Spark Community Service

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Carly Faulkner. [00:00:04] Speaker B: I'm Kaden Petrus. And we are the co hosts of Spark by revolutionaire, where we pass the mic to people whose voices are not. [00:00:09] Speaker A: Always heard and have candid and informative conversations. In today's episode, we'll be talking about community service. [00:00:15] Speaker B: Today we have a very special topic. We're talking about community service, and we're here with the co host of Take Action with Iman and Lethan. And we're here to just talk about some amazing things and some amazing initiatives that they're a part of. And we're really excited about this conversation. [00:00:32] Speaker A: So one of the co hosts, Iman Davis, is dedicated to encouraging first generation minority students to attend college, and he also is involved in DC, Texas, and Chicago community service programs. [00:00:45] Speaker B: And Lethan Hampton, he is proactive in highlighting disparities within the STEM field, and he's also a revolutionary action leader with the housing and food insecurity team. So thank you guys for coming. [00:00:57] Speaker A: Yes, welcome. [00:00:58] Speaker C: Happy to be here. [00:00:59] Speaker B: We're here to talk about community service with you guys. And so what I want to know is, what sparked your want to do community service to participate in the communities? What's your drive? [00:01:08] Speaker C: Yeah, so I'll go first. I'd say one thing about me is that I've always been an avid person when it comes to change, making community service. The main reason behind that is I've noticed a lot of issues prevalent in my hometown, along with in Washington, DC as well. A lot of people can sit on an issue, they can notice an issue and speak on it, but the people that actually take action are the true leaders. And so I wanted to be a leader, someone who took initiative and someone who really wanted to bring change in my community. [00:01:33] Speaker A: Nice. Was there, like, a specific time when you realized, like, wait a minute, I need to get involved, or was it something that was instilled in you? [00:01:42] Speaker C: I would say instilled. I was in a lot of organizations, leadership organizations, that did a lot of philanthropy work. But at the same time, freshman year of college, when I really started to get involved, when it came to food drives in Houston, and that branched out to me doing more work within revolutionary itself, I didn't want to just have the skill set of being able to serve, but not knowing where to do it at or not knowing where to start. So I just started, and one day I just set a proposal. I was like, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to do this with these people at this day and this time. And that just grew to me having a stronger drive to do more. [00:02:15] Speaker B: Yeah. I remember seeing that freshman year. I was in awe. I was just like. I feel like when we're trying to. We all want to help and we all want to do something in a way, but the biggest thing is not knowing where to start. [00:02:26] Speaker A: Right. [00:02:26] Speaker B: And you just did that. [00:02:28] Speaker A: You just did it with social media. [00:02:29] Speaker B: You just did it social media, and now it's a thing. It's a part of something. You do all the. That's really. I think it's know. Okay, so what about you? [00:02:40] Speaker D: I would say mainly two reasons. Firstly, it involves a bit of my background. So originally born in New Orleans, I moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina, and then we moved to Houston. I found a church home and essentially stayed there even to this day. So it was instilled to me to give back plenty of service vets almost every week, give it back to the fifth war community in Houston, Texas. [00:03:07] Speaker B: Wow. [00:03:08] Speaker D: And so through that, I just kind of, like, about how old? Sorry, I moved to Houston when I was five, so I guess I've been giving back as early as I can remember. [00:03:20] Speaker A: Wow. [00:03:21] Speaker D: So it was definitely instilled into me. So as a result, it's just like, it's a natural part of me nowadays. [00:03:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:03:27] Speaker D: Secondly, I've been helped out by so many people in my life today, and I'm pretty sure we'll have this topic later on, but community means everything to me, and so with me being helped out by so many people, that's led to me being the position I am today, I feel like it's just a natural want for me to give it back. [00:03:46] Speaker A: Right. [00:03:46] Speaker D: And give more to those who need to be give back to. [00:03:48] Speaker A: So you would say your motto is sort of like, it takes a village. [00:03:52] Speaker D: It takes a village. Yeah, it does. And I want to be able to be the part of the village for people to come. So, as you mentioned earlier, just first year minorities being able to go to school, I feel like that's really my purpose in life because that's me, my first year minority going to school, trying to make. [00:04:07] Speaker B: So I absolutely resonate with that. I mean, when you said that the people who helped you, the reason why I'm in this position today to be here, to be at Howard, is because of organizations that have given back to me. I mean, communities