From WXXI news.

This is Connections.

I'm Evan Dawson.

Our connection this hour was made about two weeks ago on the banks of a river where enslaved Africans were once taken to be bathed before they were sold.

This slave market was in Ghana.

Enslaved Africans would then be led to the coast, finally staring out of the void of an endless ocean and a journey to bondage.

A group of local teenagers visited that former slave market, stood on the banks of that river and felt the history in their footsteps.

They also visited Elmina Castle and Cape Coast Castle.

They went as part of an experienced program called the Talented Tenth.

Leaders say the program's mission is to empower exceptional young men of color by helping them overcome barriers and strengthen their sense of purpose.

And during the trip, the students learned about Ghana's history and culture while connecting with their ancestral roots.

This hour, some of them are here in studio talking about their experiences.

And we're going to talk about how these trips can help forge community leaders, kind of an extension of the theme that we had yesterday.

And Doctor Rita Gaither is the founder of Pearl Resources, recently made her eighth trip to Ghana and has been doing this kind of programing work for decades now.

Welcome, Rita.

Thank you for being with us.

Thank you for having us.

And let me welcome.

I go around the table right next to Rita is Donte Jamison, who's a participant in the Talented Tenth.

Welcome.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for having me.

Across the table is Alan Searles Jr.

Welcome, al.

Thank you for being here.

Thanks, man.

And Isaiah West as well.

Isaiah nice to meet you.

Thank you for being here.

So Rita, take me back a little bit here before we talk about this remarkable trip that these young men just had.

Tell me a little bit about what you are trying to accomplish with these, this kind of programing and how it all came to be in the first place.

Well, Pearl Resources began 24 years ago.

I went into teaching a little bit later in life, and I did not have all the tools that I needed for the particular students that I taught.

And so we created a nonprofit organization called Pearl Resources to fill in the gaps as me being a classroom teacher.

And one of the things that we did was address mental health issues.

And so we have a platform called believe.

I'll testify, that we meet bi bi monthly for 24 years.

And one of the other things that we did was expose young people to travel.

One of the things that we did five years ago is create the Talented Tenth.

I was sitting in my living room, and I heard about a youngster who had gotten shot and killed from East High School.

And I thought to myself, this has got to stop.

This has got to stop.

And so I said, I just thought to myself about my traveling.

And I thought about W.E.B.

Dubois, and I thought about what he did to create influencers in the community of young men of color.

And I said to myself, what was it called?

And I remembered it's called The Talented Tenth.

So I started reading some of his literature and voila, we created The Talented Tenth.

Five years ago.

This is our fifth cohort of youngsters.

And what these young people do is we create influencers, and what they do is influence their peers to do to fulfill their purpose in life.

That was a big part of what W.E.B.

Dubois wrote about in 1903.

It's what he was thinking about when there was kind of a debate, with some of his peers in, I would say, academia and writing about how do you lift up the black community.

And the idea at the time was, if you take the top 10% and you give them elite education and knowledge that that will they will then go back to the black community at large.

And use those gifts and bring those those achievements and skills and knowledge.

And Dubois, throughout his life began to worry that, well, you know, I hope if we do this, that doesn't create like an elite class that gets in their own little bubble, that it does transfer that that knowledge, that gift transfers.

How do you see that question?

I can see it unfolding amongst the ranks of our students.

We have a 100% graduation rate, and most of our students have gone on to college or some form of higher education.

And these guys are incredible.

They have followed the principles of W.E.B.

Dubois.

They are contagious.

I watched them as we travel throughout the United States and abroad.

Not being prompted by me or any other adults.

They are very courageous.

They are very generous.

They are philanthropists, even though most of them do come from the inner city.

And I really believe that they are following those principles.

And we are not elite.

We are regular people who are doing some extraordinary things in their community.

Most of these students are high achievers.

They are AP students and we are totally giving back to our community.

Before the boys jump in, we do a lot of community service.

And when the boys show up, the young men show up.

They always ask the question, what can we do?

They're not attenders.

They are participants in almost everything that we're invited to.

If chairs need to be set up, the people need to be escorted in a food needs to be brought in.

If somebody needs to be encouraged, these guys, I marvel when I look at them.

How many trips a year are you taken?

Oh.

Sometimes three.

We take two trips.

Normally, domestic trips and at least one trip internationally.

We've been as far as Israel with students.

Okay.

And in a moment, we will talk to these guys who are 15, 16, 17 years old.

As Rita has said, community leaders in their own right.

How do you find them in the first place?

How do you find the boys and the men who become part of this program?

Well, we approach schools and they're referred by their principals or their administrators, but now it seems like it's more word of mouth.

Kids are calling me.

We're extremely accessible to the adults that run this program.

I'll get a text.

Miss.

I would like to be in the program.

They fill out an application, and the rest is history.

We visit their schools on a monthly basis.

And as I said, we do a lot in our community.

And this trip to Ghana included.

How many total?

Seven, seven, seven, seven participants.

Do they are they part of every sort of cohort, every year of the talent attempt?

Did they go on the domestic trips as well?

