WEBVTT - NAACP State President Sarah Tyree on Politics, Activism, and Organizing

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<v Speaker 1>Broadcasting from the Hip Hop Weekly Studios. I'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>welcome you to another episode of Civic Cipher, where our

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<v Speaker 1>mission is to foster allyship, empathy and understanding. I'm your host,

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<v Speaker 1>ramses joh.

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<v Speaker 2>He is ramses Jah, I am q Ward. You are

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<v Speaker 2>tuned into Civic Cipher.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes you are, and we are in fantastic spirits. This week.

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<v Speaker 1>We've had a lot of really awesome things that we've

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<v Speaker 1>been up to. For those that follow us on social

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<v Speaker 1>media might know what we're talking about. It feels good

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<v Speaker 1>to see some changes, some ripple effects, and you know

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<v Speaker 1>that motion won't stop today. Today we are joined in

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<v Speaker 1>studio by Sarah Tyree, the one and only. She is

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<v Speaker 1>an Army veteran, She's a social worker, and indeed she

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<v Speaker 1>is the Arizona State NAACP President. Yes, sir, welcome, Madam President, tells.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell our listeners a little bit about yourself.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, absolutely so. I'm an Arizona native, I'm a former

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<v Speaker 3>foster care youth, spent eight years in the Army. I'm

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<v Speaker 3>a social worker. I experienced some domestic violence in my life.

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<v Speaker 3>I had a partner previously who nearly took my life,

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<v Speaker 3>and as such, I lost my housing, I lost my job.

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<v Speaker 3>As a disabled veteran, I do have free health care,

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<v Speaker 3>but it took them four months to see me. And

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<v Speaker 3>so once I stabilized, I kind of felt like, if

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<v Speaker 3>me and my privilege, my privilege being a veteran, I'm educated,

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<v Speaker 3>I have my master's degree. If it was this hard

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<v Speaker 3>for me to get the type of support that I needed,

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<v Speaker 3>what is it like for people who have less than

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<v Speaker 3>I do? And so that was really my first step

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<v Speaker 3>into not only the NAACP, but in the political sphere

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<v Speaker 3>within Arizona as well well.

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<v Speaker 1>I am so excited to hear all about that and

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<v Speaker 1>indeed what the NAACP is up to and the optics

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<v Speaker 1>on the current political climate. So we got all that

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<v Speaker 1>and so much more to stick around for. But first

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<v Speaker 1>it is time to discuss some ebony excellence.

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<v Speaker 2>Shall we?

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<v Speaker 1>I think you shall.

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<v Speaker 2>This week's Ebony Excellence sponsored by Actively Black There is

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<v Speaker 2>Greatness in our DNA. Visit actively black dot com. Supreme

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<v Speaker 2>Court Justice Katanji Brown Jackson, recipient of the National Council

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<v Speaker 2>of Negro Women Mary McLeod Bethune Trailblazer Reward at their

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<v Speaker 2>sixty first annual national Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, where we

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<v Speaker 2>were present on the ground and we got an opportunity,

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<v Speaker 2>i'd like to say, to be in the presence of royalty,

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<v Speaker 2>of black excellence and of true civil rights trailblazers having

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<v Speaker 2>those conversations in real time and watching Justice Katanji Brown

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<v Speaker 2>Jackson captivate the room. Rams and I had an opportunity

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<v Speaker 2>to have a conversation in real time, and I'm like, man,

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<v Speaker 2>I wish my daughter could see this. And as I

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<v Speaker 2>kind of scampered off to be on the spot security

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<v Speaker 2>for some people who were violating or trying to violate

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<v Speaker 2>rules that have been put into place, my brother, as usual,

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<v Speaker 2>saved the day and captured some allowable content for me

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<v Speaker 2>to share with my baby girl when I got home,

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<v Speaker 2>and that was, as you can imagine, a great moment

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<v Speaker 2>for me. So being able to see history happen in

