1 00:00:10,387 --> 00:00:13,223 I'm really looking forward to going back to Arkansas. 2 00:00:13,306 --> 00:00:14,558 I just got some books. 3 00:00:15,141 --> 00:00:17,727 101 Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die. 4 00:00:17,811 --> 00:00:20,480 -The first restaurant mentioned… -Tell me. 5 00:00:20,564 --> 00:00:22,899 …is AQ Chicken House. 6 00:00:22,983 --> 00:00:24,484 Oh, my gosh, I-- 7 00:00:24,568 --> 00:00:28,405 I ate so much chicken at the AQ Chicken House. 8 00:00:28,488 --> 00:00:30,699 Lemon pepper, spiced, battered 9 00:00:30,782 --> 00:00:32,993 and pan-fried chicken. 10 00:00:33,076 --> 00:00:34,536 Unbelievable. 11 00:00:34,619 --> 00:00:36,162 We'll try to find some of that for you. 12 00:00:37,789 --> 00:00:40,458 I loved being a kid there. 13 00:00:40,542 --> 00:00:45,589 I have so many wonderful memories of growing up in Little Rock. 14 00:00:45,672 --> 00:00:47,841 When I began to date your dad, 15 00:00:47,924 --> 00:00:50,844 he was clear from the beginning. "I'm going home to Arkansas." 16 00:00:50,927 --> 00:00:53,513 I thought, "Okay, I need to see what Arkansas is like." 17 00:00:54,014 --> 00:00:58,310 And that's when I decided to take a big leap of faith, follow my heart. 18 00:00:59,227 --> 00:01:03,315 I think of Arkansas as a real turning point in my own life. 19 00:01:03,398 --> 00:01:05,065 It was where you were born. 20 00:01:05,150 --> 00:01:06,902 Which, of course, was the most important thing 21 00:01:06,985 --> 00:01:08,778 that happened to me while I was there. 22 00:01:09,988 --> 00:01:11,448 And I've been thinking, 23 00:01:11,531 --> 00:01:17,412 how does the place or the space that you're in mold you, challenge you? 24 00:01:17,996 --> 00:01:21,458 Going back to Arkansas helps us really think through 25 00:01:21,541 --> 00:01:24,836 some of these questions about what does gutsiness really mean? 26 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,339 How do you make difficult choices? 27 00:01:27,422 --> 00:01:29,758 How do you take a leap of faith, 28 00:01:29,841 --> 00:01:32,969 sometimes, that you have no idea what the outcome is going to be? 29 00:01:33,053 --> 00:01:35,055 Going back is something I'm looking forward to. 30 00:01:35,138 --> 00:01:36,139 Me too. 31 00:01:37,307 --> 00:01:39,309 I don't know if you're going to get much more in there. 32 00:01:39,392 --> 00:01:42,979 You'll be surprised. That's very expandable. 33 00:01:43,063 --> 00:01:44,439 Oh, yeah, I got lots of room. 34 00:01:45,023 --> 00:01:48,526 -Do I need to sit on your suitcase? -No, I don't need-- It's very-- 35 00:01:48,610 --> 00:01:49,945 -I know, you're very… -Reliable! 36 00:01:50,028 --> 00:01:51,905 -…you're very loyal to that suitcase. -I am. 37 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:54,991 -Okay. -Oh, good lord. All right. 38 00:01:55,075 --> 00:01:58,036 Okay! We're done! Let's head to Arkansas. 39 00:01:58,703 --> 00:01:59,704 Off we go. 40 00:02:01,248 --> 00:02:04,334 I did not see that coming. And I was like, "Let's go." 41 00:02:05,794 --> 00:02:07,379 I have a master's in whites. 42 00:02:07,462 --> 00:02:11,299 I just want whites to get a GED in Blacks. That's all. 43 00:02:18,682 --> 00:02:20,892 Next stop, Little Rock. 44 00:02:26,690 --> 00:02:29,109 -Here we go. -This is not a stick shift, is it? 45 00:02:29,192 --> 00:02:30,485 No, that's a microphone. 46 00:02:31,861 --> 00:02:34,656 "Maintenance required. Visit your dealer." 47 00:02:36,741 --> 00:02:38,368 This is going to be so fun. 48 00:02:40,662 --> 00:02:44,249 I'm really looking forward to going back to Fayetteville. 49 00:02:44,833 --> 00:02:45,834 That's where I first moved 50 00:02:45,917 --> 00:02:48,003 when I came to Arkansas. 51 00:02:48,086 --> 00:02:50,714 Absolutely loved it, teaching at the law school. 52 00:02:50,797 --> 00:02:53,842 We're going to go by and see the house where we got married. 53 00:02:54,968 --> 00:02:56,595 The house is now a museum 54 00:02:56,678 --> 00:02:59,723 which, I have to confess, makes me feel really old. 55 00:03:00,515 --> 00:03:04,185 I couldn't imagine anybody better to show us around than Ann Henry, 56 00:03:04,269 --> 00:03:06,855 who was one of the very first friends I made 57 00:03:06,938 --> 00:03:08,857 when I moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas. 58 00:03:10,775 --> 00:03:11,860 Ann! 59 00:03:13,653 --> 00:03:17,198 Welcome to your home! And Chelsea. 60 00:03:17,282 --> 00:03:18,283 Hi, Ann. 61 00:03:18,366 --> 00:03:21,036 -This is where it all started, honey. -I know. I've never been here. 62 00:03:21,119 --> 00:03:23,413 -Well, you're going to love it. -I've never been here. 63 00:03:23,496 --> 00:03:26,166 -Oh, my gosh, is that your wedding dress? -No, she hasn't! She's never been here. 64 00:03:26,249 --> 00:03:28,543 No, I didn't know that was here until I walked in just now. 65 00:03:28,627 --> 00:03:32,839 Well, I bought it at Dillard's, and it was $53. 66 00:03:33,673 --> 00:03:36,468 Because your mother told you you had to get a wedding dress. 67 00:03:36,551 --> 00:03:39,054 Yes, and she went with me to Dillard's the Friday night 68 00:03:39,137 --> 00:03:41,848 -before I got married. -A little different from yours, Chelsea. 69 00:03:41,932 --> 00:03:43,058 Yes, well… 70 00:03:46,478 --> 00:03:48,605 -We got married right here. -Right here. 71 00:03:50,982 --> 00:03:52,609 This was our dining room. 72 00:03:56,279 --> 00:03:59,407 -Clinton for Congress. -This was '74. 73 00:03:59,491 --> 00:04:01,451 I remember this, the star. 74 00:04:02,118 --> 00:04:04,079 Wait, what's the tie? 75 00:04:04,162 --> 00:04:07,415 It was the kind of ties men wore back then. 76 00:04:07,499 --> 00:04:08,875 One of Dad's ties, or no? 77 00:04:08,959 --> 00:04:10,835 -It could have been. -Isn't that funny? 78 00:04:10,919 --> 00:04:12,712 -Okay, now the kitchen. -Right. 79 00:04:12,796 --> 00:04:15,632 -Now, does this look the same, Mom? -Very much the same. 80 00:04:19,009 --> 00:04:20,178 -Burnt orange. -Find-- 81 00:04:20,262 --> 00:04:22,847 -I just like it. I just find it cheerful. -Fantastic for sure. 82 00:04:25,725 --> 00:04:27,811 Why do we have Swansons all over-- 83 00:04:27,894 --> 00:04:30,689 -Because this is a big deal. -They made 'em here. In Fayetteville. 84 00:04:30,772 --> 00:04:33,108 I remember having Swanson chicken pot pies as a kid. 85 00:04:33,191 --> 00:04:34,192 I was just confused, like-- 86 00:04:34,276 --> 00:04:36,319 The significance of this next to my parents. 87 00:04:36,403 --> 00:04:38,989 -Because they didn't cook much. -Okay. But that's why I asked. 88 00:04:39,072 --> 00:04:40,448 We had a lot of chicken pot pie. 89 00:04:42,492 --> 00:04:44,077 What do you have there? You got some pictures? 