Organization to introduce one of their storied lofty members and i am not without that pleasure today. The only thingrsonally which ada little bit more pep in my step. But today i have the distinct pleasure of introducing come or read introducing to others the eminent legal scholar, statesman and legislator. ÷9 this gentleman, while he is certainly sartorially clad gentleman boots always cost upwards of many thousands of dollars i can say that he is certainly a true testament to the old maxim that hes the of the old anthem that the clothing makes the man. In this case clothing apparo prithvi fit the man and i have the distinct pleasure of introducing to you the speaker of the house of the General Assembly of virginia representative, delicate don scott. No, im not done. The brothers need to know who you are to sit through this a little bit today as i talk a little bit about you. In the legislature don scott has been a champion for reproductive rights and uplifting working families by ensuring a strong equitable economy is the plurality for virginia. His legislative priorities are strengthening schools improving Health Care Quality and affordability and criminal Justice Reform. In 2019 speaker scott was elected to represent the people. As a member of the Virginia House ofes. And 2022 he was elected by the members of his caucus to serve as the House Democratic leader and im a native virginian. Virginians were one of the first so in 1620, while 1619ts where the in insured from africa and when attorney scott is elected by his leaders that was a big deal but in practice they also in 2024 he became the first speaker of the house of delegates in virginias history since 1619. [applause] so he is committed to building a strong Democratic Caucus in winning back bet the majority of the house of delegates. Now let me tell you hes a■ virginian by the taxes that he pays and where he resides that he was born and raised in houston, texas and let me tell you one of six children raised by a single mother. This brother even with the few resources performed well in school and eventually enrolled in aerodynamicshouston area hige eventually matriculated to texas a m university where he is a student leader was one of the prime charter of the pie omicron chapter and number three in line, 11th in line. I wont talk about the height thing, i wont even go there but hes a big man of stature and thats one of the things i love about him. He even served our nation as a naval officer where he enrol ind proud to Service Offers are in the united states. He also went on to earn his law degree from the Louisiana State university. Now not only was an officer and an officer in t n an attorney he made a miracle rice in the corporaterea where he rose quickly to become one of the top three officers in the company. And in 2015 he oped law firm and before becoming a partner brother scott now serves as a personal injury attorney and serv the community is an active member of several missions. He is married to dr. Rollon to scott in the norfolk area. They are the proud parents of a 14yearold daughter. Don scott is a member of the bar in virginia and the Bar Association as well and association of criminal Defense Attorneys and the virginia trial lawyers association. And many other capacities holding leadership in the eureka club as well is a lifetime leadership in the vfw 993 and the American Legion post. He is currently an active member and that means the epsilon chapter in portsmouth virginia. It is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you virginian and my friend, the speaker of the house of delegates of the virginia General Assembly. Please welcome attorney don scott. [applause] when everybody leaves its about to get bad. All eyes are on me. My name is not tupac. Good afternoon brother. Its an honor to be here. I am overwhelmed for the honor of being here today with brothers from all over the country and brothers from members of the divine i never take the opportunity to speak before anybody but especially my brothers. I never take it lightly. That we live in dangerous times right now. There are those who may have forgotten where we have come from. Im 59 years age. But im 59 years old that was born in march of 1965, march 5 to be exact. Anybody know what happened on march 71965 . Bloody sunday. Crossing the Edmond Pettis bridge so i know we sometimes get a little but we forget we have only been living here for 59 years. Shortly thereafter is when the Voting Rights act was signed in august of 1955. So its appropriate now that w convene today to talk about the importance of voting and specifically black man voting because if you are paying around what it reallyg some means to be american right now. What democracy means. G a fight e rather will continue to be a democracy. I am the grandson of a world war i veteran who volunteered to get out of jasper texas. Hed do anything to get out of there. He about his age so they could serve so they could prove to folks that he was worthy to be an american. Im the son of a war veteran. My father who also was the hbcu grad. So i need folks to understand when i say i take a backseat to no one on my ownership of this ownership of america. [applause] our ancestors and brother lonzer talk about where we came from and. Thats where the first that came into virginia right down the street from where i live right where he served now. I carried that energy with me as i walk into these rooms. Years ago i was for some of you that didnt grow with a father i dont begrudge anyone the one