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EXPRESSED ON LATINA VOICES AND ITS GUESTS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF HCV TELEVISION OR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.AND TOGETHER LET'S MOVE FORWARD TO MAKE THIS THE BEST CITY THAT THIS WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
AND GOD BLESS US ALL TODAY ON LATINA VOICES, OUR CEO MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER.
IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, WHILE FACING AND LEADING US THROUGH SEVEN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS, HE HAS PASSED EIGHT BALANCED BUDGETS.
HE LAUNCHED HOUSTON'S FIRST CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
HE RELEASED THE ONEE HOUSTON INITIATIVE, AS WELL AS THE ONE CLEAN HOUSTON MAYOR TURNER'S SIGNATURE PRIORITIES, INCLUDING AN UMBRELLA EQUITY INITIATIVE THAT ADDRESSES HISTORIC INEQUITIES, HAVING DE DESIGNATED AND DESIGNED 10 NEIGHBORHOODS AS COMPLETE COMMUNITIES.
ALSO HIRE HOUSTON'S 20,000 PLUS STRONG YOUTH WHILE FORGING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND SUCCESSFULLY EXPANDING HOUSTON'S TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION FOOTPRINT.
THE CITY OF HOUSTON BECAME A NATIONAL MODEL, AS WELL AS THE NATION'S MOST DIVERSE AND INTENTIONALLY INCLUSIVE CITY.
OUR TOP PITCHMAN, OUR LEAD CIVIC HOST, WAS BORN AND RAISED IN ACRES HOME AND RIDING THE NUMBER FOUR, FOUR BUS DOWNTOWN PRACTICING MARTIN LUTHER KING'S SPEECHES IN FRONT OF A MAYOR DREAMING.
AS HE SAYS, IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT.
A SHOW ABOUT UNIVERSAL TOPICS FROM A LATINA PERSPECTIVE.
I'M HOST AND PRODUCER, TEXAS SUPER LAWYERS.
SOPHIA GUE LATINA VOICES IS ABOUT UNIVERSAL TOPICS FROM A LATINA PERSPECTIVE, ENGAGING, EDUCATING, AND EMPOWER WITH OUR MAYOR'S INSPIRATIONAL TRAJECTORY.
VALEDICTORIAN STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT AT KLEIN HIGH SCHOOL, GRADUATED FROM U OF H AND YES, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL SPEAKER PRO TEM FOR THREE TERMS NAMED MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN THE TEXAS HOUSE.
NOTED FOR HIS PASSIONATE DEFENSE OF THE VOICELESS CHAIR OF THE US CLIMATE, MAYORS AND CHAIR OF GLOBAL RESILIENCE CITIES NETWORK.
AND PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MAYORS ASSOCIATION.
THE SUPER BOWL, THE NCAA FINAL FOUR, THE WORLD CUP, THE WORLD PETROLEUM CONFERENCE, ET CETERA, NAMED BY SMART CITIES.
DIVE AS THE NATION'S CITY LEADER OF THE YEAR.
HOUSTON, SYLVESTER TURNER, 2023 USA TODAY.
ONE OF 10 GLOBAL DESTINATIONS TO VISIT WITH CHILDREN.
BEST CITY FOR INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT.
ONE OF THE BEST CITIES FOR GEN X.
WHAT ARE WE NOT? AND 22 LISTS OF AMERICA'S BEST CITIES.
OF COURSE, THE HIGH RANKING, UH, ONE IN TEXAS.
FAVORITE, MOST IMPACTFUL HOUSTON ACCOLADE.
IS THERE ONE THAT YOU JUST SAID? YES, WE GOT THIS ONE.
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN'T, UH, JUST SINGLE OUT ONE BECAUSE EACH ONE REFLECTS THE, UM, THE STRENGTH, THE PRIDE OF OUR CITY.