90 00:04:44,744 --> 00:04:46,538 Ain't that a wonderful picture? 91 00:04:46,621 --> 00:04:49,124 -I don't think I've ever seen that one. -Those glasses. 92 00:04:49,207 --> 00:04:51,001 -You look like the '70s, Mom. -She's always-- 93 00:04:51,084 --> 00:04:52,127 Oh, my gosh. 94 00:04:52,794 --> 00:04:55,547 -I wanna tell ya, in 1974-- -Yes, ma'am. 95 00:04:55,630 --> 00:04:56,923 We had been hearing about her. 96 00:04:57,007 --> 00:05:01,136 Your dad, he talked about how there was this woman that he was in love with, 97 00:05:01,219 --> 00:05:05,056 and she could do anything, and he just would love to marry her, 98 00:05:05,140 --> 00:05:07,559 but he just didn't know whether she would marry him. 99 00:05:08,059 --> 00:05:09,519 We all wanted to meet her. 100 00:05:10,020 --> 00:05:12,022 So, the law school had a reception, 101 00:05:12,105 --> 00:05:13,940 and, since I was a lawyer, I got to go. 102 00:05:14,024 --> 00:05:18,612 I marched right up, and there she was in her pageboy and her suit. 103 00:05:19,112 --> 00:05:21,615 We shook hands, and we've been friends ever since. 104 00:05:21,698 --> 00:05:23,116 -We sure have. -I immediately-- 105 00:05:23,199 --> 00:05:25,785 -Almost 50 years later. -That's what I'm saying. It was great. 106 00:05:26,620 --> 00:05:29,915 Ann was nice enough to host the wedding reception. 107 00:05:29,998 --> 00:05:31,541 I failed one test. 108 00:05:31,625 --> 00:05:33,168 -I did not get a photographer. -Oh, dear. 109 00:05:33,251 --> 00:05:35,670 And, you know, today, if you don't have a photograph, 110 00:05:35,754 --> 00:05:36,796 it didn't happen. 111 00:05:37,297 --> 00:05:39,549 -But we didn't think about that so much. -No, we didn't. 112 00:05:39,633 --> 00:05:41,760 If she's not thinking about a wedding dress, 113 00:05:41,843 --> 00:05:46,264 she certainly wasn't thinking about a photographer. 114 00:05:46,348 --> 00:05:48,808 -Fashion was never our priority, was it? -No! 115 00:05:48,892 --> 00:05:51,478 Well, it certainly wasn't my strong suit. I can tell you that. 116 00:05:53,230 --> 00:05:56,191 When I moved to Fayetteville, for me, that was a big risk. 117 00:05:56,274 --> 00:05:57,859 A lot of people thought I was crazy. 118 00:05:58,443 --> 00:06:01,613 To come from a really large city like Chicago, 119 00:06:01,696 --> 00:06:04,783 -this really had to seem like Green Acres. -Smallville. 120 00:06:04,866 --> 00:06:06,826 Th-- It was small, but it was so welcoming, 121 00:06:06,910 --> 00:06:10,664 and the people were so interesting, and we had such a good time. 122 00:06:10,747 --> 00:06:14,251 I tell people everywhere that I loved living in Fayetteville. 123 00:06:14,334 --> 00:06:15,502 -Well, that-- -Yeah. 124 00:06:15,585 --> 00:06:18,171 -This is where I got married. -That's right. 125 00:06:18,255 --> 00:06:19,965 -And the rest is history. -And as I told Chelsea-- 126 00:06:30,642 --> 00:06:33,728 You know, for me, this place was really formative. 127 00:06:34,396 --> 00:06:36,189 I found a wonderful home here. 128 00:06:36,690 --> 00:06:38,233 And I'm not the only one. 129 00:06:38,316 --> 00:06:40,318 We're on our way to meet with Canopy, 130 00:06:40,986 --> 00:06:45,949 one of the organizations that's helping to resettle refugees in Arkansas. 131 00:06:46,032 --> 00:06:49,536 Right now, Canopy is part of a national effort 132 00:06:49,619 --> 00:06:54,708 to resettle more than 75,000 Afghans who had to flee their homes 133 00:06:54,791 --> 00:06:59,170 when the Taliban came back and took over again in the summer of 2021. 134 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:10,807 -Hello. Hey, how are you? It's-- -Welcome, Secretary Clinton. I'm Joanna. 135 00:07:10,891 --> 00:07:13,727 -Hi, Chelsea. It's so nice to meet you. -Thank you. I'm sorry my hands are cold. 136 00:07:13,810 --> 00:07:15,896 No, I want to show you a warm Canopy welcome 137 00:07:15,979 --> 00:07:17,188 -here in Fayetteville. -I am thrilled. 138 00:07:17,272 --> 00:07:18,690 JOANNA KRAUSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CANOPY NWA 139 00:07:18,773 --> 00:07:20,734 -Our next family is coming on Wednesday. -You're kidding. 140 00:07:20,817 --> 00:07:23,486 We're right into action to get everything together 141 00:07:23,570 --> 00:07:27,115 because we want to have a warm home ready to welcome them. 142 00:07:28,658 --> 00:07:30,785 We have welcomed, in the last month, 143 00:07:30,869 --> 00:07:33,288 56 people in 13 households… 144 00:07:33,371 --> 00:07:35,665 -That's so great. -…which is incredible. 145 00:07:35,749 --> 00:07:37,792 And how many people will live here? 146 00:07:37,876 --> 00:07:39,961 This is gonna be a family of five. 147 00:07:40,045 --> 00:07:43,590 It's been an exhausting period for all the families who have come through. 148 00:07:43,673 --> 00:07:47,427 But we've been able to bring them to a safe, quiet place. 149 00:07:47,969 --> 00:07:50,430 -Do you want to help us make up a bed? -I would love to. 150 00:07:50,931 --> 00:07:54,601 So, this is part of the fun of being in Canopy 151 00:07:54,684 --> 00:07:56,269 because people donate us stuff. 152 00:07:56,353 --> 00:07:58,563 And so, then we just have a bag of screws, 153 00:07:58,647 --> 00:08:01,441 -and this daybed-- -A bag of screws? 154 00:08:01,524 --> 00:08:03,693 And we're usually just standing around figuring it out. 155 00:08:03,777 --> 00:08:04,778 Okay. 156 00:08:05,403 --> 00:08:06,863 Here, Chels, you hold that. 157 00:08:07,489 --> 00:08:09,199 -It-- Does it go… -Here. 158 00:08:09,282 --> 00:08:10,575 -Here you go, Mom. -Here. Yes. 159 00:08:10,659 --> 00:08:12,160 So, this was all donated? 160 00:08:12,244 --> 00:08:15,163 -Donated. Yes. So, sometimes-- -Do we have enough of the screws? 161 00:08:15,247 --> 00:08:19,167 -We have some short screws down here. -This is going to be interesting. 162 00:08:19,251 --> 00:08:22,337 -Mom, we need a shorter one in there. -Okey dokey. 163 00:08:22,420 --> 00:08:24,047 -Okay. So, it goes in this way. -Yep. 164 00:08:24,130 --> 00:08:26,007 Do you know how many cribs I've put together? 165 00:08:27,175 --> 00:08:28,260 -Yeah. -There we go. 166 00:08:28,343 --> 00:08:30,637 I just don't want anybody getting in the bed and collapsing. 167 00:08:31,721 --> 00:08:34,057 They usually love to jump into their bed when they first see it. 168 00:08:34,140 --> 00:08:37,811 -So, we want to make sure it's sturdy. -Oh, no! That's terrifying. 169 00:08:39,020 --> 00:08:41,398 All right, let's see if that's… 170 00:08:41,481 --> 00:08:42,481 Takes a village. 171 00:08:42,566 --> 00:08:45,151 It does. It does. Absolutely. 172 00:08:45,235 --> 00:08:46,861 One more here. 173 00:08:46,945 --> 00:08:48,321 -There we go. -Great. 