WEBVTT - Civic Cipher 101621 Queen YoNasDa 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:03.520 Welcome to another episode of Civic Cipher. I'm your host, 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.400 Ramsay's job. Big shout out to q Ward, who is 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:11.400 off this week, but that's all right, because true to form, 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:13.960 we are going to bring you all the things that 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:16.880 you may know and certainly some of the things that 0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:21.119 you don't know about life in black and brown America 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:25.000 and hopefully give you some perspective and create better allies 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:28.800 and more empowered individuals. Got a great show in store 0:00:28.840 --> 0:00:31.520 for you today, so be sure to stick around because 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:36.680 my guest is the one, the only Queen Ya Najaha, 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:41.040 and we're definitely going to get into all of her 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:44.519 activism past and present, and maybe even some things that 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:46.559 she's planning for the future, if she's willing to let 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:50.760 that out on the show here today. Also, we're going 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.200 to really stand in solidarity with our Native brothers and 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:57.720 sisters today, which is something that we don't often get 0:00:57.760 --> 0:00:59.760 to do here, but it's something that we very much 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:04.360 enjoy doing. You know, obviously, there's a lot of things 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:10.399 that affect indigenous folks and indigenous communities, and when we 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:13.759 can share this platform with our brothers and sisters from 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:17.679 those communities, we very much enjoy that later on in 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:19.560 the show, of course, our Way Black History Fact, we're 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:22.120 going to be taking a look at the history of 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:25.440 Indigenous people's day of course, with the help of our 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:28.360 guest Queen in Najaha and so plenty to stick around 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:32.679 for on today's episode of Civic Cipher. Now, with all 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:35.120 that in mind, I think it's time for us to 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:40.959 really get into our guest today a little bit more so, 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:46.800 let's talk about Well, before we get to that, let's 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:50.840 talk about some ebony excellence. How do you feel about that? Okay? 0:01:51.200 --> 0:01:53.800 All I do is when no matter what. 0:01:54.160 --> 0:02:01.040 So Queen, is there someone that you know that deserves 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:06.360 today's moment of celebration for their ebony excellence? 0:02:07.040 --> 0:02:10.160 You know, there's so many, but I wanted to shout 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:18.080 out Porsia Williams from Real Housewives of Atlanta. The reason 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:20.160 why I want to shout her out because if if 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:22.680 those that have watched Real Housewives of Atlanta, you know, 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:26.600 at the beginning of Porscha's career, she acts, you know, 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.800 wanted to know if the actual underground railroad was actually 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:33.040 a train track, you know. Okay, So you know a 0:02:33.080 --> 0:02:36.840 lot of people thought she was ditsy and didn't very uneducated, 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:41.320 even though she's the granddaughter of a civil rights civil 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:44.600 rights Uh what, Josea Josea Williams. 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:46.440 She's the granddaughter of Josea. Yes. 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:52.760 And but I met Porsia last summer and after I 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:57.000 organized a huge marching in Atlanta, Georgia at the CNN 0:02:57.080 --> 0:03:00.919 building in solidarity for George Floyd, and she reached out 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:03.839 to me and she DM me and said, I want 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:05.119 to go everywhere you go. 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:07.919 And she said, I love what you're doing. 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:10.720 And so that day I actually was meeting with the 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:14.120 Mayor's office in Atlanta, Georgia with the help of t I, 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:16.400 and I said, you know what, come with me to 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:19.480 this meeting. So she came with me to the meeting 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:23.520 and she all, I mean so educated. She had all 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:26.840 of the demands from a lot of the activists and 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:30.040 community people that she reached out to, of demands to 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:32.760 present to the mayor. Mind you, she was not prepped 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:36.560 for this meeting. She but she prepped herself. And ever 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:40.800 since then, Porscha has been on the front lines for 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:47.200 for human rights. Porscha was right there getting arrested in Louisville, Kentucky, 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:50.600 when we was bringing awareness on Breonna Taylor Porsia is 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:54.720 She's like, use me, and not not just with myself 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:57.480 as an activist, but as well as so many activists. 0:03:57.480 --> 0:04:00.560 She's like, use me, use me to bring a awareness 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:03.760 on what's happening because I have a platform. So I 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:06.240 want to shout out my sister in a movement, Porsia 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:10.120 from Real Housewives of Atlanta, that is using her platform 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:13.160 and her celebrity, you know, to be able to make 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:13.760 a difference. 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.680 Absolutely, I love that and that it certainly is an 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:18.960 example of ebony excellence if I've ever heard of it. 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:23.800 So well done, Portia, and certainly someone to model yourself after, 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:28.760 certainly if you aren't as familiar with your history or 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:31.680 with how we got to where we are. It's those 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:33.920 folks that really take the reins of their own lives 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:36.240 and their own education and really do the deep dive 0:04:36.279 --> 0:04:39.280 and then are motivated to do something with that information 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.720 that are celebrated around here. So once again, hats off 0:04:41.720 --> 0:04:44.719 to Portia, shout out to Porsia. So now I know 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:48.560 this is a bit unorthodox because we haven't really done 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:52.280 a formal introduction of you just yet, and I think 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:55.360 now is the time to do that. Okay, but Before 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:59.200 we get there, I want to talk about how you 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:04.520 got to being you. And the truth is your mother 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:09.800 raised you up in this way. So let's talk about 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:10.839 your mother, if we may. 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:14.640 You know one that a lone Wolf was an amazing 0:05:14.720 --> 0:05:18.080 motivational speaker, activist, organizer. 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:21.200 She's from pine Ary, South Dakota. She's Ogola, Lakota. 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:25.279 She ended up getting she ended up being the first 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:28.120 Native American to work for NBC. So she went through 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:30.760 the residential school, the boarding school. 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:32.280 You know, horror, you know of that. 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:36.000 And then NBC was looking out for looking on the 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:39.359 reservations and seeing anyone that had a bachelor's degree in 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:42.320 mass communications, and my mother did, and so she was 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:44.840 like this opportunity to get off the res and go 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:48.880 to the concrete jungle of New York. When she was 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:52.400 in New York, she met Muhammad Ali, and Muhammad Ali 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:56.080 offered Muhammad Ali and Don King offered her a job 0:05:56.480 --> 0:05:59.360 to be the public relations director for Don King Enterprises. 