:31:30,183 --> 00:31:32,143 that they are racist just because they're white. 613 00:31:32,227 --> 00:31:34,062 Shame on you! 614 00:31:34,145 --> 00:31:36,022 Shame on you! 615 00:31:36,106 --> 00:31:39,609 Despite all this, Kimberlé continues to step up. 616 00:31:40,402 --> 00:31:42,320 -Hi! -Hey, Kimberlé! 617 00:31:42,404 --> 00:31:43,822 -How are you? -Hi! 618 00:31:43,905 --> 00:31:47,200 -Nice to meet you. -Oh, my God. I'm so happy to see you. 619 00:31:47,284 --> 00:31:48,285 I'm so honored. 620 00:31:48,368 --> 00:31:50,287 We're so happy to talk to you, Kimberlé. 621 00:31:50,370 --> 00:31:53,665 Because, I mean, you've been literally on the front lines 622 00:31:53,748 --> 00:31:57,168 of standing up and speaking out now for years. 623 00:31:57,252 --> 00:32:00,463 -And it's gotten harder in current times. -Yeah. 624 00:32:00,547 --> 00:32:05,093 In our lifetimes, only 8% of high-school students 625 00:32:05,176 --> 00:32:08,388 could correctly articulate the cause of the Civil War. 626 00:32:08,471 --> 00:32:12,559 And that's before this most recent effort to erase history. 627 00:32:12,642 --> 00:32:16,855 So, we weren't starting with a deeply literate public 628 00:32:16,938 --> 00:32:17,981 about these issues. 629 00:32:18,064 --> 00:32:21,151 Critical race theory isn't an assault on white people. 630 00:32:21,234 --> 00:32:22,068 No. 631 00:32:22,152 --> 00:32:24,738 This isn't saying America's the worst country ever. 632 00:32:24,821 --> 00:32:27,616 It's saying these are the specific things that happened, 633 00:32:27,699 --> 00:32:30,577 this is the way that law helped facilitate it. 634 00:32:30,660 --> 00:32:35,874 And so, being able to give people a concrete example of critical race theory 635 00:32:35,957 --> 00:32:38,668 helps people understand what needs to happen now. 636 00:32:38,752 --> 00:32:41,046 So, that's why we're here. 637 00:32:41,129 --> 00:32:45,759 I sometimes talk about critical race theory like archaeology. 638 00:32:45,842 --> 00:32:48,178 You know, 200 yards away, 639 00:32:48,261 --> 00:32:52,182 there's a story about Black people that doesn't get told. 640 00:32:55,477 --> 00:32:58,480 Seneca Village was a thriving community 641 00:32:58,563 --> 00:33:01,316 of predominantly land-owning African Americans 642 00:33:01,399 --> 00:33:05,278 that was destroyed to make way for what is now Central Park. 643 00:33:05,362 --> 00:33:07,364 Did you know about Seneca Village before? 644 00:33:07,447 --> 00:33:09,991 I had only heard a little bit about it, right? 645 00:33:10,075 --> 00:33:12,118 Because it had been buried. 646 00:33:13,578 --> 00:33:16,248 There were no confirmed photographs of Seneca Village. 647 00:33:16,331 --> 00:33:19,876 So what we know about the vibrant community that lived here 648 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,170 comes from archaeological digs. 649 00:33:24,464 --> 00:33:28,843 "Before Yesterday We Could Fly" is an Afrofuturist exhibit 650 00:33:28,927 --> 00:33:30,345 that brings together artists 651 00:33:30,428 --> 00:33:33,598 to reimagine what a home in Seneca Village would've looked like 652 00:33:33,682 --> 00:33:36,393 had it been passed on through generations. 653 00:33:38,562 --> 00:33:41,356 And I really couldn't quite figure out how the transition 654 00:33:41,439 --> 00:33:45,777 from history to current times to the future was gonna be laid out. 655 00:33:46,736 --> 00:33:48,530 And this is really fascinating. 656 00:33:50,615 --> 00:33:55,370 This structure of an old fireplace is almost like a portal 657 00:33:55,453 --> 00:33:58,832 transporting you into the future on the other side. 658 00:34:00,041 --> 00:34:04,170 This evokes for me the loss of property 659 00:34:04,254 --> 00:34:06,172 over the centuries. 660 00:34:07,382 --> 00:34:09,800 There were three churches, fifty homes, 661 00:34:09,885 --> 00:34:11,970 two schools, and burial grounds 662 00:34:12,053 --> 00:34:16,474 by the time Seneca Village was destroyed by New York City in 1857. 663 00:34:17,517 --> 00:34:22,105 The artist has taken some of the survey and included it 664 00:34:22,188 --> 00:34:26,401 in this magnificent wallpaper that surrounds the exhibit. 