1 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: Good morning, peeps, and welcome to wok F Daily with 2 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: Meet your Girl Danielle Moody, Recording from the Home Bunker. 3 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: The folks, I'm excited about on today's conversation, which is 4 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: uh will be coming up shortly with Justin Lofton, who 5 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: was recently elected to local office in Mississippi. And you know, 6 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: I'm going to tell you you're going to want to 7 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: listen to this interview because what is surprising about Justin 8 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: is one, he is young, he is black, and he 9 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: is also openly bisexual. Those are not the things that 10 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: we think about when we necessarily think about Mississippi and 11 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: a new elected official. So his story is coming up 12 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: on how he made what many would thing to be 13 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: the impossible possible. But before we get into that conversation, 14 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,400 Speaker 1: I just want to talk about a couple of things. 15 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 2: Which is first George Santos, like, what a fucking disaster 16 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 2: of a human being. Twenty three charges I think that 17 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 2: he has against him now finds himself on cameo, which 18 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 2: is a site that you can go to to get 19 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 2: celebrities from A to apparently Z record messages for you 20 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 2: for fee. And George Santos clearly hasn't grifted enough because 21 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 2: he's recently joined that platform, which I'm like, who the 22 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 2: fuck is gonna pay? But maybe people will and it'll 23 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 2: be like a funny joke, but the joke will be 24 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 2: on you, because what you're doing is just continuing to 25 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 2: fund somebody like this. The other piece about George Santos 26 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:01,639 Speaker 2: is that you know he now that he's gone, makes 27 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 2: the Republicans very very very paper thin majority even slimmer, 28 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 2: and I think that we would all do ourselves a 29 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 2: good service by looking at his expulsion as an opportunity 30 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 2: to regain the House from the least functional House of 31 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 2: Representative session since the Great Depression. 32 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: I'm not saying it. That's what's coming out of news reports, 33 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: which should be embarrassing, but apparently it takes an outward 34 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: grifter like George Santos to make the Republicans move from 35 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: their Orange Jesus worshiping into recognizing that maybe this guy 36 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: is not the vibe that we want for our party. 37 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: It's amazing to me that they can expel Santos, who 38 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: basically would not have existed if not for Donald Trump 39 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: being the blueprint on how to fucking grift off of 40 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:06,559 Speaker 1: your constituents, right like Donald Trump, president former twice impeached, 41 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: multiply indicted former president of the United States used his 42 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: hotel that was in walking distance to the White House 43 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: as a way to use his political influence to gain 44 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: monetarily right for both himself and his kids. But like, oh, 45 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: you want to talk about George Santos's ethics violations, and 46 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: I'm like, Donald Trump has a bevy of them, but 47 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: we don't pay attention to that. It's just like, I 48 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: don't know. I want to say that it's hypocrisy at 49 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: its best, but I mean, that's what the Republican Party does. Nonetheless, 50 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: George Santos is out. Maybe you'll see him or get 51 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: a cameo video for the Happy Holidays or Hanukkah where 52 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: he'll say something to the effect of happy Jewish Holiday. 53 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: What a piece of trash, but so perfectly associated with 54 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: the Republican Party, and you know who they are, who 55 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: they are and what they embrace. Sadly, Matt Gates is 56 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: so upset that Republicans wouldn't let this play out because 57 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: winning is more important than having any type of integrity 58 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,919 Speaker 1: or values. But you know, does this shock anyone coming 59 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: from Matt Gates props not so coming up next, Dear friends, 60 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: my interview with Justin Loft it. I hope that you 61 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: enjoy it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, Folks. 62 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: I am very excited to welcome to OKF Daily for 63 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: the first time, a newly elected Justin Locksim, who will 64 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: start your tenure as the next Pike County District one 65 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: supervisor in January of twenty twenty four and it'll be 66 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: a four year term. And what is amazing aside from 67 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: I mean, as I was going through the bio, I 68 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: said in Mississippi. 69 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 3: Got elective, we sure first out black bisexual man who unseated, 70 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 3: by the way, a twenty four year incumbent, Is that correct, 71 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 3: a twenty four year incumbent in McComb, Mississippi. 