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:03.080 So she was the woman, the pr the marketing behind 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:05.680 the Thrilla of Manila, the rumble in the Jungle. It's 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:07.960 not like Muhammad Ali needed the help. But you know 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:09.000 it wasn't just him. 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:09.400 It was. 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:12.919 It was my mother that helped put together. And she 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:14.760 also put together you know, I don't know if you 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:19.000 remember a major concert that happened in Africa during I 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:21.320 believe it was the Rumble in the Jungle and it 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:26.200 was it was Cecilia Crew Cruise and yeah, and then 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:28.640 it was Jim's James Brown and it was all of that. 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.400 My mom organized that and put that all to help 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:35.080 put that together because that was also around the time 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:38.839 of Muhammad Ali's fight and so so yeah, so she 0:06:39.120 --> 0:06:41.680 here she is working for Muhammad Ali and then that's 0:06:41.680 --> 0:06:44.000 when she met the honorable minslu Was far Khan Okay 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:47.919 and and so she met my father. My father is 0:06:48.000 --> 0:06:50.920 black from Brooklyn, New York, a fine artist. But what 0:06:50.920 --> 0:06:53.400 my mother did not know was the fact that he 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:57.040 used to get money illegally in different various ways. And 0:06:57.080 --> 0:07:01.720 so from there she now she was on the run 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:05.280 from the Feds because of association or her tie with 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:08.400 my with my father and because he ended up going 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:11.360 to federal prison. So at this time, Muhammad Ali has 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:15.119 retired and and now she's on a run from the Feds. 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:17.920 And so Minister Lewis Farakhan the amble, Miss Louis Farakhan 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:20.320 reached out to my mother and said, you know, I 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:23.560 want you to help me to be able to engage 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.559 and have Native Americans, you know, to come and and 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:29.160 and what what we can do to support to to 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:33.440 create that alliance between black and Native people, because what 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:35.680 a lot of people do not know or do know 0:07:35.720 --> 0:07:38.880 in the Nation of Islam teachings, it talks about how 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:44.360 the original people are Black and Native American here and 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:47.160 that not one and the same, but the original people 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:49.360 are black and Native, and that we have to be 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:52.680 able to uh to unite and understand each other, you know, 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.280 in that way, and and our unity is very important, 0:07:55.400 --> 0:08:00.760 especially here in North America. And so my mother now 0:08:00.880 --> 0:08:05.240 working for helping the honorable mans Louis Fara Khan rebuild 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:08.640 the Nation of Islam from the Honorbiarlaje Muhammad of that time. 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:14.120 So of course, you know, the FBI was on all over. 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:18.240 So we ended up he ended up moving us here 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:22.000 to Phoenix, Arizona in nineteen It was about nineteen eighty 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:25.720 three eighty four. We ended up coming here and I 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:30.040 remember as a child living on South Phoenix seeing you know, 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.480 guys in suits following me to school in their car 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:36.560 you know, and I was like, who are these people? 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:39.200 And my mom teaching me what a bug was, you 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:42.840 know that was maybe in the house or something like that. Yeah, 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:47.320 And so I learned very very early about surveillance and 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:51.320 co intel pro and my mother ended up working with 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:55.600 the Minister far Khan but also General Mumar Kadaffi in Libya. 0:08:55.800 --> 0:08:56.160 Wow. 0:08:56.280 --> 0:09:00.360 Yeah, And because Moumar Kadaffi had a huge love affair 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:04.040 for all indigenous people, especially in North America, Canada and 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:07.840 Latin South America and the Caribbean. He believed that with 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:10.600 our power and our unity and our influence, that if 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:13.520 we had some financial backing, we can be able to 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:16.240 build our own and have our own and that Native 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:19.520 American tribes don't have to beg this government for funding, 0:09:20.120 --> 0:09:22.720 you know, we could also being sovereign, we could practice 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:26.760 that sovereignty and get funding from international resources. So it 0:09:26.800 --> 0:09:31.960 was people like Clyde Belcourt and Wessel Means and my 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:35.440 mother and so many warrior women, Chief Ernie Longwalker, you know, 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.040 that was going out to Libya, and my mom was 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:42.319 organ the woman behind organizing all of these Native Americans 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:47.720 and Mexican you know, Mexicans and other Latino indigenous people 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:51.200 from South America to go go to Libya. So they 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.960 was going to these indigenous conferences while that was happening. 0:09:56.440 --> 0:10:01.080 FBI was huge on finding out, Okay, what is going 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:03.560 on here because if if we remember in the eighties, 0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:08.800 Kadafi was America's number one enemy. Yeah, and then Kadaffi 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:12.920 was giving out money to a lot of organizations, from 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:18.280 the Black Panthers to other organizations all across the United States. 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:20.640 So people are getting money left and right from Kadaffi 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:25.280 in the eighties. And so the FBI when my mom 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:28.120 went to my mother because she already did two years 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:30.440 from the you know, the prior offense with my father, 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:34.160 but she did uh six months in jail and so 0:10:34.240 --> 0:10:36.720 now she's on i think probation or something like that. 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:40.439 And they went to my mother and they was like. 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:46.319 We we we would like for you to be an 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:51.199 informant for us right against the honorable menslus Finn and 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:54.760 the Nation of Islam. And because we're trying to shut 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.280 this down. We're trying to shut down the Nation of Islam. 0:10:57.559 --> 0:10:59.520 This is during the time in South Phoenix there was 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:02.400 a there's a huge house of the honor Reilaja Mohammas 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:05.280 which is called the Phoenix Palace. And my mother and 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:09.080 my aunt Maria were the ones rebuilding this Phoenix Palace. 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:11.040 And then next to that, next to her is a 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:14.360 small house called the Indian House. So they was rebuilding this. 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:14.760 And so. 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:19.599 My mother was like, no, I am not going to 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:22.480 be an informant, you know, and she was just like, 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:24.640 I no, I'm not. So what they did. 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:26.960 They ended up they ended up getting in it an 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:31.040 FBI agent to act undercover, to act like a construction worker. 