WEBVTT - Is America Great Yet? | NLP at Essence Fest 2025 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.640 Native Land Pod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:05.080 with Reason Choice Media. 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:09.280 Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome. 0:00:08.640 --> 0:00:10.440 Home, y'all home. 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:14.880 So happy to be here with our essence family. We 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:19.040 have had quite the weekend. It has been a beautiful experience. 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:23.360 Have you all had a good time? All right, Andrew tip, 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:25.239 will we getting into Oh, we. 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:27.400 Got some great guests for you all today. We want 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:30.440 to have a little conversation about the state of affairs, 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:33.760 politics and our nation. And I think we've got three 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:35.839 voices who you'll get to hear it from. 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:37.960 Four I'm sorry, four voices. 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:41.360 One more add on that will be just perfect to 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:44.639 get the message succinctly to us so that we can 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:48.520 share with our friends, loved ones, family cousins, in them 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:49.720 and them and them. 0:00:50.440 --> 0:00:51.120 So bear with us. 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:53.880 It's gonna be a good quick panel for your enjoyment. 0:00:54.880 --> 0:00:58.240 I'm excited to hear from the people at every level 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:00.360 of government right now, because I think we were just 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:04.560 talking backstage about so many people are not necessarily engaged. 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.800 People are exhausted with what's going on, and I know, 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:10.400 to save our spirits sometimes we need to tune out. 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:12.840 But I'm thrilled that we have people who can make 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:17.240 information accessible and digestible and break down the things we 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:17.760 need to know. 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:19.800 So I'm ready to get into it. 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:20.320 That's right. 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:22.720 Well, while people are using the power their voices, it 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:25.959 sounds like a protest is going on right now. But 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:28.400 we're gonna make sure that you are equipped to do 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:31.080 the very that kind of work and engage in your 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:31.880 power at home. 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:34.000 So we are thrilled to bring. 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:37.399 To the stage the following voices, and if the backstage 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:39.520 folks would do us a favor and increase the volume 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:41.039 on these mics, that would be amazing. 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:42.760 We have State Rep. 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:46.160 Malcolm Kenyata, who is the vice chair of the Democratic 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:52.720 National Committee joining us. We have Ashley Shelton, CEO of 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.880 Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:58.880 Yes, indeed, we have LINEE. 0:01:58.960 --> 0:02:03.080 Vane, how y'all feel about parking Lot Pippin also the 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:05.800 hosts of the People's Brief on Revolt, and last, but 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:09.840 certainly not least, the Queen, our friend, our sister, Congresswoman 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:20.119 Jasmine Crockhead is in the buildings. Don't mind us, We're 0:02:20.120 --> 0:02:22.000 not the church, praise seem We went to a white 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:25.560 brunch right before this So I want to start with 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:28.560 our dear sister, Jasmine. There are many crises that the 0:02:28.600 --> 0:02:34.400 country is wrestling with right now. I'm just gonna somber 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:36.880 us up just for a moment. There are a few 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:39.679 crises on our hands, and one is in Jasmine's home 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:42.560 state of Texas of course, with the flash floods and 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:43.880 the many lives that were lost. 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:45.119 So, Jasmine, I just wanted. 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:47.760 To yield to you for a moment, to just bring 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:50.760 truth to us about what's really happening in this moment. 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:53.600 Yeah, I think that, uh, this is a great opportunity 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:58.120 to talk about this particular issue specifically right now that 0:02:58.200 --> 0:03:01.399 we are sitting in Louisiana, because we know that there 0:03:01.480 --> 0:03:05.480 is a such thing as say, hurricane season, but as 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:09.520 we have these natural disasters that have only continuously been 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:12.880 on the rise because some people just don't believe in 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:16.239 climate change in this country, we also have had those 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:20.560 that have been empowered with education and science that have 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.800 always at least helped us to predict what was going 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:26.880 to happen so that we could then save our lives. 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:30.200 Right now, people don't understand that there have been devastating 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:32.840 cuts that have taken place on the federal level for 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:38.400 no other reason than pure idiocy, cruelty, as well as incompetency, 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:42.560 and it is leading to people dying. People don't fully 0:03:42.680 --> 0:03:46.000 understand that government, last time I check, wasn't here to 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:49.960 kill us, but should be extending our lives and should 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:54.280 be representing for us. But unfortunately, right now, we do 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:57.120 not know how many people are still missing. We do 0:03:57.280 --> 0:04:00.560 not know the total amount that have perished. Now we're 0:04:00.600 --> 0:04:04.040 looking at close to seventy people that have died, almost 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:07.160 thirty of them are little girls. And all of this 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:09.720 could have been prevented if we did not have a 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:14.360 tax on science, including Noah, defunding Noah, which is how 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:18.400 we get our predictions. These people had no idea that 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:21.800 they were about to experience flash flooding, and they should 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:25.120 be here today. I don't really care what your political 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:26.280 affiliation is. 