WEBVTT - Civic Cipher 102922 What is Voter Suppression? (Part 2) 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:06.000 And now moving my mic back, you're like that. 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:14.960 You can strikes headquarters behind him, and. 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:15.319 If you're just tuning in the civic cipher, I am 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:17.760 your host, Ramsey's job. Big shout out to q Ward 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:23.520 and Maggie b noan uh. Today we are doing something 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:25.760 a little different. We have a special guest with us, 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:30.520 doctor Camill Westenberg, and she is speaking to us on 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:36.000 behalf of the NAACP Maricopa County branch, and we are 0:00:36.040 --> 0:00:40.239 discussing midterm elections. But we're also going to take some 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:44.080 time to discuss voter suppression. We're going to figure out 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:46.360 how to identify it, how it looks, how to fight 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:48.560 back against it, all of those things. These are things 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:51.720 that are very very important in our community. This is 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:55.000 a long standing fight that if I'm honest, I was 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:59.720 unaware of until way too late. And now that I'm 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:02.000 aware of it, I can see it in more areas 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:06.920 then I'm completely comfortable with. So stick around. We're definitely 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:09.080 going to talk about that, but first and foremost, we 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:12.280 are going to discuss Ba Ba Baba, how to become 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:15.319 a better ally. Today's Baba is sponsored by Hip Hop 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:17.640 Weekly magazine. You can find out more at hip hopwekly 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:22.600 dot com for today's Baba. You can become a better 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:27.320 ally once again by checking out NAACP dot org slash 0:01:27.680 --> 0:01:34.440 take dash action. There you can find petitions, fundraisers, handpaigns 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:36.959 the like. If you want to get active, that's where 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:41.720 you can go. If you're interested in protecting reproductive rights. 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:45.200 If you want to pass the Equality Act, which prohibits 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:49.160 discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:54.520 areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:57.880 housing credit, and the jury system, that's where you're going 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:02.200 to find that information. You can support theaacp's position calling 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:06.600 for President Biden to take executive action to cancel federal 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:10.680 student loans at a minimum of fifty thousand dollars. Again, 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:14.120 where you want to go is n DOUBLEACP dot org 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:19.480 slash take h action. If you want uniform police reform, 0:02:19.520 --> 0:02:21.480 that's something that we talk about a lot on this show. 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:26.639 If that's what you want, you can support that. Climate 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.519 justice is another thing we mentioned on the show. It's 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:33.280 very important, obviously, but you may not be doing it 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:35.680 for yourself. You may not notice the effects in your life, 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:37.239 but if you have children or if you plan on 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:39.600 having children, or you plan on leaving the world a 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:42.000 little bit nicer a place than you found it. Again, 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:46.120 the NAACP has initiatives that are dealing with climate justice, 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:49.320 and today we're going to be talking about combating voter 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:53.880 suppression initiatives. So again you can find all this and 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:55.800 more if you want to get active, if you want 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:59.359 to become a better ally, visit NAACP dot org slash 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:05.120 take dash action and do just that. Take action now. 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:12.000 Voter suppression, Doctor Westerberg, this is another thing that you 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:14.399 and I have talked about quite a bit. I'd say 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:19.040 we've talked about it for on and off, maybe eight 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:26.040 years now, because I became acutely aware of it from 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:28.960 having conversations with you. This has always been a very 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:36.000 big concern of yours. And now I'm noticing a very 0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:42.440 conservative facet of this country becoming more aggressive in their tactics. 