The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - Zyahna Bryant Angry W/ Wes Bellamy Documentary; How Is Confederate Statue History Portrayed?

Episode Date: July 22, 2024

The I Love CVille Show headlines: Zyahna Bryant Angry W/ Wes Bellamy Documentary How Is Confederate Statue History Portrayed? Chamber Of Commerce Selling Downtown Building Jefferson Council Driving News Cycle… Jefferson Council + UVA Astronomy & DEI Efforts What Does Future Of A Chamber Look Like? McDonald’s Extends $5 Fast Food Value Meal UVA’s Sam Brunelle Signs With Greece Hoops Team Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible, Rumble and iLoveCVille.com.

Seville show. It's great to connect with you through the I Love Seville network. We were off on Thursday and Friday. I took some R&R with my wife. We had a fantastic time in New York. It's great to be back home in Charlottesville. We come home to a new cycle that continues, continues to change, a new cycle that every day seems to be dynamic and nuanced. Today's reflection of that statement, Zianna Bryant and Wes Bellamy, probably the two most recognizable activists in the Charlottesville community. Maybe you throw Tanisha Hudson in the mix there.

Tanisha does a great job. Today we have Zianna Bryant and Dr. Wes Bellamy clashing, toe-to-toe in a brouhaha that is gaining momentum. We have Zianna Bryant saying she is being erased from history when it comes to the Robert E. Lee statue removal and formerly Robert E. Lee Park, formerly Freedom Park, formerly Emancipation Park, now Market Street Park, a park that Charlottesville Parks and Recs are asking for taxpayers to give them advice on what to do with the park. This park has seen so many different iterations and just needs a bit of stability with its

amenities and its branding. Regardless, Bryant says a documentary that recently starred Dr. Wes Bellamy is erasing her from history. She says Dr. Bellamy and the documentarians behind the movie that premiered, was it at the Paramount? I believe so. Are not depicting history correctly and are gaslighting black women. We're going to unpack that on today's program. Protesters in attendance at the documentaries release its launch, its premiere, with signs. So much protesting done that security had to remove some of them from the premiere of the movie. We'll talk about that today. We'll talk the Jefferson Council calling out the UVA Astronomy Department.

The Jefferson Council, I'll say it once, I'll say it again, understands the concept of being in the news cycle. It's co-founder, Razblade Bert Ellis. Judah, it might be time for us to welcome co-founder of the Jefferson Council and UVA Board of Visitor member Razorblade Bert Ellis to the I Love Seville show as a guest. That would be fun. We'll see if we can get Bert Ellis on the program. They, the Jefferson Council, calls out the astronomy department's efforts with diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Jefferson Council alludes, Jude and I disagree on this slightly, that the astronomy department, its DEI efforts, maybe pomp and circumstance,

maybe window dressing, maybe a dog and pony show. I don't care what cliche you want to use. This is what the Jefferson Council is saying. They're trying to do something, but nothing of merit is amounting. Right? That's it in a nutshell. I don't think anything of merit can amount. Then why are you trying to do something? Which I think is the point of what it's making. We'll talk about it. We'll talk about it. The problem I think is that they honestly believe as many who start these DEI initiatives do

that they will amount to something. If you want to do the best diversity, equity and inclusion effort possible for the University of Virginia save the money on bloated salaries and utilize them for scholarships for students from marginalized communities. That's tangible results, but that topic later in the program. We'll talk about the Chamber of Commerce looking to sell its downtown building. I've known the Chamber of Commerce at that building across from

our studio for as long as I've been in this community. $800,000 to $1 million, the range for the downtown Chamber of Commerce building that will hit the multiple listing service soon, somewhere in that $800,000 to $1 million price range. I want to talk about what the future is for a Chamber of Commerce and what that future looks like. If it does not have its end cap location on Market Street, is that market in second or market in fifth? This place? Yeah. That's fifth. Market in fifth. If it doesn't have a home base like its end cap on market and fifth,

what does the future of the chamber look like? Does the chamber even need a home base? Are you saying you're not sure if they actually need visibility in the downtown area? Do they need visibility tied to a physical address? That's what I want to talk about and what their future looks like in a Zoom, Skype, digital, social media, LinkedIn type of networking world. We'll talk on today's program

about the $5 value promotion with McDonald's. It's been extended. The $5 value promotion, a direct competitor to anyone in the food and beverage space. I want to unpack what McDonald's and Burger King and Wendy's are doing to food and beverage with their economies of scale and their vertically integrated advantages. We'll also talk on today's program, UVA's Sam Brunel, Green County, William Monroe graduate, a UVA talent for two years before going to Notre Dame. She has inked a contract with a hoops team in Greece of notoriety. Vanessa Parkhill, thank you for watching the program. Viewers and listeners, like and share the show. Deep Throat, we love when you watch the show as well.

A lot we're going to cover on today's program. Judah Woodcower, not only director and producer, but a key member of this team. Judah, it's good to be back with you. I missed you. I don't know if you missed me, but I missed you. The office was a bit quieter on Thursday and Friday. Without a high-speed, loud-mouthed, tenacious colleague overlooking your shoulder. Thank you for holding down the fort.

