[Press Conference: "Evergreen Negro Cemetery Ribbon Cutting"]
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GOOD AFTERNOON, AND WHAT A GREAT AFTERNOON IT IS.UM, IT HAS BEEN, UH, A LONG TIME COMING IN ORDER TO BEAUTIFY THIS BEAUTIFUL CEMETERY.
I DO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, THE TEAM.
I'M VERONICA DAVIS, THE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE OPERATIONS WITHIN HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
JOINED HERE BY MY DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR, CAROL HADDOCK.
UM, BUT I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE TEAM THAT WORKED ON THIS.
UH, DONALD NU THERE HE IS, UH, ITAI PEROT, JANE MADOO, TAYLOR CROSS, AND VALERIE LUNA.
REALLY WORKING WITH PROJECT RESPECT, UM, AND MANY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO DELIVER THIS TODAY.
BUT RIGHT NOW, I REALLY HAVE THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE OF INTRODUCING OUR MAYOR, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER, TO GIVE REMARKS.
AND I, I, UM, WELL GIVE IT TO THE, GIVE IT TO THE SOLOIST OVER THERE.
UH, FOR THOSE OF US WHO, UM, ATTENDED, UH, UH, CHURCH OUT IN THE NORTHEAST SECTOR, UH, THAT WAS A SONG WE MARCHED IN ON.
SO I, I'M QUITE FAMILIAR, UH, UH, WITH THAT SONG.
BUT LOOK, LEMME JUST SAY GOOD AFTERNOON AND, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UH, CERTAIN ONE, THANK VERONICA DAVIS AND, AND HER WHOLE TEAM, EVERYBODY THAT WORKED ON THIS, UH, CAROL PADDOCK.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS.
SO REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE.
UH, OF COURSE, WE ARE JOINED TODAY BY CONGRESSWOMAN CILA JACKSON LEE OF THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
AND THEN SANJAY RAM, UH, THE CHAIRPERSON OF METRO WEST SANJAY, THAT SANJAY GIVING UP TO SANJAY WITH METRO GRAHAM.
AND THEN OF COURSE, TO ALL, TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE PRESENT OUT HERE, UH, TO THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE AREA OR WHO HAVE LIVED IN THE AREA.
UM, IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYONE.
UM, I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE LISA KIN THE PROJECT RESPECT LISA.
AND THEN, UH, JULIANA DEARMAN AND LE K SHEFIELD, UH, FOR LINDA K SHEFIELD ESTATE.
SO GIVE IT UP TO THEM AS WELL.
AND THEN RA WELLS OF THE WHY NOT LEGACY AND CHARACTER.
WE ARE STANDING ON A, ON A, ON A SITE THAT EXEMPLIFIES, UH, THE GOOD AND IMPORTANT WORK THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED, UH, WHEN COMMUNITY AND THE PUBLIC AGENCIES COME TOGETHER, UH, TO WORK AROUND A COMMON, A COMMON CAUSE.
WE WERE HERE IN FEBRUARY AND WE PROMISED TO DO THINGS RIGHT AS PART OF THE ARCHEOLOGICAL DUE DILIGENCE TO ENSURE THAT REMAINS THAT WERE DISCOVERED WERE PROPERLY AND RESPECTFULLY, UH, RELOCATED.
AND THAT EVERGREEN NEGRO CEMETERY WAS PRESERVED AND MAINTAINED.
AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY, AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERIES HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN PRESERVED AND PROTECTED.
AND GRACE WERE ROUTINELY DIS, UH, DISTURBED.
AND A PART OF OUR COLLECTIVE HISTORY WAS LOST.
EVERGREEN NEGRO CEMETERY IS THE THIRD OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERY IN HOUSTON, ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS STATE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
AND THIS HISTORIC AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERY ORIGINAL FOUNDERS WERE EIGHT K KELLY, A FIFTH WARD, RESIDENT BUSINESSMAN AND FORMER SLAVE.
AND REVEREND EDWARD LEE AND DR.
