POV

-Yeah. -Yeah. Yeah. -

Chanting

We are the Monarchs, and we're here to say! We love social justice, and we'll pave the way! I said a-boom, chick, boom! I said a-boom, chick, boom! I said a-boom, chicka, rocka, chicka, rocka, chicka... -Radical means just being yourself -- what makes you unique, what makes you pretty, what makes you cool. That's what radical is. -Push, push. Ta-da! -For me, it means fierce, strong, powerful, and community. -It means you make a difference in the world, and you're not just staying in the background. You're loud and proud. -Radical is like cool. -One more. 1, 2, 3. -Squish. Okay. -Good. -Awesome. -We are the Monarchs, and we're here to stay! -Latinas graduate from high school at lower rates than any major subgroup. -A new study says black girls are viewed as more adult and needing less protection than white girls do. -In the US, over $100 million is dedicated to mentoring programs for boys of color, while less than $1 million is dedicated to comparable girls' programs. -Recalibrating the way we talk about certain kids can actually change not only how we think of them, but the way they think of themselves. -Hi! Hi, hi, hi.

Indistinct conversations

-Alright. When I say radical, you say monarch. Radical? -Monarch. -Radical? -Monarch. -1, 2, 3. Radical Monarchs! -Radical Monarchs! -Welcome, everyone. We are starting our Pride unit today, because June is a month of Pride all around the Bay Area. So, can anyone tell me what "pride" is? What does pride mean? Amia? -Being proud of where you come from. How you feel about yourself. How you feel about others. -Very good. In the Bay area, the month of June is Pride month specifically for the LGBTQ community. So that's what we're going to be talking about today, and that's what this unit is about. Quetzalli? -What does queer mean? -Good question. Does anyone want to define what does queer mean? -Well, I don't really know, but I don't know what "tuh--" -Transgender? -And the "B" one. -Bisexual? Okay, so, let's go through it. -And the "L" one. -Okay, great. So, can someone tell me, what does lesbian mean? What does the identity lesbian mean? Chula? -It's a way of saying gay, but, like, as in girl form. -Good. Juliana? -I'm actually kind of confused. -Okay. -My Nino, he told me that actually, lesbian is when like two sex like each other. And gay means when, like, you dress up like somebody else. Like -- -That's drag. -Interesting. Lupita, what did you say? -I said, like, um, when you dress like somebody -- Like, I have a connection. When I was in, like, second grade, I liked dressing up like Michael Jackson, so I was like a drag -- um, what -- drag king? I was like a drag -- a drag king, because I liked dressing up like Michael Jackson. -Good. So we're going to get, when I do this spectrum activity... So, this group really came together with my daughter, last year, was in fourth grade, and a lot of her friends in school were joining a local Girl Scouts troop. And she really wanted to join, naturally. All her friends were joining. And so when I started to look at what that troop would look like, I was just like, "You know, like, I just don't feel like this is going to speak to you and your experience." And I wanted her to have an experience where she was a part of a troop that centered her identity as a girl of color. It wasn't, you know, a week of specialization but it was like, no, actually, you are at the center of this conversation. And, you know, beyond service learning or volunteering, what does it look like to actually be radical and to actually stand up for something? -There you go. Okay. -I talked to one of my best friends, Marilyn, and was like, "What do you think about this idea? I can't do this alone." And she had a very similar background of working with youth, doing gender-specific programming, and so we decided to really launch it together. Um, I'm going to put you all in a group. We're going to do a group activity really quick. I'm going to split it like right down the middle. Decorate the stick figure, and you're going to write all the things society, the media, the movies, commercials say that a boy should look like, act like, and be like. And then this group is doing to same exact thing, except for a girl. -Oh, yeah, they always have to wear, like, sneakers. -Pants? -Like Jordans. -They also wear pants. -And then they're always superheroes. -Yeah, they always have to save people. I save my doll. -Girls are supposed to have long hair. -A lot of makeup on. Eyeshadow. -You have to be a housewife, whatever that's called. -They think, like, that girls always have to learn but they don't 'cause they're already smart and tough, 'cause tough is their thing. So, like, dumb. -And then someone else -- -Okay, so, they have control over women. They have to, like -- They say, like, "You better do this. You better do that." But the woman never gets to tell what them get to do, and they also have facial hair. -Instead of just saying hi, they go, like, "Sup." -Oh, yeah, they -- -Man greeting.

All chattering indistinctly

-What does society say about girls and women? Chula, you're gonna start us off. -They have to have big breasts. -Society says they have to have big breasts. Very good. What else? -They have to be really girly. -Very good. Myah? -They have to have blond hair and small noses. -Interesting. Blond hair and small noses. Very, very powerful. Give your Monarchs a round of applause. Very good. Alright. -Youth get underestimated a lot -- how much they hear, see, and know. And because of the adults around them being uncomfortable talking about topics, then things don't get talked about. So for us, the Radical Monarchs is this safe place that they can come, and we are trained, and we can talk about those issues in a comfortable way. -Up here, we have gender identity. Right, so that is your brain, kind of like how you see yourself, how you feel about yourself. Right? Sexual orientation is your heart, right? It's who you love or who you like. Right? And down here is your assigned sex, right? Your body parts. Let's go with Janet Mock, with this woman right here. What do we think her assigned sex is? Juliana? -Female. -Female. So, Janet Mock's assigned sex when she was born was actually male. She was actually born male. Her gender expression -- hold your thoughts -- is very feminine, right? She's gorgeous and a lot of makeup. Her hair, her dress, right? Her body, right? And does anyone want to guess what her sexual orientation is? Who do you think she loves or likes? Amia? -She might be l-lesbian? -Lesbian. Okay, you think she may be lesbian. -But also -- Also, I was so surprised that she was a man, because she really looks like a girl. -That she was assigned male at birth. Right? Yeah. -Yeah, but I respect that she feels like a girl and that she wants to look like a girl. -Someone that does drag, like RuPaul does drag, it's to perform. Right? They're doing a performance. Transgender is not something you put on and you take off. Transgender is about who you are. Right? It's about your soul. It's about your heart. Right? So, Janet Mock is a trans woman. She is not performing to be a woman. She's a woman. That's who she is in her heart and in her soul. Everyone go like this. Everyone massage your brain. Ooh, you learned a lot today. Does your brain hurt a little bit? A little bit? No? -No. -Hi, everyone. Good morning. -Hi, everybody. -It's still morning. Um, my name is Anayvette Martinez, and I am one of the co-founders of the Radical Monarchs. And my daytime job is I'm a community organizer, and I organize in Oakland and deep East Oakland at some of the lowest performing elementary schools. -I'm Marilyn Hollinquest, and my day job is I'm a Development Director for Street Level Health Project, and we work with day laborers in the Fruitvale district, training them around "Know Your Rights" trainings and also wage theft clinics and all that awesome stuff. -So, this is our mission statement. The Radical Monarchs create opportunities for young girls of color to form fierce sisterhood, celebrate their identities, and contribute radically to their communities. So, we were born in December of 2014, and our first unit that we had planned to launch into was Radical Beauty. And then Ferguson happened, and there was all this uprising about this terrible murder, basically, that's happening to the black community. -Hands up! -Don't shoot! -Hands up! -Don't shoot! -We decided, okay, like, we cannot ignore that this is happening around us. This is directly affecting a lot of our girls, directly affecting our community in Oakland, and where are young girls of color -- where are their voices in this movement? And so we ended up launching into a Black Lives Matter unit. -The number one question, whether it's a reporter or a family member -- "How do I talk to second graders about racism?" There is awesome, dope social justice curriculum out there, as folks already know. But for second graders, not so much. Unfortunately, social justice is optional. It's always optional. Ethnic Studies is optional. It should be required. In my opinion, if we are really going to be about evolving this society so we do not have to have -- so the Black Lives Matter movement does not have to be in like 2036, then we need to teach social justice now like we teach STEM subjects. -The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, and the Warriors won their first championship in 40 years. -Police in South Carolina are looking for a gunman following a shooting at a church in downtown Charleston. -An activist has climbed the flagpole in Columbia, South Carolina, at the state capitol and removed the Confederate flag. -Breaking news here. The Supreme Court in this landmark ruling making same-sex marriage legal in this country across every state in this nation.