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:49.360 And I see them, rather than allowing it to look 0:03:49.440 --> 0:03:53.840 like what it is, which is absolutely voter suppression. There's 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:58.880 a thin veneer of patriotism, this idea that they're protecting 0:04:00.280 --> 0:04:03.640 some sort of voting integrity, or there's this idea that 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:08.520 they somehow are keeping everyone honest or something like that 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:10.640 when the truth is there, just making it more difficult 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:15.960 for the most where for the people where it's most 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:18.480 that's already the most difficult for them to get out 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:25.479 there and vote. So, how do we take this idea 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:28.840 and turn it into real things like how do we 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:34.080 identify voter suppression in it? Or how about this a 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:39.080 better question, what do you see as voter suppression initiatives 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:41.480 around the country? 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:48.839 First, I would say that voter suppression from a generic perspective, 0:04:50.120 --> 0:05:00.960 it is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, unwelcomed, in adequate, 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:10.240 and are not qualified when you attempt to vote. That's 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.440 the essence of what it is. And there are many 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:19.440 strategies that have been used to suppress the vote, from 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:27.160 restricting the use of are having people to serve water 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:38.640 while you are in line to vote, the observation of 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:43.159 pole workers and pole observers. Right now, we just had 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:50.040 our brands just had two workshops equipping people to become 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:57.800 voter pole workers and pole observers to make sure that 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:01.440 all of the guidelines where it here too at the 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:06.080 time of election. And what is happening is that people 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:10.680 are being threatened and so you have a number of 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:15.520 people who are not assuming those positions any longer, and 0:06:15.800 --> 0:06:18.960 there is the suspicion that there are going to be 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:24.280 people on November eighth who will be around those locations 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:30.600 that will make you feel as though your life is 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:35.680 jeopardized or that you're doing something wrong, and so voter 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:41.400 suppression is for real. I know during the last presidential election, 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:49.640 even the postage system was interrupted as it relates to 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:57.280 mailien ballots, the sorting systems were taken out, and there 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:02.200 has been a limited number of drop off boxes where 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:12.480 you can leave your ballot. The business of committing a 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:17.720 ballot for someone else is problematic. You cannot do that 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:21.120 any longer. For example, if you have your neighbors and 0:07:21.240 --> 0:07:23.080 you said, well, I'll take all of them and drop 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:26.120 them in, you can't do that. That's against the law. 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:30.160 They're just any number of things that can be used 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:35.000 for voter suppression, looking at the ballot and how you 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:38.880 respond on your ballot, looking at your signature as to 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:44.120 whether it is correct or the date. Just recently, my goodness, 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:50.400 in Florida, there were there were individuals arrested because of 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:54.920 an infraction related to voting. Consequently, that is suppression because 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:59.200 anyone who wants to vote now in this election is 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:01.800 going to have a second thought and say, you know, 0:08:02.080 --> 0:08:07.040 am I really eligible to vote? And so they are 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:10.680 just a number of ways in which voter suppression can 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:12.080 take place. 