[Press Conference: "Mo Day in Houston Announcement"]
[00:00:21]
SO THERE'S NO CONFUSION.I KNOW SOME, UM, ONE PERSON OUT THERE ASKED ME IF I WAS MO.
ALL RIGHT, COME ON, LET'S GET STARTED.
LOOK GOOD, GOOD AFTERNOON AND HAPPY 7 1 3 DAY, YOU KNOW, AND WELCOME TO HOUSTON CITY HALL.
YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE WITH, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS OF DISTRICT F CO, CIS OF DISTRICT H, AND THE ONE AND ONLY COMEDIAN, WRITER, PRODUCER, AND STAR OF NETFLIX, MO MAYOR.
I TOLD HIM IN THE OTHER ROOM, YOU KNOW, SO HOUSTON PROUD, AND I WAS TALK, TELLING THE COUNCIL MEMBER, THERE'S SO MUCH TALENT COMING OUT OF THE A LEAF AREA.
I MEAN, JUST, JUST A LOT OF THAT'S RIGHT.
AS ONE JOURNALIST DESCRIBED, MO MO IS A, UH, PALESTINIAN REFUGEE WHO GREW UP IN HOUSTON AND HAS A UNIQUE STORY IN THE STANDUP COMEDY SCENE.
AND THROUGH HIS COMEDY AND SHOW ON NETFLIX, MO CONTINUES TO BRING ATTENTION TO OUR GREAT CITY.
WHAT AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HOW DIVERSE THE CITY IS AND HOW TALENTED PEOPLE IN THIS CITY MOW EPITOMIZES ALL OF THAT, UM, HE CONTINUES TO BRING ATTENTION TO HOUSTON.
HE GREW UP IN A LEAVE AND HAS A LOVE, UH, FOR THIS CITY.
AND AS I MENTIONED, TODAY IS 7 1 3 DAY IN HOUSTON, A SPECIAL DAY FOR, FOR MANY, MANY REASONS.
IT IS A CELEBRATION OF THE ORIGINAL AREA CODE AND EVERYTHING THAT IS UNIQUE AND SPECIAL IN HOUSTON, THE NATION'S MOST DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CITY.
AND SPEAKING OF DIVERSITY, 146 LANGUAGES ARE SPOKEN IN HOUSTON AND MOST SPEAKS, ALMOST ALL OF THEM.
HE SPEAKS ENGLISH, ARABIC, AND SPANISH.
YOU KNOW, UH, I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TALK TO HIM IN SPANISH, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IS ABOUT MO DAY, NOT ME.
HE, HE
AND MOWERS HAD ROLES IN THE MOVIES, BLACK ADAM WITH THE ROCK AND AMERICAN CANDIDATES FEATURING SEVERAL CELEBRITIES.
AND LAST YEAR, I'LL NEVER FORGET LAST YEAR WHEN THE COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS ASKED ME, UH, TO JOIN HER.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A REAL, YOU KNOW, LATE PERSON, SO TO SPEAK.
YOU KNOW, BACK, UH, ON SEPTEMBER THE 16TH, UH, WHEN WE PROCLAIM THAT DAY AS MO'S DAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH IS FOREVER HIS DAY, UM, IN HONOR OF HIS, YEAH, IN HONOR OF HIS FIRST NETFLIX SERIES.
I EVEN HAD A CAMEO AT THE END OF THAT.
HE'S HERE TODAY TO ANNOUNCE HE WILL BE CELEBRATING MO AMIR DAY IN ACE TOWN WITH ALL OF US WITH A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE AT BAYOU MUSIC CENTER ON SEPTEMBER THE 16TH, HIS DAY.
AND THOSE TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE@ATLIVENATION.COM.
AND SO I'M EXCITED, UH, ABOUT HAVING MORE, UM, EXPOSURE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND I CERTAINLY CAN, UM, SAY ENOUGH IN THANKING THE COUNCIL MEMBER FOR HELPING US BRING THIS AND LAST YEAR'S EVENT TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS.