Cheers and applause

-So, when we first formed and embarked and kind of launched Radical Monarchs, I definitely did not think beyond our first troop. Like, it was not in the plan to have multiple troops. -The media has had a foundational effect on the Radical Monarchs, formerly known as the Radical Brownies when we started. -The minute we got all this attention, the community was really like, "Oh, my God! This is amazing. Where has this been all my life? I wish I had this." -Through social media, a lot of people are like, "We want a troop here. We want a troop there." And we're like, "We do, too, and we have no budget right now." -We knew it was needed, which is why it was created, but I think it was kind of like, "Oh, wow. We could do this for more girls and for more families, and we could really start a movement." But there's a lot of logistical pieces. Like, we want to go through a strategic planning process. We want to copyright our curriculum and then begin seeing, okay, what does it look like for us to really support the creation of chapters wherever they're wanted or needed? Alright, girl. So, our three main goals are really talking through the second Radical Monarch troop logistics, which we have a bunch. And then fundraising. -Okay. -Let's do it. So, in terms of our second troop launch task calendar, gathering, onboarding, Black Lives Matter curriculum docs. -Right. -That we have not done. That's, like, outstanding. In terms of the onboarding and the training, like, for the retreat, what is the culture of the organization? What are our values, what are -- -Do you mean that -- Oh, right, in our documents. -Those operating principles. I just want us to figure out how much more of our time is this going to take, and how are we going to make that work with what we currently have on our plates? -So, we launched Radical troop number one, 2014, no pay, for the love, which, we're still here. The goal that we're going to begin to get some part-time pay here so that we can lessen the bread-and-butter jobs that we have so that this can be our bread and butter. -So that we can do more. -Right. We should stick with no more than, like, launching one troop a year, just because of, like, how much intensive time it takes and energy and all that. -At least until we have -- -Right. Now, once we get, you know, more people, more troop leaders, and more, um -- -But not even that. Once we have more time, on top of our, what's paying us to be alive -- -Right. We're getting there. I'm excited to see, you know, our evolution. And I think the revolution will have self-care. And so -- -Right, girl. Ash. -Ash. Amen. -

Speaking Spanish

I'm the main breadwinner in my family, and it's a lot of pressure.

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00, regular job. I'm a community organizer. And so I work roughly around 60 hours a week.

Speaks Spanish

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I organize in some of the lowest performing schools in Oakland, schools that are the most under-resourced. I give families the resources and the tools for them to be able to advocate on behalf of what they want for their school and their kids. I started community organizing when I was in college. At UCLA, I did a lot of student organizing. And then I got involved with community organizing around the garment industry and sweatshop labor. And I was Editor in Chief for a news magazine on campus. And I kind of came in real unapologetically feminist, real unapologetically Central American, real unapologetically queer, and there was a big reaction, 'cause I was really calling out a lot of things within the movement, too, so I was like, "How are we replicating patriarchy within our social justice movements, right? How are we replicating homophobia within our own movements?" And, so, a lot of folks didn't like that. Actually, I got death threats. People would call the news magazine office and, like, threaten me. It was crazy. It was really intense.

Speaking Spanish

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-Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Yes, thank you. Adis. Adis.

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-Hi, everyone. -Hi. -Thank you for coming. Thank you for coming. I think it's really special that you all are here. This space is really for our transgender Latina community, because our community feels sometimes not safe out in public or maybe sometimes not safe walking down the street. -Sometimes don't you hate it when people, like, make faces at transgenders? -That's, like, something that we -- happens a lot, the teasing. We call it transphobia. So myself, I've gotten people making fun of me or laughing at me or questioning, like, is that a boy? Is that a girl? And hopefully you will remember me, and when those moments happen, that you can also think about what is your role? Right? 'Cause we all have a role. -So raise your hand if you ever felt left out at school, like there was a group of people that didn't want you to hang out with them or anything. I'm sure it didn't feel good. So just thinking about that, when you don't authentically, when you don't truly include people, they feel left out. And that's the root of unfairness, which is injustice. And so, that's also part of being a Radical Monarch is being that fierce advocate, to be like, hey, it's not okay to make fun of someone, ever, for any reason.

Indistinct conversations

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-1, 2, and 3. Awesome. -

Laughs

Crowd cheering

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-

Chanting

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Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Transphobia has got to go! Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Transphobia has got to go! Hey, hey! -I like being out, like, in public, and supporting the community, 'cause I kind of feel like it makes more of, like, a -- like, a difference. -Show me how solidarity looks like! -Something about social justice that is fun is that we get to kind of make history. Or "herstory," as we like to say it. And we get to be one tiny, little part of it, 'cause we all know that a lot of tiny parts can equal one big part.