665 00:34:28,486 --> 00:34:32,365 Such a story about how if you lack political power, 666 00:34:32,449 --> 00:34:34,701 if you lack enforceable rights, 667 00:34:34,784 --> 00:34:38,038 even if you play the game, you work hard, you acquire, 668 00:34:38,121 --> 00:34:39,831 you do all the things that you're told, 669 00:34:39,914 --> 00:34:44,586 but you're part of a group who are always available to be dispossessed. 670 00:34:45,670 --> 00:34:47,797 I love the Harriet Tubman piece 671 00:34:47,881 --> 00:34:51,343 because what a lot of people don't recognize 672 00:34:51,425 --> 00:34:54,512 is that the wealth of the United States, 673 00:34:54,596 --> 00:34:59,768 the thing that makes us most, you know, powerful, came from Black women. 674 00:34:59,851 --> 00:35:05,315 In 1790, there were 700,000 slaves. 675 00:35:05,398 --> 00:35:08,109 By the eve of the Civil War, there were four million. 676 00:35:08,693 --> 00:35:10,528 Where did all that come from? 677 00:35:11,154 --> 00:35:13,448 And that was after the end of the Slave Trade. 678 00:35:13,531 --> 00:35:16,201 So how did that happen? How did that happen? 679 00:35:16,284 --> 00:35:20,497 When you really think about who the mothers of the country really are, 680 00:35:20,580 --> 00:35:21,831 they're Black women. 681 00:35:21,915 --> 00:35:25,752 But nobody talks about it, 'cause that history is buried as well. 682 00:35:27,879 --> 00:35:29,839 There's so much of this that's hair. 683 00:35:29,923 --> 00:35:32,759 This one is about Bantu knots. 684 00:35:32,842 --> 00:35:35,929 The hair piled high. The inspiration. 685 00:35:36,012 --> 00:35:41,726 And then my favorite one is this Afro pick and the hot comb. 686 00:35:41,810 --> 00:35:48,149 It so captures my complex relationship with my mother around hair. 687 00:35:48,942 --> 00:35:54,656 My mom was a radical in almost every way, except when it came to hair. 688 00:35:55,574 --> 00:35:57,325 My mother was a schoolteacher. 689 00:35:57,409 --> 00:36:02,914 She still was of the mind that natural hair, Black hair in particular 690 00:36:02,998 --> 00:36:04,541 was not as professional. 691 00:36:04,624 --> 00:36:07,252 -She wanted to protect you. -She wanted to protect me. 692 00:36:07,335 --> 00:36:10,630 She wanted me, you know, obviously t-to have all the opportunities 693 00:36:10,714 --> 00:36:12,757 and not be underestimated 694 00:36:12,841 --> 00:36:15,969 because of the way my hair was styled. 695 00:36:16,052 --> 00:36:18,763 So when I see this, the Afro pick, 696 00:36:18,847 --> 00:36:23,101 I think of when I finally was able to wear the Afro. 697 00:36:23,184 --> 00:36:24,936 I adored Angela Davis, 698 00:36:25,020 --> 00:36:27,898 and I just remember seeing so many of the clips 699 00:36:27,981 --> 00:36:29,649 of her coming out during the trial. 700 00:36:30,483 --> 00:36:32,485 She would always go like this, so I was like, 701 00:36:32,569 --> 00:36:34,905 "That's what I want. That's what I wanna be." 702 00:36:36,364 --> 00:36:38,575 There are places right now in the United States 703 00:36:38,658 --> 00:36:41,119 that I would get fired for wearing my hair like this. 704 00:36:41,202 --> 00:36:43,830 -There's now the CROWN Act in some states. -Yes. 705 00:36:50,754 --> 00:36:52,214 But in most states, 706 00:36:52,297 --> 00:36:57,427 you can discriminate against people for wearing locs, braids… 707 00:36:57,510 --> 00:36:59,429 So it just happens to coincide with Black women. 708 00:36:59,512 --> 00:37:01,723 It just happens to grow out of Black women's hair. 709 00:37:01,806 --> 00:37:05,352 And to say that that's not professional is basically saying 710 00:37:05,435 --> 00:37:08,647 that we're not used to people like you being in this space. 711 00:37:08,730 --> 00:37:13,401 I then sort of broadened the view and saw that it wasn't just the law. 712 00:37:13,485 --> 00:37:14,778 It was also feminism. 713 00:37:14,861 --> 00:37:19,449 It was also the way that the particular experiences of Black women 714 00:37:19,532 --> 00:37:24,120 weren't always imagined within the scope of feminism. 715 00:37:24,204 --> 00:37:27,666 And a-a lot of that has been kind of lost, right? 716 00:37:27,749 --> 00:37:29,542 It's just race discrimination. 717 00:37:29,626 --> 00:37:33,338 So a lot of what I try to do with critical race theory 718 00:37:33,421 --> 00:37:36,633 is to kind of dig that stuff up. 719 00:37:36,716 --> 00:37:40,262 You know, it's kind of like an archaeological tool. Right? 