Did they do it one year at a time?

How do you do it?

Well, it's whoever steps up to the plate and they do have to put some skin in the game.

They do have to put some finances in and they do have to, show an interest and wanting to travel.

All of our traveling is culturally based.

Every last.

When we went to New York City, we went to visit the African burial grounds.

When we went to Tennessee, we just saw how our culture, affected who they are today.

So wherever we go, we went to New Orleans.

We went to our plantation in New Orleans.

You must love to travel yourself.

I, I can tell you absolutely do so.

All right, so, Isaiah, I'm going to start with you.

You've been a participant in the Talented Tenth.

For how long now?

Currently three years.

Three years?

Yes, sir.

And you're.

How old are you now?

17.

17 years old.

So, how many trips have you been on?

How many times have you traveled?

I've been in three total.

First is IDC, then Tennessee, and then the, most recent Ghana.

Were those your first travel experiences or have you traveled otherwise outside of the Talented Tenth?

I travel otherwise, but in terms of like airplane!

Yeah.

Yeah.

The the airplane to Ghana was ten hours.

Oh, it was pretty different.

It was very eye opening.

I was that type of experience.

What would you say to people your age who haven't traveled, who are trying to understand the world better?

What are you getting out of these trips in general?

We'll talk about Ghana coming up here.

But in general, when you travel, what what do you feel like you're learning?

I'm glad you asked that question.

Before I came here, as I was thinking, I was thinking about my peers, the youth.

I feel like currently.

I feel like people my age are are just scared to just put the just put a first up for it.

I feel like, people who wants to travel just do it.

It's interesting you say that there's fear because we've talked to a lot of your peers on this.

The show, especially in the last year or two and really since the pandemic, when a lot sort of changed and people felt a little more isolated.

And there's a lot of talk about I'm grown up here.

I'm going to stay here.

This is all there is.

Like seeing the world outside of your neighborhoods and community is hard for people to envision.

Is that what you hear me is a hard sometimes to envision for people your age, the big wide world out there, and the opportunity to actually go see it and be in it.

Yes.

A couple years ago, people ask where I want to go, and I will always say, like Africa, because this is not homeland.

And, I never really envisioned it or like, thought of me, like living in this when I actually just did it and went on the trip and put in the application and everything like that was, solidified.

It really.

It really was an eye opener, just going to a whole nother environment and just leaving America, which I won't get to controversial, but leaving America and just seeing a whole nother a space of people who don't have as much things as we have in America and them seeing us and then being so appreciative of, like the things because we gave away to many schools and the things that we have, all these things that were just laying around in the house we didn't really care about.

So we just give it away and just to see them appreciative and so genuine.

It was really eye opening.

And the other trips to Mexico, you said Washington, D.C.. Yes, sir.

And where else in, Nashville, Tennessee.

Okay.

How did you enjoy those trips?

Washington, D.C.. Well, actually Nashville, Tennessee.

Going to the I think the city of Music was very, was very how was the music?

It was it was amazing.

Going downtown every like, no matter what time was going downtown.

And Nashville was just flooded with people and seeing that and just hearing all types of genres and music and going to the Museum of Music was very, it's very abroad.

It was just see something different.

And, D.C., I would say the same.

I'll say same.

Nashville's got an incredible energy, doesn't it?

Yes.

Music coming out of everywhere.

And, you know, people all hours of the day playing music.

What an incredible experience there.

So, again, in a moment after we kind of get the brought over outlined here, we're going to talk more about this, this Ghana trip that just happened.

Alan, how long have you been participating and Talented Tenth two years now.

Two years.

I started last year.

Okay.

So where have you been able to go?

I know you're on the go on a trip.

Yeah.

I only went on the the DC trip.

I was not able to go to the Tennessee trip.

Okay.

And, how are you enjoying traveling?

It's great.

Honestly, first time being on a plane for the on a trip.

Terrifying, to be honest.

Like, for the first time, ten hours.

It was a lot.

Wait a second.

That was your first time you were on an airplane?

Yes, I it was like a ten hour flight.

Yeah, it was like my first time ever since I was like, I don't know, baby.

Okay.

Very young.

So how did you feel when it was over?

I felt great.

I was happy to touch the land.

I was happy to get your feet under.

Exactly.

Yes.

But how would you describe what you are gaining from the chance to.

You know, we all love Rochester, but get up out of Rochester and get on a plane and go to another state.

Go to the nation's capital, go to Africa.

What is that been like for you?

It's a different experience.

Not a lot of people get to experience it.

So I kind of like soaked it all in at the same time.

So I'm still processing it because it was really amazing.

It was fun.

There was so many different people to meet.

They were all like different in their own way, like the different areas that we went in Ghana.

It was completely not like completely different or had the same culture kind of, but they all had their different way of expressing how they felt that we were there and their own way of showing it.

What do you what do you wish for for your peers who don't get to travel and maybe aren't seeing as much of the world as you are right now?

I was like, you know, as I said, don't be scared because, you know, I was I was terrified.

But, you know, I kind of just took a little leap of faith, and I just, you know, I did it, but I wish that they would like, you know, put themselves out there.