Crowd cheering

Indistinct conversations

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-I like your belt. -Thanks. -Nosey, nosey. -So, Monarchs, so, Monarchs, try to keep it a little bit down, 'cause we are going to be talking to your families. Okay? Okay. So, I passed out the calendar. Just kind of a brief overview of what this next year will look like. And we've decided to launch a second troop here in Oakland. We'll be hiring troop leaders for that. We will be doing lots of heavy coaching and one-on-one supervision with them, but they're going to be leading the troop so that we can continue to focus on building the organization and also working with your girls. -Monarchs, let's gather. Thank you for coming, families. We appreciate you for witnessing this badge awards ceremony. The badge is a beginning. Think of it as an introduction, okay? So when you get the badge, the work doesn't stop. -So, every time at the end of the unit, we journal. -For the first question, which is here, "Why is standing up for yourself and others important," Lupita and Amia volunteered to share out, so you can go ahead and do that. -Whoo! -Whoo! -It's extremely important to stand up for others because everyone has the right to be who they are, because no one should be afraid to walk out of their home and worry that they can't be themselves because media will say something negative. -It's important to stand up for yourself and others because when other people get bullied or stuff like that, what I advise is to stop, look around, and help. Because if you support someone, they'll support you. What comes around goes around is another way of saying it. -Yes. Thank you. -Whoo! -Okay. -We are... -The Radical Monarchs! -We stand for... -Justice! -We're here to... -Make things right! -Yeah! -Whoo! -We're just going to hand you some badges. -Chula. -Yay! -Yay! -Yay! Solina? Yay! -So many of our kids feel invisible. And this is a place for them to not feel invisible and to really develop into believing that they have a place here and a voice that needs to be heard. -Smile, like -- picture. -Radical Monarchs gives her a sisterhood, a sisterhood of young girls who look like her. Their focus is on making a change in the world. I want her to change the world. And I want her to do it in a radical way. -Well, there's a new Brownie troop in California, and these girls aren't selling cookies or learning to sew. -Now, here's what they are being taught. -White policemen are killing black young folks such as women, men, and children. -Now, we blurred these little girls' faces, because we think they're being exploited. -Wouldn't it be better for them to join a Brownie troop and learn leadership skills, learn friendship skills, learn how to sew maybe? Survival skills? That would be, to me, more useful than raising little racists. That's what this is. -So, how irresponsible is it of the leaders of this troop to be teaching these young girls, really indoctrinating their thought? -Young people are indoctrinated constantly, every day, by media, by images, by the news. There's messages all around us. Where do we get these ideas that a young man in a hoodie is inherently up to something bad? It's not about indoctrination. I think it's about asking them questions. It's about helping them unpack what's going on around them. -White folks, they are the standard. They are the standard of "beauty." They set the standards in "our education." They set the standards in -- in everything in our community, whether it's the political process, whether it's how we're teaching our kids. And so that's a huge injustice. And so, when we create spaces for these young women, it's not about excluding anyone. It's about recognizing the injustice of these young women not having that space. -Whose water bottles are these? -Hello, Monarchs. -Hi. Hi. -Hello. -Who can tell me some of our Community Agreements that we have? Myah? -One diva, one mic. -One diva, one mic. Excellent. Bina? -Don't yuck my yum. -Don't yuck my yum. Yes. -Step up, step back. -Step up, step back. Very good. Bona? -G-double-O-D J-O-B. "Good job. Nice try." -Good job remembering those agreements. Y'all have them down. Which unit are we in right now? Who can tell me what this unit is called? -Radical roots. -Radical roots. Awesome. This group is a mix of, like, Black Panther movement stuff, Brown Beret movement stuff, and also other movements, 'cause those aren't the only movements that exist. There's so many other movements that we're going to talk about today, right? So why do we think it's important to learn about these movements or to learn about these leaders? Myah? -There's a saying at my school. It's, people without knowledge of their -- Wait. People without a knowledge of their history is like a tree with no roots. -Right. Ooh, that's so good. And why is it important for us to have roots? Yes. -Because then we can try to keep what is in our culture alive. -De'Yani? -It shows how we are unique. 'Cause I'm the only -- I'm the only black girl in the whole sixth grade right now, and there's nothing wrong with being unique, and that's the way -- That's why it's important. -Good. Excellent comment. -I do Girl Scouts, and I also do Radical Monarchs. In Girl Scouts, I am the only African-American girl. It's kind of difficult 'cause my hair is different from all my friends, and, you know, my skin color and kind of the culture and the way I talk. But the bond I have with the Radical Monarchs is very special because we all have things that we connected to, and I get to show people who we are and that we're proud of it, and also, you get to learn cool stuff about social justice and race, compared to talking about selling cookies and money and stuff. -Have other people ever been teased? Or seen people being teased? -I was bullied for six years at my old school. And then, fifth grade, it got really hard, because I was often teased about my skin tone. And people, they would call me -- -It's okay. It's okay. A hug is nice. We're here for you. Yes. This is what your Monarch sisters are here for, to help you heal from things that have hurt you in the past and also so that we can continue to stick up for each other and other people. And I'm sorry that that happened to you, Myah. And I'm glad that that is not happening now. -The top 10 Republican candidates will meet tonight for their third debate. Donald Trump will share center stage with Ben Carson for the very first time. -It's been a dramatic couple of days at the University of Missouri. Yesterday, the school president resigned following widespread students' protests over his failure to deal with racial intimidation on campus. -As Europe struggles to deal with the rush of Syrian refugees and is slamming doors it had opened, the US has just upped its small quota for refugees to 100,000 by 2017.

Crossing bells dinging

Train horn blows

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-Come in. -Hi. -Hi. -Good to see you again. -Nice to see you. -Feel free to set up over here. -Okay, fabulous. -Hello. - Hello, hello, hello So, these are some Monarchs sitting in. They'll be helping us interview. -Fabulous. -The way the interview's going to go, we'll have you facilitate your little demonstration activity. -Alright, so, let's talk Radical Beauty. I would like everyone to take one of these magazines. And what I want you to look for are the pictures that you see of women in the magazines. So, what are some things you've noticed so far? Yeah? -That they're all posing in the picture. And I also noticed, like, right here, they're just trying to sell beauty products. Like, they say that if you put this on, you'll look like this skin, but it's really just, like, a Photoshop. -That's great. What about you, Lupita? What did you notice? -So, a lot of the clothes that they're wearing is kind of inappropriate. Like, they're all wearing, like, really short clothes. -Okay, interesting. So, go ahead and take a look through these ones. What have you noticed so far? -I noticed that these magazines are fake and these are real. -We call these magazines -- Yeah, we could call them the fake magazines. I like that. I like that a lot. But we call them the mainstream. And then something really important to say about the difference between these magazines is how they're made and who makes them, right? Like, Ms. Magazine is a magazine that was founded by three women, and that's really important. Because with the mainstream media, it's a very male-dominated field. Do men know exactly what it's like to be a woman? -No. -Right. Not necessarily, right? -So, just in terms of time, we'll be checking in with your references, so you might want to let them know. And then we'll be choosing two troop leaders. -Thank you, Diana. I enjoyed your activity. -I cherished it. -You cherished it. -Thank you! -What did you think? -I liked her. She was well organized, agenda more clear, really explained to make it more clear, positive, let girls be creative/more learning, very pretty, prepared, asked questions, and a good still leader. -Very good. Excellent notes. -Yes, those good notes. So, in thinking about our debrief, remember, 1 is like she was my most favorite out of everybody, and a 5 is least favorite, and in between. -Yeah. -Okay. Is that a 0.3? What's the -- What's that? -It's a plus 3, like, um -- -Oh, okay. -Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Uh-huh. -I got you. -Thanks, Monarchs. -You're welcome. -And really good job interviewing. -Yeah, you all are pro-interviewers. -I feel like you were even better than yesterday. -We're just going to check their references, just as a double-check and, then -- -Yay! -Yay! - Celebrate -Good job, Scorpio. -Yay. -Yay, troop number 2. -Come in. Hi! -Hi. -Come in. How are you?