72 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 2: Talk to me first of all about McComb, Mississippi, and 73 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 2: then why you decided to run and think you winning 74 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 2: was possible. 75 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 4: Yeah, thank you for that, and first thank you for 76 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 4: having me on. 77 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 5: I want to say that I truly appreciate this forum 78 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 5: to share space. So McCombe is located in Pike County 79 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:56,360 Speaker 5: and Pikee County is a proximate about thirteen thousand people, 80 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 5: and so with this particular seat, it actually is not 81 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,720 Speaker 5: only the city of Macombe, but also the town of 82 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 5: Summit as well. Everything that kind of lies, what I 83 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 5: would say, in the more. 84 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 4: Eastern part of the county and so that little region. 85 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:19,840 Speaker 5: And what really inspired me to run for office was 86 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 5: when I drove around my community. It's a simple fact 87 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,479 Speaker 5: that it did not look like the way it used 88 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 5: to be. And I started to question whether we were 89 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 5: electing the person or whether we were electing. 90 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 4: The purpose in our community. 91 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,599 Speaker 5: And I think as I continued to dig and do 92 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 5: research and really try to figure out, like, Okay, here 93 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 5: are these factors that could be against me if I 94 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 5: decided to run, But what are the opposition details that 95 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 5: I could utilize to figure out like where my opponent 96 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 5: is weak and maybe why our community looks the way 97 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 5: it looks. And as I Doug, I began to uncover 98 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 5: his lack of responsibility or accountability. We're completing road inventory 99 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 5: reports and if you drive on our roads, they're dilapidating 100 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 5: right beneath us. Potholes everywhere in a mostly black community, 101 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 5: and we expect our black leaders to show up. 102 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 4: For us when we elect them you look at the businesses. 103 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 5: That are in the middle of our community that we're 104 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 5: black owned. At one point they no longer really exist, 105 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 5: with the exception of two of them. And of course, 106 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 5: in our part of our community, we have our own 107 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 5: little community ecosystem, our economic system as well. Where that 108 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 5: business drives employment, it drives opportunities for families in their areas, 109 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 5: access to nutrition and gas and important resources and necessities. 110 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 5: So I begin to look at that and the economic 111 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 5: development factors, and I said, well, I have nothing to lose. 112 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 5: It's never been my passion to run for office. But 113 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 5: at the same time, I can't expect change to happen 114 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 5: if I'm not willing to step up myself and be 115 00:07:58,120 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 5: the change. 116 00:07:59,040 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 2: I love this. 117 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: I love the fact that, first of all, you grew 118 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 1: up in this area, right, so you have your own 119 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: perspective and insight on how things were and what they 120 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: look like. Now, give us some idea of you mentioned 121 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: a mostly black so give us some idea of the demographics. 122 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: And you know, as you're beginning to think about your opponent, 123 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: how your being a part of the LGBTQ community could 124 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: be seen as a death set right, as a blockade 125 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: to you being able to win this seat. 126 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, thank you for that question. So my district, which 127 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 4: is District one, is comprised of about. 128 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 5: Sixty eight to seventy percent Black people. 129 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 4: Majority of those folks are Democrats. 130 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 5: The district has since expanded to create opportunities for more 131 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 5: educated and more diverse groups of people to be a 132 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 5: part of our district, but still heavily Democratic. Most of 133 00:08:57,640 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 5: the folks that live in our district, not all of them, 134 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 5: but a good number of them are more distressed. So 135 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 5: you'll see a lot of apartment communities that are some 136 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 5: ways shape or form dilapidating things of that nature. You'll 137 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 5: see a lot of families in our community that may 138 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 5: be benefiting from much needed social insurance programs that are 139 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 5: helping them to stay above while they pulled themselves up 140 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 5: by the bootstrap. And so, given the context of the 141 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 5: environment that I live in and where I come from, 142 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,679 Speaker 5: it's very hard for anyone from the LGBTQ community to run, 143 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 5: and especially when but I decided that when I ran, 144 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:37,959 Speaker 5: I was going to run very hard, and I was 145 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 5: gonna put every resource I had into it, including moving 146 