Serious.
Say, man, were you relaxed?
Awesome.
Murr, we're doing a quick audio check.
OK, testing 1-2, testing 1-2.
I like testing 1-2.
I know that's the worst mic test to give.
They really want you to say something that's more appropriate of what you're going to say
when you actually talk, but there I go.
There we go.
We'll get these off the thing just in case I need them.
All right.
Does that mean you're ready?
I'm just trying to get my cheeks to be rosy.
There you go.
Relax it out.
Woosah!
Ah!
All right.
You guys all sit.
OK.
Alex, see.
Good to see you again.
It's good to see you too, Murr.
By the time this airs, we know that little clock on your website will have been ticking,
ticking, ticking and it will hit zero.
Yes, it will.
What has it been like and how long has that clock been ticking to make all this happen?
Oh, man.
This clock's been ticking my whole life in some ways, Murr.
More specifically, probably the last decade as we started thinking about putting together
a project team, a campaign team.
We had to slow things down because of COVID.
So we started fundraising in 2021.
Wow.
So it's been a five years plus countdown in terms of seriously being able to see the finish line.
And I hate to do the old...
What does it feel like that reporters tend to do, but what does it feel like, Alex, after
all this?
Oh, it feels like a dream that's come true.
It's one of those things that's been in the back of my mind for probably most of my life.
It's why I chose to stay in Madison because I had my sights on doing something in South
Madison where we grew up, where we spent time in a community that's given so much to me.
But to be here and to realize that I stand on the shoulders of so many people who rub
my head and pinch my cheeks and sit, you're going to do something young man, you know,
keep going to school, you know, give back to the community, you know, keep your faith to
stand on their shoulders and to realize that they saw something in me and they encouraged
me to stay here and make the community better if I could.
And so I feel really honored to be chosen to do this and pull our community together
the way I've been able to.
Yeah.
And as I was looking at your website, I saw a line there.
It says this is going to be a sanctuary for healing, a catalyst for growth where we bring
black culture, creativity, leadership, research, innovation, all under the same roof.
That's right.
How the heck do we do that Alex?
Oh, with lots of partners and lots of thought.
You know, when we talk about health and health disparities with African Americans, typically
the assumption is many of us don't have health care.
We don't take advantage of the health care that we want, but research through schools
of medicine and public policy are showing that many of our degenerative diseases are stress-related.
And so I can pick up a magazine and read 15 different ways you and I die more readily than
our white counterpart, but what you don't read is how do you mitigate that?
So if stress is the culprit, what do we do to reduce it?
And so in our community historically, it's dance, it's swag, it's food, it's hanging out, it's
playing the dozens, it's intergenerational programming, it's checkers, it's watching
TV, it's watching old 70s movies, but it's spending time together where we don't have
to code switch or feel that we have to be someone other than who we really are.
And so the role here is to use all of those things that you have said to reduce the stress,
but the benefit of this, my great desire is that black people live longer in healthier
lives.
I haven't raised all this money, so black people can have fancy places to have dances.
And when you say all this money, people say, no, 31 million probably plus.
Oh, shoot sir, 32 minutes.
I don't want to count.
Who's counting?
At this point, right?
You're right for a debt-free facility, for a completely debt-free facility.
I'd love for you to paint a quick picture, Alex, of just like what really is going to go on
here.
I mean, yeah, we talked about, you know, the kind of a mission statement kind of thing
there, but like, paint a picture for us.
Sure, well, some of the, like we're sitting right here in our senior space, so this is
a program that's ready to go, because so many of our seniors, once they've retired,
they just seem to disappear.
We don't see them anymore, so we want them to come out and have a place to hang out.
Right next door to our children's library, where they can help young readers, we have
a program that's for entrepreneurs, innovators, and folks that are ready to start their own
businesses.
We're going to work on leadership development, business strategy development, helping to
raise money to launch those businesses, and then helping to introduce those people into
our social networks, so that you don't have a business that's ready to go and no place
to carry it out.
We have two films that I'll be showing real soon in our theater.
We're doing a couple of weddings here, graduation parties, but the special thing that I want
people to know, Murph, is that we're only designing about 25 to 30% of the programs here, because
we want the community to come in and say, you know what we need?
Like, someone came in here the other day who's newer to their job, and they said, we need
an NABJ, like National Association of Black Journalists.
There's one in Milwaukee there, I'm sure you're familiar with it, but because there's a space
to host, and someone said, we had to do a Madison version.
That's the beauty of this space.
Like, that's not my job to do that.
A journalist came in here and said that.
Others have come in and said, you know, we need a dual program.
Can we do that here?
We need self-defense programs for black women and moms.
Can we do that here?
So, for me, the beauty, the program, is when we have space to come in together and say,
let's create an association, or let's do something to bring all the Greek organizations together,
the sororities and the fraternities together, so that we can create a regional office of working together.
The beauty of this is, I've built it, I've worked to fund it, but the community is going to help to fill it.
Yeah, and we thank you for that, Alex, and there's a lot more to talk about, so this will be continued,
and we appreciate you for joining us on here now.
Thank you.
Is that all right?
I'm so sorry.
I forgot.
No, it's okay.
Well, we can do the, if you want, I can do that last little part over and then close it out,
just like within a minute.
Is that okay?
I think we probably should, yeah.
I'm so sorry.
So, what, that makes me think this, do, do the rest of you guys have your phones, like on the side?
I do.
Mine is.
Well, mine is supposed to be.
Well, it's the alarm, probably is, but the alarm is still going to go off.