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-Amia, you look so pretty. -Thanks. -Well, what's this called? -Everyone's going to share, like, a story or talk about an object or just something they appreciate about their culture. Okay, so, explain to us, what are you sharing with us, Amia? -I'm going to be doing a traditional dance that I'm actually learning, so it might be a little rusty. I used to worry about how I looked, how I dressed, how I acted. Mostly about how I looked. -How does dancing make you feel? -It makes me feel proud of my culture. And it makes me feel like I still have a piece of what it was back then.

Speaking indistinctly

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Radical Monarchs, they're like really awesome sisters. And you can be, like, who you are. You don't have to try to change yourself to make everybody like you. -Beautiful. Alright. Snap, snap, snap. Who do we have next? Quetzalli and Solina. -Ooh. -Whee! -How was your day today? -It was fine. I was actually doing Radical Monarch stuff, and then, you know, checking work e-mail, too. -Marilyn and I met in a graduate program at S.F. State. We're both women of color. We both identify as queer. We just clicked. -I feel like it was that kindred spirit kind of thing, like, "You're fierce. You're super fierce. Yas." -We saw each other. -Right? We saw each other. -We saw each other. I don't want to do a lot of work, though. And yet we're both actually very different. -Really different. We always say, like, oh, you're the front-facing co-founder, and I'm that inward-facing co-founder. -And Lupita's living for cross-country. -Oh, I'm glad. -She's never been that into sports, which I was never athletic, growing up. I was the least athletic -- -Me, neither. You were that "too cool for school." I was that nerd. -Too cool for school. You were that nerd. -With that asthma. I was with that -- No. -

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-I grew up in Tulare, California. It's a farming town, predominantly white. I grew up Pentecostal, super, super conservative, and super patriarchal. Women couldn't hold leadership positions. You couldn't walk across the pulpit. You couldn't wear pants. It was several years of my life I did not wear pants because it was considered a literalist interpretation of the Bible. Like, men are in charge. Men wear pants. And women are not, and they wear dresses, and they're behind their husband, and very hetero-centric. So because I'm queer, I'm a feminist, I like pants, that kind of church didn't work for me. I would have loved to have a group like the Radical Monarchs, where I could explicitly talk about the experiences I was having in the body that I have. What are we going to do for our birthday? -Right. What are we doing for our birthday? -Do we want to still do that Marc Anthony concert? -We need to look into -- We have the same exact birthday, same year, same everything, which is nuts, right? -Same day. Different times, so my rising is different. -Right, we have different rising signs.

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I was born in San Francisco. I lived there most of my life. My mom's from Nicaragua. My dad's from El Salvador. So I'm Central American. I struggled a lot in school. School was not my thing. Middle school specifically was terrible. I went to three different middle schools. I got caught up in crowds that weren't the best. Got into lots of fights. Got into lots of trouble. I remember one time, I did go see a counselor, and the counselor was kind of like, "Mm... Like, college, I don't think that's -- I don't think that's for you." And my mom was always my biggest advocate. Like, she's totally organic feminist, and my dad was really machista, very patriarchal. He was kind of like, "No, she needs to stay here until she gets married." And my mom was like, "Absolutely not. She needs to go out. She needs to go to college." So she really advocated for me. - Monarchs, Monarchs, we're on our way To save the world and save the day We're not too big and we're not too tough But when we work together, we've got the right stuff -Go Monarchs! Yay! -Go Monarchs! Yay! -Again! -1, 2, 3, go. - Monarchs, monarchs -I think it's super fitting that this movement and this troop is coming out of Oakland. I think Oakland has such a rich history of resistance and of social justice movements. The girls are part of a long legacy here in Oakland. -Everybody stop over here and look in the window. Don't block the door. -Circle up here, please. Circle up. -So, this, before it was a bakery, originally it was the first office of the Black Panther party. Why do you think they needed an office? -To plan stuff. -To plan stuff and meet, those are really important things. And to show visibility in the community. And you can see on the wall, there's different newspapers and information about them. -And why do you all think that the Black Panthers wanted to make their own newspaper? -If there was a big newspaper, with only the Black Panthers, people would get more interested and they would probably read it more. -Good. To show that they're capable, that they can do their own newspaper. So there was a lot of power in the Black Panthers having their own newspaper where they can tell their own stories in their own words. -We're going to walk this way to the park. Alright. -Monarchs, this is Cheryl Dawson. Can we say, "Hi, Miss Cheryl"? -Hi, Miss Cheryl. -Hello. So, what I want to say to you all first is, I never thought that when I was doing the work for the people that one day much later when I was a grandmother, that folks would ask me about the work. I began to serve the people in the community of West Berkeley. So, we would make pancakes or oatmeal or Cream of Wheat or grits, bacon, every school morning for the children. And many of the children were hungry, because they had no way to have a breakfast were we not there to give it to them. It was such a moving experience to make a meal for children who didn't have it, to wash their little faces off when they were through, to put the little lotion on their face so they wouldn't be ashy, smooth their hair back so they would be kept, and then whisper in their ear, "Today is your day. This is your day. You may use it to your best advantage and make a change for yourself and make a change for your family and make a change for your community." Yes? -Back then, was it worse with police brutality than it is right now? -No. We've gone backwards. We -- It was worse, and then Black Panthers came, and then we had a lot of other civil rights work, and it got better, and now it's worse. It went back. It crashed and burned. That's why it's so important, you know, that you all understand what's at stake. The situation for black people and for brown people is worse than I've ever known it in my lifetime. It's my desire to plant seeds in the hearts of those who will take them, so that you will know as you grow up and you assume your place in womanhood, that part of your responsibility is to the people. It's wonderful that you have a chance to sit here and learn history, but for every one of you who are sitting here, there are 50 or 100 that don't have this opportunity. So you have big work ahead of you. -We stand in the legacy of love and social justice that our ancestors and contemporaries are fighting for. The reason I can read is because someone risked their life so that I had the right to read. So we have to teach young people to follow in that tradition to continue working towards social equality and social justice. -Okay, wait, 'cause I'm crying. Just a second. Just hold it. Hold it. Let me get myself together. Give me one minute. Okay. Okay. Let's go. -We can set some chairs up over there. Okay, I just wanted to see if you were in agreement. Okay, cool. -Hi. -Hi. -Welcome, everyone. Thank you for making it today. We're in our new space. This is going to be our new meeting space. Marilyn is working here now. Really quick, I want to introduce in the back, we have Diana and Annie. They are the troop leaders for the new troop that's going to be starting very soon. So they're here just to kind of watch and observe what a troop meeting looks like, okay? Right now, we are in what unit? What unit are we in? -Radical Bodies. -Radical Bodies. -Radical Bodies. Okay. So today, we're having a workshop around consent. -Who's ever heard, "trust your gut"? Right? That's basically what trusting your body is, is listening to your body. Your body's going to tell you if something's a yes, if something's a no, if something feels comfortable, right? Forward. Forward. -We wanted to share with you all what your troop is looking like. This troop is younger. It's on the younger side than our troop. Black and brown heavy. Also very queer families, which is beautiful, which we loved. -The heavy lifting, as we call it -- I feel like we use this term a lot -- is going to be your meeting number one. -You're going to start with Black Lives Matter. Right? That's going to be your first unit in March. -And also in terms of social justice movement building, like, it can be a Debby Downer. It can make you feel overwhelmed and turn you off. And we don't want to turn off folks to social justice movement building. We want to celebrate the wins, critically think about the past, and, like, be innovative and improve on it while having fun. -While you're getting your laptop, the Internet thing? -Oh. Oh, God. Okay, give it a minute. -No problem. Come on. It's, like, not wanting to connect. It's really easy stuff. -Oh, great. You know what? -What? What -- What? -