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:20.880 You know, it's sort of troubling when I'm listening to 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:22.720 tell these stories because it reminds me of so much 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:25.400 of what I've seen. One of the things that you 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:34.480 mentioned was that a lot of the polling places were redistricted. 0:08:34.800 --> 0:08:40.520 I believe that's what happened. And what we noticed once 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:44.520 upon a time is that polling places that typically served 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:48.120 black and brown communities, primarily black communities in the South, 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:55.640 the amount of polling places places diminished sometimes you know, 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:59.960 by an order of magnitude, and or they were moved 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:05.080 to you know, white parts of town right and the 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:09.160 locations right right. And the result of that was that, well, 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:12.200 you know, if black folks can't get up, get out, 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:14.400 moved to the point and now they have to drive 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:19.000 twice as far. You know. The idea behind that would 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:25.080 be that it would lessen the impact of the black 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:30.719 vote in those parts of the country and bolster you know, 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:32.640 the white voat make it easier for white folks to 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:35.640 vote and then of course they don't say that, but 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:38.280 that's what it looks like. And you know, when we 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:43.120 look back historically these sorts of tactics, this is the 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:46.360 most creative group of people I've ever seen in my life. 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:49.000 These people are I mean, I don't mean it as 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:51.800 a compliment, but you know, brilliant in terms of how 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:54.360 they can come up with spend you know, a story 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:57.960 where they're it's the wildest thing. In fact, you know, 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:04.240 I was reading something recently and it was basically rules 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:08.040 that black people had to abide by to vote in 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:12.000 certain states. And if you were if you were a 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:13.880 land owner and you had a piece of land that 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.760 was worth more than three hundred dollars, you could vote. 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:22.559 If you if your grandfather didn't vote, then you couldn't vote, 0:10:22.640 --> 0:10:27.840 or something like that. If you had to pay a 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:31.800 poll tax, if you were under a certain age, you know, 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:37.040 all these things. And the idea was that you know, 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:41.600 in theory would be like apply to everyone, but it 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.520 would only apply to certain districts or certain parts of town. 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:47.840 And they would say it's to provide additional polling places 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:50.960 or whatever. But the fact is is that these were 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:55.040 all voter suppression initiatives, and nowadays we see sort of 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:58.080 the same tactics, just modern version of it. But the 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:02.240 truth is, the end result is that black people vote 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:05.000 less as a result of it. And there's another thing 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:07.840 I wanted to mention while you were talking. You know, 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:10.199 one of the things that I learned. You know, I'm 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:12.400 from Los Angeles, That's where I was born, and then 0:11:12.440 --> 0:11:17.280 i grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. So I've lived in 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:22.400 big cities my whole life. What happens is I think, well, 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:25.439 you know, that can't be so bad. You know, voters, Okay, 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:27.839 they put a couple of rules in place. It's fine, 0:11:27.920 --> 0:11:30.000 we'll get to it. But I think that your point 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:33.200 when you mentioned, okay, there's a black neighborhood, there's one 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:35.840 person that's going to drop off his or her ballot, 