Text and donate, here is the number 415 3294231. And you can text the word donate to that number. Would also like to thank the osha foundation for supporting todays good lid event. I like the name of that. It is my pleasure right now, my just overwhelming deep, deeply i cannot even tell you how much i love this woman. It is my pleasure to my very dear friend sunny hostin in the Award Winning journalist and cohost of the view. I have worked with sonny for many years. We he talked about sisters and brothers, we fightut it is all love. Her new book i called, here it is, i am the truth. It is a memoir of identity justice and living between worlds. It is a revealing look at her really incredible sto. Sunny grew up in the south bronx. And through hardork, through determination come for the suort of her parents and family she obtained a l degr. She went on to become a federal prosecutor massoud recognize for stellar work prosecuting crimes against women and children. She is a fighter she is in it to do good. By the way she went to notre dame lawchool so she is amazing. After the law school she became a televisn an analyst and she became one of the First National report is to covid trade on martins death. She is an advocate for socl justice and a powerful voi to the marginalized and voicess people of this world rely. I am so thrilled to be here today to discuss h story. Im going to dig into the things she explores throughou her boo book. Just reminder we willake audience questns. We may do it throughout woven and, sunny hostin a welcome. Weave so much to talk about my friend, how are you . Select i am well and happy to be here with you. Even though the virtual i wish we were there in the same room. I am happy to be on this journey with you my friend. Im looking for my book here. So tell me, why did you decide to write i am tse truths . Guest i feel that the truth of these all is you do hold the power to be the difference. And you know that i always believed that. And i think that at this time, we are in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis. A National Debate over policing. A belated what i think is a delayed reckoning of systemic racism. And i have been journaling for so long, and i have been writin writing. And i thought if not now, when . Right . When i have spoke to justice it sounds like a hug name drop. [laughter] but it is the truth. I have spoken to her a lot about sharing my story. And my stories you know, don, has more failures than success. And i thought it was time to share that. Warts and all. My story is painful. You grow up in the south project with teenage parents. Do you want to share all of that . Is it hopeful enough . Is it aspirational enough . She said youve got to share it because it is. It can be a story for other people. And promise me one thing you do in spanish and in english. Because it is so important for those people that may be struggling with english as a second language. An english is my second languag language. With everything thats going on in the world, do that for the little girl, the little boy who will read it in spanish. Im sure you thought like you thought what is everyone going to learn from this . Everyone writes a book especially when you have the humility when youre as humble as you are you are like is anybody going to care about what i right . But i have to offer . You said you have more failures that you have successes. But people do not realize thats how life goes. You take those failures and those are Building Blocks to the success. Why did you feel that way . Why didnt you feel you had all of these failures . I did you struggle with thinking no one is going to care . Absolutely. It is the age of social media. So i get immediate feedback every time im on the show. I would get, i try to be a voice for the voiceless. Because that st on the view is very important. I would get these messages, you are talk aut income inequaty or talk about poverty, your talk about the ruggle. You are sitting on the view, you are wealthy you dont kw anything about it. And i just remembered thinking, they dont know. Likeeople dont know my story. They dont know how hard it has been. Screw it they see her on the ew they think overnight success. You been working at this for dedes. Guest decades for it ive been a lyer for over 25 years. Ve been on television for a long time. This is success youre seeing that youre not seeing the failures. There have just been so many of them. Ht what did you learn from us failures . So as peoplere listening. What did you learn from that . I like tose my haters as tivators. What did you learn from us failures . Guest you know iave learned a tremendous amount of resilience. I have learned, my father ud to always say that you have to be twice as good to go hal as far. I have learned that none can take excellence from you. So ery time i have been fired. [laughter] and there been many times but you know at cnn, my contract was not renewed. But i knew that i had done my best. That i had been excellent. And so i could leave with my head up. And i certainly learned about. And i learned there would be another day. I learned to use my voice, that it was okay. I learned that humility is okay. I actually also learned recently that i am not as good at sticking up for myself as i am for sticking up for other pele. Student at sticking up for