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<v Speaker 2>real time is something that I hope is the norm

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<v Speaker 2>for us moving forward, because a lot of these things are,

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<v Speaker 2>as you can imagine, far overdue. We shouldn't still be

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<v Speaker 2>having the first black woman anything. But let's get them

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<v Speaker 2>all out of the way and you know, fast secession.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's have those things happen. The first black whatever you

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<v Speaker 2>can listen, especially the first black woman. I'd like to

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<v Speaker 2>see those things happen back to back to back to

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<v Speaker 2>back to back, because those celebrations feel a little bit

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<v Speaker 2>more special as those who are the reason we're here,

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<v Speaker 2>our leaders and our saviors in almost every instance is

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<v Speaker 2>the black woman. So being able to celebrate that moment

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<v Speaker 2>felt exceptionally and especially special.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, one of the things that happened over the week

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<v Speaker 1>and is us basking in the presence of black women

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<v Speaker 1>as leaders, black women as thinkers, as philosophers, as champions,

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<v Speaker 1>as heroes, and that spirit is the spirit out of

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<v Speaker 1>which this show was born. We've had to share that

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<v Speaker 1>story many times and we are continuing to celebrate that

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<v Speaker 1>spirit today with our guest. Now, before we get to

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<v Speaker 1>your story, let's talk about the NAACP a bit. So

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<v Speaker 1>for folks that may not know, you know that we

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<v Speaker 1>work in the allyship space and some people are just

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<v Speaker 1>coming to the table, talk a little bit about the

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<v Speaker 1>NAACP or NAACP as it's now referred, What is it,

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<v Speaker 1>what does it do? And then of course talk about

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<v Speaker 1>your position as the president of the Arizona in AACP.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, I still call it the end of ACP

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<v Speaker 3>as well. So the end of ACP was founded in

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<v Speaker 3>nineteen oh nine. We just celebrated our one hundred and

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<v Speaker 3>fifteenth year this year. But we are a civil rights

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<v Speaker 3>advocacy organization. We don't do legal representation. I think there's

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<v Speaker 3>a common misconception that people think that they can come

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<v Speaker 3>and will support them legally, but that's not something that

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<v Speaker 3>we do. We do, however, connect folks, community members to

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<v Speaker 3>allied lawyers, other civil rights lawyers that we do partner

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<v Speaker 3>with sometimes if they have housing issues, education discrimination right

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<v Speaker 3>we're facing a lot of that here in Arizona as well,

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<v Speaker 3>and really across the country if we think about the

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<v Speaker 3>voucher program and moving back to segregation of schools and

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<v Speaker 3>so our job really is to support the community and

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<v Speaker 3>uplifting their voices when they're not able to do it

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<v Speaker 3>for themselves.

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<v Speaker 1>Fantastic, So do us a favorite talk a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>about your background. You shared a bit when we when

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<v Speaker 1>we first got on, but talk a little bit about

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<v Speaker 1>your background and kind of what led you to becoming

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<v Speaker 1>the president of the ME because that's a huge deal.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a huge deal and for those that don't know,

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<v Speaker 1>we do work all across the country, of course, but

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<v Speaker 1>Arizona is a swing state. Arizona is a state that

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<v Speaker 1>is it's sort of like the Florida of the West coast,

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<v Speaker 1>and that there's a lot of strange things that happen

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<v Speaker 1>here and politically we find ourselves in headlines quite a bit.

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<v Speaker 1>So insofar as the NAACP is concerned, it is definitely

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<v Speaker 1>a factor out here, perhaps the most established civil rights

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<v Speaker 1>advocacy group in the country period, but certainly in the state.

