WEBVTT - State of the Nation 0:00:06.360 --> 0:00:08.760 What's the family. I'm your girl to meeke A D. Mallory, 0:00:09.119 --> 0:00:11.920 this your boy, my son in the general, and we're 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:14.840 your hosts the street politicians to place me at the 0:00:14.880 --> 0:00:19.120 streets and politics. Me so, Mike Man. You know, um, 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:24.919 crazy weekend. Crazy weekend. The craziest thing happened to me 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:28.280 that nobody knew about a secret process that I have 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:34.000 been in for the last several months, you know, uh, 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:38.320 pledging as they say, and and being sort of head 0:00:38.360 --> 0:00:42.839 down focused on joining a sisterhood. And as of this 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:47.280 past weekend, I am now a proud member of the 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:55.840 Alpha halfa Alpha sorority incorporated beside dya O'naga chapter in Knoxville, Tennessee. 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:59.800 I'm super happy and in this weekend in one of 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:02.320 them most incredible things that could have happened to me 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:06.080 among forty one beautiful women who are now my sisters, 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:11.960 um our International President, who holds the highest position within 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:16.080 the sorority, came to Knoxville to be at our ceremony 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:20.160 and she also penned me um, which is really special. 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:23.200 The person that pens you is a current a k a. 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:27.880 A member for some time who you asked to come 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:31.720 and pen you as a new a k A. And uh, 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:35.560 you know, I was privileged to have our international president, 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:39.160 Glenda Glover to do that. And I believe that you know, 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:42.440 she uh you know, sees me as someone who's a 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:46.760 real leader and someone who is trying to make change 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.520 for our community. And I found out over the last 0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:53.840 several weeks that this is the sorority of Rosa Parks UM, 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:57.960 and so I am proud to be in in her stead, 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:01.120 you know, and and following in her her footsteps. So 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:05.800 that happened to me this past weekend. Congratulations, man, you 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:10.160 know that's it sounds like something that UM is worthy, 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:12.280 that you're worthy of, first of all, and you know 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:15.200 that's it's something that's dope. I don't really followed the 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:19.320 or I gotta get into that, you know, you know, 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:21.400 I gotta learn a little. But you know, it seems 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:23.520 like I know, I've seen a lot of the pictures 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:25.680 that you posted, you know, a lot of the women, 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:28.079 and I hear a lot of women that we know 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:33.640 who are part of the fraternity, and that Garrett Subart 0:02:34.040 --> 0:02:42.200 Brock apologize the man. I don't know I can say either. 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:51.640 I'm learning, Yes, yes, family members, family members. I have friends, 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.639 a lot of women. All of them are upstanding, you know, 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:58.359 dope women, so you know, and you're supposed to be 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:01.600 a part of so congratulation the a k A s 0:03:02.240 --> 0:03:07.560 Um this is they were the first sorority, first sority, 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:13.160 so it's the first family and um, everybody else came 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:14.880 after us. So I'm proud to be a part of that. 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:18.720 We're pink and green, we get twenty pearls UM. And 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:21.560 I have a lot of people who are in the 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:24.360 Divine nine in general, so just so you know, as 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:29.120 a part of education, the Divine nine includes all of 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:34.920 the different sororities and fraternities, the stigmas and the zetas 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:38.200 and the deltas um, they're all a part of the 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:42.200 Divine nine. So it is a family of people who 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:45.880 are in the Greek letter to organization. UM. But you 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:49.880 know there are specific entry points, if you will, and 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:52.520 homes that we have and mine is a k A. 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:54.880 But I have lots of friends who are deltas and 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:58.040 zatas and I love them all, so you know, it's 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.160 a it's a yet another phase in my life. You know, 0:04:01.320 --> 0:04:03.840 turned forty years old and a lot of things happened 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:08.200 for me, the release of my book State of Emergency, UM. 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:12.800 You know me joining UH this sorority. So you know, 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:18.279 life is in progress. UM. Life is about both your 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.360 I think it's it's it's got to be about your 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:28.119 personal and your professional and our communities and just making 0:04:28.200 --> 0:04:32.080 sure that you stay grounded in all of those things. UM. 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:34.880 And I know that there are people out there who say, well, 0:04:35.360 --> 0:04:39.200 what do the Greek letter organizations do for me? And 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:43.200 you know, how are they involved? And I thought about 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:47.680 that a lot because I do want to ensure I'm 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:51.520 also a Link, which is another organization that has lots 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:54.919 of professional women. You have to be invited to become 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:58.479 a LINK. I'm very proud of being in that organization 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:04.839 as well. And one of the things about the way 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:10.160 that UM white supremacy operates, in the way that laws 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:14.320 and rules have been established, is that in order to 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:19.240 maintain your five oh one C three status, you have 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:23.599 to be very careful about how politically engaged you are 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:28.960 in particular issues. And that's not just UM sororities and fraternities. 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:32.880 That's any five O one C three organization UM, which 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:37.160 includes churches, UH, and you know some of these foundations 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:41.560 and otherwise, so you have. They're very very strict on 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:45.240 the rules of how you can be politically engaged. You 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:48.120 have to be very careful not to be lobbying or 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:53.680 supporting candidates under your C three status, and so oftentimes 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:57.560 there is conflict and conflict that I am one who 0:05:57.680 --> 0:06:01.800 intends to be a real advocate for us, looking at 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:05.240 ways to change it and pushing it as close as 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:09.320 possible to um making sure that we're not so caught 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:13.039 up in our incorporation status that we are less concerned 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:18.160 or or or not as much engaged in our community status. Right. 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:21.200 So I'm one of those people who will definitely be 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:24.480 fighting for that. But what I will say is that 0:06:25.040 --> 0:06:28.839 while people may not be wearing their colors right because 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:31.400 pinky green is my color and the adults is have 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:35.679 red and blue, and you know, different ones have different colors, 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:42.560 the one thing that you do see is that many 0:06:42.680 --> 0:06:46.360 of the people out here fighting, from Dr King to 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:51.880 Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to uh as I said, Rosa Parks, 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.560 and the list goes on and on. Even people who 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:59.520 are currently on the ground today, they are members of 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:04.000 these of the Divine Nine. Ben Crump. These are people 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.880 who are members of the divine nine. But you don't 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:10.720 necessarily see their colors on them at a protest. But 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:13.760 people should not think in any way that it means 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:17.600 that those individuals are removed from the movement, because they 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.960 are very much so engaged UM. And I think what 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:23.120 we have to find a way to do is to 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:27.400 be able to show more of those individuals and their 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:30.840 support that is notwithstanding or that is that is separate 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:34.560 and apart from the exact you know, the organization, but 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:38.360 allows them to be to let it be known that we, 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:42.440 as we may be, were members UM. But nonetheless I'm 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:45.600 not here in an official capacity, but as a member, 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:49.280 I do still support my community, and that's you know, 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:51.600 it's a it's a tough balance and we have to 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:53.280 figure it out. But I think that's one of the 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:56.360 reasons why I was invited is to help us figure 0:07:56.400 --> 0:08:00.160 out in such crazy times, how do we not us 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:02.800 as an a k A. Not just in that organization, 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:06.840 but in all of our organizations, find ways to help 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:12.800 even more to fight for our communities. Well, congratulations, and 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:15.400 I know that if that can be done, then you're 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:18.600 gonna get it done. You know. I look forward to 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:22.360 seeing the engagement of the divide none in our community, 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:25.560 you know, led by you know, efforts that I know 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:28.200 that you definitely hold them too, because you ain't gonna 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:30.160 to the run and play. I don't have to say 