If you want to put the first, lower third on screen. Here's the nitty-gritty. I'll give the who, what, when, where, why. Okay. Documentary starring Dr. Wes Bellamy, a former Charlottesville City Council, premieres at the Paramount. The documentary highlights the Robert E. Lee statue and the Confederate statue removals in the city of Charlottesville. garnered not just regional attention, not national attention, but global attention, as A11 and A12 put Charlottesville in a spotlight for maybe perpetuity. Subplot, side note of that, now that Joe Biden is no longer in the race,

does Charlottesville stay in the political news cycle as much? Biden loved to utilize Charlottesville as a political ploy, as a chess piece in his platform. Biden, and A12. If Biden does not continue to bring up Charlottesville as a political ploy or a political talking point, does that now give Charlottesville the freedom to heal and to get out of the A11, A12 news cycle where Nazis invaded the city of Charlottesville and took over 10.2 square miles in front of the world. That would be very nice. That would be very nice. We have a storyline somewhat associated with this. Zianna Bryant, she has a significant following,

especially on Twitter. She's one of the most known activists in the Charlottesville community. I would say it's probably Dr. Bellamy, Zianna Bryant, Tanisha Hudson, three of the most household name activistsesville community. I would say it's probably Dr. Bellamy, Zianna Bryant, Tanisha Hudson, three of the most household name activists in this community. She's got serious beef,

a brouhaha that is bubbling right now with Dr. Bellamy and how he was portrayed as the man behind the statue removal in Market Street Park, Emancipation Park, Freedom Park, Market Street Park.

Which is partially of her own making. I would have to point out. It's because you're saying she declined the interview request from the documentarians? Yeah. I mean, what are you going to say?

Let me set the stage a little more, then you go at that point. There was a premiere for this documentary at the Paramount Theater. This documentary, it's marketing collateral, utilized, what was the line it utilized, Judah? I believe it said, telling the one man. It talks about telling the story of how one man did this. One man got the effort, the statues removed from the park.

Yeah. Zianna and her... The untold story from the one man who was the catalyst for these monumental events. Monumental, get it? I think that's great copywriting. Yeah. It's great copywriting right there. Zianna and her team, her contingent,

go to the premiere with protest signs at the Paramount. Security had to get some of the protesters removed from the site. Yeah. Zianna says, Dr. Bellamy is gaslighting me and trying to wash me, erase me from history? I don't know that, I haven't seen the movie, so I honestly can't say if he is doing as she is accusing

or if it's just her perception and disappointment that she's not, I guess, better represented in the movie. But when they ask you for an interview and you decline, you pretty much, I mean, obviously... The documentarians asked to interview Zianna Bryant, they said on two different occasions. She declined both occasions.

They had a narrow window to film. I believe it was around four days. All movies have narrow windows to film. It's called keeping production costs in line. You're not going to say, oh, let's let our production crew stay on standby as we wait for you to fit us in your schedule. You're going to say, oh, let's let our production crew stay on standby as we wait for you to fit us in your schedule. You're going to try to schedule it in the most narrow window possible

to keep production costs in line. That's what happened. Who's right, who's wrong here? And here's the follow-up question. Who's right, who's wrong? And the follow-up question is, what does this do for the overall storyline or narrative of the Lee statue removal and how it will be remembered in history? That's a good question. I think without watching the movie, I can't say whether or not Wes Bellamy is in any way in the wrong. But if someone interviews you and asks you questions and you answer them honestly, I mean, again, we can't know if he purposefully left her name out. It sounds like she is mentioned in the movie.

I know they used other footage of her in place of interviewing her because she wasn't available. And I don't know if the overall tone of the movie is set by Wes Bellamy or by the documentarians. Really, it may be them that she should be angry with. And again, she refused the interview, so really, there's no way to tell her side of events without her to tell them. So it sounds like they did the best they could, and I think her anger with

Wes Bellamy is somewhat misplaced. I think you said it very well there. Multiple times on two occasions, she was asked by the filmmakers to come on camera to be in the film. Yeah. Both times she declined. The film was produced. She knew the film would be produced. When the film is released, then she says she's got beef with the film and that she's not highlighted as one of the stakeholders in removing the statue from Lee Park.

We know she was a stakeholder. We knew it was her petition, her efforts as a Charlottesville High School student. He mentions that. It says it was her petition, her efforts as a Charlottesville high school student. Yeah. That worked. He mentions that. It says here in the article, in the film Bellamy recalls receiving Bryant's petition in 2016. And he's quoted as saying, Zianna Bryant, 14 at the time, wrote this whole petition for a school project to get the statues removed. I'm thinking,

that's perfect because we can then take that to council and say, yo, we have to support the youth. I don't know if, some people may argue that he should have said more, but I don't know how much of this was him answering questions and how much was him telling his story or what he thought was the story of the monument and the park, or the monuments and the parks. And it's really hard to say. And I will say this. Randy O'Neill, Bill McChesney, and we'll get to comments in a matter of moments.

Deep Throat, we'll get to comments in a matter of moments. Viewers and listeners, let us know your thoughts. Put them in the feed. We'll relay them live on air. I will say this. Whether we like it or not, it's documentaries like this that do paper the trail. Whether we like it or not, it's documentaries like this that do set the historical narrative for generations to come. Because history needs a paper trail for history to be remembered. Newspapers and media are no longer the papers of the trail. They are no longer the documents

that paper the trail. What papers the trail now, social media. What papers the trail now, social media. What papers the trail now, photos. What papers the trail now, video. And what papers the trail now, documentaries and movies. I understand why Zianna Bryant wants to be a part of the historical timeline of the statue removal.