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:29.080 Right now we are in a crisis. 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:32.960 In this country because we have people because at the 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.080 end of the day, let me tell you something, I 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:40.239 don't know those people's political affiliation whatsoever, and I really 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:44.359 don't care. They are people and they are people that 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:48.080 should be alive. And so when people start talking to 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:52.520 you about Democrats, Republicans, independents. Ultimately, when you are looking 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:54.640 for who it is that you are going to elect, 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:59.200 you should elect people that are people centered and focused 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:02.080 instead of playing these stupid games. And that's what we 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:03.360 have failed at. 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:04.040 Unfortunately. 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:04.839 That's right. 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:07.800 We want to give you a break, Congressman. 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:10.640 But before we move on to the other panelists, for 0:05:10.680 --> 0:05:12.960 some questions, I would love for you to reflect for 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:16.320 this audience on it's still a term of. 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.080 Yours bad bill. 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:20.640 Bill? 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:24.039 Wait, what is it bad bill? 0:05:24.480 --> 0:05:30.640 Butch body budget bill that just passed the US Congress 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:34.240 signed it to law by Donald Trump. And how do 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:36.400 you make it plain to this audience the ways in 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:40.400 which their lives may be impacted by what this Republican 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:41.200 majority just did. 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:43.800 I'm gonna keep it real short, because obviously we've got 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:45.560 an amazing panel of people. 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:47.600 This is a reverse Robinhood. 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:52.280 Essentially, what they've done is they've taken resources and money 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:55.080 out of your pockets. Because let's say somebody doesn't have healthcare, 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:57.880 that now means that they are going to have to 0:05:57.960 --> 0:06:00.400 spend money that they couldn't afford it in the first 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:03.200 place for health care that they couldn't afford in. 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:04.320 Order to try to stay alive. 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.320 Also say, Jeff Bezos can go out and when he 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:10.719 get married to his third wife, okay, he can then 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:13.400 have another fifty or sixty million dollar wedding. 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.080 That's it's pure and simple. 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.520 And let me let me give y'all numbers, numbers that 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:24.200 you probably can't truly conceptualize. They cut one trillion dollars 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:28.320 worth of money to Medicaid, not one thousand, not one 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.560 hundred thousand, not a million, not a billion, but one 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:35.719 trillion dollars. And after cutting one trillion dollars out of 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:38.320 the ecosystem of health care. And that's how I'm gonna 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:41.240 phrase it. Because even if you don't have Medicaid, whatever 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:44.240 good insurance you think you got, let me just tell 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:46.960 you all, the prices are going to go up because 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:49.320 there's a trillion dollars that has been pulled. 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:50.200 Out of the health care system. 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:52.560 For some of you that don't necessarily live in the 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:54.880 big cities, and even some that live in the big cities, 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:58.440 those hospitals are going to shut down because they won't 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:01.320 have the resources when you need to show up. Even 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:04.360 if you do have good health care, guess what, there 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:07.160 won't be anybody there to take care of you. 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:08.960 People are going to die. 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:12.640 Unfortunately. That is the theme of this administration. And the 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:15.280 only thing that we have to show for it is 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:18.800 that literally, we have eighty three billionaires in this country. 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:23.040 They care more about eighty three billionaires in this country 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:27.800 than they cared about the hundreds of millions of people 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:29.400 that are in this country. 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:30.720 That is the long and short. 0:07:30.720 --> 0:07:33.480 Whether we're talking about healthcare, whether we're talking about food, 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:38.600 whether we're talking about education, which historically education has been 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:42.600 what has allowed us to hopefully start to minimize that 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:45.160 wealth gap. I am telling y'all it is time to 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:48.080 strap up because it's about to get really rough. 