WEBVTT - 081923 The Importance of Holding Public Office with Roqy Tyraid (Part 1) 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:03.520 Broadcasting from the Hip Hop Weekly Studios. I'd like to 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:06.480 welcome you to another episode of Civic Cipher. I am 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:09.399 your host Ramsey's job. Big shout out to my guy Q. 0:00:09.600 --> 0:00:13.040 Ward was on the other side of the world in Italy. 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:17.759 Wow right now. Wow, he's living his life to the 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:20.480 fullest and also impacting the world. So that don't fear 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:23.560 it's not just a vacation. He is bringing a little 0:00:23.560 --> 0:00:26.599 bit more joy and kindness to this planet as he does. 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:30.440 But fortunately we have a special guest in studio with 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:34.160 us today, Jacob Rayford, better known to me at least 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:41.280 as Rocky Tirade. Now, for those that don't know, my 0:00:41.400 --> 0:00:46.680 background is in hip hop broadcasting, not necessarily social justice 0:00:46.720 --> 0:00:51.080 and so forth. And Rocky as I know him, is 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:55.120 a longtime contributor to the many shows that I've done 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:58.200 on the radio. Rocky as an artist but also Rocky 0:00:58.560 --> 0:01:06.160 and Jacob has really leaned into activism, i'd say more 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:09.440 or less around the same time as Q and I did, 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:12.320 around twenty twenty. I know you've always been active, as 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:15.920 have we, but around that time we realized that there 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:19.840 was a need or rather more from people like us 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:22.640 and leadership petitions and so today we're going to be 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:27.640 talking to Rocky about let's be honest about the importance 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:30.480 of holding office, because that is a space where you 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.119 have been very effective and you've been able to shape 0:01:34.120 --> 0:01:36.640 some outcomes. And then for the second half of the show, 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.959 we're going to discuss some of the outcomes that you've 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:44.440 helped shape. In particular, there's been a story that has 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:47.920 made national headlines about, you know, especially in Arizona, about 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:50.760 people not being able to film the police, and how 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:53.160 you've been instrumental and pushing back on that and actually 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:55.160 getting that overturned. So a lot to look forward to 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:59.120 in today's show. But first and foremost, like we always 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:04.200 do it, this time, let's get into some Ebony excellence. 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:08.560 So today's Ebny Excellence is sponsored by Major Threads for 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:13.720 innovative fashionable sportswear. Checkmajorthreads dot com. I'm going to be 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:18.440 sharing from ABC seven Chicago, and I'm going to do 0:02:18.520 --> 0:02:22.360 this in honor of all of my skiwee's out there 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:25.639 across the country. So the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:30.640 incorporated its own credit union, Bravo. The four Members Only 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:33.480 or FMO credit union is the first black owned woman 0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:37.200 led sorority based digital banking financial institution in the history 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:40.440 of the United States. The Akas are one of America's 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:44.680 oldest service organizations founded by college educated African American women, 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:50.079 with nearly half a million members worldwide. Everyone quote, everyone 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:52.520 doesn't understand the impact we make financially, so you have 0:02:52.560 --> 0:02:55.040 to start doing things so folks know we know how 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:59.680 to control our money, said Dennette Anthony Reid, International President 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:04.520 and of the AKA Sorority. FMO's grand opening at the 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:08.400 group's international headquarters in Chicago coincided with the one hundred 0:03:08.400 --> 0:03:12.760 and fifteen year old Sororities Leadership Conference. The FMO is chartered, regulated, 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:16.440 and insured by the National Credit Union Administration. In other words, 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:20.320 it's official and while for primary savings, loans, and other 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:23.200 banking services during its first year of operations, it's open 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:27.120 to AKA members, their immediate families, AKA staff, and credit 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.320 union employees. I have another quote for you. Every member 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:33.120 will be an owner of the credit union, said Terry 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:38.440 Bradford Easen, FMO Federal Credit Union Executive Director. The first 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:40.960 of its kind credit union is based in part on 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:45.360 the sorority six initiatives, which include building economic wealth plans 0:03:45.440 --> 0:03:47.280 for the Credit Union began a few years ago with 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:50.680 the idea to create economic health and financial stability for 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:54.120 women of color. So again, shout out to the Skiwe's. 