We embraced, as always—and most immediately he took me outside, where we began to walk by his swimming pool. A man’s accomplishments in life outweighed his personal human weaknesses. Person’s good deeds outweigh his bad deeds. When I was a foul, vicious, derelict, so grim and soulless that other people called me Satan, this man had rescued me. He was the man who had trained me, who treated me as if I was his own flesh and blood. He was the man who had given me wings—to go places, to do things I otherwise never would have dreamed of. We walked, with me caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. I thought about the Greek myth of the boy Icarus. You see a man named Daedalus, a most skillful artificer built a labyrinth, and edifice with numberless winding passages and turnings opening into one another, and seeming to have neither beginning nor end, like a river Maeander, which returns on itself and flows now onward, now backward, in its course to the sea. #RyanPhillippe 1 of 7

Daedalus built the labyrinth for King Minos, but afterwards lost the favor of the king, and was shut up in a tower. He contrived to make his escape from prison, but could not leave the island by sea, as the king kept strict watch on all the vessels and permitted none to sail without being carefully searched. “Minos may control the land and sea,” said Daedalus, “but not the regions of the air. I will try that way.” So he set to work to fabricate wings for himself and his young son Icarus. He wrought feathers together, beginning with the smallest and adding larger, so as to form an increasing surface. The larger ones he secured with thread, and the smaller ones with wax, and gave the whole a gentle curvature like the wings of a bird. Icarus, the boy, stood and looked on, sometimes running to gather up the feather which the wind had blown away, and then handling the wax and working it over with his fingers by his play impeding his father in his labors. When at last the work was done, the artist, waving his wings, found himself buoyed upwards and hung suspected, poising himself on the beaten air. #RyanPhillippe 2 of 7

He next then equipped his son in the same manner and taught him how to fly, as a bird tempts her young ones from the lofty nest into the air. When all was prepared for the flight he said, “Icarus, my son, I charge you to keep at a moderate height, for if you fly too low the damp will clog your wings, and if you fly too high the heat will melt them. Keep near me and you will be safe.” While he gave him these instructions and fitted the wings to his shoulders, the face of the feather was wet with tears, and his hands trembled. He kissed the boy, not knowing that it was for the last time. Then rising on his wings he few off, encouraging him to follow, and looked back from his own flight to see how his son managed his wings. As they flew the ploughman stopped his work to gaze, and the shepherd leaned on his staff and watched them, astonished at the sight, and thinking they were gods who could thus cleave the air. #RyanPhillippe 3 of 7

They passed Samos and Delos on the left and Lebynthos on the rights, when the boy, exulting in his career, began to leave the guidance of his companion and soar upward as if to reach Heaven. The nearness of the blazing Sun softened the wax which held the feathers together, and they came off. He fluttered with his arms, but no feather remained in the air. While his mouth uttered cries to his father it was submerged in the blue waters of the sea, which thenceforth was called by his name. His father cried, “Icarus, Icarus, where are you?” With melting wax and loosened strings sunk hapless Icarus on unfaithful wings; headlong he rushed through the affrighted air, with limbs distorted and disheveled hair; his scattered plumage danced upon the wave, and sorrowing Nereids decked his watery grave; over his pale corse their pearly sea-flowers shed, and strewed with crimson moss his marble bed; stuck in their coral towers the passing bell, and wide in ocean tolled his echoing knell. Daedalus burid the body of his son and called the land Icaria in memory of his child. Daedalus arrived safe in Sicily, where he built a temple to Apollo and hung up his wings, an offering to the god. #RyanPhillippe 4 of 7

Icarus’ flying pleased him so that he began thinking he was flying on his own merit. Higher, he flew—higher—until the heat of the Sun melted the wax holding his wings. And down came Icarus—tumbling. Standing there by the Harvard University window, I silently vowed to God that I never would forget that any wings I wore had been put on by his grace. That fact I never have forgotten, not for once second. Stated another way, when we are warned not to do something and told why not, but become so overconfident is when we meet our demise. People who lie, gamble, cheat, or smoke are committing moral crimes, such as fornication or adultery. I am not griping about publicity for myself. I already had received more publicity than many World personages. I am not trying to make myself seem right and noble, I am telling the truth. I love America, and the World. I live for America. It makes other people jealous because my picture is often in the daily press. #RyanPhillippe 5 of 7

People would not remember that my picture was there because of my fervor in championing. They would not simply reason that as vulnerable as their mind are to distorted rumors and outright lies. Whenever I catch any resentful feeling hanging on in my mind, I am ashamed of myself, considering it a sign of weakness. My life has become totally dedicated to representing you, at least for now. I cannot help being very hypersensitive to my critics in high posts within our Nation. There is jealousy because I had been requested to make these featured appearances. However, the climate of hate that many are generating and nourishing has been permitted and these people lash out and become even more bold when there were ways it could have been checked, the more bold the hate became—until at last it was flaring out at even their own kind, including leaders. These male TV news anchor sit there with their lace-front pompadour wigs, face lifts, and cheap hair plugs spreading lies and acting mentally unwell, and have even encouraged you to attack an individual, but they do not get fired, which tells you someone likes their behavior. I think it is sad when people gang up on and attack someone who is vulnerable because they can in all their superiority. #RyanPhillippe 6 of 7

I want to make this as brief as I can, only enough so that my position and my reactions will be understood. I tell you this: for me even to consider believing anything as insane-sounding as any slightest implication of any immoral behavior, why the very idea made me shake with fear. And so my mind simply refused to accept anything so grotesque. However, I wonder, with the state of race relations in America, how can a young Black man even look up to a White man, when many feel “threatened” and try to set them up for failure? One day you admire someone and the next day they are trying to set you up to have you arrested because they are jealous of your accomplishments. And from my experiences, I have had groups of White men in the media gang up on me and do illegal things to me and go unpunished. As to whether or not I should reveal this, there is no longer any need for concise. One of the Nation’s most closely kept scandals is that of what these TV news reporters have done over the past ten years to one individual. To make myself clear, I know there are good White men, however, and I am grateful for the ones who spell out what they know. #RyanPhillippe 7 of 7