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<v Speaker 1>So tell us how your path led you there? Is

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<v Speaker 1>this something that you always had your eyes on? Is

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<v Speaker 1>this you know? And because we talked to allies again

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<v Speaker 1>and people that want change and sometimes they have to

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<v Speaker 1>be the change. And so I feel like folks could

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<v Speaker 1>find a lot of inspiration in your story. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>So what a lot of folks don't know is that

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<v Speaker 3>I'm bi racial and I was raised by a white

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<v Speaker 3>mother who essentially was racist, right. She really raised me

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<v Speaker 3>to believe that black and brown people were plagues on society,

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<v Speaker 3>that all we did was about the government were lazy,

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<v Speaker 3>and I kind of not kind of, but I did.

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<v Speaker 3>I grew up with like this identity crisis, viewing myself

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<v Speaker 3>and my habits as a white person probably into my

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<v Speaker 3>early twenties. And then that partner that I mentioned earlier

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<v Speaker 3>was incarcerated at the time, and so being married to

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<v Speaker 3>that person really opened my eyes into what the justice

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<v Speaker 3>system is really truly like. And so from there, I

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<v Speaker 3>think it just kind of propelled me into this wanting

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<v Speaker 3>to do work for former offenders, formerly incarcerated people, being

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<v Speaker 3>with our community. So when I came back to Arizona,

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<v Speaker 3>I am a part of the West Valley Writer Die

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<v Speaker 3>and I started out in twenty twenty as their Criminal

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<v Speaker 3>Justice Chair and moved into a vice president role, and

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<v Speaker 3>then last year myself and Bishop Anthony Holt ran for

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<v Speaker 3>the state conference as the president and vice president and

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<v Speaker 3>he was elected as the president, me as the vice president,

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<v Speaker 3>and he had some health things that he needed to

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<v Speaker 3>take care of, and so I ascended into the role

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<v Speaker 3>of president. It's one that's very important to me as

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<v Speaker 3>I'm the first female president for the Arizona ENDAACP and

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<v Speaker 3>also the youngest at thirty six, So it's an honor

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<v Speaker 3>and even though times are heavy sometimes, it's something that

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<v Speaker 3>I love doing. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>What we've noticed in our.

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<v Speaker 2>Partnership with our legacy civil rights organizations is that a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of the leadership is not young. Talk to us

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit about how important that has been for

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<v Speaker 2>you to be. You know, in a lot of instance,

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<v Speaker 2>it's one of the younger leaders across the country, regardless

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<v Speaker 2>of the organization, The responsibility that you now hold, and

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<v Speaker 2>what that feels like being a young woman leader, someone

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<v Speaker 2>who we will refer to as royalty around here, as

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<v Speaker 2>a as a young leader coming into this new space.

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<v Speaker 2>Tell us a little bit about how that's been for

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<v Speaker 2>you and how you see that moving forward.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah. So, you know, historically folks are in leadership spaces

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<v Speaker 3>or a decade plus, and the way that I view

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<v Speaker 3>it is that you're not allowing the next generation to

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<v Speaker 3>come in and experience leadership. We're not doing succession planning

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<v Speaker 3>things like that. And so I kind of felt like

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<v Speaker 3>coming in as the first woman and being somebody under

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<v Speaker 3>forty was going to be a bit hard. Maybe I

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<v Speaker 3>wasn't going to be able to garner the respect that

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<v Speaker 3>I feel I have earned, not just by being an

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<v Speaker 3>upstanding citizen. But you know, I was deployed to Iraq

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<v Speaker 3>by the time I was seventeen, and I've seen more

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<v Speaker 3>things than a lot of people have, and so honestly though,

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<v Speaker 3>it has been I think a journey because there are

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<v Speaker 3>folks who've been in seats for a long time who

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<v Speaker 3>were ready to sit down but didn't have somebody to

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<v Speaker 3>step in into that role. And then there are folks

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<v Speaker 3>who aren't ready to sit down. So we're kind of

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<v Speaker 3>bridging that gap between our our elders and Gen X

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<v Speaker 3>Gen A. So millennials are doing what we can.