other people who tol you that . Guest my husband told me that, you did ht our offices used to be right across me chad there. We would often look to each other for adve and comforts and feedback. Go on sunny sorry. Uest you often said lead in, sunny. You dont stick up for yourlf. And it is so true. And i write in the book how it is really easy to stick up for other people. To tell other peoples stories. It was really hard for meo it tell this story. I was not always telling my story house on the story of my parents. I was to like my mothers story. My mother did not speako me for about a week after she read the book actually. But i talk about addiction. I talk about Mental Health. I bear a lot of secrets in that sense. And i found that, my goodness i did not want to talk about possible discrination. I did not want to raise my hand and say this is happening to me. Is this true . Dont treat me this way. I should be valued more. I did not want to do those things. And i found that out about myself. Which was a ltle bit shocking that i talk the talk. And i can defend other people and prosete cases in stick up for victims prebid is really hard fore to it do it for myself. Hos i want to ask for the title of the book. But i have to speak up on something that you said. I think being where we are in this business, there is a lot of advice we can offer people not just in this business but in professional life anywhere. U said that you would not stick up forourself. Often times we get to the positions. We kw its a. Med. There are very few of these kinds of jobs. So you want to stick up for yourself and you want to stick up for other people. That then you wonder, you worry if i do that in myoing to lose my platform . And therefore there not be anyone like me with this voice. Was that part of it . Guest is a huge consideration. The is not a day that goes by that i dont get an email or a tweet, precovet i would be on the streets. Mothers and even young people would come up to me and say oh my god thank you for being who you are. You represent me. You know, that meant a lot for me. And then i thought, if i stick my nec out even for myself, there wont be someone like me on the view or on television. And i write about in the book. One of the reasons that it always wanted to be a broadcast journalist. We had one tv in the house. We did not watch a lot of tv. But we did watch was 60 minutes. We watched every sunday it religiously. And i would pretend to be one of the reporters. But there werent any that looks like me. And my parents like dont do that, youre not going to be able to feed yourself. So i remember the power of representation. The thought that i would take a chance and risk being that representation for those people who would stop me on the street was nerveracking. And i remember asking my family i typed in like 25 minutes because it poured out of me. I remember thinking, is this smart . And i showed it to my husband. I said this is professional suicide, right . And he was like yeah possibly. [laughter] and i was like im brittle is my job, right . And he said yeah maybe. [laughter] i did it anyway. See what you leadin. Guest i leaned in because i felt like my goodness again, pandemic. Economic crisis. National debate over policing. African americans of color affected more by this crisis. Guest by everything. I do not have the courage to do what i talk about every day on the show. Host is a privileged position. Guest from a privileged position i will be a hypocrite. Host and there you go girl. So proud of you. I can so relate to you. You remember what i came out, do them or how hard that was . Guest i remember you talked about you wrote about in a book braced back what is i am going to lose my job im never going to work in this business again. Eileen then it was the total right thing to do. Guest it was the right thing to do. Host i was tell people to walk in your own truth. You are living in your own trut truth. Is that where that name comes arm i am these truths . Is that where did that come from . Guest i n of the title the book after it was written. In my office, im in my offe my home office at my desk right a lot of the writing. I have all of the stickies with thing on it. Host remember i used to keep a copy of the constitution on my desk. Guest the littl when exactly. Says we hold tse truths to be self evident that a men are created equal. It should be men and women. Host my foot is going numb. So i said go ahead. Guest all men are created equal. I just started thinking about all the themes in the book about equality and systemic racism and pay and equity. And you know im finally telling the truth. And these are my truths. And i hope it encourages people to not be ashamed of where they come from. Just tell the truth. And im like wow, i am these truths. That is where it came from. It is very powerful to say that the truth of it all is that we are equal and that we hold the power to be the difference. Host and you are. You are people of color, immigrants, you are the american story. So when someone tries to otherwise immigrants and people of color, it is doubly insulting because of the work people of color did, no pay, slavery all those things, building those things. Some people try to otherwise you and you like you are not american, is that infuriating for you . Guest it is painful. It used to