It was a monumental day in Charlottesville history. A day that will forever live in infamy or ring

authentically in Charlottesville's history? There is some interesting information about about former counselor Kristen Zakos. Zakos? Zakos.

Who told the Daily Progress that she found the documentary to be accurate, balanced, and thoughtful. And she was on council at the time. And goes on to say, I really appreciated this story, that this story they're telling in this movie is the first time it's really been told from an Afrocentric perspective, and really talking about the impact of that sort of assault on the black community in this town. She doesn't deny that Bryant's 2016 petition was a rallying cry, but does emphasize that Bryant was not the first to call for the statue's removal. There have been calls to remove the statue since it was erected in 1924 and uh zacos recalls that uh highlights her own

calls to remove the statue dating back as far as 2012 so you're right they are you know this is papering the history of of what's happened. And unfortunately, Zianna didn't get to... She passed on the interviews. Yeah, she didn't get to have her voice. She didn't get to voice her perspective on things because she passed. Bill McChesney watching the program, his photo on screen,

one of the key members of the family, Bill McChesney. He says this, don't forget that Kristen Zakos was the initial person watching the program, his photo on screen, one of the key members of the family, Bill McChesney, he says this, don't forget that Kristen Zakos was the initial person that pushed the removal. When Bellamy joined council, she allied herself with him to push for the removal agenda. Mr. McChesney watching on McIntyre, we have dubbed him the mayor of McIntyre. And he's also sent an interesting document that's a little bit difficult to read right now, but it's basically, and I think a lot of people know this already, I don't know how this, I don't know that this really, I don't know how it's going to be

responded to with all this talk of what we're going to do with the parks, considering the fact that I believe the giving of the park to the giving of the land to Charlottesville comes with the proviso that, let's see, basically- Paul, I can tell you all about it. Paul McIntyre- It's a memorial for his parents. McIntyre School of Commerce, a philanthropist, a benefactor, who came from wealth, who died with not much wealth,

donated a city block to Charlottesville, Paul McIntyre, with a couple of caveats. Caveat one, it'd stay a park. Caveat two, it'd have the Robert E. Lee statue in it. Caveat three, it'd be called Lee Park. And nothing else would have the Robert E. Lee statue in it. Caveat 3 would be called Lee Park. And nothing else can be built there. Two of the three

caveats have been broken. Some have speculated, does that mean the McIntyre family can go back to the city of Charlottesville and recoup the land donation that Paul McIntyre made to Charlottesville? The likelihood of that happening I would say is

next to none. But it is in the part of the donation documents, the donation mechanisms that McIntyre insisted, I'll give you this city block on these conditions. Public Park, you can't build anything on it.

It'd be called Lee Park and there'd be a statue of Robert E. Lee in it. Which I don't really, I don't know that I understand. Maybe somebody knows the history better, but I believe the statue was, this document says, desire to erect there on a statue of General Robert E. Lee and to present said property to the city of Charlottesville, Virginia as a memorial to his parents. So maybe the statue wasn't

necessarily the memorial so much as the park itself. But still an interesting fact that may affect the future use of the park. I don't think you know, I appreciate history. You don't think they care? I don't think Charlottesville in the least cares.

Well. I don't think Charlottesville in the least cares. And I'll take it a step further here. I wonder if that will affect any future, anyone who may have been planning to give something to the city. Charlottesville, you know why Charlottesville? Okay, that's a fair comment. That is a fair comment.

I'm not going to argue whether or not it's right or wrong. I mean, Sam Sanders turned it into the 2024 version of Hooverville. Yeah. Where he turned it into a homeless encampment for about a month. Yeah. Where he turned it into a homeless encampment for about a month. Yeah. I mean, if I were in money and thinking about donating something, a piece of land or whatever, to the city, I think I'd have some serious second thoughts. You would have second thoughts.

At this point. That's a fair comment. Because they're basically saying, you know, you're dead. We don't care what you wanted to do with it. Yeah, that's a fair comment. And so we're going to do whatever we want. That's like someone giving to the University of Virginia $200 million to create a building.

Yeah, and then they use it for DEI, just as an example. Well, I mean, that doesn't even have to be the example. But the complete opposite of what the donation was intended for. Yeah. So that's a fair point. Do I think that those caveats

will allow the McIntyre descendants to take that city block again? Absolutely not. Right. Absolutely not. Tom Stargell watching the program, the Golden Apple Award winner. Let's get Tom Stargell's photo on screen.

He says, Goodness gracious, Tom Stargell says, talk about two prima donnas, papers the trail completely controlled by the beliefs of the writer who they choose to highlight and believe in quote. And really, that's history today. History today is an assimilation, a cornucopia of various viewpoints. And unfortunately, history today is an assimilation or cornucopia

of the loudest or the viewpoint with the deepest social media following. Yeah. Which is unfortunate. But that's just the perception is reality nature of 2024. Yeah. Deep throat watching the program right now. I'm going to paraphrase what number one in the family has to say a little bit. From time to time I have to do

a little bit of paraphrasing. He says, I guess this tells you that these activists are really just in it for headlines about themselves. I will say the brouhaha does not depict

what happened in the best light. It doesn't depict what happened in the best light because it now depicts a storyline where two of the catalysts behind the storyline are fighting for name recognition on the historical marquee. But is Bellamy even fighting for it?