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:52.640 I want to ask a follow up to you, Congressoman, 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:55.440 and also I want to bring in Malcolm Kenyata, who 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:57.640 is here as well. I think a lot of white 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:01.440 one run newsrooms misrepresent black folks and they think black 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:05.120 folks are so loyal to the Democratic Party, not understanding 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:07.560 it as ourselves who were loyal to We're voting it 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:10.720 for harm reduction, not to any particular party. So what 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:15.000 would you say to the millions of people across this 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:19.720 country who has every right to criticize their government, their 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:24.000 tax paying citizens. So we can't admonish them for these criticisms, 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:27.040 but they feel like the party is not fighting for 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:33.000 them and they're not interested in Instagram memes and media stunts, 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:36.560 but they want to see actual combat to protect them 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:39.680 what's happening. I'm curious what you would say to those people, 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:41.280 and when she's done, I would love to hear from 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:42.240 you as well, Malcolm. 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:45.000 So I absolutely understand. 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.400 I think that one of the reasons that I became 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:51.440 like a top request at surrogate both under Biden as 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:54.120 well as Harris, is because they could send me places 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:57.640 that other people couldn't go. Because I understand the frustration. 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:00.319 There are a group of people that have I felt 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:03.959 like neither party has ever changed their lives for the better. 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:05.360 And I get it. 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:08.360 I understand that there are people that feel like, you 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:10.480 know what, they only show up in our black church 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:12.600 when it's time to get our black vote, but we 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:13.280 don't see. 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:14.120 Them any other time. 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:18.000 I understand it, right, And so I tell people, just 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:20.760 like I just told y'all you should vote based upon 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:22.440 who is going to look out for you, I will 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:24.840 tell you that I am not a Republican because I 0:09:24.880 --> 0:09:27.520 don't ever see myself being in a party that sides 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:29.680 with white supremacists, and the last time I check, I'm 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:30.480 totally black. 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:33.280 I get that, but it. 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:35.240 Does not mean that I believe that the party that 0:09:35.360 --> 0:09:39.360 I am affiliated with it's perfect. In fact, I don't 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:42.080 believe anything on this planet is perfect. But I do 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:45.120 believe that we can push people to be better. 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:47.120 And so that's where you come in. 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:50.880 The idea that Donald Trump won this election, in my opinion, 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:52.640 is a farce for a couple of reasons. 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:54.360 But one of those reasons is. 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:56.439 Because a lot of people say, you know what, what 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:59.200 he talking about that ain't gonna do nothing for me? 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:00.880 And what she's talking about. 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:05.000 I don't necessarily believe it, right because people have given 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:08.200 up on this two party system. But the problem is 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:10.160 when you decided to stay at home, you gave up 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:15.199 on yourselves. And unfortunately, so I'm gonna tell y'all a 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:16.800 real truth because that's the only way I know how 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:20.720 to be. Is that we consistently want perfection out of 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:24.160 our politicians and our preachers, and the reality is that 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:26.839 we will never be perfect. And I tell people all 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:29.880 the time that they divided us, and what do they 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:31.360 say in war is. 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:32.720 Divide and conquer. 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:37.120 We got conquered because we allowed ourselves to be divided. 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:39.800 And so what I want you to understand is that 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:43.480 it's not really about convincing everybody to believe everything that 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:44.040 you believe. 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:46.840 I don't really care where you stand on abortion. 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:50.560 I don't really care where you stand on LGBTQYA issues. 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:53.440 And I frankly don't care where you stood on the 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:57.439 war that wasn't even taking place here, because ultimately, they 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:01.400 allowed you to be divided amongst those and they played 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:04.200 in our faces also that they could rob us blind 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:04.960 in daylight. 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:06.640 That is what they're doing. 0:11:06.720 --> 0:11:10.839 They're robbing us of our futures, they're robbing us of 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:14.280 our presence, they're robbing us of our lives. 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:16.920 So ultimately, the one thing. 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:18.480 That like, listen, it's a lot of people to have 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:19.920 issues with me, and then it's a few people that 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:22.200 love me too. But at the end of the day, 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:24.760 you know what you're getting with me. You know that 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:28.040 I'm gonna be one thousand about what I'm saying. So ultimately, 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:31.000 I am asking you, I am begging you, because I 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:34.960 don't know how we survive unless we get real realistic. 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:37.280 If y'all remember this last thing I'm gonna say, so 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:40.040 we get everybody else. Y'all remember that there was a 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:43.920 bit of a civil war within the Democratic Party. Ultimately, right, 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:47.960 we had a nominee, We had Joe Biden. 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:53.400 Right, y'all, remember who tore Joe Biden down? It was us. 