SO AT THIS TIME, UH, I WANT TO BRING UP COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS OF DISTRICT F AND AS SHE SAYS, THE WEST SIDE IS THE BEST SIDE ON 7 1 3 DAY.
SO COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS.
UH, I'M GLAD THAT IS RUBBING OFF.
AND, UH, FOLKS KNOW THAT THE WEST DEFINITELY HAS SOMETHING TO SAY.
UM, LISTEN, UH, WHEN I BECAME COUNCIL MEMBER OF, OF THE WONDERFUL DISTRICT, I DIDN'T SHY AWAY AND, AND NOR WILL I EVER SHY AWAY FROM OUR GREAT DIVERSITY.
DIVERSITY IS SOMETHING THAT WE SPEAK OF OFTENTIMES, BUT WHAT OFTEN COMES FROM THAT DIVERSITY IS THE CULTURAL CURRENCY.
UM, AND MANY TALENTED INDIVIDUALS, AND MO IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
UM, NOT ONLY ARE THEY PERFECTING THEIR CRAFT, BUT THEY'RE CONTRIBUTING BACK TO COMMUNITY.
UM, UH, HE KNOWS THAT HIS SUCCESS, HE DOESN'T
[00:05:01]
TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED.AND HE'S DEMONSTRATING TO OTHERS THAT WHEN WE COME FROM NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ONCE PROBABLY HAD A NARRATIVE OR, UH, YOU KNOW, HISTORY OF NOT BEING FAVORABLE, THAT WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION AND THE COMMITMENT TO ENHANCE.
AND I THINK WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT ABOUT HIS COMMITMENT, NOT ONLY TO HIS CRAFT, BUT TO COMMUNITY, THAT HE'S EXPOSING THE ARTS TO, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS AND TO SCHOOLS AND TO INDIVIDUALS THAT OTHERWISE WOULD NOT SEE THEMSELVES AS AN ARTIST.
I SAY ALL OF THAT TO SAY, ALTHOUGH HE GRADUATED FROM MY RIVAL HIGH SCHOOL, UH, WE ARE RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, MY RIVAL, UM, I AM PROUD AS A, AN ALE ELIT GRADUATE, ALL RIGHT.
UH, TO STAND, UM, TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIM BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WHEN ONE OF US MAKES IT, ALL OF US MAKES IT.
UM, AND IT'S ALWAYS MY HONOR TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, TELL THE RIGHT AND THE PERFECT STORIES.
AND I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE A LEAF ISD THAT'S IN THE ROOM SUPPORTING, BECAUSE, UM, GO AHEAD, LET'S CLAP.
BECAUSE OUR, OUR, OUR K THROUGH 12 SCHOOLS AND THE TEACHERS AND THE ADMINISTRATORS AND THOSE EXPERIENCES REALLY SHAPE OUR LIVES.
YOU KNOW, HE HAS MENTIONED BEFORE ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES AND HE COULD POINT TO TEACHERS AND MOMENTS IN SCHOOL THAT HAS SHAPED HIS CAREER.
AND SO THIS IS ALSO A, NOT ONLY A LOVE NOTE TO THE CITY, BUT A LOVE NOTE TO TEACHERS THAT HAVE ALL ENHANCED OUR LIVES AND EXPOSED US TO THE VERY BEST OF OURSELVES.
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND I'M, I'M HONORED TO BE A, A PART OF THIS MOMENT.
AND LOOK, IF I, I WOULD, I WOULD BE REMISS ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST FANS ALSO IS COUNCIL MEMBER CAU SNE.
YOU WANNA JUST COME AND SAY JUST, HELLO,
WE WERE, MY WHOLE FAMILY WAS LIKE, REALLY HOPING THEY'D BRING YOU BACK.
'CAUSE WE WANTED KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
OKAY, MO, IF YOU, IF YOU'LL COME FORWARD RIGHT NOW AND, UH, I'M GONNA ASK COUNCIL MEMBER TIP, WE'RE GONNA UN UNDO THIS FIRST.
OH, YOU WANNA DO THAT FIRST? OKAY.
WELL, WE GONNA HAVE TO GO DOWN.