174 00:08:49,406 --> 00:08:51,616 -This seems pretty steady. -I think-- Yeah. I think it's good. 175 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:52,826 Think we got it. 176 00:08:53,326 --> 00:08:54,703 -It fits! Good. -Yeah. 177 00:08:54,786 --> 00:08:55,954 Excellent. 178 00:08:56,037 --> 00:08:57,747 -Well, I guess we have to keep working. -Yes! 179 00:08:57,831 --> 00:08:59,332 -We-- Yeah, we have a lot to do. -Okay! 180 00:09:00,125 --> 00:09:01,459 -Toilet paper. -Thank you. 181 00:09:01,543 --> 00:09:04,296 Now, this fell down. Are we gonna put it back up? 182 00:09:05,380 --> 00:09:06,965 Our shower curtain fell down. 183 00:09:07,048 --> 00:09:08,758 -Yeah. -Yeah, I don't know. 184 00:09:08,842 --> 00:09:10,552 -These things are really-- -Oh, no. 185 00:09:10,635 --> 00:09:12,762 No, but Mom, we need the little-- 186 00:09:12,846 --> 00:09:13,889 There's nowhere to rest it. 187 00:09:13,972 --> 00:09:17,183 -It needs the little half-moons, I think. -Yeah. 188 00:09:17,267 --> 00:09:20,645 It will come down very easily, but at least it looks nice. 189 00:09:21,605 --> 00:09:23,106 It's up. 190 00:09:23,648 --> 00:09:26,818 -One of our favorite books. -We're excited. We're ready. 191 00:09:26,902 --> 00:09:28,153 Once we get the shower curtain fixed. 192 00:09:28,236 --> 00:09:29,696 Once we get the shower curtain fixed, yes. 193 00:09:29,779 --> 00:09:31,448 We were so close. 194 00:09:33,283 --> 00:09:35,702 That is so cool, you guys. I love it. 195 00:09:40,582 --> 00:09:43,752 I cannot imagine the courage it takes to leave your home. 196 00:09:44,461 --> 00:09:46,129 To leave everything you've known. 197 00:09:47,589 --> 00:09:49,758 We'll get a chance to visit a family from Kabul 198 00:09:49,841 --> 00:09:52,344 that arrived in Arkansas just a few weeks ago. 199 00:09:53,511 --> 00:09:57,140 And Mom, you've spent months trying to help evacuate Afghans, 200 00:09:57,641 --> 00:10:00,727 especially Afghan women and their families. 201 00:10:00,810 --> 00:10:04,356 It kind of comes full circle for me to meet this family 202 00:10:04,439 --> 00:10:06,399 that Canopy is helping to resettle. 203 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,281 I just am so grateful to have this chance 204 00:10:13,365 --> 00:10:16,409 to welcome you to Arkansas and America. 205 00:10:16,493 --> 00:10:18,119 -Thank you so much. -Oh, yeah. We are-- 206 00:10:18,203 --> 00:10:19,829 And how long have you been here now? 207 00:10:19,913 --> 00:10:22,165 About three weeks that we are here. 208 00:10:22,249 --> 00:10:23,124 Three weeks. 209 00:10:23,208 --> 00:10:25,627 When we first arrived in Arkansas, 210 00:10:25,710 --> 00:10:28,129 there were pumpkins at every door. 211 00:10:28,213 --> 00:10:30,423 My mother kept asking, 212 00:10:30,507 --> 00:10:33,677 "Why would they keep the pumpkins there, Basira?" 213 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:35,595 On one of those days, 214 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,765 there were kids wearing different costumes. 215 00:10:38,848 --> 00:10:43,436 That's when we realized it's part of the culture and tradition. 216 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:45,105 So maybe next year. 217 00:10:45,188 --> 00:10:48,817 Next year. And I bet your son will wanna be in a costume. 218 00:10:48,900 --> 00:10:49,943 Yes. 219 00:10:50,527 --> 00:10:54,114 You really demonstrate the incredible bravery 220 00:10:54,197 --> 00:10:58,201 that so many Afghans have had to show. 221 00:10:58,702 --> 00:11:02,747 Taliban forces entered the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul, today. 222 00:11:02,831 --> 00:11:04,749 The culmination of a rapid advance 223 00:11:04,833 --> 00:11:08,295 and retaking of control almost exactly two decades 224 00:11:08,795 --> 00:11:10,338 after they were ousted from power. 225 00:11:10,422 --> 00:11:12,465 Conditions in Afghanistan 226 00:11:12,549 --> 00:11:18,096 during this 20 years was not perfect, 227 00:11:18,179 --> 00:11:20,557 but people were happy because 228 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:22,976 people had their basic rights, 229 00:11:23,059 --> 00:11:26,354 like women going to a school, going to university, 230 00:11:26,938 --> 00:11:29,482 be an active part of the society. 231 00:11:29,566 --> 00:11:32,569 Were you in school at this time? 232 00:11:32,652 --> 00:11:35,280 I finished in Kabul University 233 00:11:35,363 --> 00:11:36,698 in law. 234 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:38,700 Law and political science. 235 00:11:38,783 --> 00:11:40,327 And were you in school? 236 00:11:40,410 --> 00:11:42,621 I was in university. 237 00:11:42,704 --> 00:11:45,248 Well when I was studying in Kabul, 238 00:11:45,332 --> 00:11:49,920 I always said that I wanted to be a doctor. 239 00:11:50,837 --> 00:11:54,007 It's not only that you lost your present, but you lost your future. 240 00:11:54,090 --> 00:11:55,967 You lost what you thought would be possible. 241 00:11:56,968 --> 00:12:00,013 That time the regime changed and the Taliban came, 242 00:12:00,096 --> 00:12:01,973 I can say such disaster 243 00:12:02,057 --> 00:12:03,767 happened for Afghanistan. 244 00:12:04,392 --> 00:12:06,394 It happened so quickly. 245 00:12:06,978 --> 00:12:12,234 You had to make a life-changing decision almost within hours. 246 00:12:14,402 --> 00:12:17,614 Thousands of people rushed to the gates of airport, 247 00:12:17,697 --> 00:12:20,158 and some people died because it was crowded. 248 00:12:21,451 --> 00:12:25,580 Some of our family members didn't want to go to the airport. 249 00:12:26,206 --> 00:12:28,166 But at 2:00 a.m. 250 00:12:28,250 --> 00:12:30,085 we left our home. 251 00:12:30,669 --> 00:12:34,381 The only thing that we could bring was a backpack. 252 00:12:38,134 --> 00:12:40,720 Afghanistan's airport has many gates. 253 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:43,640 We got to Abbey Gate. 254 00:12:44,724 --> 00:12:46,268 Two days after us, 255 00:12:46,351 --> 00:12:49,396 a suicide bomb attack happened on that gate. 256 00:12:55,151 --> 00:12:57,529 It was dangerous and risky, 257 00:12:57,612 --> 00:13:00,824 but we got through that gate. 258 00:13:00,907 --> 00:13:03,326 -And you were all able to leave together? -Yes. 259 00:13:03,410 --> 00:13:05,996 We really didn't want to come as a refugee, 260 00:13:06,621 --> 00:13:09,124 but we had to make that decision. 261 00:13:14,212 --> 00:13:18,466 And how's your son? How has he adapted to being in a new place? 