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,719 Speaker 5: savings out of my account to make it happen. So 147 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 5: I was fifteen thousand dollars campaign altogether, which is big 148 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 5: for my type of race. But that being said, some 149 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 5: of the challenges that I felt like I faced was 150 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 5: that my opponent would certainly use my sexuality against me 151 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 5: as political ammunition to say why I'm not. 152 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:00,760 Speaker 4: The right ca for the job. 153 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 5: That he would utilize the fact that my job was 154 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 5: one of those jobs that really had me travel some 155 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 5: contractually to do work, and that oh, I'm not from here, 156 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:16,559 Speaker 5: I don't pay taxes here, and lo and behold, that's. 157 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 4: Exactly what happened. 158 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 5: In fact, there is this one instance where my opponent actually. 159 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 4: Was around my dad. 160 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 5: My dad walked up to him and just wanted to 161 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,439 Speaker 5: have a general conversation about you know, hey, I don't 162 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,439 Speaker 5: appreciate you, you know, really coming at my son the 163 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 5: way that you're doing it. 164 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 4: You know, can we tone. 165 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 5: Down that type of rhetoric, the narrative that you're presenting 166 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 5: and just run on our platforms. He gets upset with 167 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 5: my dad and it becomes this really aggressive. 168 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 4: Thing and he reaches for a gun and tells me 169 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 4: a punk ass bagget in the process. No, and so 170 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:50,439 Speaker 4: here I am. 171 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 5: I'm like, okay, here's this twenty four year incumbent who 172 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 5: is supposed to be representative of all the people, who 173 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 5: is also seventy four years old at the time, got 174 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 5: in when he was fifty one, and he lacks the 175 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:09,400 Speaker 5: very basic principle of respect and equality and equity for 176 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 5: the mere existence of a person of my lifestyle where 177 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 5: I come from, and so I knew those are going 178 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:18,880 Speaker 5: to be barriers, but I didn't let those things stop me. 179 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,440 Speaker 5: I actually utilized that as motivation to work twice as hard. 180 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 5: If you're going to come at me, I'm the type 181 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 5: of gonna be jazz and that's just how I see things, 182 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 5: And so it didn't deter me. Of course, my feelings 183 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 5: were hurt because I really looked up to him throughout 184 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 5: the years as a pillar in our community. 185 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 4: So to have you say those things, it was super hurtful. 186 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 2: But also he put his hand on his gun and 187 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 2: said those things like that's that's an attempted hate crime, right, 188 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,080 Speaker 2: like that's not so just I mean and aside, but 189 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 2: not really did you press any charges or did. 190 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 4: You just well, he didn't do it to me. He 191 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 4: did it dad, reaching your dad. 192 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,959 Speaker 2: Okay, this you weren't there, Yeah. 193 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,560 Speaker 5: This is regurgitated information to me from the people who 194 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:08,920 Speaker 5: were around the scene. 195 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 2: At the got it. 196 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:16,840 Speaker 1: I mean that is but that that type of vehement hate, 197 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: right that, like your father is saying, can't you run on? 198 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: Like you twenty four years you would think that you 199 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 1: have a platform to run on, right, but most likely 200 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 1: haven't been challenged in all that time in any considerable way. 201 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 1: That's the thing that gets me so angry, is that 202 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: what I realize is you know, and you're saying this 203 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 1: is a largely democratic place, that this is not. It 204 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 1: wasn't about oh, this republican said X, Y and Z, right, 205 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: like this is somebody that supposedly has the same political 206 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:56,199 Speaker 1: affiliation as you do, but was using your sexual orientation 207 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: as a way to demean and potentially threaten you. Yeah, 208 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: so when you were deciding to double down, right, to 209 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: knock on more doors and to create a platform, you know, 210 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: what were some of your constituents' pauses? And then what 211 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,360 Speaker 1: were who the people obviously event you know, did have 212 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 1: your back because you're you know, newly elected and will 213 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: begin your term. But talk to us about some of 214 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: you know, what would you come face to face with 215 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 1: when you were door knocking. 