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<v Speaker 1>So here's something that I thought was interesting, the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the end of the NAACP, sorry, is a nonpartisan

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<v Speaker 1>talk to us about well, how about this? Is it

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<v Speaker 1>difficult to guide the NAACP as a bipart bipartisan organization

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<v Speaker 1>where many of the pursuits of the organization are based

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<v Speaker 1>on left leaning views left leaning.

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<v Speaker 3>Ideas, Yeah, absolutely, So I wouldn't say that we consider

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<v Speaker 3>ourselves bipartisan because that means we're acknowledging that there are

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<v Speaker 3>only two parties, right, and there are multiple, So we are, yes,

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<v Speaker 3>we are a non partisan organization. However, as President Johnson

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<v Speaker 3>has said, we are political as hell, and it is

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<v Speaker 3>sometimes a struggle for us to remain neutral because you're right,

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<v Speaker 3>a lot of the things that we're advocating for are

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<v Speaker 3>left leaning and so when I have young people that

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<v Speaker 3>are coming to me and saying, like, why can't we

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<v Speaker 3>say that we support candidate A, and that candidate be

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<v Speaker 3>is you know, doing harm to our community? My response

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<v Speaker 3>to them is talk about the issues. Right, if we

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<v Speaker 3>talk about the issues and we don't talk about the candidate,

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<v Speaker 3>we can we can get the message across to all

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<v Speaker 3>of our people that what's really happening, And the thing

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<v Speaker 3>that we need to focus on is the issues, not

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<v Speaker 3>the person, because the person will go away, right if

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<v Speaker 3>it's four years or it's eight years, But once that

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<v Speaker 3>person is done, that person is gone, but the issues

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<v Speaker 3>still remain. And so really our focus is to just

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<v Speaker 3>really edge kate young people, old people, middle aged people

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<v Speaker 3>on the issues that are impacting our community as a whole.

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<v Speaker 2>In this season of Donald Trump. How much more difficult

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<v Speaker 2>is remaining in that position when there's such an when

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<v Speaker 2>there's such a forwardly aggressive threat on all of the

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<v Speaker 2>things that are the ideals that we collectively believe in,

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<v Speaker 2>the things that the nd OFACP has been fighting for

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<v Speaker 2>for you know, decades now, When when faced with Trump

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<v Speaker 2>supporters or when trying to remain nonpartisan in neutral how

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<v Speaker 2>much more difficult.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry.

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<v Speaker 2>Has this season made that even when, like you said,

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<v Speaker 2>speak about the issues, well, when disinformation and misinformation that

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<v Speaker 2>becomes so prevalent, sure, how much more difficult has that

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<v Speaker 2>made the position that you sit in?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah? Honestly, I don't even think it's disinformation or misinformation

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<v Speaker 3>at this point. It's outright lives. Okay, Right, you're intentionally lying,

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<v Speaker 3>You're intentionally stoking fear into people, because that's how you

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<v Speaker 3>control folks, is fear and control. So I would say that, yes,

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<v Speaker 3>it's been difficult. I don't know that I would say

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<v Speaker 3>it's more difficult necessarily because the average person isn't tyvically

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<v Speaker 3>engaged the way that they need to be. Right, Civic

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<v Speaker 3>engagement isn't just during election time. It's what happens after

0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:30.960
<v Speaker 3>election time. It's holding people accountable, it's following the bills

0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:36.239
<v Speaker 3>that are being put forth, it's looking at their voting records,

0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:40.480
<v Speaker 3>knowing what a governor does, what a school board member does,

0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:44.640
<v Speaker 3>and so we don't. We're just not as engaged as

0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:47.400
<v Speaker 3>we need to be. So, yes, it's difficult because there

0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:53.000
<v Speaker 3>are outright lies, and also really we just need to

0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:56.720
<v Speaker 3>do better about educating the voter that's it.