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:54.760 It was us. 0:11:55.360 --> 0:11:57.559 So the whole time we decided we were gonna tear 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.079 Joe Biden down, and listen, I don't care we're you 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.960 stood on that either to be perfectly honest, because I 0:12:03.000 --> 0:12:04.800 said it was only two people I was gonna ride with. 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:07.679 If it wasn't Joe Biden, it had to be Kamala Harris, 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:11.240 because I wasn't gonna play with them. But here's the reality. 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:14.920 We spent so much time fighting ourselves that we didn't 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.920 pay any attention to the real enemy, the one that 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:21.320 was going to inflict actual evil upon us. And so 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:24.720 I just want us to have more of a togetherness 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:27.839 spirit so that we can move together and understand that 0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:30.720 nothing will be perfect. But if we just keep our 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:33.760 eye on the price, which should be these babies that 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:36.520 we got sitting here, we should be pushing to make 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:39.720 sure that they are not rolling back our access to money, 0:12:40.320 --> 0:12:43.240 that they're not rolling back our access to education, that 0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:45.720 they're not rolling back our access to even being able 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:48.319 to have a job. Right now, we are under attack 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:51.480 in this country and people are still sitting by trying 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:53.160 to play the same dagone rules. 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:54.959 While we got this convicted felon. 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:57.319 And listen, I did criminal defense, so I'm not necessarily 0:12:57.400 --> 0:12:59.320 against those that have been caught up in the system. 0:12:59.480 --> 0:12:59.880 But this. 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:05.240 He is a real life criminal. This is the real 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:09.839 thug going around rounding up people on immigration talking about 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:10.720 they've been the enemy. 0:13:10.800 --> 0:13:11.800 Last time I checked. 0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:18.960 You are the enemy, sir, not them. 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:23.599 Here here, wait, Malcolm, here's one thing I want to 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:26.559 put some respect on his name. This is Pennsylvania State 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:31.360 Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, who knows a lot about running for 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:35.560 office too, and just recently speaking of the infighting in 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:38.080 the party, which Jasmine knows a little bit about as well. 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:41.480 So we're not gonna leave everybody blameless. You had to 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:44.240 run for a position twice at the DNC. 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:46.840 Not the history I wanted to make, but okay, the 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:49.920 only person to have to win twice. So let me 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:53.440 let me say this first, good afternoon, and let me 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:56.600 just make this point. All of us sitting here today, 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:01.080 we know exactly what it means to live in a 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:04.640 country and to engage with institutions that don't always love 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:05.120 us back. 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:08.160 That is the history of this country. 0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:10.560 And I want to be very clear, and I say this, 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:13.760 and this shocks folks, that poor kid from North Philly 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:16.080 always starts this way, but I start this way. I 0:14:16.120 --> 0:14:19.280 am not a Democrat just because I hate Republicans. Hear 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:20.800 me on that now. I do not like what they 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:23.760 are doing. But I'm not a Democrat just because they're bad. 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:26.920 So I'm a Democrat. I grew up in a working, 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:29.880 poor family in North Philly. My dad was trained as 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:33.520 a social worker. My mom spent most of her career 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:36.360 as a home health aid, working with folks who have 0:14:36.480 --> 0:14:41.560 really significant physical health challenges, mental health challenges. And my 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:43.800 dad was lucky that when he was getting his degree, 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:46.440 one day, a cute little thing named Kelly Kenyatta strolled 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:46.760 on it. 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:51.240 And nine months later you have me. Now I talk 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:51.720 about my. 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.200 Parents because I hit the parental jackpot. Okay, I got 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:56.720 the best parents in the world, second only to your parents, 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:57.960 who I assume we're fantastic. 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.400 But my parents I fucking hated each other. They did 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:02.080 they did not. 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:04.840 I promise you I was there they did not, And 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:07.400 so what that meant for me is they separated when 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:07.920 I was young. 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:09.080 I got my first. 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:12.240 Job at twelve years old, washing dishes at a little restaurant. 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:14.200 I buried both of my parents by the time I 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:17.000 was twenty seven because they didn't have access to the 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:19.720 type of health care that everybody deserves. But I think 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:22.760 about what it took for me to be sitting here 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:25.720 on this stage with you in this exact moment. As 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:28.800 difficult as things were, I had healthcare because of a 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:33.120 little program called CHIP that I'll remind you Democrats made 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:34.640 a reality in this country. 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:35.640 Democrats did that. 