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:57.440 Shout out to doctor Westernberg. She's the main ski wie 0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:01.760 in my life. Oh maybe Dodor Westerburg and big shout out. Yeah, 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:06.880 so really proud of you all. All right, onto my guest. Now, 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:09.800 I did my best to kind of give you a 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:14.040 bit of an introduction, but I know that there's a 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:18.520 lot more to it, and so, uh for everyone listening, 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:21.880 I would like to go through this line by line. Sure, 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:26.280 but before I get there, let let's talk a little 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:30.520 bit about, uh, who you were and and sort of 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:32.680 what led you to being more of an activist. I 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:34.160 kind of give a quick and dirty version of serve. 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:35.720 But I think it's important for our listeners to. 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:40.160 Know that I mean artist, yeah right, yeah, you know, 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:44.640 being MC artists, you know, performer. 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:46.880 It's just hip hop has been part of my life. 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:48.640 I mean, you know, I'm preaching to the choir like 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:50.920 you and body hip hop in multiple ways. I mean 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:52.800 both in terms of your contribution, in terms of your 0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:56.120 family's contribution. Like it's just what we are so you know, 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:59.320 I've been you know, part of you know, the hip 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:02.200 hop realm for some time, doing my best to represent Phoenix, 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:06.000 Arizona on my travels both you know, regionally, nationally internationally, 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:08.480 you know, regarded as someone who's nice with the pen, 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:10.960 who's able to put together some complex lyricism and things 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:15.520 of that nature. And because of my own individual perspectives, 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:17.920 there's always been things that I incorporated into like my 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:21.080 art that has been I guess considered to be socially 0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:24.800 conscious and things that that nature challenging, challenging series, totally 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:27.720 unintentional stuff. But you know, because of that, I've been 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:30.400 pulled into specific areas. 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:30.760 And you know. 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:35.480 That led to me being a part of various social 0:05:35.600 --> 0:05:38.040 justice movements since the early twenty tens, going back as 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:41.320 far as Occupy Wall Street times we had occupied Phoenix, 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.240 and you know, the various unfortunate issues that would occur 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:46.279 over the over the following years when it comes to 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:49.320 police brutality and you know, one of the many faces 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:52.960 that would show up in those spaces and whatnot. But really, 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:57.000 at that time I was moving solely strictly as as 0:05:57.040 --> 0:06:00.320 an MC, as an artist and doing everything from knocking 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:02.560 at your wake up shows to you know, putting out 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:04.960 to you know, wreckers with green lantern and all sorts 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:08.400 of things. And you know, life ended up pulling me 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:11.280 in a different direction while you know, still leading as 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.760 an artist, but being being a musician is always something 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:18.400 that's been very like just foundationally a part of who 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:19.400 I am as a human being. 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:23.440 Sure. Sure, now I noticed that you got in a 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:28.400 little bit of a slight you know plug there. You're 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:34.720 like regionally nationally and then internationally. And I don't want 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:37.840 our listeners to think. For the listeners that maybe they 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:40.920 haven't become familiar with your music yet or anything like that. 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:44.000 I don't want them to think, Okay, because I haven't 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:46.520 heard his music yet, that that means he's not really 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:49.240 booming on that level. The fact that you really are. 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:59.560 Yeah, yeah, right, so I'll take that, Yeah, yeah, is hilarium. 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:02.120 Yeah, I could be here for a little bit. Yeah. 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:04.920 I mean I'm rocky to raid, you know, quintessential artist MC, 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:08.159 Cultivator of Culture, prevailable punchlines, hardest working man to flow 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:10.240 business in this moment in time. You know, what I've 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:12.720 been doing is really uplifting the bars when it comes 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.040 to you know, Phoenix lyricism out here, you know, one 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:17.320 of the few people that was at that time able 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:20.120 to you know, take that flag and stamp that all 0:07:20.160 --> 0:07:22.280 across like the indie sphere and what have you. You don't 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:24.480 have to be a triple A artist to find your 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:27.600 own level of success. And I've been very fortunate, very blessed, 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:30.440 very honored to be able to travel the world and 