I would imagine Dr. Bellamy had some producer oversight here. It would be difficult for me to believe a documentary where he's front and center

and described, how did the marketing material describe him? The, yeah, let's scroll all the way back up. He is the um oh come on I'm looking. The great one man the oh, come on.

I'm looking. The great one man? Yeah. Sorry. Okay, it's all right. I would imagine that he has some producer oversight here. It could be. So let's utilize common sense.

Any closing thoughts on this topic before we go to the next one? Oh, I think we've... This is just unfortunate. Yeah, it's the untold story from the one man who was the catalyst for these monumental events. This is like cafeteria bickering

in the cafeteria. Yeah. I mean, that's what this is. He said, she said. Well, the story is out. Bill McChesney says he agrees with Deep Throat.

Maria Marshall Barnes says she agrees with Deep Throat. Maria Marshall Barnes says she agrees with Deep Throat. Facebook fans interacting with Twitter fans. Randy O'Neill says Deep Throat is spot on. That also includes services. I'm tired of donating to schools and other host organizations because I know the goals aren't to solve any problems. Vanessa Parkhill, her photo on screen. Randy O'Neill's photo on screen.

Vanessa Parkhill says, various levels of government have been going back on their word for a long time. It is discouraging that the city is not honoring the agreement with the McIntyre family. People should consider that when entering into negotiations with officials. That's the point Judah made. I think it's a very good point, Vanessa Parkhill. I think that is something that people should be very mindful of. Because if you wanted to live in history a certain way, the people you're negotiating with or entering an agreement with may honor the agreement. But who's to say that second, third, or fourth generation officials afterward will honor the agreement?

Because they may not have the institutional memory or the nuance of what the agreement was about. Or there may be a rewriting of history and something that you do could end up looking, you know, could be seen in a different light. A perfect example of this is consider the zoning code. We're completely rewriting the zoning code of Charlottesville with 52, 53% of the city of Charlottesville

zoned for R1 single-family detached housing. You purchased a house in the city of Charlottesville in a neighborhood where you said, I want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on this single-family detached that's surrounded by other single family detached houses because this neighborhood is giving the impression, the indication, the zoning says it's going to be single family detached housing. And that's the

kind of housing and the quality of life and the kind of space I want with my most important investment in my portfolio. And then the zoning is completely rewritten after you purchased it and density can spring next door. Yeah. And now you're, and now you've got, uh, instead of two houses with a family of neighbors on either side, you've got, uh, apartment houses blocking the sunlight on either side. There it is. Not that that's happened yet, but, um, very well could. Yeah... It very well could. Next topic, Judah Wickhauer, give us the headlines.

Next topic. Jefferson Council. This is... I can't help but think this is almost a little bit connected. Jefferson Council and UVA Astronomy and DEI efforts. You were about to make a link

between the first topic and this topic. Unpack that point. I mean, it's... I'm not, I don't remember what exact link I was going to make, but in this case, the UVA Astronomy has spent... I don't think it's even important how much money they spent. Oh, I think it's important. Well, see, this isn't like a millions and millions of dollars kind of thing. Oh, I think it's important. The Jefferson Council makes a very good point that for any money and time they've spent on this, it has had very little effect. And in fact, ultimately, while I think we can appreciate the fact that they want to be more

inclusive the UVA astronomy department whether we're talking about teachers students professors whatever it has a very

it doesn't have a very good representation of African American and Hispanic people. The problem is that when you dig into the issue behind this, it has less to do with anything that the university might do and more to do with the fact that African American and Hispanic or Latinx students getting high grades in the required mathematics and science classes that would help them and naturally lead to... Diversity, equity, and inclusion. ...entering into astronomy. And the one African-American professor they have in the astronomy department was hired before all of the DEI efforts were, you know, started, which I think shows that the efforts have been largely in

vain, whether or not you find them to be a good thing or a bad thing. So help me understand this. We have the astronomy department at UVA making a push to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The astronomy department at UVA

is using funds that it scraped together yes largely and funds from outside donations to make a DEI push but that department

has one African American professor and a minuscule has one African-American professor and a minuscule African-American student body participation. Yeah. Does that not reek of hypocrisy? Does that not reek of efforts that are window dressing, that are fruitless in

cause and effect? The second part, yes. I don't know if I fully agree with the first part. You make it sound like they're, by saying window dressing, you make it sound like they are aware that they're just tossing money into the wind. I think the effort is, and it's so unfortunate. It's so unfortunate. I think they actually believe in what they're doing. This is what one member of the DEI committee framed the issue this way in an email. Physics and astronomy have long been disproportionately underrepresented by black and Latinx and indigenous people. Based on the recent AIP team-up report, while 13% and 16% of students enrolled in four-year college in the U.S. are black and Hispanic, the black and Hispanic physics bachelor degree holders only account for 3% and 9%. And here at UVA Astronomy,

the fact that we have not graduated any black PhD holder in the history of the department also speaks volumes. Read that again. The fact that we have not graduated any black PhD holder in the history of the department

also speaks volumes. But does it? Yes, it does. Not if not how does it not speak volumes the whole point of diversity equity and inclusion is to have a group of people that are more diverse and included right if the efforts we're doing yield zero results then the efforts are fruitless in merit. Yeah. It's window dressing. It's become, Judah, it's become... But they believe...