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:34.480 something here and then what stuff is going on there 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:41.080 visible right there on the hill constantly engage in Congress 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:44.760 and they're they're doing those things. But there's a style 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:49.840 that we like and and and that's where the conflict 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:53.439 comes in that people want a certain style. And I think, 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:56.480 you know, it's a testament to what the a k 0:08:56.720 --> 0:09:00.720 a s are attempting to do by bringing more people 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:05.240 like me into the organization. So I'm excited about my 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:10.920 UM journey, this new journey in my life. So you 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:14.480 know what I was thinking about today, it's totally off 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:17.599 topic for this show that we have coming up, and 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:26.400 that you and you know that you know, the the 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:28.800 guests that we have that we're going to be bringing 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:31.440 on today is really really important. In fact, we decided 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:34.480 not to have two guests because sometimes when we try 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:37.280 to fit in the two guests piece, it seems like 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:41.120 it just cuts um the ability to really focus hone 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:45.000 in And I think as we're getting into this political season, 0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:48.439 which politics is every season. But this is about to 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:52.720 be a real um uh, it's gonna be a heavy 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:57.640 lift for people, especially since they got nothing to claim 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.120 that they've done for us and for our commune of 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:03.720 these and we've but people still are in elected office. 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:06.640 There's still work to be done, and so we're giving 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:10.120 um the the gentleman that's coming on with us today 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:15.000 full time to be able to talk to us. So um. 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:19.000 But as just this other sort of crazy thought that 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:22.800 came to me. So lately, I've really been trying to 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:26.360 take care of myself. I am trying to eat better. 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:31.280 I'm trying to uh, you know, drink my teas and 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.800 just do all the things that's necessary for my body, 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:38.959 my mind and my spirit. Because you know, at forty, 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:41.079 which I don't know if you experience is or not, 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:44.400 because you're very, very healthy, but I know, especially for women, 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:47.679 once we turned forty, we begin to see real shifts, 0:10:47.880 --> 0:10:50.920 Like you know that I've gotten older. It's not a 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:55.560 bad thing because I feel the sexiest and the brightest 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.080 and the best that I've ever felt, because I'm grown 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:02.839 for real now. But I still can also sense that 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:06.319 my body is telling me, hey, we gotta change some 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:08.840 of our habits. We can't eat and get in the bed, 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:11.880 you know, we gotta do things different. So I'm just 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:15.280 I was thinking as I had to pack. I was traveling, 0:11:16.080 --> 0:11:18.640 um and I had to pack my teas because you 0:11:18.760 --> 0:11:22.959 can't find tumeric. You know. It's like we live in 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:27.079 a society that this is not what they serve us, right. 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:30.520 You can't go to the McDonald's and get some tumoreric 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:35.120 ginger and pineapple tea that do with inflammation in the body. 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:38.240 They don't have that. They don't have whole foods everywhere. 0:11:38.760 --> 0:11:41.280 We go to food deserts where you might not even 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:43.880 be able to find a good supermarket. So I'm like 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:48.800 packing teas and packing cranberry fills and doing all of that, 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:53.120 and I'm like, why is it that everything that's good 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:55.680 for us? This is really my put of the day. 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:58.960 Why is it that everything that's good for us taste 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:03.560 so damned? Dad? Like everything that's like really really good 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:07.480 for you, they tell you eat avocado. I hate avocado. 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:10.360 All of this stuff that's like super super good for you, 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:14.480 it doesn't taste good. I was like thinking, watermelon, ca 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:16.400 I'm gonna eat fruits to me, eat watermelon, eat this 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:18.880 I mean that people are like, that's a bunch of sugar. 0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:23.760 This is what I like. Everything that's really good for 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:26.520 you doesn't really taste that good. Yeah, I think. I 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:29.880 think it's because we've trained I would taste buzz. Because 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:32.200 you don't know what tastes good until you actually start 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:35.480 training your taste buzz. And that's why different people, different 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:39.000 cultures eat different foods. They've trained their taste buzzs to 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:44.200 a certain seasoning, certain flavors. You know, some kids, I've 0:12:44.200 --> 0:12:47.800 watched my man's daughter. She's been vegan her whole life. 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:50.800 She never ate meat. You understand I'm saying, so trying 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:52.680 to meet trying to stop my kids from getting chicken. 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:55.880 It's like cutting their head off. They're like, what, no chicken? Chicken? 0:12:56.080 --> 0:12:57.959 So when you're trying to stop when you when you 0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:01.360 give them something and you your taste, but get trained 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:04.439 to it. It's really hard to retrain your taste. But 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:07.040 especially at forty, you know you've been eating what you've 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.000 been eating. You know how you want your food season 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:11.320 you know how your mother usually cooked it. If there's 0:13:11.360 --> 0:13:14.800 a taste, but a sensation that comes from that. So 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:17.920 now you're trying to give your body. Things that ain't seasoned, 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:19.719 ain't got no sugar in it, and all of this 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:24.080 stuff is excuse me, I eat season I ain't. I ain't. 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:26.360 I ain't get all the way there yet. You know, 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:31.199 I think there's another transition probably around fifty that you 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:34.520 have to go through of some other things. But for now, 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.400 I don't. I'm not saying I want like, I'm not 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:40.400 one of these people that add salt. I don't believe 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:43.040 in like getting the salt and adding it to my food. 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:46.400 I don't. I see people put salt on like fried chicken. 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:49.880 Then you know you're killing yourself if you actually put 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.679 grains of salt on your fried food or on your steak. 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.160 I try not to do that, but I definitely want 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:00.719 to eat food that tastes good. Yeah. What I'm trying 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.800 to say is your definition to taste good comes from, 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:08.760 you know, these taste buzz being exposed to certain seasons 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:11.480 in in foods, your whole life. So it's it's gonna 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:14.959 be a process man retraining, retraining your body to do 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:17.959 what's best for it instead it was best to it. 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:22.160 It's very hard, just like rest rest you when you're 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:24.920 sitting there and you're not doing nothing. You relax. It 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:27.080 ain't the most healthiest for your body all the time 0:14:27.120 --> 0:14:29.360 because if you're not working out certain muscles, you're not 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:32.160 moving them. The pain that comes with it, you don't 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:33.560 like it. It's like, yo, I don't want to be 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:35.960 in pain. But you see the results, so you gotta 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:38.280 you gotta balance. It's just like even in food, you 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:40.720 gotta balance. You gotta give yourself a little bit of 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:43.720 the stuff that you know taste good, but the majority 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:47.920 of it got to be the stuff that's best for it. Yeah, well, 0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:49.640 we need to take you know what we should do. 