720 00:37:40,345 --> 00:37:43,348 We wanna look underneath where we're standing 721 00:37:43,431 --> 00:37:45,392 and uncover the stories that haven't been told. 722 00:37:46,268 --> 00:37:50,021 A lot of people did not know that the first plaintiffs 723 00:37:50,105 --> 00:37:52,524 in most of the sexual harassment cases were Black women. 724 00:37:53,567 --> 00:37:57,153 They didn't know that Rosa Parks really got her start 725 00:37:57,237 --> 00:38:00,574 by defending a Black woman who had been gang-raped. 726 00:38:02,576 --> 00:38:06,496 So I often want to reimagine moments like Rosa Parks, 727 00:38:06,580 --> 00:38:10,875 not when she first showed up in the scene, in most people's consciousness, 728 00:38:10,959 --> 00:38:13,044 but what happened before that, right? 729 00:38:13,962 --> 00:38:16,298 I want to make sure that 200 years from now, 730 00:38:16,381 --> 00:38:21,219 Sojourner Truth and Angela Davis, and hopefully, something I wrote, 731 00:38:21,303 --> 00:38:25,056 people will have access to rather than having to uncover it 732 00:38:25,140 --> 00:38:28,226 like we had to, you know, uncover Seneca. 733 00:38:30,937 --> 00:38:33,273 Part of the reason why we think you're a gutsy woman 734 00:38:33,356 --> 00:38:37,819 is not just because you created some incredibly useful tools 735 00:38:37,903 --> 00:38:39,988 for thinking about our history, 736 00:38:40,071 --> 00:38:43,909 but because you didn't write and then retreat to the mountaintop. 737 00:38:45,076 --> 00:38:48,163 The way that you're trying to excavate people's stories 738 00:38:48,246 --> 00:38:52,167 so that they can be seen and appreciated, understood, 739 00:38:52,250 --> 00:38:55,253 that's hard work, Kimberlé. That's really difficult. 740 00:38:55,337 --> 00:38:57,130 Are you still hopeful? 741 00:38:57,214 --> 00:39:01,468 -I would say I'm a stubborn person. -I like that. 742 00:39:01,551 --> 00:39:06,473 I will not be told, "No, you cannot speak." 743 00:39:06,556 --> 00:39:12,062 I will not be told, "No, the experience that you are talking about is not real." 744 00:39:12,145 --> 00:39:14,272 I will not be told that it doesn't matter. 745 00:39:14,356 --> 00:39:17,359 Now, what people do with what I write about, 746 00:39:17,442 --> 00:39:19,569 that's something that I can't control. 747 00:39:19,653 --> 00:39:24,407 But when people have a concept that allows them to name their experience, 748 00:39:24,491 --> 00:39:27,786 that they will value those concepts, 749 00:39:27,869 --> 00:39:32,207 and fight to sustain them, that-- that's where I'm most hopeful. 750 00:39:32,290 --> 00:39:34,167 Talk about somebody stepping up. 751 00:39:36,127 --> 00:39:37,462 You gotta. 752 00:39:37,963 --> 00:39:41,424 We're living through a really tumultuous, difficult time. 753 00:39:41,508 --> 00:39:43,343 And there's lots of stuff going on. 754 00:39:43,426 --> 00:39:46,096 "According to a recent poll, 10% of Americans 755 00:39:46,179 --> 00:39:47,472 don't believe in climate change." 756 00:39:47,556 --> 00:39:49,641 "Boy, what is wrong with you?" 757 00:39:50,809 --> 00:39:53,812 And yet, you've got to be able to trust the people you're with. 758 00:39:53,895 --> 00:39:55,063 There you go. 759 00:39:55,146 --> 00:39:56,690 Let's go dance. 760 00:39:56,773 --> 00:39:59,609 And be willing to try things that might not work. 761 00:39:59,693 --> 00:40:01,820 That's what I was supposed to be getting off. 762 00:40:01,903 --> 00:40:03,071 You're hilarious. 763 00:40:03,154 --> 00:40:07,158 What you do is fun, and it's a great show, but it's bigger than that. 764 00:40:07,242 --> 00:40:09,869 Do you ever feel that? Like it's part of something bigger? 765 00:40:09,953 --> 00:40:12,914 I like to hope-- I like to think that that's true. 766 00:40:12,998 --> 00:40:15,542 And every once in a while, someone will message you and be like, 767 00:40:15,625 --> 00:40:17,419 "Oh, my gosh. I'm glad you said this out loud 768 00:40:17,502 --> 00:40:20,964 'cause I felt that way, and thank you for validating how I feel." 769 00:40:21,047 --> 00:40:22,966 And then I think, "That's important." 770 00:40:23,049 --> 00:40:27,053 They keep on telling me to retire, but I said, "No, I can still help out." 771 00:40:27,137 --> 00:40:31,099 You're not alone, and come find me. If you need me to pep you up, I will. 772 00:40:31,182 --> 00:40:36,354 Take one s-- little step. Just 1% every day is-- is enough. 773 00:40:36,438 --> 00:40:39,065 Then in hindsight, you'll see the progress.