I MEAN, WE ARE SO DIVERSE, BUT WE ARE SO INCLUSIVE.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, WHEN WE WORK AS ONE, WHEN WE WORK AS A TEAM, WE WIN.
AND SO, UM, I'M JUST A PROUD, I'M PROUD OF EVERY SINGLE ACCOMPLISHMENT.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, SOPHIA, I JUST WANT TO THANK THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND I WOULD SAY THE TRAJECTORY, WHETHER IT'S FOOD OR IT'S CHILDREN, OR IF IT'S INVESTMENT, IT JUST REALLY SHOWS THE GRAVITAS OF WHO WE ARE.
AND GETTING BACK TO THE UNIFICATION, IN YOUR INAUGURAL SPEECH YOU SPOKE OF ASPIRING TO BE NOT TWO CITIES, RIGHT? THE
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HAVE AND THE HAVE NOTS, BUT OF ONE, AT THE END OF THIS DAY, I SHALL GET IN MY VEHICLE AND RETURN TO THE HOME, TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHICH I WAS BORN AND READ.I AM COMMITTED TO REBUILDING NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
I AM COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TWO CITIES AND ONE OF HAVES AND HAVE NOTS.
WE ARE ALL HOUSTONIANS AND WE ALL DESERVE THE RIGHT TO IMPROVE AND MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER.
I AM COMMITTED TO THAT ONE OF AN OPPORTUNITY OF HOPE.
THE MESSAGE OF DREAMING TOMORROW WOULD BE BETTER THAN TODAY.
YOU REFERENCED THERE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, YOUR FAVORITE POEM, THE BAG OF TOOLS.
AND IT'S WORTH REPEATING REGARDLESS OF WHO WE ARE, WE'RE GIVING A RULES, RIGHT? A BOOK OF RULES, A LIST, A SHAPELESS MASS, AND A BOOK OF RULES.
AND A BAG OF TOOLS, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT.
AND YOU HAVE TO, AND EACH MUST MAKE BEFORE LIFE IS FLOWN, A STUMBLING BLOCK OR A STEPPING STONE.
YOU NAILED IT, BUT OF COURSE YOU NAILED IT.
AND YOU CREATED, IT'S NOT A STONE, A BOULDER.
YOU ARE ALWAYS CLIMBING, YOU'RE BUILDING, YOU'RE BROKERING, YOU'RE BRIDGING.
YOU'RE PROMOTING LOCAL, NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCES.
AND YOU ENGAGED IN COLLABORATION.
AND I LIKED IN THIS WINNING LEGACY, WHICH YOU HAVE TO TELL US NOW, 'CAUSE I HEARD THIS IS THE TEASER TO A BOOK THAT'S COMING.
WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN? YOU'RE NOT ABOUT THE LOCKSTEP, YOU'RE ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATIVE.
GIVE US A SENSE AS IT'S BEEN EIGHT YEARS YES.
WHAT'S THE MESSAGE? WHAT DO WE WANNA TELL? WHAT DO YOU WANNA TELL HOUSTON? LOOK, IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN BE IT.
UM, AND YOU DON'T GET THERE BY BEING AN INCREMENTALIST JUST DOING A LITTLE BIT.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO A LITTLE BIT, NO ONE SEES A LITTLE BIT YOU'VE DONE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL, TO BE SUBSTANTIVE, UH, AND TO MEET PEOPLE'S NEEDS IN A VERY HOLISTIC SENSE.
AND THIS IS A CITY WHERE WE ARE A CITY OF DREAMERS AND DOERS.
I MEAN, LOOK AT WHERE WE STARTED IN 1836, AND THEN THE DISCOVERY OF OIL AND GAS IN 1901 AND THEN BECOMING THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, AND NOW HAVING THE LARGEST MEDICAL CENTER IN THE WORLD, THE NUMBER ONE PORT IN THE UNITED STATES, NASA, ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
WE STARTED WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE VISIONARIES AND THEY THOUGHT BIG.