make me angry. But now it is painful. And one of the things that i thought about when i was writing the book, was why do people still question my background . My ethnicity. Why is it so odd . We had just come, wed just come up after itd just come up again. We had interviewed a family on the show. It was a spanishspeaking famil family. And one of the family members, the grandmother did not speak english. I conducted the interview with her in spanish. And i would translate for the audience. I had all these of noxious tweets like sunny must speak spanish today but why is she speaking with an spanish accent . Its just i was pronouncing the words properly. And realized my paren got married in 1968, just a year after th decision interracial couples were allowed to be married. Might my lunch at moms aye it also a jewish hispanic. My father was black eye. So when they got married, it had just become legal. And i was lik a unicoi. They really were not peopl who loed like me. People stared at my family, i read in the book how they try to live in geoia which is really kind of crazy the kkk ran them out of town. And so for me, i had been otherwise my entire life. Even though i have only in my 50s. It was just unusual. So i think that is why ive lived that life of a suggle of identity that it saddens me that 50 years later, people still question it. Because they still want to put you in this box. Select people have to be able to category something in order to feel, to be comfortable, right . I can understand a little bit. But not as much is you. I wrote about in my book and i talked about the experience in louisiana, the white paper bag and light skin so in the winter is lightskinned so i could hang out the lht skinned black folks in the summer as dark skins would hang o the dark sn. Weird color thing. But remember when we had this conversation youre like don y realize people on cnn they do not know i a latino. They just think in terms of africanamerican most the country african amerin, black and white. And i said well sunny let people know you are latino. Youre stuck in that world of no mans land sort of. I am i this . Am i that . Drafted choose one . Guest our offices were right next to cnn espanola. They never asked me to it do any reporting period is kd of weird. I think one of the reasons, right about also in the book, one of the reasons and i blame myself is because i chang my name. [inaudible] that is my real name. What did you morph to make it more american, cuter, friendlier . Tell me about a printer you about of it tell people. Host might family and friends from back in the day ill call me. When i was in college as a couple people that would say and i noticed it. And so id say you can call me whatever you want to and they said how about sunshine . Im okay okay fine. So they called me sunny, sunshine. My starter and court tv with nancy gray who was a great friend of mine, she could not pronounce my name. In the struggle was real. Like she would like and joining me the coast today is. [inaudible] [laughter] you could see the struggle. At one of the brakes she said can i Say Something to you . And i said yes nancy would like to say . I know it is about. She said this name thing no one can pronounce it. I cant say it. And i said fauci like me to it do about my name, nancy . And she said you have a nicknam nickname . And i felt the pressure at that point. I have this legal legend telling me this name is not going to cut it. I said will a lot of people call me sunny. Right then she said change, sunny su and ny. I did not even have a spelling for. So she changed it. And i just went with it to be honest with you. I did not like it. But i went with it. And after that, my career kind of took off. Host she knows tv. Guest chino cv. Host sometime sunday, maybe rightfully so some people get offended. Sometimes people are just looking out for your wellbeing. And they know. She was like this will work for you because i know tv. Guest thats what she told me. Everyone needs a role in the lien end. [laughter] switches she told me i wrote about that the book she told me that she said, you are going to make it in this business part i havent seen anyone do this as well as you without any training. You will do this. That name is going to hold you back people cant remember it. Ive got to tell you she was right but i feel like i sold a peace of myself. My grandmother never forgave me for because i was named after her sister people would talk to me and she would say no it would infuriate her i do think at cnn if i was still,. [inaudible] people wouldve known my identity. And so i kind of did that to myself or if i had to do it again, wouldnt change my name. When you would not have . Guest i would not have. I would not have. So my first, when i was reporter left new york into birmingham. Show me change my name she did not like the last name lemmon for it i know in tv but if it people can remberts great purge and a mcdonald lemon that the name people change their name to. [laughter] she wanted to be like d clarke, don johnson. Like something really simple. Mike no one will ever remember that. People will remember don levin. People rember sunny perdue know you are pretty want to ask you this because you talk about you we to lightskinned for the black communit to dark skinned people didnt get i. In 1936 acacia called the crackup. The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in min of the same time is so return the ability to function. Whdo you think its so hard foreople even intelligent people he worked with in the past to understand tha someone can be black and latina. [laughter] guest its really fascinating isnt bright look at barack obama. The press has happened at calf white but nobody can really reconcile at. He think a lot of it has to do with the history of this countr country. The one drop rule where as if you are one drop black you are considered black. And i think, i remember growing up. Simon could talk about that that one drop was important. You could be 99. 