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:36.120 And she's paying these construction workers, you know, she's paying 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:38.920 them with her person, her checking account. And so they 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:41.640 came to her and said, you know what, you are 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.280 looking at four years in prison for to seven years 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:46.559 in prison because of the fact that you are on probation, 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:49.360 you're not supposed to have a checking account. And so 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.680 my mother ended up going with It was a huge 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:56.120 trial in Vegas and my mother ended up doing seven 0:11:56.200 --> 0:11:59.480 years in prison. She did those seven years because she 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:02.120 would not being informant, you know, she would not go 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:06.040 against her values ten toes down. So I'm trying to 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:07.760 make this fast, but I'm working on trying to get 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:10.439 a movie made on my mom's life. But but what 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:13.520 happened was is that so honorable menslus Far Khan adopted 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:16.679 me and my brother. We left here Phoenix, Arizona and 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:19.480 went out to Chicago. And I was raised by the 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:22.679 honorable menslus Fara Khan in Chicago. And his family is 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:27.600 they're all their aunts, uncles, ground, but he's grandpa to me. Yeah, yeah, 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.640 he's that. And and so when my mother came out 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.480 of prison, you know, at Fort Worth, Texas. She was 0:12:33.520 --> 0:12:36.360 in a federal penitentiary in Fort Worth, Texas. When she 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:40.439 came back here to Arizona, she went straight into behavioral 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.720 health and trying to get Native Americans off of drugs 0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:46.080 and alcohol and as well it was a huge gang 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:49.240 culture in the nineties, you know. And so with that 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:55.079 she was using that same activism, that same fears, that 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:57.520 organizing and all of that to be able to go 0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:00.880 into health and wellness for black Back and Brown and 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:04.040 Native people here locally and not just locally but also 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:09.440 regionally and and and then later nationally. She was part 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:12.120 of making making sure that we had a Native i 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:15.199 mean doctor Markuth the King Holiday here in Phoenix, Arizona. 0:13:15.360 --> 0:13:18.760 And and that's in that tie was because she already 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:22.839 had a lot of friends in the sports industry. She 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:25.880 went to that team, to the team, the two opposing 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:30.000 teams for the Super Bowl, and said, you all boycott this. 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:34.120 So if both of you all bought the two teams 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:36.920 boycott Arizona coming to the Super Bowl, that you will 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:39.720 not play unless there's a doctor mark the King Holiday, 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:42.520 you know. And so because of her sport, you know, 0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:44.920 knowledge with Muhammad Ali and all of that, you know, 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:47.760 that was able to that was you know, we we 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:51.559 made it happen. And then from there she was she 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.600 ended up becoming president of Native American Recognition Days here 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:58.800 she's here in Phoenix, Arizona. She was working for now 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.400 it's called Native Connects. At the time it was Indian 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:05.840 Rehabilitation Center. Now Native Connections is a huge behavioral health 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:12.120 center for Native Americans here locally in Arizona. And so 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:14.439 she was a part of the growth of that. And 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:17.640 she's started the Children of Color Parade with the City 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:20.640 of Phoenix and a lot of other programming. And my 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:23.240 mother passed of lung cancer in two thousand and three. 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:26.640 But she gave us, I would say, she gave the 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:31.560 city of Phoenix grace and beautiful preparation for that because 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:35.080 during that time she the Arizona Republic followed her entire 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:38.520 journey while she was battling lung cancer. 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:41.520 So amazing, amazing, amazing. 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:46.080 Absolutely, I'm so glad I asked that question. I really 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:49.680 feel like I got because I knew that your mother 0:14:49.920 --> 0:14:52.560 was someone who was extremely influential, but I didn't know 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:58.600 to what degree. Yeah, so that that certainly helps establish 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:05.120 the legacy of you, queen Ya Najah. And so you know, 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:08.480 I don't want to take a moment. We are we 0:15:08.800 --> 0:15:13.640 We just got picked up in and spoke Cane Washington, 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:22.080 h K Y R, S F M. And we we 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:25.880 just got picked up in Rochester as well Detroit. More recently, 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.920 we've made announcements on our social media, so a lot 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:33.120 of cities that you know, truth told, all of these 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:37.920 lands were once belonged to indigenous people. Some would argue 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:39.960 should still belong to you, you know, with the whole 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:44.840 land back movement and all that. And I don't want 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.520 to pigeonhole you at all, but I want to set 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:51.320 you up because I really need people to know who 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:53.280 are listening to this show that haven't heard about you, 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:56.560 haven't haven't seen you I need them to know the 0:15:56.680 --> 0:15:59.560 caliber of guests we have here today. So let me 0:15:59.600 --> 0:16:04.600 start now. I will say this, I have known Queen 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:08.560 Ya Najaha for many years as a broadcaster where we 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:12.400 both once lived in Phoenix, Arizona. You now reside in 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:18.560 Atlanta where q Q is, but as a longtime broadcaster, 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:22.360 she's been on the radio with me before, but also 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.840 at different events on the streets having to do with it, 0:16:27.920 --> 0:16:33.640 could be remoter registration, you know, events related to indigenous populations, 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:36.760 black populations, and so forth, hip hop as well, hip 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:40.480 hop as well. Absolutely shout out to Cappadonna. Yeah, one 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:48.240 time and the whole WU tank Land. But now in 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:52.200 the past, i'd say maybe certainly the last ten years, 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:57.880 but longer than that, just a national presence. I'm so 0:16:58.080 --> 0:17:01.000 proud of you, the move movement that you've made. I've 0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:05.080 seen you for the Dakota Access pipeline on the ground 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:07.160 up there. Of course in Atlanta, we're going to talk 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.119 about all the stuff that you've done in Atlanta. I 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:13.520 want to say, ah Mad Aubrey when his when his 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:17.280 family before they went to the media, I think they 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:20.960 went to you, right, that was in Where was that 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:24.040 based in Georgia. That was in Georgia, okay. And and 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:29.639 these these neat not neat, but these little moments that 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:33.480 kind of create the timeline that has led up to 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:37.040 twenty twenty last year and then you know, on into 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:39.480 today and of course into the future. But these little 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:43.040 events that kind of was the ground swell leading up 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:48.200 to George Floyd. You were there on the front lines 0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:51.359 in talking to the cameras with all these people, and 0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:57.920 you represented black women never never not that, Yeah, Indigenous women, 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:06.040 never not that. And I believe your background is a 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:12.200 Muslim woman, yes, and so never never that never took 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:16.640 a back seat either. And that's such a powerful intersection 0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:22.639 of people who have had i'll put it kindly challenges 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:28.480 in this country, and in my opinion, not only have 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:31.200 you handled it with grace and POI all these these 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:35.240 opportunities that you have to go and council families or 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:39.600 deal with you know, political you know, in the political arena, 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:43.280 or engage with politics, or you know, create reform or 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:48.200 whatever it is that you're doing, but also moving with 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:53.480 a firm hand because a lot of times that's that's 0:18:53.560 --> 0:18:57.240 very important. And so I didn't want to tell your story, 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:01.200 but I feel like I got a good amount of it, 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:03.040 but I know I left a lot off off the 0:19:03.080 --> 0:19:06.760 table too. So you did mention. You know you have 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:10.280 a background, you know, related to hip hop. I'd love 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:11.680 for you to talk about that a bit before we 0:19:11.760 --> 0:19:13.560 go into some of the work that you're doing now. 