The System Isn't Broken - It's Working as Designed

Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right

person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free.

At zippercrooter.com slash zip.

Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you.

It finds them for you.

It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites

them to apply to your job.

You get qualified candidates fast.

So while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, Zippercrooter finds you what you're

looking for.

The needle in the haystack.

See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate

within the first day.

Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire.

And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free.

That's right.

Free.

Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right

person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free.

At zippercrooter.com slash zip.

Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you.

It finds them for you.

It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites

them to apply to your job.

You get qualified candidates fast.

So while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, Zippercrooter finds you what you're

looking for.

The needle in the haystack.

See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate

within the first day.

Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire.

And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free.

That's right.

At zippercrooter.com slash zip.

That zippercrooter.com slash zip zippercrooter.com slash zip.

Hey, it's Benji Cole, son of Al Cole from CBS Radio and host of the syndicated talk show,

People of Distinction.

The talk gives you an in-depth view of some of the most dynamic, intelligent and successful

people on the planet, run to our website Al Cole Enterprises.com for more info.

Email me through Benji at Al Cole Enterprises.com if you'd like to get involved with what we

have going.

And as always, please continue to like and follow our broadcasts.

People of Distinction is internationally syndicated, solely due to the love and support that you

all continue to give.

We're available across all major distributors and as long as you keep following, we're

going to continue to put out the content.

Now, sit back and strap in because on the line with us today, we have the impressive

Dr. Kenneth T. Jackson.

And we're going to be discussing his incredible book from the outhouse to the White House

of Fatherless Journey.

It's Amazon, it's Barnes and Noble.

Man, it's a lot of other places.

I'm telling you, sit back, type it into a search bar and be greeted with all of the locations.

And furthermore, for communication purposes, man, you can reach out directly to Dr. Kenneth

Period Jackson2014 at gmail.com.

And listen, it is an absolute pleasure to have Dr. Jackson here on the line.

The moment you start to do research on his book, you understand the conversation at hand.

Now, we're only going to scratch the surface here today, so you're going to need to purchase

the book to get it all.

But I love where this book is coming from and it's such an important discussion we're getting

ready to have.

Because people, what if the greatest lie that we ever tell our children is that the system

is broken?

Now, follow me here, because depending on the community you come from, the experiences

that you've had growing up, you've heard that, right?

We talk constantly about the system that's in place, but what if it isn't broken at all?

What if the system is actually working exactly as it was designed?

No.

Okay, man, you see where I'm going with this, man, this is a conversation about the difference

between surviving the traps and dismantling them for good.

Now, there's nuance to this, okay?

There's a lot of areas of gray.

It's not so black and white, but you're going to learn from his journey and hopefully it's

going to inspire you to change your perception on your own.

And maybe let's even go a step further.

It's going to inspire you to have conversations with those around you to address it.

Listen, this is a monumental topic, but one that is so crucial for all of us to be having.

Like I mentioned, sit back and strap in.

Here we go.

Dr. Jackson, welcome to the network.

And thank you for being a guest.

How are you doing today, sir?

I'm doing an absolutely fantastic and thanks for having me.

Listen, it's a pleasure to have you here.

Your book is incredibly important.

We're not only going to learn from your journey, but like I mentioned, hopefully it's

going to allow others to shift their perception on their own journey and even start conversing

with those around, right?

Because I think bringing awareness to a particular topic is key, but maintaining that awareness,

spreading that awareness.

Oh, man, it's just as valuable.

So thank you again for being with us to discuss it.

Let's start off.

This is a memoir.

I know it's going to cover a lot of your background.

So let's just jump right into the book, man.

From the outhouse to the White House, a fatherless journey, tell us more about it.

From the outhouse to the White House, a fatherless journey, it's more than a autobiography.

It's a beacon of light for anyone who has ever been told that they couldn't shouldn't

or wouldn't make it.

I, on the other hand, proved that no obstacle is greater than a human spirit.

Ignited by faith, my book will inspire the young, challenge the complacent, awaken every

reader to the transformative power of grace and grit.

Dr. Jackson, thank you very much for that.

Let's now move into inspiration.

And I have a lot of questions that I want to go to, but let's stick here with the foundation.

So we know about the book, why it's important.

But listen, man, you could have just told people this story.

You could have verbally had conversations.

You didn't have to write the book and publicize it for the world.

What inspired you to do that?

I had to write this book because it was therapeutic for me.

See, I had cared much of my pain growing up for years, and I wanted my colleague, students,

extended family, and friends to know my story.

They only looked at my successes, and I wanted them to know my failures.

So this writing this book was very therapeutic for me, and I wanted them to understand the

many obstacles that I had to overcome to get to this point in life.