Well, would you fly again?

Now you're good with flying, you know, love it.

You'll do it if you have to.

I'll do it if I have to, but I don't.

It's kind of.

I mean, like, can I convince you?

It's like the safest way to travel.

It doesn't feel like it because you're not in control, right?

Yeah.

You're in someone else's hands and you're in this.

You're sitting in a chair in the sky, a comedian once said.

But, it is pretty safe.

It doesn't feel that way.

But then you get on the ground and you appreciate being on the ground, right?

Exactly.

Yes.

Yeah.

Well, that's it is an amazing experience.

And ten hour flight.

That's a hard way to start.

Good on you.

That's tough.

Donte Jamison, how long have you been a participant in the talent?

10th?

Two years as well.

Okay so same trips DC Ghana no not DC just Tennessee and Tennessee.

Okay.

Have you been on a plane before this year?

Okay.

So ten hour trip, no problem for you?

No no no no no, you're not a free trip.

I was not a fan.

It was mostly because, like, your ears would pop on a plane.

Yeah.

And then it was ten hours, so they'll pop multiple times, so.

And then I will get headaches.

But I love the trip, though.

It worth it because the trip is.

Yes.

Yes.

Yeah.

And what has, what has been your favorite so far?

You went to Ghana, the abroad trip.

Tennessee.

Did you enjoy Tennessee?

Yes, I enjoyed Tennessee.

I love the food there too, in Tennessee.

Oh yeah.

Great.

Tennessee.

They have different like fast food from because they're down south and we're up north.

So they have different foods up there.

Well, so all of you are getting these experiences at a time in your life where you're starting to think about what your adulthood may be and what you might want to do and where you might want to be.

You don't have to figure it all out right now, but for you, don't you?

Do you have a sense of is this shaping at all how you think about what you want to do or where you want to do it in life?

Yes.

Currently I am already an entrepreneur.

At the age of 15, I run a clothing business called Legacy Apparel.

I actually made the shirts that were wearing the Talented Tenth ten shirts, and I made shirts for multiple programs.

RTP, that's a firefighter program.

So firefighter shirts, teen court.

Yeah.

So you're pretty active?

Yes.

At 15.

Yes.

That's pretty amazing.

Do you think you want to stay in Rochester or do you think you'd be more comfortable?

Does this make you more comfortable looking beyond Rochester?

Yeah, yeah, you get to see more.

But I would actually like after going to Africa and seeing, like, their situation, I would, I would definitely want to go to Africa and make an impact there.

Yeah.

Awesome.

And I should also say, I mean, you know, I say when I'm talking to you guys about, do you see me on Rochester?

It's not because I think people shouldn't want to be here.

I mean, I love living in Rochester.

I grew up in Cleveland, and I got warned before I came here, like, you're not going to want to leave.

It's awesome.

And I didn't want to leave because it's awesome.

But there's a difference between choosing to be in a place because you can see your potential.

There.

Compared to the people who feel like I don't have a choice, this is all there is in the world.

I'll never see the world.

I'll never have a chance to be anywhere else.

That's the difference.

And it sounds like you guys are really kind of open up your mind.

I mean, what do you think, Isaiah, about where you want to be in the future and what you want to do?

Of course.

I see myself in the future becoming, play writer, actor.

I really like, movies.

So.

Yeah.

Awesome.

And that means you might have to travel a little bit to do it.

Of course.

Okay.

Where do you want to be?

Everywhere.

You want to see more of the world?

Yes.

Okay.

What about you, Ellen?

I don't really know yet.

That's all right.

You do not have to have it all figured out at this stage here.

Yeah, like everybody here, like, you know, Isaiah, Donte, they all have like, you know, they're all set to what they want to do.

Me right now I have no clue.

Yeah.

I'm just you know I'm in the town.

Town just trying to learn about different areas of the world and like just get myself out there to see what I want to do.

You have an infectious personality.

You're fun to be around.

I've been around you for, like, ten minutes.

I'm not worried about you.

So let me ask you a different question now.

When you think about the future, even if it's not defined, are you excited or are you pessimistic?

I'm always excited.

Like, I'm.

I'm ready to get out there, do whatever I want to do.

But until then, I just want to stay here, look at my options, and then, like, figure everything out.

Isaiah, the future is exciting or concerning.

Exciting.

This is exciting for me.

I feel like I always try to look or I will try to see the positive in everything.

So I feel like in terms of my future and, well, everybody future, I feel like everything's going to be all right.

And Donte, same question.

The future is what to you, the future.

As Isaiah said, future is exciting because you know, everyone out.

Like you said, I look at the positive side of things.

So, what's the word?

I'm a very optimistic, optimistic person.

Yeah.

You know, so when I look at the future, I see the good things coming.

You know, I see the, the bad stuff passing, you know?

I mean, I'm glad to hear that.

And, Rita.

Doctor, you together is with us, the founder of Pearl Resources that has helped put together this program and these experiences for our guests.

I think it's important to hear from young people, especially in our city, who think about the future in a positive way.