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:38.800 and we'll just go around to the community and say, hey, 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:40.400 I'm dropping off my ballot. If you guys want to 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:42.160 give me your grow friends, give me your ballots, I'll 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.520 take them all up there. You know, there are people 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:50.760 who are live in rural parts of the country. There 0:11:50.800 --> 0:11:57.200 are people who are not as mobile, people who are 0:11:57.240 --> 0:12:00.240 dealing with health issues, people who have to go to work, work, 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:02.160 you know, and they can't get the time off. You know, 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.080 they're not in cities. Cities tend to be very liberal, 0:12:05.200 --> 0:12:07.720 very progressive. You know, these are rural folks and in 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:11.760 the South and places that really matter for black people, 0:12:11.880 --> 0:12:16.000 in the black voice. You know, these little rules can 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:20.120 have a profound impact on election outcomes, and so it's 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.960 very important to know this. I learned it late, so 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.320 I'm not mad at you listening. You're late to the 0:12:25.360 --> 0:12:26.040 party as well. 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.640 It's called ballot harvesting. You can't do that. I mean, 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:33.920 you just can't say, okay, you're working, I can't get there. 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:37.640 Will you drop it all? You can't do it. You 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:40.840 build out your ballot, you've signed it yourself. It's simply 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:43.840 a matter of just going to the location and putting 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:44.040 it in. 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:47.120 Yeah so. So. 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:52.480 And it's hours are changed too, that's the other the 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:55.960 days of the hours oftentimes, and you know, who are 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:59.079 the people that work the most, the longest, the hardest, 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:03.880 you know, nine to five or longer to get to 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:05.720 the polls can be very difficult. 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:09.160 Yeah so. And I think that that kind of brings 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:10.760 me to my next point. I wanted to ask you 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:15.120 how we would go about identifying a voter suppression initiative. 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:19.079 But I think that you know, an example comes to mind, 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:22.440 Soulds to the polls, Right, So you want to tell 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:25.360 a little bit about souls to the polls. 0:13:24.760 --> 0:13:32.280 Well, that is a group of the divine nine that 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:36.840 came together and decided that they were going to go 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:41.120 and just collectively as a group make a thing out 0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:44.719 of it. You know, sometimes that's the best way that 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:48.880 we can do it. So you have a cohort of 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:53.920 individuals that are connected and they collectively go to the polls. 0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:57.640 It can be Sunday after church, it can be a 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.880 group of fraternities and sororities as side that they're going 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:05.520 to do it. But you have a common interest already, 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:11.280 and so by going collectively, you're not intimidated by what 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:14.000 you might find there. And one of the things that 0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:19.760 I that came across my desk actually from my sorority yesterday, 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:21.880 and I wanted to share this. I thought it was 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:28.320 just very very important for bullets to know your rights 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:32.720 when going to the pole, and they are if you 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:40.280 are in line when polls are scheduled to close, stay 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:46.000 in line, you have a right to vote. So if 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:49.720 you're already there and the polls are going to close 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:52.440 at a certain time. As long as you are in line, 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:56.520 don't get out. Stay there however long that line is. 0:14:56.600 --> 0:15:01.720 You have the right to vote. Make a mistake on 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:07.640 your ballot, you should ask for a new one. Don't 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:13.320 