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From Idea to Impact: How One Man’s Vision Grew into a Movement · Hart & Hustle Podcast

• Efrain: Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle Podcast. We got Mr. Randall Wyatt in the building. What's good, man? Randal Wyatt: Hey, everything man. I'm I'm very blessed. Doing well. Efrain: In the blue room, your favorite color? Randal Wyatt: no, this is just how the the room came when I bought the house, man. I just haven't had time to paint. Efrain: You sound like me, man. They would probably stay there unless, somebody like my wife is saying, Hey, I need you to hurry up and change the color of this room. Other than that, why why change it? Randal Wyatt: Yeah, I I I like the color, but look, I also got stars up on there and and a little multicolored Efrain: man, he in there. Randal Wyatt: so you know this was a kid's room before I got in here. But whatever. Me neither. I'll yeah. That's some nineties stuff right there. Efrain: I I haven't seen one of those fans in a very long time. That's funny. Now that's always did you recently buy the house? Randal Wyatt: about two and a half years ago. Efrain: It takes forever, man. I've been in my house four years and just I feel like it's a never ending thing. Buy a house, they say, and then you find yourself doing all Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Yeah. Efrain: types of projects, bro. And I'm the type of guy I've probably got a couple of pending projects. I don't know how is that you too, Randall? Got a couple of pending projects? Yeah. Randal Wyatt: yeah, no, there's always work to be done, and it's expensive to do, so sometimes it just you know, you gotta strategize and and figure it out. Efrain: That's it. Randal Wyatt: Go to YouTube university, you know. Get some Yep. Efrain: Ooh, come on now, YouTube University. Yeah, time and money is what I say. I love my wife thinks every project is easy. And she's like, yo, you can do that this weekend, right? And I'm like, you know what that look like? Like, that takes a lot of work. You can just pay somebody Randal Wyatt: Right. A lot of work. Efrain: to do it. Do you know how much they're gonna charge you for that? I ended up Randal Wyatt: I know it. I work in that field, man. Efrain: Yeah, man. I ended up putting my floors down myself. And I realized Randal Wyatt: Nice. Efrain: that I'm not as young because boy, this my back hurt at the end of it all. And I'm actually probably still in the project. I gotta put the baseboards up. So it took about a whole year for me to get all the flooring down and then now I'm still waiting to put the baseboards up. Within time, Randall. Within time, man. Randal Wyatt: Man, well hey, good on you for getting, doing it yourself, man. I ain't gonna lie. I do like smaller projects myself, but something like that, ain't no way. I'm bringing somebody in. Efrain: Hey, I probably won't do it again, but it's always good to at least try once, you know what mean? You you live and you learn. Randal Wyatt: I agree. I agree. Efrain: Yeah, I'm like I see why people charge what they charge for sure. But you're also in this unique space, man, when you talk about the housing and the work that you do out in the community. Randall, let us know the organization and what your title is with the organization. Randal Wyatt: Absolutely. So I'm the founder and executive director of taking ownership. we're a Community-based and reparations-based nonprofit here in Portland metro area, providing free repairs, renovations, maintenance. And now we're getting into retrofitting for energy efficiency upgrades for black homeowners in the area. So we do the three counties out here. And we do that to fight back against gentrification and displacement because deferred maintenance is a major factor in basically black homeowners losing their homes when affluent people are moving in. So so yeah, we decided to tackle that. by activating community, utilizing volunteers and and hiring contractors and specialists to do do work for our homeowners in the community. Efrain: Love that, man. How long you been doing that? Randal Wyatt: I founded it in May of 2020, so it's been a little over six years now. Efrain: you talk about really pandemic time. Randal Wyatt: hard of pant I beginning of pandemic, damn it. Yeah, yeah. Efrain: Yeah, that's what I'm saying. What made you wanna do it at that time? just 'cause you had the time or? Randal Wyatt: W well, yeah, a lot of factors. It's kinda perfect storm, right? I mean Unfortunately, George Floyd was murdered and everybody saw that. We all Efrain: Okay. Yep. Randal Wyatt: saw it on our phones, and at the time also people are now home, they're not on their day-to-day grind, so they actually had a moment to process what they saw and realize that this isn't just like a one-off thing. This is something that actually Efrain: Mm-hmm. Randal Wyatt: happens in this country still to this day. So I had a lot of people reaching out to me asking how they could be stronger allies for the community, and I was like, I have ideas, man. All right, this