AND WHEN YOU DREAM, BIG, BIG THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S WHO WE ARE AS A, AS A CITY.
AND WE COME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
I WAS JUST THINKING THAT THE ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR FOREIGN BORN, RIGHT? AND THE NUMBER OF CONSULATE CORES, 93, WE HAVE THE THIRD LARGEST CONSULAR CORE IN THE UNITED STATES AND GROWING.
AND AS YOU MENTIONED, ONE OF FOUR HOUSTONIANS COMING FROM OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.
PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN A WELCOMING CITY.
WE EMBRACE PEOPLE FROM WHERE THEY COME, YOU EMBRACE, BUT THEN I HEARD YOU TALK ABOUT THIS THE OTHER DAY, BUT THEN WHEN THERE'S CRISIS, YOU ARE SUCH A LEADER THAT THEY WANNA HELP YOU.
WHETHER IT'S HURRICANE HARVEY, WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY'RE THERE FOR YOU.
AND YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW MY LOVE FOR DR.
PROPHETIC CITY AT A CUSP OF A CHANGING AMERICA.
I'VE ALWAYS PARTICULARLY LIKED THAT BECAUSE WE ARE IN ESSENCE WHAT AMERICA WILL BE 40 YEARS.
WHAT HAS BEEN THAT LIKE FOR YOU AS A MAYOR TO BASICALLY HAVE THIS AMALGAMATION OF CULTURES AND INTERESTS AND SOMEHOW YOU STIRRED US THROUGH NOT ONLY, NOT ONLY PHYSICAL CALAMITIES, BUT WE HAVE THE SOCIAL REAWAKENING IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND HOUSTON WAS SUEY, JEALOUS, GENEROUS, YES.
OF HOW IT WAS HANDLED, YOU KNOW, I LOVE THAT WORD, SUEY.
MAYOR, TELL US ABOUT THAT UNIQUENESS IN THAT TIME OF CRISIS, WHEN WE FACED SOCIAL AND CIVIL UNREST AFTER THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD AND CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, LARGE, MEDIUM, AND SMALL, WERE IN CHAOS, RIOTS, BURNING, LOOTING.
AND EVERY MAJOR CITY IN THE UNITED STATES, UH, WAS PLACED UNDER CURFEW BY THEIR MAYORS.
HOUSTON WAS THE ONLY CITY WHERE WE DID NOT HAVE TO GO INTO A CURFEW.
YOU GIVE ME GOOSEBUMPS, LET ALONE, BECAUSE MY KIDS WERE THERE.
60,000 PEOPLE AT DISCOVERY GREEN.
MARCHING THROUGH DOWNTOWN 60,000.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, 60,000 WENT HOME.
AND THIS CITY NEVER HAD TO EXPERIENCE A CURFEW.
AND THE ONLY MAJOR CITY, THE ONLY ONE IN THE UNITED STATES THAT DID NOT HAVE THAT PROBLEM.
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AND EVEN TO TODAY, SADLY, THE LOOTING CONTINUES IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.BUT THAT TAKES, THAT TAKES LEADERSHIP.
THAT TAKES LEADERSHIP AT SUCH A CORE.
AND ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS I HEARD YOU SAY THE OTHER DAY, THE STATE OF THE CITY, AND I'VE SEEN IT IN ACTION, THAT YOU CAN'T JUST ALSO BE A MAYOR FROM THE DESK FROM CITY HALL.
AND YOU HAVE PART OF IT, IT'S THE GRIT AND THE GRIND.
HOW MANY EVENTS? I ACTUALLY WANTED YOUR COLLEAGUES
BUT YOU ARE OUT THERE WITH THE COMMUNITY, THEY SEE THE AUTHENTICITY, THE SEE WHEN THEY SHAKE YOUR HAND, THEY, THEY LOOK YOU IN THE EYE.