that have given back to me in different ways, different types of communities that I'm a part of and that want to see Meek succeed. So, I mean, I deeply resonate with that, and I think it would be unnatural, kind of, if you didn't want to push that fortune forward. [00:04:38] Speaker D: And just to elaborate on that further, my sophomore year here at Howard, I had the opportunity to organize an event titled Black Memphis, Houston. I found that experience to be so rewarding and in alignment with my past and everything, and I have yet to go back to Houston and do that again, and it feels weird. [00:05:00] Speaker A: And what did you do for that? What specifically really made you feel like, wow, this is something that I really want to do and continue. [00:05:07] Speaker D: So we had reached out to people from Tuskegee, Texas Southern University, me being here at Howard, a few of the HBCUs as well, that we all had a part of our networks collab together, coming from all different backgrounds, and literally just worked together to feed the people of Houston. It was like a three to five month planning process. That's actually how I got involved with revolutionnaire, and essentially, it showed HBCU unity. We were able to give back to the city that we loved the most, and it was a great experience, honestly. And also as a part of the event that we did, we were able to build people up through having very challenging conversations that a lot of men don't tend to have nowadays. It was a very rewarding experience. [00:05:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:56] Speaker A: Nice. So I want to jump to Lethan right quick. You were proactive in highlighting disparities surrounding the STEM field. Are there some things that you just want to look forward to highlight in the future, like those disparities in the STEM field and how you can incorporate that in community service later on? [00:06:11] Speaker C: Definitely the question, too. I think so. For me, my career centered around disparities in the STEM field. So 2% of pzs are black in the Bible sciences, and I feel as though there's not enough role models in our community that encourage our youth to pursue careers of higher degrees. So I think that's where I really want to target. That's the audience I want to really target. When it comes to programming, I'm currently the director of educational activities and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Incorporated beta chapter. So my service comes in that manner. Right through my positions, I'm still able to give back in tutoring, mentorship workshops, bringing in professionals on different panels and different high schools and middle schools that encourage these youth to get involved in STEM. [00:06:48] Speaker A: Nice. So you're, like, taking steps to close that gap. [00:06:50] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:06:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:06:51] Speaker C: I've always been big on education, too, so I'm also pursuing my phd as well. Wow, really understanding global health as a career. [00:06:59] Speaker A: Yeah, very nice. [00:07:00] Speaker D: Smart dude right here, right? Smart guy. [00:07:04] Speaker B: So with all of know what made you want to turn that into a series, both of you? [00:07:11] Speaker C: Yeah. I think it comes back to the idea of teamwork with community in itself. Ima mentioned you relied on his church home. We transitioned from New Orleans to Houston. And so a community, a family, is something you always want to carry together. So Ima's been my friend before, revolutionary before. As a freshman, we were friends. So it's important that I do it with him just because we have a bond already. But even more so, I think it's important, like the first two words, take action. [00:07:35] Speaker D: Right. [00:07:35] Speaker C: We're not just having good conversation about these issues. We're actually going out to different communities. We recently served in the Washington Youth Garden this past weekend, so we were actually there in person helping, taking down fruit, taking down vegetables and whatnot. Stuff like that is how we get involved and get firsthand experiences with the people that actually start up these organizations and whatnot. [00:07:56] Speaker D: And also, just to elaborate further with us, have like, the background and being. [00:08:03] Speaker A: Great ladies, the bond you two share. [00:08:07] Speaker D: I would say that just to follow up on the point I made earlier, service was instilled into me or onto me. Not everybody comes from that same background and content. Showing young black men doing service in community and trying to encourage others to do the same thing is needed nowadays, right? [00:08:26] Speaker B: It is. [00:08:30] Speaker D: When we were approached with making this a reality, we were both on board and it's our figures. Yeah, I would say the content is needed. We're really trying to expose people of young, like the youth, to get involved, as everyone doesn't have that background or has that know how that natural feel or the know how. Let me go on eventbrite this weekend or let me go have a conversation with LinkedIn and try know make sandwiches to feed. [00:09:00] Speaker A: So, yeah, nice. [00:09:01] Speaker D: I would say those would be like the additional reasons, too. [00:09:04] Speaker