is my time. So I just started sharing my ideas. ideas on Facebook and and just social media and people were like, Man, I'm down for that. it was very volunteer heavy at first. And then I had a a couple of friends reach out and be like, I don't know how to do none of that work, but here's a hundred bucks or something. And go hire the people or go pick up some some tools or something. And that's when I just started fundraising. And yeah, from there we we just found a couple homes to work on and it just started snowballing, man. Efrain: And what were you doing prior to that? Were you already in the space or what what what were you doing? Randal Wyatt: Not no, not really. so I was a student advocate at a pre-apprentip called Portland Youth Builders. So they do have a construction element. That's actually their main element, but they had Efrain: Yeah. Randal Wyatt: a tech element too. And I was the student advocate for the tech students. So I was helping them overcome personal barriers so Efrain: Wow. Randal Wyatt: they could be successful in the program. But before that, I had you know, no experience, no construction. I guess I used to be an appliance delivery guy for quite a while in my twenties, but that that's just know, plugging some stuff in, Efrain: Yeah, yeah. Randal Wyatt: carrying heavy stuff. But yeah, I was just working with gang impacted youth, black and Latino youth for a very long time before that. Efrain: Is that how you would say got the end to just wanting to help others? Cause not a lot of people s want to take their their free time and help other people. I was just actually talking to another leader. It's like there's not a lot of good people like us, man, that are giving, that doing selfless work and caring for humanity and caring for Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: those that look like us. is that kind of how you started into this work? Randal Wyatt: No, I've been I've been community oriented since I became a father at nineteen. even before that I was I had dreams of going to the MBA and and starting charities and stuff like that. And I think that came from my mom. My mom was one of the type of people that would buy a goat for African village, back in the nineties or something. she cared, you know what I'm saying? And so I think she just inspired me and it's always been in me. I'll I'll be honest with you, I it's pretty wild. When I was a kid, real little, I thought I was the reincarnation of Martin Luther King. So Efrain: man. Randal Wyatt: Yeah, which is i i which is kinda wild. I don't believe that no more, don't worry. But Efrain: Ha ha ha. Randal Wyatt: It's kinda wild because just this year we got highlighted in the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, where at the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King was assassinated. So it's just a weird coincidence. But yeah, it's just, once I became a dad, I just and I I just know capitalism breeds individualistic mentalities of let me take in resources just for my family, just for my Efrain: Mm. Randal Wyatt: and I just always felt like community was so important because I'm gonna have kids. kids out in the community, I'm out in the community, that's where, we need safety and resources most. I don't need to be hoarding them just for my family, you know what I'm saying? So yeah. Efrain: I wanna go back to that Dr. Martin Luther King thing though, man, because it's like, Randal Wyatt: Ha ha ha. Efrain: as much as we could look at it as a funny thing, I always feel like seeds are planted in us and we always the vision has been given to us and sometimes we gotta continue to work, be patient, it all comes to life. And we don't know at what capacity that may look like, right? Or you're talking about I was something Dr. Martin Luther King did happen. You had that instilled, you just knew that you had to keep going. You don't know why, and you probably kept that in the back of your mind. And I Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: always look at that in myself, man, because I remember just being a young kid and thinking to myself that I was going to one day I was going to be a host and I was going to be on this stage like Ryan Secrets. And here I am, bro. I'm not Ryan Secrets, Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: but I'm on this platform, this stage, and I'm really having these conversations. And sometimes we don't realize how it actually all comes together. I have an idea that Randal Wyatt: Yes. Efrain: one day I was going to work with, WWE because I loved it so much. And then, last year I'm interviewing the Hardy Boys. when you have this Randal Wyatt: that's dope. Efrain: dream and this vision, no one can take that away from you, man. And and a lot of times when they Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: say, yo, don't tell, don't share, or some people won't like see the vision because it's it wasn't for them. Right. So you that Dr. Martha the King thing, man. I you're like, I I don't look at it like that no more, but man, that seed was implanted. You still don't