mark on it, just ask for another ballot. If the 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:19.040 machines are down at your polling place, ask for a 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:24.240 paper ballot. Don't just let it go okay, because they 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:28.280 may go down in certain locations. Mind you don't make 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:35.640 sure that you do vote. And if you're citizenship, criminal record, 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:46.160 other qualifications are questioned, immediately call the Election Protection hotline, 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:53.200 where trained volunteers are available to help. If you experience 0:15:53.720 --> 0:16:00.600 any issues, have any questions while you vote, the Election 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:05.880 Protection Hotline is there to help you. You can call 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:11.680 our text eight six six our Vote to speak with 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:18.800 the trained election protection volunteer. So you don't just give 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:19.280 up on that. 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:29.800 Well said, So that's wonderful information to know. I appreciate 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:36.560 you sharing it, and it actually makes me think about 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:38.760 what we were talking about just a second ago in 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:43.600 terms of the what does voter suppression look like? Right? 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.200 So obviously those things you know look like that, but 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:49.880 you know you were mentioning Souls to the polls. This 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:54.040 was an initiative that took place in Georgia and as 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:58.360 you mentioned, you know, Sunday black women mostly got together 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:00.400 and went out and cast their vote together. It was 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:04.680 just on Sundays. So what did the uh, the powers 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.520 that be do in response to the Souls to the 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:12.760 Polls initiative. They close polling places on Sundays, right, And 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:19.320 so this is textbook, you know, voter suppression. It's like 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:22.399 a way to combat It's such a strange like you 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:27.720 would think that we would all want everyone's voice heard 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:30.720 accounted for. You know, let's let's you know, let's put 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:32.200 all the ideas in the pot and see what we 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:37.200 end up with. But no, there is a not insignificant 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:41.000 facet of this country that absolutely does not want you 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:44.520 to vote because if you vote, they will be outnumbered, 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:48.760 vastly outnumbered. In fact, the party would have would cease 0:17:48.800 --> 0:17:50.800 to exist. They would have to abandon all of their 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:53.240 platforms to even continue as the party, they would have 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:54.919 to move so far left. 0:17:55.000 --> 0:18:01.160 And you know, there is the loss of the concept 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:05.239 of democracy absolutely, and it is to keep control. It 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:11.240 is to keep control by a select population of the community. 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:16.680 Is boils down to absolutely and so voting in midterms 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:22.280 keeps a handful of people very powerful, and very comfortable 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:27.440 and very wealthy, and it often enough keeps you exactly 0:18:27.520 --> 0:18:30.760 where you are. You know, if you think complaining about 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:34.840 gas prices and food, you know, is bad, you know, 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:38.359 just if you looked at the overall trajectory of this 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:44.640 country in the past, let's say twenty years. I read 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:48.320 something recently and it said in the past, you know, 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:50.920 I'll just say twenty years. Maybe maybe it was thirty years, 0:18:53.440 --> 0:18:58.240 the average median income for the average American family was 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:00.560 like write it around, like fifty thousand dollars or something 0:19:00.640 --> 0:19:05.440 like that. And it is still there. The average minimum 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:09.080 wage is still exactly where it was. But the average 0:19:10.040 --> 0:19:14.560 or the wealthiest person in the country back when was 0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:17.320 you know, eighty billion dollars and now it's like two 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:21.480 hundred and fifty billion dollars, right, And that's true of 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:25.639 most all the one percent. So this money is not 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:29.679 trickling down. You know. The standard of living is not increasing, 0:19:29.720 --> 0:19:32.119 it's not improving, minimum wage is not going up, and 0:19:32.200 --> 0:19:39.520 people that live normal lives are being robbed and left behind. 