at the age of 22 my mother and I decided
that I was going to take care of my
younger sister who was 14 at the time my
mother was getting deployed to Japan and
I had to become her legal guardian and I
didn’t really think about myself I
didn’t think about what it was that I
needed to do for my life I just thought
about my sister I poured everything I
had into her I raised her the same way
that my mother would have raised me so I
attended all the practices I would go to
the school I would be there for her
whenever she needed me and so from 22 to
27 I was a full-time parent now it gets
a little tricky when I get to 27
my sister graduates she goes off to
college she’s in New York graduated top
10% of her class yay hooray
yes yay right and I was so proud but it
didn’t hit me and I tell people all the
time it’s very interesting to go through
in that syndrome at 27 years old that
first Monday I remember it vividly
because it was like a turning point for
me in my life I came home it was a
Monday had worked all day got home sat
on the couch and all I could hear was
take take take and I’m doing it this way
because I’m left-handed so I have to do
it this way all right but it was tick
tick tick I was just sitting there I had
no one to cook for I had no practice to
go to I didn’t have you know someone
asking me what we’re doing tonight I had
no I didn’t have my buddy to go to the
movies with anymore and I said everyone
I said you know what I have to get back
to what I think is my life’s purpose
what my mother raised me to do what I
felt like I was put here on this planet
to do and that was to be involved in
politics to be to help shape policy to
help get people elected to help put
people in positions of power to even run
the candidates that we see every day I
knew that I wanted to do something that
would help people in my and the way that
I thought I could do the way I thought I
could help people and so in 2016 a young
attorney who was running to become Judge
the Honorable Florence Taylor Varner who
was successful in 2000
sixteen to become Broward County’s first
haitian-american
elected judge without being appointed
first you see here in Broward County we
have 90 plus judges but only eight or
seven at this time are of African
American or Caribbean descent in a
minority majority county and so then I
continue to travel I I wanted to see how
deep this political rabbit hole went I
wanted to learn everything I wanted to
know the ins and outs and so I began to
travel I went to I went all over the
state I went to different meetings
political events I saw different
candidates speak I would go everywhere I
could to try to meet and learn about
this political system I had no idea
about it but then I started meeting
candidates I started building
relationships I started meeting elected
officials people from the House of
Representatives all the way down to your
mayor’s and your city commissioners I
know a great deal of them here in the
state of Florida and I made it my
mission to meet them I wanted to learn
what made them wants to become an
elected official what made them want to
pursue public office and how did they
get elected how are they successful
because I know a lot of people are
well-intentioned and they want to run
for office but I wanted to know what
made them successful I spoke to the
people that won and I spoke to the
people that lost that’s just as
important I wanted to know how do we get
this thing turning because we need to
get younger people we need to get
Millennials in action and in the right
positions and we need to learn how this
thing works so that we can start
building our political power but I
didn’t count on the 2016 election being
the ugliest presidential election we’ve
ever seen in our life and I hope that we
never have to go through something like
that again I pray we never have to go
through something like that again
but that taught me something that taught
me something and so through my various
travels I came up with these these
mantras these tips these tricks these
these tools these things that I thought
made candidates be successful and this
is not the end-all to be all this can’t
this may not work for everybody but I
think it’s a pretty general blueprint
it’s a general blue plan so if someone
were to come to me today and say I am
so and so and I am running for public
office I’m gonna step back and look at
you and say are you really running for
office or are you just taking pictures
and putting them up on social media so
rule number one there are no rules there
are no rules like I said before we went
through the 2016 presidential election
and that completely broke the system
damaged it
there is no wait my turn there is no
you’re in line there is no you have to
wait for someone to anoint you to be
next there’s none of that there are no
rules
if this certain person or this certain
organization won’t endorse you oh well
you don’t have to play by their rules
you’re there for the people you decided
that you wanted to run for office that
you wanted to step up and be the voice
for the voiceless that you wanted to be
someone to do the most good and your
community in your city and your district
or in your state and just like this
image up here when the young man told me
oh and one of my favorite movies the
matrix there are no spoons yeah you’re
right there are no spoons it’s a mindset
it’s a mindset there are no rules you
wait for no one
what is wait my turn you know I had a
friend running for office tote this
older gentleman that he was running for
office he was running against a
particular incumbent that man looked and
said haven’t you ever heard wait your
turn I said what did you do he was like
well I just said you know thank you sir
but you know I’m running for X Y & Z I
say you better than me I would have
laughed and walked away I wouldn’t have
said anything else I was just walked on
but there is no more wait your turn too
often we have seen elected officials who
say they represent us but we still we
still don’t have access to affordable
health care affordable housing or
affordable education there are still
people that in the summer here in South