9 something else. If you had a smidge of black and you, you were black. Go on im sorry prove. Guest because of that history in the country, legal documents reflect that. And braces is a social construct anyway. My Life Experience reflected that. And so on my birth certificate it says blackbird and it also says hispanics which is interesting bird i looked back at it. Science is mother white. Is interesting right . But when you would fill out any standardized test you had to choose black, white, or hispani hispanic. And i would sometimes try to circle everything. [laughter] host of course you did. Guest i think again it goes back to the history of our country. Laypeople are indoctrinated today. I remember feeling if i choose one does that mean my mother doesnt exist . If i choose the other does my father not exist . And who i am and all of my complexity. I really believe its unique to this country. I have traveled a lot of places. I expect more complexity than them here. Unto american thing. That personifies what we are going through right now. Theyve got to put you in a box. Even now people want to put you in a boxford everyone is so divided theres no nuance. People cannot understand sunny , we were on cnn together you could hold to thoughts of the same time part i could just go added on tv. What is wrong why do you think that was to mark and it have a drink later. What is it that people cant do that anymore . What is it with the country and society they cannot have two opposing views . I know now its worse than it has ever been. I remember sort of honing that skill when it prosecuted cases at the justice department. Write a little bit about in the book in the sense i would argue to the death in the courtroom. You know when you walked in i needed to win because those prosecuting child crime. But i was coming into save the and you stood in my way. And i went to the wall with it. And we would argue that we go out for drinks. Some of these Defense Attorneys are my closest friends. Much like you and i are dear friends and we would battle. Much like we do on the view, right . People are always shocked that megan and i are friends. Even though we may battle it out and say kind of crazy things on air. We can go out and trigger bourbon later. And unfortunately, i think that kind of respect for difference of opinion is gone. Its not in our country right now. It is just gone. It requires the kind of relationship that we have, don, the kind of relationship requires a respect for difference of opinion respect a level ofeing curious and not judgntal. Guest a definite course intellectual curiosity. And a l of people unfortunately do not have that. And they certaly do not have the respect for differee of opinion. When you talk about intellectual curiosity, went up into my view is w is that person saying that . On what experience has led them to say that . Do see value in that . Thereslways a value any different opinion. And how that person got to it. Its only for you to strengthen your flings about something else, the opposite opinion. Its only to make you to do that to feel that way. And for some reason we cant that anymore. I point to Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg and justice scalia. He read their opinions and some of their dissents. You uld think they hated each other. So when that one is hard for me. Its curiosity but then also well. [inaudible] guest they went out with lunch every friday they corresponded with each other. Soon i think we need more of that. I left out a very important part that your dad, also h to change his name inhe 70s. Heuer in the 2000 change you name did you talk about that . You know he did it, we are co teaching now produce all these words for it. Host you know its weird though, sunny, the co teaching as you talk to people one way and then sunny or ika wentz and then after a while you get to a certain position it all becomes one thing. And you do it. Its a much more natural now. I find now it does not surprise people when he told christie of the night on the air and said youre stupid. Thats how we talk to each other, sorry. [laughter] guest thats true. But of my father, when my parents were coming up, again is now the early 70s. In this interracial couple are trying to get an apartment in manhattan, trying to get out the south bronx. Theyve got me i school cant really teach me properly. Ive seen my uncle get stabbed in front of a prayer they try to get out of the projects of this are interviewed together for an apartment. The minute they show up the apartment is no longer availabl available. What my mother realizes is, she realizes i changed rosa to rose and my fathers name is cumming