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:55.000 We should We should rent a kitchen studio set up 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:59.960 and let Capra come and show us, because she keeps 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:03.600 telling me if you have black rice and you cook 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:06.840 it with instead of water, you cook it with chicken 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:10.920 bra it adds taste to it. Now, that's one of 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:14.200 the things that my my mom when she was diagnosed 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:19.320 with diabetes many years ago, and they changed everything, they 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:22.200 changed the way they cook. They didn't she didn't take 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:25.880 the medicine route, which is why you and I argue 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:29.440 so much about the vaccine and COVID and this and 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:32.120 that in the third but you know good and well 0:15:32.320 --> 0:15:35.440 that from my family's perspective, they're not like run to 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:38.800 get a flu shot and vaccine type of people. They're 0:15:38.880 --> 0:15:42.360 just not never have been. When my mom was diagnosed 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:45.520 with diabetes, instead of them saying, okay, let's take all 0:15:45.560 --> 0:15:48.560 of this medicine, she took what she absolutely had to 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:51.840 and the rest of it. It all came from them 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:54.880 throwing out everything that was in the refrigerator and changing 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:57.960 the way they eat, the way they seasoned food, all 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:01.520 of that, so now everything is low sodium. They have 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:05.320 found different brands um and ways that they cook. And 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:07.360 sometimes I'm not gonna lie, you know, I taste some 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:09.680 stuff and I'll be like, dange, this is really you know, 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:12.160 it's kind of it's not as it's not as um, 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:16.440 it's not as a season to your point. But but 0:16:16.720 --> 0:16:19.880 still they have found a way to make their food 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:24.400 taste pretty good and pretty much the same but using 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:29.240 different and more healthy um options and Kepra that is 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:32.720 her position that you can make all of it tastes good, 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:34.320 you just have to know how to cook it. And 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:36.760 I think we should shoot a show that is on 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:40.440 health that really just kind of shows us what it 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:42.760 is that we need in order to be healthy since 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:47.400 you're already into it. But I'm learning now and I 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:50.560 think that would be do you know. She's definitely dope 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:54.479 in that regards and just telling you it's healthy mentally, physically, spiritually. 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:57.280 So I'm definitely old for that. Man. We gotta get 0:16:57.360 --> 0:17:00.200 kept up here and give us a little class, give 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:07.159 us a class. So my son, as usual, we have 0:17:07.280 --> 0:17:11.440 a friend that is joining us on street politicians today. UM. 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:13.400 You know, I don't know. I think we gotta find 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:16.280 a way to brand that our friends are joining us 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:20.000 because we have so many friends doing really really powerful things. 0:17:20.680 --> 0:17:24.200 And I'm really today, I'm I'm star struck. You know, 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:26.760 I don't get star struck about a lot, but I'm 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:30.480 star struck because the person that's joining us, UM is 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:35.400 someone that is very powerful, very brilliant, UM and very 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:38.680 much so committed to our people, our communities. And I'm 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:43.600 so happy that I watched UM as my mom. You know, 0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:47.520 right around the time that he was running for office, 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:52.399 my mom had had her stroke. She was UM, you know, 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:57.480 just kind of like getting herself back in in in place, 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:01.359 if you will, and moving around in her community. And 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:03.760 when it was time for her to go out and vote, 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:05.600 that day. She was like, no, I don't want to 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:07.560 do absentee, I don't want to do any of that. 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:09.720 I want to go to the polls for this young 0:18:09.840 --> 0:18:12.680 man because I believe in him. Um, and that's none 0:18:12.760 --> 0:18:17.240 other than Congressman Jamal Bowman of the Bronx. Now there's 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:20.439 a history here, because, Um, this is a man who 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:23.679 went from being a founding principle at a middle school, 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:28.080 being a BRONX site, living in public housing before that, 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:32.560 and now becoming the Congressman for the sixteenth district in 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:37.399 the Bronx and also joining the squad members in Washington, 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:41.560 d C. As a real bona fide progressive. Um. And 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:46.920 you know onitial we talk about radical progressiveness because there 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:49.600 is there's some people who say they're progressive and I 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:52.720 don't know what that means. But this man is really 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:56.000 truly progressive and it has a radical vision for our community. 0:18:56.119 --> 0:19:00.320 So Congressman Bowman, thank you so much for joining us. Sir, 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:04.200 thank you so much for having me. Um. I am 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:09.840 starstruck because your leadership in our community for several years, 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:14.680 if not decades, has been transformative and inspiration for me, 0:19:15.560 --> 0:19:19.040 particularly your work and your leadership with the Woman's march 0:19:19.440 --> 0:19:22.920 Um when it first happened, and so appreciate you and 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:26.040 my son love you brother man. We were talking offline 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:28.639 about how you came to the school and did a 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:32.520 mediation with our students when I was a principal. Thank 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:35.639 thank you for that, and thank you for your joint 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:40.119 response to join the Lucas and that bs he put out, Dan, 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:43.480 what was the name of that song? Um? What was Damn? 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:48.280 I'm not a racist. Thank you, thank you, thank you 0:19:48.400 --> 0:19:52.639 for your response. I listened to that ship like twenty times, 0:19:52.720 --> 0:19:55.560 you know, so really appreciate that. Thank you both for 0:19:55.920 --> 0:19:58.680 what you're doing. Thank you for having me. Thank you man. 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:01.520 It's a is you to be able to just see 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:04.320 you elevate to this space. And just like you said, 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:06.520 you know, I went to your school when you were 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:09.960 a steam principal, man, and just the way the way 0:20:10.000 --> 0:20:12.879 that you brought me into the school. You know, it 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:16.760 was unconventional, but you understood the times that were and 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:20.040 you understood that we need different methods and different ideologies 0:20:20.200 --> 0:20:22.960 understanding to get to our kids. Like there was a 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:27.520 there was a confusion with two rival games kids, right, 0:20:27.720 --> 0:20:31.399 and and it was just because they lived in different neighborhoods. 0:20:32.040 --> 0:20:34.480 It was they didn't even have their own personal beat 0:20:34.480 --> 0:20:36.520 because when we tried to roll it down, roll back 0:20:36.760 --> 0:20:38.600 what it was, it was like, well, that's just a 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:41.440 way did this problem start? Well, they from here and 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:43.760 we from there, and he said something to me one 0:20:43.840 --> 0:20:46.840 day and then you know, we just naturally even beating. 0:20:46.920 --> 0:20:48.920 I said, so when did it start? They said, I 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:51.679 don't even know when it be so like they couldn't 0:20:51.680 --> 0:20:54.920 even tell me what the exception of this quote unquote 0:20:54.960 --> 0:20:57.600 beef that they had started. And you know, we rolled back. 0:20:57.640 --> 0:20:59.760 We got a lot of a lot of accomplished that day, 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:02.600 you know, and it was just it was based on 0:21:02.760 --> 0:21:05.240 your leadership as a principal. So I just want to 0:21:05.240 --> 0:21:07.880 say congratulations. And all the work that you do definitely 0:21:07.960 --> 0:21:13.800 motivates and inspires us as well. You know, you are 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:17.200 a you know, I call you Jamal, but I'm gonna 0:21:17.240 --> 0:21:21.520 trying to call me Jamal. He's our friends. We can't, 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:25.240 but you know you are. You are hip hop head 0:21:25.480 --> 0:21:27.840 like you you and you know what's going on you 0:21:27.960 --> 0:21:30.760 in the culture, So that makes it all the better. 0:21:30.840 --> 0:21:32.080 And I know you don't have a lot of time 0:21:32.160 --> 0:21:35.040 today because your team they've already told me don't play myself, 0:21:35.160 --> 0:21:39.080 So let's let's move it along. And I want to 0:21:39.400 --> 0:21:41.439 what we're trying to figure out. What we've now already 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:44.800 talked about some of your early stuff. And I think 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:48.040 people need to do some research because what often happens 0:21:48.080 --> 0:21:51.359 in our community is that people say, well, oh no, 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:54.040 he's already you know, he's a congress but he don't understand, 0:21:54.080 --> 0:21:57.560 he don't get it. But understanding where you come from, um, 0:21:57.800 --> 0:21:59.680 you know, knowing that you at one point lived in 0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:03.639 pulp the hows and understanding your your journey through the 0:22:03.760 --> 0:22:07.160 Bronx becoming a principle, bring people like my son into 0:22:07.200 --> 0:22:08.960 your school, which I didn't know about. So this is 0:22:09.040 --> 0:22:12.080 new information for me as well. Um, and now going 0:22:12.160 --> 0:22:15.200 to Washington, it would seem that's the story we're trying 0:22:15.320 --> 0:22:19.000 to really replicate in our communities over and over again. 0:22:19.720 --> 0:22:22.200 And UM, now what we're trying to figure oall? Since 0:22:22.240 --> 0:22:25.280 you're there, we celebrated you. Now we need to go 0:22:25.440 --> 0:22:27.240 to the effect that we mad at all of y'all 0:22:27.520 --> 0:22:31.760 because ain't not happening. So tell us what why is 0:22:31.920 --> 0:22:35.640 there so much? Uh? Some people want to say stalling. 0:22:36.240 --> 0:22:38.600 I'm at the point where I just I'm I don't 0:22:38.640 --> 0:22:44.080 even know the appropriate word to describe what how frustrated 0:22:44.119 --> 0:22:49.399 I am about the lack of action in Washington on policing, 0:22:50.040 --> 0:22:53.520 you know, now, voting rights, um, and just so many 0:22:53.600 --> 0:22:59.080 other things. So why don't you just kind of you talk, well, listen, yeah, so, Um. 0:22:59.320 --> 0:23:03.520 The short answer is Republicans don't want to do anything 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:06.119 at all. And then we have a few Democrats who 0:23:06.200 --> 0:23:09.639 behave like Republicans. And you've heard the names Mansion in 0:23:09.760 --> 0:23:12.639 Cinema and the way the Senate works, and because we 0:23:12.720 --> 0:23:16.320 have such a thin majority, if Mansion and Cinema aren't 0:23:16.320 --> 0:23:19.359 on board, even through a reconciliation process where all we 0:23:19.400 --> 0:23:22.760 need is fifty votes, then we can't move anything like that. 0:23:22.960 --> 0:23:27.280 That's the short answer. The longer answer is the filibuster. 0:23:27.720 --> 0:23:31.120 So the filibuster was put into place several decades ago, 0:23:31.960 --> 0:23:36.080 pretty much designed to stop civil rights legislation from moving 0:23:36.160 --> 0:23:42.240 forward and to uh acquiesce um to Southern Democrats who 0:23:42.640 --> 0:23:47.520 lived in racist KKK driven communities, and so any civil 0:23:47.640 --> 0:23:50.760 rights legislation we try to move forward, the filibuster, which 0:23:50.880 --> 0:23:53.600 means we need a super majority sixty votes in the 0:23:53.720 --> 0:23:58.639 Senate to pass legislation is still in place because of that, 0:23:59.320 --> 0:24:02.640 you know, vote in rights, UH S one and as four, 0:24:03.359 --> 0:24:07.840 UH common sense, gun reform, um, immigration policy, all of 0:24:07.880 --> 0:24:10.080 those policies that have already passed the House. And that 0:24:10.240 --> 0:24:13.080 that's the thing, like it's it's not all of Washington. 