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:15.400 So the day I fell in love with hip hop, 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.639 let's talk about it. Yeah, was you know when my 0:19:19.760 --> 0:19:22.000 mother was on the run from the FEDSKA. You know, 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:23.800 there was a period she did go on a run. 0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:27.800 So that's why always say I'm from everywhere. But you know, 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:31.760 we was in la Venice Beach and I'm seeing it 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:35.560 was rock Steady cou Crew West Coast, and I'm seeing 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:39.200 them just being free with this like with this music 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:42.520 that sounds so revolutionary. Now mind you you know the 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:47.320 climate now my I'm my mother was freedom fighter, run 0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:50.720 from the Feds. We're around you know, major freedom fighters. 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:55.200 You know Kwame Torre, you know Caesar Shavez. The list 0:19:55.280 --> 0:19:58.520 goes on and on, Jesse Jackson, so many people. So 0:19:59.080 --> 0:20:02.040 I'm a young girl, this is before social media. My 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:06.800 mom didn't give me the IBAD. My experience was being 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:09.639 at the couch, being at the foot of all of 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:11.879 these elders and just listening to them talk about how 0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:12.960 they're going to change the world. 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:13.800 And so. 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:18.240 They're older than me, but I saw people that were 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:24.560 around my age that was also being very revolutionizing a 0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:28.040 new culture and talking about but in a hip hop 0:20:28.160 --> 0:20:32.560 form of things that I'm hearing Minister Farkhan talk about that, 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:34.800 I'm hearing Caesar Shi that talk about. You know. 0:20:35.119 --> 0:20:37.080 The list goes on and I'm like, wow, and it's 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:39.200 to a beat. I love hip hop. 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:41.720 You know, That's how I fell in love with hip 0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:44.680 hop because it was relatable to what I was going through. 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:47.800 And there's there's another part of this too, is that 0:20:49.359 --> 0:20:56.440 in all of your interactions on the ground, maybe not all, 0:20:56.800 --> 0:21:00.119 but certainly in a good number that I've seen over 0:21:00.160 --> 0:21:02.520 the years. Of course, I can't name all the names 0:21:02.920 --> 0:21:05.240 just you know, some of the incidents will escape me. 0:21:06.640 --> 0:21:11.879 But you've managed to continue to not only cultivate your 0:21:11.960 --> 0:21:19.440 relationship with hip hop, but also compel these artists to 0:21:21.760 --> 0:21:24.080 come and contribute and be a part of it. You know, 0:21:24.200 --> 0:21:26.480 you mentioned Ti earlier, and I know that you have 0:21:26.640 --> 0:21:29.159 a very storied history with the Wu Tang clas and 0:21:29.280 --> 0:21:29.760 so forth. 0:21:30.440 --> 0:21:31.760 So it's important. 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:34.960 It's it's really important because, like I said, I gravitated 0:21:35.280 --> 0:21:37.800 towards hip hop because I was in the movement. 0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:39.879 I was, I'm a movement baby, you know. 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:43.600 And so, but then that vice versa that has to 0:21:43.640 --> 0:21:47.720 flip around is we know, rap music is a reflection. 0:21:47.800 --> 0:21:48.920 It's the news of the hood. 0:21:49.400 --> 0:21:51.199 It's now it's the news of the body, or it's 0:21:51.240 --> 0:21:53.240 the news of the rads, it's the news of Japan 0:21:53.400 --> 0:21:57.360 and all everywhere, you know. And so, but the culture 0:21:57.359 --> 0:22:01.119 of hip hop is is now a baby version of 0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:05.560 culture of whatever demographic we come from, you know. And 0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:11.600 so I started rapping. I started rapping. I released two albums. 0:22:11.640 --> 0:22:13.760 I went on tour with Wu Tang Clan. I went 0:22:13.800 --> 0:22:17.359 on tour with Red and Meth, and I was on 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:19.560 the Rock the Bells tour, did some of the dates 0:22:19.600 --> 0:22:22.400 on the Rock the Bells tour opening up for Red 0:22:22.440 --> 0:22:25.399 and Red and Meth. You know, an immortal Technique. I 0:22:25.920 --> 0:22:30.680 did some stuff with him, and and every opportunity I got, 0:22:31.200 --> 0:22:34.720 I was like, y'all need to come and speak here, 0:22:35.320 --> 0:22:37.760 you know. And I always was pushing on them to 0:22:37.960 --> 0:22:41.840 not just use their influence in music, but also to 0:22:42.320 --> 0:22:46.040 get back to using that same influence to make differences, 0:22:46.760 --> 0:22:49.120 you know, make a change. And I'm a huge advocate 0:22:49.200 --> 0:22:51.399 on that. And artists that do not want to do that. 0:22:51.560 --> 0:22:54.400 I don't care who you are. If you don't want 0:22:54.400 --> 0:22:57.159 to do that, then I don't deal with you, you know. 0:22:57.359 --> 0:23:01.320 I look at everyone that is like, that's about the movement, 0:23:01.400 --> 0:23:05.480 whatever it is. So we did something here locally, which 0:23:05.720 --> 0:23:08.000 was I mean, I believe that we made history. Myself 0:23:08.080 --> 0:23:10.960 and DJ John Blaze, I had this idea. I was like, 0:23:11.119 --> 0:23:14.280 we need to It was during the SB ten seventy 0:23:14.760 --> 0:23:17.920 bill that was signed, remember yeah, And I was all 0:23:18.040 --> 0:23:20.960 like Blaze because Blaze just got for tour with me 0:23:21.640 --> 0:23:24.120 with Ray Kwan on the bill for Cuban Leak's two tour. 0:23:24.240 --> 0:23:27.040 He just got for tour with me. I'm still in Molde, 0:23:27.280 --> 0:23:31.480 you know. And I was like, Blaze, let's let's do 0:23:31.960 --> 0:23:34.280 by the time I get to Arizona, let's do our remix. 0:23:34.680 --> 0:23:38.520 So I posted on social media and shout out to 0:23:39.320 --> 0:23:42.320 talib Quali, but he reached out said I want to 0:23:42.359 --> 0:23:42.720 get on it. 0:23:42.800 --> 0:23:44.399 I said, Tlib, I'm sorry. 0:23:45.280 --> 0:23:47.680 Even immortal technique I want to get I said, I'm sorry, No, 0:23:48.160 --> 0:23:51.800 it's just going to be Arizona artists because we're here 0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:55.359 in Arizona, we're having to deal with this, you know. 0:23:56.040 --> 0:23:59.480 You I need people need to hear what Arizona hip 0:23:59.520 --> 0:24:02.920 hop passed to say, you know, and some some people 0:24:02.920 --> 0:24:06.280 will be like and Tayli ended up doing his own version. Yeah, 0:24:06.280 --> 0:24:08.680 I think Immortal did his own version, you know. But 0:24:08.880 --> 0:24:11.399 we got like over ten hip hop artists and we 0:24:11.560 --> 0:24:14.520 shot that in about a week. It went viral, you know, 0:24:15.440 --> 0:24:18.159 and and I think that that's what hip hop. You know, 0:24:18.280 --> 0:24:22.240 My honorable miss was far Khan said, I'm sorry, Okay 0:24:22.640 --> 0:24:26.560 said that one hip hop one hip hop song is 0:24:26.640 --> 0:24:28.200 equivalent to ten thousand. 0:24:27.960 --> 0:24:29.840 Of his speech. I remember when you said that's how 0:24:29.920 --> 0:24:30.879 powerful hip hop is. 0:24:31.000 --> 0:24:35.560 And I love that. I think that's that's awesome. So 0:24:35.720 --> 0:24:38.520 here's what we're gonna do. Yes, now that we know 0:24:38.600 --> 0:24:42.120 who you are, let's take a break. We're gonna come back. 0:24:42.200 --> 0:24:44.199 And the first thing I want to ask you about 0:24:44.600 --> 0:24:47.920 is the Indigenous People's movement. That sound good? Ye Okay? 0:24:48.400 --> 0:25:00.040 Now Sadquarters behind him the big. 0:25:01.600 --> 0:25:03.320 If you're just tuning in the civic side for I'm 0:25:03.320 --> 0:25:05.520 your host, Ramsay's job. Big shout out to q Ward, 0:25:05.600 --> 0:25:09.639 who is off this week. We are very fortunate in 0:25:09.880 --> 0:25:14.240 that our guest this week is the one and only 0:25:14.400 --> 0:25:22.760 Queen Ya Najah, activist extraordinaire, mover and shaker, national mover 0:25:22.880 --> 0:25:26.720 and shaker. When it comes to, you know, advancing the 0:25:26.840 --> 0:25:32.160 agenda for black, Brown, Indigenous Asian, you know, you name 0:25:32.200 --> 0:25:35.879 it right, you said it best. You said, you're not Republican, 0:25:35.920 --> 0:25:38.200 you're not democrat. You stand up for what's right. And 0:25:38.280 --> 0:25:41.240 I think that that that was that really does encapsulate you. 0:25:41.560 --> 0:25:43.560 So we're gonna hang out with her for a bit 0:25:44.320 --> 0:25:46.800 and talk more about what she has going on. Also 0:25:47.000 --> 0:25:49.639 our way Black History facts. She's gonna give us her 0:25:49.720 --> 0:25:55.879 thoughts on the origins of the indigenous people's day in 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:58.919 this country. But first we are going to talk about 0:25:59.600 --> 0:26:03.159 become a better ally. This is our bye by segment, 0:26:03.240 --> 0:26:05.960 and I would love for you to let the listeners 0:26:06.040 --> 0:26:09.840 know how they can become better allies. Maybe it has 0:26:09.880 --> 0:26:11.560 to do with what you have going on in your 0:26:11.640 --> 0:26:13.920 world or some larger agenda, but I would love for 0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:15.879 you to take a couple of minutes and let folks. 