WEBVTT - Taking Up Space 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:14.400 Good morning, peep Sen. Welcome to ogay FFF Daily with 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:19.240 Meet your Girl Danielle Moody. Recording from the Home Bunker. Friends, 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:21.920 I'm very excited to bring to you the second part 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:26.560 of my two part conversation with doctor Dina Simmons, who 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:31.600 is an activist, educator, ted talker, and the founder of Liberated. 0:00:32.000 --> 0:00:35.920 I'm excited for the second part of this conversation because 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:41.960 it's not often that I leave a conversation feeling more 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:44.680 inspired to do the work that I do on a 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:48.080 regular basis, and I felt this way with doctor Simmons because, 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:52.760 you know, as a black queer woman who has dedicated 0:00:52.840 --> 0:00:58.160 her life to politics, to wanting to engage those who 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:02.840 have been most marginalized and oppressed and then also educate 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:07.000 those who act as allies, you know, it is a 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:10.640 trying space to be in. It is one that you know, 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:15.240 oftentimes are forced to create and forge yourself. And so 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:19.160 in this conversation with doctor Simmons, you know, I felt 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:22.399 a kinship which I'm sure that you can hear from 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:26.080 our conversation, and felt like there was, you know, an 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:30.479 opportunity for us to be able to grow together. Right 0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:34.040 that community is something that you have to be intentional 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:38.280 about So I enjoyed this conversation and I hope you 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.400 enjoy the second part as well. But before we dig 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:44.400 into that, I, you know, folks, I took a few 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:48.040 days to celebrate the marriage of one of my best friends, 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:50.480 and it took a few days off in order to 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:55.800 travel to her wedding, which means that I was able 0:01:55.840 --> 0:01:58.760 to give my mind and my soul and my spirit 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.800 a rest from the time toxicity that is our news cycle, 0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:06.920 from the reality that is our crumbling democracy, and from 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:11.000 being inundated with the rise in hate and violence that 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:14.000 we are seeing both on social media and in real life. 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.600 So when the alert would come across my phone, as 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:22.680 it did with all of you, about the violent assault 0:02:22.960 --> 0:02:28.200 on Speaker Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, and then to watch 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:33.639 just for a few, you know, for a few brief moments, 0:02:33.840 --> 0:02:41.280 the reaction from the Republican Party and the reaction from 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:45.160 Don Trump Junior, which has had him trending this week 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:49.320 on social media because he is just so disgusting and 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:55.600 repulsive in turning a very violent and scary and lethal, 0:02:55.880 --> 0:03:01.280 potentially lethal situation into a joke. Shows you the fact 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:04.840 that there is absolutely no bottom with these people or 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:08.679 with this party, and that there should be no excuses 0:03:09.280 --> 0:03:13.400 made or the thought that I'm looking at media outlets 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:18.280 that are saying things like he may have suggested, or 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:21.640 it may it could be, you know, intended that he 0:03:21.760 --> 0:03:25.280 was making a joke about Paul Pelosi. Let me tell 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:28.480 you something. I don't know how much more fucking obvious 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:31.200 things have to be in order for people in the 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:34.040 media to not want to cover their ass and just 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:39.400 actually tell the fucking truth. Right. Don Junior puts up 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:44.840 a tweet of a disgusting Halloween what he stated was 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.640 a Halloween costume with a hammer and a pair of 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:53.880 men's briefs and says, oh, look, I have my Paul 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:59.160 Pelosi costume. This eighty two year old man is still 