know. You still got so much life ahead of you and so much work Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: that you're you're doing. So kudos to you, man. Randal Wyatt: You make a great point. Sometimes that stuff is just ingrained in you, kinda born in you. I won't say like my brothers aren't really like super community oriented or nothing like that. So but I think my big thing was I just fell in love with hip hop too. And I fell in love with like l like really socially conscious hip hop, like Tlip Quali, most deaf, all that type of stuff when I was in my teens. And y you know, listening to people like KRS one talk about hip hop where the hip means you need to get up. or the Hip means you need to be hip to what's going on in your community. The hot means you need to get up and do something about it or be a part of it. You know what I'm saying? So Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's what that's one Efrain: D I never heard that. Okay, yeah, okay. I I've learned it today. Randal Wyatt: thing he says. And so I think that just really activated me to be very community oriented as a hip hop artist too. So yeah. Efrain: You're talking about being a father 19 years old. What what were some of the things you were learning? you really learning as you were you were growing, you were ch raising your own child. that that is a lot at 19 years old, man, when life is really life and twins? hello. What was that like, man? What was that like? Randal Wyatt: Twins too, bro. Twins. So yeah, yeah. man, what did I learn? I mean, sh I had to grow up right away, you know. I was living in my parent in my in my childhood bedroom when I became a dad, you know what I'm saying? Like I brought my kids home to my bedroom with like a JLo poster up there and some stuff some starting lineup Efrain: Ha ha not J Lo. Randal Wyatt: action figures, you know. so I Efrain: Okay. Randal Wyatt: mean what what I had to learn quick is I had to sacrifice, you know. I remember time I was like all the homies were getting together to go hoop and I was like I was like we're getting ready to go and then my mom was like because I used to still live with my mom. My mom's like where are you going? You got these kids. I was like, yeah. I gotta stay home. I gotta be w you know, with the mother of my kids Efrain: Yeah. Randal Wyatt: too, you know. And like I d I had to go I was working at a job at a record store making like seven dollars and twenty five cents or something. And you know, I had to go get a real gig. I had to go do some back breaking work and make some real money and moved out pretty quickly, you know, got on my feet pretty quickly thanks to my my support. But Yeah man. I just learned, I c I couldn't be a kid no more. I couldn't just go out and run the streets Efrain: Yeah. Randal Wyatt: like I used to. Efrain: What is the biggest lesson you think fatherhood taught you? Randal Wyatt: life's bigger than me. You know what I'm saying? Like this is bigger than me. There's there's things that are gonna happen after I'm gone. things I need to do today to make sure my kids are set up. and other people I love are set up after I'm gone. so yeah, like kinda think of the big picture. Efrain: Do do you feel that was the trajectory that changed the mindset for you as well and where you then end up? I felt like kids, man, when they I used to always say, like, I had a dog. It has to be the same thing as having a kid, right? And then until you're a father and you realize, nah, that's two different things. And your responsibilities Randal Wyatt: No, no. Efrain: become their that dog can take care of itself. I can go play basketball 'cause the dog's gonna stay right there. It's not the same with kids, man. What is kids teaching you? What are you learning? Randal Wyatt: Man, I always that it's funny you say that 'cause I always talk about having a dog is like having a four year old for fourteen years. But with kids they grow up. And I will always tell people I think right now, my sons are twenty one years old, I think this is might be the hardest phase of parenting right now for me. Efrain: Really? Randal Wyatt: I'm teaching these dudes how to be men in in America in a under a Trump administration. You know what I'm saying? and black men. they're darker than me. they look blacker than me. So I think that's the you know, yeah, I I I think that's the thing is like it's you're always gonna be a parent once you become a parent. It doesn't matter when they grow up, they're still gonna need advice, they're still gonna be n guidance, and they're still gonna watch you. And one thing I've learned recently, especially like I just told you, I broke my arm, arm wrestling. I've done a couple stupid things at at 41 years old already this year. My kids are still watching me. I gotta I gotta tighten up. I gotta tighten up, you know. So yeah. Efrain: Yeah yeah yeah yeah. man. Forty one, yeah, man. You still young. You still to even think you got twenty one year olds, man. Lord. Yeah. Randal Wyatt: Yeah, I still got a lot to learn, man. Yeah. Efrain: No, for sure, man. It it is life