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:33.160 you know, represent this culture that has given me so 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:35.240 much life. I say all the time, I'm just a 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:37.160 fourteen year old kid in the back of the city bus, 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:41.600 listens to mixed CDs I burnt off like lime Wire 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:44.520 and everything. So to be able to, you know, contribute 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:46.800 to this culture that I hold so so near and 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:50.480 dear is it's it's it's been amazing. So you know, 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:52.480 there's so many different people that you can check out, 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.440 so many different avenues. But for my following, I hate 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:58.520 using the term cult because you know, there's certain connotations 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:00.640 that come with it, but like my kind of base 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.480 and what have you been very supportive over the years, 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:05.840 and it's allowed me the ability to, like, you know, 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:08.640 use this artist a platform to talk about things that 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:11.720 you know, can resonate with with people. You know, all 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:14.280 in the spirit of like MC and in the spirit 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:16.680 of you know how we said, peace, love, unity, have 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:17.920 a fun dropping knowledge. 0:08:18.200 --> 0:08:24.320 So exactly so when you talk about that as a 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:35.439 sort of baseline for your brand, you know, MC thought leader, entertainer, performer, 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:43.160 and then you transition into a community leader, an activist, 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:45.920 and a person who's kind of immersed in a different 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:51.880 way into the culture. Obviously, I'm my belief and I'm 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:54.160 sure you would agree, is that you'll forever be an artist. 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:57.200 Sometimes artistic people it kind of themes from them, and 0:08:57.280 --> 0:09:00.960 I found part and there's been a bit of an 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:04.880 intersection between your art and your activism, and I think 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:08.160 that that is something that shows growth on your part. 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:12.520 But it's inspired art and it's inspired activism as well. 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:14.960 It's it's a different type of activism from you know, 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:18.240 the sort of we shall overcome type of activism. Now 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:21.360 I want to talk about not only that, but sort 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:23.920 of what has come as a result of that. So 0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:30.360 first thing. Jacob Rayford aka Rocky Tirade is the co 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:35.559 chair for the Maricopa County Democratic Parties Black Engagement Committee. 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:39.360 Now we're talking about the importance of holding office, and 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:41.480 I'll make a point a little bit later. First off, 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:44.040 talk to us about what that means being the co 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:49.120 chair for the Americopa County Democratic Democratic Parties Black Engagement Committee. 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:50.160 What is what does that entail? 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:53.000 You know, I feel like I me and people, you know, 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.840 my peers within that committee serve as a conduit, you know, 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:58.800 between like the community and you know, politics and what 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:03.400 have you. You know, there is justifiable cynicism when it 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:06.760 comes to politics and you know, historically speaking you know, 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.120 the black community and what have you. So to be 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:12.720 able to kind of use this platform as a means 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:14.960 to engage with people and show them that, you know, 0:10:15.040 --> 0:10:18.040 we can be politically empowered, show up in unison and 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:19.960 move as a community. You know, that's one of the 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:23.720 many aspects that the Black Engagement Community Champions are community 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:24.800 champions and what have you. 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:29.280 So everything from. 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:32.000 Voter registration, speaking about various policies, you know, things that 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:34.320 are relevant to our community, and kind of channeling that 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:36.920 through our legislative districts because you do have you have 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:40.760 your school districts, you have your you know, congressional districts, 0:10:40.760 --> 0:10:42.880 and you have something called the legislative district. And within 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:46.680 that legislative district is where your lawmakers where your state 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:49.640 come from. So you know, you have your state House 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:52.080 or representatives and your state senators and that's where your 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:54.160 laws are generated and pushed through to the governor and 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:55.720 the governor signs it off and what have you. But 0:10:56.840 --> 0:11:01.160 you know, we are able to point to people's legislative 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:03.520 districts empower them to become what is called a precinct 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:05.800 committee person, show up to these meetings and it's just 0:11:05.800 --> 0:11:08.800 once a month meetings. Anybody can do this and you know, 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:12.320 champion the things that matter to their community, be able 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:15.880 to engage in those small level political actions like you know, 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:20.520 voting for or championing for various candidates to come out 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:24.360 of their communities and thereby, over time change the landscape politically. 