262 00:13:18,550 --> 00:13:20,552 With new people, a new home? 263 00:13:21,761 --> 00:13:23,930 The first days, it was difficult, 264 00:13:24,014 --> 00:13:26,850 because a feeling of being homeless 265 00:13:27,392 --> 00:13:30,020 is difficult even for a baby. 266 00:13:30,103 --> 00:13:34,149 So when he understood that he had-- he has a house. 267 00:13:34,232 --> 00:13:35,942 So, he became so happy. 268 00:13:37,235 --> 00:13:39,779 He knows that we have a home, 269 00:13:40,989 --> 00:13:44,618 a calm city, and I can play safely. 270 00:13:45,243 --> 00:13:47,078 And now he's making new friends. 271 00:13:47,162 --> 00:13:49,789 That was my next question. Has he made new friends? 272 00:13:49,873 --> 00:13:51,917 Yes, he's making new friends 273 00:13:52,792 --> 00:13:56,713 with some of my neighbors and co-sponsor families. 274 00:13:56,796 --> 00:13:59,674 And now he's okay with Arkansas. 275 00:14:01,218 --> 00:14:02,802 And we wish you the very, very best. 276 00:14:02,886 --> 00:14:05,347 And we hope that you have a good first Thanksgiving here. 277 00:14:05,430 --> 00:14:06,640 Yeah, thank you. 278 00:14:06,723 --> 00:14:07,933 So, happy Thanksgiving. 279 00:14:08,016 --> 00:14:09,017 Thank you, Mom. 280 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:10,477 I can have it. 281 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:13,063 Oh, no. I'll do it. You served us. Thank you. 282 00:14:15,690 --> 00:14:17,734 -Madam Secretary? -Yes? 283 00:14:17,817 --> 00:14:20,654 So, the first day when you come to an Afghan house, 284 00:14:20,737 --> 00:14:22,280 you do not wash dishes. 285 00:14:25,033 --> 00:14:27,035 The second day you come, you wash dishes. 286 00:14:27,118 --> 00:14:28,703 We wash dishes at our-- 287 00:14:28,787 --> 00:14:31,373 Okay? Yeah, the first day you don't. 288 00:14:34,376 --> 00:14:37,337 I think it's important to revisit parts of our past. 289 00:14:37,420 --> 00:14:40,966 And what better place to reflect on all of that than Little Rock? 290 00:14:47,597 --> 00:14:50,934 There's Rally's. I remember the curly fries at Rally's. 291 00:14:51,017 --> 00:14:53,812 They are so good. I wonder if they're still made the same way. 292 00:14:54,563 --> 00:14:56,314 Oh, my gosh. I remember going to the playground 293 00:14:56,398 --> 00:14:58,608 near the War Memorial Stadium. And it had this-- 294 00:14:58,692 --> 00:15:00,944 -And the zoo. -I loved the zoo. 295 00:15:01,027 --> 00:15:03,738 You loved it. And they named a chimpanzee for you. 296 00:15:03,822 --> 00:15:05,240 No, they did not. 297 00:15:05,323 --> 00:15:07,284 It was not a chimpanzee. It was an orangutan. 298 00:15:07,367 --> 00:15:09,452 -It was an orangutan? -Born in 1975. 299 00:15:09,536 --> 00:15:11,621 I thought you had named me for the orangutan. 300 00:15:12,581 --> 00:15:16,084 -I wouldn't do that. -I mean, she seemed quite lovely. 301 00:15:17,127 --> 00:15:20,380 When we were here in '96 for Election Day. 302 00:15:20,463 --> 00:15:23,967 And I was with a couple of my friends at the mall, 303 00:15:24,050 --> 00:15:25,302 and I wanted to get my ears pierced. 304 00:15:25,385 --> 00:15:28,305 I was 16, and I called you 305 00:15:28,388 --> 00:15:31,099 and you said you didn't want me to do it in a moment of euphoria. 306 00:15:32,976 --> 00:15:34,436 And I couldn't believe you wouldn't let me do it, 307 00:15:34,519 --> 00:15:36,438 'cause I was like, "16 is four years past 12," 308 00:15:36,521 --> 00:15:38,148 and you had told me I could do it at 12. 309 00:15:38,231 --> 00:15:41,109 Well, first of all, I do not ever remember saying 12. 310 00:15:41,192 --> 00:15:44,905 -I think I said 20 or 30. I never said 12. -No, definitely not. 311 00:15:44,988 --> 00:15:47,782 -No, I'm sorry, I never said that. No. -And I was like-- You did. 312 00:15:47,866 --> 00:15:49,200 And-- But when I was little. 313 00:15:49,284 --> 00:15:52,370 I told Charlotte that I would get my ears pierced with her. 314 00:15:52,454 --> 00:15:56,166 Oh, gosh. You talk to me when she's 16 and calls you from a mall. 315 00:15:56,249 --> 00:15:58,710 Well, I told her she could do it when she was 12. 316 00:16:00,212 --> 00:16:02,714 Okay. All right. My poor granddaughter. 317 00:16:02,797 --> 00:16:03,924 -Okay. -We'll be fine. 318 00:16:05,884 --> 00:16:08,595 Here's Central High School where you would've gone to high school, 319 00:16:08,678 --> 00:16:11,097 -if we had stayed in Little Rock. -Yeah. 320 00:16:11,181 --> 00:16:13,308 Such a magnificent building 321 00:16:13,391 --> 00:16:15,143 and obviously the history makes it 322 00:16:15,227 --> 00:16:18,772 -even more important and more special. -More important. 323 00:16:20,315 --> 00:16:22,108 When I look out at Central High School, 324 00:16:22,192 --> 00:16:25,362 I think back to Brown v. Board of Education 325 00:16:25,445 --> 00:16:29,699 which said that the public schools of America should be integrated. 326 00:16:29,783 --> 00:16:32,702 That the schools that Black kids went to 327 00:16:32,786 --> 00:16:34,955 were nowhere near comparable, 328 00:16:35,038 --> 00:16:38,375 let alone equal, to the schools that white kids went to. 329 00:16:44,381 --> 00:16:48,260 In 1957, the Little Rock School Board said, 330 00:16:48,343 --> 00:16:50,387 "We're going to integrate the schools." 331 00:16:50,971 --> 00:16:54,558 And nine brave young men and women 332 00:16:54,641 --> 00:16:59,020 were the first Black students to go to this amazing high school. 333 00:16:59,980 --> 00:17:02,524 Obviously, everybody should've been doing the same thing, 334 00:17:02,607 --> 00:17:06,444 but many parts of the country were not doing anything. 335 00:17:07,070 --> 00:17:09,363 And it's also hard to even think that nine students 336 00:17:09,447 --> 00:17:12,909 integrating a student body of close to 2,000 337 00:17:12,993 --> 00:17:15,829 was really anything akin to integration. 338 00:17:15,911 --> 00:17:21,126 And the pressure that these nine students felt. 339 00:17:23,837 --> 00:17:25,130 When you were a kid in Chicago, 340 00:17:25,213 --> 00:17:26,423 were you aware of what was happening 341 00:17:26,506 --> 00:17:27,924 -here at Little Rock? -Absolutely. 342 00:17:28,007 --> 00:17:30,760 I lived in an all-white suburb outside of Chicago 343 00:17:30,844 --> 00:17:33,096 and went to great public schools. 344 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,600 And, you know, my father watched the news every night, 345 00:17:36,683 --> 00:17:42,522 and all of a sudden there on the screen seared into my mind 346 00:17:43,273 --> 00:17:48,278 were the very brave, young Black students, the Little Rock Nine. 347 00:17:51,364 --> 00:17:54,659 Walking through crowds that were yelling at them, spitting. 