is a learning lesson. Every day we're learning something new. and that's Randal Wyatt: Mm-hmm. Efrain: the really the beauty of it, is that you never stop learning. And when you stop learning, you just stop growing. and for you, bro, you continue to grow, you continue to move the Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: needle, you you see where there's a need and you're gonna continue to push forward. You talked about just the pandemic time. Talk about those wins. What did it look like when you stopped doing what you were doing? You started to really pour into this during the pandemic time. What are the wins you're seeing across the last five, six years? Randal Wyatt: well just the impact. we've been able to serve over two hundred homes. we've created a program that that really utilizes our community through the vol you know, through volunteers that come out and clean up yards and declutter homes, which is just essential to keeping the city off the back of a of our homeowners. Most of our homeowners are elders, you know, they're sixty five plus and need a lot of support. I mean, you know, as a homeowner and you're you're young dude and I am too, it's hard to keep up at our age, so and you know at Efrain: Hundred percent. Randal Wyatt: their age, it's you know, physical limitations, financial limitations, then you got predatory people coming in. So to be able to create something that's actually like alleviating the financial burden and protecting from the predatory elements that are all just trying to take these homes because now the black homeowners live in a hot area that or they're trying to renew or develop, Efrain: Mm-hmm. Randal Wyatt: I should say. so yeah, I just think that just developing a model that is really truly impactful. you should see the some of the letters we've received from homeowners and just like yeah, we're we're getting awards. I have another award I'm getting pretty soon here for this, like for being a phenom the construction field, as somebody who's been in the construction field for less than ten years. So like it's just crazy. the impact and how we're inspiring people. It's beautiful. Efrain: And the people that are going to go help and clean up, these are just young boys in the community, or where are you finding the the volunteers? Where are the people coming from? Randal Wyatt: there are just community this just Portland really. It's like all over the place. I'll be honest, it's mostly white people. a lot of white people who live in the communities that have been gentrified, it's their way of of giving back because they know they've played their part, played their in in some of the issues. But, now they're they're supporting through this program and donating and things like that. So it's all over the place. But we also do volunteer projects with with like i community groups or organizations, companies. companies if they just want their staff to come out and and do do some work. So yeah, it's kinda it's kinda all over the place. But we we try to do eighteen and over for our Efrain: How does some Okay How does someone find out about this information? how you guys spread the word? Randal Wyatt: man, so I mean initially we were on the news nonstop, man. Like we got so much free publicity. so that's where the you know the ball really started rolling. now we just utilize social media. We have a website, taking ownership pdx dot org, that you can go to kind of learn everything about our our organization and and you know sign up to participate through that. We Efrain: Mm. Randal Wyatt: have a calendar where we're doing like four to five volunteer projects every month so people can get involved that way. Efrain: So if if say I lived in the community and I wanted to be that home, I send up to the website as well. Randal Wyatt: Yes. yeah. If you wanna be if you wanna be the home, you sign up through a referral form on our website. we do have a hefty wait list. you know, Efrain: Wow. Randal Wyatt: so but w at this point actually I take that back. I don't even call it a wait list no more. It's called a database now because w certain funding comes up, certain opportunities or partnerships that we have, we'll just reach out and be like, Okay, who we got funding for a roof, who needs the roof? You know, or who needs a water heater, who needs this? So we're you know, it's not like a first come, first served per per se anymore. Now it's kinda like what resources do we have and how many people on this list can we impact? So yeah. So it Efrain: Are you are you are you leveraging technology like AI to help you navigate that world, man? Or are you not there yet? Randal Wyatt: I'm me personally, I'm not a big AI guy. I I don't know, I just haven't really tapped in. I get concerned about some of the the environmental factors that I hear about it. But I know that, you know, some of that stuff you can't avoid. So I know my employees, they definitely utilize it for like grant writing or or some of their stuff for their programs. But me personally I'm still old school, man. You know, yeah. Efrain: Come on man, stop