0:26:15.640 --> 0:26:18.080 Know, Yeah, becoming a better ally is getting out of 0:26:18.119 --> 0:26:21.280 your comfort zone. Sure, I'm always saying anytime that a 0:26:21.440 --> 0:26:24.200 change is about to happen is when you're uncomfortable, and 0:26:24.359 --> 0:26:26.560 so going out and getting out of your comfort zone 0:26:26.640 --> 0:26:31.000 of whatever community you're in, on whatever clubs or whatever 0:26:31.080 --> 0:26:33.120 you're a part of getting out of your comfort zone 0:26:33.119 --> 0:26:35.120 and to be able to figure out and hearing from 0:26:35.160 --> 0:26:38.320 another perspective and figuring out ways how you can be 0:26:38.359 --> 0:26:40.080 able to be a support if you agree with them 0:26:40.200 --> 0:26:40.320 or not. 0:26:40.720 --> 0:26:41.840 But I think it's important. 0:26:42.080 --> 0:26:45.160 How can people support you directly? 0:26:47.400 --> 0:26:50.600 You know things change every day, and so just follow 0:26:50.680 --> 0:26:54.800 me on all social media platforms Queen while nasda queen, 0:26:54.840 --> 0:26:57.960 your Najaha, I'm only in Najahaa world. You put that 0:26:58.000 --> 0:27:00.480 into Google search and you'll find me. But the reason 0:27:00.520 --> 0:27:02.399 why I say it always happens because I fight for 0:27:02.560 --> 0:27:05.679 what's right. And so it's not just a certain it's 0:27:05.760 --> 0:27:11.159 not just against police brutality. It's not just against oil pipelines. 0:27:11.240 --> 0:27:14.360 You know, this past week I raised In one week, 0:27:14.440 --> 0:27:17.560 I raised forty thousand dollars for the people Louisiana by 0:27:17.760 --> 0:27:21.000 organizing a ten city event called Hip Hop Fanola. 0:27:21.760 --> 0:27:24.399 It was a continuance of what I've done. Watched you 0:27:24.480 --> 0:27:27.000 do that, yeah, and you saw what I posted it right, 0:27:27.000 --> 0:27:28.640 And I said, anyone want to do a hip hop 0:27:28.680 --> 0:27:29.760 fanola to help the people. 0:27:29.800 --> 0:27:30.480 Yeah, I remember that. 0:27:30.600 --> 0:27:33.040 And then so it was ten cities that reached out 0:27:33.080 --> 0:27:34.600 and said yes, I want to do it, and we 0:27:34.760 --> 0:27:36.000 raised forty thousand dollars. 0:27:36.160 --> 0:27:38.280 I love that all in one week. 0:27:38.600 --> 0:27:41.800 So well, and you always do have these neat little 0:27:41.840 --> 0:27:43.600 things that you'll put on and so yeah, I think 0:27:43.640 --> 0:27:46.880 that's that's awesome. Once again, let everyone know your social media. 0:27:47.040 --> 0:27:51.160 Yeah, Queen Yo n a s DA perfect. 0:27:51.840 --> 0:28:01.439 Now let's talk about the Indigenous People's Movement in your words, 0:28:01.840 --> 0:28:02.240 what is it. 0:28:02.680 --> 0:28:07.280 Indigenous People's Movement is a coalition based organization. We started 0:28:07.359 --> 0:28:10.119 in two thousand and nineteen when we did the Indigenous 0:28:10.160 --> 0:28:14.320 People's March. I felt that it was important that not 0:28:14.640 --> 0:28:18.119 just Native Americans, but all indigenous people of the world, 0:28:18.359 --> 0:28:22.359 that we come together and to bring awareness on what 0:28:22.600 --> 0:28:26.200 is happening amongst our communities. So we had people from 0:28:27.040 --> 0:28:29.960 all the various tribes here in the United States, but 0:28:30.040 --> 0:28:33.880 we had black organizations, black folks that came. We had 0:28:34.640 --> 0:28:37.600 people they the Amazons, the people from the Amazon flew 0:28:37.680 --> 0:28:40.560 in and came as well cause they were fighting against 0:28:40.600 --> 0:28:44.160 the the the fi I the fires that was happening 0:28:44.200 --> 0:28:44.960 in the Amazon. 0:28:45.200 --> 0:28:45.360 Kay. 0:28:46.040 --> 0:28:47.840 We had people, I mean, we had people from all 0:28:47.920 --> 0:28:51.160 around the world and it was a beautiful, beautiful We 0:28:51.320 --> 0:28:54.800 even had Buddhist monks that came. It was like over 0:28:54.960 --> 0:28:57.440 like fifty of them that came in solid you know, 0:28:57.560 --> 0:29:00.680 that just came in solidarity, you know. So it was 0:29:00.800 --> 0:29:05.120 just a beautiful, beautiful sight to see that all of us. 0:29:05.240 --> 0:29:08.400 I realized, all of us are fighting the same fight. 0:29:09.240 --> 0:29:11.479 You know, all of us are fighting. We just are 0:29:11.560 --> 0:29:15.960 fighting for freedom, justice and equality. It may be worded different, 0:29:16.040 --> 0:29:18.600 it may look different, but it's all the same, you know. 0:29:19.000 --> 0:29:21.760 And we're fighting the same enemy, which is greed. We're 0:29:21.840 --> 0:29:26.080 fighting greed and however that looks, you know, and so 0:29:26.280 --> 0:29:29.520 I wanted I wanted all everyone to be able to 0:29:29.560 --> 0:29:33.120 see that. And the conclusion of that was so we 0:29:33.280 --> 0:29:36.200 had about about twenty about twenty thousand people that came 0:29:36.440 --> 0:29:39.360 to Washington, d C. This was also the weekend of 0:29:39.400 --> 0:29:42.280 the Women's March as well. We partnered with the Women's 0:29:42.320 --> 0:29:46.000 March Forward. We had at the what's that the Lincoln Memorial. 0:29:46.400 --> 0:29:48.840 So we're on the steps on the day of Martin 0:29:48.960 --> 0:29:52.960 Thu King Holiday or birthday, on the steps of Lincoln 0:29:53.000 --> 0:29:56.800 Memorial with not just Native American and not just black 0:29:56.880 --> 0:30:00.000 people but all people of the world. What Dark Milde 0:30:00.120 --> 0:30:03.280 the King said on those steps that a gentils and 0:30:03.360 --> 0:30:06.880 do everyone come together. So the beauty of that was phenomenal. 0:30:07.680 --> 0:30:10.400 Then so we ended off with an amazing round dance. 0:30:10.480 --> 0:30:13.680 It was beautiful, beautiful, and African drums and all of that. 0:30:13.880 --> 0:30:17.280 Just imagine African drums, Native drums all happening at the 0:30:17.360 --> 0:30:22.200 same time. Then all of these young people came from 0:30:22.600 --> 0:30:26.720 with these maga hats, and while we're drumming, they came 0:30:26.840 --> 0:30:30.360 up y'all, y'all, y'all, y'all, and making monkey sounds and 0:30:30.480 --> 0:30:35.680 making mockery of Elder Nathan Phillips and Keith imc who 0:30:35.840 --> 0:30:39.040 was having the drums, and it ended up going viral. 0:30:40.800 --> 0:30:45.120 Nick Sandman, young I believe sixteen years old, went up 0:30:45.200 --> 0:30:49.120 to Nathan Phillips and just I mean the environment prior 0:30:49.240 --> 0:30:52.520 to him going up to them, but they were making mockery. 0:30:52.600 --> 0:30:56.120 They was making fun of everything that we just accomplished, 0:30:56.880 --> 0:30:58.959 and it was so it was like over a hundred 0:30:59.040 --> 0:31:03.680 young people, So it was very scary. But as Native people, 0:31:04.680 --> 0:31:09.360 we see this type of behavior at every sports game. 0:31:09.800 --> 0:31:12.480 We see this type of behavior at a Cleveland Indians 0:31:12.520 --> 0:31:16.520 game when they're doing the tomahawk chop and they're making 0:31:16.600 --> 0:31:19.640 mind they're coming dressed up as Native Americans. We see 0:31:19.680 --> 0:31:22.720 this type of behavior with uh just n at a 0:31:22.840 --> 0:31:25.840 lot of our local games, you know, being mascot. So 0:31:26.000 --> 0:31:28.560 for us as Natives, we're like, all, here it go again. 0:31:29.400 --> 0:31:32.640 But what was so and what was so surprising to 0:31:32.840 --> 0:31:36.920 us was that when it hit the Internet and it 0:31:37.080 --> 0:31:41.520 ended up going viral and people were in disgust of 0:31:41.680 --> 0:31:45.800 this mockery, and we're like, oh, wow, people are paying 0:31:45.880 --> 0:31:52.160 attention to what we've been seeing for over four or 0:31:52.200 --> 0:31:56.240 five hundred years, just even in ninety years with the 0:31:56.440 --> 0:32:01.120 Washington Arskins, you know, like but you all act like 0:32:01.240 --> 0:32:05.840 this at every sports game, just you know, you know, 0:32:05.960 --> 0:32:09.240 making all this like oh, doing things like that, you know, 0:32:09.880 --> 0:32:13.720 And so we were shocked. But then at the same token, 0:32:13.800 --> 0:32:17.520 we was like, wait, holda, they got our back, you know. 0:32:18.080 --> 0:32:22.040 And so we ended up creating Indigenous People's Movement and 0:32:22.280 --> 0:32:28.680 brought in over two hundred other organizations. We have chapters 0:32:28.720 --> 0:32:34.080 in Australia, South America, Canada, even in Africa and the Caribbean. 0:32:34.400 --> 0:32:35.400 We have people from. 0:32:35.400 --> 0:32:39.360 All all across this globally and that and we we're 0:32:39.400 --> 0:32:41.880 about out of half a million followers. 0:32:41.520 --> 0:32:42.520 All on social media. 0:32:43.240 --> 0:32:47.360 So let me so let me wonderful, Yeah, wonderful. I'm 0:32:47.360 --> 0:32:51.640 so happy. So let me make sure that this, yes, 0:32:53.600 --> 0:32:59.320 you championed a and I guess I would call it 0:32:59.440 --> 0:33:04.160 anti voter suppression initiative for Indigenous peoples. This is one 0:33:04.160 --> 0:33:06.560 of the more recent things that you've done. Let's talk 0:33:06.560 --> 0:33:06.920 about that. 0:33:07.480 --> 0:33:12.200 So, so, Standing Rock is my sister tribe. I helped 0:33:12.240 --> 0:33:16.840 Standing Rock raised one point six million dollars for their 0:33:16.920 --> 0:33:19.360 legal defense fund when we was up in Standing Rock. 0:33:20.520 --> 0:33:22.800 I helped Standing Rock a lot with a lot of 0:33:22.840 --> 0:33:24.920 different things. They was like, you know, like I said, 0:33:24.960 --> 0:33:27.760 Indigenous People's Movement is a coalition base and Standing Rock 0:33:27.840 --> 0:33:30.000 is also a part of that coalition, And was like, 0:33:30.120 --> 0:33:33.000 you know what the they was like, they're trying to 0:33:33.000 --> 0:33:36.160 stop our votes because if you have a p if 0:33:36.200 --> 0:33:38.240 you have a PO box, we can't register to vote. 0:33:39.040 --> 0:33:43.200 So we immediately went into action and petition. 0:33:43.080 --> 0:33:45.840 On tribes a lot of times, or on reservations. 0:33:45.920 --> 0:33:50.880 There's a lot of times no, yeah, because your address 0:33:50.920 --> 0:33:53.440 might be the cow up the you know, the third 0:33:53.600 --> 0:33:55.680 farm that you see on your left hand side, that's 0:33:55.720 --> 0:33:59.040 my house, you know, it's not. And then plus on 0:33:59.120 --> 0:34:01.800 top of it, we're an within a nation, you know. 0:34:02.040 --> 0:34:05.959 We yeah, we have our own tribal government, police everything. 