cummings, bybee, Rose Cummings and i show up with my light hair and my light eyes, i am going to get the apartment. If i show up alone. My father realizes what is in his resume was an it guy h realizes when he sent his name out there is nohite guys but if he changes it t Bill Cummings or william cummings, s going to get the job. So he changed his name to Bill Cummings. My mother changed her name to Rose Cummings. We gothe apartment, in manhattan. And he got the job. Im not just the way it was. What saddens my doubts we still d it today. It should not be that way. But it is. Swims a little bit of difference. I understand scial because your grandmother print ownehip they are proud of you i say black tina. They want you to be a success. You didnt do it, you did it becae sunny was just easy and perfect and it fit. I understan understand how now looking back you have the success youve had, you wouldnt hav to change her name, people would know. Its a different time now but i have to ask. We always ask coach go back and tell your younger self . We were nervous about, you miscarried medical, fair treatmt with medicine, being a woman who has kids in this business and s on and so forth. So want to ask you to look at whats happening now, the racial reckoning i called the summer of george floyd. Okay, if you could go back and tell your younger self and in th wake of the jacob lake shooting, wh would you say when you were reporting on trave on martin or law school or bulges stated that sunny . Guest while thats a tough one don didnt know youre going to ask that. [laughter] what would i tell my younger self . I would when i was younger i definitely thought that if you did the excellent work that you would succeed. And i think that was a very simplistic way of looking at things. I think, if i am being honest in the seat that i sit in now, i would advise my younger self that it is not a meritocracy. And to be ready for that. That it isnt just working really hard and being excellent. Sue and those things help, but go on. Guest they help, but indeed you do have to look out for those potholes and you do have to in a sense play the game he always tell me to it do don. Host youve got to be strategic. You are a fighter. You are an activist at heart. In a like sunny, thats great. Youve got to be strategic. [laughter] guest be more strategic. And certainly be more of an advocate for self. I think i would tell myself. I often thought, as you know john, because im always going a hundred. Its only about the work. Because now, work life balance. What i so admire about you is our activist and fighting spirit. And ill see her love of family and sense of family. The kind of mom you are and daughter. You are wellrounded. I think women are the smarter most successful of the sexes because you guys can juggle so much for you take care of the home bring home the bacon, to all of that. You raise kids, you produce children. If men had to do that. [inaudible] went to go to some questions coming from the chapter the type is really small so forgive me. This is from i think in this time of racial injustice, covid, natural disasters how can we channel our anger and despair to positive action . And then there is another question for both of us. Which is what do you admire about one another . How do you channel your anger and despair . People ask how they can do it into positive actions during this time parts direct don mentioned im always on 100. I always feel like theres work to be done. I start the book out by saying i was born in 1968. It got the backdrop of the civil rights movement. He got the backdrop of president kennedy. The assassination of president Kennedy Martin luther king jr. I was born into that. We know in my spirit is honest but i really feel when the people to understand that you do hold the power doesnt have to be in the big ways i think people feel powerless, what do i do . If you feel angry, that does not mean yet the channel that anger. They can be a poll worker and making sure people are not tued away inappropriately. Making sure you goo your local meeting and make sure that your local School District during right by the kids. Inerms of the covid plan. It could be protesting. Her organizing a test. Getting a group of friends together and virtually planning something. Bringing five people with you to vote. Its a that anger in a positive way to affect change. I often thing about the stats. This is not a partin thing. So your hillary perso you think your vote would count hillary lost michigan by 11000 votes some shoot lost by seven votes. Seven votes. Imagine if one person said they made aifference and took six friends . That wouldve been the difference. That isow i feel you channel your energy. You make yourassion, your purpose. And do something, something. Host it doesnt always have toe 100. It doesnt always have to be with the police any of that. Had the recent experience with the george flo they were went to a store. I went to store their openi. I wipe bob on site opetive went to buy some the other starboard is that i can sell it to be a cant commit perch i bought the thing. And then, as i was walking back for Something Like a bag or something, so this woman inside the store this white lady shopping. This is whats going on . Shes trading for its i was not sure if she was training or not. I didnt want to go to 