A K KELLY IS BURIED RIGHT HERE IN THIS CEMETERY.
EVERGREEN NEGROES CEMETERY IS MAINTAINED BY THE FRIENDS OF PROJECT RESPECT AND WHY NOT LEGACY AND HERITAGE WHO HAVE BEEN THE CUSTODIANS OF THIS SITE, ENSURING THAT THOSE WHO ARE BURIED HERE ARE GIVEN A BENEFIT, A BENEFITING FINAL REST IN PLACE.
GIVE IT UP TO THESE TWO GROUPS.
WHY NOT LEGACY AND HERITAGE GOLD? IT'S TO TRANSFORM THE CEMETERY INTO A SERENE GREEN SPACE OF BEAUTY, TRANQUILITY, AND COMMUNITY PRIDE.
THE ORGANIZATION RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM THE IS THAT THE LENA K SHEFFIELD ESTATE TO INSTALL A PERIMETER FENCE AROUND THE CEMETERY TO HELP DEFINE THE AREA AND TO SERVE AS A CANVAS, UH, FOR ART BY THE COMMUNITY.
PROMOTING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
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LENA WAS A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, A HISTORIAN AND A AND A PRE, UH, PRESERVATIONIST.THE CITY ENCOURAGED BY THIS ACT, SUPPORTED THE INITIATIVE BY CREATING ENTRYWAYS ON EITHER SIDE OF LOCKWOOD STREET TO ACCENTUATE AND CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF THIS HISTORIC RESTING PLACE THAT BRINGS US TO TODAY.
AND WE ARE ALL GATHERED HERE TO PAY OUR RESPECT.
AND ONCE AGAIN, TO THOSE GONE BEFORE US AND THOSE FAMILIES AS WE CONTINUE, UH, AND TO, AND TO ANNOUNCE RENEWED STEWARDSHIP AND CARE.
AS WE DO THE RIBBON CUTTING AND FORMALLY COMMISSION THIS DEFENSE PROJECT, WE OWE IT TO THOSE WHO ARE BURIED HERE AND TO THOSE FAMILIES TO GIVE THEM A FINAL RESTING PLACE.
ONE THAT IS CELEBRATED, PEACEFUL, AND BRINGS COMMUNITY PRIDE.
A PLACE OF REMEMBRANCE, RESPECT, AND REFLECTION.
AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY.
AND A, A BIG THANKS TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON AND TO THE COMMUNITY OUT HERE THAT HAS HELPED TO BRING US TO THIS DAY.
I DO WANT, ESPECIALLY THANK LISA AND TORA AND, AND THOSE WORKING WITH YOU ALL.
GIVE IT UP TO THEM ONE MORE TIME.
AND AT THIS ONE, LEMME BRING, LEMME BRING UP LISA DERA FOR THEIR REMARKS.
MY NAME IS DENETRA WELLS, AND I'M A PART OF WHY NOT LEGACY AND HERITAGE.
THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT HERE AND JOINING US AT THE EVERGREEN NEGRO CEMETERY RIBBON CUTTING.
I WANNA START THIS OUT WITH A QUOTE FROM THE HONORABLE MARCUS GARVEY.
A PEOPLE WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR PAST HISTORY, ORIGIN, AND CULTURE IS LIKE A TREE WITHOUT ROOTS.
SO WITH THAT SAYING, WE ARE TRYING TO TEND TO OUR ROOTS, GET OUR INDIVIDUALS TO UNDERSTAND THAT LEGACY IS IMPORTANT AND THAT WE SHOULD KNOW WHO WE ARE, WHERE WE COME FROM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON TO TRY TO SAVE OUR BLACK CEMETERIES.
NOW I WANT TO INTRODUCE MY MOTHER, LISA JENKINS, FRIENDS OF PROJECT RESPECT.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TENDING TO YOUR ROOTS.