A: I have a question for you, Iman. You were involved in DC, Texas, and Chicago community service. Where did Chicago come from? [00:09:13] Speaker D: So this past summer, I interned in Chicago, so I stayed out there whole summer. Basically. Chicago is a very segregated city, and you have the south side, which is where primarily all the African Americans stay low income. And that comes with its own set of issues. And also the youth out there are in need of mentorship and just positive examples. Me interning at Google, being at Howard. [00:09:40] Speaker A: Say that one more time. You intern where with me intern at Google. [00:09:45] Speaker B: All right. [00:09:46] Speaker D: Being at Howard, being a first gen student. So probably being able to relate to the majority of the people on the south side, there was a mentorship conference that I was able to take a group of youth from Detroit to, in which I was able to meet the chairman of the Jordan brand, Larry Miller, I believe his name is, and a few other prominent people that showed up to make sure people on the south side are kind of having positive influences look up to. And so, yeah, that was, like, one example of what I did in Chicago and a few other things I did as well. [00:10:18] Speaker A: Wow. And a few other things. [00:10:19] Speaker B: And a few other things. [00:10:21] Speaker A: Some light. [00:10:24] Speaker D: Also, Marcus, if you know, watching this, shout out to you, because the reason why that happened to Chicago south. [00:10:32] Speaker A: Wow. Shout out to Marcus. [00:10:34] Speaker B: Shout out to Marcus. I think it's just amazing how, you know, your core. I feel like this is a part of your core. Correct me if I'm wrong, it's a part of core. I think it's amazing how you travel with it. I feel like it's easy to say your community is where you're from, where you grew up in, but your community is the places that you embody, that you experience. Yeah, we live by Howard's campus. Well, I don't live on Howard's campus, but we live in a community. We live in a very impoverished community. I think it's easy to tell. It's easy to notice. So we have to be aware, we have to be self conscious that we are in these people's neighborhoods and that we are encompassing their community. So incorporating them into the decisions that we make, into the initiatives that we know is important. So I like how you sprinkle core all over Chicago, Texas, and you, too, Lisa, and I see everything that you guys do. I think it's just. Can't keep saying the word amazing, but it is amazing for black men your age. And also, I think it's important that we don't become desensitized to the constant images of black men being portrayed and being demeaned and being, for lack of better words, killed in the media, killed everywhere, all over the country, all over the world. So I think images and series and initiatives like yours show the world that there's more and that the stigmas and stereotypes associated with black men and with black disparities there are efforts being made to overcome. You know, I appreciate that. [00:12:11] Speaker D: There was also one thing I learned in Chicago. It's different know. Yeah, I never saw. So I had a conversation with a young person out there, asked him, what do you want to be? That was the first situation I was in, in which it was sports. It was sports again, and it was sports again. It was like no conception outside of a know, you can't go to anything else related to was. That was my first time ever having a conversation like that, and Chicago was eye opening for me. Houston has its own set of issues. Houston has a big homelessness problem. Chicago not as much in DC. I think it's big on the homelessness. [00:12:54] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:12:55] Speaker D: When you move around, you see the different sets of issues. And for me, it's like I'm just able to. [00:13:00] Speaker A: Naturally, it seems like you're able to find a connection, no matter where you are, to the people there and to figure out, how can I better that community. And that kind of brings me to my next question. It's sort of like when you guys talk about community service, I know, we all know it's not just about where you're from, but how do you find those connections? We've already spoken about how you found those connections, but basically, how do people get involved in their community or communities abroad? Let's say they just moved somewhere, they want to get involved in community service, how they would reach out to that community and to build a bond with them. [00:13:36] Speaker C: I think it starts on a very low level first, and I think it's good that you mentioned the situation you had in Chicago, because it's like we serve as role models in a sense, for them. Right. Like, people that see the series are then inspired to maybe even start their own series or maybe start their own community service organizations or social platforms. I know on my first instance of doing some of the food drives in Houston and DC, many people reached out at different HBCUs saying, I want to do the same thing in my HBCUs. I want to recently encourage students in my class to get involved, too. And it's like I never realized that I can have such a big impact with my small network. But either way, people see the work that you do. So it all starts with observing