ALRIGHT, READY? UH, LET'S DO IT AT ONE, WE'LL GO THREE TO ONE.
ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY CAMERA READY.
SEPTEMBER 16TH, BAYOU MUSIC CENTER.
COUNCIL MEMBER, IF YOU WILL PRESENT THIS.
AND, AND LET ME TAKE, IF YOU'LL PRESENT THIS TO MO YOU COME RIGHT ON OVER THERE.
YOU WANT OFFER REMARKS AND, YOU KNOW, UM, WE'VE, WE'VE ALREADY PROCLAIMED SEPTEMBER 16TH AS MO DAY.
SO HE'S, THAT DAY IS, IS FOREVER HIS.
AND THEN, UH, WHEN WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON NONSEXUAL AND RODEO BIGGEST, YOU KNOW, RODEO IN THE WORLD, AND, UM, AND WE OFTEN GIVE A BELT BUCKLE, UM, THAT'S COMMEMORATIVE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND OUR START AND TODAY MO 'CAUSE I THINK YOU'VE GOT A STORY THAT GOES BACK TO THE HOUSTON LAS RODEO AND I'LL LET YOU MAKE MENTION OF THAT.
BUT WE WANT TO PRESENT THIS BELT BUCKLE TO YOU, UH, AS A TOKEN OF OUR FRIENDSHIP AND APPRECIATION ON THIS 7 1 3 DAY.
YOU KNOW WHAT I, AND, AND BEAUTIFUL, HE'S GOTTEN MO DAYS SEPTEMBER 16TH, GOT THE BELL BUCKLE.
BUT WHEN WE HAVE SPECIAL PEOPLE COMING THROUGH OUR CITY, UM, THERE'S ALSO, AGAIN, AS, AS, AS EVIDENCE OF THAT RELATIONSHIP, UH, WE PRESENT THIS SPECIAL MEDALLION.
AND, UM, AND TODAY COUNCILMAN MCC COLL CIS IS GONNA BE PRESENTING, UH, THIS SPECIAL MEDALLION TO HIM.
NOW, SINCE THIS IS 7 1 3 DAY, UM, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ALL OF THIS IS MO BECOMES THE FIRST PERSON, THE VERY FIRST PERSON WHO HAS HIS OWN DAY, WHO GETS THE SPECIAL BELT BUCKLE, AND WHO GETS THE MEDALLION, ALL THREE IN ONE.
[00:10:01]
AND PROUD OF YOU, MAN.THANK, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR.
CAN WE PLEASE GIVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO MAYOR TURNER, PLEASE.
I'M SO ABSOLUTELY GRATEFUL TIFFANY AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I COULD NOT BE MORE GRATEFUL, SINCERELY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST SAW STANDUP COMEDY WAS AT THE LIVESTOCK SHOW ON RODEO
SO IT'S CRAZY THIS MANY YEARS LATER, WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD, I SAW A LIVE PERFORMANCE OF STANDUP.
AND AT THAT MOMENT, I KNEW FOR SOME REASON, JUST IN MY GUT, THAT'S WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
FOUR YEARS LATER, I STARTED DOING STANDUP COMEDY IN HIGH SCHOOL AT HASTINGS.
'CAUSE TEACHERS SAW THAT I WAS KIND OF LOSING MY WAY.
IT WAS KIND OF A TOUGH, IT WAS UNDERSTATED,
THOSE, THOSE, THOSE YEARS ARE REAL VULNERABLE AT 14 TO LIKE 17.
IT'S A TOUGH TIME AND YOU LOSE FAMILY MEMBERS AND YOU'RE ADJUSTING TO A NEW ENVIRONMENT.
BUT THESE TEACHERS REALLY JUST SAW SOMETHING IN ME AND ALLOWED ME TO HAVE THAT SPACE AND BE CAREFUL, MAKE MYSELF CRY.