Because it's pretty well documented now, especially since the pandemic.

But, not just since then, that a lot of people feel nihilism, they feel pointlessness, they feel adrift.

And these are three guys who are going to do amazing things.

They may do it here, they may do it elsewhere, but they know there are opportunities.

How do you feel when you hear them talk about the future?

I feel extremely optimistic as well, and I'm wondering if they can.

We have about eight schools that we represent, so they're not all from the same school.

And I'm wondering if the guys could talk about their partnership, their brotherhood, the camaraderie.

I just love to watch them interact with one another.

Can't one of you talk about them?

They should all talk about.

So I guess I'll start with Isaiah.

So where do you go to school?

I attend Edison, okay.

High school.

Okay.

And El 58.

Choir Donte in Greece.

Athena high school there you go.

Okay.

So what has it been like?

Kind of coming across school boundaries and creating this group here together?

Do you mind?

As I'm glad I had joined hands off because I didn't really know anybody outside of Edison Tech in terms of, my peers.

So, joining in, the towns instead of, meeting other people from different schools.

And what they go through at their school is pretty, you know, welcoming.

But you, outside of the town to doesn't like, you know, I do sports and all of that.

So I get to meet other people through sports.

But since, you know, I'm in the town to town now, I get to, like, actually see them for, like, their personality and who they are.

Not just for like their skills in the sports that they play.

That's a that's really well said because you're right.

I mean, if you're in a sport, you will travel a little bit, you'll see people, but it's in a kind of a limited context.

Exactly.

Yeah.

Donte, what about you?

I'm usually a very quiet person, so after I joined the Talented Tenth, I became more of like a an open person, you know, I interacted with my brothers and the Talented Tenth more, and that overall, like, helped boost my social skills outside of the talent and, like, in school, like, let's say I'm just walking down the hallway and a random person would say, hi, I'm a very shy person, so I would probably ignore that person.

But after joining the Talented Tenth, you know, it opened my eyes to like, a different world, right?

Like, you don't have to be not scared, but you don't have to be scared to interact with people, you know?

Yeah.

Like it's better to go out, be more outgoing as a person.

You get more opportunities that way as well.

You probably express yourself through your clothing.

Yes.

Right.

Yes.

Okay.

But you can use your words too.

It turns out you're muted.

Yeah.

See Mr.

Dawson, they also work the year round through the blessings of Rochester works.

They all have jobs 365 days a year.

So if you're just joining us, really, there is someone who, five years ago helped create Talented Tenth.

And this is a program that takes trips.

They just got back.

How long were you in Ghana?

How long was the trip?

Eight days.

So they went to Ghana.

Ten hours on a plane.

Especially for people who hadn't taken a ten hour trip before.

It's a lot.

They saw a lot when we come back from this only break of the hour, we're going to talk about this trip.

We're going to talk about what they saw.

And it's one thing to read about something or see it on the internet.

It's another to stand in the place where someone was about to be taken on a ship across the ocean and pushed into bondage.

And we're going to talk about what that experience and a lot more the culture, the food, the sounds of Ghana for with our guest here, Donte Jamison, Alan Searles Jr, Isaiah West, and of course, Doctor Rita Gaither from the Talented Tenth on Connections.

Coming up in our second hour, the new words in the dictionary is one of our favorite traditions and connections.

Soon will have a 2026 list to share with you.

Today we're bringing back the 2025 quiz.

So one year ago Oxford Merriam-Webster.

They revealed their lists for new words and phrases that were actually being accepted to the dictionary.

Do you know what they mean?

You can take the quiz with our panel next.

Our.

Support for your public radio station comes from our members and from Excel US Blue Cross Blue Shield working with members to find health coverage for every stage of life, helping to make care and coverage more accessible in more ways for more people across the Rochester community.

Details online at Excel US, BCBS, dot com and Bob Johnson Auto Group.

Believing an informed public makes for a stronger community.

Proud supporter of Connections with Evan Dawson focused on the news, issues and trends that shape the lives of listeners in the Rochester and Finger Lakes regions.

Bob Johnson Auto group.com.

This is Connections.

I'm Evan Dawson.

It was about a year ago that we had Doctor Shawn Nelms on this program, talking about his trip to Ghana and what it was like going with some family and spending time and seeing the places that we're about to talk about, you know, as as an adult leader in this community.

Now, we're going to be talking to teenagers who just had this chance to take this trip to Ghana to to West Africa briefly before we hear from them.

Doctor Gaither, what were you hoping that these young men would take from this kind of experience?

What do you want them to have that they would see the connection with their forefathers and appreciate the fact that our forefathers made it, even through hardship.

Strongholds, misunderstandings.

They made it through the transatlantic slave trade.

And so we have the obligation to not only survive, but also to thrive.

Now, some somebody said something during our brief break about a canopy and everybody lit up here, so there's a lot to talk about.

But what were you what were you talking about there, Alan?

What's the story?

The canopies.

Oh, man.

It was it was insane.

I got to tell you.

So pretty much we walked up this big case of stairs.