playing. Yeah, you're not too old. Stop it, Randall. no, that's cool though. How big is the team? Randal Wyatt: we're at payroll is at five and then we have con contracted people that are really a part of team. There's about another five of them. So yeah, it's about ten we're about ten deep. Yeah. Yeah. And a fantastic board. I have a six Efrain: That's cool, man. Yeah, to think about this was just a vision, something that you just wanna do out of the kind of the R. Randal Wyatt: person board that's incredible. So yeah. Efrain: What what what are some of the leaders that you learn from? Because I b believe that we take from all good leaders and bad leaders, right? There's things that we take from the the good that we implement. There's things that we take with the bad that we make sure we don't do. Do you recall any of those people that were pouring into you as you were on this journey? Randal Wyatt: yeah, I mean I had some like I had no idea how a nonprofit even worked, you know, like I worked for nonprofits, but I was always a boots on the ground type of dude. Like I didn't know nothing about the administrative or logistical side. And when we first started I had you had so much money coming through my personal PayPal in in Venmo that I got banned from that and all They thought I was doing something nefarious, but Efrain: Yeah. Randal Wyatt: but I had a a guy, Andre Middleton, who has been a nonprofit leader, a black black leader in the community who decided to be our fiscal sponsor, and he taught me quite a bit about just the nonprofit game and writing grants and and all of that. And then yeah, over time I've just I've been blessed to build part strong partnerships with other black nonprofit leaders in this community who have been just you know showing me game and telling me. what the lookout for. Not all funding good funding, you know. and yeah, it's been huge to my development as an executive director for real. Efrain: What do you mean by that when you say not all funding is good funding? Randal Wyatt: Well, some funding ha comes with stipulations and restrictions that really hurt your cause and then find then you find yourself getting away from your mission. You know what I'm saying? 'Cause all of a sudden you can't really do what you set out to do in the first place, Efrain: Yeah. Randal Wyatt: you know, some of that is usually it's government related money that, you know, a lot of bureaucracy, But yeah, but I know luckily Portland's a pretty progressive city, so I and all my funding is more local based and so we we don't run into that very often or really at all here. Efrain: No, I love you brought that up because I was talking to another leader and she's like, we're not just looking for grants. We're look we already have our programs, we're looking for grants that can plug into our programs because we're not trying to change what we're doing. And it is right, you've got to kind of not all good money is, you know, not all money is good money per in Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: and you know that, right? You we could put that in a different perspective as well and in different ways, but that's ideally the end all be all. Not all money is good money. You gotta be very mindful of the money you take in. Of the partnerships Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: that you start to create. because why I may look good at surface level, what is the core? What is the values of that organization or of that grant? And I'm glad that you're finding people that really help you through that journey. Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: Very too nonprofits are I think underrated, man. You you really have a have to have a business mindset, they ran like a business. of course, there have those differences, but do you is there anything that you realize that you did not know about a nonprofit? Randal Wyatt: I'm I think everything you just said is how business oriented it is, you know, it's really an arm of capitalism in a lot of ways. I mean, I I feel like s sometimes I I joke and say I'm like a professional beggar now, you know. Efrain: Ha ha. Randal Wyatt: it's just constantly you you constantly have to go after money if you're gonna keep this thing going. Yeah. So it's like, Efrain: You're in the asking business, yeah, man. You're in the asking business. Randal Wyatt: we don't have a product to sell. Our product to sell is our programming and our impact. And so you gotta convince these people that you're making real impact and and that the cause is is worthy. And so I'm constantly sharing, you know, the history of of Black Portland and why how we've come to this conclusion that this work needs to be done. This you know, we need to do ac create equitable practices. And that could be a it's a lot. It's a lot of work, especially Efrain: Yeah. Randal Wyatt: as somebody who's been firsthand impacted by gentrification. You know, I you know, and I grew up in Black Portland, so I've been, you know, impacted and then I have to talk about it and convince people to fund it. And it's it's it's