Watch our 2024 Project CommUNITY special: Celebrating Black History Month

NATION AND HERE AT HOME, WE’RE CELEBRATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. FOR IN TRUTH, I’VE WORKED MY ENTIRE LIFE TO TRY TO REACH THIS MOMENT, AND I WAS A PRODUCT OF CIVIL RIGHTS. FROM DEFYING ODDS AND MAKING HISTORY. BECOMING THE FOURTH BLACK JUDGE. SO ALL THAT IS UNIMAGINABLE. I’M JUST HERE DOING WHAT I DO, ENJOYING WHAT I DO. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY THAT IT’S IT’S JUST, UH, YOU’RE JUST A COACH TO BEING A CHANGE MAKERS IN THEIR FIELD AND PROMOTING DIVERSITY. WE WE DON’T HAVE A VOICE IN THE MARKET. AND SO THIS IS OUR VOICE, OUR PLATFORM. AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERS INSPIRING FUTURE GENERATIONS WITH THEIR OWN STORIES. IT REALLY DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN THAT. I THINK IT’S COMMUNITY BUILDING IS OUR MAIN MESSAGE. AND I’M FULLY AWARE THAT THERE’S A LOT OF LITTLE GIRLS THAT DO LOOK UP TO ME IN A KCRA 3 PROJECT COMMUNITY SPECIAL CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH. HELLO, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I’M GULSTAN DART AND I’M BRANDI CUMMINGS. TONIGHT WE ARE CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF TRAILBLAZING LEADERS ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE 2024 THEME FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE ARTS. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE INFLUENCE AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE HAD IN THE FIELDS OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, LITERATURE, FASHION, FILM AND MUSIC. AND RIGHT NOW, THE CROCKER ART MUSEUM IS HIGHLIGHTING BLACK ARTISTS IN AMERICA. THIS IS SOME OF THE ARTWORK FROM THE EXHIBIT THAT WILL BE ON DISPLAY UNTIL MAY ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THERE ARE LIVING LEGENDS MAKING AN IMPACT, FROM SPORTS TO COURTROOMS TO COLLEGE CAMPUSES. AND FOR TWO DECADES, ONE RADIO STATION HAS SERVED AS THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY. KDE WAS CREATED BY THE CALIFORNIA BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND IS KCRA. MICHELLE BANDUR SHOWS US ITS UNITING THE COMMUNITY WITH NOT ONLY MUSIC, BUT IMPORTANT CONVERSATION. I’M YOUR HOST, MISS WANDA, IN THE STUDIO. ALL THE WAY LIVE WITH YOU. LET ME JUST SHARE WITH YOU THIS LITTLE STORY HERE. THERE’S A MESSAGE BEHIND THE MIC AT KDE 97.5 FM ON HER SATURDAY MORNING SHOW FULL CIRCLE. WE ARE TALKING ALL THINGS MONEY. IT’S. MISS WANDA IS TALKING FINANCES, FAMILY AND PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH. MY SHOW IN PARTICULAR IS A TALK SHOW FOR BLACK WOMEN. SHE INVITES EXPERTS INTO THE STUDIO EVERY WEEK. WE DON’T HAVE A VOICE IN THE MARKET. AND SO THIS IS OUR VOICE, OUR PLATFORM. THE CALIFORNIA BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LAUNCHED A 97.5 IN 2004 AS A COMMUNITY DRIVEN, COMMERCIAL FREE RADIO STATION WITH NO COMMERCIALS. IT RAISES MONEY AND ACCEPTS DONATIONS THROUGH ITS FOUNDATION. WE NEED, UM, PARITY. WE NEED CONVERSATIONS THAT COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS WON’T HAVE BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE TO. THEY DON’T NEED TO. THEY DON’T WANT TO. PROGRAMING INCLUDES SERIOUS TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, HOMELESSNESS, REPARATIONS, POLICE RELATIONSHIPS, YOUTH VIOLENCE, AND LISTENERS GET SOME LIGHTER SUBJECTS, TOO. THIS IS SUPER BOWL WEEKEND. YEAH. AND UM, OKAY, SO WHO YOU GOT? DON’T FORGET THE MUSIC. OLD SCHOOL R&B, HIP HOP AND JAZZ. WHEN THE RADIO STATION FIRST LAUNCHED, IT WAS ON A HIGHER FREQUENCY, OUT OF REACH FOR MOST OF ITS TARGET AUDIENCE. SO WHEN IT MOVED DOWN THE DIAL TO 97.5, IT’S NOW HEARD IN THE HEART OF SACRAMENTO. GAVE US A BROADER REACH. IT REALLY SPOKE TO MORE OF THE CITY, REACHING THE COMMUNITY TO BOTH ENTERTAIN AND EMPOWER. 