They weren't like it wasn't long as they like, as I thought, because, you know, everybody was like, oh, no, the canopies, they're super high up.

We're going to be walking this big mountain.

I'm thinking the stairs are huge.

But it was really fun and to be honest, I was terrified.

I'm going to I was very scared to get on the canopies because I'm not like a guy that would go for heights or whatever, but it's beautiful out there.

Like you're looking at if you're watching on YouTube.

We're we're looking at some pictures of a big smile way up in the canopy.

Now, you did have plenty of rope support there, you know.

You.

Yeah.

Seven, seven.

Oh yeah, I, I did seven of them.

Everybody else.

Seven.

Yeah.

Like there's seven, bridges and like sometimes they'll have like this little cutie or like you can only go through three if you want to, if you're too scared.

But I kind of set the chAlange myself.

I kind of shouldn't have.

I was like, that's here.

I was terrified, but I took pictures.

I almost dropped my phone, almost at that.

But it was it was insane.

It was beautiful.

It's amazing.

What was it like?

Was it kind of not to be cliche, but was it like being on top of the world, up on top of the canopy there?

I'm glad you said that.

Yeah, it was exactly like that, almost.

But it was kind of shaky.

It was kind of like when you're walking on it, you would have to hold on to the ropes seeing like wobble to the side or anything.

And there's other people on the canopies as well.

So you're also having the experience with like so many other people.

So like, you know, there's seven of us that went on the trip.

So all seven of us got on the same canopy.

Not a good video.

Not in here.

Right.

Were you up there to dock together?

I did it approximately 30 years ago.

I only went one bridge and I took the escape route.

Oh, I left, it was too much the first time.

It was a lot.

Too much.

Okay.

All right.

So why did you find yourself enjoying it so much?

If you really are to heights person like, because it was like a thrill.

It was like it wasn't seen, like my heart was pumping.

I kind of like to have, like, you know, a little bit of experience, like a crazy one.

So I got on there and it was fun.

I kind of pushed myself to do it because, you know, if you don't push yourself to do stuff, then you might have a real regret later.

I don't want to have regrets after coming back from Africa.

Come back right back to Rochester.

Well said.

So you did seven different bridges up there?

Yep.

That's awesome.

There's no way to turn around by the way.

So you have to once you pass Mark two you have to do the rest of them.

Yeah I tried it.

It didn't go well.

I couldn't turn around.

I'd.

Sounds like you're glad you did it though now.

So that was just one of the experiences.

So it's a combination.

It's a trip where.

And this is what we talked about.

Doctor Nelms, he experienced food community, music markets and also the educational moments.

This frankly probably spiritual moments of standing in places like I'm in a castle, Cape Coast Castle, being near the river where enslaved people were brought, forced to be washed and then put on a boat.

So before we hear from the three of them about that doctor, get that this is a trip you've taken numerous times.

That part of the trip has got to be really heavy.

Is there a way to prepare for it before you do it?

No, no, you just have to experience it.

You have to experience.

And and I've done it eight times, and each time it has a different impact on me.

Shawn talked about seeing nail marks in the wall, where people were fighting not to be put on a boat to cross the transatlantic slave trade.

The smell, the smell is still there.

Yeah.

Remarks.

So it's very somber, very quiet, a very unbelievable, and just watching their faces, you know, they were in a state of disbelief.

I say, how did that part of the trip hit you?

Take me through it?

It was very impactful hearing the stories of, like, the Cape, Cape Town.

And it was quite the a castle, for example, it was, each, each each gender had, a dungeon where all the slaves got, I think for the male dungeon, it was approximately like 1001.

And for the females, it was no type of, like, wooden door or anything like that.

But for the females, it was only one window.

And the only reason why the female dungeon had a window was for the slave masters to come and look through the window to see which one, which them was going to be the next victim of, sexual activities in terms of rape.

So it was a night.

It was very, I don't know how can you explain it is it's crazy.

And what was that like for you?

I was kind of shocked, to be honest.

I was like, it completely threw me off the entire trip.

I was, like, thinking about it every.

Every day after the trip, I was thinking about walking in there and the guy talking about how, there was, like, feces and, like, bodily fluids on the floor, and that the floor used to be brick.

I looked down there was there was no brick.

So I'm like, wait, so this is all.

And he's like, yeah.

And I'm like, whoa, that's a that's a lot to take in.

And the smell was very eerie.

And he would like, turn off the lights so we could get a feeling of like how the slaves felt.

And it was it was a lot.

It was it was different.

It was very much so different.

And he had like Isaiah said, it was like a thousand people for the men in there.

It was it was a decently sized place, but not for a thousand people.

That's insane.

They must have been like on stacked on top of each other and everything.

And they said that they were fighting as well.

So there's a it should that it might have been gruesome.

It was.

It was kind of scary, to be honest.

It was.

It was something.

What about you?

Don't you?

Yeah.

I had the same experience as everyone else.

I'm very melancholy, very sad to watch.

What resonated with me or was stuck with me the most was definitely how the slaves had to sleep on their own feces every night.