YOU NEED TO SAY HELLO TO YOUR FOCUS.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT OPPORTUNITY AND WHY YOU WERE OUT THERE NOT AT THE DESK.
YOU WERE AT THE DESK WHEN NEEDED.
WELL, YOU KNOW, WE GO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
PEOPLE WANNA SEE YOU IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY WANNA SEE YOU IN THEIR PARKS.
THEY WANNA SEE YOU IN THEIR HOMES.
AND MANY TIMES THEY WANNA SEE YOU AT THEIR KITCHEN TABLE.
AND THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE GET A CHANCE TO KNOW YOU.
IT'S NOT ABOUT TELLING PEOPLE COME TO CITY HALL.
OKAY, THEY WILL COME, BUT THEY ALSO WANNA SEE YOU IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
I KNOW, BUT, BUT MAYOR, YOU WE'RE NOT A, WE WE'RE NOT A TOWN OF A FEW THOUSAND.
I MEAN, YOU ACT LIKE YOU COULD JUST SHOW UP, BUT YOU DO.
AND IT, AND LEMME TELL YOU, AND IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE WHEN PEOPLE FEEL AS THOUGH YOU ARE THEIR MAYOR.
OKAY? WHEN THEY SAY THAT THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT I CAN RECEIVE IS WHEN A CHILD OR AN ADULT COMES UP AND SAY, YOU ARE MY MAYOR.
THAT'S WHEN YOU KNOW YOU HAVE CONNECTED.
WHEN PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO, WHEN THEY COME AND THEY HUG YOU AND THEY EMBRACE YOU, AND YOU EMBRACE THEM BACK, THAT'S WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU ARE BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE CITY.
OKAY? AND SO THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT WHEN PEOPLE SEE YOU, WHEN 60,000 MARCHING DOWN CITY HALL, I MEAN THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, AND YOU ARE IN THAT, IN THAT MARCH.
THAT THEY, THAT THEY FEEL A SENSE OF CONNECTION.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE, I WOULD TELL ANYBODY WHO SEEK TO BE MAYOR, DO YOUR VERY BEST TO KIND OF GAIN THAT SENSE OF CONNECTION, WHAT THEY FEEL YOU, THEY CAN SEE YOU, THEY CAN WALK WITH YOU.
BUT THAT, THAT'S AN AUTHENTICITY.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU JUST CAN'T, YOU DON'T GET THAT WHEN YOU DECIDE, YOU, YOU EITHER HAVE IT OR YOU DON'T, OR YOU DON'T.
IF NOT, IT'S SO DARN FAKE AND EVIDENT.
WE ARE GONNA BE RIGHT BACK ON LATINA VOICES PONDERING MAYOR, ON YOUR VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AND KEY ACHIEVEMENTS DURING TIMES OF CRISIS, SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMICAL, AS WE DISCUSSED, AS YOU KEPT BUILDING.
AND I LIKE, THIS IS YOUR NOMENCLATURE, BUILDING HOUSTON FORWARD OVER THESE EIGHT YEARS.
YOU'VE STATED, PROMISES ARE EASY.
GOOD WORDS OF WISDOM FOR THOSE OUT THERE.
MAKING CHANGE, BEING ACTUALLY THERE, RIGHT.
AS YOU LOOK FORWARD, YOU'VE DONE SO MANY THINGS SO WELL, THE REALITY IS YOU COULD DROP THE MIC.
WHAT THE HELL,
YOU COULD EASILY DROP THE MIC.
NOW, 2016, THE LAST TIME WE GOTTA BE SITTING HERE, ALTHOUGH YOU'VE TAPED FOR LATINA VOICES AND YOU'VE BEEN FRENCH FOR LATINO INVOICES THE ENTIRE TIME.
WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN THE GENESIS FOR YOU, AFTER ALL THE SUCCESS IN THE LEGISLATURE, THE GENESIS IS THE MAYORAL RUN.