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I'm late on that cable payment! -Oh, great. -I think they finally cut me off.... Ugh! I'm not paying that whole amount. -Pay that partial payment until you can pay that. Right. Eventually we'll have an office. -That has paid Internet. -

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That has paid Internet. Yeah. -Most organizations have a development director or a development team where their whole job is to raise money and to cultivate funders and cultivate those relationships. We've been running our own troop, building out our organization, launching a second troop, coaching and observing and giving feedback for those troop leaders, and then working our full-time jobs and living with our families. So it's like, we don't have time for that. We have to prioritize just focusing on money and getting funding so that we can do this full-time. -Without funding, what's at stake is we can't grow. We can't scale. We can't meet our need. -I used to live in San Francisco. But there was, like, a lot of evictions, so we got evicted from our house. And it was getting really expensive there, so we moved here. I don't really get why us, why they had to kick us out. We had to move schools. And we had to make new friends. -Good evening and welcome to the special district board meeting. Our young leaders here are speaking to item number 13. Good evening. -Good evening. -We are here on behalf of the Radical Monarchs, in support of Protect Oakland Renters.

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-We know it is important to protect Oakland renters rights because families, including mine, that grew up here in Oakland will be kicked out because we won't be able to afford to pay rent here in Oakland. -So keep in mind that families here will not be able to afford living in Oakland. And they will get kicked out. Thank you.

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-Thank you. Thank you, Radical Monarchs. -Something that I've learned from my Radical Monarchs sisters is that if you really, like, work together for something that's a big problem in Oakland, it's like, you can make anything happen. That's what I've really learned. -Texas Senator Ted Cruz has won Iowa's Republican Presidential caucuses, beating New York businessman Donald Trump. -Presumptive shoe-in Hillary Clinton in a deadlock with Bernie Sanders, a race still too close to call. -Now to Michigan, where governor Rick Snyder has declared a state of emergency in Flint. Tests showed a spike in lead levels in the city's water source. -Here you go. -Okay. -So, for Community Agreements, we have 20 minutes. And so we allotted like 5, 10 minutes for the uniform. -Hi. Welcome, girls. Hi. Take a seat. Welcome. This is it. This is our meeting. This is the beginning of our awesome journey as Monarchs. Let's go around and say our names real quick. -Lucia. -Lucia. -Coco. -Coco. -Taqami. -Taqami. -Myah. -Myah. -Julia. -Julia. -Jiardina. -Jiardina. -Jade. -Jade. -Sylvia. -

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Sylvia. Awesome. -Angelie. -And Angelie. -So, today, we're going to learn our first unit, which is Black Lives Matter. I think as you all know, that's a network and a movement started by three black women. So we want to give you the opportunity to share what you know about something, what you want to know, and then what have you learned? -I know that Black Lives Matter is this thing to be, like, happy, and be proud of who you are. So, to have some freedom. -How about, "What are their experiences?" -Sandra Bland. Rekia? -Rekia Boyd. -Rekia Boyd. Ayana Stanley Jones. What did they do to change the world? Are they alive? Are they activists? -Those are really important questions. -So what I've heard so far from you all, things you know about Black Lives Matter is it's about appreciating the color of your skin and freedom for black people all over the world. What do you want to learn? -Is it only about black people of color's skin? Or is it, like, for everybody? Because even though it says Black Lives Matter -- -That's a great question, a super important question. And you asked questions about all the people on the posters. And actually, these people are not alive. Their lives were taken away due to police brutality. And so we want to make sure -- Yes. -Why? -That's -- -And what was said earlier. Because of discrimination. -Because of, right, like, racism and police brutality. So, like we were saying, like, if you -- -What's brutality? -Brutality? So, police brutality kind of means like, if something, um, is, like, violent, right? So if the police are supposed to protect us and then they're using violence, then it would be police brutality. -Definitely a packed agenda, like, for sure. Like, I think you have to really make space for all those questions and comments. Because your monarchs are on the younger side, a lot of this was over their head. So I think just kind of, like, mixing it up. You want to have a little bit of low-hanging fruit for the girls and then also something that's going to challenge them or maybe they don't know. You know, when we did this activity, too, I will say that we did it in the middle of the Ferguson stuff happening. So it was kind of, like, really live. And it was, like, really live in Oakland, so I think that also helped -- Like, you could not, not know about it. We started with Black Lives Matter organically. However, I think it's a really intense unit to start off with one, for the girls, and for the troop leaders. -I think we for sure underestimated the amount of training and also the uniqueness of our program. -One of our very first learnings was, we should scaffold how we ease into social justice. And moving forward, we learned that, like, we start with something that's not so intense, so that leaders, too, can also develop that muscle to, like, how do you talk about these really intense topics? Marilyn's going to be observing your next -- your next meeting, which is in two weeks. Yeah. -How's everybody doing? How y'all been? -Good. -Good? -When you hear about police shootings or things of that nature, you don't hear the women's names as much as you hear the men's names. -