0:24:13.200 --> 0:24:16.200 It's like the House passed these bills aready. Now it 0:24:16.240 --> 0:24:19.640 gets to the Senate, and each Senator, especially with the majority, 0:24:20.200 --> 0:24:23.000 is almost like a president. They could they could dumb 0:24:23.119 --> 0:24:25.040 up a thumb down a bill and the bill will 0:24:25.119 --> 0:24:28.119 not will not go anywhere. So that that's the short answer. 0:24:28.320 --> 0:24:30.720 The longer answer, and what you and I have talked 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:34.560 about offline, Tamika, is we as a community, I don't 0:24:34.600 --> 0:24:39.000 think are doing enough to really build coalition and wield 0:24:39.359 --> 0:24:42.160 and use the coalition to engage Congress and the White 0:24:42.200 --> 0:24:46.200 House and to build power in Congress and the White House. 0:24:46.840 --> 0:24:48.920 And I'm saying that because and we talked about this, 0:24:49.080 --> 0:24:53.399 there are other groups and other lobbies in Washington, the 0:24:53.480 --> 0:24:59.480 Fraternal Order, police, fossil fuel industry, pharmaceutical industry, etcetera, etcetera. 0:25:00.119 --> 0:25:03.159 They'll make a couple of calls and literally we'll be 0:25:03.280 --> 0:25:05.840 voting on the bill on Tuesday. That we didn't know 0:25:05.920 --> 0:25:09.280 about on a Monday, because people may some calls or 0:25:09.359 --> 0:25:12.840 they'll get a bill pulled. UH that we was like, yeah, 0:25:12.840 --> 0:25:14.240 I thought he's gonna vote on this, and they're like, 0:25:14.320 --> 0:25:16.320 and now we decided not to not to not to 0:25:16.400 --> 0:25:18.960 put that forward, they'll get it pulled on the same 0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:22.920 day as well. So the consistent engagement of members of 0:25:23.040 --> 0:25:28.480 Congress underneath around a black agenda, if you will, agenda 0:25:28.520 --> 0:25:32.159 to uplift poor people and everything we're fighting for is 0:25:32.520 --> 0:25:35.520 what's needed, both in the short term and the long term. 0:25:35.920 --> 0:25:40.399 So it's very frustrating. Now good news is dis Reconciliation 0:25:40.480 --> 0:25:42.879 package that we're working on right now. It seems like 0:25:43.040 --> 0:25:46.320 we're making forward progress in a way that's going to 0:25:46.440 --> 0:25:49.600 really benefit the entire country, but particularly communities of color 0:25:49.640 --> 0:25:55.760 and black communities. Investments in affordable housing, public housing, housing vouchers, UH, 0:25:56.280 --> 0:26:01.600 universal childcare, Medicare, Medicare and Medicare, and expansion three K 0:26:01.920 --> 0:26:06.000 programs client. So this bill has a lot in it, 0:26:06.119 --> 0:26:08.280 and the American Rescue Plan also had a lot in 0:26:08.320 --> 0:26:11.600 it as well with with investments in public education. But 0:26:11.720 --> 0:26:16.560 in terms of overall, you know, Congress isn't responsive to 0:26:17.480 --> 0:26:21.480 like our demands or agenda, if you will, because I 0:26:21.560 --> 0:26:23.760 think we need to do a better job of organizing 0:26:23.840 --> 0:26:27.760 around their building coalitions underneath that agenda and then using 0:26:27.800 --> 0:26:31.000 it to reel power in Congress through the CBC and 0:26:31.119 --> 0:26:33.880 other means as well. Is it frustrating for you being 0:26:33.920 --> 0:26:37.480 a congressman who got elected and on the right things 0:26:38.240 --> 0:26:41.040 for to do the right things and watching, you know, 0:26:41.240 --> 0:26:44.679 being involved in the situation like we see right now, 0:26:44.880 --> 0:26:47.800 just seeing how it's just not everything you're trying to 0:26:47.920 --> 0:26:49.680 do and old things you want to do to seeing 0:26:49.720 --> 0:26:54.240 it be installed and and you know prolonged. So yes, 0:26:54.840 --> 0:27:00.360 um it is, and it's it's like deflating as well. 0:27:00.800 --> 0:27:05.800 Like so a couple of weeks ago, while black Haitians 0:27:05.920 --> 0:27:11.320 were being harnessed at the border with horse reins, the 0:27:11.400 --> 0:27:13.560 George full of justice and police and that was dying 0:27:13.600 --> 0:27:16.480 in the Senate without ceremony, like it didn't even get 0:27:16.520 --> 0:27:20.320 that much coverage. And for those two as a black man, 0:27:20.400 --> 0:27:22.840 for those two things to happen at the same time, 0:27:23.080 --> 0:27:25.960 and and you know, we we brought attention to what 0:27:26.119 --> 0:27:27.880 was going on with the Haitians at the border, which 0:27:27.960 --> 0:27:31.280 was good, but it still just felt like damn when 0:27:31.320 --> 0:27:37.600 it comes to our stuff, it dies without ceremony. But again, 0:27:38.480 --> 0:27:41.159 you know, other issues, like I'll give you an example, um, 0:27:41.320 --> 0:27:44.639 the appropriate We just went through our first appropriations process, 0:27:44.680 --> 0:27:47.800 which is how the federal government spends its money both 0:27:47.880 --> 0:27:51.640 here and abroad. And I had to fight and still 0:27:51.800 --> 0:27:56.000 fighting to move two million dollars let's say, from the 0:27:56.080 --> 0:28:01.960 borough of Prisons to historically black college is uh minority 0:28:02.040 --> 0:28:06.800 serving institutions, and and and black small businesses, like I'm 0:28:06.920 --> 0:28:10.760 still fighting to move to million of like a seventy 0:28:10.880 --> 0:28:15.840 six billion dollar budget to these areas. Two million ain't 0:28:15.880 --> 0:28:20.080 nothing on the national level, is nothing, but because of 0:28:20.280 --> 0:28:23.560 the way that the structure of white supremacy and European 0:28:23.640 --> 0:28:27.119 seller colonialism is entrenched in Congress, that's just how we 0:28:27.240 --> 0:28:29.800 do business. Same thing with trying to send more money 0:28:29.880 --> 0:28:34.560 to the Caribbean, Like, well, we fund countries very well, 0:28:34.960 --> 0:28:37.280 you know, in Europe, in the Middle East and other places, 0:28:37.920 --> 0:28:40.880 but like the Caribbean and the Constant Africa, when you 0:28:41.000 --> 0:28:45.120 compare the money that goes there versus other areas, it's 0:28:45.200 --> 0:28:48.960 clear to see that, Like you know, no one really 0:28:49.360 --> 0:28:53.080 has four full organizing around in Congress for the stuff 0:28:53.120 --> 0:28:58.080 that matters. Most of our community so frustrating. But it's 0:28:58.120 --> 0:29:03.680 also like I you, there's an opportunity to to do 0:29:03.880 --> 0:29:06.000 things differently, and like it gives me a reason to 0:29:06.040 --> 0:29:08.680 go to work everything, like to to put pressure on 0:29:09.480 --> 0:29:11.440 people on the inside and do enough work on the 0:29:11.520 --> 0:29:14.480 outside to make sure that begins to change and it 0:29:14.640 --> 0:29:17.280 and it is change it. I mean, we just we 0:29:17.440 --> 0:29:19.920 just brought the Vice president to the Bronx a few 0:29:20.000 --> 0:29:22.600 days ago. And one of the reasons why that happens 0:29:22.600 --> 0:29:26.840 because we engage them in consistent conversations around the issues 0:29:26.920 --> 0:29:28.800 that we're talking about. And he's like, Yo, you gotta 0:29:28.840 --> 0:29:30.800 come to the Bronx and see it. Blah blah blah. 0:29:31.160 --> 0:29:33.840 And that happened. But there's there's obviously more work to do, 0:29:35.240 --> 0:29:37.560 right Well, I was gonna say, when you talk about 0:29:37.640 --> 0:29:40.400 funding countries, the amount of money that we spend with 0:29:40.600 --> 0:29:45.240 Israel Is it's huge, you know, and that mainly is 0:29:45.400 --> 0:29:49.960 for their um military. And so I think that your 0:29:50.040 --> 0:29:53.600 point about how we're spending our resources and I'm not 0:29:53.680 --> 0:29:56.960 even you know, obviously we have our own political position 0:29:57.200 --> 0:30:00.360 on the relationship between the US and is but we're 0:30:00.400 --> 0:30:03.560 not even talking about that, right, We're just talking about fairness. 0:30:03.680 --> 0:30:08.400 And that exists. That same conversation exists in so many 0:30:08.640 --> 0:30:14.000 different areas of how the US government operates. Right, So 0:30:14.080 --> 0:30:17.240 when we start talking about defunding police, it's the same 0:30:17.640 --> 0:30:21.400 same exact concept. We're not even at the point of saying, 0:30:21.480 --> 0:30:23.800 let's just pull all of our money but you know, 0:30:23.920 --> 0:30:26.760 and don't fund police at all. We're just that can 0:30:26.840 --> 0:30:29.959 we please make sure that some of the resources are 0:30:30.040 --> 0:30:34.040 shifted to things that would keep police officers from even 0:30:34.120 --> 0:30:38.720 having to approach particular situations like mental health issues and 0:30:39.160 --> 0:30:42.080 you know, things that the community can address on its own, 0:30:42.240 --> 0:30:45.240 and and of course preventative services. And it seems like 0:30:45.360 --> 0:30:48.040 that's very difficult for people to understand. But since we're 0:30:48.120 --> 0:30:52.400 on that talk about the George Floyd Justice and police 0:30:52.480 --> 0:30:55.400 and bill, there are those who will have us. First 0:30:55.440 --> 0:30:59.040 of all, I think spending time trying to work with 0:30:59.160 --> 0:31:04.120 Tim Scott was a waste of energy. Um And I 0:31:04.240 --> 0:31:08.800 also think in many ways, maybe some folks don't recognize it, 0:31:08.880 --> 0:31:11.320 but it became it was the stall factor, right, Like 0:31:11.480 --> 0:31:14.480 they send us to talk to the token negro who 0:31:14.600 --> 0:31:19.600 has really no power and over certain issues within the Senate, 0:31:19.800 --> 0:31:23.320 right um and And and we spend so much time 0:31:23.440 --> 0:31:27.040 focused on that knowing that it's going nowhere and now 0:31:27.160 --> 0:31:30.360 we have nothing. So tell us because there are some 0:31:30.520 --> 0:31:33.080 people who want us to believe in this moment that 0:31:33.760 --> 0:31:40.960 because of progressives being unwilling to bend on qualified immunity 0:31:41.000 --> 0:31:44.120 and some other issues, that that's the reason why the 0:31:44.200 --> 0:31:46.960 George Floyd Justice and Police and Act did not, um 0:31:48.200 --> 0:31:54.080 even go to the floor. Yeah, so great question. Um, 0:31:54.160 --> 0:32:00.520 A couple of things, right, So the myths of bipartisanship now, 0:32:01.160 --> 0:32:05.560 all things being equal, all things considered, like you know, 0:32:06.600 --> 0:32:10.520 if Republicans were Kosha and things were like they if 0:32:10.560 --> 0:32:13.560 they were principal Republicans that just felt like, we want 0:32:13.640 --> 0:32:16.440 the same thing, but we want to go about it differently. Um, 0:32:16.840 --> 0:32:20.840 that would be one thing. But that's that's that's long gone. 0:32:21.000 --> 0:32:23.080 Like it was gone, it's been gone for a while, 0:32:23.600 --> 0:32:27.160 but Trump made it worse where like it's not it's 0:32:27.200 --> 0:32:29.680 a it's a party of Trump and it's Trump is Um. 0:32:29.800 --> 0:32:33.480 So they just want to obstruct, obstruct, cobstruct, delay, delayed delay. 0:32:34.080 --> 0:32:37.480 So knowing that going into it with them as if 0:32:38.160 --> 0:32:40.360 there was gonna be some bi parsonal solution of this 0:32:40.640 --> 0:32:43.000 was was we were misguided in that and right, now 0:32:43.120 --> 0:32:48.520 bi partnership is a myth. The the other thing is so. 0:32:48.760 --> 0:32:50.959 So there was a stall tactic and then it ultimately 0:32:51.040 --> 0:32:57.480 fall apart, fell apart. We Democrats compromised on qualified immunity, 0:32:57.640 --> 0:33:00.200 like we took that off the table, and we took 0:33:00.320 --> 0:33:03.200 other things off the table that they were saying, we're 0:33:03.280 --> 0:33:06.760 non starters. So what happened is they kept moving the 0:33:06.880 --> 0:33:09.800 goal posts, saying, oh, you gotta do this, you gotta 0:33:09.840 --> 0:33:11.640 do that, and with move the goal post until it 0:33:11.720 --> 0:33:13.960 got to a point where uh, sending the book, I 0:33:14.040 --> 0:33:17.520 realized they were negotiating good faith and we need we 0:33:17.600 --> 0:33:20.400 need to kill the negotiations. But here's a key, key point. 0:33:21.320 --> 0:33:26.640 The Fraternal Order of Police were supportive of many aspects 0:33:26.720 --> 0:33:29.240 of the bill. Corey Booker got them to sign off 0:33:29.320 --> 0:33:32.640 on it. But what happened is there's like a sheriff's 0:33:32.760 --> 0:33:34.360 union and I'm forgetting the name of it right now, 0:33:34.400 --> 0:33:37.680 this is a sheriff's union in South Carolina with Tim 0:33:37.760 --> 0:33:40.720 Scott is from that was like, you cannot we we 0:33:40.840 --> 0:33:43.800 do not support any of this. And as opposed to 0:33:43.960 --> 0:33:47.240 responding being responsive to the Fraternal of the Police, he 0:33:47.440 --> 0:33:51.000 was responsive to them. And that's what ultimately killed the bill. 0:33:51.240 --> 0:33:57.040 Now he's lying by saying, um, you know, uh, you 0:33:57.120 --> 0:34:01.080 know they wanted we wanted strings attached to the bill 0:34:01.680 --> 0:34:05.040 related to the police funding. So you know, so we 0:34:05.160 --> 0:34:07.840 were trying to defund the police. First of all, you 0:34:08.000 --> 0:34:11.200 try to pass any bill in Congress where and you 0:34:11.280 --> 0:34:14.880 want the Republicans support. They're gonna attach strings to everything 0:34:14.960 --> 0:34:16.319 we want to do. So I don't want to hear 0:34:16.960 --> 0:34:22.960 the strings attached bullshit. That's that's bs. The other thing is, 0:34:23.239 --> 0:34:26.160 and going back to the defund the police piece, what 0:34:26.320 --> 0:34:30.800 we're saying is simple, put the money where it needs 0:34:30.880 --> 0:34:34.360 to go so that we can stop crying from happening 0:34:34.600 --> 0:34:37.520 in the first place and stop violent acts from happening 0:34:37.600 --> 0:34:42.560 in the first place. Police are not equipped to respond 0:34:42.680 --> 0:34:46.920 to our needs in our community. At best, they can 0:34:47.000 --> 0:34:52.400 respond after the fact. We are trying to stop shipped 0:34:52.480 --> 0:34:58.320 from happening before it happens. So we haven't. The federal 0:34:58.400 --> 0:35:01.279 government stopped investing in public housing ten years ago, and 0:35:01.320 --> 0:35:04.440 they've been they've been disinvesting in public housing for for 0:35:04.640 --> 0:35:09.880 thirty years. Our communities were purposely redlined. We we we 0:35:10.080 --> 0:35:14.359 have food deserts and travel deserts in our communities, lack 0:35:14.440 --> 0:35:18.600 of healthcare, under funded schools, no job programs, etcetera, etcetera. 