0:34:06.000 --> 0:34:09.880 We govern ourselves, you know. And so with that being said, 0:34:10.640 --> 0:34:13.200 but many of us want the opportunity we have the 0:34:13.360 --> 0:34:19.239 right to vote, you know, for a president, because that 0:34:19.440 --> 0:34:25.400 president will be in relationship with our tribal president. So 0:34:25.520 --> 0:34:29.040 it's really important that we use that opportunity to vote 0:34:29.080 --> 0:34:31.920 for a president, a United States president, to work with 0:34:32.160 --> 0:34:37.040 our tribal president. So so we we love that opportunity 0:34:37.160 --> 0:34:39.040 to be able to have. But when it was suppressed, 0:34:39.680 --> 0:34:43.680 especially it got suppressed after the movement and Standing Rock 0:34:43.880 --> 0:34:46.040 when they saw us up right, you know, when they 0:34:46.120 --> 0:34:50.040 saw us so many of us, they're like, wait, hold up, 0:34:50.600 --> 0:34:56.320 Native Americans are rising up deep deep, and they're getting abused. 0:34:56.719 --> 0:35:00.640 You know, I have lung cancer and there has been 0:35:00.760 --> 0:35:04.560 over one hundred people that have been diagnosed with lung 0:35:04.719 --> 0:35:07.320 I mean, with various forms of cancer since being in 0:35:07.480 --> 0:35:08.239 Standing Rock. 0:35:08.560 --> 0:35:08.759 Wow. 0:35:09.360 --> 0:35:12.640 I am working with Representative I mean Congresswoman Corey Bush, 0:35:12.640 --> 0:35:15.160 who was my sister in the movement, as well as 0:35:15.640 --> 0:35:19.759 some other politicians. She just put it out there to 0:35:19.960 --> 0:35:26.640 get information on what is in these canisters when they're 0:35:26.680 --> 0:35:29.800 spraying us with tear gas and all of that. What 0:35:30.080 --> 0:35:33.879 is in what's the ingredients in there? Because like I said, 0:35:34.040 --> 0:35:36.000 there's been one hundred people and some of them have 0:35:36.120 --> 0:35:36.960 already died. 0:35:38.280 --> 0:35:39.919 I want to make sure I get this, yes straight, 0:35:39.920 --> 0:35:41.920 and I'm following. You were you were tear gased in 0:35:42.040 --> 0:35:42.600 Standing Rock? 0:35:42.760 --> 0:35:45.000 Yes? Okay, go ahead, all of us were. 0:35:45.719 --> 0:35:49.359 And there has been cases of women that have been 0:35:49.440 --> 0:35:54.520 losing baby after baby after baby after baby since Standing Rock. 0:35:54.920 --> 0:35:58.640 So we believe that they sprayed us with some type 0:35:58.680 --> 0:36:01.960 of toxic gas. And I have it on videos of 0:36:02.160 --> 0:36:07.000 toxic gas that gave the gave us long term effects. 0:36:07.040 --> 0:36:10.160 And I and when when I first saw the cancer 0:36:11.160 --> 0:36:13.600 on the cat scan that I have in my lungs, 0:36:13.960 --> 0:36:17.160 it is over two hundred cancer tumor cells in both 0:36:17.200 --> 0:36:20.520 of my lungs. It looks like my doctors thought it 0:36:20.680 --> 0:36:23.360 was asthma. They was like, it looks like you breathe 0:36:23.400 --> 0:36:27.279 something in There's like, we've never seen cancer look like this. 0:36:28.080 --> 0:36:30.480 So they end up doing a biopsy and they was like, 0:36:30.560 --> 0:36:32.040 this is Andreo Carsonomo. 0:36:32.480 --> 0:36:33.200 What the heck? 0:36:33.719 --> 0:36:37.000 They all spoke amongst each other like this looks like 0:36:37.120 --> 0:36:40.960 she breathed this in. Sure, they don't. They never because 0:36:41.000 --> 0:36:42.720 you know, sometimes you see like oh there's a tumor 0:36:42.800 --> 0:36:45.280 here and a tumor there. I have over two hundred 0:36:45.680 --> 0:36:48.640 cancer tumor cells in both of my lungs and there's 0:36:48.760 --> 0:36:54.360 just all over just everywhere. So since so we we 0:36:54.800 --> 0:36:57.880 we just lost the donna whose land we was on 0:36:58.080 --> 0:37:01.880 in Standing Rock to she had brain cancer. Her husband 0:37:02.040 --> 0:37:06.040 he passed of cancer. You know, we lost a veteran memb. 0:37:06.040 --> 0:37:07.680 There was a lot of veterans that came up there. 0:37:08.280 --> 0:37:12.400 He passed away of of cancer, you know. And so 0:37:12.840 --> 0:37:17.000 we were waiting for their ingredients back and then we're 0:37:17.040 --> 0:37:21.279 gonna do a congressional hearing very soon. Yeah, you know, 0:37:21.520 --> 0:37:25.719 on on their soul. Yeah, so it's important, you know this. 0:37:26.239 --> 0:37:30.120 So voter suppression, all of this, all of this that 0:37:30.280 --> 0:37:35.040 happened in Standing Rock that same year we we they 0:37:35.160 --> 0:37:38.560 stopped that governor. That governor in North Dakota was very 0:37:38.680 --> 0:37:42.760 upset with the just how we rose up as Native people, 0:37:43.239 --> 0:37:47.080 you know, against his pipeline, and and he needed to 0:37:47.120 --> 0:37:49.840 suppress our vote because he knew that we would have 0:37:49.920 --> 0:37:54.040 voted him out. And as well as other governors and politicians. 0:37:54.120 --> 0:37:57.200 That was for that oil pipeline because we was like, 0:37:57.320 --> 0:38:00.719 we mobilized, like like hell in Standing Rock. It was 0:38:00.760 --> 0:38:03.719 over one hundred thousand people. So that year we was like, 0:38:03.800 --> 0:38:06.279 oh yeah, we're voting these people out. So from a 0:38:06.360 --> 0:38:11.479 result from that, Charis Davis ended up becoming the first 0:38:11.719 --> 0:38:16.720 Native American congresswoman. Deb Halen ended up becoming the first 0:38:16.880 --> 0:38:20.200 Native American congress woman in that same year. 0:38:20.800 --> 0:38:25.160 So they knew what happens when we rise up and 0:38:25.239 --> 0:38:25.719 we vote. 0:38:25.960 --> 0:38:30.799 So this full frontal on you know, there's this been 0:38:30.880 --> 0:38:34.839 this movement to protect the black vote for a couple 0:38:34.880 --> 0:38:37.319 of years now. I mean, it's it's a long standing movement. 0:38:37.400 --> 0:38:39.680 Let me not let me not misspeak, you know, but 0:38:40.040 --> 0:38:45.239 but it I guess it has been reinvigorated in the 0:38:45.320 --> 0:38:49.840 past couple of years because there's been an active force 0:38:50.200 --> 0:38:56.600 on the right, specifically to suppress the vote of melanated 0:38:56.680 --> 0:38:59.799 individuals in this country. That's that's perhaps as plainly as 0:38:59.840 --> 0:39:04.520 I put it, and it's simply without being wrong, And 0:39:05.520 --> 0:39:09.120 lately you're I mean, I know that you're passionate about 0:39:09.120 --> 0:39:11.320 all these things, but the indigenous vote is something that 0:39:11.880 --> 0:39:18.640 needs a special type of protection because perhaps, and correct 0:39:18.680 --> 0:39:23.560 me if I'm wrong, this population might be especially vulnerable 0:39:23.680 --> 0:39:26.800 or vulnerable in different ways that folks may not have considered. 0:39:26.880 --> 0:39:29.399 So my question to you is, what are some other 0:39:29.480 --> 0:39:33.279 ways besides you know, the not sending a ballot to 0:39:33.360 --> 0:39:35.120 a po box? What are some other ways that you've 0:39:35.200 --> 0:39:41.520 seen voter suppression manifested in those communities? And then I'll 0:39:41.520 --> 0:39:44.680 ask a follow up question, what can individuals listening to 0:39:44.760 --> 0:39:48.200 your voice right now do on the ground to help 0:39:48.320 --> 0:39:50.279 offset that or to reverse that? 0:39:50.719 --> 0:39:53.080 Now, what we found out is that what I found 0:39:53.120 --> 0:39:56.160 out here in Arizona, especially on the reservations, you know 0:39:56.320 --> 0:40:00.879 a lot of them. So the polling polling place we're 0:40:00.920 --> 0:40:04.480 closed early, you know, and they know that natives live 0:40:04.520 --> 0:40:06.680 on a reservation. It's a long distance to get to 0:40:07.280 --> 0:40:10.000 to go vote, you know, and so closing early, well 0:40:10.200 --> 0:40:12.920 is another way of voting suppression. You know. 0:40:13.080 --> 0:40:16.759 Another thing is in Atlanta, they're trying to stop voting 0:40:16.840 --> 0:40:17.400 on Sundays. 0:40:17.840 --> 0:40:21.200 You know, they that's the souls to the polls. 0:40:21.400 --> 0:40:23.959 Yeah, so yep, they're trying to they're trying to stop 0:40:24.040 --> 0:40:26.719 voting on Sunday. And with the working class, you know, 0:40:27.000 --> 0:40:29.120 Sundays is well off you know, real. 0:40:29.080 --> 0:40:31.320 Quick, real quick, Souls to the polls just so that 0:40:31.440 --> 0:40:37.440 you know, if you're listening to us, is a movement 0:40:37.640 --> 0:40:44.680 to get church goers, primarily black church goers, to after 0:40:44.880 --> 0:40:51.200 church go and cast their ballot. And this initiative to 0:40:52.440 --> 0:40:56.800 close the polls on Sundays is in direct response to 0:40:57.040 --> 0:41:01.360 that Souls to the Polls movement or initiative. Yes, okay, 0:41:02.200 --> 0:41:04.120 do you want to make sure that the listeners are following. 0:41:03.920 --> 0:41:06.320 Yeah, most definitely. And then on top of it, you know, 0:41:06.440 --> 0:41:11.120 what we saw in in Atlanta, Georgia was these long, 0:41:11.239 --> 0:41:15.000 long lines, and so as organizers, you know, we go 0:41:15.239 --> 0:41:17.840 and give out food and we give out water. You know, 0:41:17.960 --> 0:41:21.080 for those that standing in these long lines and they 0:41:21.239 --> 0:41:24.240 voted against us doing that that we will be ticketed 0:41:24.320 --> 0:41:27.760 or will be jailed, arrested for giving out water and food, 0:41:28.320 --> 0:41:30.880 you know, for people that are standing in these standing 0:41:30.920 --> 0:41:34.560 in line to vote. You know. So it's it's really 0:41:35.120 --> 0:41:37.120 really it's it's a lot and we have a lot 0:41:37.160 --> 0:41:39.560 of work to do, you know. But in regards to 0:41:39.640 --> 0:41:41.880 what you was saying, you know, the Native American vote 0:41:43.600 --> 0:41:46.440 is I would say, out of all of these swing states, 0:41:47.760 --> 0:41:50.759 it is the most important for the Native American vote 0:41:51.360 --> 0:41:56.000 because of the fact that that population can be able 0:41:56.080 --> 0:42:00.200 to swing those you know, swing from one to the other, 0:42:00.400 --> 0:42:02.759 you know, and and to be able. So I think 0:42:02.840 --> 0:42:05.840 that it's important as organizers to reap to go and 0:42:06.760 --> 0:42:09.960 talk to Native American communities and go door to door 0:42:10.000 --> 0:42:13.600 and talk about the problems that not just what asking 0:42:13.680 --> 0:42:16.759 what Native Americans are facing, but also educating on what's 0:42:16.800 --> 0:42:18.080 happening in the inner cities. 0:42:18.560 --> 0:42:21.720 See. Native American reservations are far from these cities. 0:42:22.320 --> 0:42:26.480 So but the people that are that we have to 0:42:27.480 --> 0:42:31.759 that we constantly have to uh I would say, work 0:42:31.840 --> 0:42:34.160 with or fight with or whatever it's in the cities. 