And then there was another, it was another dungeon where they would throw like slaves who would rebel or like, just fight back, have a different opinion, and they would just leave them there to starve to death.

And it was a light there.

And they turn the light off and it was just pitch black, just dark.

So I'm just imagining, like just being in there for two weeks.

You're starving, you're hurting.

It's just very sad.

I did not, and I didn't like coming from America.

Slavery is very like watered down, like they say, oh, slaves are just picking cotton in the field.

But no, it was way deeper than that.

Yeah.

So, Doctor Gator, that last point I think is really important because it, it contrasts or dovetails a little bit with what you said earlier, which is that you are hoping that this knowledge will also instill in them an appreciation for the enslaved people who survived, found a way to survive through all of that.

And then in just hearing the stories, I have not been myself.

It's almost amazing that anyone survived, survived being in those rooms, in those spaces, in those conditions, surviving probably disease and violence, and then a trip across the ocean when many more people did die.

It is an amazing to understand the fight that must have been in people, to just try to live.

And you talked about wanting these young men to have an appreciation for that.

It sounds to me like they do.

Do you feel you feel like this trip succeeded in that way?

Absolutely.

And you could see it transpiring on the trip because of their liberality, because of their like.

We didn't watch TV the whole time we were there.

The kids were not, using their devices like they would here.

They were observant, okay.

They listened.

They were interested in what the people there had to say.

When we go to Africa, these youngsters are a novelty.

And so the kids would come up and just treat them like they were celebrities or movie stars.

And we always had treats to give to them, whether it be candy, whether we had goodie bags, we would take them to their facsimile of a corner store, buy them a soccer ball, one of the kids bought Snickers at this kid, in Africa.

Just longed for, We made him an honorary talent to 10th, and he even did a video for us.

So, we had a little girl that was in a dance competition, and these guys did a TikTok with her, and so.

And then also them going into their pockets and, you know, giving money to the people in Africa was just so it was it was overwhelming and it was heartwarming to watch them.

So they didn't wait until they got back to America.

They demonstrated their thankfulness while they were there.

So it's such a range of experience.

You heard Alan talking about being on top of the canopy.

Do you guys all do the canopy, by the way?

Yes, yes you did.

You enjoyed as much as Alan.

Yes.

Did you do all seven.

Yeah.

All right.

So this is a group that really got into that.

Yeah.

So you have this this range of emotions and experiences.

What was the most joyful to you?

What was the most enjoyable part of the trip?

The most enjoyable part of the trip was when we visited the orphanage, right as an orphanage.

Right was when we visited the orphanage and we just got time.

Like we just spent time with the kids like me and Alan.

I'm going to tell him, I'm going to me and Alan.

We were playing chess with some of the kids, right?

These kids, they're like five, six, seven, eight years old, and we're playing chess, right?

So I'm thinking, I don't really want to have to beat this kid in chess.

It did not go like that at all.

The kid was so good.

It was like, unbelievable.

Right?

So Alan, he's sitting right across from me so I can see, like, what's going on in who like how we're doing.

Right?

We're both doing equally as bad.

Right.

So they end their game and then they rewind.

Alan somehow managed to get beat in one move by by a five year old boy.

Okay, so he wasn't five.

He was like he was like eight like eight.

I do some, he was he was young, but he was so good.

And I didn't understand.

Yes, I just learned chess.

Like, I don't know, like a couple of months ago I like it.

He beat me in one move.

I just said, yeah, good game bro.

I call it you start playing Uno.

He beat me in that too.

Yeah.

It was good that they're very Talented Tenth.

Like for them to be like, you know, in the orphanage or.

I think it was a school though, right.

A school.

Yeah.

It was a, it was a school.

And all the kids are super happy to see us and we were all playing chess and stuff.

It was something it's kind of about your African names in the naming ceremony.

You guys use my, my African name is Kwabena Yeboah.

Yeah.

Boy means helper in the.

I forget the language, but it means helper in.

Okay.

Tell me the name again Kwabena Yeboah.

Oh, and they pick your first name based off of the day of the week you're born.

So I was born on Tuesday.

That's why my name is Quite Bono.

Okay.

Mine's was Kwesi Ankomah.

It means wealth and prosperity I think.

Yeah, it's either one of the two.

They said, mine's.

My first name.

Was based on the day I was born as well.

It was, I think Sunday or Sunday.

Okay.

My name was Yao, from pong.

From Pongs means, royalty and prosperity.

And Yao is the day I was born.

So.

Which is this Thursday?

Mine is AMA.

I'm born on Saturday.

And how did you guys feel?

We.

We recorded the whole thing.

How did you feel?

They.

The elders of the village spent valuable time with each of us.

How did how did you feel?

When we got named.

And, when when we got names, I, it really felt.

It really felt special.

It almost felt like magic, you know?

It was really like, like a ceremony you see in the movies.

So when we got named and, we had to dance after I remember the dance, we all had to dance.

Was all nervous.

I forgot what dance I did, but it was it was very special.

It was a very special night.

Awesome.

Well, let me read an email.

That kind of goes along with the question that Rita was asking these guys, because I think, it's always interesting to hear who makes an impression on you when you travel.