Florida have to open up the front door
and the back door to get a breeze in
through the summer we have to do better
so if you say okay I want to run for
office I want to do the most good I want
to be the best that I can be for
everyone around me you’re gonna have to
put in the work
and I’m not talking about like I said
you know you just happen to get a
t-shirt made and and that’s great that’s
awesome and then you want to go out and
happen to go to a store and oh I’m ready
for office let me take a picture at my
favorite bagel shop click no you got to
put in work I’m talking work work work
work work work right you see me I be
right you got to work you got to put
feet to pavement knuckles to doors
you’ve got to raise money you got to
make phone calls you have to go to this
event you’re gonna have people telling
you what you should and should not be
doing you’re gonna have all these voices
in your head you’re gonna have family
members wanting you to do stuff you’re
gonna have people thinking you’re now
the expert because you went to one
political meeting so you have to do the
work you have to show up you have to
follow up and you have to make sure when
you enter a room they know you’re there
and when you leave they need to miss you
they need to know you left make an
impact get out there and put in the work
so now you’re saying okay okay I I’m not
playing by any rules I’m gonna put him
to work
I love Rihanna of course all right so
yeah okay great all right so next step
what are your genuine intentions what
are your genuine intentions I know for
me for the millennial generation we have
an opportunity to right the ship we have
an opportunity to rebuild this structure
to rebuild our political system because
it’s no longer about us it’s about those
that are coming behind us our children
our future what do we want to leave for
them now we have to think about that now
and so anybody that tells me they’re
running for office I need to know what
your intentions are do you care do you
care about the people in your community
do you care that there are people that
are hungry right down the street from
probably your office building where it
would be if you’re successful do you
care so if you say okay I do care no I’m
not asking your elevator pitch I’m not
asking you to tell me what you think
everybody wants to hear I’m asking you
to look in the mirror and
ask yourself do you care because you can
lie to me can I lie to yourself so now
okay you say oh I I have genuine
intentions I want to do the most good
I’m gonna put in the work
I’m not playing by any rules I’m a rebel
that’s why I’m doing this okay
so you say you’re running for office
well everybody needs a superhero
everybody needs a superhero
you’re running for office that means you
are committed to to fighting injustice
this whenever whatever they look like
and so I have this theory and I talk
with my friends all the time and I say
that we are superheroes everybody is a
superhero and when you’re a superhero
that means you have a superpower think
about it there is something that you are
naturally gifted at that you and a whole
group of friends there is this one thing
that only you are great at doing that’s
your superpower right we all have it our
elected officials some of the great ones
we see it we can see it right
anybody ever heard of it what’s this
guy’s name President Obama they might
ever heard of him yeah his superpower
was on full display in 2000 in 2004 when
he addressed the nation his gift with
words that is a superpower and so I tell
you find your superpower if you are
running for office or you want to run
for office
find your superpower and use it you’re
using it for good it’s okay sometimes I
know you think it’s too easy or it’s
something’s not working right because
you’re just feels too natural no that’s
you that’s your gift that’s your gift
but something else you have to do too
and this is something a lot of people
run away from and it causes us to get in
trouble because everybody knows if you
if all my comic book fans know that it’s
not just about the good right it’s also
about the bad right there’s always the
struggle between the main character the
hero about the dark and the light so I
say you know what embrace the dark side
right after you ask yourself why are you
running for office ask what your dark
impulses
are do you want power you want to be
wealthy you want to be influential you
want the lights you want the camera you
want everyone to know your name you want
the love
what’s your dark side because you have
to know what those impulses are because
if you are successful the power will go
to your head if you’re not ready for it
so what is it
that conflicts with your good side we
all have it it’s okay right embrace the
glorious mess that you are we are all
uniquely us we are complex characters
and so you have to know both the good
and the bad so now you say okay I’m not
playing by anyone’s rules
I love Rihanna I’m going to work right
I have genuine intentions and you know
what yes I am a superhero so then you’re
helping us build our political power
because we have not and not to throw any
kind of shade on the giants of the past
but we have to be our Giants right now
and we have to rewrite our rules and
rebuild our political power we have to
be financially literate because there
are people out here suffering and we can
no longer afford to elect people who
have no genuine intentions for us and
now I’m not saying that because you
follow these little rules that you’ll be
successful when you win but you know
what you’ll put yourself in a really
good place to be successful and
sometimes that’s all you need every
election is not the same you could run
against the same person 15 times each
race will be different but if you don’t
play by anyone’s rules you put in the
work you have genuine intentions you
embrace your superpowers you’re being a
superhero and you run for office and you
help build our political power somewhere
on the street if I happen to meet you
and you say I am running for public
office I’m going to step back and
are you really running for office thank you