97.5 CD SACRAMENTO’S NUMBER ONE COMMUNITY RADIO STATION. YOU’RE TUNED IN TO IT’S NEVER TOO LATE IN SACRAMENTO AND WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK. MICHELLE BANDUR KCRA THREE NEWS. I THINK THAT THE ROSEVILLE FIRE CHIEF IS MAKING IT HIS MISSION TO INCREASE DIVERSITY INDUSTRYWIDE. CHIEF RICK BARTIE TELLS US IT HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN AN EASY PATH, BUT HIS JOB NOW ALLOWS HIM TO HELP AROUND THE WORLD. THESE ARE JUST FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. HE’S THE ROSEVILLE FIRE CHIEF. BUT RICK BARTIE IS OFTEN FAR AWAY FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THESE ARE PICTURES OF US IN BOATS FLOATING PAST HOUSES FROM THE GULF COAST AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA. NEW YORK AFTER NINE OVER 11 AND MOST RECENTLY, LAHAINA, WHERE HE LED A TEAM OF 500 AFTER HAWAII’S DEADLY WILDFIRES. BEING A FIREFIGHTER, THERE’S THOSE OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE TO BE ABLE TO BE NATIONALLY KNOWN AND NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED OR JUST HAVE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHTS THAT YOU CAN BE INVOLVED IN FOR. FOR INSTANCE, AT A FIREFIGHTER. BARTIE IS ON THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TEAM FOR URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE IN BOTH ROLES. DEDICATED TO HELPING OTHERS. I KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE A PUBLIC SERVANT. I KNEW THAT I WAS EITHER GOING TO BE A POLICE OFFICER OR A FIREFIGHTER, OR GO INTO THE MILITARY. BARTIE SPENT MUCH OF HIS CAREER AS A FIREFIGHTER IN ARIZONA. I WENT THROUGH ALL THE RANKS IN PHOENIX. THE CLIMB WASN’T EASY. THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER, HE’S FACED RACISM, DISCRIMINATION AND TOXIC BEHAVIOR. GOT ON THE CAPTAIN’S LIST TO BE PROMOTED THERE IN PHOENIX, AND ACTUALLY HAD A SENIOR CAPTAIN ROLE. RESPECTED CAPTAIN COME UP TO ME ONCE AND SAYS, YOU KNOW WHY YOU’RE SO HIGH ON THE LIST, DON’T YOU? AND I SAID, WELL, BECAUSE I SCORED WELL AND I WORKED VERY HARD TO GET HERE. HE GOES, TAP ME ON MY HAND. BECAUSE OF THIS, SOME MEMORIES FROM HIS FIRST FIRE STATION IN THE 80S STILL HAUNT HIM. TO HAVE A PERSON WHO WOULD WALK IN THE ROOM AND TOSS BANANAS ON YOU AND SAY, I’M SURE YOU EAT THOSE. DON’T YOU? BARTIE RETIRED AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN PHOENIX, A DEPARTMENT WITH 1500 FIREFIGHTERS. I WON’T GO UP, SO IT’S NO LONGER. THAT’S GOOD TO KNOW, HE THEN MOVED TO ROSEVILLE TO BECOME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FIRE CHIEF, HIS FOCUS NOW HELPING OTHER RECRUITS CLIMB THEIR OWN CAREER LADDER AND INCREASING DIVERSITY. INDUSTRY WIDE. I’VE HAD TIMES WHERE I’VE HAD MINORITIES TELL US I’M NOT GOING TO GET A FOUR YEAR DEGREE JUST TO BE A FIREFIGHTER, FOR NOT REALIZING THAT THE JOB PAYS WELL AS IT DOES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO GIVE BACK OPPORTUNITY FOR PROMOTION. AND THEN WHILE YOU’RE BEING A FIREFIGHTER, IF YOU WANTED TO BECOME A DOCTOR OR A LAWYER OR WHATEVER, LATER, THEY’RE GOING TO PAY FOR YOUR EDUCATION. THEY’RE GOING TO ASSIST YOU TO GET WHERE YOU GOT TO GET TO. CHIEF BARTIE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO A SECOND RETIREMENT AND SPENDING MORE TIME WITH HIS FAMILY OVER THE YEARS, HE AND HIS WIFE HAVE OPENED THEIR HOME TO DOZENS OF FOSTER CHILDREN. HE HAS THREE ADOPTED CHILDREN AND THREE BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN, AND THE CITY OF LATHROP HAS NAMED ITS NEW POLICE CHIEF. STEVEN SEALY WAS PROMOTED AND BECOMES THE CITY’S FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN CHIEF. HE HAD BEEN SERVING AS INTERIM CHIEF SINCE SEPTEMBER. SEALY SAYS, QUOTE, THIS ROLE IS MUCH MORE THAN A POSITION TO ME. IT IS A COMMITMENT TO THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF OUR COMMUNITY. WELL, COMING UP, BREAKING BARRIERS IN THE COURT SYSTEM, THE IMPACT THAT JUDGE GARY RANSOM HAD DURING HIS TENURE ON THE BENCH, PLUS STINGERS UP. WE SIT DOWN WITH SACRAMENTO STATE ALUM AND PRESIDENT DOCTOR J. LUKE WOOD. THE CHANGES HE’S MAKING ON THE CAMPUS. BREAKING BARRIERS IN THE COURT SYSTEM. THAT’S THE LEGACY OF RETIRED SACRAMENTO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE GARY RANSOM. HE DEFIED THE ODDS AS ONE OF ONLY A FEW BLACK JUDGES IN THE COUNTY. 2018 LEGAL FUSION JUDGE GARY RANSOM. I WAS THE FOURTH BLACK JUDGE IN THIS COUNTY. HIS IMPACT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF, I SAID. IN 25 DIFFERENT COURTROOMS FROM SAN DIEGO ALL THE WAY TO OREGON, RETIRED SACRAMENTO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE GARY RANSOM, A GRADUATE OF MCGEORGE SCHOOL OF LAW AND THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER IN THE SACRAMENTO PUBLIC DEFENDER’S OFFICE. WE’RE ALL IN THE SAME SHAPE. WE’RE ALL TRYING TO BE CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS, TRYING TO REPRESENT OUR CLIENTS AS BEST WE COULD. AND THAT WAS WE WERE ALL HAD THAT SAME MIND, THOUGHT LONGTIME SACRAMENTO CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY LINDA PARISI WORKED WITH RANSOM AS A PUBLIC DEFENDER. HE WAS A VERY COMMITTED TO HIS CLIENTS. HE KNEW THE LAW. HE WAS ALSO VERY GOOD AT, UM, FIGURING OUT WHAT WOULD BE MOST PERSUASIVE FOR HIS CLIENTS, AND IN LATER YEARS STOOD BEFORE HIM IN COURT. IT’S A VERY SERIOUS PLACE, AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THE WAY JUDGE RANSOM CONDUCTED HIS COURTROOM IS HE TRIED TO MAKE IT AS PERSONAL AS POSSIBLE, A PERSONAL TOUCH DURING PROCEEDINGS, AND NUGGETS OF WISDOM HANDED OUT IN COURT. JUDGE RANSOM STILL REMEMBERS A CONVERSATION WITH A WOMAN HE SENTENCED YEARS AGO. I GOT A GREAT JOB RIGHT NOW. EVERY DAY I WAS IN PRISON, I THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID AND ENCOURAGING ME, AND IT HAPPENED. AND I WANT TO THANK YOU. GROWING UP IN THE SEGREGATED NORTHEAST, HIS PATH WAS SOMETHING NO ONE EXPECTED. AND I HEARD IT A THOUSAND TIMES. YOU AIN’T NEVER GOING TO BE ANYTHING YOU GREW UP IN HERE IN THE GHETTO. THAT’S IT. THIS IS AS FAR AS YOU GO. IT WAS NOT ONE PERSON, NOT ONE INCLUDING ME, NOT ONE PERSON WOULD HAVE SEEN ME. A GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE, GOING TO THE AIR FORCE, BEING AN OFFICER, FLYING IN B-52S, GOING TO LAW SCHOOL, DEFY THE ODDS AND SPREADING ENCOURAGEMENT ALONG THE WAY. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT OUR NATION GOES FORWARD WITH PEOPLE KNOW YOU GOT A CHANCE. THAT’S THE THING DISTINGUISHES UNITED STATES FROM A LOT OF OTHER COUNTRIES. YOU’VE GOT A CHANCE. YOU JUST GOT TO TRY HARD AND I TELL THEM YOU HAVE A DUTY. ONCE YOU ONCE YOU SUCCEED, PASS THIS ON TO SOMEBODY ELSE. JUDGE RANSOM WAS ALSO ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE SACRAMENTO CHAPTER OF SIGMA PI PHI. THAT’S A FRATERNITY FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS. JUDGE RANSOM WAS INITIALLY APPOINTED TO THE SACRAMENTO MUNICIPAL COURT BY FORMER GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN. BACK IN 1981. HE WAS APPOINTED TO THE SUPERIOR COURT BY GOVERNOR GEORGE DEUKMEJIAN RANSOM RETIRED FROM THE BENCH IN 2002. FROM STUDENT TO PRESIDENT, SACRAMENTO STATE ALUM DOCTOR J. LUKE WOOD IS BACK AND RUNNING THE CAMPUS. I’M COMING BACK TO THE CAMPUS THAT I GRADUATED FROM. COMING TO AN ENVIRONMENT THAT I LOVE AND WORKING WITH FACULTY AND STAFF, MANY WHO ARE PART OF MY JOURNEY. IT REALLY DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN THAT. TALK ABOUT YOUR FULL CIRCLE HERE. THE OBSTACLES HE OVERCAME TO BEAT THE ODDS AND FORGE CHANGE ON CAMPUS. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU BACK TO OUR PROJECT COMMUNITY SPECIAL, CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY. SACRAMENTO STATE MOTTO IS REDEFINE. FIND THE POSSIBLE AND A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS PHRASE IS THEIR CURRENT PRESIDENT, DOCTOR J. LUKE WOOD. SO WOOD IS THE UNIVERSITY’S NINTH PRESIDENT AND THE SECOND AFRICAN AMERICAN TO SERVE IN THE POSITION. I SAT DOWN WITH HIM TO TALK ABOUT HIS JOURNEY THAT LED HIM BACK TO HIS ALMA MATER. A PIANIST. AND AMATEUR BOXER STINGERS UP. HEY, SAC STATES NUMBER ONE. NOW THE YOUNGEST PRESIDENT OF ALL FOUR YEAR INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT’S ONLY BEEN SIX MONTHS. IN TRUTH, I’VE WORKED MY ENTIRE LIFE TO TRY TO REACH THIS MOMENT. BUT AT SACRAMENTO STATE, DOCTOR J. LUKE WOOD’S IMPACT IS UNDENIABLE. WE’RE DOING THINGS HERE THAT WE’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. HE JUST ANNOUNCED THE NATION’S FIRST BLACK HONORS COLLEGE, A BRAND NEW PROGRAM FOR COMBAT SPORTS ATHLETES, AND A NEW CENTER FOR STUDENTS WHO WERE INCARCERATED. I’M COMING BACK TO THE CAMPUS THAT I GRADUATED FROM, COMING TO AN ENVIRONMENT THAT I LOVE AND WORKING WITH FACULTY AND STAFF, MANY WHO ARE PART OF MY JOURNEY. IT REALLY DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN THAT. DOCTOR WOOD KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION. BORN WHILE MY MOTHER WAS IN PRISON, MY TWIN BROTHER. WE IMMEDIATELY BECAME WARDS OF THE COURT AND THEN WERE PLACED INTO FOSTER CARE, STARTING IN KINDERGARTEN. RACISM WAS RAMPANT. IT WAS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE FOR ME TO BE CALLED A RACIAL EPITAPH. OTHER CHILDREN WOULD SAY LIKE, HEY, YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO COME TO MY HOME. I’VE ASKED MY PARENTS, RIGHT? AND IT WAS USUALLY BECAUSE OF MY RACE. BY FIFTH GRADE, BOTH WOOD AND HIS BROTHER WERE BEING SINGLED OUT. I WAS SUSPENDED 42 TIMES BY THE SAME TEACHER, AND IT WAS FOR THE MOST MINOR THINGS, AND OFTENTIMES FOR THINGS THAT WE DIDN’T EVEN DO. BUT HE SAYS ONE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER CHANGED HIS LIFE. HE SAW THAT I LIKED TO WRITE. HE SAW THAT I WAS ACTUALLY VERY TALENTED ACADEMICALLY, AND HE INVESTED HIS TIME IN ME. IT TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT WHAT I BRING TO AN EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AS A PRESIDENT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE EDUCATORS WHO BELIEVE THAT STUDENTS CAN DO IT, WHO BELIEVE THAT THEY’RE WORTHWHILE, WHO ARE DOWN TO EARTH AND WILLING TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM AND HAVE A SHARED A VESTED INTEREST IN THEIR SUCCESS. NOW HE’S CREATING THAT SAME ENVIRONMENT AT SAC STATE. I DIDN’T HAVE THE EASIEST EXPERIENCE HERE, AND SO WANTING TO COME BACK TO SACRAMENTO STATE WAS PART OF WANTING TO FIX THE PROBLEMS THAT I SAW WHEN I WAS A STUDENT HERE PROMOTING INCLUSION, ACCEPTANCE AND REAL RESOURCES TO HELP ALL STUDENTS SUCCEED. WE WERE THE ONE AND ONLY PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN THE STATE CAPITAL OF THE FIFTH LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD, AND IT’S TIME THAT WE ACT LIKE IT. WELL, FROM COLLEGE DOWN TO ELEMENTARY, MANY SCHOOLS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ARE ACKNOWLEDGING BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS. STUDENTS AT MIRA LOMA HIGH SCHOOL HOSTED ITS SECOND ANNUAL BLACK RENAISSANCE DAY FESTIVAL. IT FEATURES INFORMATIONAL BOOTHS, MUSICAL PERFORMANCES. THEY HAVE LIVE SKITS AND TRADITIONAL AFRICAN DANCE PERFORMANCES. THE SCHOOL’S STUDENT UNION AND ITS STAFF ADVISORS PULL THIS EVENT TOGETHER. FOR A LONG TIME, STUDENTS WOULD LEARN ABOUT HARRIET TUBMAN AND AND AND FREDERICK DOUGLASS AND MARTIN LUTHER KING. AND THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE THE TOTALITY OF WHAT WAS TAUGHT. THEY HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE INVENTORS. THEY HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE SCIENTISTS AND THE DOCTORS AND THE MATH COMPETITIONS AND THE PHILOSOPHERS. AND SO IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO TEACH THEM THE FULL RANGE, BEING ABLE TO, LIKE, REACH OTHER PEOPLE ON STUFF, ON MATTERS THAT I FIND NEAR AND DEAR. LIKE I FEEL LIKE THAT’S A IT’S A IT’S A GOOD THING, UM, TWO MIDDLE SCHOOL GROUPS AND BLACK STUDENT UNION GROUPS FROM EACH OF THE DISTRICT’S NINE HIGH SCHOOLS TOOK PART. SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES, AND NOW SHE COACHES STOCKTON KINGS. HEAD COACH LINDSEY HARDING IS MAKING HISTORY. WE DON’T TAKE IT LIGHTLY. I I’M FULLY AWARE THAT THERE’S A LOT OF LITTLE GIRLS THAT DO LOOK UP TO ME. HER JOURNEY FROM PLAYER TO COACH AND THE LEGACY THAT SHE’S CREATING. WHILE BREAKING BARRIERS ON THE COURT, STOCKTON KINGS HEAD COACH LINDSEY HARDING IS THE FIRST EVER BLACK FEMALE HEAD COACH IN THE NBA. G LEAGUE. AND NOW, BECAUSE OF HER LEADERSHIP, THE TEAM IS A TOP CONTENDER IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE. HERE ARE YOUR TRUCKEE. G. SHE’S THE FACE OF THE FRANCHISE. LINDSEY HARDING HAS BEEN A SLAM DUNK AS THE FIRST EVER BLACK FEMALE HEAD COACH IN THE NBA. G LEAGUE. I JUST WANT TO DO MY BEST AND BE ABLE TO SLEEP WELL AT NIGHT. AND IF I DO THAT, THEN I’M HAPPY. HER LOVE OF SPORTS STARTED EARLY. I WANT TO RUN TRACK IN THE OLYMPICS. THAT WAS MY THING. UH, GYMNASTIC WAS PROBABLY MY FIRST LOVE. LOVE? I DID SOCCER, I DID, I DID, UH, VOLLEYBALL, AND THEN, UH, STARTED WITH BASKETBALL. MY