MY NAME IS LISA JENKINS, ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF PROJECT RESPECT AND WORKING WITH WHY NOT LEGACY GROUP.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REMEMBERING THE PAST, EMBRACING THE PRESENT WHILE MOVING TO THE FUTURE.
IN THE, THE PAST WAS FORMED BY DR.
HE'S THE REASON THAT WE ARE HERE TODAY IN THE LATE REVEREND JIM BOY, BUT HE'S THE REASON WE ARE HERE.
AND IT WAS FORMED IN 1995, AND A TEAM OF BUSINESS OWNERS AND HISTORIANS CAME TOGETHER TO CREATE AWARENESS TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PLIGHT OF THE CEMETERIES.
AND HE HAD THE LAW CHANGE IN ORDER TO GET THAT DONE.
SO WE NEED TO GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR THAT.
AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND AS WE ENTER PRESENT, THE INITIAL CLEANUP OF EVERGREEN NEGRO CEMETERY REVEALS A REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATION.
YOU SEE THE TRANSFORMATION, THIS COULD BE DONE FOR ALL OF OUR HISTORIC SENATOR, WHETHER THEY'RE AFRICAN AMERICAN, HISPANIC, ALL, ALL NATIONALITY.
SO HERE AT THIS CEMETERY COMBINED, THERE MAY, THERE ARE A LIST OF 4,818 BURIALS THAT WE KNOW OF.
AND THERE'S 318 PEOPLE BORN BEFORE 1862 BURIED AT THIS LOCATION.
AND WE HAVE 20 PLUS KNOWN VETERANS, AND ONE FOR SURE, BUFFALO SOLDIERS BURIED HERE AT THE CEMETERY.
THE FUTURE YOU TALKING ABOUT PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE, UH, WHY NOT LEGACY, INHERITANCE, AND A SHARED COLLABORATIVE WITH PROJECT RESPECT WILL KEEP THE VISION ALIVE, CREATING SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS FOR YOUTH AND INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN CONTINUE LEARNING THEIR HISTORY, USING THEIR HISTORY TO CREATE JOBS, TO DO THINGS FOR PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE.
SO MOVING FORWARD, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE ONE OF THE MAIN PEOPLE THAT CREATE, THAT CAME AS A DONOR WITH THE ESTATE OF MEDICAID.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT.
I WISH LENA WAS HERE TO HAVE BEEN BESIDE HERSELF.
LENA WORKED FOR 17 YEARS FOR CITY OF HOUSTON.
HER JOB WAS IN LEGAL DEPARTMENT AS A PARALEGAL, UM, DURING THE DAY, BUT AFTER HOURS.
SHE WAS A HISTORIAN AND A GO-GETTER, AND SHE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY, UM,
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WAR MEMORIAL OUT AT BEAR CREEK.SHE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ALLEN BROTHERS STATUES AT UC AT CITY HALL.
AND IN 2016, MAYOR, YOU GAVE HER A BRAVO AWARD.
UM, HER INVOLVEMENT WITH EVERGREEN GOES BACK TO 2009 WHEN SHE OBTAINED THE ORIGINAL AND THE ONLY, UM, HISTORICAL DESIGNATION FOR THE CEMETERY.
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE ONCE YOU GET THE HISTORICAL DESIGNATION, THE CEMETERY IS KIND OF PROTECTED BECAUSE THE CEMETERY IS THEREFORE PUT INTO THE DEEDS FOR FUTURE AND PRESENT LANDOWNERS.
AND THAT HELPS THE CEMETERY, LIKE I SAID, TO BECOME PROTECTED.
LENA WENT ON TO DO 25 DESIGNATIONS THROUGHOUT TEXAS IN 10 DIFFERENT COUNTIES, 12 IN THE WELL, 13 IN, IN HARRIS COUNTY ALONE.
AND THEN WITH HER ASSOCIATION WITH THE TEXAS JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, SHE DID 19 MORE.
THAT'S SIGNIFICANT IN PRESERVATION OF OUR CEMETERIES THAT GET LOST AND FORGOTTEN.