It's become a talking point. It's become a talking point, a flag to wave. I don't disagree, but I think you're putting too much emphasis on this as window dressing. You want to create diversity, equity, and inclusion, create scholarships that yield diversity, equity, and inclusion. Take the money for bloated payrolls and take the hundreds of thousands, the millions of dollars, the tens of millions of dollars that you're paying staff and admins and create scholarships that actually yield diversity, equity, and inclusion.

That's fair, but in this particular case, I don't think we're talking about outsized pay. No, but in the University of Virginia in totality, we do. And this is just a layer to the University of Virginia DEI onion that is slowly unraveling or peeling apart. And part of the peeling apart, if you want to do the next headline, we should

get Razorblade Bert Ellis on the program. He's on the Board of Visitors. Razorblade Bert Ellis is the co-founder of the Jefferson Council. He's on the BOV. He gained notoriety. He gained infamy, if you may, traveling across state lines from Georgia to the lawn with a knife, with a razor blade. You don't know that.

I do know that. You know he had the razor blade in his car. He razor bladed a sign off the door of a UVA Rotunda lawn student. You don't think he stopped at Martin's Hardware and picked up a razor blade when he got to town? No, he crossed state lines with a razor blade to knife off a sign that he did not like from the lawn. Okay. And appointed by Glenn Youngkin, the governor to the board of visitors, the co-founder of the Jefferson Council. Say what you want about the Jefferson Council. And there's heavy hitters in this community

that scoff at the Jefferson Council and its four tenets. Its four tenets, its four pursuits are the promotion to promote a culture of civil dialogue, the free exchange of competing ideas, and intellectual diversity throughout the university, number one. Number two, to preserve the Jefferson legacy, Thomas Jefferson legacy. Number three, to preserve the appearance of the lawn as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And number four,

support and reintegrate the honor system. Say what you want about the Jefferson Council. They understand the concept of being in the news cycle and they understand the concept of being in the narrative and they're able to make change. Their co-founder got put on the board of visitors. What is it, 17 people that dictate the vision and the pace and temple of the university? One of those 17 is the co-founder.

Say what you want about the Jefferson Council. They create content on a frequent clip, content that's highlighted by media, legacy and new. We need to get Razorblade Ellis on the program. Let's get Mr. Ellis on the program. It would be, I hope you hear this interview, Mr. Ellis, it would be a fair and open-ended dialogue. I think you would enjoy it. Can we make that happen, please?

Yeah. Eventually, eventually, we have to ask ourselves this question. Has the effort just become a talking point? A talking point.

You're talking about the DEI efforts. I mean, what is actually of merit happening here? You just said that the astronomy department has not produced the PhD graduate. Ever. Ever! If you, yeah, I think if you, looking, taking that into perspective.

That's a damning statement for someone with this effort. But taking that into perspective, the DEI efforts have been ongoing for less than four years. No. No. The article starts, back in 2020, the University of Virginia astronomy department jumped on the diversity, equity, and inclusion bandwagon. Ashamed of its history of attracting so few blacks and Hispanics, the department formed a DEI committee to advance the goal of making the department more demographically diverse. So overall, the DEI efforts not bearing any fruit is a tiny fraction of the timeline of the overall Virginia astronomy, University of Virginia astronomy department in the course of its history. Ginny Hu watching the program, her photo on screen, please.

She says on Twitter, the Bellamy Bryant brouhaha is a perfect local example of what is going on at the national level. She says the movement is eating their own. Deep Throat on Twitter says, and this puts in perspective perhaps what Judah is saying here, listen to this. Across the United States in hard sciences, black awardees amounted to one to two percent of the total. It's not shocking to deep throat that UVA's astronomy department has not awarded any PhDs to black students. In the entire U.S., there are only about 500 BS astronomy degrees awarded per year, and that's in the entire country.

PhDs, it's about $150 a year for the whole country. Yeah, and if you look at things, I mean... So that's some perspective. I appreciate that perspective. Yeah, that definitely is a great perspective. And I think the fact of the matter is that we've seen what harm the COVID lockdown did to a lot of students, especially in terms of grades and learning. And I think that probably black American, black African American and Hispanic students have been particularly

hard hit by this. And the fact of the matter is you can't force students to enter your field of choice. But if the perception of the field of choice is a homogenous old boys club, who would choose to enter? But why do you think that? Why do you think that there's a do you think astronomy really has a I think it has a perception issue

or do you think it's just that younger people are less interested in entering the astronomy field younger people want to pursue fields where they feel included would you take a quarter million dollars, go a quarter million dollars in debt, and pursue a field where you would be

not part of the team, part of the group, or feel included? Or it could be a reflection of this type of student that can afford college today. And the socioeconomic statuses that go with that kind of tuition affordability. Possibly.

Vanessa Parkhill says she would love to hear from Mr. Ellis. Yeah. But would Mr. Ellis come on a program where he's continually referred to as Razorblade? He might get a kick out of it. I think in the heart of Mr. Burt Ellis, he likes the moniker Razorblade. So this is interesting. I would ask him that question. Does he like the moniker Razorblade?