0:35:18.719 --> 0:35:22.160 This is by design. So instead of giving us jobs 0:35:22.200 --> 0:35:24.560 and education and what have you, they gave us police. 0:35:25.280 --> 0:35:28.320 So George Floyd tried to kind of bring all that 0:35:28.440 --> 0:35:31.040 together and move in the right direction when it comes 0:35:31.080 --> 0:35:35.440 to police accountability. But there's other aspects of that that 0:35:35.520 --> 0:35:39.000 we need to talk about as well. Probation, parole, um, 0:35:39.719 --> 0:35:43.919 conditions for people who are incocerated, voting rights for people 0:35:43.920 --> 0:35:47.080 who are inconcerated like that. That's all part of that, 0:35:47.920 --> 0:35:53.160 in addition to mental health, substance abuse support, etcetera, etcetera, 0:35:53.320 --> 0:35:58.040 true holistic approach. So now the House um is moving 0:35:58.200 --> 0:36:01.440 to you know, take hearts of the justice and police 0:36:01.480 --> 0:36:04.600 and that and hopefully move them forward as individual bills. 0:36:05.160 --> 0:36:08.680 Because if Republicans are saying, oh, we would have accepted 0:36:08.719 --> 0:36:11.560 this and accepted this and accepted that, Okay, let's see. 0:36:11.640 --> 0:36:14.520 Let's let's let's see what we could push through. But 0:36:14.640 --> 0:36:17.759 I gotta tell you, like I, I think they're full 0:36:17.840 --> 0:36:20.160 of it and they're gonna continue to try to obstruct, 0:36:20.640 --> 0:36:22.920 which is another reason why again we gotta run the 0:36:23.040 --> 0:36:27.279 right people for office. Killer philipbus etcetera, etcetera. Yeah, I'm 0:36:27.320 --> 0:36:29.640 realizing I'm giving a lot of long answers and I'm 0:36:29.680 --> 0:36:34.120 sorry about but we need to answer because listen, people, 0:36:34.840 --> 0:36:37.920 our people is piste off, you know, a lot of us. 0:36:38.680 --> 0:36:41.680 You know, we we we came to vote, we brought 0:36:41.719 --> 0:36:44.120 out people, we said, well, this is what we need, 0:36:44.280 --> 0:36:46.360 We need this to do this in the House and 0:36:46.440 --> 0:36:49.520 we need this and we and even against our better 0:36:49.640 --> 0:36:52.960 judgment for you know, for because we didn't believe completely 0:36:53.280 --> 0:36:55.799 and all the way in the administration, but we said 0:36:55.840 --> 0:36:58.120 it was better than what we had and we we 0:36:58.280 --> 0:37:01.719 getting help. So we need answers to you understand, said 0:37:01.760 --> 0:37:04.040 we really need answers, and you wanted the brothers that 0:37:04.120 --> 0:37:07.359 we know is definitely on the front line of this work, 0:37:07.640 --> 0:37:11.000 that that really wants what's best with our community. So 0:37:11.719 --> 0:37:14.160 the long answers is needed because people are tired of 0:37:14.200 --> 0:37:18.120 the short off everything's fine, because everything ain't fine, you know. So, 0:37:18.480 --> 0:37:21.440 So what is the White House's responsibility too in all 0:37:21.520 --> 0:37:23.839 of this situation and what is there responsible? What can 0:37:23.920 --> 0:37:25.759 they do? What should they be doing? What do you think? 0:37:26.920 --> 0:37:30.759 So they need to provide a vision for where this 0:37:30.920 --> 0:37:33.840 country needs to go. Um, they need to provide a 0:37:33.960 --> 0:37:36.560 vision in terms of a black agenda. They've done some 0:37:36.719 --> 0:37:39.800 of that with their Justice for the Initiative, etcetera, etcetera. 0:37:40.360 --> 0:37:43.400 But then they need to be out there, uh like 0:37:43.800 --> 0:37:47.880 like like screaming from the rooftop, from the mountaintops what 0:37:48.080 --> 0:37:51.759 that is. So that's what's happening now with Build Back Better. 0:37:51.840 --> 0:37:54.640 That's why VP Harris came to the Bronx. And but 0:37:54.760 --> 0:37:58.120 whatever that vision is and whatever that agenda is, particularly 0:37:58.320 --> 0:38:02.640 black agenda, you have to gauge our community, meaning go 0:38:02.920 --> 0:38:05.719 to the go to the hood, talk with people, listening 0:38:05.719 --> 0:38:08.880 to people, engage them, pull them in, Like pulled Tamika 0:38:09.080 --> 0:38:11.160 and my son into the White House. Not just the 0:38:11.280 --> 0:38:15.360 legacy civil rights groups, No offense to them, but we 0:38:15.600 --> 0:38:17.680 were The black community is a big tent and it's 0:38:17.680 --> 0:38:19.480 a diverse tent, and we all need to be a 0:38:19.560 --> 0:38:22.799 part of that conversation. Um. So it's the vision, it's 0:38:22.880 --> 0:38:26.800 the engagement, is the communication, and it's the pressure. Like 0:38:27.040 --> 0:38:30.920 what pressure is President Biden and the White House putting 0:38:31.000 --> 0:38:34.680 on Mansion in Cinema, Uh, to move things in the 0:38:34.800 --> 0:38:39.399 direction that they need to move. It's the opposite. It's 0:38:39.440 --> 0:38:43.800 the opposite. Yeah, they're telling us which we're not listening, 0:38:44.440 --> 0:38:49.200 but they're telling us don't go after cinema or and 0:38:49.400 --> 0:38:53.040 definitely Mansion. It's almost like Mansion is the president. I'm 0:38:53.200 --> 0:38:57.480 I'm confused at times who is the President of the 0:38:57.600 --> 0:39:01.280 United States because it seems like it's like it's almost 0:39:01.360 --> 0:39:03.920 like if you you know you you you're in the 0:39:04.000 --> 0:39:08.720 relationship with somebody, whether it be a business relationship or whatever, 0:39:09.320 --> 0:39:13.480 but you seem to constantly be talking about somebody else. Well, 0:39:13.560 --> 0:39:16.200 after a while you start saying, well, if there's so 0:39:16.360 --> 0:39:20.319 much focus on this person, perhaps you know, this relationship, 0:39:20.440 --> 0:39:25.080 this whatever we're in, it ain't nothing because I need 0:39:25.160 --> 0:39:28.200 to be talking to him. And that's how that's how 0:39:28.320 --> 0:39:30.879 we feel. But yet the white and not the White House. 0:39:30.920 --> 0:39:32.600 I won't say the White House because that's a lot 0:39:32.680 --> 0:39:35.200 of people. And that's another thing. We say the White House, right, 0:39:35.520 --> 0:39:39.200 And I get that that Joe Biden is the is 0:39:39.280 --> 0:39:46.640 the the whatever, he's the main person in chief exactly. 0:39:47.440 --> 0:39:52.160 But they have they have said several times that attacking, 0:39:52.520 --> 0:39:55.239 which that word depending on how you want to use 0:39:55.360 --> 0:39:58.480 it and throw it around. You can be um, you know, 0:39:58.560 --> 0:40:02.160 it can mean different things. But but rather than engaging, 0:40:02.400 --> 0:40:07.319 whether that be in a confrontational manner or not. It's 0:40:07.360 --> 0:40:11.200 not the right approach to addressing Joe Manchin. But yet 0:40:11.320 --> 0:40:15.279 we're hearing him say or we're seeing him be an 0:40:15.320 --> 0:40:21.080 obstructionist in the process. Yeah, so I disagree with that, 0:40:21.400 --> 0:40:25.839 Like I think, I think we need to engage all 0:40:26.040 --> 0:40:32.080 parties all the time, very aggressively towards accomplishing our agenda. 0:40:33.239 --> 0:40:36.160 And I'm saying that because I could tell you, and 0:40:36.280 --> 0:40:39.840 we've talked about this, if I do something that certain 0:40:39.920 --> 0:40:43.600 communities don't like, I'm going to get a thousand emails 0:40:43.640 --> 0:40:48.000 in my inbox that in one day. So that's what 0:40:48.120 --> 0:40:51.160 I mean by engagement. Like our community needs to be 0:40:51.239 --> 0:40:56.400 in coalition and have a letter writing campaign, email campaign, 0:40:56.600 --> 0:41:02.120 phone campaign, actions at people's office. Is all over social media, 0:41:02.239 --> 0:41:05.520 all over mainstream media, all constant, all the time, all 0:41:05.520 --> 0:41:07.840 the time, all the time. Like when we you know, 0:41:07.960 --> 0:41:11.440 we weren't alive during the Civil Rights movement, but when 0:41:11.480 --> 0:41:14.040 we read about it and watch documentaries about all that, 0:41:14.400 --> 0:41:19.440 it seemed like they were relentlessly pursuing their agenda and 0:41:19.480 --> 0:41:23.200 their goals, and Dr king Ship had a direct line 0:41:23.239 --> 0:41:26.600 to to to UH the president at that time, first 0:41:26.680 --> 0:41:30.920 Kennedy and then UH brother came out to Kennam forgetting um. 0:41:31.120 --> 0:41:35.080 But I think I think Tamika to your point, there 0:41:35.160 --> 0:41:39.440 needs to be consistent engagement from our community around the 0:41:39.600 --> 0:41:41.800 issues that matter most to us and our agenda. And 0:41:41.840 --> 0:41:45.160 we need to engage all four hundred thirty five members 0:41:45.239 --> 0:41:47.640 of the House and all fifth all huntred members of 0:41:47.719 --> 0:41:50.719 the Senate. Now there's something we don't need to be 0:41:50.800 --> 0:41:52.920 bothered with because they're just gonna be who they're gonna be, 0:41:53.239 --> 0:41:55.320 so we don't need to spend energy on them. But 0:41:55.760 --> 0:41:59.399 at least two thirds of both need to consistently hear 0:41:59.440 --> 0:42:02.160 from us all the time. And by us, I mean 0:42:02.920 --> 0:42:05.759 you know street from street politics to N double A 0:42:05.880 --> 0:42:10.640 CP and everything in between. Like it gotta be, you know, 0:42:10.760 --> 0:42:13.000 because I'm not you know, I just speak for myself. 0:42:13.840 --> 0:42:16.279 I'm not trying to stay in Congress thirty years and 0:42:17.200 --> 0:42:22.040 see what happens like like I'm trying to I'm here now. 0:42:22.160 --> 0:42:25.200 I just beat the thirty one year incumbent. No one 0:42:25.320 --> 0:42:27.960 thought we could be beating by sixteen points. No one 0:42:28.040 --> 0:42:30.520 thought that could happen. But now that we're here, we 0:42:30.600 --> 0:42:32.840 gotta trying to hit it out the park like for 0:42:33.400 --> 0:42:36.319 the next five years and then after that we see 0:42:36.360 --> 0:42:39.840 where we are. UM frustrate, but I want people to 0:42:40.800 --> 0:42:43.800 we gotta harness that frustration and channel it in the 0:42:43.920 --> 0:42:47.239 right directions, because you know, it's not enough to just 0:42:47.960 --> 0:42:50.200 you don't have conversation around thanks to give a table 0:42:50.239 --> 0:42:52.759 like we always do. Right, It's it's it's not enough 0:42:52.840 --> 0:42:57.000 for our bad or story. It gotta be everything at 0:42:57.040 --> 0:42:59.640 the same time all the time. We do want to 0:42:59.680 --> 0:43:03.760 hear about your vision because we don't have a vision. 0:43:03.960 --> 0:43:06.080 And I think to your point about the White House 0:43:06.120 --> 0:43:07.880 having a vision with more I have to be honest 0:43:07.960 --> 0:43:10.600 with you and saying they'll tell you they have vision. 0:43:11.040 --> 0:43:13.720 My issue is that it doesn't seem like they're working 0:43:13.880 --> 0:43:17.040 towards it. That's that's the problem for me. Sounds like 0:43:17.160 --> 0:43:19.720 they have all of these ideas about what should happen, 0:43:20.200 --> 0:43:23.160 but I don't see the boots on the ground, and 0:43:23.200 --> 0:43:26.920 I don't see you all being used as surrogates to 0:43:27.120 --> 0:43:31.000 go out into the communities and and make these things happen. 0:43:31.640 --> 0:43:33.880 And I'm trying to figure out why did I go 0:43:34.160 --> 0:43:37.000 live along with my son and live this our soul 0:43:37.120 --> 0:43:40.399 and Angelo Pinto and others, why do we and vote 0:43:40.520 --> 0:43:44.279 vote and black voters matter. Why did we move ourselves 0:43:44.400 --> 0:43:48.560 to to Georgia to fight to get the two Senate 0:43:48.640 --> 0:43:51.239 seats and still we're going back to we don't have 0:43:51.280 --> 0:43:53.960 anything to go back to our people with. Yeah. Yeah, 0:43:54.440 --> 0:43:57.280 so I'm sharing a vision, but I want to respond 0:43:57.360 --> 0:43:59.680 quickly what you just said. So there was a Washington 0:43:59.719 --> 0:44:03.160 Post article I think two weeks ago about black men 0:44:03.239 --> 0:44:07.000 in particular, um and black people in general being being 0:44:07.120 --> 0:44:09.759 disenchanted with the White House because of everything you just 0:44:09.920 --> 0:44:13.760 sat and rightly so. And I called around and texted 0:44:13.800 --> 0:44:16.040 around that day just get a sense for what people 0:44:16.120 --> 0:44:22.360 were feeling about that. And still there was some misunderstanding 0:44:22.440 --> 0:44:25.719 about the importance of communication and engagement. There was some, 0:44:26.400 --> 0:44:28.239 but then there were others who like jo Jamal, We 0:44:28.280 --> 0:44:31.279 had a meeting about that article, and the President was like, 0:44:31.480 --> 0:44:34.680 this is unacceptable. We gotta do something about it. And 0:44:34.960 --> 0:44:37.360 when I heard that, you know, I spoke to Senator Showman. 0:44:37.440 --> 0:44:41.520 I'm like, yo, like, this is the White House. You 0:44:41.680 --> 0:44:44.200 got all the resources in the world, there's no excuse 0:44:44.400 --> 0:44:47.240 for this to be an issue. Put me in coach, 0:44:47.400 --> 0:44:51.160 like I I got a plan, Like, let's let's enacted. 