348 00:17:54,743 --> 00:17:56,828 -They were hateful. -Spitting on them. 349 00:17:57,412 --> 00:18:01,207 Kids who were five, six, seven years older than me. 350 00:18:02,083 --> 00:18:04,502 Kind of made me much more aware of what was going on 351 00:18:04,586 --> 00:18:06,421 outside of my own community. 352 00:18:10,884 --> 00:18:14,512 And, you know, greatness is not always a straight line. 353 00:18:14,596 --> 00:18:18,725 I saw what happened here in 1957. 354 00:18:18,808 --> 00:18:21,978 It didn't make me dislike my country. 355 00:18:22,062 --> 00:18:25,941 It made me admire the young people who were trying 356 00:18:26,024 --> 00:18:29,194 to make our country live up to its highest ideals. 357 00:18:30,278 --> 00:18:31,321 And I'm so honored 358 00:18:31,404 --> 00:18:34,157 that we're going to be speaking with Carlotta and Minnijean, 359 00:18:34,241 --> 00:18:38,411 who were part of the Little Rock Nine, about their personal experiences. 360 00:18:38,495 --> 00:18:41,790 -Oh, my gosh! Carla. -Hello. 361 00:18:42,290 --> 00:18:45,544 -Good to see you. -So happy to see you again, my friend. 362 00:18:45,627 --> 00:18:47,087 Good to see you as well. 363 00:18:47,170 --> 00:18:49,381 -Oh, my gosh. This is such a treat. -How 'bout that? 364 00:18:49,464 --> 00:18:50,924 Yes, this is wonderful. 365 00:18:51,883 --> 00:18:54,636 So we've been talking a lot about what it means to be gutsy. 366 00:18:54,719 --> 00:18:59,057 In your case, to know that you deserved a world-class education 367 00:18:59,140 --> 00:19:03,436 and to trust that you had the courage to fight to be here at Central. 368 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:07,524 I was thinking about growing up in the Jim Crow South. 369 00:19:07,607 --> 00:19:09,526 I was taught that I was beautiful. 370 00:19:09,609 --> 00:19:11,278 I was taught that I was smart… 371 00:19:11,361 --> 00:19:13,863 -Which were true. -…and talented. 372 00:19:14,614 --> 00:19:16,032 I'm Minnijean Brown. 373 00:19:16,116 --> 00:19:17,909 I'm thankful for the many people 374 00:19:17,993 --> 00:19:21,329 who have stood by us and worked diligently in our struggle. 375 00:19:22,247 --> 00:19:27,210 Our families didn't want us to have to be treated badly. 376 00:19:27,294 --> 00:19:31,006 And we would walk rather than take the bus. 377 00:19:31,089 --> 00:19:33,383 So, you weren't sent to the back of the bus 378 00:19:33,466 --> 00:19:36,094 -in order to avoid that? Yeah. -We did a lot of walking. 379 00:19:36,678 --> 00:19:39,097 It just becomes natural that you're resisting. 380 00:19:39,180 --> 00:19:42,267 -That's it. -So that we kept safe. 381 00:19:43,643 --> 00:19:46,771 My mother would say, "Things are going to change. 382 00:19:47,355 --> 00:19:50,775 You need to be prepared to go through the door, 383 00:19:50,859 --> 00:19:55,238 whether it's flung wide open or a crack in the door. 384 00:19:55,780 --> 00:19:58,241 And to do that is to get the best education possible." 385 00:19:58,325 --> 00:20:02,579 So I heard about education from the cradle on. 386 00:20:03,288 --> 00:20:05,707 I was in history class at Central. 387 00:20:05,790 --> 00:20:08,126 Slavery came up, and it was one paragraph 388 00:20:08,209 --> 00:20:10,420 in the history book that said, 389 00:20:10,503 --> 00:20:12,214 "Slavery was good for Black people." 390 00:20:13,381 --> 00:20:17,761 And dumb little me meekly raised my hand and said, 391 00:20:18,678 --> 00:20:21,973 "This is not what I learned about slavery." 392 00:20:22,057 --> 00:20:26,519 Well, that was my kiss of fate. I became a troublemaker. 393 00:20:26,603 --> 00:20:28,104 I didn't know which-- 394 00:20:28,188 --> 00:20:30,774 You didn't know you weren't supposed to speak the truth. 395 00:20:30,857 --> 00:20:32,359 Yeah. Absolutely. 396 00:20:32,901 --> 00:20:35,737 But when the Little Rock School Board made that decision, 397 00:20:36,321 --> 00:20:37,739 how did it come to be 398 00:20:37,822 --> 00:20:39,658 that you were two of the nine? 399 00:20:40,158 --> 00:20:44,537 Well, I wanted to be this doctor because of Madame Curie. 400 00:20:45,455 --> 00:20:46,456 Good reason. 401 00:20:46,539 --> 00:20:50,835 Yeah. I knew in this lab that there were two kids, 402 00:20:51,962 --> 00:20:53,088 dissecting a frog. 403 00:20:53,713 --> 00:20:55,173 While over at Dunbar, 404 00:20:55,257 --> 00:20:59,219 it is ten or 12 kids standing around a poor little frog, trying to dissect it. 405 00:20:59,302 --> 00:21:02,430 So, it was about an access to the-- an opportunity. 406 00:21:02,514 --> 00:21:06,393 The first of August, I think I received the registration card. 407 00:21:07,060 --> 00:21:10,313 And I'll never forget seeing the look on my father's face. 408 00:21:10,397 --> 00:21:12,399 His eyes got big. 409 00:21:12,482 --> 00:21:14,401 He said, "So you're planning on going to Central?" 410 00:21:14,484 --> 00:21:15,527 And I said, "Yes." 411 00:21:16,194 --> 00:21:17,821 He served in World War II. 412 00:21:18,446 --> 00:21:22,284 And he said, "You know, no one takes my dollars and separate them. 413 00:21:22,367 --> 00:21:26,663 There's no white dollars and Black dollars tax-wise. 414 00:21:26,746 --> 00:21:29,874 I'm help paying for Little Rock Central High School." 415 00:21:29,958 --> 00:21:32,377 My parents were proud. 416 00:21:36,631 --> 00:21:41,219 First day, I walk up and met with the others. 417 00:21:42,178 --> 00:21:44,264 Now, I saw this crowd over there, 418 00:21:45,891 --> 00:21:48,393 but I didn't have any fear. 419 00:21:50,437 --> 00:21:51,438 -Did you? -No. 420 00:21:51,521 --> 00:21:54,190 -I didn't have any fear, so-- -We'd never been hated. 421 00:21:54,816 --> 00:21:57,319 -What are we gonna be afraid of? -Afraid of, yeah. 422 00:21:57,819 --> 00:21:59,154 We started walking, 423 00:21:59,237 --> 00:22:04,159 and then up comes this commanding officer and says, 424 00:22:04,242 --> 00:22:06,578 "Turn these kids around and go home." 425 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,666 The night before, the governor said he was calling out 426 00:22:11,750 --> 00:22:15,462 the Arkansas National Guard to protect the citizens of Little Rock. 427 00:22:16,379 --> 00:22:19,507 I'm trying to understand what is happening here. 428 00:22:19,591 --> 00:22:22,344 The guards are here, they're to protect the citizens. 429 00:22:23,887 --> 00:22:28,183 Take care of that crowd over there. That's the 14-year-old thinking. 430 00:22:28,934 --> 00:22:31,311 We ended up turning around and leaving. 431 00:22:33,438 --> 00:22:37,859 Second first day was September 23rd. 432 00:22:40,779 --> 00:22:44,616 We had gotten in from the side door that morning. 433 00:22:45,450 --> 00:22:47,535 And the classroom was on the back side, 434 00:22:47,619 --> 00:22:50,538 so I didn't see what was going on out front. 