you dont grow up with a father you have to develop other skill sets because you only have your mother and mothers can be very protective. My mother said keep your head down and dont say anything and dont speak up if youve got a good job. Dont mess it up. But i kept wanting to do more. And when i went to texas a m university pwi you get there and you start figuring out how many black students are there, about 45,000 students there were about 500 black students so you could get lost in that cul a lot of ue fighting to maintain their own identity. And i went to the navy as they said got out went to law school and my third year of law there was a crackcocaine conspiracy in my final semester ofcgc< law school. Im in the law library studying and they came in and rush the library. They pulled me out ofy. I do fight study for my finals pass and a couple of months after that i was facing a 10 year sentence. Most folks would have given up. They told me id never be a lawyer. I settled three cases lasteel s. [applause] dont feel sorry for me. But i want you to understand i was there. When i went away my grandmother would tell me i will see you while i was away as i said i wasnt there with my father but when this happened my father became one of my best friends. Sometimes you know i will make your endings rather than your beginnings. And so my father would come and see me as he was dying from lung cancer. My father used to have a big. Te was a withering man of himself. He had never giv lot of the time that he had served in the military. He left a Life Insurance policy to his four kids to do was a lot it was 30,000 but im inl and that become the basis for where i am today. I was able to take some of that money and give it to my brothers and sisters but the mentality that i had always family first so isela back to say where is the love in r right now . We have to make some tough decisions and i think right now we have always talked about this American Dream and im telling you all for we are living it right now. We have a duty and all of us in this room we wouldnt be here if we werent and we have been blessed with so much. We have a duty to speak and if youve gone through anything that makes you have empathy for others. It makes you want to work to help others0a so my mentality is until everybody is free, nobody is free and you know how bad things are when i ran for office. You know they tried to get me out. They tried to throw my pass and all that so;c [applause] im going to outwork everybody. Thats what they dont expect and thats what a lot of folks dont expect. Being black is no good if you arent excellent. Dont show up black and dont be excellent. My mentality is when i did that and i passed the bar and i started practicingw and i made a name for myself and my community. There were lot of people who told me you were doing well dont run for■■ office. My mom was like what . You need to sit down. These people are going to put your business in the streets. You know thats how your mama talk to you right . That same woman who was in that courtroom and 94 when the judge did the where id never been in trouble before and she it out in pain. I heard that same 88yearold woman yell and dinner tent when they were saying don scott ill never be elected as the first black speaker and so when i saw her walking i was composed that day. When i walked through that gallery my mother sitting in a wheelchair and i bent down and gave her a hug. We have a navigation and a duty to those who have come before us who made sacrifices. I think we feel comfortable and we forget trauma thats been put into our communities and we carry in our blood. I think we get so comfortable sometimes we forget the shame and embarrassment and humiliation and political torture that folks had to endure just so we could be here right now. When i walked into those rooms into the General Assembly i see those people who had to empty people spittoons and urine. I see people in that same General Assembly democraticallyelected. I see those who used to take care of those people who did not treat them as human who would talk about their rights as though they were not there. I see those people in that room. When i walk in that room and look around to all the speakers that come before me none of them look like me. And i know that i have a different responsibility and obligation not only to black people but to people. Some of us have a lot of frenzy all and they can let them understand what we have been doing and what we will go through. This voting thing is the mostp sacred right that you have to put a lot of folks are throwing it away. They dont believe in it they dont believe in making a difference. I think it makes a difference. You have one guy who says i believe in democracy and the other one says lets suspend the constitution for a couple of days. Everybody is making a big deal about age. We have an 81yearold that believes in democracy and we have a 77yearold that doesnt. We have got big differences here. A man 77 talked talking about somebody else. Make it make sense for me. We have enough occasion and thats what im hopeful that we have a chance to grow and people take on their shoulders she spots ability. We have young men right now who cant come out of prison and do what i did. Dont believe they even have an an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. They still have the of the jail in them and every time someone looks at them thats all they want to talk about. I dont mind talking about it. We can talk about it all day. If you want