SO THE SAME NOMENCLATURE THAT A GREAT CITIZEN, UH, A SEASONED CITIZEN OF YOUR COMMUNITY SAID, YES, I WOULD ASK YOU GAS IN YOUR GAS IN THE TANK, NEXT ROAD TO TAKE YOU PARKING THE CAR.
AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE REFERENCING RUBY MOSLEY, ONE OF THE SENIORS IN THE ACRE HOME AREA.
WHEN I TOLD HER THAT I WAS LEAVING THE LEGISLATURE.
AND, UH, SHE ASKED ME, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? I SAID, WELL, MS. MOSELEY, THERE IS LIFE AFTER THE LEGISLATURE.
AND SHE QUICKLY RESPONDED, UH, SYLVESTER, IF YOU ARE TELLING ME THAT THERE IS NO GAS IN YOUR TANK AND YOU'RE GOING TO PARK YOUR CAR, MS. MOSLEY WILL UNDERSTAND.
BUT SHE SAID, SON, BUT IF THERE
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IS STILL GAS FUEL IN YOUR TANK AND YOU'RE GOING TO PARK YOUR CAR, MS. MOSLEY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND.IT WAS BASED, UH, ON THAT CONVERSATION.
UM, WHEN I WAS LEAVING THE LEGISLATURE, I DECIDED TO RUN FOR MAYOR.
UM, THAT WAS STILL GAS IN MY TANK.
AND I APPRECIATED HER WORDS OF WISDOM.
UM, MY TERM AS MAYOR WILL END AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.
UM, I'M NOT GONNA SAY TO YOU, SOPHIA, THAT I'M PARKING MY CAR.
I THINK THERE IS STILL GAS IN MY TANK.
I'M SIMPLY TRYING TO DECIDE NOW WHAT'S THE NEXT DESTINATION.
AND, YOU KNOW, LET ME, LET ME SAY THIS.
UM, WHEN YOU'VE HAD SO MUCH SUCCESS AND YOU'VE DONE PRETTY MUCH EVERY AMAZING JOB THAT THERE IS, THE REALITY IS IT HAS TO BE THOUGHTFUL.
AND I SUSPECT PART OF THAT JOURNEY, NAVIGATING WHAT'S NEXT.
SO THE INFORMATOR CONTINUES TO BE AS IMPRESSIVE YEAH.
AS THE LEGISLATURE AND THE MAYOR.
BECAUSE GIVEN WHO YOU ARE, SOMEONE WHO'S VALEDICTORIAN CLASS, PRESIDENT, U OF H, HARVARD, ET CETERA, DONE, HAS DONE ALL THIS WITH VISION, WITH COLLABORATION, RESILIENCE AND TRANSFORMATION, THIS WINNING LEGACY OF YOURS, IT CAN'T, IT, IT HAS TO BE THOUGHTFUL.
AND I AGREE YOU, YOU CAN'T ACCEPT ANYTHING INTERNALLY.
SO IN PART, I, I HEARD THERE'S A BOOK THAT YOU MAY BE WORKING ON, IS THAT PART OF THE ASSESSMENT AS YOU, AS YOU DETERMINE, SO YOU'RE NOT PARKING THE CAR, RIGHT.
YOU'VE GOTTA GET WHERE YOU'RE PARKING FOR ME FOR A MINUTE.
AS YOU WRITE THE BOOK, YOU'VE GOT THE GAS.
IS THIS PART OF THE ASSESSMENT THAT IS PART OF AS OF THE ASSESSMENT? AND I THINK OFTENTIMES IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO TELL OUR STORY.
WE DIDN'T JUST GET HERE JUST LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, WE'VE HAD OUR TRIALS, OUR TRIBULATIONS, WE'VE HAD CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TELL OUR STORY FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE GOT FROM POINT A TO POINT B, THE PEOPLE, THE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE EVENTS THAT WE CONFRONTED, THE CHALLENGES, THE TIMES WHEN YOU MAY HAVE WANTED TO GIVE UP.