435 00:22:50,622 --> 00:22:52,374 The mob was growing. 436 00:22:59,881 --> 00:23:03,677 I was in geometry class, and the policeman comes to the door, 437 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:06,721 hurried us down into two police cars. 438 00:23:06,805 --> 00:23:10,517 They said, "Put blankets over your heads and don't look up." 439 00:23:11,101 --> 00:23:12,602 And I heard him say, 440 00:23:12,686 --> 00:23:15,897 "Put your foot to the floor and don't stop for anything." 441 00:23:17,774 --> 00:23:20,360 I can feel, even today, that rush. 442 00:23:21,486 --> 00:23:24,364 When I got home, the phone had been ringing. 443 00:23:24,447 --> 00:23:27,409 People were telling my mother to get up there 444 00:23:27,492 --> 00:23:29,286 and get Carlotta out of that school. 445 00:23:30,078 --> 00:23:31,955 My mother's 96 years old, 446 00:23:32,038 --> 00:23:37,794 and the gray hair that's on her head today started September 23rd, 1957. 447 00:23:37,878 --> 00:23:39,462 That was my scariest day. 448 00:23:40,797 --> 00:23:44,009 And that's when President Eisenhower said, 449 00:23:44,092 --> 00:23:45,594 "What is happening in Little Rock?" 450 00:23:46,261 --> 00:23:51,182 He knew he had to do something, and I got a call from my uncle saying, 451 00:23:51,266 --> 00:23:56,062 "Do you know who's coming into Little Rock because of you and your friends?" 452 00:23:56,146 --> 00:24:00,442 The country's finest, the 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles, 453 00:24:00,525 --> 00:24:03,445 who had made a big name for themselves in World War II. 454 00:24:03,528 --> 00:24:06,615 And let me tell you, to see them-- 455 00:24:08,283 --> 00:24:11,328 The president ordered United States soldiers into Little Rock. 456 00:24:11,411 --> 00:24:14,706 They escorted the Negro children to and from school, 457 00:24:14,789 --> 00:24:17,792 gave them full protection from the threatening crowds. 458 00:24:19,127 --> 00:24:21,463 -We were supposed to be cowering… -Yeah. 459 00:24:21,546 --> 00:24:22,964 -…in our closets. -Right. 460 00:24:23,048 --> 00:24:24,716 That was the whole point of the mob 461 00:24:24,799 --> 00:24:27,427 and all the hatred and all that was-- We're going to say, 462 00:24:27,510 --> 00:24:29,512 -"Oh, we're not going back." -No. 463 00:24:29,596 --> 00:24:31,932 But because we went back, 464 00:24:32,015 --> 00:24:33,600 he had to act. 465 00:24:34,976 --> 00:24:37,938 You had to really believe in yourself, 466 00:24:38,688 --> 00:24:40,565 and you had to be brave. 467 00:24:41,358 --> 00:24:44,110 You had to be willing to stand up for yourself. 468 00:24:44,194 --> 00:24:46,363 -Right. -And paid a price for it. 469 00:24:47,447 --> 00:24:49,407 First of all, I got in trouble asking 470 00:24:49,491 --> 00:24:50,909 that question about slavery. 471 00:24:50,992 --> 00:24:54,079 I was never gonna lose that reputation. 472 00:24:55,789 --> 00:24:58,959 Every day, a group of girls would follow, 473 00:24:59,042 --> 00:25:03,463 stepping on heels, spitting, saying, "You're ugly. You stink. You're Bl--" 474 00:25:03,547 --> 00:25:04,798 You know, the usual. 475 00:25:05,382 --> 00:25:07,926 As I'm going into my homeroom, 476 00:25:08,843 --> 00:25:12,055 I get smashed on the head with something. 477 00:25:12,681 --> 00:25:15,725 And I pick it up, and it is a purse 478 00:25:15,809 --> 00:25:18,103 -with six combination locks in it. -Wow. 479 00:25:18,186 --> 00:25:19,688 So I picked it up, 480 00:25:20,355 --> 00:25:23,900 threw it on the floor and said, "Leave me alone, white trash." 481 00:25:24,401 --> 00:25:27,612 My homeroom teacher heard me. 482 00:25:29,239 --> 00:25:33,326 So then they say, "You gotta go." That's why I was expelled. 483 00:25:33,410 --> 00:25:37,122 The spitting, the pushing down the steps continued, 484 00:25:37,205 --> 00:25:39,916 but I knew I was just as good as the next person. 485 00:25:40,500 --> 00:25:42,919 And that's really what helped me get through it all. 486 00:25:43,545 --> 00:25:46,923 You guys marched through the chaos to the honor roll. 487 00:25:47,007 --> 00:25:48,008 Well, yeah. 488 00:25:48,091 --> 00:25:52,888 'Cause I want young people to understand that you gotta let the crazies go. 489 00:25:52,971 --> 00:25:55,891 -You do. Yeah. -Because they're a distraction. 490 00:25:55,974 --> 00:25:58,184 -They want to mess you up. -And they want to distract you. 491 00:25:58,268 --> 00:25:59,978 -They want to mess you up. -They want to mess with you. 492 00:26:00,061 --> 00:26:01,771 -So, just march through. -Right. 493 00:26:11,114 --> 00:26:13,617 So much would happen in these hallways. 494 00:26:14,159 --> 00:26:16,244 We were always carrying our books, 495 00:26:16,328 --> 00:26:21,041 and the reason we carried our books is because if we had them in our lockers, 496 00:26:21,124 --> 00:26:22,542 they were being broken into. 497 00:26:23,251 --> 00:26:26,004 And please don't drop your books. 498 00:26:26,087 --> 00:26:27,631 Because if you dropped your books, 499 00:26:27,714 --> 00:26:29,049 -to pick them up… -Your head's exposed. 500 00:26:29,132 --> 00:26:30,592 -…you got kicked in the rear. -Yeah. 501 00:26:31,176 --> 00:26:33,511 My mom would say, "You can stay at home." 502 00:26:33,595 --> 00:26:37,515 And I said, "No, I gotta go see what they're going to do to me today, right?" 503 00:26:39,684 --> 00:26:42,979 Do you think you still walk down hallways and are mindful? 504 00:26:43,063 --> 00:26:45,065 -Feel safe? -I'm mindful. Very much so. I-- 505 00:26:45,148 --> 00:26:46,900 -Because of what happened in this hallway. -Right. 506 00:26:46,983 --> 00:26:51,321 And I'm mindful of who is coming in my direction as well. 507 00:26:51,905 --> 00:26:53,323 And, let me tell you, 508 00:26:53,406 --> 00:26:55,951 a lot of people who grew up in Jim Crow South 509 00:26:56,826 --> 00:26:58,328 -have that antenna. -Yeah. 510 00:26:58,411 --> 00:27:00,622 We understand everything about white people. 511 00:27:00,705 --> 00:27:02,791 -But it-- The reverse is not true. -That's true. 512 00:27:02,874 --> 00:27:05,835 -I have a master's in whites. -Okay. Right. 513 00:27:05,919 --> 00:27:08,463 I just want whites to get a GED in Blacks. 514 00:27:08,547 --> 00:27:09,714 That's all. 515 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,184 I tell young people, "Children can make presidents act." 516 00:27:25,105 --> 00:27:26,815 You do have a voice. 517 00:27:27,774 --> 00:27:32,028 You can force people in power to do things 518 00:27:32,112 --> 00:27:35,532 -that they may or may not want to do. -Not do. 519 00:27:36,658 --> 00:27:38,827 Ordinary people can do extraordinary things. 