service from a low level in your local community and actually using that to create a foundation. [00:14:22] Speaker D: How you create your own service if. [00:14:24] Speaker C: You'Re moving abroad, if you're starting in a new environment, you may not know people, but it's a matter of you starting it on yourself. You have to take the initiative to go out to different groups or even start something just individually. And then you grow and you meet people do that. Right, right. There are certain events that I've thrown by myself. People have attended, and then two weeks later I'll throw an event with the people that attended. So it's like just from them coming, me not knowing them at all, I started something new. [00:14:48] Speaker A: It's easy to gel with people, it seems like, through community service. [00:14:51] Speaker B: And I like what you said about creating your own service. I think there's different ways of contributing to your community and volunteering. So, for example, I research. That's one of my jobs. I'm a researcher, so I research disparities. And I'm a nursing major as well. So I research nursing specific disparities. And as a sociology minor, it gets even deeper because I'm thinking about the social determinants of health that may affect the patients that I may be treating in the future. So I'm thinking about, do they have access to this? Do they have the resources? Do they have the health insurance? I'm thinking about all these factors that contribute to their disparities. So I think researching that and spreading it and sharing it is another way of advocacy, is another way of community service and being, getting involved. So I don't think it has to be linear and subjective to the image of community service. [00:15:43] Speaker A: It's more of a brand. [00:15:45] Speaker B: Yeah, it's more of a brand instead of a path. I think when people are trying to find their own ways of contributing to their community, one great way is go to revolutionaire. Go to revolutionaire.com. Okay. [00:15:59] Speaker A: Right. [00:15:59] Speaker B: We have amazing people that dedicate their time to creating opportunities for people to go into their communities, know, commit to positive change making. [00:16:10] Speaker D: That's how we found the Washington Youth Garden in which we volunteered at this past Saturday. Nice, 30 seconds. So I would say taking the initiative to find things around you, and if that doesn't work, using LinkedIn's approach of trying to meet some people in the area, getting yourself out of your comfort. [00:16:28] Speaker A: Zone or make that social media post. [00:16:32] Speaker C: Yourself, it's hard, but it's the first step. A lot of things you may not have full support in, but by taking that initiative and having a foundation of being assertive and making your own service. [00:16:44] Speaker D: That'S the first step to get somewhere. And also, I know we keep reference referencing black men feed Houston. I had a lot of self doubt. I've never heard or seen an event of black men feeding the entire city of Houston. I am a sophomore in college trying to lead this event and literally just having random people reach out to me and come to me with questions, advice and a whole bunch of other things. [00:17:16] Speaker B: That must have been overwhelming. [00:17:18] Speaker D: It was definitely overwhelming, yeah. But like I said earlier, it was very rewarding and I really was able to prove something to myself and I was really able to show myself that if I seek out and I want to do it. I can do it. [00:17:30] Speaker B: Yes, you can. [00:17:31] Speaker D: And so for anyone else who may be watching and has something in the back of their head that has been lingering there, whether it's a service event or just trying to get out your comfort zone and start something that you want to start, I'm a perfect example of that. [00:17:46] Speaker A: Just want to mention that he is lovely. [00:17:47] Speaker B: He is. And I want to ask you guys, like, going into basically, your experiences with community service, what's your first memory or your favorite memory of community service? [00:18:00] Speaker A: Right. [00:18:00] Speaker C: I think my first moment ties back to a certain feeling you get when you serve, which is just love. And you feel like. It's hard to describe the feeling you get when you serve, but it's just like your heart's, like, jumping. And so the first instance of me serving was with my mother, which is why it's such a strong memory for me. And so we were at Oyster Creek, at Sugarland, doing community service and at a community garden. And every movement, everything we did, she was right there with me, which is why it's such a strong memory for me. At the same time, though, my grandparents have a garden in their backyard, so every time I go over there, I'm doing it with them. It's always someone doing it with me. That's why I have such a strong feeling of love and connection with them through that. [00:18:40] Speaker B: Oh, I love that. [00:18:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:41] Speaker D: I would say my fondest memory, I don't remember age, but I remember a Christmas ago. Essentially what happens in Houston is that we have the George R. Brown Convention center. It's like a big center downtown Houston, and on Christmas Eve, we have, like, a big service event