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:06.160 an intensive air. This eighty two year old man almost 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:08.760 lost his life, not for anything that he has done, 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:15.800 but because of what the Republican Party has him. Turned 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:21.839 his wife into a caricature into the reason why. I 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:25.400 don't know, gas prices are high, the earth spins, I 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:29.800 have no fucking idea, But what I will say is 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:36.080 that there used to be a time when we had 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:43.599 a bottom, when there was a limit to the rhetoric. Now, 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:46.160 these are the same motherfuckers that will turn around after 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:49.359 a school shooting that claims the life of children teachers 0:04:50.000 --> 0:04:52.880 and say that now is not the time to talk politics. 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:56.560 We should be sending hopes and prayers. But while Paul 0:04:56.600 --> 0:05:00.160 Pelosi is recovering an intensive care surrounding by his family 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:05.320 and friends because of a political assault that he barre 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:08.119 the brunt of because thankfully his wife was not home. 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:12.040 But what we know and report since with the investigation 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:19.279 is that this quanon hyped up Fox News Guslin piece 0:05:19.279 --> 0:05:23.800 of shit was looking to send a message to other 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:27.680 Democrats by breaking the kneecaps of Nancy Pelosi. And I'm 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:31.600 probably sure going further than that, remind you that this 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:35.239 comes off of, you know, the heels of a guilty 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:40.480 verdict in the case that would have been the disrupted 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:47.440 kidnapping of Governor Whitmer right, which the far right also 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:49.560 made a joke about that. And I don't even call 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.400 them the far right, They're just the right. Their violence, 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:56.640 their rhetoric, their disgust, and their disdain for anything other 0:05:56.720 --> 0:06:00.440 than white, straight Christian and I use Christian with the 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:08.560 fucking air quotes, people, isn't just left to the political arena. 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:11.560 They are egging these people on. When you have Marjorie 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:15.039 Taylor Green getting up on stages and saying that Democrats 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:16.919 are trying to kill us, What the fuck do you 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:21.359 think is going to happen? But they absolutely know what 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:24.280 is going to happen. They are hopeful for it, they 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:29.520 are giddy about it. Other things that I saw while 0:06:29.560 --> 0:06:32.560 I was supposed to be on vacation celebrating, you know, 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:38.880 love and marriage, we're white supremacist in tactical gear standing 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:42.520 in front of polling stations so that they could intimidate 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:45.400 people the same way that the KKK did during Jim Crow. 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:49.359 What do I want folks to remember too, is that 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:55.680 you know Jim Crow, y'all wasn't that long ago. Like 0:06:55.920 --> 0:07:04.560 there are grandparents who are still alive, your parents possibly 0:07:04.880 --> 0:07:09.840 who were born on the heels right of major court 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:15.520 decisions like Brown versus the Board of Education that would 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:19.280 try and create a more equitable United States of America. 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:23.560 So right now, as we are watching this country regress, 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:26.560 and we're wondering how how could it possibly be? Oh, 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:28.880 because we don't give a shit about teaching anything that 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:34.400 has to do with history or civics or your responsibility 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:37.520 as a citizen. And we love to couch everything in 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:40.239 the idea that you know, all of these bad things 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:43.080 that happen were just done by a handful of people, 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:46.800 and it was like centuries ago. It wasn't you know. 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:51.640 Somebody told me the other day that the last living 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:58.160 child of enslaved people died just recently in this country. 