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:26.880 Speaking of their legislative districts, I mean their communities, I mean, 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.680 for instance, I'm a legislative district eight and tenper Arizona. 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:32.320 So that's like for those who may not be aware 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:35.120 of how that works, it's kind of like broken off 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:38.320 into various parts of community, so it might intersect intersect 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:42.200 in between different communities. Say, my legislative district in my 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:48.160 community is North Tempier, Arizona, East Phoenix Northwest Mesa, South Scottsdale. 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.000 So you know, as you can see someone who understands 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:54.200 that the has a familiarity with the community here, it 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:56.800 takes over various parts of communities and what have you, 0:11:57.080 --> 0:11:59.400 and that is where the law for our state is 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:01.600 based out of. So when you think of the Black 0:12:01.640 --> 0:12:05.240 Engagement Committee, you think of, you know, community representatives that 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:08.200 are also engaged in the political party who can serve 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:12.359 as a bridge between the neighborhoods and the political party 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:14.559 and then using that as a means to empower other 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:15.640 people to do the same. 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:19.600 Okay, so now here's the thing that I thought was 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:25.520 relevant for today's episode. So recently on the Black Information 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:28.560 Network Daily Podcasted, which is another show that I do, 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:33.520 I had doctor Camilla Westernberg as a guest, the one 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:36.640 that we referred to earlier in the show as our 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:41.599 favorite ski we Yeah, they always get mad and I 0:12:41.640 --> 0:12:45.920 call them ski Weez. But anyway, doctor Westernberg had a 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:48.720 conversation with me recently about some of the goings on 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:57.880 in Florida, particularly the goings on relative to the educational 0:12:57.960 --> 0:13:02.840 standards or the changing educational stand there and a lot 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:07.319 of that that takes place in Florida. And indeed around 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:11.480 the country. I'm not gonna suggest that, you know, the 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:13.400 governor of Florida has nothing to do with it, because 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:16.480 clearly he does. But a lot of that has to 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:21.160 do with just people getting involved, getting engaged, showing up 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:24.920 to school board meetings, on and on and on, getting elected, right, absolutely, 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:30.360 And so for people that think running for office really 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:33.360 entails I have to be the governor, or I have 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:37.199 to be the senator, or you know, something like that 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:41.640 that feels a little uh, might might feel yeah, and 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:46.839 a little bit beyond what their capabilities would or rather 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:51.920 their circumstances would allow. Uh. You know, there are other 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:55.440 other ways to get involved in, other ways to get active. 0:13:56.559 --> 0:13:59.360 I don't believe that the things that you do, at 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:02.880 least to me, they don't seem particularly taxing, and indeed, 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:04.720 when you talk about them, it's just kind of a 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:07.400 base level. I care about this issue. I'm willing to 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:11.720 dedicate some time to it and make some meaningful inroads 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:16.720 or an impact. And what happens is a lot of 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:22.120 times the deeply conservative opposition to our positions they are 0:14:22.640 --> 0:14:26.840 engaged way more than liberal things are. In fact, I 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:31.320 quoted Malcolm X, I believe it was who said that 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:35.720 we are not outnumbered, we are out organized. And so 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:38.880 that's why I kind of wanted to talk to you 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:45.520 today about how significant it is to hold not necessarily 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:50.080 elected positions, but to hold some sort of position in 0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:53.000 the community where you are given a voice. And so, 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:57.520 while we're on the subject of the exact, yeah, the 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:03.480 Democratic Party's Black Engagement Committee talk to us about how 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:06.640 a person gets to that position, right, So. 