0:42:34.560 --> 0:42:37.640 But those that's on the reservations or away from the city, 0:42:37.680 --> 0:42:40.040 they're gonna vote too. But they need to know what's 0:42:40.160 --> 0:42:43.160 happening in the cities. So go in and educating all like, 0:42:43.239 --> 0:42:46.279 you know, did you know that this mayor wants X, 0:42:46.440 --> 0:42:50.160 Y and Z, or are pushing for more untrained police 0:42:50.239 --> 0:42:53.560 officers or whatever is happening on that level, So when 0:42:53.600 --> 0:42:56.040 they go and vote, you know, on a federal level, 0:42:56.239 --> 0:43:02.400 they have an understanding of that. It's a one voice situation. Yeah, okay, So. 0:43:04.040 --> 0:43:06.920 I want to switch gears a bit here. Just because 0:43:06.960 --> 0:43:10.920 we've had to talk about it. Lately. We've discussed missing 0:43:11.000 --> 0:43:15.959 while black, we've discussed what's referred to as missing white 0:43:16.000 --> 0:43:21.080 woman syndrome. But we mentioned it you and I mentioned 0:43:21.120 --> 0:43:26.920 on the show that I was watching a movie. This 0:43:27.120 --> 0:43:29.759 might have been a couple of days ago Netflix movie. Yeah, 0:43:29.920 --> 0:43:34.399 and I think it's called wind River and it has 0:43:34.760 --> 0:43:38.640 the guy from Hawkeye. He plays Hawkey. I don't know 0:43:38.760 --> 0:43:44.280 his name, but really cool guy, I think, and he investigates, 0:43:44.440 --> 0:43:47.960 you know whatever, a murder mystery on. I believe it 0:43:48.040 --> 0:43:51.160 to be a reservation or you know, they partner with 0:43:51.320 --> 0:43:54.440 res police or something like that. In the movie, at 0:43:54.480 --> 0:43:57.360 the end of the movie, you know, it puts a 0:43:57.480 --> 0:44:00.320 statistic up and it says, you know, women go missing this, 0:44:00.440 --> 0:44:02.839 that and the third. But then it says, no one 0:44:02.920 --> 0:44:05.719 knows how many Native women have gone missing. The story 0:44:05.760 --> 0:44:08.719 is about a missing Native woman. Yeah, at the end 0:44:08.719 --> 0:44:10.200 of the movie it says no one knows how many 0:44:10.320 --> 0:44:14.120 Native women are missing because the government hasn't kept track 0:44:14.200 --> 0:44:18.000 of them. Yeah, and now that you're here, since we've 0:44:18.040 --> 0:44:20.200 talked about that, I wanted you to take a moment 0:44:20.280 --> 0:44:25.800 to discuss missing Native women. You know, I know, you 0:44:25.920 --> 0:44:27.839 know some statistics. I know, you know, you know there's 0:44:27.880 --> 0:44:29.960 some there's some passion with respect to that as well, 0:44:30.040 --> 0:44:30.920 so your thoughts. 0:44:31.680 --> 0:44:34.640 So you know, several years ago, I believe it was 0:44:36.120 --> 0:44:44.200 like two thousand, two thousand and eight, I was organizing 0:44:44.239 --> 0:44:46.480 and I was reaching out to people in Canada and 0:44:46.600 --> 0:44:48.640 it was it was a woman by the name of 0:44:48.719 --> 0:44:52.520 Kanna who's that was educating me about the Highway of Tears. 0:44:53.280 --> 0:44:55.000 And I was like, what's the Highway of Tears? And 0:44:55.120 --> 0:44:57.359 she was like, it's all of the it's she said, 0:44:57.400 --> 0:44:59.920 you go down this long, long highway and this all 0:45:00.000 --> 0:45:06.719 all of these pictures or you know, these just you know, 0:45:06.960 --> 0:45:13.120 just different memorials along this entire highway in Canada of 0:45:13.239 --> 0:45:16.000 all of the Native American women that have gone missing 0:45:16.120 --> 0:45:17.240 or that have been murdered. 0:45:17.280 --> 0:45:17.480 Wow. 0:45:17.800 --> 0:45:18.920 And I was like what. 0:45:20.680 --> 0:45:21.360 What you know? 0:45:21.800 --> 0:45:23.520 It was so and I was like, what's how are 0:45:23.560 --> 0:45:24.920 they going missing? What is this? 0:45:25.160 --> 0:45:25.360 You know? 0:45:26.160 --> 0:45:28.440 She was like man camps and I was like, what's 0:45:28.480 --> 0:45:31.080 a man camp? And she was telling me. 0:45:31.280 --> 0:45:35.200 She was like, you know when they're building these tarzans 0:45:35.320 --> 0:45:40.560 oil pipelines, mining that, yeah, and and and all of 0:45:40.640 --> 0:45:43.600 these things around the environmental of them always trying to 0:45:43.640 --> 0:45:47.880 build something, you know, take resources. While these while these construct, 0:45:47.920 --> 0:45:54.880 these white men, construction workers and workers, they create man camps, 0:45:55.680 --> 0:45:59.720 which is that they are prostituting Native American women because 0:45:59.719 --> 0:46:03.959 a lot of these places are near Native American communities. 0:46:04.760 --> 0:46:09.560 The over sexualization of the Native American woman started with Pocahontas. 0:46:10.360 --> 0:46:14.120 Pocahontas was twelve years old. She was twelve years old. 0:46:14.280 --> 0:46:18.040 She was taken against her will. They took pictures of 0:46:18.120 --> 0:46:23.520 Pocahontas get when they went to England and to try 0:46:23.560 --> 0:46:26.600 to get people from England to come to this new land, 0:46:26.960 --> 0:46:29.719 this New America. They was like, you could get you 0:46:29.800 --> 0:46:35.080 a Pocahontas too. Look at this beautiful young you know, 0:46:35.840 --> 0:46:39.839 Indian woman, you know. And they was having pamphlets out 0:46:40.960 --> 0:46:45.840 of Pocahontas. They were sex trafficking. That was the first 0:46:46.400 --> 0:46:51.000 indication of sex trafficking of a young girl, which was Pocahontas. 0:46:51.400 --> 0:46:51.759 And we. 0:46:53.560 --> 0:46:58.080 Over we we think it's entertainment with Disney making a 0:46:58.200 --> 0:47:01.600 cartoon of a in the way that they made Pocahontas 0:47:01.640 --> 0:47:03.080 in the cartoon of a grown woman. 0:47:03.640 --> 0:47:05.560 No, she was eleven, twelve years old. 0:47:05.640 --> 0:47:10.279 She was a child that was taken and so and 0:47:10.440 --> 0:47:13.120 they dressed her up and they they they and I 0:47:13.239 --> 0:47:15.000 believe I don't know if they ever got her body 0:47:15.120 --> 0:47:20.160 back from England, but they because but they dressed her 0:47:20.280 --> 0:47:25.720 up to make her as a spokesperson, you know, of America. Okay, 0:47:26.000 --> 0:47:31.480 So when we're looking at today fast forward, everyone wants 0:47:31.560 --> 0:47:35.400 their Pocahontas and they do it by any means necessary 0:47:35.440 --> 0:47:41.000 and the most disgusting way, by kidnapping, by putting them 0:47:41.040 --> 0:47:45.479 into human trafficking, and murdering them. And they have gone 0:47:45.600 --> 0:47:47.040 and many of them have gone missing. 0:47:47.480 --> 0:47:52.040 We have about a minute left. Yeah, So in brief, yes, 0:47:52.560 --> 0:47:58.240 what is it that people can do to help? Maybe research? 0:47:58.280 --> 0:47:59.560 What are your thoughts, how can you. 0:48:00.760 --> 0:48:05.280 Continue to push your local legislation to get to work 0:48:05.520 --> 0:48:09.399 on the federal level, but even on a statewide level 0:48:09.520 --> 0:48:12.719 that when there is a missing missing, there has to 0:48:12.760 --> 0:48:15.920 be an amber alert for a Native American young girls 0:48:16.320 --> 0:48:20.439 and boys and and older that are missing to take 0:48:20.520 --> 0:48:24.400 it seriously. The local law enforcement does not take it 0:48:24.480 --> 0:48:27.320 seriously at all. They think they run off. We we 0:48:27.440 --> 0:48:29.880 think we have a problem within the black community of 0:48:30.040 --> 0:48:33.200 black women that I've gone missing. There's over fifty thousand 0:48:33.640 --> 0:48:36.280 of black women have gone missing. It's the same amount 0:48:36.640 --> 0:48:37.880 with Native American. 0:48:37.840 --> 0:48:39.640 Very much smaller part of the podcast. Yes, so that 0:48:39.680 --> 0:48:44.520 makes it exactly well. I appreciate you sharing that. I 0:48:44.680 --> 0:48:48.960 know that that's very troubling, but also very necessary to 0:48:49.040 --> 0:49:02.560 talk about it. Yeah, keeping in line with the theme, 0:49:02.680 --> 0:49:05.439 I did want to take a moment for Today's Way 0:49:05.520 --> 0:49:12.840 Black History Fact to discuss the Indigenous People's Day and 0:49:12.920 --> 0:49:14.520 how that came about. I'd love to hear your thoughts 0:49:14.560 --> 0:49:17.920 on it. So what we do today's article. I've just 0:49:17.960 --> 0:49:20.120 pulled it from Wikipedia, thought it was in line. 0:49:20.600 --> 0:49:22.080 I haven't read it yet, so i don't know what 0:49:22.200 --> 0:49:22.839 it's all good. 0:49:22.920 --> 0:49:24.239 So I'm going to read through it and then we're 0:49:24.239 --> 0:49:26.640 just going to talk about it. It's pretty simple, all right. 0:49:26.800 --> 0:49:30.680 So in nineteen ninety, the International Conference on Discrimination against 0:49:30.719 --> 0:49:34.600 Indigenous Populations and the America, sponsored by the United Nations 0:49:34.640 --> 0:49:38.400 in Geneva, Switzerland, began to began to discuss replacing Columbus 0:49:38.440 --> 0:49:40.560 Day in the United States with a celebration to be 0:49:40.640 --> 0:49:44.640 known as in Indigenous People's Day. Similarly, Native American group 0:49:44.680 --> 0:49:48.480 stage a short protest in Boston instead of Thanksgiving, which 0:49:48.560 --> 0:49:53.080 has been celebrated to mark collaboration between Massachusetts colonists and 0:49:53.239 --> 0:49:56.200 Native Americans in the first years. In July nineteen ninety 0:49:56.200 --> 0:50:00.640 the first Continental Conference on five hundred Years of Indian 0:50:02.480 --> 0:50:07.160 Resistance in Quito, Ecuador. Representatives of indigenous peoples throughout the 0:50:07.200 --> 0:50:09.880 America's agreed that they would mark nineteen ninety two the 0:50:09.960 --> 0:50:12.840 five hundred anniversary of the first voyages of Christopher Columbus 0:50:13.080 --> 0:50:15.840 has a year to promote the continental unity and liberation. 0:50:16.640 --> 0:50:21.040 After the conference, the attendees from northern California organized protest 0:50:21.120 --> 0:50:25.239 against the King Centennial Jubilee that had been organized by 0:50:25.280 --> 0:50:28.959 the United States Congress for the San Francisco Bay Area 0:50:29.000 --> 0:50:31.240 on Columbus Day nineteen ninety two. It was to include 0:50:31.320 --> 0:50:35.280 replicas of Columbus's ships sailing under the Golden gate Bridge 0:50:35.480 --> 0:50:39.440 and re enacting their quote discovery of America. The delegates 0:50:40.040 --> 0:50:42.840 formed the Bay Area Indian Alliance and in turn, the 0:50:42.920 --> 0:50:45.719 Resistance five hundred Task Force. It promoted the idea that 0:50:45.800 --> 0:50:50.200 Columbus's discovery of inhabited lands and subsequent European colonization of 0:50:50.239 --> 0:50:54.000 them had resulted in the genocide of indigenous peoples because 0:50:54.080 --> 0:50:58.080 of the decisions which were made by colonial and national governments. 