0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:01.720
<v Speaker 1>Now, talk to me a little bit about this is

0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:04.760
<v Speaker 1>something that you and I brush up against. Talk to

0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:14.800
<v Speaker 1>me about the black men who have been vocal in

0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:20.080
<v Speaker 1>their opposition to a Kamala Harris presidency. Now you don't

0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.920
<v Speaker 1>have to say, sure, what you can't say, but who

0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:28.160
<v Speaker 1>are these people? What are their grievances? And if they

0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:32.880
<v Speaker 1>come to you for clarity or understanding, what do you

0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:33.480
<v Speaker 1>say to them?

0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:37.880
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, So we were just talking about CBC off air

0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:40.680
<v Speaker 3>and in my time there, I had a cab driver

0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:44.440
<v Speaker 3>who was an older black man, and we were talking

0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:46.720
<v Speaker 3>about all the folks who are here because of the election.

0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:49.080
<v Speaker 3>And so he asked me who I was voting for,

0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:52.600
<v Speaker 3>and I said who I was voting for? And he

0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:56.120
<v Speaker 3>said that the other candidate was better for business. And

0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:59.240
<v Speaker 3>I asked how, and he said, well, he's just better

0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:01.760
<v Speaker 3>for business. I had money in my bank account, and

0:16:02.040 --> 0:16:07.720
<v Speaker 3>well he's that person has bankrupted multiple businesses, right, and

0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:15.040
<v Speaker 3>that person is dangerous to our community, to multiple communities. Well,

0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:17.800
<v Speaker 3>that person is good for business, and so that's why

0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:20.440
<v Speaker 3>they have my votes. And so for me, it's the

0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:24.520
<v Speaker 3>conversation really is just I want to vote for the

0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:29.520
<v Speaker 3>candidate who supports humanity, right, Like, that's it. I'm going

0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:32.960
<v Speaker 3>to support humanity over a business any day, because businesses

0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:38.080
<v Speaker 3>are formed and they're lost, and nonetheless they're created by us.

0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.400
<v Speaker 3>It's not the other way around. So I think that's

0:16:41.400 --> 0:16:43.400
<v Speaker 3>one of the conversations that we have. But also, you know,

0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:48.480
<v Speaker 3>I hear sometimes that people are really focused on the

0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:52.760
<v Speaker 3>stimulus check that we got in twenty twenty, which so weird.

0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:56.080
<v Speaker 3>Let's talk about it though, for two things real quick.

0:16:56.120 --> 0:17:01.880
<v Speaker 3>The first is that as former President Trump was in office,

0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:05.679
<v Speaker 3>Congress wanted to put forth the stimulation to help the economy,

0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:09.320
<v Speaker 3>and present former President Trump said no, he was against

0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:12.440
<v Speaker 3>the stimulation. But Congress has the power, and so they

0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:16.240
<v Speaker 3>made sure that the economy had what they needed during

0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:19.119
<v Speaker 3>COVID and and really the second piece of that is,

0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:24.919
<v Speaker 3>if you're if you're basing, you're basing an entire vote

0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:28.720
<v Speaker 3>on something that happened four years ago for sixteen hundred dollars.

0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:32.600
<v Speaker 3>That's only seventy five cents a day. Dollars, yeah, twelve

0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:36.040
<v Speaker 3>hundred dollars. Excuse me, seventy five cents a day. You're

0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:38.160
<v Speaker 3>you're voting for somebody because they gave you seventy five

0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:38.600
<v Speaker 3>cents a day.

0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:43.800
<v Speaker 1>Can I add something here? Yeah, if that's true, and

0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:47.240
<v Speaker 1>people want to vote because I can say it, And

0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:50.000
<v Speaker 1>people want to vote for Donald Trump because he gave

0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:53.680
<v Speaker 1>them a stimulus check. As you mentioned, it wasn't Donald Trump,

0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:56.679
<v Speaker 1>they gave him a stimulus check. Second thing is he

0:17:56.760 --> 0:18:03.640
<v Speaker 1>actually delayed the stimulus checks from getting sent out because

0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:07.120
<v Speaker 1>even though it wasn't his idea, he wanted his name

0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:09.080
<v Speaker 1>to go on the check correct, so that it would

0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.280
<v Speaker 1>have the very effect that it's having right now.