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.120 I moved five or six different times, but we always 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:45.520 had somewhere to go because of HUD and because of 0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:49.600 all the different things that existed, Section eight vouchers, affordable 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.680 housing that was built, and that was built because there 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.200 was a Democrat who did not know a little kid 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:57.680 named Malcolm Kenyata was gonna need somewhere to go, but 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:00.640 who believed in this idea that all of god children 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:03.760 deserve to have somewhere to lay their head and be 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.240 treated with dignity, decency, and respect. And I think about 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:10.360 when my parents found themselves in between jobs and it 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:13.840 was Democrats who built the social safety net in this 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:18.200 country that Republicans have just effectively shredded with the bill 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:21.960 that they just passed. And so I did not run 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:24.560 to be vice shared this party and run again to 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:27.360 be vice share this party because I thought everything was 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:31.320 going great. I ran because a part of the mistake 0:16:31.400 --> 0:16:35.960 that we make is believing that institutions will somehow disappear 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:39.440 if we're not there, when the reality is the Democratic 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:40.360 Party is not what. 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:42.560 It should be because you're not there. 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:46.080 And I promise you you go around your community and 0:16:46.120 --> 0:16:48.840 I hear people talk about, you know, the old guard, 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:51.120 And don't get me wrong, there are people with a 0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:54.200 lot of money, a lot of seniority, who want to 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:56.560 use that money to keep people in place that keep 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:57.600 them very comfortable. 0:16:57.720 --> 0:16:59.640 Do not get me wrong on that, But. 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:02.840 Also be clear that a lot of it is like 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:04.120 a paper tiger. 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:07.040 I think about people who step up. 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:10.080 And run for office in areas where nobody said they 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:13.159 could win, and they are winning because a lot of 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:18.399 people get afraid of stepping up and never even run. 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:22.280 They never even challenge the system. When I ran to 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:25.040 be in the State House almost a decade ago, at 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:29.080 this point, there were so many folks who said to me, Malcolm, 0:17:29.240 --> 0:17:32.080 a gay kid from North Philly, it's not about to 0:17:32.080 --> 0:17:33.920 be elected to no stay house. Let me just tell 0:17:33.960 --> 0:17:35.919 you it is not gonna happen. That's very cute what 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:38.040 you're doing, but it's not gonna happen. And there were 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:41.520 people who ran who everybody had tapped on the shoulder 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:43.400 to say they were gonna be the person who ran. 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.720 And I raised my hand and gathered my signatures and 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:50.280 knocked on doors because I believe that when we talk 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:54.120 to people, not just about the president that's gonna be elected, 0:17:54.560 --> 0:17:56.960 but when we talk to people about what is happening 0:17:57.200 --> 0:18:00.000 in their communities, that is the way we're gonna build 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:02.480 our party. And let me end by making this point, 0:18:02.800 --> 0:18:06.480 because the Democratic Party cannot exist. Hear me on this. 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:09.679 We do not exist to just throw a damn party 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:14.480 every four years and announce the nominee every single day. 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:18.760 There are elections across this country that matter to your life, 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:22.040 and we have done a crap job of treating those 0:18:22.080 --> 0:18:25.159 people with respect. And so I have this crazy idea 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:27.680 that we ought to invest in folks running for school 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:29.760 board like we do for people running for US Senate. 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:33.160 I have an idea that when somebody runs for mayor, 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:35.200 we ought to interview them and not just the people 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:38.520 running for Congress. Because I will tell you this, the 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:41.440 jerrymander maps that we have here in Louisiana and everywhere else, 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:43.160 those maps weren't jerry mandered in DC. 0:18:43.280 --> 0:18:44.520 They were jerrymander where you live. 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:47.880 The people who were banned in the books, they were 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:50.800 getting banned before the dumb lady from ww wherever the 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:54.640 hell she came from. They were being banned at your 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:57.320 school board meeting where your kids go to school. And 0:18:57.359 --> 0:18:59.760 when I think about the need to build affordable housing, 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:02.920 there are zoning board meetings that might be happening tomorrow 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:06.040 morning at ten o'clock that you're not going to that 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:09.400 is going to decide whether and how we build. 0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:09.960 Out the things. 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:14.000 And let me make this final really important point. People 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:16.480 have asked, Malcolm, you know what is the Democratic Party about? 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:18.320 What are we going to do? And people will tell 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:18.920 me as I go. 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:23.000 Across this country, Well, Malcolm, in twenty sixteen, they did this. 0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:25.320 And I'm not saying they did or they didn't. 0:19:25.880 --> 0:19:28.159 I was not even an elected official in twenty sixteen, 0:19:28.560 --> 0:19:30.280 and I promise you there's not a damn thing I 0:19:30.320 --> 0:19:32.720 can do about twenty sixteen or twenty eighteen. 0:19:33.040 --> 0:19:35.960 I hear you, I agree with you. But what we're 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:36.199