that I was going to take care of my
younger sister who was 14 at the time my
mother was getting deployed to Japan and
I had to become her legal guardian and I
didn’t really think about myself I
didn’t think about what it was that I
needed to do for my life I just thought
about my sister I poured everything I
had into her I raised her the same way
that my mother would have raised me so I
attended all the practices I would go to
the school I would be there for her
whenever she needed me and so from 22 to
27 I was a full-time parent now it gets
a little tricky when I get to 27
my sister graduates she goes off to
college she’s in New York graduated top
10% of her class yay hooray
yes yay right and I was so proud but it
didn’t hit me and I tell people all the
time it’s very interesting to go through
in that syndrome at 27 years old that
first Monday I remember it vividly
because it was like a turning point for
me in my life I came home it was a
Monday had worked all day got home sat
on the couch and all I could hear was
take take take and I’m doing it this way
because I’m left-handed so I have to do
it this way all right but it was tick
tick tick I was just sitting there I had
no one to cook for I had no practice to
go to I didn’t have you know someone
asking me what we’re doing tonight I had
no I didn’t have my buddy to go to the
movies with anymore and I said everyone
I said you know what I have to get back
to what I think is my life’s purpose
what my mother raised me to do what I
felt like I was put here on this planet
to do and that was to be involved in
politics to be to help shape policy to
help get people elected to help put
people in positions of power to even run
the candidates that we see every day I
knew that I wanted to do something that
would help people in my and the way that
I thought I could do the way I thought I
could help people and so in 2016 a young
attorney who was running to become Judge
the Honorable Florence Taylor Varner who
was successful in 2000
sixteen to become Broward County’s first
haitian-american
elected judge without being appointed
first you see here in Broward County we
have 90 plus judges but only eight or
seven at this time are of African
American or Caribbean descent in a
minority majority county and so then I
continue to travel I I wanted to see how
deep this political rabbit hole went I
wanted to learn everything I wanted to
know the ins and outs and so I began to
travel I went to I went all over the
state I went to different meetings
political events I saw different
candidates speak I would go everywhere I
could to try to meet and learn about
this political system I had no idea
about it but then I started meeting
candidates I started building
relationships I started meeting elected
officials people from the House of
Representatives all the way down to your
mayor’s and your city commissioners I
know a great deal of them here in the
state of Florida and I made it my
mission to meet them I wanted to learn
what made them wants to become an
elected official what made them want to
pursue public office and how did they
get elected how are they successful
because I know a lot of people are
well-intentioned and they want to run
for office but I wanted to know what
made them successful I spoke to the
people that won and I spoke to the
people that lost that’s just as
important I wanted to know how do we get
this thing turning because we need to
get younger people we need to get
Millennials in action and in the right
positions and we need to learn how this
thing works so that we can start
building our political power but I
didn’t count on the 2016 election being
the ugliest presidential election we’ve
ever seen in our life and I hope that we
never have to go through something like
that again I pray we never have to go
through something like that again
but that taught me something that taught
me something and so through my various
travels I came up with these these
mantras these tips these tricks these
these tools these things that I thought
made candidates be successful and this
is not the end-all to be all this can’t
this may not work for everybody but I
think it’s a pretty general blueprint
it’s a general blue plan so if someone
were to come to me today and say I am
so and so and I am running for public
office I’m gonna step back and look at
you and say are you really running for
office or are you just taking pictures
and putting them up on social media so
rule number one there are no rules there
are no rules like I said before we went
through the 2016 presidential election
and that completely broke the system
damaged it
there is no wait my turn there is no
you’re in line there is no you have to
wait for someone to anoint you to be
next there’s none of that there are no
rules
if this certain person or this certain
organization won’t endorse you oh well
you don’t have to play by their rules
you’re there for the people you decided
that you wanted to run for office that
you wanted to step up and be the voice
for the voiceless that you wanted to be
someone to do the most good and your
community in your city and your district
or in your state and just like this
image up here when the young man told me
oh and one of my favorite movies the
matrix there are no spoons yeah you’re
right there are no spoons it’s a mindset
it’s a mindset there are no rules you
wait for no one
what is wait my turn you know I had a
friend running for office tote this
older gentleman that he was running for
office he was running against a
particular incumbent that man looked and
said haven’t you ever heard wait your
turn I said what did you do he was like
well I just said you know thank you sir
but you know I’m running for X Y & Z I
say you better than me I would have
laughed and walked away I wouldn’t have
said anything else I was just walked on
but there is no more wait your turn too
often we have seen elected officials who
say they represent us but we still we
still don’t have access to affordable
health care affordable housing or
affordable education there are still
people that in the summer here in South
Florida have to open up the front door