0:07:58.160 --> 0:07:59.440 Do you know how old they were? They were in 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:06.640 their ninety So that just lets you know that America's 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:12.320 attention span is real short, and their understanding of history 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:16.680 even shorter. Things are repeating themselves because we refuse to 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:21.559 teach them. It is just, folks, a handful of days 0:08:21.680 --> 0:08:25.760 until midterm elections. As I've been clocking back into the news, 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:29.320 twenty two million Americans as of the time of this 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:34.800 recording have already voted. That bodes well, usually for Democrats. 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:37.160 But we won't know because, just like I tell you 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:40.360 every single day on this show, do not believe poles 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:45.040 because polls don't mean a fucking thing. They are not science, 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.080 and you can get them to say whatever it is 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:49.559 that you want, depending on how you ask the question 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:54.280 and to who you ask the question. So the polls 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:57.079 would have us believe that all is lost, right, that 0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:58.880 we need to pack up our bags and we need 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:02.360 to go away because the far right is coming. Well, 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:07.600 if the recent election in Brazil doesn't give you some comfort, 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:12.480 it should now. While the winning right by the left 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:17.160 in that country was razor thin, meaning the decision to 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:24.000 oust the far right Brazilian Trump Bulsonato was a decision 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:32.040 made by two million voters. Two million. So for those 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:34.400 people that think that midterms is a time for them 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:37.960 to sit out, you'll get another bite at this apple. 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:42.400 I'm telling you you won't. So for family and friends 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:44.440 and colleagues that you have that are telling you that 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:46.880 all is lost, all is hopeless, and there are days, 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:51.080 absolutely there are days when I feel that way. But 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:53.360 there's also a reason why I get up every morning 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:56.800 and why I continue to record this show, why I 0:09:56.840 --> 0:09:59.440 continue to write, why I continue to tweet and speak 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:03.000 out because it matters, Because our voices, at the end 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:06.079 of the day matter, Because if we don't lift them up, 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.600 if we don't scream from the rooftops, if we allow 0:10:10.080 --> 0:10:12.920 the Musks and the Trumps of the world to take 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:16.000 over and we just go quietly off into the good night, 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:18.079 what the fuck do we think is going to happen? 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:23.000 I tell you that I would rather stay and fight 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:28.200 then go live peacefully or somewhat peacefully on my knees 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:34.640 someplace else. So, folks, with the few days that we 0:10:34.760 --> 0:10:37.200 have left, if you have not voted already, please do 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:39.200 make sure that you have a plan for voting, and 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:41.080 that you have a plan to bring other people to 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:44.520 the poles with you. Know that if you are in 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:48.440 certain states, you will need chairs to sit down, you 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:50.800 will need water to drink, you will need snacks, you 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:54.559 will need a phone charger. Right, you may need people 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:56.800 to be on tap for you so that you can 0:10:56.800 --> 0:10:58.800 tap them into line so that you can take a 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:01.360 break and then tap others. And this is why mail 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:04.040 in voting is so important. But we know that some 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:08.600 states have disallowed that, you know, because of the five 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:12.319 people that happen to accidentally illegally vote every year. They've 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:15.920 created all of these parameters, but nothing for the motherfuckers 0:11:15.920 --> 0:11:20.760 that are committing mass murder every day by ar fifteens. Nonetheless, 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:24.640 I hope that the second part of my conversation with 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:27.960 doctor Dina Simmons inspires you as much as it did me, 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:32.120 and I hope that it inspires you all to remember 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:37.640 your power and your purpose as citizens of this country. 