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:09.000 I mean that's a specific committee, but when you talk 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:12.360 about being organized, I mean the whole concept of converting 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:15.600 people into what is you know, in a official title, 0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:18.360 which is a precinct committee man woman person. That is 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:20.800 a form of organizing in itself. I mean, I've been 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:22.920 involved in politics for a few years now, but it 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:24.480 took about a year and a half or so for 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:27.040 me to understand or be educated on what a precinc 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:29.960 committee person is. Because unless you're deeply involved in the 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:32.240 day to day actions of say local politics, you may 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:35.160 not know what it is. But it's one of those 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:39.320 things where you know, by itself, there is not it 0:15:39.400 --> 0:15:43.680 is not significant by itself. Yes, it's important by itself, like, 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:48.040 but when you think about organizing groups of precinct committee 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:51.840 people to vote on behalf of a specific by law 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:55.640 that thereby shape your legislative district, or to help vote 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:59.120 for things that pertain to the Americopa County Democratic Party, 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:03.480 or to even run for office for like low level 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:05.720 office in your legislative district. Say you want to be 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:08.480 the chair, the co chair, the secretary of the treasurer 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:13.800 and have this like foundational infrastructural influence on your legislative district, 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:16.840 meaning a huge part of your city or community. You 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:20.400 could do that, or run for office within your the 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:23.640 Americopa County Democratic Party in itself. You can be say 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:27.520 the chair or the vice chair, or have this infrastructural 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:29.200 like influential. 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:30.720 Role in you know, for speaking. 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.400 I know this is very local and this is broadcast 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:36.000 to you know, various communities, but this applies to all 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:39.760 of your communities. You can be influential in, you know, 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:42.840 from a county standpoint, for your entire party. Now you 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:45.400 have somebody from your community who's able to speak to 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:50.280 things that they know from a first hand perspective, show up, effect. 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:53.080 Change, and you know, do that in a way that. 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.120 Benefits your community and benefits you know, the push towards 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.680 a more progressive society. Sure, so when you speak of 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:01.840 like alcome X's quote, that is one of the ways 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.160 in which we can do that. Because as someone who 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:07.120 is helping organize the protest back in twenty twenty twenty, 0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:09.280 one of the things that we're telling people is that 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:12.800 this is a pivot towards policy change. Protesting is a 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:15.560 pivot towards policy change. And at the end of the day, 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:20.639 everything starts and ends around policy. So to be involved 0:17:20.680 --> 0:17:23.320 in say a Black Engagement committee, or just to be 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:26.840 someone who is involved in local politics, that is a 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:30.600 means of affecting policy change because you're naturally going to 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:33.840 create ripples in that water just by being involved and 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:36.840 like educating people and how to do that. And it's 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:40.679 something it's so minimal, and it's really what you can 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:42.720 make of it. If you want to be completely involved 0:17:42.760 --> 0:17:44.679 in a day to day basis and you want to 0:17:45.400 --> 0:17:48.000 show up in canvas and knockdoors, and or you want 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:50.600 to call in phone bank and convince people to be 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:52.359 more politically engaged, okay, cool. 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:53.119 If you have family. 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.320 If you have a family, a growing family, if you're 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:58.560 nine to five, is taking you away or say you're 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:00.920 having I don't know given a climate they're in right now, 0:18:01.000 --> 0:18:03.320 financial troubles and you're too stressed to think about things 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:06.560 going on at that particular time, It's okay, but just 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:10.000 be registered to be able to affect change when those 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:13.280 opportunities present itself, when those times to vote present itself, 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:16.959 when those times to prepare your community to vote and 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:19.439 show up in mass in order to affect change at 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:22.160 the ballot shows up. So it's one of those things 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:26.680 that is the foundation of like political organizing. It's being 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:30.320 a precinct committee person. And I feel that, inadvertently or 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.239 maybe intentionally, given the conversation that you want to have, 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:36.560 we have been bottlenecked from being able to be involved 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:39.160 in that. So me showing up as someone from outside 0:18:39.160 --> 0:18:42.440 of this political landscape now recognizing this information, I'm trying 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:44.680 to impart this information on other individuals so they can 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:47.800 go out there, become their own platform and you know, 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:50.080 within their own ecosystem, bringing other people in, and we 0:18:50.200 --> 0:18:53.080 just create that ripple effect and then within our specific 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:56.080 community we build a stronger black political presence. 