FIRST YEAR PLAYING BASKETBALL IN JUNIOR HIGH WAS THE FIRST YEAR THE HOUSTON COMETS IN THE WNBA KIND OF STARTED. SO WATCHING THOSE WOMEN WAS, UH, VERY INSPIRING FOR ME. AND I MADE A GOAL RIGHT THEN AND THERE. I WANTED TO PLAY IN THE WNBA. AFTER PLAYING AT DUKE, HARDING WAS THE NUMBER ONE OVERALL PICK IN THE 2007 WNBA DRAFT, AND I PLAYED ABOUT TEN YEARS IN THE WNBA AND GOT A CHANCE TO PLAY IN THE OLYMPICS WITH THE BELARUS NATIONAL TEAM, WORKED WITH THEM AND, UH, HAD A GREAT, PRETTY LONG CAREER. HARDING NEVER IMAGINED HER NEXT SHOT AT STAYING IN THE GAME WOULD BE ON THE SIDELINES, WANTED TO DO MORE FRONT OFFICE AND STARTED TO COACH. AND HERE I AM AND I LOVE IT. SHE WAS A SCOUT AND A PLAYER DEVELOPMENT COACH FOR THE 76 ERS, THEN AN ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE SACRAMENTO KINGS BEFORE HER BARRIER BREAKING PROMOTION IN STOCKTON. AND I DON’T TAKE IT LIGHTLY I AM FULLY AWARE THAT THERE’S A LOT OF LITTLE GIRLS THAT DO LOOK UP TO ME. HARDING’S CREDIBILITY GOES BEYOND HER LENGTHY BASKETBALL RESUME. THE MAJORITY OF THIS LEAGUE, AS WELL AS IN THE NBA, ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN. THEY ARE LIKE MY BROTHER OR MY COUSINS. THERE’S A LEVEL AND UNDERSTANDING OF UPBRINGING, OF BACKGROUND, OF CULTURE FOR, UH, THERE’S WAYS THAT I CAN CONNECT WITH THEM DUE TO MY SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. COACH HARDING STYLE WITH A FOCUS ON TEAM BALL, IS PAYING OFF. THE TEAM RANKS NUMBER TWO IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE. I JUST WANT TO ENJOY EVERY MINUTE THE WINS AND NOT ENJOYING THE LOSSES. BUT LIKE SITTING IN IT BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO GO QUICK. LOOK AT THE BACKSPIN. YOU WANT IT BACK SPIN. NOT THAT SHE NEEDS MY $0.02, BUT I THINK ANOTHER MARK OF A GREAT COACH SHOWING THIS JOURNALIST WHO’S NEVER STEPPED FOOT ON A PROFESSIONAL COURT HOW TO LAND A BASKET IN JUST A FEW SECONDS. NOW REACH UP. THERE YOU GO. THAT WAS GOOD. THERE YOU GO. SEE? LOOK. SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE LINDSEY HARDING COACH IN PERSON, CHECK OUT THE STOCKTON KINGS AT THE ADVENTIST HEALTH ARENA. SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES, I LOVE THAT. SACRAMENTO NATIVE DUSTY BAKER MADE HISTORY IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL BY BECOMING THE FIRST BLACK PERSON TO WIN A WORLD SERIES AS A PLAYER AND A MANAGER, BUT HE SAYS HIS LIFE’S WORK IS STILL FAR FROM OVER. WE HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH THE NOW RETIRED 74 YEAR OLD BEFORE HE WAS ABOUT TO SPEAK TO A GROUP OF STUDENTS AND FACULTY AT THE MCGEORGE SCHOOL OF LAW IN SACRAMENTO. EARLY ON IN HIS BASEBALL CAREER, BAKER SAYS, HANK AARON TOOK CARE OF HIM AND TAUGHT HIM A LOT ABOUT NAVIGATING THROUGH LIFE AS A BLACK MAN IN AMERICA. ONLY 18, 19 YEARS OLD. BUT HE GAVE ME A REAL, UM, FEEL. AND OF OF OF BEING A YOUNG. YOU KNOW, BLACK MAN IN AMERICA. AND IT HELPED ME LATER ON IN MY LIFE WHEN I EXPERIENCED SOME INEQUALITIES. BUT I REALIZED THAT THIS IS THIS WAS THE WAY OF THE WORLD WAS VERY IMPORTANT. BAKER SAYS THAT HE REMAINS HOPEFUL THAT AMERICA WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. WELL, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. AND WE LOVE HAVING YOU AND HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR SHOW. WE’LL HAVE MUCH MORE OF THIS ONLINE IF YOU WANT TO CATCH IT.