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:41.480 Coming up next the last part, the final part of 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:47.520 my conversation with doctor Dina Simmons. It's no secret that 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:50.880 the news is horsepill hard to swallow. Thankfully, there's The 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:55.480 Bituation Room podcast hosted by comedian and commentator Francesca free 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:58.880 Erantini for a lighter take on the heavy staff. Each week, 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:02.880 the Bituation Room brings you progressive comedians, experts, and activists 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:04.880 to break down the issues in a way that won't 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:07.480 just leave you crying under a weighted blanket. Get The 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:11.600 Bituation Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and streaming on 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:24.920 YouTube and Twitch. The Damage Report with John Idarola is 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:27.640 one of the most popular shows on the TYT network 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:30.360 that serves as your daily breakdown of the genuine threats 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:33.800 and challenges facing our country and world. These days, we're 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:37.520 confronted with an overwhelming sea of shocking, confounding, and devastating 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:40.959 news stories. The Damage Report is your life raft, helping 0:12:41.000 --> 0:12:43.800 you navigate the day's news and understand the damage caused 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:47.840 by the corrupt establishment, politicians, corporations, and everything in between. 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:51.800 Join the Damage Reports notorious fan club the Dragon Squad, 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:55.000 where you become part of the fantastic community of progressives, 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:58.640 create a fun dragon nickname that fits your personality, collaborate 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:02.520 and participate in activities like voting for the Garbage Person 0:13:02.559 --> 0:13:05.160 of the Week, and much more. Listen to The Damage 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:09.040 Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 0:13:09.280 --> 0:13:11.520 If you like what you here, be sure to subscribe 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:19.199 so you never miss an episode. You know, I am 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:25.880 a former educator. I taught first and second grade general 0:13:26.040 --> 0:13:30.400 education and special education. Then I went into education policy, 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:34.520 all for the reasons that you just stated, all for 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:39.200 the desire, because I have always believed that education is 0:13:39.520 --> 0:13:44.240 key into being able to understand yourself, understand the world 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:49.760 around you, but more so understand the value that your ancestors, 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:55.520 your people brought to this world. Right. And it is 0:13:55.600 --> 0:14:00.000 amazing to me, but not really that you will see 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:04.400 now these forces of evil to try and gut curriculum, 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:09.200 to try and gut the very presence of queer people 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:13.920 like I am, of black, people, of Latin X people, 0:14:14.240 --> 0:14:19.040 of just anyone who is not white, ciss, straight, and 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:24.760 supposedly Christian, right, And I'm wondering you know because you 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:31.600 said earlier about what allows you to wake up every day? Right? 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.040 But I gotta tell you, Dina, that what is keeping 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:40.120 me up every night is the fact that the erasure 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:44.720 that is happening right now is rapid and it is real. 