0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:13.000
<v Speaker 2>Clearly a very effective decision.

0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:16.119
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. And so to everyone that's listening to our voice,

0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:20.080
<v Speaker 1>where you might be considering that as your vote because

0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:22.840
<v Speaker 1>you got twelve hundred dollars once upon a time. A,

0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:25.639
<v Speaker 1>he didn't do it. B. He slowed it up so

0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:27.639
<v Speaker 1>he could put his name on it to trick you

0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:30.560
<v Speaker 1>and be and see it's working. So you might want

0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:32.680
<v Speaker 1>to rethink that if that's what you're hanging your hat

0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:34.840
<v Speaker 1>on in terms of why you're voting for him, right.

0:18:35.040 --> 0:18:36.280
<v Speaker 1>Just wanted to add that in.

0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:39.159
<v Speaker 3>There, absolutely, I think in the most layman terms is

0:18:39.760 --> 0:18:43.320
<v Speaker 3>you are at work, can you you know you accomplished

0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:46.080
<v Speaker 3>some task that was really big and a co worker

0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:49.840
<v Speaker 3>took credit for it, right, Like this is that he

0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:52.920
<v Speaker 3>didn't do it, he didn't want it, but he got

0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:55.440
<v Speaker 3>to put his name on it, and so now people

0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:56.639
<v Speaker 3>think that he is associated with it.

0:18:56.680 --> 0:18:59.080
<v Speaker 1>I bet he took it out of his billions of

0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:01.159
<v Speaker 1>dollars and just when we write a check to everyone

0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:02.000
<v Speaker 1>in the country.

0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:04.560
<v Speaker 2>Right, it was a group project and he got an.

0:19:04.480 --> 0:19:08.119
<v Speaker 3>A too, much like his high school record.

0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:18.080
<v Speaker 2>This particular moment in history, for me, carries a lot

0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:23.360
<v Speaker 2>of weight, and sometimes I know voice my fears out

0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.200
<v Speaker 2>loud on the show and to my brother Rams this

0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:31.320
<v Speaker 2>when we are just having private conversations. Every election cycle,

0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:34.480
<v Speaker 2>we are told that this is the most important election

0:19:34.600 --> 0:19:37.919
<v Speaker 2>of our lives. And the problem with that rhetoric is

0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:40.680
<v Speaker 2>when it is the most important election of your lives,

0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:44.439
<v Speaker 2>people don't tend to feel that sense of urgency that

0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:49.560
<v Speaker 2>you think those words should cause. In your opinion as

0:19:49.600 --> 0:19:54.160
<v Speaker 2>a participant, as an observer, is that sense of urgency

0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:57.119
<v Speaker 2>something that you feel and that you see those around

0:19:57.200 --> 0:20:00.199
<v Speaker 2>you share, or is that something that, like me, you're

0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:02.719
<v Speaker 2>looking around and realizing, Okay, the only person that seems

0:20:02.720 --> 0:20:06.520
<v Speaker 2>to be taking this serious is me.

0:20:06.840 --> 0:20:10.840
<v Speaker 3>Yeah. I think for me specifically, the urgency is there

0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:13.680
<v Speaker 3>but you have to also understand that I'm surrounding myself

0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:16.960
<v Speaker 3>with other politicos, right, and so we do understand the

0:20:17.080 --> 0:20:24.040
<v Speaker 3>urgency for this particular election because if a specific candidate wins,

0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:26.760
<v Speaker 3>there will be no democracy left, there will be no

0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:30.120
<v Speaker 3>country left. We will be shipped off to concentration camps

0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:38.760
<v Speaker 3>or shot dead. And so it's it's unfortunate that not

0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:41.120
<v Speaker 3>more people are engaged the way that we need them

0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:44.480
<v Speaker 3>to be so that they understand the urgency that we're facing.