UM, HER GOAL WAS TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT, MAKE IT RIGHT, WHICH IS WHAT HER, HER PLAN WAS AND HER PASSION, SPECIFICALLY WITH CEMETERIES.
I'VE ENDEAVORED TO DO THAT WITH HER LEGACY BY INVESTING HER ESTATE INTO COLLEGE PARK CEMETERY, MCDANIEL, WESTCOT CEMETERY, OLIVE WOODS CEMETERY, HUMBLE PIPE YARD CEMETERY, AND NOW EVERGREEN NEGRO CEMETERY.
I'M VERY PROUD OF WHAT SHE'S DONE AND WHAT SHE LEFT FOR ME TO DO.
SHE REALLY BELIEVED THAT IT WAS THE HISTORY THAT WAS GONNA LEAD US INTO THE FUTURE.
AND I THINK THE REVEREND SAID THE RIGHT WORDS BY SAYING THE SAME THING.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT LISA ALLOWED ME TO APPROACH HER WITH THIS FENCE,
AND, UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT THE KIDS AND THE NEIGHBORS CAN DO AS FAR AS THE ART.
OKAY, SO WE WANNA BRING THE NEXT PERSON UP, OUR COMMUNITY MEMBER, MS. JOTA RIGGS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UM, I'M JOTA STEVENSON, PRESIDENT OF THE GREATER FIFTH WARD SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO, UH, MAKE ONE LITTLE CORRECTION ON THE PROGRAM YOU ALL RECEIVED WHERE IT'S SAYING THAT I'M GOING TO OFFER A BLESSING.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW I'M HERE TO ACCEPT THE BEAUTIFUL BLESSING THAT HAS BEEN BESTOWED UPON THIS HISTORIC COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TO, UH, THE WONDERFUL, UH, DONOR, THE SHEFFIELD ESTATE, UH, TO MY GOOD FRIEND LISA JENKINS AND DRA AND DR.
WOODY, BECAUSE THEY HAVE PUT THEIR HEART AND SOUL AND MINDS ON THIS PROJECT.
AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK SOME OF THE, SOME OF YOU THAT ARE STANDING HERE LOOKING AT ME RIGHT NOW.
YOU HAVE PARTICIPATED IN COMMITTEES AND CLEANUPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH BECAUSE THIS, THIS BEAUTIFUL THING HERE.
THIS MODERN BEAUTIFICATION IS ON TOP OF A STRONG FOUNDATION OF THOSE WHO ARE THE REASON THAT FIFTH WARD EVEN EXISTS.
NOW, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO BRING FORTH SOMEONE WHO I GREATLY ADMIRE BECAUSE SHE IS, I WOULD SAY THE LEAD OF THE HISTORIC CONGRESSIONAL 18TH DISTRICT.
AND THAT WOULD BE MY CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON.
I THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO RECEIVE THAT BLESSING FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 30 MINUTES.
'CAUSE THIS IS A GIANT 30 MINUTE BLESSING FOR SURE.
LET ME JUST TAKE A MOMENT, BECAUSE I AM GRATIFIED AS ALARA IS, UH, AND HOW SPECIAL THE HUMANITY OF HOUSTON IS.
AND THAT'S WHAT I SEE HERE TODAY.
UH, WE ARE ONLY HERE BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LOVED, CARED AND ACTED.
AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY ACTED AFTER HOURS, AFTER THEIR WORK HOURS INTO THE NIGHT, INTO THE WEEKENDS, THEY ACTED WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAD CONVINCED OUR MAYOR, THE HEAD OF OUR CITY, WHAT HIS OWN VIEWPOINTS WERE.
THAT HISTORIC PRESERVATION IS A LIFELINE, IS IT NOT? IT IS A CONNECTIVITY TO WHO WE ARE
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AS HUMANITY AND HUMAN BEINGS.AND SO I SIMPLY WANT TO OFFER THE ADDITIONAL THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMUNITY THAT I SEE THROUGHOUT OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE FIFTH WARD.