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-When I say radical, you say monarchs! Radical! -Monarchs! -Radical! -Monarchs! -They ask such loaded questions. Like, how do we answer questions that are like, "These people were innocent. Why are they being killed?" -Show me what democracy looks like! -We're dealing with young people. We want to know that they are trained how to have these conversations in a way that's going to feel affirming, that's going to feel empowering. -You have 30 minutes. Like, what are the most important pieces you feel like these girls need to walk away with? -Yvette Henderson. 38 Years old. Oakland. -Say her name! -Say her name! -We did self-defense workshop. We did the fat activism workshop. We did the consent workshop. And then now we're doing disability justice. -How many people know at least one person with a disability? People with disabilities are often times thought of, like, as the people who can do the littlest out of everybody. -Don't have speakers come in unless we've seen them already speak. We want to be really sure that the speaker is going to be able to talk to the girls at an age appropriate level. -So, raise your hand if you've been part of a protest. Awesome. So you guys are all activists and protesters already. Who knows who Donald Trump is? Great. So -- -Can I say something? -Yeah, what do you want to say? It's real. We're going to be doing a protest against Donald Trump, and so we need your help to kind of get some of the materials together. Can you guys help us with that? -Do y'all know what it means to diet? -Like, stop eating certain foods. -And starve yourself. -Or put your finger in your mouth. -Yeah, you throw up. Right? Yeah. -When I say Radical, you say Monarchs. Radical? -Monarchs. -Radical. -Monarchs. -De'Yani.

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-Congrats. -Neveah. -Congratulations.

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-Amia.

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-This is what my democracy looks like! -Welcome to the Radical Monarchs troop number 2's very first badge ceremony.

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-Guess what? Alicia Garza, one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, is going to give you your badge today.

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-Wow. Hi. -Hi. -Let's do that again. Hi! -Hi! -Hi! -That's great. It's a real honor to be here with you all, and I'm so excited to be able to celebrate you receiving your first badge. It is really important, the work that all of you have done together and the work that you will continue to do together. And it's important because our world needs some fixing. So you all are on the front lines of making sure that we make the world a better place. You with me? -Yeah. -Yeah? Great. Y'all are awesome. Give yourselves a round of applause. -Congratulations for your very first badge.

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Congratulations on earning your Black Lives Matter badge. -Every badge award ceremony, it's reflection time for me, too, of thinking about all the work we've put in. If we can do it a second time, then we can do it a 3rd, 4th, 5th, like 100th time. So it feels amazing. -When we launched troop number 2, it was really kind of a leap of faith. I think we knew it was going to be more work, but we had no idea it was going to be so much. It's been awesome. It's been a huge learning experience. And it's been just like the straw that almost broke our back. We get inundated with requests all the time. It's so hard to keep saying, "No, we're sorry. We're not ready yet. We're sorry. We're not ready yet." But it's real. Like, we can't.

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-That was a part of having that Radical Monarch convening, is to have that "Wizard of Oz" moment and pull back that curtain, and be like, it's the two of us, like, making this thing go. -It was the first time we actually invited the community in to hear, what are you seeing as your needs in your community, right? Because if we want to expand, we want to make sure that we are aware of what feels live right now. -Good morning, everyone! So, I'm very nervous. And all week, I've been just filled with nerves. And I do meetings and convenings all the time, so I was like, "Why am I so nervous? This is just another meeting. just another gathering." And I think what I was finally able to come to was this is like us being really vulnerable. Right? For the past two years, we have been, as they say, building the plane as we're flying it. And this is the first time we're actually doing really an intentional ask of some community folks to come in and for us to really kind of lift that curtain. So thank you for being here. -Why do you need a Radical Monarch troop in your area? What could that provide to young people, but also what is the role that could serve in your area? -Education is inherently political. And when you look at it, it's like it's inherently racialized, right? As an educator committed to social justice, I'm not always working around other educators who share the same ideologies. So that's why we have to have these community spaces, because they can't exist within the institutions. Because when you try to create them in the institutions, you get pushed out, especially in a profession that's 82% white. -I think along with that, like, having to work with colleagues who don't experience racism and sexism, and all the isms, you think about your students. Like, if they don't have an outlet, how are they going to succeed academically if they're constantly thinking of, "Is my mom going to be home when I get home?" Or, you know, "Am I going to get stopped by the police?" -In your local community, what do you expect to be your challenge in potentially launching a Radical Monarch troop? -White allies, there's going to be a pushback. Especially in a school, like, having a group that's exclusionary, so having a group specifically for kids of color can raise a lot of issues, even with supposed woke white people, because you can only be so woke. -This is not about exclusion. This is about inclusion. And when we look at larger society, girls of color are never centered. And so this is not about excluding anyone. This is about actually including and actually centering young girls of color's stories. I think we got to a point where it just becomes white noise.

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Right? I think -- But I think literally, I think it's become white noise for us, where I'm just kind of like -- you know? A just kind of

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in the background. And I'm kind of like, okay, we're just going to keep it moving because -- And it's always going to be there, because we live in a white supremacist society. -So the next step with this convening is to take all this data, right -- Y'all gave us a lot of rich data -- and to have some conversations, which we have set up with some funders. So that is the next step.

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-Radical Monarchs, can I get a circle? Radical Monarchs? -Circle up, guys. -Circle up, guys. Welcome to Anthony Chabot park. We're really excited to have you guys here and host you for this camping trip. -Alright, who's ready to learn how to set up a tent? -Me. -Me! -Alright. -That's kind of big. -Lisa's going to help us, mi amor, okay? 'Cause Mommy doesn't know the first thing about setting up a tent. -Even in her high-heeled shoes, I think she can do this. -Keep that -- Keep it in the ring. -Wait, wait! -The key to this is teamwork, guys. -I'm going to put it inside that pin. Ah!

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-

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Amia! Girls! -Okay. -Alright, Monarchs. This is our second annual camping trip together. I just wanted to take a moment and just kind of, like, take a big deep breath in... and let it out.

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-The new school year is going to start in a little bit, so we thought it'd be a good idea for you all to journal about the changes that you've noticed this school year. And those changes could be maybe friendships or how your body is changing, personally. how you are changing, physically, whatever that may be. -Who would like to start and share out? I saw Julie's hand first. -Some changes that I have had are, I'm going to a safer middle school, and the first year was okay because I didn't really know how to set boundaries and defend myself from other -- from people who are mean to others, and I let them be mean to me, too. But this year, it went fast because I learned how to defend myself, set boundaries, and no kids were really mean to me. So, yeah. -Good. So you kind of, like, stepped more into your power this year. De'Yani? -Some changes that I have noticed was my friends changed. And my moods have also changed. I've been way more wiser than I was before. And my body has also changed. I have grown up to 5 feet, which I'm super happy about.