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:59.919 Well said, so well said, So I think that you 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:09.080 touched on something really significant, because if I'm honest, I 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:15.359 once upon a time felt that holding any sort of 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:17.919 office came with a lot of pressure, came with a 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:20.679 lot of responsibility, and I'm sure that they all do. 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:28.560 But these specific type of pressures and responsibilities included fundraising. 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:31.600 I have to raise money to you know, to launch 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:36.760 a campaign. I have to be extremely educated on all 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:40.879 the issues and issues that aren't even relevant to the 0:19:41.440 --> 0:19:45.040 particular task that I'm trying to perform. I have to 0:19:46.240 --> 0:19:49.439 you know, not work. I have to you know, on 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:52.760 and on and on. I just I the monster that 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:55.679 it became prevented me from kind of looking in a 0:19:55.720 --> 0:20:01.679 general direction. And as I began to associate with people 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:06.680 who were holding elected office, I realize that absolutely that's 0:20:06.720 --> 0:20:10.360 true for different positions, for different positions, but it's not 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:15.399 true for every position. And there's a level, there's different 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:19.399 levels of engagement, and there's a space for everyone, everyone 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:22.880 who chooses to be engaged beyond a cam registered to vote. 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:26.040 I cast a voute every four years or every two years, 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:29.879 hopefully it's every two years at least, But there's a 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:32.720 level of engagement beyond that. And I think that that's 0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:37.320 significant because you know, as you mentioned, the more information 0:20:38.000 --> 0:20:40.520 that makes its way to us, the more we feel like, 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:44.159 or rather the better we're able to determine the degree 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:48.480 to which we've been disenfranchised, right, And you know, for 0:20:48.560 --> 0:20:51.880 those people who have been affected fiscally, for those people 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:53.800 who realize that they have to work two nine to 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:58.800 fives and ultimately happened upon the truth that their life 0:20:58.800 --> 0:21:01.679 should not be this way. Life should not be a 0:21:01.760 --> 0:21:04.000 cap to work. And then I get old and then 0:21:04.040 --> 0:21:05.760 I die, and that's what I did with my life. 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:08.919 That doesn't seem right. And people make money off of 0:21:08.960 --> 0:21:11.359 me so that they could live good and I cannot 0:21:11.640 --> 0:21:14.680 get out of my circumstances easily. And when I do, 0:21:15.040 --> 0:21:19.560 there are systems and external forces in place that prevent that. 0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:22.920 And there's this narrative that suggests that education and hard 0:21:22.920 --> 0:21:27.560 work are the keys to accessing the fortune that you know, 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:31.879 these other people enjoy, which the boots. Yeah, yeah, for 0:21:31.920 --> 0:21:36.520 the most part, that is not realistic and it's not accurate. 0:21:36.560 --> 0:21:38.639 There's tons of people who are educated and live the 0:21:38.640 --> 0:21:41.320 same life as you know, the poorest of us. There's 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:46.000 tons of people who you know, the bootstrappy sort of language. 0:21:44.680 --> 0:21:49.560 This narrative that exists to suggest that everyone is in 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:52.400 their own predicament as a result of their own choices, 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:58.400 and there are not systemic issues present that are suppressing 0:21:58.960 --> 0:22:06.399 people's rightful life paths. Right, So, for folks that feel 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:09.840 like they should push back against the life that they 0:22:10.040 --> 0:22:14.280 have been kind of forced into, boxed into, political engagement 0:22:14.520 --> 0:22:20.000 is one way of affecting change that maybe you can 0:22:20.080 --> 0:22:22.160 enjoy in your lifetime. And if not, do you want 0:22:22.200 --> 0:22:24.520 your children to live as tough a life as you. 0:22:25.000 --> 0:22:31.040 And so I appreciate having learned really through watching you 0:22:31.280 --> 0:22:37.200 and a handful of other people become engaged in formal capacities. 0:22:37.240 --> 0:22:39.240 You know, I never left radio, so this is still 0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:41.480 I'm still in the nest. I'm still very comfortable here. 0:22:43.359 --> 0:22:46.399 But you absolutely have done that, and that's something that 0:22:46.400 --> 0:22:48.960 I've always done my best to commend you for and say, 0:22:49.080 --> 0:22:52.639 you know how proud I am of you. But also 0:22:52.720 --> 0:22:54.920 you've made it less of a monster than it once 0:22:55.119 --> 0:22:58.680 was good. And I think that it's important for us 0:22:58.680 --> 0:23:05.360 to suggest to those would be activists or sorry, those 0:23:05.359 --> 0:23:10.879 would be individuals who would be politically engaged beyond again 0:23:10.960 --> 0:23:14.000 casting a vote every two years, it's important to suggest 0:23:14.080 --> 0:23:18.640 that you're a living, breathing example of how engagement can 0:23:18.760 --> 0:23:22.359 enhance your life. Can allow you to create change in 0:23:22.400 --> 0:23:26.679