100. Because i didnt know exactly what it was. But i asked him what was going on . And he knew from the look i gave him in the conversation we are having he got it. I return the item set up just doing this. Its not a big deal but he got it. He has less in that moment without being a big deal. I did not seehe shop owners just a thing. Have to measure and figure howo do that, right . Whats the appropriate steps. Can be however small. Give sething, something for i it. What you admire about what another . Think i said tha i can add to that, i love sundays and vision. But is not blind ambitio its ambition in the right way. And i like that you are able to evolve i admire aot of things about you. Don,ould lot of people dont know see tha for a lot of people. Will be as small asow are you doing . I just watched a show,hat was bad. Or, you could leave you here. You could have done this better. But know hes always watching, hes sporting anyone to to be your best. In this business and i life there arent that many people who are in your corner who want you to be a better versn of yourself. Ive always appreated that. Host thank you sunny pre prelisten i am so lucky to have this position. And i say lucky because i think i am talented, fine per visit certain degree of looking at the certain place at the right time for this so certain people like you and me in the positions we must look out for each other. Im not in competition with you. I dont feel like it. No one can do meike i can. Guest exactly. Stuart no one cano you like you can put heres thehing people should know. Its not always your sweetness and flour so you loo great part also sunny dont get mad at me but that lighting today, dont let them do that. Right . And you can tell me to it you know what offered us the okay its not my business. Guest are dont forget to ask this but if you know this this next rate is helpful people wont do that. Host wait wait wait wait. Thats not the name of the person asked the person as a prosecutors a person of color. How do you view policing in america . What nds to change . Guest thats a great question. Its run by the way thank you for that go on. Sure you see a lot of flak actually. For being a black prosecutor, prosecutor of color. A lot of times and people of color going to criminal law, they certainly dont wind that side of the law. Their lawyers they become Defense Attorneys. Even judges but not prosecutors. Within each of the prosecutor is the most powerful person the court room. I write about the spread not the judge, not the defense attorney. Simon thats why im so happy you had such insight on Daniel Cameron and kentucky. Said could do it because of this, because of this time because if youre like no, no, no the prosecutor has the power. Guest the prosecutor runs the narrative. Sue and sorry go on. Select the pounded taylor case theyre not being an indictment there, they are upset because Daniel Cameron was the prosecutor. He held the power to bring the charges. He had the power to put the narrative in front of the grand jury kenny chose a different narrative. Thats why i chose to be a person of color as a prosecutor. Thank you work intimately with Police Officers. I know firsthand they have a very difficult job. They want to get back home to their families as well. The problem of multifactorial. The Police Officers i worked with and still friends with tellme they are sent into situations that they are not prepared for. Norton that they want to deal with. They are sent into schools to police children. They dont want to be there. There also sent to deal with Mental Health situations. They dont want to do that either. Nor are they prepared to do that. Theyre not trained to deal about. This sent into situation of broken policing. They dont want to do that either. They want to Police Murder cases. They want to deal with highlevel drug cases. They want to do real policing. Soon you hear of this movement of defined police, whether or not you disagree with the terminology, it is really about harming Police Departments across the country with the right tools to police appropriately. And that may be diverting funds to Mental Health professionals, to answer those calls. Diverting funds so that you have school professionals, professionals in schoolshat are dealing with troubled children. C1 guidance counselors. Thirtytwo things of that nature. So Police Officers can do police work which is what they want to do. I think we are sending police into situations where they have no business dealing with. I also think that we have over militarized or police departme. There is no reason why Police Department has aored vehicles these assault weans that you use in war. Minutes an some Police Departments. The Police Department have huge budgets percent because they are killing black and brown people as opped to having and their budgets money for training, biased training, how to deescalate. There is a problem wit training and resources that doesnt seem to be fixed ever i also think we kw more people of color that are not only enrolled i the Police Academy also elevated into conditions. Ther in supervisory commissions so they can teach lorlevel Police Officers how to effectively policing communities of color. Host they need to reimagine policing in thi country. We get used to being a certain way we think that is theest way. Maybet