and the back door to get a breeze in
through the summer we have to do better
so if you say okay I want to run for
office I want to do the most good I want
to be the best that I can be for
everyone around me you’re gonna have to
put in the work
and I’m not talking about like I said
you know you just happen to get a
t-shirt made and and that’s great that’s
awesome and then you want to go out and
happen to go to a store and oh I’m ready
for office let me take a picture at my
favorite bagel shop click no you got to
put in work I’m talking work work work
work work work right you see me I be
right you got to work you got to put
feet to pavement knuckles to doors
you’ve got to raise money you got to
make phone calls you have to go to this
event you’re gonna have people telling
you what you should and should not be
doing you’re gonna have all these voices
in your head you’re gonna have family
members wanting you to do stuff you’re
gonna have people thinking you’re now
the expert because you went to one
political meeting so you have to do the
work you have to show up you have to
follow up and you have to make sure when
you enter a room they know you’re there
and when you leave they need to miss you
they need to know you left make an
impact get out there and put in the work
so now you’re saying okay okay I I’m not
playing by any rules I’m gonna put him
to work
I love Rihanna of course all right so
yeah okay great all right so next step
what are your genuine intentions what
are your genuine intentions I know for
me for the millennial generation we have
an opportunity to right the ship we have
an opportunity to rebuild this structure
to rebuild our political system because
it’s no longer about us it’s about those
that are coming behind us our children
our future what do we want to leave for
them now we have to think about that now
and so anybody that tells me they’re
running for office I need to know what
your intentions are do you care do you
care about the people in your community
do you care that there are people that
are hungry right down the street from
probably your office building where it
would be if you’re successful do you
care so if you say okay I do care no I’m
not asking your elevator pitch I’m not
asking you to tell me what you think
everybody wants to hear I’m asking you
to look in the mirror and
ask yourself do you care because you can
lie to me can I lie to yourself so now
okay you say oh I I have genuine
intentions I want to do the most good
I’m gonna put in the work
I’m not playing by any rules I’m a rebel
that’s why I’m doing this okay
so you say you’re running for office
well everybody needs a superhero
everybody needs a superhero
you’re running for office that means you
are committed to to fighting injustice
this whenever whatever they look like
and so I have this theory and I talk
with my friends all the time and I say
that we are superheroes everybody is a
superhero and when you’re a superhero
that means you have a superpower think
about it there is something that you are
naturally gifted at that you and a whole
group of friends there is this one thing
that only you are great at doing that’s
your superpower right we all have it our
elected officials some of the great ones
we see it we can see it right
anybody ever heard of it what’s this
guy’s name President Obama they might
ever heard of him yeah his superpower
was on full display in 2000 in 2004 when
he addressed the nation his gift with
words that is a superpower and so I tell
you find your superpower if you are
running for office or you want to run
for office
find your superpower and use it you’re
using it for good it’s okay sometimes I
know you think it’s too easy or it’s
something’s not working right because
you’re just feels too natural no that’s
you that’s your gift that’s your gift
but something else you have to do too
and this is something a lot of people
run away from and it causes us to get in
trouble because everybody knows if you
if all my comic book fans know that it’s
not just about the good right it’s also
about the bad right there’s always the
struggle between the main character the
hero about the dark and the light so I
say you know what embrace the dark side
right after you ask yourself why are you
running for office ask what your dark
impulses
are do you want power you want to be
wealthy you want to be influential you
want the lights you want the camera you
want everyone to know your name you want
the love
what’s your dark side because you have
to know what those impulses are because
if you are successful the power will go
to your head if you’re not ready for it
so what is it
that conflicts with your good side we
all have it it’s okay right embrace the
glorious mess that you are we are all
uniquely us we are complex characters
and so you have to know both the good
and the bad so now you say okay I’m not
playing by anyone’s rules
I love Rihanna I’m going to work right
I have genuine intentions and you know
what yes I am a superhero so then you’re
helping us build our political power
because we have not and not to throw any
kind of shade on the giants of the past
but we have to be our Giants right now
and we have to rewrite our rules and
rebuild our political power we have to
be financially literate because there
are people out here suffering and we can
no longer afford to elect people who
have no genuine intentions for us and
now I’m not saying that because you
follow these little rules that you’ll be
successful when you win but you know
what you’ll put yourself in a really
good place to be successful and
sometimes that’s all you need every
election is not the same you could run
against the same person 15 times each
race will be different but if you don’t
play by anyone’s rules you put in the
work you have genuine intentions you
embrace your superpowers you’re being a
superhero and you run for office and you
help build our political power somewhere
on the street if I happen to meet you
and you say I am running for public
office I’m going to step back and
are you really running for office thank you
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