216 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 5: Honestly, to my surprise, I was actually a welcome face. Now, 217 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,400 Speaker 5: I think more of the pushback came from, here's this 218 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,760 Speaker 5: young person, and we've had another young person to run 219 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 5: for office. I think he got elected at age of 220 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:53,320 Speaker 5: twenty one and he was elected as to city council, 221 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 5: and he, in my opinion, lacked a level of mature 222 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 5: to show up in the space, which caused some friction 223 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 5: and it turned some of the voters away from you 224 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:06,160 Speaker 5: letting young people. And so a lot of the question was, well, 225 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 5: how are you going to be different than this young person? 226 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,680 Speaker 5: What makes you qualified? And in our community, yes, it's who. 227 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 4: Your mom and them. Well you're going to church it you. 228 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 5: Know, that's the southern thing. And so it was being 229 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 5: able to name drop, Oh my dad is so, and so, 230 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 5: my family is this, and that allowed the welcome conversation. 231 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 4: But I didn't see. 232 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 5: Those things as really like a barrier to connect with people, 233 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 5: because my approach wasn't about all these identities that I 234 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 5: bring to the table. My approach was coming to folks, 235 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 5: not trying to sell myself, but to listen, after listen 236 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 5: to the interviews, how my name is justin Lawton. If 237 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 5: you have a I want to know what you care 238 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 5: about in our community and some ideas that you may 239 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:51,320 Speaker 5: have to fix it. And people will let you sit 240 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 5: on their porch and on their couch and they talk 241 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 5: to you about it, and that's when you introduce, Well, 242 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 5: I'm running for this office and I love to have 243 00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 5: your support, and this is the plan that I've come 244 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 5: up with. 245 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 4: Now. 246 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 5: Of course I have my general kind of platform and plan, 247 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 5: but in these conversations I'm able to really gather additional 248 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 5: ideas or solutions from the people. That way, it's for 249 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 5: them and buy them and they can see me putting 250 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 5: their ideas and pin to paper in the process of 251 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 5: it as well to expand those platform ideas. So not 252 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 5: too many barriers in that sense of the voters. And 253 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 5: I'll be honest with you, not a lot of them 254 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 5: ask me about my sexuality. 255 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 2: So let me ask you this. 256 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: You know, the south right has been very much and 257 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 1: offices outside of national offices. I think Democrats in general 258 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 1: have not paid attention to right. When we're talking about 259 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: school boards and city councils and superintendents and these things, 260 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,760 Speaker 1: Democrats have allowed those spaces, in my humble opinion, to 261 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:57,760 Speaker 1: just go by the wayside, let us concentrate on who's 262 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: in Congress and who's in the White House. What message 263 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: do you give to folks you know that they need 264 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: to pay attention to these offices and not let them go. 265 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: And why it is important for folks who continually look, 266 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: you know, what can I do? How can I be 267 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 1: of service? What should I do? Why it's important for 268 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: them to run for offices like yours. 269 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 5: Yeah, And I think it goes back to a basic 270 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:28,920 Speaker 5: ended lesson for me is that what happens locally is 271 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:33,520 Speaker 5: then what also impacts us nationally. And I say that 272 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 5: for those who might be interested in running, because oftentimes 273 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 5: people look at DC or what's happening at the state 274 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,960 Speaker 5: level as like the major things. They don't recognize that 275 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 5: the infrastructure money that's disseminated down from DC to the 276 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 5: state is then disseminated down to the counties for disbursement 277 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 5: for their everyday resources for them to have. 278 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 4: Safe and reliable roads and bridges to drive on. 279 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 5: They don't think about how the federal dollars come down 280 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:04,640 Speaker 5: for Tana for our assistance benefits for people in our community, 281 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 5: and how our state legislature is. Yes, they're disseminating money down, 282 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:12,320 Speaker 5: but it's also the role of the county and the 283 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:16,080 Speaker 5: city government to create an equitable quality of life. Sometimes 284 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:19,480 Speaker 5: streamlining those funds are creating access to those services and 285 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:23,400 Speaker 5: funds as well. And so I think if any pop 286 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 5: body is going to run, they have to be able 287 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,160 Speaker 5: to paint the road map about how all these things 288 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 5: kind of really meld together and how each whether it's 289 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 5: the down ballot races at the local level, the legislative 290 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 5: races are even at. 291 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 4: The federal level those elections, that they all work together 292 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:42,400 Speaker 4: for the greater good of the community. 