Rick writes to say, even as I listen to your guests, I'm reminded of this quote attributed to Mark Twain travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.

It certainly sounds like these young men are being introduced to a whole new perspective that will overcome limitations they might otherwise face in life.

When I lived in Philadelphia, one of my very good friends was from Ghana and he helped me develop a new perspective.

Are there individual persons that the young men have met in their travels who have given them a new perspective?

Good question.

Someone who you met, I mean, might be the it might be the five year old who beat you into, okay, eight year old who in chess.

But it might be someone who had a conversation with you.

It might be an adult.

I'll go around the table.

Isaiah, is something stand out to you to answer this part of it?

To answer that question, I don't I wouldn't say it was a person.

I feel like it was just the people.

It was just like the country.

And in total, once I came, I attended church.

I compared, you know, USA to Africa because I always lived in the USA, in Africa and, Africa doesn't have the notoriety, the money.

So it might not look the houses, they really do have many houses, but some are very well put together houses.

But once at the end of the trip, I'd compare the two.

And I came to the realization I feel like USA lacks foundation.

I feel like even after all the slave castles and things or other things that happened to them, they still somehow found a way to make something positive out of it.

And, I feel like the people there and total is they just have foundation.

And I feel like USA is like at a identity crisis.

Like they don't like, I don't know, it's just, you know, it's a very interesting set of ideas there.

Alan, it may make an impression on you that you'll remember.

Or is there something that stands out?

Not just the chess thing.

I do remember the kid's name.

His name was Desmond, I think.

Yeah, his name was Desmond.

It was, very, very kind.

He was.

He was cool.

He was chill guy.

But just as I say, he said, you know, the culture, it's amazing.

I also want to touch on the houses, their houses, they don't have, if you notice them, they don't have windows.

They don't have doors.

You know how like, we have, curtains on our windows to keep people from out looking.

They'll have that on their door.

So that would just be like their sign of, you know, security.

But, I generally think they don't care.

Like, I feel like their community, they're very well put together, and they trust each other.

They trust each other a lot in their villages and in their homes.

And so the fact that they don't have windows or doors, it really shows how much like, you know, the USA, how we don't like trust a lot of people that we don't know and how we don't trust our own community.

We build high fences and walls.

Yes.

Yeah.

Interesting.

Interesting contrast.

What about you, Danny?

And people that you met that stand up?

Actually, yeah.

There's multiple people from Ghana I talk to, like, on a daily basis.

So one island, you remember, do you remember Ebenezer from from the church.

We played basketball.

Yes.

Yes, yes, I talk to talk to Ebenezer, every day.

Daniela, do you remember the kid we gave the shirt to?

Oh, yeah.

The guy that took a picture of.

Of Mukhtar.

That's his sister.

I talked to her.

Robert.

Those were.

You remember the performers at Coconut Grove Hotel, Yeah.

That was the guy who did all the backflips.

Oh, yeah.

I talked to him, and, I also speak to his partner who is with.

So.

Yeah, I made.

I've made a bunch of new friends and gone, you know, and I and I speak to them a lot.

Well, I mean, is that what your thinking about?

Really just wanting to understand what pops to their mind because they're clearly bringing these experiences back.

Yeah.

We met with, a few people from the United States, the gentleman in the village where the name ceremony, and he was from Brooklyn.

He we kept listening to him talk, and I said that he's from New York City.

Come to find out, he's been in Ghana 25 years, so he's given his life to Ghana.

And then also the person that is in charge of the basic school.

She's been there 30 years.

So we met people from the United States who have given their life to make a difference in Africa.

And that was astounding.

That was astounding.

All right, guys, so I want to know where do you want to go that you've never been.

And I want to do that in two ways.

I want to know a place in the United States that you want to go see.

And I want to know a place internationally you want to go see.

I say, you got to start here.

Where in the United States do you want to go that you've never been?

I would say.

Miami.

My.

Okay.

Miami.

Why?

Probably culture.

Culture I feel like is something I feel like is is different and just I just want to like see the water too.

I like water.

And for international, as I say, Brazil, Tokyo and Hawaii.

So all all those are long trips.

Yeah, but you guys have done that now.

Why?

Tokyo?

I say of the things I saw, like on the internet, I just want experience in person.

Yeah, I, I've never been.

It looks remarkable.

And I've only heard really amazing.

You're I've been.

And I'm going back.

You've been in you're gone in March.

I'll go back again.

Worth the trip.

Obviously.

You think?

Yeah.

Okay.

See, Reed is getting this question last because she's been everywhere.

So, Alan, where do you want to go in, in the United States that you've never been, I would say Florida.

A lot of my family members live in Florida, so I would love to go there.

Better to go in January.

January?

Well, make sense.

It's just not July.

You know, when it's cold up here.

Yeah.

Where do you want to go?

International.

You can go anywhere.

Where would you go?

I'm gonna say four places.

I'm gonna say Japan.

I'm gonna say France.

Go see the Eiffel Tower.

I feel like it's a little cliche, but.