SO, UH, THE BOOK I AM WRITING FOCUSES, AND I WILL TELL YOU, UH, ESSENTIALLY IT FOCUSES ON AN UNLIKELY ROAD TO CITY HALL.
UH, I MEAN, WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT I READ THOSE BOOKS AMONG LUTHER KINGDOM SPEECHES AND, UH, COMING UP THROUGH RE HOME.
BUT EVEN THEN, BEING MAYOR OF CITY HALL WAS NOT IN THE, IN MY MIND'S EYE.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I SAT DOWN ON ONE, ONE NIGHT AFTER COMING HOME, AND ABOUT 10, 10 O'CLOCK, I JUST STARTED, STARTED ON MY IPAD LAPTOP.
AND I FOUND MYSELF JUST KEPT WRITING.
UM, AND SO I THINK WHERE I AM NOW, PART OF FUEL BEING IN THE TANK IS DEPARTING SOME OF THOSE THOUGHTS TO OTHERS WHO ARE NOW FINDING THEMSELVES ON A ROAD AND NOT KNOWING WHERE THEY'RE GOING OR FACING SOME CHALLENGES AND, UM, UNCERTAINTIES.
AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL HELP TO GUIDE THEM.
MAYOR, WHAT I ALSO THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT IS I THINK OF YOUR TRAJECTORY.
AND I OFTEN HAVE THE NUMBER OF KIDS, THE SITUATIONS YOUR, YOUR FATHER PASSING IT.
AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE, YOUR MOTHER DOING EVERYTHING SHE DID, YEAH.
WITHOUT THE LUXURY OF A HARVARD LAW SCHOOL EDUCATION, BUT SHE SIGNED THE LOAN PAPER SO YOU COULD GET THERE.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT ALSO FOR OUR KIDS, OUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR GRANDCHILDREN AT SOME POINT, IF THAT MAY HAPPEN, MY GRANDCHILDREN AT SOME POINT, IF THAT HAPPENS TO APPRECIATE ALSO, AS YOU'VE SAID, IT DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
I MEAN, WE TALKED IN THE FIRST SHOW WE DID TOGETHER ABOUT YOU GOING DOWNTOWN TO WOOLWORTH, YOU WANTING ONE DAY TO WORK IN THOSE BUILDINGS.
I MEAN, IT TAKES YEARS OF PREPARATION AND GETTING BACK.
I ALSO THINK THERE'S AN EMPATHY FACTOR FOR REMEMBERING WHERE PEOPLE COME FROM, RIGHT.
THAT EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT CAUSES TO BEAR.
SOME THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF, 'EM, SOME THAT YOU DON'T, BUT IT ALSO, IT'S THE PASSION.
I THINK IT'S ALSO THE DIPLOMACY, THE PRAGMATISM, AND THEN ALSO ALWAYS REMAINING BELLIGERENTLY OPTIMISTIC.
WHEN SOMETIMES THERE REALLY ISN'T ANYTHING TO BE THAT EXCITED ABOUT.
I MEAN, SOME FOR ALL OF US, IT'S NOT ALWAYS SUNNY.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT RIGHT IN ALL OF OUR LIVES.
SO THEN THE NEXT QUESTION I WANNA ASK YOU IS A LITTLE BIT OF, YOU'VE BEEN A PARADIGM TO MANY, INCLUDING ASHLEY, MY DAUGHTER.
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AND SHE IS A DYNAMO YEAH.HERSELF WITH THE MASTERS BLOWING AND GOING IN TERMS OF WHAT ARE SOME OF THE, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT HAVE YOU LOOKED FOR INTERNALLY AS YOU'VE SOUGHT TO BE AT THE SAME TIME? A MAYOR, A FAMILY MAN AND A FRIEND TO BE ENCOURAGING TO, UH, TO ALLOW HER TO BE HER AUTHENTIC SELF.