We do it in jest. Yeah. And I don't know the guy, so I don't know how seriously he would take that listening to us go on and on. But this is interesting. Astronomy is an intimidating major. This is from the Jefferson Council article. A typical schedule requires between 15 and 20 classes in calculus, advanced math, and physics. There is no acknowledgement in any of the

department's written statements about the daunting challenge of recruiting minorities to the astronomy field, given the paucity of minority students adept in advanced math, physics, and chemistry. Two-thirds of UVA students come from Virginia, and they go on to talk about the fact that the number of Virginia public school students of all races who have demonstrated a competence in math and science is dismally small. Across the commonwealth fewer than 3,000 students scored advanced whatever that means in their algebra 2 SOL exams in the 22-23 school year. Of those, only 143 were black and 169 Hispanic. Students gravitate towards courses and majors that play to their strengths, not their weaknesses. If they don't achieve advanced scores in Algebra II in high school,

the odds of them flourishing in a calculus-intensive curriculum for astronomy majors are not good. Similarly, only 215 students across Virginia scored advanced in chemistry, another scientific discipline that astronomy draws upon. Shockingly, a mere 5 were black and 21 were Hispanic. I can offer a little more. I think in larger part than having a problem

with these students wanting to enter is the fact that there aren't that many that are doing well enough to make this the kind of degree they would want to pursue. that many that are doing well enough to make this the kind of

degree they would want to pursue. They make a good point. If you're not good in all of the math and science that lead into this type of degree, then what would make you want to jump in? I would think if you had the astronomy bug as a child that you would work harder at excelling in the types of classes that you need to get into the program.

This is from Neil Williamson, president of the Free Enterprise Forum. Shares a link from Forbes magazine if you get Neil's photo on screen. Over the past 20 years, according to Forbes magazine, the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in physics has more than doubled from just under 4,000 per year in the late 1990s to nearly 9,000 per year according to the most recent data that Forbes shared.

You can find this article in the comment section of my Facebook page, people. Forbes reports, by many metrics, racial representation is on the rise as well. Black Americans earn more than twice as many STEM degrees as they did 20 years ago. But in physics, the percentage of black Americans earning bachelor's degrees has plummeted over that same interval, even as Hispanic representation has nearly quadrupled. This from Forbes magazine, same article. Today, across all STEM fields, representation of black Americans is lowest in physics and astronomy, less than 3% in physics, down from the 5% in 1999, less than 2% in astronomy. In a landmark, first-of-its-kind study,

the American Institute of Physics developed a national task force to elevate the representation of black Americans in physics and astronomy. It's called TEAMUP. Their full report has just been released, and it uncovers not only the cause of this underrepresentation, but how to fix it. If you want to read this article, it's in the comments section of my personal Facebook page, facebook.com forward slash Jerry Miller now. Neil Williamson, we always appreciate you watching the program.

I just checked out Neil's article. And I think that was what was mentioned earlier in this about the AIP team up report. But they end the article with what I think is very apt, very well put, in that despite the best of intentions, the astronomy department has had marginal success, obviously. Even if its efforts

showed greater luck in the future, it would achieve gains only by out recruiting other STEM departments at UVA or other universities. I don't necessarily agree show greater luck in the future, it would achieve gains only by out-recruiting other STEM departments at UVA or other universities. I don't necessarily agree with that. It is beyond the departments. I don't agree with that. It can achieve gains by not recruiting other STEM departments at the University of Virginia.

It can achieve gains by out-recruiting other STEM departments at other institutions, other colleges. Right. at other institutions, other colleges. Right, but what they're saying is that if you have a group of kids, it doesn't matter what color their skin, if you have a group of kids coming into UVA from STEM departments and going into those types of fields,

then all those departments are fighting each other to get those students in their departments. And so in that case, UVA would have to out-recruit other sectors of UVA to get those students that are coming. Why couldn't it recruit other students that are coming in with that curriculum path? I think the fact of the matter is that there aren't that many kids that are coming in with that curriculum path? I think the fact of the matter is that there aren't that many kids that are coming into it with that path. And it goes on to say, it is beyond the department's power to boost the number of minorities capable of flourishing in

the sciences. That change must occur in the kindergarten to 12th education system, preferably starting in the early grades. Until such change occurs, it's not evident what all the department's DEI activity can possibly accomplish. We have other topics we want to get to on today's program. For those that are watching the program, if you know Burt Ellis, please pass along to him

that he would have a fair and open-ended interview on this talk show. We would love to host him in person at our studio or via Skype. And the Razorblade moniker is one that I think has got a bit of pizzazz and chutzpah. Ask him how he feels about it, too. I think he would like it. I think he would like it. I think he would like it. A couple of other topics out of today's notebook. Next headline, Judah Wickauer.