Right.
I know what I'll do, Alex.
I'll just shoot.
I like that answer to it.
But you can still catch some of that.
What was the question?
What's going to go on here?
But I think that probably about how the community is going to do it, those examples, if we can
use any of that before we get to that, just know, that's really helpful for you.
Should I just, should I just ask that question over again?
What do you all think?
I think so just to keep it capsilized.
Yeah.
I mean, it's okay if it, you know, it, you know, it, like I said, we're trying to hit five,
you know, you know, that five minute mark.
It's not life or death if we go five, fifteen, five, thirty or whatever.
But, but yeah, I just, sure.
Sure.
So maybe what I'll do is I just say I have, I've got time for one more.
I'd love for you to paint a picture of kind of what goes on here.
Sure.
I'll do it that way.
Sure.
Okay.
You guys set?
Yep.
So we're rolling.
Alex, we've got time for one more.
I just love to, we've got time for one more question.
I just want you to paint a broad picture kind of of what really is going to go on here.
Initially, we're going to have a lot.
I'm struggling.
Let me get that over.
I didn't like the way I said that.
When I, when I have to think about it, it gets all funky for me.
All right.
I've got time for it.
Don't even start it that way.
Just start the question.
I have to start that way.
Sorry.
Well.
So paint is the picture.
I'm getting there, Cynthia.
Just give me, give me a second to get there.
I'll promise.
You got this.
I think I can do it.
Are you better?
Yeah.
Right.
In the next two minutes.
So we use all those words to describe what's goes on here, but I want you to, if you can,
just paint a real clear picture of kind of how you see what's going to happen here.
A number of things will take place right away.
The intergenerational programming is very important.
We're sitting here in senior space right now.
And we purposely put this room right next door to the children's library so that we can
have that grandparent and grandchild kind of interaction.
We have space that's about to launch training for innovators and for entrepreneurs with
leadership training, funding training, actually plugging them into funding sources to launch
their businesses.
We have legal services provided to help them to structure their businesses.
And then performances.
We have two theaters.
And so we have a couple of film debuts that are going to be showing there.
Plus lots of events that community organizations want to have like weddings and retirement
gatherings.
I think the special part of this space is that we're only designing about 25% of it ourselves,
programming ourselves.
The rest of the community is going to come in and say, you know what, we need a sort of
a karaoke night or we need a line dancing night or we need, I'm going to show my age by saying
star search.
But, you know, America's got talent.
So there are so many things that we can do out of here that center around performance,
lectures, comedians, meals together.
But the beauty is that we've designed a small part of it, but the community gets to determine
what this looks like when it's finished.
I didn't like to answer that question.
And I know I shouldn't have done that.
Now we're all, now we're all into ourselves now.
This could take days at this point.
You want to start it?
You want to do it?
I do.
I'm just wondering how much of the first one can we keep?
I wonder if we can, because it seemed like that was an easy flow.
What would happen?
Well, what would happen?
Only thing is the phone rang and then you turned around.
I mean, I don't know.
Can it be sound?
No, no, no, no.
I shouldn't have turned.
I just...
Yeah, you would blame you.
Yeah, I don't blame you.
I could do something.
I wonder if we could...
I wonder if there's a way...
We could do some flash edits, right?
I wonder if there's a way to just...
Put it together.
I wonder if there's just a way to close it out and take that answer and then I just say,
thanks for joining us.
And I think that's a question that a lot of people are wondering.
So that's why I'm trying to answer it succinctly.
What do you...
We need to do it over.
Sorry.
I think between the two of them, we can definitely make this work.
Okay.
The first one was good.
Because it's natural, yeah.
No thinking involved.
Right.
So then maybe I just...
Maybe I just close it out.
Sure.
And we'll figure out a way to get it where we need to get it.
And if we have to use it and we hear the ringing in the back or around...
It's okay too.
I've got two cameras.
I can cut the mirror.
I like that.
You know?
And you'll cut out the part where I looked around.
Yeah.
And these have been sure it wasn't my fault.
What's going on in there?
I know.
That was just a reaction.
I know.
Because I thought that was a countdown, so...
No, no, no.
There's no problem.
I just...
No, no.
I just turned around because I just...
That was being nosy.
But if you think we can really work that out, if you're not comfortable with that though,
I'll do it again.
I'm leaning to you.
I personally think we can.
I think we can put a white flesh in there.
We just need the closer from birth.
Sure.
Yes.
So now it's back on me.
You're the quintessential professional.
You're right.
I'll see you.
We appreciate you joining us for this.
Wait.
That one liked that either.
Thank you, Johnny.
Okay, I got it.
Okay.
All right, Alex, a lot.
I won't make any faces.
Please don't.
And Cynthia, leave me alone.
I can feel it.
I can just feel it.
I can feel it.
You're doing your thing over there.
Yes, sir.
All right, Dr. Alex, she will have to leave it there.
This conversation will be continued because there's so much more we can talk.
That's way too much.
Sorry.
All right.
I got it.
You know, Baron, isn't that funny?
Wasn't that funny?
Everybody's turned.
Everybody's turned on me.
No, we got you, buddy.
We got you.
You want to ask me if there's anything else I want?
No, no.
PBS Clippers.
You ready?
I am.
Because you weren't looking at me.
Like you were ready.
Okay.
All right, Alex.
We'll have to leave it there.
We appreciate you joining us.
Thank you.
It's been great being here.
And the full dismount.
All right.
Then we can do this other one.
Let me go.