just it's a lot, you know. It could be a lot of energy, but a lot on your psyche too, you know. Efrain: I'm I'm gonna tell you to change the mindset and you're not a professional beggar, you're a professional storyteller, man, because ideally what we do is tell stories. and I didn't realize Randal Wyatt: Yeah. And the hard part for me that I that I am saying is like a lot of the these these issues that we're facing is the federal government caused it and then now we get just little tidbits of money to handle a little to solve a little bit of the problem. You know what I'm saying? So I don't know. But beautiful work. I I love I love what I do. and I'm just gonna continue to fight for my community. Yeah. Efrain: That's all we could do, man. it we we got through the pandemic. This is one of those other rough, I would say, humps we gotta get over. You know, it's not gonna be forever. It's it's for Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Efrain: it's for the the now per se. We don't know what it looks like in the next couple of years when things start to change and things start to flow a little bit different. But as you mentioned, Randall, we can't stop now. We can't just give up. You know what I mean? Like there's Randal Wyatt: No. No, no, no. Efrain: so many people that are counting on us because of the work that we do and people are excited, people are signing up, obviously. Or referring others, I can imagine. and Randall, you you the man doing it all, my guy. You the man doing it all. What what what does it look like? Go ahead. Randal Wyatt: And you know, I of I often think about too s one last thing I it's just like when you talk about black leaders, I think about what our civil rights leaders did and everybody you know, my ancestors, everybody before us and they had it a whole lot worse and they kept putting one foot in front of the other. So if they could do it, i it shouldn't be nothing to me to you know, to keep doing it. Yeah. Efrain: Amen to that. Yeah, man. I was gonna say, how important is it for you, man, to as you mentioned, be a dad, be present, and lead by example? Randal Wyatt: How important? Efrain: Yep. Randal Wyatt: it's it's everything. It's my way of life, man. my kids are my everything. I'm here, I brought into this world without consent, man. They didn't ask to be here. I it's my duty to give it my all. to be the best role model I can be, to leave this, this community at least better than it was, you know, before I got here or when I leave. So yeah, it's everything. It's it's really my mindset. You know, it's just like, what do I do to be the the best example and set my kids up for success. Efrain: And what do you say to all these other men of color, man, that need to show up? Because I believe we need more of us at the table. and a lot of the times they may not feel worthy, may they not feel that they fit at the table. but I can imagine that we're two individuals that we're told we couldn't make it this far, and here we are, we're present, we're in our kids' lives, but we're also leading communities, we're leading people. representation always say it it it's not always the color of our skins, it's the stories that we tell, but it also like to see people that look like us at these tables. So what do you say to those leaders or those upcoming leaders? Randal Wyatt: Well, yeah, big thing is I just tell people, one, you don't have to be an expert to make impact. So you can just just get involved with something. You can start small. Get involved in your community. your neighbor your neighborhood association. you know, your n just get your neighbors together to figure out a cause in your on your block to to get you know, and and that all adds up. If more and more people do that, that adds up. And that's you know, that's what this nonprofit was, was just a grassroots thing. We helped a couple of people and then it And blue, it kept growing, kept growing, kept growing, and now it's a it's a really we're still small, but it's it we got a name and we make impact. So I just always tell people like because I you know I was doing community work when I was working full-time at other places. I always volunteered my time and and I always invested in my music and my stuff. So I always say invest in your in your passion, invest in your community, and yeah, you don't you don't have to like tackle the world problems right away, you know, start small. Efrain: You still doing music? Randal Wyatt: yeah, yeah. I took five years off to build the nonprofit. I'm just now getting back into it. Got a couple albums I'm gonna be dropping in the in the beginning of the year. Right now I'm kind of yeah, yeah. Yeah, Efrain: Hip hop, is that what you're doing or what you doing? From R and B? Randal Wyatt: I'm you know, I sing a little bit, but I usually bring Efrain: Okay. Randal Wyatt: I usually bring singers onto my songs. And then like I had a seven piece band for a while that I was working with, which we're just on a hiatus, but I had a singer in there. Because I'm not, you know, don't don't get me wrong, you know, I'm not I'm