AND IT HAS BEEN BECAUSE OF YOU THAT THE STORY OF FIFTH WARD HAS BEEN INTERTWINED AND UNTANGLED SO THAT WE HAVE SO MANY STORIES ABOUT OUR HOMES, ABOUT WHO LIVES HERE, WHO LIVED HERE, WHO WAS BURIED HERE, WHO CAME BACK FROM WARS HERE, WHO WENT TO WORK EVERY DAY.
AND YES, BROTHER JONES WHO CLEANED UP HERE.
I WENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS IN 1995, AND THAT'S WHEN BROTHER JONES AND BROTHER BOWIE WAS STARTING OUT CLEANING UP AND SPEAKING OUT, AND SHOUTING OUT ABOUT DON'T LET THIS CEMETERY BE LOST.
SO IMPORTANT, MA'AM STEVENSON, THANK YOU FOR BEING A VOICE OF CIVIC PRIDE IN LEADERSHIP SAYING THAT I WILL NOT LET THIS STORY BE LOST TO TANYA DEBO, UH, TO THE HISTORIANS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO HOUSTON'S HISTORY, HARRIS COUNTY'S HISTORY, TEXAS HISTORY.
I CALL THEM THE, THE GURUS OF HISTORY.
THANK YOU TO LISA, UH, AND RA, WHO WOULD EVER THINK THAT THEY'RE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER.
YOU KNOW THAT EVERYBODY SAYS THEY'RE SISTER AND SISTER, FRIEND AND FRIEND, UH, BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY ARE.
I JUST WANNA LEAVE YOU WITH THIS.
UH, I WANNA HONOR HARRIS COUNTY AND THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE, PLEASE STAND.
I'M JUST TRYING TO GET YOU TO STAND, STAND UP.
SHE'S ALWAYS IN THE BACKGROUND, BUT WHERE YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU GET THE PAPERWORK DONE OR YOU GET THE VISION DONE OR YOU GET THE JOB DONE, DEBORAH IS GONNA BE DOING IT.
AND I'M JUST VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU.
I WANT YOU NEVER TO STOP BECAUSE THERE'S MORE WORK TO BE DONE.
AND JUST GIVE YOU A VERY BIG HAND BECAUSE I ACKNOWLEDGE THE QUIETNESS OF YOUR WORK.
AND SO AS I CLOSE, I SEE METRO HERE.
I KNOW THAT THERE IS ONGOING WORK.
I ALSO KNOW THAT THE MAYOR WHISPERED TO ME ONE TIME AS WE WERE COMING THROUGH THIS AREA THAT HE HAD TO MAKE SURE, I THINK IT WAS IN THE, THE LANDSCAPE.
HE HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT HIS PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT CAROL DID NOT TAMPER WITH THE HISTORY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
THAT'S A MAYOR WHO HAD A DEADLINE, WHO HAD CONTRACTS TO MAKE SURE THEY WORKED, WHO HAD A JOB TO GET DONE.
BUT HE WANTED TO PAUSE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DID NOT TAMPER WITH ANY OF THE HOLY AND SACRED REMAINS THAT ARE IN THIS PLACE.
AND SO MY CONGRATULATIONS IS TO SAY THIS, EVERY ONE OF US WHO SAYS THE WORD PUBLIC, BROTHER JONES IS A SERVANT.
HAVE NO FEAR THAT OUR JOB IS TO SERVE YOU.
THERE'S WORK THAT METRO IS DOING.
THERE ARE DESCENDANTS OF THOSE BURIED HERE.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL THOSE PEOPLE CONTINUE TO BE AT THE TABLE AND AROUND THE TABLE SO THAT THAT STORY IS SACREDLY HELD AND SACREDLY TOLD.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THOSE WHO USE THEIR HANDS IN 1995 ARE NEVER FORGOTTEN.