0:19:39.960 --> 0:19:45.439 And for folks to complain about gas prices without looking 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:50.159 at that long that long view of it, you know, 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:52.800 just sort of having a bit more perspective on things. 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:56.399 It might be a lot of things that's going on 0:19:56.520 --> 0:19:59.960 in the world too, as to why the gas price 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:05.000 is sure acted. And so you know, it isn't necessarily 0:20:05.080 --> 0:20:07.919 that it's the people who are in office right now. 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:12.359 There are other factors and and and some of the 0:20:12.440 --> 0:20:18.359 people who are are advocates of voter suppression of the 0:20:18.359 --> 0:20:26.000 ones who are the hope what should I say? They 0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:32.639 are advocates for individuals who are causing the gas prices 0:20:32.720 --> 0:20:36.760 to grow up. And that's an international that is an 0:20:36.800 --> 0:20:41.600 international problem. They're not just local. So it's a big 0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:44.800 game that we're playing. It's a really big game. It's 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:49.000 larger than even just what's happening within the United States 0:20:49.040 --> 0:20:54.880 because those the individuals that are making decisions are sometimes 0:20:54.920 --> 0:21:00.159 in cohoops with people of other countries who control our 0:21:00.280 --> 0:21:03.879 oil and our gas and our opportunities. So it's. 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:09.600 Much larger. You know, you mentioned a larger puzzle. And 0:21:09.640 --> 0:21:13.199 there's another piece that we haven't really touched on, and 0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:15.959 we just have a couple minutes left, but in brief 0:21:17.000 --> 0:21:19.520 explain for our listeners. What jerrymandering is. 0:21:21.359 --> 0:21:26.120 Jerry Mandering really takes place after the senses has occurred, 0:21:27.240 --> 0:21:30.639 and the census is where you have people coming and 0:21:30.680 --> 0:21:32.440 knock on your door and they want to find out 0:21:32.480 --> 0:21:36.440 how many people, the ages, ethnicity, etc. Once you get 0:21:36.480 --> 0:21:40.200 all of that data, then you begin looking at it 0:21:40.240 --> 0:21:44.359 and deciding where you want to draw lines so that 0:21:44.480 --> 0:21:51.480 you have districts electoral districts within each community. And the 0:21:51.520 --> 0:21:55.840 individuals who are making those decisions sometimes will draw lines 0:21:56.359 --> 0:22:02.320 so that they disenfranchise certain segments of the population. For example, 0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:08.080 you may have a community where there's a historically black college, 0:22:08.080 --> 0:22:11.960 and they'll split that historically black college in half to 0:22:12.200 --> 0:22:16.119 dilute the strength that you would have coming out of 0:22:16.160 --> 0:22:21.280 that particular community. So it's really a matter of controlling 0:22:21.520 --> 0:22:26.560 the voting power of select communities and making sure that 0:22:26.640 --> 0:22:31.400 the voting power is design in structured in a fashion 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:35.080 that will work well for you and your policies. 0:22:35.720 --> 0:22:41.280 Right. So again, jerrymandering is another piece of a puzzle 0:22:41.359 --> 0:22:45.479 that many people don't know or feel in their day 0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:48.960 to day lives. But you know, voting in midterm elections, 0:22:49.400 --> 0:22:53.280 you get to choose the decision makers, right, and if 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:56.600 you choose the people who make good decisions, then they 0:22:56.680 --> 0:23:01.120 won't seek to, you know, weaken your vote by splitting 0:23:01.119 --> 0:23:03.360 your district so that you put a little of them 0:23:03.400 --> 0:23:05.479 over here, a little of them over there, and then 0:23:05.520 --> 0:23:08.080 they won't have enough of a voice any other district 0:23:08.359 --> 0:23:12.160 to really make any impact. Right, and so Jerry mannering 0:23:12.240 --> 0:23:15.280 is another thing to be on the lookout for. But 0:23:15.320 --> 0:23:18.200 the point here is that there are many ways that 0:23:18.400 --> 0:23:22.959 voting power could be weakened. There's so much at stake 0:23:23.320 --> 0:23:28.400 if our communities' votes continue to be disenfranchised. So far, 0:23:28.480 --> 0:23:30.679 we've been able to fight back a good fight, but 0:23:30.960 --> 0:23:35.679 as you mentioned this time around, there are people coming 0:23:35.800 --> 0:23:39.800 after our vote full strength. They have every type of 0:23:39.840 --> 0:23:43.040 voter suppression initiatives. Are some creative folks, And if you 0:23:43.200 --> 0:23:45.320 want to fight back, I will let you know once 0:23:45.359 --> 0:23:50.119 again NAACP dot org. You can donate, you can organize, 0:23:50.440 --> 0:23:52.840 You can not just sit around and wait for it 0:23:52.880 --> 0:23:55.560 to happen. And you need to do that in addition 