I'VE NEVER ENCOURAGED HER TO FOLLOW MY PATH.
UH, I'VE NEVER ENCOURAGED HER TO GO AND TO BE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL OR TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL.
UM, BUT WHAT I HAVE SAID, BE YOU, AND IF YOU ARE YOU, AND IF YOU ARE HAPPY, THAT IS THRILLED.
UH, ENGAGE IN YOUR PERSONALITY.
UM, SHE IS HER AUTHENTIC SELF.
AND SHE'S NOT AFRAID AT ALL OF TELLING HER STORY AND EMBRACING WHO SHE IS.
AND THAT'S WHAT I LOVE THE MOST.
AND, UM, AND THAT I COULDN'T, I COULD NOT BE, I COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD.
WELL, AND SHE'S SIMILARLY PROUD OF YOU.
I MEAN, WE WERE AT THE STATE OF THE CITY.
WE WERE OSTENSIBLY SMILING, BUT WE WERE SHEDDING TEARS.
BUT YOU, THAT'S ALSO THE MESSAGE.
I KNOW WE NEED TO GO IN A MOMENT AND TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
BUT THAT'S ALSO WHAT YOU ALSO WOULD SAY TO OTHERS, I THINK.
I THINK YOU WOULD SAY, WHICH IS PART OF WHY YOU LEAD AS YOU LEAD THE INCLUSIVITY, THE INTENTIONALLY DIVERSE, IF YOU'RE ALLOWING PEOPLE TO HAVE THEIR OWN VOICE, ALTHOUGH YOU ULTIMATELY SAID VERY WELL THE STATE OF THE CITY, ULTIMATELY YOU HEAR EVERYTHING, THEN YOU'VE GOTTA, YOU'VE GOTTA MAKE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS.
AND THE BUCK STOPS WITH YOU, BUT YOU'RE GIVING PEOPLE THE VOICE.
YOU'RE GIVING PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY.
MORE IN LATINO VOICES, WHEN WE RETURN, WE'RE BACK WITH A MORE SEGMENT THAT WE CALL THE EXTENDED SMART TIMES.
A CONVERSATION WITH OUR ALI, OUR MAYOR OF EIGHT YEARS, SYLVESTER TURNER.
WE NEED TO THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR FEARLESS LEADER OF OUR GRITTY CAN DO.
YOU ALWAYS CATAPULTED TRULY IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY WHERE RESILIENCE IS A NECESSITY.
AND WHERE FAILURE IN HOUSTON IS NOT AN OPTION.
GIVE US A MOMENT THAT YOU'RE THINKING ANOTHER CRISIS.
WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU KNOW, UH, HARVEY, UH, 2017 TROPICAL STORM, ALDA, SEPTEMBER OF 2019, UM, THE CORONAVIRUS 20 20, 20 21, THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD, MAY OF 2020, UH, THE WINTER STORM URI FEBRUARY OF 2021.
I SAID, GOD, REALLY WHAT'S LEFT? YOU KNOW, REALLY? UM, AND AT THE SAME TIME, I WAS REMINDED AT EACH ONE OF THOSE POINTS, WE HAVE BEEN RESILIENT AND WE HAVE BOUNCED BACK AND WE HAVE BUILT FORWARD, NOT BUILDING BACK, BUT BUILDING FORWARD.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE PROUD OF THIS CITY THAN WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THAT WE HAVE FACED OVER THE LAST 80 YEARS.
AND WE ARE STILL HASHTAG HOUSTON STRONG.
AND I JUST, IT IS THE PREPARATION THOUGH, GETTING BACK TO EVERY STEP IN WHAT YOU'VE DONE, ALL THE SUCCESS IN THE LEGISLATURE, THE BRIDGING, THE BUILDING, ALL OF THIS.