is, maybe it isnt. I dont know. Its intesting to me on people are offended by it. The term, defund the police, you know how i told you like sunny. Guest hates it. Don hates it. You got inton argument about it. Do you really think people were crowd surfing that term contai advertising agencies and figuring out wheth or not that was an appropriate term . It is something that sprung up. Im sure if they took it to an vertising or Marketing Agency they wouldve com up with something different. T they didnt. Its not so much about the determines about the idea that cos from it. See what i get it. But in an ection year you got to be, you know it i saying. Ju because people are hyperaware. And even more so the people who dont want what you want are gng to use it. Guest there using it. Its true. But you got to realize thats not what its about. I do write about policing and prosecuting cases in the book. Host you right in some way in this book. Guest i have a birdseye view of that. That and how to be successful big mom carving a prosecutor, you write about all of that stuff in the book. So speaking of, another viewer question. Sunday, was the most significant professional learning you have experience as it pertains to racial issues . This is a followup. Guest what i have learned where . Host with the professional learning as youve had for Race Relations like its probably like what is the biggest, what if you learn the most . Maybe there is one experience that you had that was the biggest, was a most significant professional learning you have experience as it pertains to race . Guest i think my recent experience at abc was really eyeopening. I start the book out with it. We dont talk. Host sunny had experienced someone who was who had a big role in her career at the company was in charge of people like sunny who she ends at making insensitive racial remarks. Which included sunny. I sit accused right. Mick was an investigation she was fired. She was terminated or had to sleep, however. You know im saying. Whatever. And it was some very harsh things, unprofessional about sunny. And sunny fought back but she has continued to fight back. And that is recent. It was recent print is just the summer. And so for me professionally. Sue becton i characterize it properly . Part was responsive for contract negotiations or for my career as well as development of my career. So in terms of Race Relations, what i learned was that i think we g through lifegain thinking its a that pple cant take excellence away from you. My father taught me that, my mother taught me that. But when i did learn unfounately is that its not just a meritocracy. Race does play a role in our lives. Our role in thi country. We do have to sak up and speak out abouthat. Though ias reluctant to do that. I chose to tal about it, write about it. Honestly start the book with it. And what i learned is that while i thought it was professional suicide, in fact people at least at abc were very open about wow, thank you for telling us about how you felt, how you experienced this. We need to recalibrate. And how can we be better . I thoht theres going to be reluctance to talk about it. There was initially. The response i got was no, no, no gun take it out but im not going to take it out but you gotta take it out. Is going to hire a lawyer. This is my truth in my experience. This delayed reckoning of systemic racism and people work talking about and protested it. I seen the change because now the response has been how can we make it better . And so that is what ive learned. That is what real professional change for me. In person. Send for yourself not something you would not do in the beginning for what i admire about you is the evolution you had. What happened to you, unwittingly did note at the tim time. Stand by standing in her own true. I had. Because you know this person. I got this text from someone before we started this. Set im reading your boo thank you so much. I am experiencing the same thin thing. And i really nded to read it. And i am going to take some action myself. And i was just floored turned out not to be that. It is giving other people the courage to speak out. The power you have is an individual you dont think you have that power. Other people do as wel. What to what extent is social media responsible to communicate like human beings . Uest if you like social media is st of like this two headed dragon, right . We get so much from it. I think you and i both cover a little bit of this. It can be used to such good. And then it can be used to the detriments of so many people. My husband and i were just watching the documentary, so when the social network. Its on netflix right . Guest it will come to m. Remedially change screen time for the kids. Its that destructive. I think the reason it destructive peoe will say things each other that they would never s in person, righ right . Virtlly so they conceived other people now all the said they have these twitter srs in their mamas basement. They have this courage purred burden people to lose all the quorum. And it just sort of keeps on replicating. I thinkt led to the demise oras not in the history of president is willing to insult people onocial media see what no qualms about it, its a social dilemma by the wa way. Guest is social dilemma. Its kind of remarkable. I think social med has given everyone