520 00:27:38,910 --> 00:27:40,203 Very extraordinary things. 521 00:27:53,091 --> 00:27:54,676 Here's our church, 522 00:27:54,759 --> 00:27:56,928 -the First United Methodist Church. -Yeah. 523 00:27:57,679 --> 00:28:00,098 -We spent a lot of time there. We also-- -Every Sunday. 524 00:28:00,181 --> 00:28:05,896 And I do remember being so embarrassed when it was maybe Mother's Day, 525 00:28:06,521 --> 00:28:09,065 and it was the children's moment-- 526 00:28:09,149 --> 00:28:10,859 -The children's moment, yes. -And-- 527 00:28:10,942 --> 00:28:14,946 They asked us all what we wanted to give our moms for Mother's Day, 528 00:28:15,030 --> 00:28:16,573 and I said I wanted to give you life insurance. 529 00:28:16,656 --> 00:28:19,159 I thought that meant you would live forever. 530 00:28:20,076 --> 00:28:21,077 Everyone-- 531 00:28:21,161 --> 00:28:22,829 Everyone in the congregation was like, 532 00:28:23,455 --> 00:28:25,790 "She wants to give her mom life insurance?" 533 00:28:25,874 --> 00:28:28,168 And I remember being so embarrassed. 534 00:28:28,251 --> 00:28:31,004 I was very touched by it. I liked it a lot. 535 00:28:32,881 --> 00:28:37,219 Now, this really does bring up a lot of fond memories, doesn't it? 536 00:28:37,302 --> 00:28:39,888 Oh, my gosh, so many fond memories. 537 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:42,515 You know, I loved being a kid here, 538 00:28:43,016 --> 00:28:47,479 but growing up in Arkansas wasn't always easy for Symone, 539 00:28:47,562 --> 00:28:50,732 who, Mom, you may not have known before we were getting ready 540 00:28:50,815 --> 00:28:52,025 to come back to Little Rock, 541 00:28:52,108 --> 00:28:55,612 but I knew because I have watched RuPaul's Drag Race. 542 00:28:56,363 --> 00:28:57,614 The name's Symone 543 00:28:57,697 --> 00:29:03,954 And I'm here for the throne Beat face and I'm Arkansas grown 544 00:29:04,037 --> 00:29:05,413 Before Symone was Symone, 545 00:29:05,497 --> 00:29:09,209 she was Reggie Gavin, born and raised in Conway, Arkansas, 546 00:29:09,292 --> 00:29:10,794 which is pretty close to Little Rock, 547 00:29:10,877 --> 00:29:14,464 and she didn't really find herself until she found drag. 548 00:29:15,131 --> 00:29:18,176 America's next drag superstar is… 549 00:29:18,260 --> 00:29:23,473 I was so excited to see her win season 13 of Drag Race. 550 00:29:23,557 --> 00:29:24,933 Symone! 551 00:29:26,101 --> 00:29:28,979 I just shamelessly always cheer for people from Arkansas. 552 00:29:30,647 --> 00:29:33,775 These days, Symone lives in Los Angeles, 553 00:29:33,858 --> 00:29:36,027 but she's back in Little Rock for the weekend. 554 00:29:36,111 --> 00:29:40,031 And tonight, she's throwing a party with her Arkansas friends. 555 00:29:40,115 --> 00:29:42,742 And they've put us on the guest list. 556 00:29:50,375 --> 00:29:51,668 There she is. 557 00:29:55,130 --> 00:29:57,507 I grew up in Conway, one of the smaller towns here, 558 00:29:57,591 --> 00:30:04,389 and the gutsiest thing I've ever done in my life was I went to prom in drag. 559 00:30:05,724 --> 00:30:09,060 Growing up, I didn't feel okay or safe being myself, 560 00:30:09,144 --> 00:30:14,149 but I knew if I can walk in here, with my head held high, I can do anything. 561 00:30:14,232 --> 00:30:17,444 That was actually my first time I'd ever been in public in drag. 562 00:30:17,527 --> 00:30:22,073 The gutsiest Arkansan known to drag-dom. 563 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,202 After I moved to Little Rock for college, 564 00:30:26,286 --> 00:30:28,163 I knew I wanted to pursue drag. 565 00:30:28,246 --> 00:30:31,708 That's when I met my family, the House of Avalon. 566 00:30:32,375 --> 00:30:36,588 The House of Avalon is a collective of queer artists who want to have fun, 567 00:30:36,671 --> 00:30:39,049 and make the world a safer place for people, 568 00:30:39,132 --> 00:30:42,552 whether that's through art, photography, drag, videos-- 569 00:30:42,636 --> 00:30:43,970 All the colors in the coloring box. 570 00:30:46,097 --> 00:30:49,184 Look, you know I got my leg out, and one of my good shoulders. 571 00:30:49,267 --> 00:30:51,394 -A good chicken leg and a good shoulder. -And a good shoulder. 572 00:30:51,937 --> 00:30:55,732 The House of Avalon really gave me the permission I needed 573 00:30:56,233 --> 00:31:00,737 to be who I wanted to be and really explore drag and Symone. 574 00:31:06,243 --> 00:31:08,620 -This will be my first prom. -What? 575 00:31:08,703 --> 00:31:10,205 -Look at that! -That's cute. 576 00:31:10,288 --> 00:31:11,456 You're going to get drunk and pregnant. 577 00:31:26,763 --> 00:31:30,100 Welcome, everyone, to the Avalon Prom. 578 00:31:30,183 --> 00:31:32,185 Yes! 579 00:31:36,147 --> 00:31:37,566 Hi! 580 00:31:40,193 --> 00:31:41,820 Oh, my God. 581 00:31:42,654 --> 00:31:45,198 This is a great entrance. I love it. 582 00:31:46,366 --> 00:31:48,660 You know, I need you, like, once a week. 583 00:31:49,619 --> 00:31:51,204 We are always ready for a party. 584 00:31:52,539 --> 00:31:55,584 This is an amazing event to be going to in west Little Rock. 585 00:31:56,710 --> 00:31:58,044 Was it different than your prom? 586 00:31:58,128 --> 00:32:00,005 That was so long ago. 587 00:32:00,672 --> 00:32:03,258 The House of Avalon-- It's, like, in The Mists of Avalon. 588 00:32:03,341 --> 00:32:05,343 Way, way back. 589 00:32:05,427 --> 00:32:06,928 I remember your prom. 590 00:32:07,012 --> 00:32:09,222 -Where did you go to prom? -On a boat. 591 00:32:09,306 --> 00:32:10,599 Really? 592 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:13,935 I didn't have the sequins, and I wish I did. 593 00:32:14,019 --> 00:32:16,062 This is, like, far more fabulous 594 00:32:16,146 --> 00:32:17,439 than what I wore to my prom. 595 00:32:21,610 --> 00:32:23,528 All right, I have to, like, not so elegantly, 596 00:32:23,612 --> 00:32:25,739 -like, swing my legs over. -Get over it? 597 00:32:25,822 --> 00:32:27,407 I had to do the same thing. 598 00:32:27,490 --> 00:32:29,701 -Yes, 'cause you have legs for days. -I do. 599 00:32:34,706 --> 00:32:37,167 You're a little kid growing up in Conway. 600 00:32:37,250 --> 00:32:39,502 Mom, what was it like for you? 601 00:32:40,086 --> 00:32:43,131 I was very protective. I watched him. 602 00:32:43,215 --> 00:32:45,091 -Like a hawk. -Were you aware of that 603 00:32:45,175 --> 00:32:46,134 when you were a little kid? 604 00:32:46,218 --> 00:32:48,970 Oh, yes. I knew what I could and could not get away with. 605 00:32:49,054 --> 00:32:51,348 I was just a helicopter mom, 606 00:32:51,431 --> 00:32:54,935 and it wouldn't have mattered if he was gay, straight, purple. 