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:49.240 And I don't know if we are all, all of us, 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:53.640 including our white accomplices, embodying the revolutionary spirit that is 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:57.360 going to be necessary to push back against these forces 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:01.160 that are unrelenting. And so I want to, you know, 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:07.760 ask you what do you truly believe will wake people 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:10.440 up to the reality that we are facing and that 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:13.480 we are currently living in. Because you know, the title 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:16.640 of my show is Woke as Fuck, because I wanted 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:21.480 to be an alarm clock, the raising of consciousness for 0:15:21.520 --> 0:15:25.160 people who have been forced into or have decided to 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:29.440 rest in slumber. Put there, bury their heads, as I say, 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:34.200 and be political ostriches in the sand. Right, So you know, 0:15:34.880 --> 0:15:39.600 what do you think will or can wake people up 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:44.800 to the revolutionary spirit and warrior spirit that our ancestors 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:49.840 had to even get us here? What do we what 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:54.160 do we need? So several things. First of all, the 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:57.120 folks who bury their head in the sand, I always say, 0:15:57.600 --> 0:16:00.320 what a privilege that you get to look away. I 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:03.320 got to wake up every single day and live my 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:08.680 life in this country as a black woman, and and 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:11.080 you know, with a sister who's chronically ill, because I 0:16:11.120 --> 0:16:13.280 want to also be inclusive of what it means to 0:16:13.280 --> 0:16:15.800 be chronically ill in this country. I am also newly 0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:18.720 chronically ill. And I cannot tell you how much time 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:23.120 it takes out of my day to go to doctors appointments, 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:25.320 to do everything I need to do just to be 0:16:25.400 --> 0:16:28.600 well enough in this capitalist society so that I could 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:32.680 perform or achieve or produce right, because that's what that's 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:37.520 what the society expects of us. Nonetheless, what we've learned 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:44.520 from you know, twenty twenty one is that when white folks, 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:48.840 some white folks discovered racism after George Floyd, because I 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.280 say discovered, because folks act like we weren't saying the 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:56.280 same stuff before. Folks discovered racism, or institutions discovered racism 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.160 because they had no choice but to watch a black 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:06.080 man for nearly eight minutes or nine minutes get killed 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:11.320 with a knee to his neck. We saw a bunch 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:16.880 of movement around, let's go get training, let's go buy 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:21.280 these books, let's go March, and today in twenty twenty, 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:24.200 we don't see that same energy. And all I want, 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:27.879 folks is to keep that same energy because that was 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:33.159 one instance of many instances of black death, and black 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:36.679 death does not always end is not always end in 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:39.720 like actual death. There are many black deaths that black 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:44.800 people experience and come back alive every single day. It's 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:48.000 true for every young people. So I would always say 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:50.520 to folks, is control what you can control. If you're 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:53.560 a teacher in the classroom and you're a white person, 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:57.400 how are you putting yourself on the line for to 0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:01.679 ensure that that black child could be who they are 0:18:01.880 --> 0:18:06.600 without repercussion, who who they're not being, and contribute, not 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:09.320 contributing to the prison you know, to the school to 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:14.200 prison nexus, that you are standing up for that black child, 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:16.240 that lay an X child, that queer trial and all 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:20.120 those intersections and that chronically ill child, Asian child, whomever 0:18:20.560 --> 0:18:22.560 you are doing that work, and that you know your 0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:24.680 values and that you're living your values. And I think 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.439 that is something that everyone can do. At the end 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:34.600 of the day, folks need to give up something for everyone. Happened, 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:37.080 and I will ask folks us to really reflect on 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:39.879 what you're willing to give up in order for someone 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:44.040 else to have something. And um, and that's something too 0:18:44.119 --> 0:18:46.959 that I have to reflect on now new lead middle class. 