to reminisce all reminisce but at the end of the day i need you to unders■ond where i am today. Im not doing a love song about yesterday. At the end of the day we have that■p opportunity and i contine to believe that intelligent story especially reaching out to folks to get them engaged in this political. You all need to see my office. The Speakers Office in the General Assembly huge. I have two huge conference rooms. Rooms and huge office. If they had known it was coming they would have stopped construction in june. They just opened it. [laughter] so i always say has an amazing sense of humor. The same thing you threw away he will pick up clean it up and put it in front but i got elected in 2019 and i took my oath in 2024 years later and swor aeaker of. That was and i know that so i know i have a responsibility. [applause] when i came in to virginia to the House Democrats have not been in the majority in 20 years. I g e in 2021. We have not been in the house. We immediately lost the next election. It was so bad i got elected minority leader. Thats how bad it was. So at the end of the day one thing that beats everything is hard work and discipline in and one of the things that folks say we are going to be as disciplined and they told me it couldnt raise money. They said you wont be up to raise money. I broke the fundraising records so im good at asking folks for money. Broke the fundraising records tw in november to january it when i was sworn in by raised a million dollars. We can it. Dont let anybody tell you that you cant. Its what you see when you look in the mirror. [applause] and im going to close right now but i want to say this. Was after i was elected the next morning i talked to the first black governor of virginia. We went and had breakfast and in my mind it was like i was sitting in that with michael corleone whoever has the lead thats the traitor. [laughter] he was giving me all of the playbook that he accumulated in wisdom and how to carry yourself in this position that you are in now. We need to contain to do that. We have an obligation to get these Young Brothers involved and engaged and promote them. My staff is the most staff my speakers that the most diverse staff. Im intentionally diverse. I dont ever want to be the only i want to bring others down. I want to bring more end. I want someone to take this mic for me and ill keep it warm for them but as we continue to go throughs we have many roads. We have to be father brother provider. We have a lot of pressure on us. People talk about why surrenders are more active. They have different pressures. Dont go there. But what im trying to get you all to leave this all in the people that founded this country never expected us to be where we are now. They had this great lofty idea like language all men are created equal but they said those words all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We believed them. Our people heard those words and all the hypocrites saying it but they said we are going to make this come to fruition. And thats the fight that we continue to fight because thats her application that we continue to fight with right now. We are equal a■lnd more. It is time for us to continue to do this fight a share our values. Not with the entertainment foolishness not what the motives mode fake machismo but who care about the same thing that we care about. People think we are sometimes. They always vote we are just voting against the people that might do something to us. We just have common sense. [applause] we have just got common sense. They think we are naive. We votee not overtly. Its not hard to figure out. Its not always about justits r looked at in the eyes by people and if youre not can you demand it . I think part of that is we have to feel comfortable making demands. And getting to the table because you know what they say fjord at ble you are on the menu. So we have enough occasion to be at that table and content aside and heres an opportunity. I talk about money a lot because you know its reality. We have got to understand what people care about. People care about money and you cant get a message out without money you cant do anything. We get so highfalutin and idealistic that we forget its g work. While we are in this room at these folks are asking us to make contributions youve got to make a sacrifice to give that to make some sacrifices to put the money into the till so we can continue to grow and■ the young people of tomorrow and grow politicians like me are people who stand up and say all i ran on was criminal Justice Reform when i came in and protecting voter rights in economics. You have to have the money. This conversation this room needs to be packed next year. Im going to do that part. [applause] im going to bring 20 or 30 people next year. Ive got the budget for it. Everybody in this room needs to commit for doubling up this this room had to be too small next year. Can we agree on that . [applause]o close with this gal. The first obligation at the first black speaker to make sure theres a second black speaker and a third black speaker and a fourth black speaker and a fifth. Thank you all. [applause]■ instead of saying you are free to leave i was blindfolded, handcuffed and thrown in the back of the car and taken straight to prison. It brings me great joy to 3200 students to participate in this competition this year to grant prizewinner of student camp 2024. Thank you so much. Thank you, wow. This is a huge honor we are so grateful for this opportunity and we really thank you a lot