0:44:51.320 --> 0:44:54.839 So stay tuned on that. Hopefully they're listening and hopefully, uh, 0:44:55.280 --> 0:44:57.920 we can move something. But in terms of division, I 0:44:58.000 --> 0:44:59.959 want to go back to my son was talking about 0:45:00.040 --> 0:45:02.840 UM when he came to my school and did that 0:45:03.000 --> 0:45:06.440 mediation with the two groups to rival gangs that didn't 0:45:06.480 --> 0:45:09.400 even know what the beef was about UM, but they 0:45:09.520 --> 0:45:13.560 was beefing with each other. Like you both know how 0:45:13.680 --> 0:45:18.960 many kids die under them circumstances, right, like literally get 0:45:19.160 --> 0:45:23.400 and up killed because of that kind of thing, Like 0:45:23.520 --> 0:45:25.120 they just got beef, they don't know why. Next thing 0:45:25.160 --> 0:45:27.440 you know, someone is killed. So there's a couple of 0:45:27.680 --> 0:45:32.000 components to my vision. One is reparations for our community, 0:45:32.320 --> 0:45:35.520 Like do to study, get clear on what it is, 0:45:35.960 --> 0:45:38.640 and let's figure out what reparations look like for the 0:45:38.800 --> 0:45:41.800 for that black community. That's that's number one, and I 0:45:41.920 --> 0:45:44.600 think they'll deal with issues of wealth, inequality and all 0:45:44.680 --> 0:45:47.960 of that. UM. Education is another one that would be 0:45:48.120 --> 0:45:50.719 number two. And it's not just it can't just be so. 0:45:51.800 --> 0:45:54.160 It needs to be Black history and culture in schools. 0:45:54.280 --> 0:45:56.719 It needs to be project based learning. It needs to 0:45:56.800 --> 0:45:59.319 stop being an over testing that we're doing right now 0:45:59.760 --> 0:46:03.880 and needs to be a curriculum that unlocks the brilliance 0:46:03.920 --> 0:46:06.279 of our kids, our kids are brilliant. We're just teaching them. 0:46:06.320 --> 0:46:08.560 We're just teaching like us a hundred years ago. By 0:46:08.600 --> 0:46:11.719 Our kids are super creative, innovative. They got so much 0:46:11.760 --> 0:46:13.520 to offer, and they're waiting for us to get our 0:46:13.560 --> 0:46:16.839 stuff together and design the curriculum that way. So that's 0:46:16.880 --> 0:46:18.200 part of it. But the other part of it is, 0:46:18.239 --> 0:46:21.120 and we were talking about this offline education needs to 0:46:21.200 --> 0:46:24.960 work with healthcare, particularly in poor communities, particularly in poor 0:46:25.000 --> 0:46:28.320 communities of color. Why because there air kids are with 0:46:28.480 --> 0:46:32.040 mental health challenges, substance abuse challenges, trauma, and the family 0:46:32.120 --> 0:46:35.560 and home and teachers and clinicians need to work hand 0:46:35.600 --> 0:46:38.880 and glove and meeting those needs. So that involves more 0:46:39.000 --> 0:46:42.879 mental health services, smaller class sizes, and this is something 0:46:42.920 --> 0:46:45.600 people don't talk about enough. It also involves more sports 0:46:45.760 --> 0:46:49.200 and arts and day of the programs and and other things. 0:46:49.239 --> 0:46:53.479 So education and healthcare being together is key. Another piece 0:46:53.520 --> 0:46:57.000 would be housing. Now reparations is connected to that to 0:46:57.080 --> 0:47:01.560 give people access to um you know, mortgages and affordable 0:47:01.640 --> 0:47:04.279 housing and all of that. But our communities that have 0:47:04.440 --> 0:47:07.320 been redline, like we we need to really invest in 0:47:07.360 --> 0:47:10.440 those communities to reverse the impact of redlining. And this 0:47:10.680 --> 0:47:13.680 goes with environmental justice as well, Like that's part of 0:47:13.760 --> 0:47:17.359 it because we died from COVID because of our coal morbidities. 0:47:17.480 --> 0:47:20.560 We have those core morbilities because our communities have been neglected, 0:47:20.920 --> 0:47:24.200 so that that we gotta deal withal deal with that issue. 0:47:24.760 --> 0:47:27.959 And then the last piece is not really the last piece, 0:47:27.960 --> 0:47:31.920 because there's health care, criminal justice reform we talked about earlier, 0:47:32.080 --> 0:47:34.279 like all the components, not just police reform, but the 0:47:34.360 --> 0:47:38.600 cultural system, immigration reform, that's part of it. But I 0:47:38.719 --> 0:47:43.000 think maybe the most the most important piece is just 0:47:43.160 --> 0:47:47.560 the concept of black self determination um and and and 0:47:47.800 --> 0:47:54.640 Black and Pan African liberation building, meaning like you know, 0:47:55.120 --> 0:48:00.600 we we we can't accept the mental disease as European 0:48:00.680 --> 0:48:03.480 settler colonialism does let many of us to believe that 0:48:03.640 --> 0:48:08.040 we're not kings and queens. Like we have to like 0:48:08.320 --> 0:48:12.839 unlock that disease from our mind and really work towards 0:48:12.880 --> 0:48:16.040 black self determination. And once we do that, we change 0:48:16.080 --> 0:48:17.960 the world. And that's one of the reasons why I'm 0:48:17.960 --> 0:48:19.800 such a hip hop fan. It's not about the music, 0:48:20.200 --> 0:48:23.800 but I think hip hop captures that essence. It's like, 0:48:24.320 --> 0:48:26.239 funk it, We're gonna do it ourselves and we just 0:48:26.400 --> 0:48:29.800 did something and change the world. I mean, I'm in 0:48:29.880 --> 0:48:32.520 Congress because of hip hop. People don't understand that. But 0:48:32.560 --> 0:48:35.400 when you understand Kariswan and Chuck D and Rock Him 0:48:35.480 --> 0:48:37.080 and the impact of my life as a black man 0:48:37.120 --> 0:48:40.000 growing up, That's why I'm in Congress. But none of 0:48:40.080 --> 0:48:43.440 that happens if we're not in coalition with each other. 0:48:44.480 --> 0:48:46.920 And so, and I want to go back to this. 0:48:47.360 --> 0:48:51.359 My office is lobbied constantly from all groups who want 0:48:51.400 --> 0:48:54.920 me to join, Join the Join, the Albanian Caucus, Joined, 0:48:55.080 --> 0:48:59.319 Joined the Join, the Muscular Discript Treaty Caucus, Join this Caucus, Join. 0:48:59.760 --> 0:49:03.480 I'm constantly lobbied on this stuff, but I'm rarely lobbied 0:49:03.560 --> 0:49:09.000 by black institutions, even civil rights institutions. They don't call 0:49:09.120 --> 0:49:11.000 me like, Yo, Jamal need you on this, I need 0:49:11.040 --> 0:49:14.920 you on that. I don't get those calls and like 0:49:15.360 --> 0:49:18.920 that coalition that we're building needs to be together. And 0:49:19.040 --> 0:49:22.200 y'all got a lobby the mess out of me and 0:49:22.280 --> 0:49:25.000 the CBC and other members of Congress. So none of 0:49:25.080 --> 0:49:28.520 that happens until we make it happen, and we make 0:49:28.600 --> 0:49:33.440 it happen in coalition. Everybody is doing good work already. Um, 0:49:33.640 --> 0:49:36.040 but once we do that good work together in coalition 0:49:36.080 --> 0:49:39.239 with a strategic plan towards those goals, I think we 0:49:39.400 --> 0:49:41.759 move things forward. And now when you got myself and 0:49:41.880 --> 0:49:44.920 Corey and squad and in Congress like use us like 0:49:45.000 --> 0:49:48.879 we're we're ready to wield black power. We just need 0:49:49.280 --> 0:49:52.080 to know that the the coalition has our back in that. 0:49:53.480 --> 0:49:55.560 I hear that. And you said a lot of things. 0:49:55.600 --> 0:49:57.160 I want to say one thing that you when you 0:49:57.280 --> 0:50:00.200 wrote about this education and the way that we teach 0:50:00.239 --> 0:50:02.360 our children a lot of things. I was having this 0:50:02.440 --> 0:50:04.719 conversation with my son, ten year old son taking him 0:50:04.719 --> 0:50:07.200 to school one day, and he just started crying like 0:50:07.280 --> 0:50:08.960 he didn't want to go to school. And I'm like why. 0:50:09.600 --> 0:50:14.719 He said, because school is killing my curiosity and my creativity. 0:50:15.320 --> 0:50:17.760 He said, we sit around all day. I was supposed 0:50:17.800 --> 0:50:19.440 to be out here learning off the land. I was 0:50:19.480 --> 0:50:21.800 supposed to be When you go to school, it's just 0:50:22.320 --> 0:50:25.439 based on tests and scores. It's not based off learning. 0:50:25.480 --> 0:50:27.879 When you outside, you learned, And he was he broke 0:50:27.960 --> 0:50:30.560 it down so eloquently, and it's pretty much exactly what 0:50:30.719 --> 0:50:33.360 you said. And and I've been an advocate for teaching 0:50:33.440 --> 0:50:35.840 our children the way that they learned. You know that, 0:50:35.960 --> 0:50:38.000 like you said, the school system is primitive and it 0:50:38.080 --> 0:50:40.520 doesn't go according and that's why you have a very 0:50:40.640 --> 0:50:44.280 low graduation weight in attendee rate of black men because 0:50:44.640 --> 0:50:47.080 it doesn't it doesn't grasp us. So I'm that I 0:50:47.160 --> 0:50:49.400 wanted to say that, and then next I just I 0:50:49.520 --> 0:50:51.640 wanted to because I know we at the end of this, right, 0:50:52.120 --> 0:50:56.080 but it's hard for us right as blacks, just to garden. 0:50:56.160 --> 0:50:58.880 But we have in this country. We haven't really seen 0:50:59.360 --> 0:51:02.960 with the government has really benefited us, you know, And 0:51:03.080 --> 0:51:07.600 and somehow we still understand the mission. You understand, we 0:51:07.719 --> 0:51:09.279 understand that at the end of the day, we gotta 0:51:09.440 --> 0:51:12.640 still put people in position that can do things. But 0:51:12.760 --> 0:51:16.080 we've been we've been constantly let down throughout the government. Right, 0:51:16.440 --> 0:51:18.719 So what we're trying to figure out what is the 0:51:18.800 --> 0:51:21.400 messaging that we do for this menterm how because I 0:51:21.480 --> 0:51:23.680 don't know what it is. You know, we understand how 0:51:23.800 --> 0:51:27.120 dangerous Republicans is. We see that. We know that because 0:51:27.200 --> 0:51:30.120 we are engulfed in this and we understand. But from 0:51:30.480 --> 0:51:33.480 the dis alayment's perspective or just a regular person going 0:51:33.520 --> 0:51:35.840 to work every day just seeing a new seeing this, 0:51:36.640 --> 0:51:38.960 how do you engage them? How do how do how 0:51:39.000 --> 0:51:40.759 do we get them to say, I'm gonna get I'm 0:51:40.760 --> 0:51:43.040 gonna mustle up this energy again and go out to 0:51:43.080 --> 0:51:45.800 do this even though I ain't seeing shit happen and 0:51:45.880 --> 0:51:48.359 I keep him getting worse and words for us. How 0:51:48.400 --> 0:51:51.360 do we engage yes, so that this is the ongoing 0:51:51.480 --> 0:51:54.560 conversation we gotta have, like offline, we gotta continue to 0:51:54.600 --> 0:51:56.719 talk about this because it's a great question, and we 0:51:56.840 --> 0:51:58.960 gotta look we kind of plan for that because you're 0:51:59.040 --> 0:52:03.600 you're absolutely right. I think the short answer is our 0:52:03.760 --> 0:52:07.120 coalition needs to have a clear agenda, and we need 0:52:07.160 --> 0:52:10.160 to go out there and hold elected officials accountable to 0:52:10.239 --> 0:52:13.640 our agenda in every part of the country, from dog 0:52:13.719 --> 0:52:18.759 catcher to school board, to local elections to to federal elections. 0:52:18.920 --> 0:52:22.920 Like we gotta go to candidate forums, shoot them emails, 0:52:23.080 --> 0:52:25.239 like engage them and ask them what do you what? 0:52:25.400 --> 0:52:27.920 What where? Where's your stance on this? This, this, and this? 0:52:28.760 --> 0:52:31.040 And have them respond and then we follow up, and 0:52:31.080 --> 0:52:33.160 then we follow up and we follow up. Because you're right, 0:52:33.239 --> 0:52:36.080 it's not like come out and vote for X person 0:52:36.280 --> 0:52:39.280 if I haven't even I don't what is that person's agenda, 0:52:39.360 --> 0:52:41.680 How is that person gonna what are they gonna do 0:52:41.840 --> 0:52:43.920 to benefit my life? And then the other part, this 0:52:44.120 --> 0:52:47.680 is really really important. It's good to have Jamal Bowman 0:52:47.719 --> 0:52:50.360 in Congress, but like I can't do it alone. What 0:52:50.480 --> 0:52:53.319 I mean by that is, don't just send me off 0:52:53.400 --> 0:52:56.920 and expect me to do it. I need y'all with 0:52:57.200 --> 0:53:00.160 me as we continue to do the work because it 0:53:00.280 --> 0:53:04.920 empowers me to be more radical as I do the work. 0:53:05.120 --> 0:53:07.480 Like if I know I got thousand people in Corps 0:53:07.480 --> 0:53:10.600 City holding me down, for example, or in Mount Vernon 0:53:10.719 --> 0:53:13.400 or Yaker's, then it's like I say whatever I do 0:53:13.560 --> 0:53:16.239 and say whatever I want. So oftentimes I know what 0:53:16.360 --> 0:53:19.120 we think. It's like many of us think, oh, I 0:53:19.320 --> 0:53:21.080 voted for this person, they ain't in, but they ain't 0:53:21.120 --> 0:53:23.520 doing nothing. Well, how are you holding them accountable for 0:53:23.600 --> 0:53:26.320 doing something what they're once they're in, Because I know 0:53:26.480 --> 0:53:29.640 for a fact they're hearing from other lobbies on a 0:53:29.760 --> 0:53:33.759 variety of issues. So it's both like democracy is a 0:53:33.840 --> 0:53:36.320 contact sport and we gotta be in it on a 0:53:36.480 --> 0:53:39.880 day to day like grind. It's almost like breathing, especially 0:53:40.000 --> 0:53:42.960 as we're trying to, you know, build black power in 0:53:43.040 --> 0:53:45.040 this country. Like we gotta be in in a day 0:53:45.040 --> 0:53:48.320 to day basis, like you two are well, thank you 0:53:48.440 --> 0:53:51.320 so much on Congress Mopoement for being here and speaking 0:53:51.360 --> 0:53:54.600 with us. And I think part of accountability and support 0:53:55.200 --> 0:53:58.920 is funding. So how do we give use of money? Which, 0:53:59.000 --> 0:54:01.440 by the way, you had an event the other night 0:54:01.760 --> 0:54:04.839 and my counterpart, Linda star Store, was invited but I wasn't, 0:54:04.840 --> 0:54:06.279 and she tried to get me to come with her, 0:54:06.320 --> 0:54:10.480 and I Black people don't just go to events that 0:54:10.600 --> 0:54:13.120 they were not invited to our parents and they didn't 0:54:13.160 --> 0:54:16.279 invite you don't go, so I told her not be 0:54:16.400 --> 0:54:18.759 going because I was not invited. You and my sister 0:54:18.880 --> 0:54:24.120 Court want my money. You know it's crazy, isn't it crazy? 