I DON'T NEED OPRAH OR ANYTHING
SO I JUST WANTED TO SHOW MY GRATITUDE BY NOT ONLY HAVING A SHOW AT BAYOU MUSIC CENTER, BUT I DO WANT TO GIVE A PORTION OF THOSE PROCEEDS TO HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL, PARTICULARLY THE THEATER ARTS DEPARTMENT AND THE BAND.
I WANNA MAKE SURE TO DO THIS AND I WANT TO GROW THIS FROM HERE.
THIS IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAKING THE SHOW.
AND HOUSTON'S THE FIRST EVER NARRATIVE SITCOM THAT'S EVER BEEN FILMED IN HOUSTON.
AND THANKFULLY THE TELEVISION ACADEMY HAS HONORED SIX SHOWS.
ONE OF 'EM WAS MO UH, THE, A AMERICAN, UH, FILM INSTITUTE HAS HONORED IT.
WE WON A PEABODY AWARD MOST RECENTLY AS WELL.
SO IT IS A HUGE BLESSING TO BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE A CITY THAT RAISED ME, THAT NURTURED ME TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, TO THROW DOWN AND DO A GREAT SHOW ON SEPTEMBER 16TH AT BAYOU MUSIC CENTER.
BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, INVITE PEOPLE THAT FROM OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY TO COME IN AND ENJOY THIS DAY, WHICH IS GONNA BE ABOUT COMMUNITY, ABOUT LAUGHTER, ABOUT MUSIC, AND A TRULY A CELEBRATION OF HOUSTON OUTSIDE OF MYSELF BECAUSE I COULD NOT HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT HOUSTON.
HOUSTON, SINCERELY IS IT IS THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE WORLD AND IT NEEDS TO BE SHOWCASED.
IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE MAY TURNER, TO SHOWCASE THE CITY AS US OWN CHARACTER WITHIN THE SHOW ITSELF.
THAT WAS SOMETHING WHENEVER WE WERE TALKING TO THE WRITERS AND WE HAVE, WE WERE HAVING MEETINGS AND IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT THAT.
AND THE DIRECTOR AND THE DP, IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT HOW CAN WE MAKE HOUSTON ANOTHER CHARACTER IN THE SHOW? AND THANKFULLY WE DIDN'T FILM IN THE SUMMER.
'CAUSE THAT WOULD BE A WHOLE NOTHER CHARACTER,
UH, AND NOW WITH THE WRITING STRIKE, EVERYTHING IS DELAYED AND WHATNOT.
AND, UH, AND SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO DO A SHOW AT BAYOU MUSIC CENTER AND TO CELEBRATE HOUSTON AND TO THANK HOUSTON AND TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND GROW FROM HERE.
I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR TURNER.
THANK YOU TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
I, I, I, I JUST, I COUNCILMAN I SAID CONGRESSMAN
YOU KNOW, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I DO ANYTHING ON THE PODIUM.
HUH?
I'LL CONTINUE TO GIVE BACK AND TRY TO CONTRIBUTE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
THERE'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING IN THE WATER IN HOUSTON AND CERTAINLY IN ALE, AND I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT ON BLAST FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW.
AND THESE KIDS ARE IN THESE SCHOOLS THAT MAYBE ARE DOUBTING THEMSELVES, RIGHT? RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT.
YOU CAN DO THIS, RIGHT? BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, RIGHT? YOU'RE GONNA MAKE IT.
AND THE MORE PEOPLE TELL YOU NO, USE THAT AS, AS, AS THE FEAR TO BE THE, THE, THE, THE WIND BEHIND YOU.
YOU KNOW, DON'T LET IT BE YOUR HEADWIND.
LET IT PROPEL YOU TO GREATER HEIGHTS.
SO I WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN AND TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SEPTEMBER 16TH, BAYOU MUSIC CENTER.
THIS, THIS IS ONE FOR MY NECKLACE AND ONE FOR MY BELT BUCKLE.
I THINK THAT, YEAH, THAT IS IT.
BUT OTHERWISE WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS.
APPRECIATE THE MEDIA FOR BEING PRESENT AND ALL OF YOU ALL FOR BEING PRESENT.
AND I THINK THEY'RE GONNA DO SOME THINGS ON THE SIDE.