607 00:32:55,018 --> 00:32:56,811 It wouldn't have mattered. 608 00:32:57,646 --> 00:32:59,731 How old were you when you started being bullied? 609 00:32:59,814 --> 00:33:01,441 First grade. I'll never forget. 610 00:33:01,524 --> 00:33:04,152 It was one of the first days of school, and I was really excited. 611 00:33:04,236 --> 00:33:07,155 I was getting on the bus, and I sat down in my usual seat. 612 00:33:07,906 --> 00:33:12,577 And one of my "friends"-- I was talking, gesturing, you know? 613 00:33:13,078 --> 00:33:15,997 And he said, "My God, why are you so effing gay?" 614 00:33:16,081 --> 00:33:18,208 -This is a first-grader telling you this? -This was a first-grader. 615 00:33:18,291 --> 00:33:19,834 I don't even know what that word means. 616 00:33:20,418 --> 00:33:22,837 -You thought about suicide, didn't you? -I-- Yeah. Yes. 617 00:33:22,921 --> 00:33:24,548 -When you were nine? -Nine, yeah. 618 00:33:24,631 --> 00:33:26,424 Isn't that nuts? But-- 619 00:33:26,508 --> 00:33:29,427 And you know that we have children taking their own lives right now. 620 00:33:29,511 --> 00:33:30,845 -You have suicide. -Right now. 621 00:33:30,929 --> 00:33:34,015 You came home one day, and I was like, "I'm done." 622 00:33:34,099 --> 00:33:36,768 I got so mad at him, and I was like, 623 00:33:36,851 --> 00:33:40,313 "You don't ever have to feel that way. 624 00:33:41,398 --> 00:33:44,526 'Cause if nobody else has you, I have your back." 625 00:33:44,609 --> 00:33:47,237 God bless you. 626 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:48,405 No matter what. 627 00:33:49,781 --> 00:33:51,658 And so, then when did you discover drag? 628 00:33:51,741 --> 00:33:54,619 I was probably 16 years old, 629 00:33:54,703 --> 00:33:56,705 and I was watching RuPaul's Drag Race. 630 00:33:57,289 --> 00:33:59,833 And I was like, "You can put on hair, makeup and clothes, 631 00:33:59,916 --> 00:34:01,084 and you can do whatever you want? 632 00:34:02,002 --> 00:34:03,295 I'm ready. Let's do it." 633 00:34:03,378 --> 00:34:04,754 And that was what sparked it. 634 00:34:04,838 --> 00:34:05,881 -It did. -So this was just 635 00:34:05,964 --> 00:34:08,133 -what you saw on RuPaul? -Yeah. On RuPaul. 636 00:34:08,215 --> 00:34:10,010 So how amazing is it 637 00:34:10,093 --> 00:34:11,595 -that you were on that show? -Yes. 638 00:34:11,678 --> 00:34:13,054 -And then you won. -And then-- And I won. 639 00:34:13,137 --> 00:34:15,265 -That is incredible. -There's a crown here. 640 00:34:15,347 --> 00:34:16,599 You can't see it but it's there. 641 00:34:17,684 --> 00:34:20,228 So, you're 16, you watch the show, you're like, "I could do that." 642 00:34:20,311 --> 00:34:21,313 Right. I can do drag. 643 00:34:21,938 --> 00:34:23,773 And I was telling people that I was doing it, 644 00:34:23,856 --> 00:34:25,108 like my friends. 645 00:34:25,191 --> 00:34:27,777 And they're like, "So, are you gonna go to prom in drag?" 646 00:34:27,861 --> 00:34:30,530 -And I was like… -You're like, "Can I? Can I do that?" 647 00:34:30,614 --> 00:34:33,115 "Can I go to prom in drag?" I was like, "You know what? Yes, I am." 648 00:34:34,701 --> 00:34:36,327 Walked up by myself. 649 00:34:36,411 --> 00:34:38,454 The assistant principal was like, 650 00:34:38,538 --> 00:34:39,914 "Who is that? I've never seen this student before." 651 00:34:40,707 --> 00:34:41,958 And Mr. Lynn was like, "That's Reggie. 652 00:34:42,041 --> 00:34:44,294 You didn't know he's coming in drag? Come on in, Reggie. 653 00:34:44,376 --> 00:34:46,838 And if anyone says anything to you, you let me know." 654 00:34:46,922 --> 00:34:48,965 -Oh, boy. -And I did not see that coming, 655 00:34:49,048 --> 00:34:51,468 and I was like, "Let's go." 656 00:34:53,385 --> 00:34:54,554 Isn't it interesting though? 657 00:34:54,637 --> 00:34:56,932 Because you fear for your child, 658 00:34:57,015 --> 00:34:59,017 -if your child is different. -Yes. 659 00:34:59,100 --> 00:35:02,687 But if your child is different and not allowed 660 00:35:02,771 --> 00:35:06,107 -to be who that child is meant to be… -Right. 661 00:35:06,191 --> 00:35:09,069 -1000%. It's almost worse. Worse. -…then it's even worse. 662 00:35:09,152 --> 00:35:11,238 And so, all of a sudden, you kind of realize, 663 00:35:11,321 --> 00:35:15,283 "Well, the greatest gift I can hope my child receives 664 00:35:15,367 --> 00:35:18,161 is to be who that child is meant to be." 665 00:35:18,245 --> 00:35:20,705 -And that's what happened in your journey. -Absolutely. 666 00:35:20,789 --> 00:35:23,708 Yep. Drag helped me find my voice. 667 00:35:23,792 --> 00:35:27,212 It helped me be confident in who I am out of drag. 668 00:35:27,295 --> 00:35:30,507 And I don't think I would've made it if I didn't have Symone. 669 00:35:30,590 --> 00:35:32,551 If I didn't have myself. I can say that now. 670 00:35:32,634 --> 00:35:35,345 If I didn't have myself. So, sh-- It literally saved my life. 671 00:35:37,138 --> 00:35:39,933 All right, divas. Let's get this prom started. 672 00:35:40,016 --> 00:35:41,685 -Is it time? -Is it time? 673 00:35:41,768 --> 00:35:43,603 We're gonna make her work tonight. 674 00:35:43,687 --> 00:35:48,984 The pride of Arkansas, Symone! 675 00:36:43,872 --> 00:36:47,125 Such an amazing trip. 676 00:36:47,208 --> 00:36:50,086 Especially that time of year, so pretty. 677 00:36:50,587 --> 00:36:54,758 Made me very nostalgic. I really loved being back. 678 00:36:54,841 --> 00:36:56,593 It's a very special place to our family. 679 00:36:56,676 --> 00:36:57,969 It is. 680 00:36:58,053 --> 00:37:00,722 And thank you for driving me around, honey. 681 00:37:00,805 --> 00:37:03,058 Thank you for trusting me to drive you around. 682 00:37:03,141 --> 00:37:06,019 Although, admittedly, I would've never let you drive me around. 683 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:09,189 -It was great. -Yeah. 684 00:37:09,272 --> 00:37:13,652 And it was just so moving that we got to hear 685 00:37:13,735 --> 00:37:15,737 the stories of such amazing women. 686 00:37:16,238 --> 00:37:18,907 Everybody we talked to left some space. 687 00:37:18,990 --> 00:37:24,287 Maybe it was a physical space, maybe a psychological space. 688 00:37:24,371 --> 00:37:29,334 A leap from what was comfortable and knowable 689 00:37:29,417 --> 00:37:32,337 to the unknown and, in fact, the dangerous. 690 00:37:32,837 --> 00:37:36,007 People who had all made a leap of faith. 691 00:37:36,091 --> 00:37:38,552 -And not just for themselves. -Right. 692 00:37:38,635 --> 00:37:40,762 It was also for their children, 693 00:37:40,845 --> 00:37:44,891 for their communities in a way that I find certainly incredibly gutsy 694 00:37:44,975 --> 00:37:48,019 and undeniably inspiring.