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:51.080 Grew up you know, and you know in poverty, but 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:55.879 now in the middle class. And so that's also the tension, right. 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:57.920 It was education that got me to where I am. 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:01.440 But it's like, so I critique the education system, is like, 0:19:01.720 --> 0:19:05.120 I'm also broken. I am healing and I'm in therapy 0:19:06.000 --> 0:19:09.000 because of those years I had to distance myself from 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:12.280 myself in my community and my home. But well, how 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:15.480 us can folks wake up? I've also noticed too that 0:19:16.600 --> 0:19:22.560 after Trump was elected, we saw a lot more people 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:28.480 getting involved in activism, and that was because it impacted them. 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:31.920 So it says a lot about how self centered people are, Like, Oh, 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:34.600 all of a sudden, this is importanting me. Let me 0:19:34.840 --> 0:19:37.200 go put myself on the line because now it's a 0:19:37.320 --> 0:19:39.920 personal and I think that's you know, fine, that's a 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:43.200 motivated But I think we need to be motivated also 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:46.879 by the saying that there is no liberation. I like, 0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:50.080 if if we all don't have liberation, that our liberation 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:54.400 and our healing and our all of that freedom is connect, 0:19:54.600 --> 0:19:58.399 is interconnected, and it's connected. So as long as you 0:19:58.600 --> 0:20:00.959 have your big picket ends and you're a big gate 0:20:01.040 --> 0:20:03.520 in your community, there will always be someone trying to 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:06.000 take something from you because they need it. You know 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:08.280 what I'm saying. I'm saying, as long as you have 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.000 that picket fence because it's needed, and as long as 0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:13.479 you have that picket fence and you are where you are, 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:15.200 this always going to be. You are always going to 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:17.639 have to fear that someone wants to take something from you. 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:20.960 If we all had enough come on, that would be okay, 0:20:21.240 --> 0:20:23.320 that would be okay. And so we work in the 0:20:23.400 --> 0:20:26.159 spirit of scars here city instead of abundance. And so 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:28.639 what I would say is, what are you willing to 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:32.480 give up? I'm not asking people to like sacrifice their lives. 0:20:33.000 --> 0:20:37.760 I'm asking people to maybe sacrifice some comfort, sacrifice your job, 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:41.760 sacrifice your inheritance because anyway, that money ain't yours. That 0:20:41.920 --> 0:20:46.400 money is some body's black ancestors money. Let's be real 0:20:48.520 --> 0:20:51.400 think about we also have to have the conversation about reparations. 0:20:51.960 --> 0:20:55.240 Right where are the reparations? And I don't think we're 0:20:55.280 --> 0:20:58.560 ready for that conversation because folks think we are not 0:20:58.680 --> 0:21:01.720 ready for that conversation. Well, because you and I are like, so, 0:21:01.800 --> 0:21:04.200 folks are gonna because we complicate it, right, We're like 0:21:05.280 --> 0:21:09.040 Dina and Danielle. Technically, y'all ain't gonna get any reparations 0:21:09.160 --> 0:21:12.879 because y'all from the Caribbean, y'all, I'm not American descendants 0:21:12.920 --> 0:21:15.480 of See for y'all and get your money, but go 0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:17.560 back and try and get your money from the English 0:21:18.440 --> 0:21:22.119 whatever they do in Antigua and Jamaican. Right, So, I 0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:28.639 think I think we over complicate the reparations conversation. But 0:21:28.840 --> 0:21:31.120 we do need to have the conversation about reparations because 0:21:31.160 --> 0:21:34.200 black people are owed what was stolen from us, and 0:21:34.359 --> 0:21:37.760 that we're starting to see little things Nigeria received back 0:21:37.880 --> 0:21:42.440 some um, some of their you know, their jewels, or 0:21:42.520 --> 0:21:44.280 it wasn't their jewels, but it was some sort of 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:51.560 ancestral sort of um important artifact. And so so I 0:21:51.600 --> 0:21:53.480 don't know, I don't know the answers. What I would 0:21:53.480 --> 0:21:57.480 say is live every day, fighting for a better tomorrow. 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:01.320 Live every day enough for yourself for the collective. And 0:22:01.440 --> 0:22:04.960 that's hard to do. Live every day and make it 0:22:05.200 --> 0:22:09.760 count because every single thing we do has a repercussion. 