All around the planet rice and so and so when we saw this kind of unbelievable daily unrest and everything that was going on. Why can that happen. Why can people get away with that right and we know that over four hundred years in this country. We've had that sort of thing happening. The whole time with lynching jim that's that's been part of the american experienced also right but why have people gotten away with it. Well they gotten away with it because well first of all the majority has been in power for and again they have the same blind spot but but more importantly they've been told a story that dehumanizes black people and when you dehumanize them then you can justify yes because you don't see them as human anyway right so you you're able to do that embattled. Why is diversity important because we need to sit across the table from each other and say you're just as good as me right just as good as black people. We care about our children to. We want to be healthy too right. We care about to care about the climate as well. We're all human beings more or less. Want the same things until you have that experience from meeting other people all you have to go on is the images and a stereotype that been presented to you and then we continue adjust the cycle just continues to repeat itself over and over and over again. Because you don't actually have a black friend that you know anything about all white friend that you know anything about or an asian friend french francs and you feel very very differently than when people start talking about you. Know my fam- my family here in my home is everything of everything. And that's been a great great blessing to my life and a great blessing. Because i also inherited when i married my has been i also in inherit tribe not just his family but also the children from his first marriage. And i'm really proud of us. I'm really proud of what we've been able to do as a family and how we have all had to learn and grow and listen to each other. They've had to listen to me to listen to them. Had to see different perspective and this is what's important if we all make up. The united states of america each life is important yes is equally glorious one. One group of people doesn't get to decide what it's going to be like for everybody eight right. You know what you have done such good work. I've just being excellent. Which has allowed you to bubble up to the top and show up in places where we may not have typically seen people that. Look like you and me for instance. You've got a couple of presidential inaugurations under your belt right you have. I believe that you saying the the homegoing of ruth bader ginsburg right. Yeah i remember seeing you there jessica great president or it and done i'm born and raised in washington dc. So i've been involved in embraced in the political scene here and have participated in a lot of important That does so much for little black girls. Little black boys little black anybody to see you even grown people to see you in those spaces but you touched on something. That's really interesting when you went to the point where you were saying that you have gotten criticism from other black people saying you're not black enough now. I know this like. I'm so that story growing up because as you know i'm classically. Trained as a metal soprano. A lot of people don't really understand what that means. They make the leap to opera. First of all which doesn't necessarily mean that it means that i was trained in the classic way right and i did learn a lot of classical music but i saying all the john ras and i would typically get the side. I from a lot of my friends some family. Because i didn't sing gut bucket gospel. Which is i love. You know but there are other people that did that. We don't tend to make room and spaces sometimes for the diversity within our own culture that all the time all the time here in washington some years ago they did attribute tribute to marian anderson k. The first african american to sing at the metropolitan one opera singer involved in. Shell not one again. That was again. Another blind spot. Because you know. I think people think that that belong to european art form and that belongs here and their offense. This lots of wonderful amazing. Yeah i mean amazing artists that have come before marina. You know sister jones mirror cardwell dawson elizabeth taylor greenfield. Marie select the higher sisters. And then mary anderson of course the great the great the mighty you know leontyne price probably the one the greatest voices of i'm hands down and lots of wonderful artists. Who were out there today. You know beautiful there. There isn't a ray of excellent artis that within the culture and when these people are planning to so this is why it's important so i wanna thank you for having me on your show because this is why it's important that i'm here. Yes because people don't know or they're not in the areas where they would know about an opera singer or learn about different opera singers and so we are as varied as a as a as a group of people as any as anyone else. Ma'am yes ma'am a whole span of great excellence in artistry in every area and so we have to learn to look at the refined arts as well. I mean. I don't know misty copeland right. Everybody's really really proud of her to see her out there dancing as a classical you know classical ours in part of the kennedy center honors of the artistic committee and it used to be very very early on that that that that particular franchise was just celebrating the refined our end up to all kinds you know. Ll cool j. one rain and now we're seeing heavy allen yelling just recently which was awesome and but but yes so we all have to learn but it's important that there's representation within the black community as well as to the wonderful artists who are across all kinds of genres of music because We have so much to offer. We have so much to say. We're out here doing great work for those people who have said that. I wasn't black enough. I've been blocked from the very beginning. And i gotta tell you when. I'm over in china or i'm in russia or when i'm in ireland black Okay so you can't tell me that. I'm not much no because i have been so often the only one in the room. I know that more more so than you know someone else writes with. So i know what that means but but but what needs to be healed in that statement in saying you're not black enough is what needs to be healed and what needs to be addressed is because we have been told that this is who you are and no one can define who you are right. You cannot let or signed somebody else. Who's not you define who you are. But you know so. That's been very hurtful to the black community because people have people drank the koolade. Yes okay within. this is what i am. And if you're not like that and that means you're not like us. But.