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Also, I've noticed some changes in the Radical Monarchs, as well. Our responsibility has grown more than last year. We do a lot more cleaning or helping around because we need to be good role models to the second troop. -What changed in the past few years is that I'm going to a new school. I'm going to miss my friends a lot. And I'm changing into an all-English school. -Mm, yep. That's a big change. -A lot of people at my school group by their culture. Like, there are Mexican kids. There are African-American kids. I used to do that. But now I made new friends, and I have a friend that's, like, she's German and, like, Jewish. And I have a friend that's Korean, Mexican, so it's a really diverse group. Also, I've noticed some changes in the Radical Monarchs. We really feel more comfortable with each other than we did in the beginning, so we're not like, "Oh, hi." -

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-No more awkward interactions? -Yeah. -Yeah. Good. Awesome. Thank you all for sharing. -Someone farted. -What? -Don't.

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-Vegan or regular? -Regular. Thanks. -Can I have a vegan one? -Vegan one? Okay. -You know what? I do, like, a slow, rolling twirl when it's in the fire. -Blow it out. -Blow, blow, blow. It's good --

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-Let's look at my marshmallow. -There you go. Nice. -Okay, I'm going to zip you up. -Thank you. -You're welcome! -Good night, everyone! -Good night, baby. -Good night! Good night! -Good night! -Good night, Auntie Marilyn. -Good night. I still see a light on. The light needs to be off, please. -But then I can't make it. -You can do that tomorrow. -Bina, I heard you. It's a tent.

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Like, there's not real walls. -What? -I can hear every word you say. Turn it off.

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Don't try to sneak that flashlight out. I see y'all. I see you. Mm-hmm. -Donald Trump has now cemented his status as the Republican presidential standard bearer in the fall. He clinched the delegates needed for the nomination today. -It is an historic Friday morning as we're following breaking news overnight. The UK has voted in favor of leaving the European union. -Good evening. As we come on the air this Sunday night, America is just now coming to grips with what unfolded here in Orlando. A massacre at a gay nightclub. -We know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate. -Oh, great. People are fighting on some of our pictures from Pride. -Wait, what? There's a troll? -Yeah. It's just that picture of the girls. -Which picture? -This one. -Oh. Some Basic Betty who said they too young? -He's like, "I meant they're too young to be prideful about gayness." And then someone's like, "That doesn't make any sense." -

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What? -And they're like, "They're too young to have pride and be proud? Didn't know you had to be an adult to unlock feelings."

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But what I love about it is that we don't got to say nothing.

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Those fans are like, "Shut up. Blah, blah --" -I love that they come to our defense instantly. -Right. I was like -- -We never have to deal with it. They're like -- They just jump on them. I'm like, "Mm-hmm." -As this is ramping up to their last kind of full year, I feel like -- -That's crazy that it's their -- -I mean, it doesn't need to be. Solina was like, "Wait." She was like, "So we're done in seventh grade, not eighth grade?" And I was like -- -

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They're like, "You're going to kick us out?" -I was like, "Well..." I mean, you and I can talk about it. -We got to have a plan. -Yeah. -Because of how much we've been able to do with the limited resources we have, people often think that, like, "Oh, you're already, like, a fully funded --" And we're like, "Oh, wait." Like, we're not. The other thing people don't necessarily tell you is it's literally all about who you know. Like, most of these foundations are invitation only, so I'm like, "Ooh, how do I get an invitation to the dance? -Talk to us. -That's right. Talk to us. -We're ready to dance. -We're ready. We're ready to dance. -Most foundations are very risk-adverse, and they see us as a risky investment. If we don't get funding, we're going to have to wrap up everything we started with troop 1 and troop 2, and things are going to have to end there with the Radical Monarchs. -This is a Fox News election alert. Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. -This is a moment to keep in your hearts some of the communities who have been directly threatened in a way that nobody in this kind of position of power has ever threatened groups of Americans before. -Hi!

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Aww. Oh, you look so cute. I like that dress. -Oh, yes.

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-I felt disgusted but not shocked. One side of me feels really defiant and really fired up to continue this work. And there is another part of me that feels really exhausted, because we've been doing this work, and we've been in the streets. We've been fighting back. We've been doing sit-ins and actions for so long that the idea of fighting harder is exhausting to me. So, let's look at how we feel collectively about Trump being elected. Folks feel angry. People want to protest. Some people feel shocked. Scared. Confused. Depressed. Sad. Mad. Nervous. Yeah. So we have a lot of really strong feelings, right, that we're all feeling about Donald Trump being elected. -So, is it just Donald Trump the individual, or is it the people he represents and the ideas he represents? -The people he represents. The people he represents. -What I'm scared about is, like, he's representing all of us. And so I'm scared that we're going to get into war or, like, he's going to represent us that we're not, and we're not him. We don't believe in what he is, and he's representing us. -Yep. That's a real fear. That's a real fear. -People said that he could deport people back to their countries. -That's a big fear for our community, right? It's a really big fear for a lot of us. So, let's look at your ideas for what should the Radical Monarchs do about it? So we have, "Write letters." We have, "Plan a protest against Donald Trump." "Do a rally." What does this say? -"Be strong." -Be strong. Right. I like that. Be strong. Salud, Scaru. Join together and be allies to the people he is going to hurt. That's really powerful. That's really powerful, and we're going to circle back to that. So, these are all fantastic ideas. Right? And there's definitely going to be some opportunities for us to do some of these things, because we are all about taking action. The Radical Monarchs is not about just being like, "Oh, things are hard. Well, we can't do anything." No. We can do something and we have. We have done lots of things about injustices that we feel like are happening in our community and our society.

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-Donald Trump's inauguration will draw large rallies, and Saturday's women's march on Washington is expected to bring demonstrators from across the US. -There are over 250 marches expected this weekend, organizers dubbing it "weekend of women." -When I say Radical, you say Monarchs! Radical! -Monarchs! -Radical! -Monarchs! -When I say Radical, you say Monarchs! Radical! -Monarchs!

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- Rosa was a freedom fighter and she taught us how to fight Ella was a freedom fighter and she taught us how to fight Audre was a freedom fighter and she taught us how to fight Angela was a freedom fighter and she taught us how to fight But what they don't understand - But what they don't understand - But what they don't understand - But what they don't understand - See, what they don't understand She, she, she, she, she don't give up Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, she don't give up She don't, don't, don't, don't, don't give up No, no, no, no, no, no, she don't give up

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When black lives are under attack, what do we do? Fight back, fight back! -Everybody, get your hand in here. Yes. -One, two, three. -Radical Monarchs! -Radical Monarchs!