0:23:56.000 --> 0:23:58.520 to casting your vote and getting everybody you know to 0:23:58.560 --> 0:24:00.720 do the same thing. Put it on social media. I'm 0:24:00.720 --> 0:24:03.160 going to vote. Are you anyway that you can get 0:24:03.200 --> 0:24:05.840 folks to those polls? Do it and again. Go to 0:24:05.920 --> 0:24:08.480 NAACP dot org to find out how you can help 0:24:08.480 --> 0:24:11.440 spread the word. Moving on, It's time for the Way 0:24:11.480 --> 0:24:15.480 Black History Fact. Today's Way Black History Fact is sponsored 0:24:15.680 --> 0:24:20.280 by the Black Information Network Daily Podcast. Check out more 0:24:20.560 --> 0:24:27.160 at vinnews dot com stories and interviews that are curtinent 0:24:27.720 --> 0:24:30.639 to black culture, and that show, of course, is hosted 0:24:30.640 --> 0:24:34.520 by Yours Truly Rams's Job. Today's Way Black History Fact. 0:24:34.520 --> 0:24:38.320 We're going to be talking about the origins of the NAACP, 0:24:39.840 --> 0:24:43.160 so we'll start at the beginning. In nineteen o eight, 0:24:44.119 --> 0:24:48.359 a deadly race riot rock the city of Springfield. Eruptions 0:24:48.359 --> 0:24:54.560 of anti black violence, particularly lynching, were horrifically commonplace, but 0:24:54.640 --> 0:24:57.600 the Springfield riot was the final tipping point that led 0:24:57.640 --> 0:25:02.480 to the creation of the NAACP. Appalled at this rampant violence, 0:25:02.680 --> 0:25:06.480 a group of white liberals that included Mary White Ovington 0:25:06.920 --> 0:25:12.960 and Oswald Garrison, both the descendants of famous abolitionists William 0:25:13.200 --> 0:25:16.919 English Whaling, and doctor Henry Muskowitz, issued a call for 0:25:16.960 --> 0:25:21.240 a meeting to discuss racial justice. Some sixty people, seven 0:25:21.240 --> 0:25:24.840 of whom were African American, including W. E. B. Dubois I, 0:25:24.920 --> 0:25:29.440 to B. Wells Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell signed the call, 0:25:30.640 --> 0:25:35.360 which was released on the centennial of Lincoln's birth. Echoing 0:25:35.359 --> 0:25:39.359 the focus of dubois Niagara movement for civil rights, which 0:25:39.359 --> 0:25:43.160 began in nineteen oh five, the NAACP aimed to secure 0:25:43.240 --> 0:25:46.600 for all people the rights guaranteed in the thirteenth, fourteenth, 0:25:46.600 --> 0:25:50.439 and fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, which promised 0:25:50.480 --> 0:25:54.040 an end to slavery, provide equal protection under the law, 0:25:54.480 --> 0:25:58.399 and the right for all men to vote respectively. Accordingly, 0:25:58.640 --> 0:26:04.000 the NAACP's mission is to ensure the political educational equality 0:26:04.119 --> 0:26:08.440 of minority group citizens of states and eliminate race prejudice. 0:26:09.040 --> 0:26:12.800 The NAACP works to remove all barriers of racial discrimination 0:26:13.280 --> 0:26:18.240 through the democratic process. The national office was established in 0:26:18.280 --> 0:26:20.879 New York City in nineteen ten, as well as a 0:26:20.920 --> 0:26:26.080 board of directors and President Moorefield Story, a white constitutional 0:26:26.240 --> 0:26:30.920 lawyer and former president of the American Bar Association. Despite 0:26:30.960 --> 0:26:34.560 a foundational commitment to multi racial membership, Dubois was the 0:26:34.600 --> 0:26:38.760 only African American among the organization's original executives. He was 0:26:38.800 --> 0:26:42.240 made director of Publications and Research, and in nineteen ten 0:26:42.520 --> 0:26:47.320 established The Crisis, The acclaimed publication of the NAACP by 0:26:47.400 --> 0:26:51.080 nineteen thirteen. With a strong emphasis on local organizing, the 0:26:51.200 --> 0:26:57.520 NAACP had established branch offices in such cities as Boston, Massachusetts, Baltimore, Maryland, 0:26:57.800 --> 0:27:02.680 Kansas City, Missouri, Saint Louis, Missouri, Washington, d C. And Detroit, Michigan. 0:27:03.440 --> 0:27:08.560 NAACP membership grew rapidly from around nine thousand, nineteen seventeen 0:27:08.640 --> 0:27:12.479 to around ninety thousand and nineteen nineteen, with more than 0:27:12.520 --> 0:27:17.120 three hundred local branches. And we'll skip forward here. While 0:27:17.200 --> 0:27:22.080 much of the NAACP's history is chronicled in books, articles, pamphlets, 0:27:22.119 --> 0:27:25.840 and magazines, the true movement lies in the faces of 0:27:25.960 --> 0:27:30.360 the multiracial, multi generational army of ordinary people who united 0:27:30.400 --> 0:27:33.359 to awaken the consciousness of the people. And a nation 0:27:34.040 --> 0:27:37.760 with such a powerful membership base, all twenty two hundred 0:27:37.800 --> 0:27:43.240 chapters of the association continued to persevere. And that is 0:27:43.320 --> 0:27:47.919 the origin story of the NAACP. It's an organization that 0:27:48.040 --> 0:27:52.119 responded to kind of what was going on, race, riots, lynchings, 0:27:52.119 --> 0:27:54.600 that sort of stuff, you know, very black stuff. But 0:27:54.720 --> 0:27:59.600 it also stood to make sure that everybody was treated 0:27:59.640 --> 0:28:02.160 equally as well. And this is something that I feel 0:28:02.200 --> 0:28:04.240 is kind of important. We do this on Civic Sipher. 0:28:04.280 --> 0:28:07.800 We recognize that having a platform like this, having a 0:28:07.840 --> 0:28:10.680 show like this, you know, in spaces where hip hop 0:28:10.800 --> 0:28:14.280 music is consumed, where you know, it's a popular facet 0:28:14.320 --> 0:28:17.879 of the culture that we can tell our black stories. 0:28:17.920 --> 0:28:21.480 But you know, at a time when our Asian American 0:28:21.520 --> 0:28:26.479 and Pacific Islander brothers and sisters were feeling, you know, 0:28:26.680 --> 0:28:30.560 very traumatized and very attacked, you know, they may not 0:28:30.760 --> 0:28:32.879