0:54:24.400 --> 0:54:27.120 Someone on my staff gonna get in trouble? How Linda 0:54:27.239 --> 0:54:31.600 they lived, even my constituent like Tho with' and y'all 0:54:31.680 --> 0:54:34.040 law y'all wasn't there. I don't know. I don't know 0:54:34.040 --> 0:54:37.040 what happened with that. But to your question, yes, funding 0:54:37.239 --> 0:54:40.400 is really important. And let me also say this, the 0:54:40.520 --> 0:54:43.759 people who don't want the world to change, they are 0:54:44.000 --> 0:54:47.719 very well financed, that's right, very well finding how do 0:54:47.840 --> 0:54:51.720 people find it so so you can go to Bowman 0:54:51.840 --> 0:54:56.280 for Congress dot com slash donate. Every little bit helps 0:54:56.400 --> 0:54:59.719 Bowman for Congress dot Com slash donate, And you know, 0:54:59.800 --> 0:55:02.200 like always say, the more generous people are, the more 0:55:02.360 --> 0:55:06.560 radical I can be. Well, thank you, thank you so much. 0:55:06.600 --> 0:55:10.320 And even though I wasn't invited, I am going to 0:55:10.480 --> 0:55:14.319 go and give my donation right now. As my son 0:55:14.520 --> 0:55:18.759 likes to call it, investment in more radicalism, because I 0:55:18.920 --> 0:55:21.600 need you to be that um and we're gonna We're 0:55:21.600 --> 0:55:24.840 gonna have We're going to organize a fundraiser for you 0:55:25.520 --> 0:55:28.719 with uh, you know, a select group of individuals who 0:55:28.800 --> 0:55:31.000 I know want to be there to help you see 0:55:31.040 --> 0:55:33.880 your vision through. I was just talking to Ebro a 0:55:33.960 --> 0:55:36.279 couple of days about you and the conversations that you 0:55:36.440 --> 0:55:38.279 guys have been having, so I want to we want 0:55:38.280 --> 0:55:40.840 to pull that together. So we're committed to that. I 0:55:41.080 --> 0:55:43.040 appreciate that. I want to say one more quick thing. 0:55:43.320 --> 0:55:47.080 If if hip hop and sports get involved in this 0:55:47.760 --> 0:55:53.000 is over, yeah, it's we win exactly. You know what 0:55:53.080 --> 0:55:56.520 also happens. Tamika just had you know we had on 0:55:56.680 --> 0:55:59.360 another show. She talked about Cardi B right, and how 0:55:59.480 --> 0:56:03.000 Cardi B was very vocal on a lot of things 0:56:03.080 --> 0:56:05.640 that we're dealing with. And she got so much backlash 0:56:06.560 --> 0:56:09.080 from being vocal and standing up for what she believed 0:56:09.160 --> 0:56:13.360 was writing on people that hip hop artists and you know, 0:56:13.600 --> 0:56:16.359 um athletes, they don't want to deal with that. They 0:56:16.440 --> 0:56:18.200 want to be able to say these things, and they 0:56:18.280 --> 0:56:20.960 want to be liked and comfortable. So the average person 0:56:21.080 --> 0:56:23.560 that's already rich and famous and and and getting this 0:56:23.680 --> 0:56:25.120 thing and says, yo, you know what, I don't like that, 0:56:25.280 --> 0:56:27.719 and get backlash from his own fans and his own 0:56:27.840 --> 0:56:29.960 people that he's supposed to be protecting us, like, you 0:56:30.000 --> 0:56:32.480 know what, I'm just gonna be quiet in my my business. 0:56:32.840 --> 0:56:34.759 It's true. But the money they can help with the 0:56:34.840 --> 0:56:38.719 money we need to right. That's right. And one of 0:56:38.800 --> 0:56:40.880 the things that I've done in my life is moved 0:56:41.400 --> 0:56:45.520 elected officials and celebrities and others onto their next thing. 0:56:45.600 --> 0:56:48.760 So we are going to release you from this interview 0:56:48.960 --> 0:56:51.520 right now and say thank you so much for being 0:56:51.600 --> 0:56:55.840 with us. Congressmen, he said, love, thank you all. I 0:56:55.960 --> 0:56:59.759 talked to you soon. All right. That's how we are. 0:57:01.040 --> 0:57:05.759 Congressman Jamar Bowman, I think you know he's if we 0:57:05.880 --> 0:57:08.600 could ever just get the right people were putting them 0:57:08.640 --> 0:57:12.640 in the pipeline. We just gotta get them to the 0:57:13.440 --> 0:57:16.800 starting line, right They gotta be in the starting five, 0:57:17.560 --> 0:57:21.520 um and and the problem is that, unfortunately, we've got 0:57:21.600 --> 0:57:25.000 other people in the starting five right now who do 0:57:25.200 --> 0:57:28.120 not share our vision, and they're dangerous. And that's just three. 0:57:28.240 --> 0:57:30.400 And I'm to my black votes. I'm not talking about 0:57:30.600 --> 0:57:36.320 like the Republicans. I'm telling about black Democrats, right that 0:57:36.440 --> 0:57:39.720 are just not on. They're not on. We're not singing 0:57:39.800 --> 0:57:43.440 on the same tune. I think it is. You know, 0:57:44.160 --> 0:57:47.520 we have a lot of skin folks that ain't kin folks, 0:57:48.440 --> 0:57:51.320 you know, and we we and a lot of people 0:57:51.360 --> 0:57:54.000 are just scared to because like I really I realized 0:57:54.360 --> 0:57:58.800 that people behind closed doors will support your you know 0:57:59.000 --> 0:58:02.560 what they call quote on called ragged radical idealism, just 0:58:03.040 --> 0:58:05.960 just actual justice with justice really should look like they 0:58:06.040 --> 0:58:09.160 called radical. They want that, they support it. They're just 0:58:09.280 --> 0:58:12.000 not gonna stand next to you into the world and 0:58:12.120 --> 0:58:14.720 everybody else is supporting. They don't want to be part 0:58:14.760 --> 0:58:16.720 of the minority. They don't want to push the car, 0:58:16.800 --> 0:58:18.560 they want to ride it. They ain't gonna help you 0:58:18.680 --> 0:58:21.040 when the flat comes. They're not gonna put no gas 0:58:21.120 --> 0:58:23.400 in the tank. But when you're riding in the smooth 0:58:23.480 --> 0:58:25.240 they're gonna get in the back again. I'm with you 0:58:25.640 --> 0:58:27.640 when you get a good paint job. But they don't 0:58:27.680 --> 0:58:29.720 see the vision, like, Yo, this car right here could 0:58:29.720 --> 0:58:32.280 really beat something. We all got around it and built 0:58:32.320 --> 0:58:34.720 it up. They don't want to do that cart. They 0:58:34.800 --> 0:58:37.120 want to go with the comfortability. So they know what's 0:58:37.200 --> 0:58:39.400 right and wrong, and they support it in their mind 0:58:39.600 --> 0:58:42.360 and in theory, but they are not going to risk 0:58:42.480 --> 0:58:47.280 whatever position they have, whatever relationships they have, whatever the 0:58:47.440 --> 0:58:50.960 parties they can be invited to to support, to stand 0:58:51.040 --> 0:58:54.880 up visually, verbally and say it. They're just not gonna 0:58:54.880 --> 0:58:58.120 do it. I think that's true. I think that's true. 0:58:59.680 --> 0:59:03.080 But I would say that some of the individuals I'm 0:59:03.120 --> 0:59:05.920 talking about, they don't. They are the party. They make 0:59:06.000 --> 0:59:08.680 the party. They're not looking to be invited or be comfortable. 0:59:08.920 --> 0:59:13.400 When I think about Representative Clyde Burn, you know, this 0:59:13.600 --> 0:59:17.040 is not somebody who needs an invitation to an event 0:59:17.480 --> 0:59:19.920 or that is feeling like he just wants to be comfortable. 0:59:20.280 --> 0:59:24.400 This is somebody who fundamentally believes different than what we believe. 0:59:24.840 --> 0:59:30.600 Right He's he fundamentally believes that this or he is 0:59:30.840 --> 0:59:37.960 he is adamantly against defunding the police. Maybe he agrees 0:59:38.040 --> 0:59:40.640 in theory that they need can't The thing is this, 0:59:40.920 --> 0:59:44.480 he can't be against the funded police right because the 0:59:44.920 --> 0:59:46.720 things that he acts like he wants to fight for, 0:59:47.120 --> 0:59:49.920 you you you against the term right. And if you 0:59:50.560 --> 0:59:53.200 and if you're a big enough person, like if you 0:59:53.320 --> 0:59:55.080 can if you can get people, if you can get 0:59:55.080 --> 0:59:56.960 black people to vote for body and after all the 0:59:57.000 --> 0:59:59.360 ship he did, if you can give support behind that 0:59:59.800 --> 1:00:01.920 in and say not what you're talking about, this is 1:00:01.920 --> 1:00:04.240 what we need right now, right then you should be 1:00:04.320 --> 1:00:06.720 able to say, I know what my people need by 1:00:06.760 --> 1:00:11.320 the fund police, and I'm going to equate that and 1:00:11.440 --> 1:00:14.200 make us all be in coalition instead of separating us. 1:00:15.000 --> 1:00:17.640 I agree with that. I agree with that. I agree 1:00:17.720 --> 1:00:22.400 with that. But I think that even he at this 1:00:22.600 --> 1:00:28.480 point in his life, has become so disconnected from like 1:00:29.120 --> 1:00:33.400 Ray Ray and what is happening on the ground, very 1:00:33.640 --> 1:00:38.919 hyper hyper hyper locally that in his mind, police being 1:00:39.000 --> 1:00:43.680 in our communities is working, except there's some bad apples 1:00:43.880 --> 1:00:47.040 or there's some changes that need to be made. We 1:00:48.320 --> 1:00:51.280 except that that may be the reality, because we may 1:00:51.360 --> 1:00:55.760 not be able to completely remove police, but our fundamental 1:00:55.840 --> 1:00:59.240 belief is on the far other side of that argument 1:00:59.320 --> 1:01:01.600 that we need less police. I mean to the point 1:01:01.720 --> 1:01:05.000 where maybe a few officers that you could call on 1:01:05.720 --> 1:01:10.040 and more community programs. I don't. I think we would 1:01:10.080 --> 1:01:12.640 be on two different and we started having this conversation 1:01:12.960 --> 1:01:15.840 with UH, with the Congress mcclaburn right now, we will 1:01:15.840 --> 1:01:19.120 be completely on two different sides of the table about 1:01:19.160 --> 1:01:22.480 this issue, but we both agree about what we want 1:01:22.520 --> 1:01:25.560 to see happen for our communities. How we get there, 1:01:25.840 --> 1:01:32.200 there is a fundamental difference someone newer, sort of younger 1:01:33.040 --> 1:01:37.280 black folks that are going into Congress, like a Corey Bush, 1:01:37.400 --> 1:01:41.400 like a Jamal Bowman. These are individuals who are now 1:01:41.920 --> 1:01:47.160 who now who see and understand what we're saying. So 1:01:47.280 --> 1:01:50.600 I think that the people who are in the starting five, 1:01:51.240 --> 1:01:57.840 they are so disconnected from from from from our position 1:01:58.840 --> 1:02:03.200 that until they are able to retire and move on, 1:02:04.040 --> 1:02:07.000 we're going to continue to see clods in the pipe. 1:02:08.000 --> 1:02:13.440 Because the attitude that we should be careful going after 1:02:13.600 --> 1:02:18.800 cinema right and and mansion to senators to senators who's 1:02:18.800 --> 1:02:21.240 supposed to be Democrats and all the rest of the 1:02:21.360 --> 1:02:25.560 Democrats for the most part, are agreeing that certain bills 1:02:25.680 --> 1:02:30.000 need to be passed. They are supporting uh certain legislation 1:02:30.240 --> 1:02:34.280 and also are aligned to some degree with our vision. 1:02:34.920 --> 1:02:39.640 Except these two people mhm right, and they're telling us 1:02:40.200 --> 1:02:45.600 be easy with them. We're working on what like it 1:02:45.720 --> 1:02:48.560 doesn't make sense. But I promise you that a Corey 1:02:48.640 --> 1:02:51.640 Bush and a Jamal Bowman and others who who are 1:02:51.760 --> 1:02:54.000 in who are part of either the squad or just 1:02:54.120 --> 1:02:59.560 progressives in general, they're like yo to his point, engage 1:02:59.640 --> 1:03:04.680 them aggressively every single day. And I think that's the 1:03:04.720 --> 1:03:08.560 advice that we have to follow. So so when people 1:03:10.560 --> 1:03:13.520 who are who have the most radical vision, they're really 1:03:13.760 --> 1:03:17.000 deeply into this thing and they and they want to 1:03:17.120 --> 1:03:22.280 see major change happened. That's in our favor. When they 1:03:22.360 --> 1:03:27.240 are not funded and supported by the community, they become 1:03:27.360 --> 1:03:31.640 beholden to those who will support them. And that is 1:03:31.800 --> 1:03:35.800 where you start to see. Because you cannot be a 1:03:35.920 --> 1:03:41.000 congressional member, a leader, or anything and not have food 1:03:41.080 --> 1:03:43.800 to eat and close on your back and be able 1:03:43.840 --> 1:03:46.760 to take care of your family and have the resources 1:03:46.960 --> 1:03:53.320 necessary to continue to win elections, and to have discretionary 1:03:53.440 --> 1:03:56.400 funds that you can use to support certain things within 1:03:56.560 --> 1:04:01.840 your community. You can't. It can't be done without supporting. 