AND THAT THOSE WHO HAVE CONTROL OVER DOLLARS THAT CAN HELP THIS PROJECT, BIG PUBLIC WORKS, SMALL PUBLIC WORKS, THAT WE USE THOSE DOLLARS WITH THE SANCTITY AND RESPECT OF THOSE WHO'VE GONE ON AS THE OLD FOLKS SAY PASSED ON, BUT ARE WORTHY OF OUR HONOR.
I THANK YOU TO THE MUSICIANS WHO SANG THOSE SONGS.
AND SO IT WILL BE MY COMMITMENT TO SAY TO YOU THAT, UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND ITS PROJECTS THAT DEAL WITH INFRASTRUCTURE, WE ARE THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE REMAINS ARE HONORED AND REMAIN SACRED.
WE SHOULD BE HUMBLED AND HONORED.
AND I BLESS YOU, HAVING RECEIVED A BLESSING.
THE ONLY BLESSING I CAN GIVE IS A COMMITMENT THAT YOUR WORK WILL NEVER CEASE.
I WILL CONTINUE IT WITH HONOR AND RESPECT SO THAT THESE STORIES ARE CONTINUOUSLY TOLD.
AND FOR THOSE WHO'VE GIVEN US A CHALLENGE, THAT'S A BIG CHALLENGE.
CEMETERIES ACROSS AMERICA AND THEY EXIST.
AND SO KEEP POURING INTO US BECAUSE NOT ONLY CAN WE DO IT HERE IN THIS HISTORIC FIFTH WARD, HISTORIC HOUSTON,
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HISTORIC TEXAS, BUT THIS MUST BE KNOWN IN THE HIERARCHIES OF GOVERNMENT ACROSS AMERICA.HELP US DO THIS ACROSS AMERICA.
SO LET ME FINISH AND JUST SIMPLY SAY, UH, IF OUR PROJECTS, UH, LISA AND DENIERA WOULD COME, THE FRIENDS OF PROJECT RESPECT WOULD COME AND IF BROTHER JONES WOULD COME, UH, AND UM, YOU INVITE AND YOU KNOW THE MAYOR, I'M GONNA INVITE YOU ALL UP, ALL OF THE FOLK WHO TOUCHED THIS PROJECT, PLEASE COME UP.
UH, I WANT LENA'S FAMILY TO COME UP.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF YOU, ALL OF YOU.
COME UP, DON'T HIDE IN THE BACK.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF HER FAMILY MEMBERS HERE, LENA, BUNCH OF HER FAMILY MEMBERS HERE, BUNCH OF HER FRIENDS.
BROTHER, SISTER STEVENSON, AMERICAN NOT GONNA LET YOU SIT DOWN.
SO JUST NOT STAND UP, NOT GONNA LET YOU SIT DOWN.
THIS IS ABOUT HISTORY REPRESENTATIVE, DUTTONS REPRESENTATIVE COMING UP, AND THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE REPRESENTING INDIVIDUALS, THERE IS NO SHAME HERE.
ALRIGHT? AND I SAW THE CHAIRMAN OF METRO BOARD.
I WANNA MAKE SURE FOR THE TIME THAT HE KNOWS THAT IF HE STANDS HERE WHERE HE SHOULD BE, HIS MONEY WILL BE COMMITTED TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION ALONG WITH THE PROJECT.
WHERE ARE YOU SIDE TODAY? ALRIGHT.
AND SOMEONE TAKE A PICTURE THAT I CAN GET.
I GREATLY APPRECIATE IT, TANYA.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET, I THINK WE'RE AS TIGHT AS WE CAN GET.
SO WE'RE GONNA NOW TRANSITION, UM, TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE GATE SO THAT WE CAN DO A RIBBON CUTTING.
AND UH, MAYOR TURNER HAS REMINDED ME MULTIPLE TIMES THAT HE IS MAYOR UNTIL DECEMBER 31ST.
UH, AND SO WE DO NEED TO GET HIM TO ANOTHER RIBBON CUTTING.
UM, SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND JOIN AROUND.
WE'RE GOING TO BRING EVERYONE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE GATES, CLOSE THE GATES.