Dr. Jackson, I think you're hitting on something that is a crucial component and something

that gets to the heart of a very important conversation, man.

I mentioned before bringing awareness to certain situations is key, but this is nuanced.

Now as a black man myself, like when I started this conversation and we started doing research

and preparation for today's conversation, that quote unquote system is nothing new to

myself or communities in which I was raised in and a lot of people that have similar

backgrounds.

But I also understand that not everybody relates to that, not everybody else has had that

type of environment.

So there's an interesting duality here that is being constructed when we talk about that

system.

There's a big responsibility, and I think here in America, man, we can find a number of

examples where we're divided amongst communities, people within a certain community, they'll

hear a notion as this and they're like, yeah, I get that, I understand it, I've experienced

it.

But there's also the understanding that not everybody has had to deal with that, right?

So let's go there next for someone who has never felt targeted by that system.

How do you explain its true purpose to them in a way that helps move them away from defensiveness

to understanding?

As a lifelong educator, I've witnessed firsthand how the system works against black boys

in particular.

Yeah.

It's no surprise that black, it's no surprise that the black boys have the highest drop

out rate, the highest referral rate, the lowest graduation rate, the highest, especially

at rate, the lowest test scores, the highest suspension rate, the highest incarceration rate,

the highest death rate.

If you could compare an animal today in this country, that animal would be extinction.

That animal would be placed with, that animal would be placed on the endangered species list.

And as black boys, when you compare black boys to those animals, who's caring about these

black boys?

Because they are dying at an alarming rate.

People, I'm telling you, like I mentioned, this is, this is a discussion that runs

deep.

It's a discussion that we couldn't possibly get through in a 20 minute discussion, right?

This is something that you need to head on over and purchase your copies.

Remember, it's entitled from the outhouse to the White House, a fatherless journey by

Dr. Kenneth T. Jackson.

It's a book that needs to be added to your shelf and it's a conversation that needs to

start.

I want to, in a similar vein to my previous question in terms of analyzing this system

that's in place and trying to articulate that system to those that are outside of it

that can't necessarily see how intricately stitched into the fabric of our society this

system is.

You know, it's interesting, Dr. Jackson.

I remember for my thesis in graduate school, I wrote something along these lines.

My background isn't filmmaking.

So when I was talking about this quote unquote system and a lot of the prejudices that

we see, my thesis was specifically geared towards the filmmaking industry and what we were

seeing there, but it all overlaps, right?

I mean, it's, it's, you know, there is a, there's a diabolically genius system that's been

put in place where, again, it's almost indecipherable.

It's almost invisible to a lot of people and that's what I mean by it being so intricately

stitched into the fabric of our society.

Let's continue to analyze this.

Now not from the perspective of outsiders, from the people that are found victims of

the system.

Another interesting duality here is like we look at your success story and we want to

be able to match that.

We want to be able to utilize that as a roadmap, but I think something that a lot of people

can fall prey to when they are recognizing the system that's in place is there could

almost be a victim state of mind that can be developed.

So a very broad question, almost unfair to ask you because of course it's not a one-size-fits-all.

How do we have these conversations?

How do we recognize the system that's in place so that we can dismantle it and overcome

it without developing that victim state of mind?

My story takes a portrait of a life that refused to be defined by the things in place.

Yeah.

I wrote this book because an audience that I want to reach is the educational system,

social services, the foster care system, parents, kids of all ages, state and local government

because the system they say is broken, but the system is working to perfection.

There's no reason these kids are failing through the cracks.

Someone has to know that these kids are not on a level plant deal and as an educator

from junior high to high school system principle and retired superintendent,

I have seen it at every level.

I have seen the injustices at every level.

So I say in my book, I want everyone to understand that when you say the system is broken,

I disagree.

I think the system is working to perfection.

As a 10th grader, going to high school, my high school was 10 through 12.

When I got out of the junior high, there was 15 black boys that lived in my neighborhood.

We got in the 10th grade.

After the 10th grade, I was walking to school by myself.

Wow.

14 of my friends had disappeared.

The end of the juvenile system dropped out of school or in a school for bad kids or whatever.

The fact I'm trying to make is the fact that I could 14 boys disappear in my neighborhood

and one school year, there's a problem there.

I went into education to fix that problem and I had tons of roadblocks in front of me

because it was okay to take care of those kids that had the support system, but who took

care of those kids that didn't have that support system, who didn't have the parents that

were coming to open house or parent-teacher conference because they had to work just to

pay the rent, just to keep the lights on, just to keep the kids closed.

What about those parents?

Attending IEPC's without the parents there, I challenged my staff.

No IEP will be held without the parents here and present and if I have to go and get

them from their job, I will do that because these kids need representation, proper representation,

just like you would want for your own child.