1:04:02.600 --> 1:04:05.880 You have to be supported. Supported. Support is mandatory. There's 1:04:05.920 --> 1:04:09.440 no way that as any official or lead or anything, 1:04:09.760 --> 1:04:11.880 that you can do something without support. You just can't 1:04:11.920 --> 1:04:15.360 do it by yourself. We're not supported, we're not financially 1:04:15.400 --> 1:04:18.320 supporting them. The communities that come and say, hey, well 1:04:18.400 --> 1:04:21.440 these are our issues and we're gonna support you. We're 1:04:21.480 --> 1:04:23.080 gonna make sure that we come out, we're gonna do 1:04:23.200 --> 1:04:25.960 all things necessary are the people that people don't care to. 1:04:26.600 --> 1:04:28.920 So I know that we want a lot done, but 1:04:29.040 --> 1:04:33.040 we have to be intentional. We have to be steadfast, 1:04:33.160 --> 1:04:36.120 We have to be persistent and constant in what it 1:04:36.280 --> 1:04:43.200 is that we want. So you know what I don't get, 1:04:44.000 --> 1:04:47.400 I really just don't get how Riker's Island is still open. Like, 1:04:47.600 --> 1:04:50.919 you know, throughout the years, they got documentaries, You've heard 1:04:51.000 --> 1:04:54.280 the stories of how there's so much corruption going on, 1:04:55.120 --> 1:04:58.840 how people are getting stabbed, how there it's just so 1:04:59.080 --> 1:05:02.640 much like right Island is accessibool for what's wrong with 1:05:02.760 --> 1:05:05.880 this justice system? You know? And the last week I 1:05:06.040 --> 1:05:11.000 pretty much posted of photos that have been taken inside 1:05:11.040 --> 1:05:13.800 holding seals and Sidewrickers aland where you got people sleeping 1:05:13.800 --> 1:05:17.280 on the floor with plastic bags on them. You know, 1:05:17.760 --> 1:05:21.800 it just was so inhumane. And it's like they care 1:05:21.840 --> 1:05:25.960 about COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, covid, but you got 1:05:26.120 --> 1:05:30.360 these people in these closed cells with plastic bags, sleeping 1:05:30.400 --> 1:05:32.920 on the floor in cells. And I've been in right 1:05:32.920 --> 1:05:36.960 Becas Island, so tell you that the the dirt in 1:05:37.040 --> 1:05:40.640 the mold and that's inside these cells, and the old 1:05:40.760 --> 1:05:42.959 pits that you can still smell in the toilet boones 1:05:43.000 --> 1:05:46.600 that ain't really been cleaned. You know, it's just it's 1:05:46.640 --> 1:05:48.840 not even there's no way that I can describe it. 1:05:48.920 --> 1:05:52.080 And just seeing it constantly seeing it and seeing that 1:05:52.160 --> 1:05:55.280 it's still the same way as it was twenty years 1:05:55.320 --> 1:05:58.080 ago when I was when I was in there, it's 1:05:58.160 --> 1:06:05.040 just unbelievable, even on a visit. It's nasty, like right 1:06:05.080 --> 1:06:08.400 because Island, like you said, you said, the best thing. 1:06:08.560 --> 1:06:11.080 It's successful of all the things that's wrong with the 1:06:11.200 --> 1:06:15.160 justice system, right, And it's so for this city of 1:06:15.320 --> 1:06:19.760 New York and Mayor Deblasio to have a mandate where 1:06:19.880 --> 1:06:23.480 people can't even go to a restaurant unless they are 1:06:23.640 --> 1:06:28.680 vaccinated and then turn around right, and and and allow 1:06:28.800 --> 1:06:34.240 a facility to just fester COVID and and and you know, 1:06:35.040 --> 1:06:36.480 and the thing about it, right, and there's a lot 1:06:36.520 --> 1:06:38.480 of people really well, if they didn't do the crime, 1:06:38.760 --> 1:06:40.960 you do the crime, you gotta do the chump, you know, 1:06:41.240 --> 1:06:43.880 and and the thing about it just for education, even 1:06:43.920 --> 1:06:46.600 though I don't agree with that sentiment at all, because 1:06:46.720 --> 1:06:49.320 human beings are human beings, and you most of the 1:06:49.400 --> 1:06:52.120 people are in there for low level crimes. But the 1:06:52.200 --> 1:06:56.880 reality is they're being accused, most of those people, and 1:06:56.920 --> 1:06:59.560 they have not even been found guilty of what they 1:07:00.000 --> 1:07:02.240 on the trial. They haven't gon to try to, haven't 1:07:02.280 --> 1:07:05.320 done nothing. This is a holding facility. So it's not 1:07:05.560 --> 1:07:07.880 this whole theory. But all you do to come some 1:07:08.000 --> 1:07:10.160 of them people are find out they didn't do the crime, 1:07:12.080 --> 1:07:15.560 or they're in their trial process, but regardless they're not 1:07:16.080 --> 1:07:20.120 because when they found guilty, they are sent upstate or 1:07:20.320 --> 1:07:25.240 wherever or released the you know, based upon the sentences. 1:07:25.400 --> 1:07:29.040 So it's like it's I'm just saying, in general, it 1:07:29.280 --> 1:07:33.800 is hypocritical for the city to say we care so 1:07:34.000 --> 1:07:37.600 much about COVID, we care so much about wellness and health, 1:07:38.040 --> 1:07:41.160 health and this and that and then to have people 1:07:41.720 --> 1:07:45.520 piled up on top of one another inside of these 1:07:45.640 --> 1:07:51.160 facilities on Breaker's Island. And to your point, it should 1:07:51.200 --> 1:07:56.560 have been closed once. Um, what's what's our young brother's name, 1:07:56.640 --> 1:08:00.480 Khalif Browder was killed? Well, he wasn't killed, but once 1:08:00.560 --> 1:08:03.240 he killed himself as a result of all the things 1:08:03.400 --> 1:08:06.840 we know happen in right, is not what we think 1:08:07.280 --> 1:08:10.760 we know what happened in writers and yet and still 1:08:11.280 --> 1:08:15.400 the facility states open. Now it's interesting that we are 1:08:15.520 --> 1:08:18.519 talking about that because and I wanted us to invite 1:08:18.600 --> 1:08:20.640 someone on that may be able to talk to us 1:08:20.760 --> 1:08:25.120 next week about this issue with Rikers, because there are people, 1:08:25.320 --> 1:08:28.120 even our own friends, who say things like, well, if 1:08:28.160 --> 1:08:32.040 you close Rikers, then what do you do? It goes 1:08:32.240 --> 1:08:39.120 back to the original conversation about defunding these systems that 1:08:39.240 --> 1:08:45.560 are about incarceration, that are about um uh incarceration and 1:08:45.800 --> 1:08:50.120 punitive measures for things that need to be taken care 1:08:50.200 --> 1:08:53.560 of in completely different fashions. So, for instance, I have 1:08:53.840 --> 1:08:57.719 several family members who are correctional offices on Rikers Island 1:08:57.920 --> 1:09:02.240 that will tell you half of the population has severe 1:09:02.439 --> 1:09:05.920 mental illness and they are they're in prison in jail 1:09:06.120 --> 1:09:10.200 rather and they're not being cared for, and the correction 1:09:10.280 --> 1:09:14.080 officers are not trained and don't have the temperament to 1:09:14.320 --> 1:09:17.280 deal with the mental illness of people who are in there. 1:09:17.600 --> 1:09:21.080 So the the issue is the facility has been opened 1:09:21.120 --> 1:09:24.200 and left that way for jobs. Because I've also had 1:09:24.240 --> 1:09:26.280 family members who said, don't be out here talking about 1:09:26.320 --> 1:09:30.320 clothes and rics, because then where we gonna work? What like, 1:09:30.840 --> 1:09:34.640 just think about what you're saying. Keep people incarcerated. That 1:09:35.120 --> 1:09:38.040 to their point, they also want to argue, well, they're 1:09:38.040 --> 1:09:42.320 slicing our faces. Um, you know there they're they're they're violent. 1:09:42.800 --> 1:09:46.000 Well they're violent, many of them because they they have 1:09:46.240 --> 1:09:49.200 other issues that are not being addressed, So why would 1:09:49.240 --> 1:09:52.040 you want them to be inside of this jail with you? 1:09:52.640 --> 1:09:55.600 It just it's it's it's like it's like it's like 1:09:55.760 --> 1:10:00.280 everyone and and everything in our society is like this, 1:10:00.720 --> 1:10:05.439 like just don't be making sense period. As you're right, man, 1:10:05.479 --> 1:10:08.400 you know, I'm hoping that we get to a stage 1:10:08.800 --> 1:10:11.679 because we're just so divided. Like I realized how people 1:10:11.720 --> 1:10:14.840 are dealing with so many different issues, right, there's so 1:10:15.000 --> 1:10:20.640 many different understandings and classes, and we deal with classism, 1:10:20.720 --> 1:10:23.080 we deal we deal with racism as just black people, 1:10:23.120 --> 1:10:25.840 but within our black community, we deal with classism, we 1:10:25.960 --> 1:10:28.800 do a colorism. We deal with so many different things 1:10:29.160 --> 1:10:32.400 and ideologies, and a lot of times people that you 1:10:32.640 --> 1:10:36.880 think should understand certain things that we're dealing with, they 1:10:37.000 --> 1:10:40.639 don't because their reality is just so it's so far 1:10:40.840 --> 1:10:43.519 from what some of us are actually dealing with, you know. 1:10:43.640 --> 1:10:45.519 And it's card and you love that they're good people. 1:10:45.560 --> 1:10:47.720 It's not that they're bad people. It's just that they 1:10:47.760 --> 1:10:52.599 don't really understand the whole system. They don't under especially 1:10:52.760 --> 1:10:56.160 this injustice system. Me actually being informally incarcerated, I have 1:10:56.280 --> 1:10:58.600 conversations with people and I listened to them in the 1:10:58.680 --> 1:11:02.559 way that they view you know, jail and how people 1:11:02.600 --> 1:11:04.479 should be locked up and what should be going on, 1:11:04.720 --> 1:11:06.560 and how it's good for them and all that, and 1:11:06.680 --> 1:11:09.559 and trying to, you know, until I'm able to really 1:11:09.680 --> 1:11:12.760 break it down to them, and and even then they'd 1:11:12.760 --> 1:11:14.400 be like, oh, well, yeah, I hear what you're saying, 1:11:14.439 --> 1:11:18.920 but because they're so far removed from that reality, you know, 1:11:19.240 --> 1:11:22.120 it's it's not something that they could even consciously understand. 1:11:22.200 --> 1:11:25.840 And then I've watched people who have been never been 1:11:25.880 --> 1:11:28.120 involved in the Lord and prior to all of these 1:11:28.160 --> 1:11:32.880 situations had to go through stints inside prison and come 1:11:32.960 --> 1:11:36.960 home with a completely different mind frame understanding like Dan, 1:11:37.080 --> 1:11:39.320 this this is really crazy. Like what they're doing in 1:11:39.479 --> 1:11:41.400 here is it's really like slavery and the way they're 1:11:41.400 --> 1:11:44.040 treating these and they start to identify. So, you know, 1:11:44.439 --> 1:11:46.880 it's just a lot of you know, moving parts when 1:11:46.920 --> 1:11:49.559 it comes to this injustice system and in prison in general. 1:11:49.640 --> 1:11:53.000 I just hope that we recognize what's going on the 1:11:53.080 --> 1:11:56.320 writers right now, and you know, and we start really 1:11:56.400 --> 1:11:59.120 advocating for our brothers and sisters who are there because 1:11:59.120 --> 1:12:04.400 they literally killing these people, like they're literally the inhumane COVID. 1:12:04.400 --> 1:12:06.280 If you told my COVID what's going on? Is that 1:12:06.479 --> 1:12:08.320 a lot of people I note that they had COVID 1:12:08.360 --> 1:12:11.360 almost died, they had to sit and sell they're giving them, 1:12:11.600 --> 1:12:14.320 locking them in the cell. You know, they're not really 1:12:14.360 --> 1:12:17.800 giving you, no real medical attention. They just gotta fight it. 1:12:18.439 --> 1:12:22.280 That's not that's in all the jails. Yeah, that's that's 1:12:22.320 --> 1:12:27.680 what I'm saying every day. So you know, hopefully man, 1:12:27.920 --> 1:12:30.800 something that starts to change, man, But until then, man, 1:12:31.680 --> 1:12:37.400 close it, close down, close it down. So once again 1:12:37.439 --> 1:12:39.679 that brings us to the end of another Dope episode. 1:12:40.160 --> 1:12:43.000 Shout out to Congressman Bowman, who we had who was 1:12:43.160 --> 1:12:46.920 very informative, you know, gave us his vision, gave us 1:12:47.000 --> 1:12:49.720 his frustration, just gave us a whole glimpse of what 1:12:50.080 --> 1:12:52.599 is going on. A lot of us don't really be knowing. 1:12:52.720 --> 1:12:55.400 We just see what's on the news and we're here 1:12:55.880 --> 1:12:58.439 and we frustrated. Man, but his brothers like him, who 1:12:58.520 --> 1:13:00.800 give me just a little be a hope. If we 1:13:00.880 --> 1:13:04.479 can get five or six people like that on one team, 1:13:05.000 --> 1:13:06.760 you know, and we can rally behind them, then I 1:13:06.800 --> 1:13:09.760 can really see some change coming man. So I appreciate 1:13:10.320 --> 1:13:12.559 his interview, and um, you know, like we do. Man, 1:13:12.640 --> 1:13:14.800 we we're gonna keep on doing what we do. If 1:13:14.800 --> 1:13:17.519 you got any suggestions for the show, let us know. 1:13:17.720 --> 1:13:19.599 Tell us if you love us, if you hate us. 1:13:20.000 --> 1:13:21.800 You know, we are the number one show in the world, 1:13:22.320 --> 1:13:25.240 so we truly appreciate being number one. When you tell 1:13:25.360 --> 1:13:28.040 people that we're number one and we're not, then they 1:13:28.160 --> 1:13:30.840 might not feel like they gotta go get you know, 1:13:31.080 --> 1:13:36.120 more downloads and get more people involved. Not tell people 1:13:36.120 --> 1:13:39.800 we number one because those little bit of stats they 1:13:39.880 --> 1:13:42.800 talk about that that's cool, but number one. Like I 1:13:42.880 --> 1:13:44.519 got people that come up to me and this, people 1:13:44.560 --> 1:13:47.160 like I love your podcast, my favorite podcast in the world. 1:13:47.200 --> 1:13:49.400 So we number one the people. You know what I'm saying. 1:13:49.479 --> 1:13:52.120 We number one to us. So now the world is 1:13:52.160 --> 1:13:54.280 gonna transfer to number one. If you start, you gotta 1:13:54.400 --> 1:13:58.639 say it. Yeah, you gotta talk it into existence, man 1:13:58.720 --> 1:14:01.800 manifest your destiny. We are the number one podcast in 1:14:01.880 --> 1:14:04.760 the world. And even though me and to me you 1:14:04.800 --> 1:14:07.599 don't agree, we agree on that, you know. So we're 1:14:07.640 --> 1:14:09.760 not gonna always agree. We're not gonna always disagree, but 1:14:09.880 --> 1:14:15.640 we will both always and I mean always be authentic. Alright, plute. 1:14:17.200 --> 1:14:20.439 Listen to Street Politicians on the Black Effect Network on 1:14:20.680 --> 1:14:24.960 I Heart Radio catch us every single Wednesday. The video 1:14:25.200 --> 1:14:28.479 version of Street Politicians on I Woman dot Tv