Next headline, we've got the Chamber of Commerce selling their downtown building. This is an intriguing headline. Yeah. There's been, how about turnover is a word I'll use at the chamber of commerce. Elizabeth Cromwell retired. She's come on this program. The chair of the board of directors, Sasha trip. She does a great job in real estate. She's the principal of story house over on Ivy road across from Moe's originalbecue. Her firm crushes it. She's a mover and shaker. She is a UVA graduate. She is a fantastic business person. She is on the record

saying we are going to sell, Board of Directors Chair of the Chamber, we're going to sell our downtown building on 5th and Market. It's going to hit the MLS, the multiple listing service price, somewhere between $800,000 and $1 million. She said, maybe we don't need as a chamber of commerce anymore a big old building. If you've been in that building, it's not fantastically set up for socializing and networking. It's very compartmentalized. Furthermore, we clearly have a little bit of movement away from big, aging, expensive buildings in a society that is Skype, Zoom, social, digital, connected like it's never been because of technology and the Internet. So we have this question for you.

Question one, that building on the corner of Fifth and Market, how long does it sit before it's scooped up? That's a fantastic location. Directly across from our studio. Yeah. Fantastic location. Directly across from our studio. Yeah. Fantastic location. Question two, does the Chamber of Commerce in 2024 need an actual physical address? Question three, does the Chamber of Commerce in 2024, what does it look like moving forward as it's clearly in a period of transition? Next question, and I've asked this on previous shows.

How does Chamber of Commerce leadership youngify its membership? The perception of the Chamber right now is a bit stodgy and long in the tooth. I'll try to answer some of these questions. The first question, how long does the building sit empty before it's purchased? I think that building is going to be purchased right away. I think someone like Sasha leading the sale of this building, she understands market dynamics and how to price buildings better than just about everybody. No doubt. I think it's going to come out of the gates priced well. One of her strategies is pricing property below market so you get a multiple offer scenario that drives the acquisition price above where they started. Yeah. I think we'll see that here.

Someone's going to scoop it up. I'd be curious about its upside. Second question. Does the Chamber of Commerce need a physical address? You want to touch that, or should I offer some perspective? I think you're probably better able to answer that question. I don't think the Chamber of Commerce needs a physical address at all. I think the Chamber of Commerce needs a social media presence. I think it needs a URL. I think it needs an email database, a listserv. I think it needs a way to communicate with the community, with stakeholders, with politicians, with nonprofit leaders, with CEOs, with small business owners. But I think the future of the Chamber of Commerce is one where it does this musical chairs of networking locations. Happy hours, mixers, dinners, renting out event spaces.

The future of a chamber of commerce is one where you get people together in face-to-face capacities over lunch and learn events, over happy hours, over dinners, over seminars. You do it at Jaffrey's Code Building and his auditorium on the downtown mall. You do it at the space on Water Street.

You do it at Travis's old Metropolitan Hall. You do Zoom meetups and Skype meetups. Heck, you host a show on the I Love Seville Network where you can talk about all the positive things the chamber is doing and feature your members on your show so your membership gets positive attention from our huge following of people.

That would be cool. The future of the chamber is not tied to a physical address. It's a nimble organization that cuts its overhead. And I would bet you one of its key line items of that organization, outside of staff, is that building on 5th and Market. No doubt. You take that off, that piece of overhead, off the books, and you're talking an organization that's much more nimble,

pivotable, adjustable, amendable, approachable. That's the future. There's the fixer right there. We don't have to get him on camera. He doesn't want the recognition. That was the fixer right there. We don't have to get him on camera. He doesn't want the recognition. That was the fixer, though. One of the best problem solvers in the community, the fixer. You make the organization lean and nimble.

You associate it with happy hours, dinners, mixers, and event spaces. And you throw in weekly Zoom meetups. Host a show on a network like ours where you can feature membership and you can gain positive attention for membership in a video podcast setting with a studio that has the quirks figured out. Not tied to a physical address. And I think that's what they're doing right before our eyes. Next, lower third. You put it on screen. What's the next headline?

Is it the McDonald's headline? Let's see. Yep, that's it. What do you make of this one? I don't really like talking about national stories unless they have a local slant. This is how I see this from a local slant. McDonald's and one of its most successful promotions, its $5 value meal promotion, is extending it beyond this four-week window that just passed. 93% of its franchise owners voted to extend the promotion past the original end date,

which was later this month. The $5 value meal rolled out on menu boards on June 25th, and it was set to last a month. It includes a McChicken or a McDouble, a four-piece chicken nugget, fries, and a drink. The combo costs substantially less than purchasing the individual items a la carte. McDonald's is doing this to compete with Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, and even Starbucks, which have $3 and $5 value promotions. I have this question for you, Judah, and this question for the viewer and listener. If a Burger King, a Wendy's, a Taco Bell, a Starbucks, and a McDonald's can do a $3 value promotion, a $4 value promotion, and a $5 value promotion that includes a sandwich, a burger, fries,

nuggets, and a drink, some combination thereof. I don't know if those three or four dollar deals include all that stuff. No, not all that stuff. It's a sandwich, fries, and a drink. Sandwich, fries, and a drink. Not for three dollars. There's no way. Five bucks. It's the five dollar value menu. I know. Okay. You're talking about other... They're doing it in the price.

You're doing that three dollars to five dollars is the promotional window. The pricing window. $3 to $5. My point is this. How can a mom and pop or a one-unit shop, they can't match this price. One of my favorite lunches at the downtown mall is a Vita Nova pepperoni pizza. I have that thing once or twice a week. Vita Nova pepperoni pizza. I have that thing once or twice a week. Vita Nova's amazing pizza.