BECAUSE AT THIS MOMENT OF CRISIS, YOU WERE THERE AND YOU GAVE THE, YOU GAVE THE NECESSARY OPTIMISM, BUT IT WAS REAL REALISTIC OPTIMISM.
AND THAT IS ALWAYS SO IMPORTANT.
DETERMINATIVE ONE OF MY FAVORITE.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE BECAUSE YOU'VE APPEARED ON LATINA VOICES.
YOU'VE BEEN ONE OF OUR GREAT FRIENDS.
AND YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WILL SAY, HOW IS IT 46% OF THE POPULATION? YOU ARE NOT HISPANIC MAYOR.
I LOVE YOUR ANSWER EACH TIME, BUT EXTRAPOLATE ON THAT A LITTLE BIT.
WELL, I'VE SAID THAT I MAY NOT BE HISPANIC, UH, BUT, UH, MY DNA ESP BUENO.
AND LET'S DO HOMAGE TO, TO LENORA.
SHE WOULD SAY, AND SHE DOESN'T SAY THAT LIGHTLY YOU HAVE IT IS BUENO, YOU'VE BEEN THERE.
BUT THAT'S PART BECAUSE YOU'VE LISTENED.
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IT IS THE ASIAN COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT'S THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY, ALL AFRICAN AMERICAN, OF COURSE YOU HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO LISTEN WHAT WOULD BE, AND THIS IS ONLY ON LATINO VOICES OFFICIALLY AS MAYOR, BECAUSE THERE'LL BE MORE THAT WE'LL BE DOING TOGETHER.ALRIGHT, COUNSELOR UHHUH BRETHREN,
YOU'RE AT HARVARD LAW
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE AND IN SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE, UH, MAKE SURE THAT YOU RECOGNIZE NOT ONLY DIVERSITY, BUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING HIGHLY INCLUSIVE.
BECAUSE THERE IS STRENGTH AND VALUE IN THE INCLUSION OF THAT DIVERSITY.
EMBRACE IT AND ENJOY THE RIDE.
I MAY I ADD JUST ONLY ONE PERMUTATION.
BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
NOT EVERYONE CAN BECOME MAYOR OF HOUSTON.
NOT EVERYONE CAN KNEW WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
DID IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE THAT YOU'RE VALEDICTORIAN SOMEHOW? PROBABLY, YES.
THAT YOU ARE PRESIDENT OF CLASS? PROBABLY.
THAT YOU HAVE A HARVARD, I SAY THAT BECAUSE WHAT'S THE COMMONALITY? NOT THAT IT HAS TO BE A PARTICULAR CREDENTIAL.
HECK, MY KIDS WENT TO A SCHOOL THAT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED IN HOUSTON WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.
BUT THE REALITY IS, IT'S THAT WHEREVER YOU ARE YES.
WHATEVER THE PLATFORM, THE, THE EXCELLENCE COMPONENT, DON'T YOU THINK? YES.
AND THEN FIND YOURSELF A FRIEND LIKE SOPHIA UNCLE GAY.
BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, UM, FROM THE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP FORUM OF CLASS 20, WE HAVE BEEN ON THE, WE'VE, WE'VE COME THROUGH THE, THE VALLEY, WE'VE BEEN ON THE MOUNTAIN CLIFF, AND EVERY PLACE IN BETWEEN.
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS THAT CAN HELP YOU THROUGH THE UPS AND THE DOWNS.
IT IS BEEN HONESTLY A JOY, A DREAM.
THE HUMANITY AND THE IMPORTANCE.
WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR NAVIGATING WITH A VENGEANCE.
WE ARE SO HONORED TO BE HOUSTONIANS UNDER YOUR, I MEAN IT.
WE'LL BE BACK WITH LATINA VOICES WHEN I RETURN.
WE THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON LANA VOICES.
WE'LL BE BACK NEXT TIME WITH INTERESTING TOPICS.
CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THE MAYOR OF HOUSTON, THAT MATTER TO ALL OF US.