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-President Trump's travel ban is set to take effect just after midnight. The measure temporarily halts the US refugee program, in addition to travel from six majority-Muslim countries. -Republicans in Congress are moving ahead with efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. -It's been a really hard past couple months. First, my partner was laid off. And then a couple months later, I was unexpectedly laid off, as well. Within the context of what happening around us, it just feels like, oh, my God. It definitely has felt disempowering. It is terrifying for me to not have a full-time job and to not have health insurance. It literally just ran out three days ago. But then also, it was like, "Alright, there's got to be a reason why this happened. And how am I going to transform all that time and energy I spent in my day job organizing, which is not an easy job, right, and now funnel that into Radical Monarchs?" Okay, we're going to get started, Monarchs. This is our first meeting of this new unit. What unit are we in, y'all? -Radical Advocacy. -Radical advocacy. Right? -A lot of times, people think social justice is just marching. Like, if you march in the street, that's it. Like, there's some kind of instant change. And that's not true. Having a women's march is great or a trans march is great. But really, like, the backbone -- a really huge, important part is the organizing cycle. -Next time we come together, you're going to meet organizers that do this work all the time. Marilyn and I feel like you're ready. You're ready for this step. This is your last year. You all graduate in June. And so you're ready to learn about this type of level stuff and to go to Sacramento and meet with these legislators and actually advocate on behalf of your communities. -Alright, let's roll. -Where's the state capitol? -Quickly. Come on. -Practice with your buddies, please.

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-My favorite badges are Black Lives Matter and Pachamama Justice. -"So, is this a little Girl Scout troop that you've got going on?" -No, we're the Radical Monarchs. -We've seen many of our family and friends impacted by the fear of police brutality. I like Radical Pride because we got to go to... -I was meant to be here. -These are the Radical Monarchs. -Hi, I'm Lupita. Nice to meet you. I'm 13, and I'm in 8th grade. -Hi. I'm Amia. I'm 11 years old, and I'm from Oakland, California. -Oh, hi. Hi, Amia. Nice to meet you. -We're the Radical Monarchs. We're a group of young girls of color. -We learn about social justice, and we earn badges based on activities. -We earn badges based on the issues that are important to us. -So, this is the Senate side of the house. -So cool! -So, here we have Senator Mitchell. -Hello. -I love your outfit. -Oh, thank you. -Yeah, we love your outfit. -I love what you all stand for and to see all you. So, okay, I know you have some things to tell me, so I'll be patient. -One of the issues impacting our communities is affordable housing. -We want police to attend mandatory classes that address racial bias. -We want there to be more policies set in place to protect renters and families from rising rents and eviction. -We want our family and friends to not have fear that they're going to get deported or ICE is going to come after them. -Personally, my family has seen a lot of fear, 'cause some of the people in my family are not documented, and it's really scary. -Most folks don't know, but I'm Nigerian. And I have a few family members who have migrated from Nigeria, and so they're undocumented. And so, I feel you. And I thank you for sharing your personal story and know that it's something we are going to figure out. -Which floor are we going to? -Four. -Oh. Four.

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-How are you ladies doing? -Good. How are you? -Good. How many meetings have you had today so far? -A lot. -Yeah? -The word is out that you're here. Everybody is practically begging, "Can we talk to the Radical Monarchs?" -Everybody said, "Oh, you'll never win." I ran against four men. -I ran against 11 other guys. I was the only woman who ran a viable campaign. -Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Don't let anyone tell you that, like, you have to be someone else to do it. You can be loud and aggressive and forceful women and take on the world. -We are not often at the table where decisions are made. But we need to change that. -Have you ever had anyone say that you can't do it? -Oh, my goodness. I've had a lot of people tell me no. You can't listen to that. -I don't know if any of you guys want to work here in the Capitol, but it's a very well possibility. -Yes, Amia. Raise that hand high. -Yes. So you definitely can. -1, 2, 3. Big smiles. -I am so proud of all of you. And let me say there'll be times when it'll get tough. The outside world will challenge you, but I want you to remember the message you got and the feeling you got when you earned every one of those badges and know that you're doing the right thing for yourselves, for your own community, and for the greater community. And you made me so proud today.

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-One day, I'm going to run this place. -How are you feeling, baby? -Excited. -Excited? -Yeah. -Are you nervous? -No. -No? You're so good. 3 1/2 years. You remember the first meeting? -Yes. -How did you feel the first meeting? -I didn't think that it was going to be this big. I just thought it was like a one-time thing. I didn't think that much of it. I was like, "Oh, they're just going to come over today and probably not going to see them." -Yeah, it just felt like you were just hanging out with some friends. -Mm-hmm. -Yeah. Got the vests. Alright.

Indistinct conversations

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-I'm excited. -Good! -Kind of scared, though. I'm so excited! It's here! It's here. -Yay. -Okay. Hi, everybody. -Hi. -Hi. I'm so happy to see your faces. Thank you for coming to the first Radical Monarch graduation. Yes.

Cheers and applause

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-3 1/2 years ago, this was all just really a dream, an idea. And so I think both for Marilyn and I, this feels like such an incredibly full circle moment. And this room is just vibrating with so much love and so much community. And so I just want to thank each and every one of you, because each of you have supported us in different ways, and so just thank you for being here, from the bottom of my heart. And this moment for me feels very surreal. Yeah. -So, this graduation plaque is for Lupita Martinez. Congratulations. You can come on up and get your plaque. Yes.

Cheers and applause

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Yes. -The next graduation plaque is for De'Yani. De'Yani, please stand. We've been honored to see you grow deeply into your skin over the past three years and the way you embody black girl magic and brilliance. Congratulations. Please come up and get your plaque.

Cheers and applause

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-Come on, Neveah! Yes!

Cheers and applause

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Come on, Namixtulu. Yes. -Quetzalli? -I think it's important for girls of color to join the Radical Monarchs movement because it teaches you more about yourself -- for example, knowing more about your roots, becoming aware of the issues around you, and discovering your strengths. -I want to ask Scaru to stand.

Cheers and applause

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Scaru, in year one, you only spoke in whispers through your sister. And today, you're one of the first Monarchs to share your thoughts and opinions. Congratulations.

Cheers and applause

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-Amia, come on up.

Cheers and applause

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-My biggest hope for Radical Monarchs is that it continues being a space where strangers can grow into sisters. And a girl like me -- small, very small, but opinionated -- can grow into the fierce activist I am. And I hope that every little girl of color in the world can have this safe space to learn, grow, and become the young woman of tomorrow.

Cheers and applause

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-So can we give a big round of applause for these Monarchs? -

Chanting

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When I say "Radical," you say, "Monarchs!" Radical! -Monarchs! -Radical! -Monarchs! -Yes!

Camera shutter clicks

Cheers and applause

Whistling

Jamila Woods' "VRY BLK" plays

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Black is like the magic The magic's like a spell My brothers went to heaven The police going to Yeah, they're going to Hello operator Emergency hotline If I say that I can't breathe Will I become a chalk line? Up to see the movie Line up to see the act The officers are scheming To cover up their Cover up their Ask me no more questions Tell me no more lies Your servin' and protectin' Is stealin' babies' lives I'm vry blk, blk, blk Can't send me Back, back, back You take my brother, brother, brother O0 C1