permission to say these nasty this. I read to you thehings that peopleay about me, on social media. And i am pretty thick skin im from the projects ive heard it all. Every now and then i am like, wow. not everybody can respond to something you tweeted. I cald twitter to hook me , go on instagr. I love the change ofdeas, i love the feedback but it has led to an instability that i never thought i would see. You want to hear the love and the hate from the people you respect, you dont he to hear from the people you dont know or respect, you know everyone want you, you want to seal those comments because you wt to say in some way this person loves me, then when they dont. I want the criticism, if im getting it wrong, i want to know that. I want to know that. Im airm believer in the freedom of speech, i want to hear from people but i am always shocked at the sheer instability of it. Host can we do a lhtning round, we just have a couple of minutes left can you believe th. I want to go fast. Why did you want to become a lawyer, thes one present eight yo question you can ask president trump, why did y want to become a lawyer. I wanted t fight for people and be someone superro. I thought that wou be the best way to do it. Is there one question you would like to ask preside trump, what would it be . Are you doing all of ts because your father did not show you enough love . And it says President Biden. What what i asked President Biden . Yeah. What is the first thing you would do to restore the soul of the country . Wow, those are good questions, i think i would have to, one is why are you so jealous of barack obama. Thats a good one. It. Is because barack has more money than he has. [laughter] the question, if you had to get the truth it was like a true serum, and how much taxes did you really pay or didnt pay. After writing this book and sharing personal experiences, is there anything that surprised you or that you learned about urself . I wrote the chaptern motherhood which was the hardest chapter for me too write because i share infertility, five miscarries and i almost lost my son through pregnancy and i hadnt actually told my children that they were ivf babies so i have to share that with him before the book came out. , when i narrated the book, i narrated the audiobook i sat in the booth and knew i had a really tough timehen i was going through all of this but i realized i have fallen into a deep depression and i really like that about myself because im generallyuch a happy person sunny, calm down your too happy. Im in a bad mood. [laughter] i learned that about mysf i have a newfoundmpathy for people that deal with mental illness, i really felt all the pain that i felt when i narrated that part of the bk. I have the last question for you, this is my question i alwa ask, who do you think you are . I think i am the beneficiary of my parents sacrice in the love and dreams ofy ancestors. [laughter] i love you. Thank you sunny, we have to get together when we are off of lited house arrest or whatever it is we are on. We need more than a virtual hud hug and text. Cohost of theiew and author, it is a memoir of entity, justice and living between worlds, we encourage you to support our local bookstores and pick up your copy of sonnys new book today, if y would like to watch more of the program and support the commonwealth club, you can visit www. Commonweal club. Org. My name is don lemon and i thank you for being here and i think sunny for being everything, you are amazing, stay safe and we will see you soon. By everybody. Week nicest weekly future book tv programs as a preview of whats available every week and on cspan2. Tonight we focus on science, political scientist deborah stone argues numbers are objective and expends numerous ways numbers impact our daily lives. There scientist author david legal men discovers the brain and the Artificial Intelligence in his book live wired, the inside story of the everchanging brain. Later lisa says the female brain is more susceptible to dementia and alzheimers disease than the male brain, she writes research has been centered around the male brain wall treatment for women lags behind, that starts tuesday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern, enjoy book tv this week and every weekend on cspan2. Book tv on cspan2 has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend, coming up this weekend saturday at 9 00 p. M. Eastern former president barack obama reflects on his life and political career and his newly released memoir the promised land, sunday at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on after words Boston MarketInstitute Director in her book seven ways big corporations ruin your life and how to take back control, shes interviewed by Bloomberg David mclaughlin, appellate judge and George Mason University law professor doug wicks ginsberg and voices of our republic examines the constitution to the eyes of justice, legal scholars and his story. Watch book tv on cspan2 this weekend and be sure to watch indepth, live sunday, at noon eastern with our guests, author and chair of africanamerican studies at princeton university. Joe biden as president elect, live coverage of the election process and transition of power, cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. It is. History and biography is sponsored by wells