0:50:58.320 --> 0:51:00.600 In nineteen ninety two, the group convinced the City Council 0:51:00.600 --> 0:51:03.879 of Berkeley, California, to declare October twelfth as a day 0:51:04.000 --> 0:51:07.480 of Solidarity with Indigenous people and in nineteen ninety two 0:51:07.800 --> 0:51:12.360 the Year of Indigenous People. The city implemented related programs 0:51:12.400 --> 0:51:16.840 in schools, libraries, and museums. The city symbolically renamed Columbus 0:51:16.960 --> 0:51:19.960 Day as Indigenous People's Day beginning in nineteen ninety two 0:51:20.360 --> 0:51:24.279 to protest the historical conquest of North America by Europeans 0:51:24.840 --> 0:51:27.520 and to call attention to the losses suffered by Native 0:51:27.520 --> 0:51:31.239 American peoples and their cultures through diseases, warfare, massacres, and 0:51:31.400 --> 0:51:37.439 forced assimilation. Get Lost Columbus, and opera by a Native 0:51:37.440 --> 0:51:42.520 American composer, White Cloud Wolfhawk, was produced that day. Berkeley 0:51:42.520 --> 0:51:45.560 has celebrated Indigenous People's Day ever since, Beginning in nineteen 0:51:45.600 --> 0:51:48.439 ninety three. Berkeley has also held an annual pow wow 0:51:48.560 --> 0:51:52.600 and festival on Indigenous People's Day. In the years following 0:51:52.640 --> 0:51:56.480 Berkeley's action, other local governments and institutions have either renamed 0:51:56.560 --> 0:51:59.879 or canceled Columbus Day, either to celebrate Native American history 0:51:59.920 --> 0:52:03.840 and cultures to avoid celebrating Columbus and the European colonization 0:52:04.000 --> 0:52:07.480 of the Americas, or do to raise controversy over the 0:52:07.600 --> 0:52:13.480 legacy of Columbus. Several other California cities, including Richmond, Santa Cruz, Sebastopool, 0:52:14.280 --> 0:52:17.239 and Sebastaball now celebrate Indigenous People's Day and encourage people 0:52:17.320 --> 0:52:20.959 to donate to a neighboring tribe and recognize the trauma 0:52:21.000 --> 0:52:26.200 and pain Indigenous peoples have been subjected to by coloners colonizers, sorry, 0:52:26.520 --> 0:52:33.120 last piece. At least thirteen states do not celebrate Columbus Day. Alaska, Wayi, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, 0:52:33.160 --> 0:52:37.120 New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, d 0:52:37.280 --> 0:52:43.640 C Wisconsin. South Dakota officially celebrates Native American Day instead. 0:52:44.000 --> 0:52:47.000 Various tribal governments in Oklahoma designate these days as Native 0:52:47.000 --> 0:52:50.240 American Day or have renamed the day after their own tribes. 0:52:50.840 --> 0:52:54.719 All right, want to get your thoughts on that. That 0:52:54.840 --> 0:52:55.839 seems like a happy thing. 0:52:56.200 --> 0:52:58.479 Oh, it's an amazing thing. I remember as a child 0:52:58.560 --> 0:53:01.719 that my mother took me to Alcatraz every every October, 0:53:02.200 --> 0:53:05.520 you know, and and seeing all of everyone, I mean, 0:53:05.640 --> 0:53:10.760 just really taking over Alcatraz and and so on October eleventh, 0:53:10.920 --> 0:53:13.759 you know, once again, so many people are gonna be 0:53:14.040 --> 0:53:18.280 taking over Alcatraz when year before last it was Colin 0:53:18.320 --> 0:53:22.360 Kaepernick came and and so to continue to see that 0:53:22.480 --> 0:53:25.439 happen in New York City, for the past seven years, 0:53:25.520 --> 0:53:28.600 have been taking over Randall's Island for Indigenous People's Days. 0:53:28.600 --> 0:53:32.400 So it's an amazing, beautiful thing to see. But we 0:53:32.520 --> 0:53:34.640 still have a long way to go because of the 0:53:34.719 --> 0:53:38.080 fact that you know, so many Italian Americans believe and 0:53:38.200 --> 0:53:41.200 they fight hard in New York City, Chicago, that's in 0:53:42.080 --> 0:53:45.239 some other cities. The reason why and uh, it's still 0:53:45.360 --> 0:53:48.800 Christopher Columbus Day and not Indigenous People's Days because Italian 0:53:48.840 --> 0:53:53.520 Americans really believe that Christopher Columbus discovered America and they 0:53:53.600 --> 0:53:57.880 believe that throughout their Italian American history that Christopher Columbus 0:53:57.960 --> 0:54:01.680 was an amazing man. And they strongly believe that, even 0:54:01.719 --> 0:54:04.360 though it was documented from you know, those that was 0:54:04.440 --> 0:54:07.120 with Christopher Columbus that said that we cannot be with 0:54:07.239 --> 0:54:10.000 this crazy man. This man is insane. He is you know, 0:54:10.520 --> 0:54:12.719 I mean it was his own people that was with 0:54:12.880 --> 0:54:16.160 him was like uh uh, you know, and on top 0:54:16.239 --> 0:54:18.120 of it, he was not a good man in Italy. 0:54:18.560 --> 0:54:21.800 So I don't understand why Italians Americans believe that this. 0:54:22.040 --> 0:54:24.520 You know, they want to hold on so strong and 0:54:24.560 --> 0:54:27.319 they actually really fit. They they come out and they 0:54:27.600 --> 0:54:32.000 will they come out in protest against us during that 0:54:32.120 --> 0:54:34.000 time when we're doing our events and all of that, 0:54:34.239 --> 0:54:37.440 and it's crazy to see. Yeah, it's very sad. They 0:54:37.560 --> 0:54:41.400 counteract everything that we do when we're wunning Indigenous People's Day. 0:54:41.520 --> 0:54:46.759 Okay, so one final thought from you, God, maybe about 0:54:46.800 --> 0:54:47.439 a minute left. 0:54:47.560 --> 0:54:48.000 Yes, So. 0:54:49.840 --> 0:54:56.359 What do you think we should do to connect either 0:54:56.560 --> 0:55:00.680 old and young or across you know, different rent you know, 0:55:01.120 --> 0:55:03.279 cultural lines or whatever. What do you think that we 0:55:03.360 --> 0:55:05.440 can do to connect better? Someone as traveled as you 0:55:05.840 --> 0:55:08.840 might have some perspective that even I don't have. I 0:55:09.000 --> 0:55:09.759 love to hear your thoughts. 0:55:09.920 --> 0:55:13.160 I think the best thing is to once again get 0:55:13.200 --> 0:55:17.000 out of our comfort zone, meaning out of our neighborhoods, 0:55:17.280 --> 0:55:20.840 our neighborhoods that we know, and going into another neighborhood 0:55:20.920 --> 0:55:23.719 and just learning. You know, some people are scared to 0:55:23.840 --> 0:55:26.120 go to the bodyo when they're black or you know, 0:55:26.360 --> 0:55:30.480 or or or go to the reservation if they're Latino 0:55:30.800 --> 0:55:33.200 you know, I think it's important for us to you know, 0:55:33.280 --> 0:55:36.520 see what events are happening and learn from the people. 0:55:36.840 --> 0:55:40.000 Then you be, I in my travels and organizing and 0:55:40.120 --> 0:55:43.680 going to all these cities and all of that. Even 0:55:43.719 --> 0:55:47.680 though I am for I believe I'm forty two, forty two, 0:55:48.120 --> 0:55:51.320 you know, I'm still a student of life, sure, you know. 0:55:51.520 --> 0:55:54.759 And I love sitting back and learning, you know, from 0:55:54.880 --> 0:55:57.400 young people, from older people. When I went out to 0:55:57.600 --> 0:56:02.360 Miami and I wanted to, it was a hurricane that happened, 0:56:02.520 --> 0:56:05.120 and I was like, you know what. I went there 0:56:05.400 --> 0:56:08.560 and I or I had the local organizer, reached out 0:56:08.560 --> 0:56:10.680 to local organizers. I happen to always know someone in 0:56:10.719 --> 0:56:12.560 the state and I'm like, hey, can you get people 0:56:12.600 --> 0:56:14.480 in the room. And I just sat back and just 0:56:14.719 --> 0:56:20.280 listened to what's happening politically, socially, you know, even musically, 0:56:20.440 --> 0:56:23.279 and everything that's going on in Miami. I did the 0:56:23.320 --> 0:56:26.200 same thing in Detroit. And I will go there once 0:56:26.239 --> 0:56:29.200 a month and continue to learn and continue to be 0:56:29.320 --> 0:56:32.880 engaged and learn what's happening and and and I always 0:56:32.960 --> 0:56:35.400 do that for it. Sometimes I will keep going for 0:56:35.480 --> 0:56:38.560 a year and just learning, you know. And so I 0:56:38.600 --> 0:56:42.000 think that it's important for us to learn what's happening, 0:56:42.800 --> 0:56:45.000 you know, learn what's happening, and you'll realize that the 0:56:45.080 --> 0:56:47.759 same things that's going on in your city is the 0:56:47.880 --> 0:56:50.000 same exact things that's happening in the next city. 0:56:51.239 --> 0:56:51.439 Yeah. 0:56:51.719 --> 0:56:53.680 I love that too. And you know, one thing that 0:56:53.760 --> 0:56:56.960 I will say is, you know, for Q and I, 0:56:57.080 --> 0:57:01.200 we have kind of a unique opportunity with this in 0:57:01.400 --> 0:57:07.200 that we have a network that spans from coast to coast, 0:57:08.560 --> 0:57:10.880 a lot of voices that listen to this show that 0:57:11.040 --> 0:57:14.520 we thought was a good idea. The growth has very 0:57:14.600 --> 0:57:19.640 much felt empowering, and both of us, I think, in 0:57:19.680 --> 0:57:25.840 our heart of hearts are love first. You know a 0:57:25.920 --> 0:57:28.520 lot of folks can't see, but I'm very well tattooed 0:57:28.560 --> 0:57:30.720 and I have a huge tattoo along my arm that 0:57:30.760 --> 0:57:35.439 says I love you. And something I learned from my father, 0:57:35.480 --> 0:57:39.720 who was a minister, perfect love casteth out fear, and 0:57:39.920 --> 0:57:42.840 so to live behind fear means that you probably need 0:57:42.920 --> 0:57:45.800 to work on your love or your capacity to love 0:57:45.840 --> 0:57:47.880 a little bit more. And that's what we try to 0:57:47.960 --> 0:57:51.440 do with this show. Obviously, that's what you do with 0:57:51.880 --> 0:57:53.800 you know, all of the activism and all of the 0:57:53.920 --> 0:57:54.680 speaking that you do. 0:57:54.920 --> 0:57:57.800 I love our people and that's what moves me, and 0:57:57.920 --> 0:57:59.280 I think that that's what moves. 0:57:59.120 --> 0:58:00.000 You to absolutely. 0:58:00.200 --> 0:58:02.880 You know, when you love God, when you love God 0:58:02.960 --> 0:58:05.200 and what everything God creates, you want to be there. 0:58:05.520 --> 0:58:08.440 I love that. Yeah, and with that, I think that's 0:58:08.480 --> 0:58:10.240 going to do it for us. So once again, thank 0:58:10.280 --> 0:58:11.520 you for coming up, Queenya. 0:58:11.280 --> 0:58:14.440 Najaha and damn this job and I gotta give you 0:58:14.440 --> 0:58:15.080 your flowers. 0:58:15.120 --> 0:58:15.240 Yo. 0:58:15.320 --> 0:58:17.320 You have been doing this for such a long long 0:58:17.440 --> 0:58:22.520 time and you deserve every accolade everything. But you really 0:58:22.640 --> 0:58:26.480 really love our people, Yes, you really really do, and 0:58:26.600 --> 0:58:28.160 it shows in everything that you do. 0:58:28.440 --> 0:58:31.880 I'll take that. Yes, and uh yeah with that, that's 0:58:31.920 --> 0:58:33.520 a that's a that's an even higher high. So we 0:58:33.720 --> 0:58:35.880 ended right there. Thank you for tuning in to Civic 0:58:35.960 --> 0:58:38.440 Cipher once again. I'm your host Rams's job. Be sure 0:58:38.440 --> 0:58:40.200 to check us out next week and you can download 0:58:40.280 --> 0:58:44.120 this in any previous episode on Civic cipher dot com 0:58:44.280 --> 0:58:47.600 And until next week, y'all. Peace. Yeah, like we had 0:58:47.680 --> 0:58:48.000 to lead 0:58:50.960 --> 0:58:54.640 When you travel, speak to you from sunlight to