where anyone all over Houston can sign up and either be a volunteer with distributing items or kind of do, like, the behind the scenes work with organizing cars that drive up to get meals and other things. So I was very young at the time, and I was passing out gifts to other people my age, and it showed me to be grateful. [00:19:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:19:23] Speaker D: It showed me that not everyone has the set of experiences or blessings that I have within my life. And literally heading a pair of shoes to another person my age and seeing a smile on their face makes me cry, honestly. [00:19:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:19:39] Speaker D: But I would say that that's, like, my fondest memory because it really exposed me to. You should always practice gratitude. [00:19:46] Speaker B: Yes. [00:19:46] Speaker D: I would say it really just kind of brought a light to my day, and I really enjoyed Christmas the next day. [00:19:52] Speaker A: That was amazing. That's great. I'm glad we ended on a little. [00:19:57] Speaker B: Christmas note for our next episode for our next episode. [00:20:04] Speaker A: But of course, lastly, I wanted to give you guys an opportunity to plug what you guys are currently doing and sort of tell the people why they should listen in to take action. [00:20:15] Speaker D: With Iman and Lethan, I now have the platform to look over the school of Business at Howard University. And actually in one of my committees that I overlook, we actually have a community service committee. And so this month we're working with a team center in the DC community to inform the people that stay there about college applications, scholarships, and trying to progress themselves when they leave the center. We're going to be working on giving away toys to students who are in the area who may not come from backgrounds where they get toys for Christmas. And actually, right now I'm leading a service bin on campus called Hu gives Back, where I collaborated with seven other on campus organizations to collect donation items for the Thanksgiving season. So right now we're collecting non perishable items and hygiene items and so on campus, I'm organizing service. [00:21:13] Speaker A: Will that be highlighted in take action with Iman and Lincoln? [00:21:16] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:21:20] Speaker D: And outside of campus, I actually want to start my own foundation one day, which is focused on providing mentorship to young black men and providing them with scholarships to attend schools that they want to do and having a community service aspect in that as well. So that's on mind as I already have a lot of things going for myself. I think that's the next thing of focus for me. [00:21:42] Speaker A: Very nice. [00:21:42] Speaker C: Well, I will say I'm excited for this series. [00:21:46] Speaker D: I'm glad to do it. [00:21:47] Speaker C: My best bud here. We just want to encourage you guys to get involved and obviously take action. We have a lot of different opportunities set up, and so we're just excited to go out there and just make sure that you're propelled to serve in your own communities or whatnot. But nonetheless, we're excited. Are we ready? [00:22:02] Speaker B: Well, we just want to say thank you for coming here. And we want to say thank you for having this conversation with us. You guys are amazing. You guys are just perfect examples of the men we want to see in our communities. And we're grateful for everything that you do, everything you sprinkle, every ounce of hope and goodness that you sprinkle on, everybody that you touch. We appreciate it. So thank you for taking time to come out and talk to us. [00:22:25] Speaker A: Thank you. [00:22:26] Speaker D: I can tell you like words of affirmation. [00:22:29] Speaker B: I do like words of affirmation, and I'm going to give it. [00:22:31] Speaker A: I'm going to throw it. And we're excited to listen in to take action with Iman and Leithan. Are you excited to listen? [00:22:37] Speaker D: Oh, one thing, we are also selling hats. [00:22:40] Speaker A: Okay, hats. [00:22:42] Speaker D: If you're watching this, we have hats available on the revolutionary shop site, so make sure you buy one. They're a pretty cool design. And proceeds go towards us being able to find other events and things like that. [00:22:55] Speaker A: Nice. [00:22:56] Speaker D: Be sure to support. [00:22:57] Speaker A: Very nice. [00:22:58] Speaker C: And let's take some action. [00:23:02] Speaker A: Well, thank you guys so much. You guys have been so much fun. [00:23:05] Speaker D: Oh, yeah, it's been enjoyed this. We appreciate it. And thank you all for your questions and making it such an open space to. I felt very comfortable talking to that. [00:23:15] Speaker A: Good. [00:23:16] Speaker B: That's the point. And we just want to shout out. [00:23:20] Speaker A: Carly, while we're recording this. Yes, it's my birthday. When it comes out, who knows? But yes. Thank you. [00:23:27] Speaker B: Thank you for tuning in. This is sparked by revolutionaire, and stay. [00:23:31] Speaker A: Tuned for more signing out. [00:23:33] Speaker D: Hey, y'all, make sure that y'all stay tuned for more episodes for sparked by revolutionaire. [00:23:38] Speaker A: And follow us on TikTok and Instagram at Revolutionnaire Co.