0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:49.399
<v Speaker 3>But as I'm in community spaces, yeah, it's just me.

0:20:50.240 --> 0:20:55.280
<v Speaker 3>It's people just go on living their lives. And that's

0:20:55.400 --> 0:20:56.200
<v Speaker 3>that's where we're at.

0:20:57.280 --> 0:20:59.520
<v Speaker 1>We'll talk to us a little bit about let's let's

0:20:59.600 --> 0:21:03.080
<v Speaker 1>let's go back to the NAACP. Talk to us about

0:21:03.119 --> 0:21:08.320
<v Speaker 1>what the NAACP is is doing on the ground, not

0:21:08.320 --> 0:21:10.879
<v Speaker 1>not just in Arizona, but nationwide, because again there are

0:21:10.880 --> 0:21:12.159
<v Speaker 1>people that listen all over the country.

0:21:12.240 --> 0:21:15.479
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, absolutely, so national NAACP has taken the stands of

0:21:16.000 --> 0:21:19.960
<v Speaker 3>our goal this election is to preserve democracy. That is

0:21:20.000 --> 0:21:22.359
<v Speaker 3>our goal. Again, it's not about Canada a candidate b.

0:21:22.560 --> 0:21:24.760
<v Speaker 3>It's that we simply want to ensure that we have

0:21:24.840 --> 0:21:29.280
<v Speaker 3>a country to call home. Post November fifth, and so

0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:33.719
<v Speaker 3>all across the state, all across the country, there are

0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:37.199
<v Speaker 3>naacps that have put out candidate report cards, so you

0:21:37.200 --> 0:21:39.240
<v Speaker 3>can go to their website and you can see for

0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:44.120
<v Speaker 3>that state how they how they've rated candidates in their

0:21:44.160 --> 0:21:49.800
<v Speaker 3>state based on NAACP values. We are have been doing

0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:55.040
<v Speaker 3>vhoter registration, We're working on training up poll observers, making

0:21:55.080 --> 0:21:57.640
<v Speaker 3>sure that you know, our people are in those bases.

0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:01.879
<v Speaker 3>And I think one of the other things is that

0:22:01.920 --> 0:22:05.919
<v Speaker 3>the NAACP has been able to partner with LYFT and

0:22:06.000 --> 0:22:10.000
<v Speaker 3>getting folks to the pole. So you know, we're trying

0:22:10.400 --> 0:22:13.240
<v Speaker 3>in in all areas that we can to make sure

0:22:13.400 --> 0:22:17.879
<v Speaker 3>the areas the states that need the most support have it,

0:22:18.320 --> 0:22:21.160
<v Speaker 3>and thankfully Arizona is finally one of those states.

0:22:21.240 --> 0:22:26.280
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Yeah, I feel like for folks to know that

0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:28.800
<v Speaker 1>there are resources out there for you know, people who

0:22:28.840 --> 0:22:33.359
<v Speaker 1>listen to this show, for them to know that there's

0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:37.080
<v Speaker 1>infrastructure they can plug into. If you're in like Tupelo, Mississippi,

0:22:37.119 --> 0:22:40.040
<v Speaker 1>or if you're in Jacksonville, or if you're in you know,

0:22:40.400 --> 0:22:42.560
<v Speaker 1>pick a city in a state, you know, Cleveland, someplace

0:22:42.640 --> 0:22:47.000
<v Speaker 1>like that. If you're not connected to individuals or you

0:22:47.040 --> 0:22:50.680
<v Speaker 1>know an activist group. There's these legacy civil rights organizations

0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:55.520
<v Speaker 1>about NAACP that can help you mobilize, get you mobilized,

0:22:55.520 --> 0:22:58.000
<v Speaker 1>and get you involved in something that can make some

0:22:58.040 --> 0:22:59.960
<v Speaker 1>real change. So food for thought.