Yeah.

No, I do it, man.

Absolutely.

It's another place.

Brazil.

Brazil.

I really like Brazil.

It's it's amazing.

I think out there, on one more.

I think that's all I got right now.

Okay.

All right.

That's good list.

Donte.

In the United States, where do you want to go?

Two places I like to go in the United States is Alaska and Hawaii.

You know, I want to see how, like, the United States is, like, off of the mainland.

Yeah.

It's interesting.

Yeah.

Like, I want I want it.

And then in Alaska, they have like, their son is up for 24 hours.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I want, I want to experience I just had friends who did that love.

Yeah.

Yeah I loved it in Hawaii.

The reason I want to go to Hawaii is because, like like Isaiah said, the culture, you know, I also want to see the volcanoes.

You know, they have a lot of volcanoes there.

Hawaii doesn't really need an explanation like I. Yeah.

Wants must go to Hawaii.

Where do you want to go internationally.

Internationally, I would say Italy.

You know, again for the culture like Italy, they have like this.

Very like fancy, like luxurious, like culture.

You know, like, isn't that weird?

Like, most of the, like, Louis Vuitton.

And all of that comes for sure.

Certainly there's there's definitely that kind of aspect.

But the big cities are very different than the countryside.

Yeah.

Countryside.

It's like going back in time.

Yeah.

Like like medieval types.

So I also went to see that too.

Yeah.

There you go.

Those are so those are good lists here.

Rita has been probably more around the world than any of us here.

Yeah.

Is there somewhere you haven't been Australia.

You want to go to Australia?

Okay.

Yeah.

And what about in the United States?

Here in the States we want to learn more about Mega ever.

We will go to Alabama and we will study about the lynching, the horrific lynching that took place in the United States.

And it is still taking place.

Okay.

So next year, when's the next trip going to be?

Soon.

Soon.

Sometimes a we plan a trip within six weeks, like the Nashville trip we planted in six weeks and we were on a plane.

So we will be going to Alabama sometime this year.

I want to close just by asking briefly here, and I'm going to ask the the elder statesman in the, in the group of young men here, that's Isaiah West.

Here is a 17 year old here.

You've been doing this now for three years with T10.

Right.

So you've got three years of experience among your peers.

What is the reputation of talent?

10th, how is it viewed among people who are not at it.

Greatness.

Yeah.

Yes.

So basically the meaning behind the talent itself is it comes from a philosophy from W boys where if you take 10% of black African American, young men from the inner city and you explore them to, different environments, so as in travel, which is our friend nation of 110, when you, take them there and you get and you get them to see the different cultures and enrich them with knowledge of different places, and when they come back to their inner city, they will then take another 10%, completing 100%.

But that means the responsibility is on you as someone who's had these opportunities, yes, sir.

To not just hoard them for yourself, to to share your knowledge and your gifts.

So are you ready for that responsibility?

Of course.

I saw a lot of beautiful things I just can't keep to myself.

I have to have the I have to tell people.

And, Alan, do you feel a sense of responsibility, having a chance to take these kind of trips and be on this program a lot, actually, like, I want to be, like, a symbol or anything, but I want to be someone that somebody can look up to, like somebody that doesn't have, like, a figure to look up to or to show them what's right from wrong or, you know, okay, well, said Donte, do you feel any responsibility now to be a leader in your in your school, in your community?

Yeah.

The same thing that Alan said.

Like it's all about the younger the, the youth, you know, like the ones older than me help me.

And then I help the ones younger than me.

You know, I think that's exactly what it is.

Open for.

Tom sends a note.

A listener says, what a brilliant hour can we contribute to the organization?

Absolutely.

Okay.

I mean, listen, I can't tell you to listen to do anything other than contribute to WXXI.

But if you want to contribute to Talented Tenth, how do people do that?

We do have a give butter and they can also visit our website which is Pearl Resources.org Pearl Resources.org.

And they can get in touch with you there.

Sure.

Okay.

Thank you.

I want to thank you all for coming in and telling your stories here.

Thank you.

Reed, I know you're proud of these guys here.

And I'll close with this.

They're all optimistic people for the future.

Do you remain as optimistic as they are?

I do.

Their spirits are contagious.

It is just a joy to watch them multiply among their peers.

Thank you for for telling us about this and for coming in.

Doctor Rita Gaither is founder of Pearl Resources.

Pearl Resources.org online.

Here's to great future trips and learning and knowledge.

Thank you for being here so much.

And let me thank Donte Jamison Alan Searls Jr I was going to say that there there's just to you Alan Charles Jr.

Isaiah West thank you all.

Great meeting all you guys.

Thank you for sharing your stories.

Thank you for having thank you thanks thank you thank you.

More Connections coming up in just a moment.

And.

How?

This program is a production of WXXI Public Radio.

The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of this station.

Its staff, management, or underwriters.

The broadcast is meant for the private use of our audience.

Any rebroadcast or use in another medium without express written consent of WXXI is strictly prohibited.

Connections with Evan Dawson is available as a podcast.

Just click on the Connections link.

At WXXI news.org.