I would tell my teachers, once that kid gets in your classroom, creep that child as if

it was yours and that child will give you all of themselves.

But these kids today know when you are plastic, they know when you don't care and they know

when you don't want them to be successful.

I love what you just said.

So much of it reminds me of that old adage where when we're talking about rearing children,

we always hear the notion of it takes a village to raise a child.

Man I love that notion, but why does it have to stop with rearing children?

That village, man, that village you need when it comes to raising small children, when

it comes to raising teenagers, when it comes to raising adults.

Because first and foremost, education never stops, right?

You should always be learning, you should always be striving for something else, but you

should also should always be depending on that village, man.

Absolutely.

Listen, as elementary school, it's 70 to 80% participation from parents.

Yeah.

When those kids in junior high, that drops dramatically, 15 to 20%.

When a kid gets in high school, parent participation drops all the way down to 5% or less.

Wow.

Those kids that have parents that are involved in their education, for sure.

You'll see them at Open House parent-digit conferences.

But our kids who really need parental involvement, they will never see them film kids and parents.

Those parents disappear until that child is playing sports.

They'll come to a sporting event, but not sitting down with a counselor and making decisions

for that child's educational upbringing.

They just to tell you all over the world that more and more parents are with their children's

education, it gives those kids a springboard in life.

Yeah.

You know, Dr. Jackson, that's why I say the conversation runs deep, man.

But I mentioned before that the system that's in place is a diabolically genius one, right?

Like, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not trying to give it any credit, but let's just, let's call

a spade a spade.

It is diabolical, but it is genius in how it's been manufactured because it

disrupts things from so many areas, and that's the reason why the conversation is layered.

It's not simply about parents attending these events, because listen, there are some

parents that just choose not to, but there are a lot that unfortunately can't give in

circumstances, and that's why the conversation runs deep.

People trust me when I, man, I really want to stay here and talk to Dr. Jackson for hours.

I feel like, man, there's a lot that we could do right now, okay, but I know, I know

that the journey is just beginning.

So what I'm going to do instead is instruct you once again, head on over to Amazon and

Barnes and Noble, pick up copies of from the outhouse to the White House of Fatherless

Journey by Dr. Kenneth T. Jackson.

This is a game changer that you want to add to your shelf, and it's interesting to me,

man, like we started this conversation talking about the system, but we're ending it,

talking about relationships, and isn't that so, that's so crucial, right?

Because if one person had looked the other way, his story might have ended very differently.

So today's challenge is simple.

First and foremost, today's challenge is, let's say that because there's multiple.

First and foremost, head on over, purchase your copies, let's not skip that.

Secondly, look at your own sphere of influence and ask yourself, whose hand you could be?

Who can you help move forward?

Because that's a man.

We all need help in hand.

We talked about that village a little while ago.

It is so crucial to understand that.

So until next time, don't just consume stories, change them and it starts with this one,

man.

Head on over and do your part.

Dr. Jackson, this has been an absolute honor, I really do mean that.

Thank you once again for being a guest, a people of distinction.

You're quite welcome, thanks for having me.

Warning, the following Zipper Cruder radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled

with F words.

When you're hiring, we at Zipper Cruder know you can feel frustrated.

For Lauren even, like your efforts are futile, and you can spend a fortune trying to find

fabulous people, only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine.

Fortunately, Zipper Cruder figured out how to fix all that.

And right now, you can try Zipper Cruder for free at zippercruder.com slash zip.

With Zipper Cruder, you can forget your frustrations, because we find the right people for your

roles fast, which is our absolute favorite effort.

In fact, four out of five employers who post on Zipper Cruder, get a quality candidate

within the first day.

Fantastic.

So, whether you need to hire four, 40, or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent.

Just go to zippercruder.com slash zip to try Zipper Cruder for free.

Don't forget that zippercruder.com slash zip.

Finally, that zippercruder.com slash zip.

Warning.

The following zippercruder radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with

F words.

When you are hiring, we at Zipper Cruder know you can feel frustrated.

For Lauren even, like your efforts are futile, and you can spend a fortune trying to find

fabulous people, only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine.

F***.

Fortunately, Zipper Cruder figured out how to fix all that.

And right now, you can try Zipper Cruder for free at zippercruder.com slash zip.

As Zipper Cruder, you can forget your frustrations, because we find the right people for your

roles fast, which is our absolute favorite effort.

In fact, four out of five employers who post on Zipper Cruder get a quality candidate

within the first day.

Fantastic.

So, whether you need to hire four, 40, or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent.

Just go to zippercruder.com slash zip to try Zipper Cruder for free.

Don't forget that zippercruder.com slash zip.

But finally, that zippercruder.com slash zip.