They took the impeccable pig location in NCAP on the corner of Market, on the corner of 4th and the downtown mall. Their pizza is fantastic. One slice of pepperoni pizza from Vita Nova, one slice, is $4.10. You're talking a burger, fries and a soda for the same price. This is clearly a head win for one of our favorite aspects of this community. Locally owned restaurants. At a time when the average consumer is penny pinching.

I tell this story all the time. I was an investor in a sunglass shop on Ivy Road in the university shopping center, the Papa John's Shopping Center. I think it was where the tennis shop was located. It was called Hollywood Shades. We had the crazy idea in 2008, right as the housing crisis was materializing, to start a sunglass shop where we sold luxury sunglasses on Ivy Road. We'll get the Ivy side. We'll get the Farmington side. We'll get the Boar's Head side. We'll get the Floridan side. We'll get the Florida side. We'll get the Edna side, the Edna village. We'll get all the Crozet folks. We'll sell them $250, $350 Louis Vuittons or Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses. Then the housing market went in the crapper. The economy suffered, not like nationally,

but it still suffered around here. And what I learned from that experience, and it cost me like $14,000, $15,000. $14,000 or $15,000 in 2008, 2009. I'm not talking $14,000 or $15,000 in 2024. What I learned from that experience, even from high net worth individuals, was the guy that was selling the sunglasses on a fold-out table on the downtown mall that was paying a peddler's fee to the city to sell $10 sunglasses to passerbys was directly

competing with our luxury brand offerings. High net worth individuals at a time of inflation, at a time of economic crisis also tighten the belt. And a $4 offering from Starbucks is going to cannibalize local consumership. How does a local business like Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, or Starbucks,

how does a local business compete with a McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, or Starbucks at a $3, $4, $5 offering? But have they ever? The price point offering was much more narrow or competitive than it is now. That's fair. I empathize. Yeah, I do too, but I still think that people that are going to McDonald's...

Yeah, look at what Neil just sent. The $5 Biggie bag. Yeah, it's the same thing as McDonald's. This is more than McDonald's. The $5 Biggie Bag is fries, a double bacon cheeseburger, a four-piece nugget, and what looks like a medium soda. Look at the wheels are turning over. Judah just said, wow.

He's licking his chops. Look at him. He's about to sprint to his car to order this. Is that bacon and cheddar? Look at Judah. And it about to sprint to his car to order this. Is that bacon and cheddar? Oh, man. Look at Judah. And it comes with nuggets, too? Dang.

That was funny, Judah. Is there a Wendy's within walking distance here? Yes, there actually is. I think it would take me too long. That's within walking distance. It's right across from the Alamo County office building that's in the city of Charlottesville. Explain that to me.

The Alamo County office building is in the city of Charlottesville. Alright, finish your thought. We also have to get to the San Brunel news, and we've gone 70 minutes straight without commercial break. I don't know what my thought was. Judah got distracted by Hungary. Oh, yeah.

Oh, I was talking about the fact that I... You're right. The margin is a lot... It has grown. But... You know, I think families that rely on... It's sad that this is a fact, but I think that families that rely on places like McDonald's and a delicious-looking Wendy's Biggie bag to feed their family are probably not frequenting local restaurants on a regular basis.

It's the lower income families. See, that is not, you missed the whole point of the sunglass saga. I learned $15,000 lesson. Okay. In times of economic hardship, even the upper class

tightens the pocketbook or the purse. Everyone tightens. I don't agree that there's so much wealth that Susie Big Bucks doesn't want to go to Starbucks. That she would rather go to Mud House

for a frappe latte grande. Whatever the hell they're called. Frappe latte.. Whatever the hell they're called. Everyone tightens. Everyone tightens. Okay. All right. Last topic. If you want to put the lower third on screen. Sam Brunel, the William Monroe High School graduate who spent her last two years on the women's basketball team as a graduate student at UVA. She announced that she's continuing her career as a professional basketball player in Greece. I'm not going to attempt to say the team she is signing with. It is three words that I cannot pronounce that has more vowels than I've ever seen in my entire life. If you've watched or listened to the program,

you realize that these type of... You want me to show it to you? Come over here if you want to slide. I always jump into your shot. You can jump into my shot. Let's see. Athleticos, Omolos, Constantin... You forgot the P word. Oh. Panthessalonic...

Panthessalonicus Athleticus, Omolos, Constantinop... That's a tough one to say. She's signing with P-A-O-K. P-A-O-K of Greece. I wish her nothing but the best. She's continuing her career in basketball

as a professional player in Greece. Props to Sam Brunel, the William Monroe graduate. That's going to be a beautiful place to live and play. That's your stopping grounds over there. God's country, Neil Williamson. That's the talk show on a Monday. It's good to be back in the saddle sitting across from my colleague, Judah Wickauer. Vanessa Parkhill says Vita Nova is worth every penny. I agree, Vanessa Parkhill. All right. That's all she wrote. For Judah, I'm Jerry. It's the I Love Siebel Show. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

We'd like to get over 1,000 subscribers. We're trying to make an effort to grow that channel. And if someone knows Razorblade, tell Razorblade we want to get him on the show. We'll even put up a sign for him to cut down. We'll bring a knife sharpener to the studio. I kid because I care, Razorblade. I kid because I care.

All right, so long, everybody. Thank you.