no like Miguel or nothing, you know what I'm saying? But but you know, yeah. Efrain: No, that's good, man. I love I love the arts. I think it's so cool when people get to still do that at our age. Like I'm actually got to do my second stage play at 36 years old. I'm like, I'm happy I'm doing it. Like my kids get to see me do it just it's fun. Like I don't get paid to do Randal Wyatt: It's fun. Efrain: it, but I love it. Like there's something about it that just makes me feel good that I get to still use my creative talents because we all got it within Randal Wyatt: Exactly. Efrain: us. How do we actually put it out there? And there's so many different ways leading an organization, but also just putting your your your music out there and speaking to sp going back to a storyteller. If you do music, bro, you also a storyteller in a different way, bro. You're doing it through the music. Yeah, yeah. You're a professional storyteller. Randal Wyatt: I know. I know. I know. I was gonna say that too. Yeah, yeah. I mean it's just an outlet for me. I'm not in it to get rich or nothing like that. I just it's just something I love. Performing is like what I really, really love to do and just the energy, because I do really like upbeat Efrain: Yeah. Randal Wyatt: positive hip hop and so the crowd is usually having a good ass time in it and and it just brings me to it. Efrain: I got I gotta see the difference because right now you're so mellow and chill. We get in front of the crowd and be a different person. You gotta turn it on, right? The entertainer comes out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You gotta turn it on all the way up. Yeah. That's Randal Wyatt: yeah. You know how it go, man. Yeah. If you do screenplays, you know how it goes. You get e you get it's like a character. Yeah, you get into it, yeah. Efrain: all I say. doing even wrestling, I go live every Monday and Friday, and I tell some of the guys that I work with, you you just gotta be a character. Like, don't take yourself too serious, man. Just have fun. Randal Wyatt: Yes. Efrain: Of course, people are gonna share their opinions, but Who cares? You know what I'm saying? They not doing it. you having a good time right now. People are happy. Randal Wyatt: Yeah. Yeah. Right. Efrain: People are celebrating. That's all that matters. As you mentioned, it's not even about us, man. we've already lived this life. How can we en enhance others? How can we inspire plant seeds elsewhere? because we'll continue to wreak that benefit just 'cause we show up authentically us. And I I love that about you, Randall. Thank you so much for just showing up. Randal Wyatt: I appreciate that, bro. Yeah. Efrain: Where can people as we wrap this up, man, where can people find more information about you, the organization, maybe provide some dollars, volunteer hours? What does it all look like? Randal Wyatt: yeah, so take an ownership PDX is the one stop shop. Everything you could donate there, you can You can sign up to volunteer if you fit the criteria. You can get your house on the on the database. you can sign up to be a resource too. We have a community resource list that that way people can go to our website and look and and we have like all kinds of different fields of companies and things like that, and whether or not they're you know LGBTQ owned or BIPOC owned, stuff like that. So you can kind of support whatever communities you want to. or you know, get on our our Instagram. we are really big about engaging with our audience on Instagram. We try to share, we try to do educational posts. we share about the work we do. stuff like that and then that's and then just a little bit more about myself. I'm also a co-founder and board chair of a nonprofit called PDX Housing Solidarity Project where we redistribute wealth from allies to black and indigenous first-time homebuyers so they can become mortgage ready. So you can go to PDX Housing Solidarity, check out my stuff there. dot com, sorry, or dot org there. And then if you want to check out my music I'm just getting started but I do have a lot I do have stuff streamed on all platforms. I have music videos out. I have a website I just got brought started called randallwide.com and yeah I'm gonna be dropping quite a bit of music real soon here. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah Efrain: I'm gonna check it man. I'm gonna check out randallwyatt.com. All right now. See my guide performing. Well, Randall, man, thank you so much for your time, man. We appreciate you for the work that you do. Continue to do. you got a lot of years ahead of you, man. You early 40s, man. You got you Randal Wyatt: God willing. Efrain: still got some lot of time, right? So they definitely get ready for the growth and get ready for the challenges. But I can imagine you'll overcome them all. Guys, if you guys are still watching, make sure you guys like, subscribe, and comment. This has been Randall Wyatt doing some amazing stuff in the Portland community. I'm me frame, and we'll catch you guys in the next one. Let us. Randal Wyatt: Appreciate you.