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:13.680 There's a story that I like to use um it's 0:22:13.920 --> 0:22:17.200 it's it's about Ursula when I believe it was her name, 0:22:17.600 --> 0:22:21.000 and it's it's about this this town, this utopic town. 0:22:21.160 --> 0:22:23.800 In order for that utopia, that utopia to happen, there's 0:22:23.800 --> 0:22:28.359 a child in a basement that is suffering, and everyone 0:22:28.480 --> 0:22:30.400 knows it in that town and they're just like, well, 0:22:30.480 --> 0:22:32.320 that's just how it is, and that is actually how 0:22:32.359 --> 0:22:34.760 we live our life. We know that in other countries 0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:38.400 in India in like when we were having COVID, even 0:22:38.440 --> 0:22:42.679 our COVID behavior, like even our or how wasteful we are, 0:22:42.800 --> 0:22:46.919 impacts people who are dealing with global warming right now. 0:22:47.119 --> 0:22:50.720 Literally things are burning in other parts of the world. 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:54.080 But as long as we focus only on ourselves, we're 0:22:54.080 --> 0:22:55.919 not going to get anywhere. And I think we need 0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:58.159 to think about the collective a little bit more. We 0:22:58.200 --> 0:23:00.760 need to think about how our acts to trickle down 0:23:00.800 --> 0:23:02.800 to other people. And so those are just those are 0:23:02.800 --> 0:23:05.280 things that I think people can do individually. Where are 0:23:05.280 --> 0:23:07.520 you buying from, how are you buying, are you supporting 0:23:07.560 --> 0:23:11.040 black businesses? How is what you do contribute to X 0:23:11.200 --> 0:23:13.760 y Z suffering? Those are all things that we need 0:23:13.800 --> 0:23:15.840 to think about. And those are questions I ask myself 0:23:15.880 --> 0:23:18.000 because I'm always at tension every time I buy something, 0:23:18.080 --> 0:23:22.880 I'm like, who had to work cheap labor? Now need 0:23:22.920 --> 0:23:26.119 to get this sale, you know? And so that's a 0:23:26.240 --> 0:23:28.560 tension that I'm always dealing. Well, I'm not perfect. I 0:23:28.680 --> 0:23:31.960 fail because I'm trying to save money, but I'm always 0:23:32.000 --> 0:23:35.280 I have to be like no, Dina, like who's expense? 0:23:35.560 --> 0:23:37.000 And that's a question that I think many of us 0:23:37.000 --> 0:23:41.440 should ask ourselves at who's expense? And then if we're 0:23:41.480 --> 0:23:43.000 in a room, we have to ask who's not in 0:23:43.040 --> 0:23:44.639 the room? And how do I make space? And how 0:23:44.680 --> 0:23:47.040 do I break down this table so that we build 0:23:47.040 --> 0:23:48.760 a new one where other folks can fit at it? 0:23:50.200 --> 0:23:51.520 Or are we just to get rid of the table 0:23:51.520 --> 0:23:54.040 all together and just knock down the wall and have 0:23:54.240 --> 0:23:58.119 a whole have a more like welcoming space. And so 0:23:59.160 --> 0:24:01.159 I want to focus on the individual could because of 0:24:01.200 --> 0:24:05.720 obviously there could be systemic changes, like folks, go vote, 0:24:06.160 --> 0:24:08.920 go register to vote. If you ain't voting, go vote, 0:24:09.000 --> 0:24:11.800 because there's one way to exercise your voice. And so 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:15.280 I will say, go vote if you can. And then 0:24:15.560 --> 0:24:18.640 when when you vote and you know, vote to those 0:24:18.760 --> 0:24:21.879 meetings and those council meetings and those committees meetings, and 0:24:22.480 --> 0:24:25.840 advocate for what you care about. Organize and you know, 0:24:26.200 --> 0:24:28.840 do community organizing to get what you need in your community. 0:24:28.960 --> 0:24:31.600 If you live in a building, tenant, organizing whatever you 0:24:31.680 --> 0:24:33.639 need to do. Because there is power in the people. 0:24:33.680 --> 0:24:35.639 And I think you forget that they're more of us 0:24:35.760 --> 0:24:38.720 than there are of them. Whoever that them is the powerful, 0:24:39.280 --> 0:24:44.320 the supremacist, the white supremacist. There's more. There were more 0:24:44.760 --> 0:24:48.280 enslaved people than there were enslavers. And I think part 0:24:48.320 --> 0:24:51.320 of it is liberating our mind to know our work. Yes, 0:24:51.800 --> 0:24:54.280 that is at the end of the day. Liberate your 0:24:54.320 --> 0:24:56.600 minds that you know your powers, you could ask for 0:24:56.720 --> 0:24:58.520 what you want. You can know your worth and you 0:24:58.600 --> 0:25:05.720 can fight for what we deserve. Doctor Dina Simmons, you 0:25:06.040 --> 0:25:09.520 must come back to Woke f Daily. Well, her book 0:25:09.600 --> 0:25:14.840 comes out, it's very now as White Rules for Black People. 0:25:14.880 --> 0:25:16.520 But I also know my worth and so I left 0:25:16.560 --> 0:25:19.240 my publisher and it's back on the marketing. Okay, okay, 0:25:19.880 --> 0:25:22.760 so we could we could We definitely be down to 0:25:22.840 --> 0:25:24.600 talk to you because we have actually have so much 0:25:24.640 --> 0:25:27.480 in common. I looked you up, I was like, we're 0:25:27.520 --> 0:25:30.639 gonna have to be a friend. I love that. I 0:25:30.800 --> 0:25:36.520 love that very much. Yes, yes, I am open for dope, 0:25:36.640 --> 0:25:42.600 powerful black women friends. The door is open. So doctor Simmons, 0:25:42.640 --> 0:25:44.680 thank you so much for making the time for Woke 0:25:44.880 --> 0:25:49.400 f for this very in depth, you know, inspiring conversation. 0:25:49.600 --> 0:25:52.680 We I don't often get to leave people with inspiration, 0:25:52.880 --> 0:25:56.119 I leave them with rage, and so this this was, 0:25:56.400 --> 0:25:59.919 this was really beautiful and needed and I'm very grateful 0:26:00.119 --> 0:26:02.919