293 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 5: And you can't have one and not emphasize it without 294 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 5: having the others. 295 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: What advice do you give to justin to young queer 296 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: people right who are now being faced with a climate 297 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 1: that is incredibly hostile, which you know you experienced by 298 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:06,280 Speaker 1: virtue of telling the story about your dad and what 299 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 1: he had to face, what advice do you give to them, 300 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:15,399 Speaker 1: first as just people right, as just young people living 301 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:20,679 Speaker 1: in environments towns you know that can be dangerous for 302 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:21,639 Speaker 1: them to be out in. 303 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:26,119 Speaker 4: Never settle. 304 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 5: For delineating parts of yourself to satisfy anybody. People will 305 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 5: either have to accept. 306 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 4: All of you or none of you. 307 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:41,200 Speaker 5: Because one of the things that I've had to learn, 308 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,879 Speaker 5: and I will give this to any other queer candidates running, 309 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:48,479 Speaker 5: is that I wasn't willing to curate some inauthentic version 310 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 5: of me to be elected. And the main reason is 311 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,959 Speaker 5: that when it comes to my sexuality, maybe clothes are 312 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 5: for closets, not people, not our identities. We are who 313 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,680 Speaker 5: we are and at the end of the day, recognizing 314 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 5: that it's not who you sleep with, who you love, 315 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 5: who you share space with, but it's about what you 316 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 5: do when you get into that boardroom, when you get 317 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:11,680 Speaker 5: into that legislative seat, when you. 318 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 4: Get into Congress that matters. It's the impact. 319 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 5: Because if sexuality defines success, well, heterosexual people have owned 320 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:24,240 Speaker 5: the public office for a long time and we send 321 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 5: a lot of failures. 322 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 4: So it might be the right time. 323 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,880 Speaker 5: In the right place for queer people to start running 324 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,200 Speaker 5: and winning because we may be able to change things 325 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 5: that haven't been had to. 326 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:35,159 Speaker 4: Be changed in a long time. 327 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:45,160 Speaker 1: Justin last question for you, what are you most excited 328 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,400 Speaker 1: about come January twenty twenty four when you start your 329 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: four year term. 330 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 5: Good question. I'm excited about impact. I know that's very 331 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,960 Speaker 5: broad to say. But even before getting into office, I've 332 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 5: already written a grant to the Office of Juvenile Prevention 333 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,639 Speaker 5: to help with juvenile diversion programs to reduce the burden 334 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,480 Speaker 5: on our jails and save taxpayers money. I've already began 335 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 5: working with economic development, where there's a group of folks 336 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,200 Speaker 5: who are looking at spaces in my district to. 337 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 4: Bring jobs, hundreds of jobs to the area. 338 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 5: So being a part of those conversations, so I want 339 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,879 Speaker 5: to see those things flourish and come to life. What 340 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:31,679 Speaker 5: I'm more excited about is proving that young people and 341 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:36,439 Speaker 5: queer people are the leaders that our society has been 342 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:39,639 Speaker 5: waiting on, and that when you've been given the chance 343 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:44,040 Speaker 5: to show up and deliver, that we can do the job. 344 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,920 Speaker 5: And so I want to prove to everybody in my community, 345 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:49,919 Speaker 5: to every voter who may be hesitantly voted for me, 346 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 5: that you made the right choice and that the results 347 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,439 Speaker 5: is driven by the impact that I've helped to make 348 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:57,160 Speaker 5: in our community. 349 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 4: So that's what I'm looking forward to. 350 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:03,680 Speaker 1: Well, justin I wish you all of the success. I'm 351 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: so excited by the fact that you ran, that you 352 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 1: had the courage to run, and that you won, but 353 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 1: I think that you're going to You've already made impact 354 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: because you've already shown that the you know, what some 355 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: would have said was impossible is possible. And so being 356 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:24,800 Speaker 1: that possibility model, being able to show young black men, 357 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 1: young queer people, everyone who lives at the intersection of 358 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:33,040 Speaker 1: multiple identities that they can, particularly in this really dark time, 359 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: is incredible. 360 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:36,280 Speaker 2: So thank you, Thank you. 361 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:38,920 Speaker 4: I appreciate the opportunity to share. 362 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:47,440 Speaker 1: That is it for me today, Dear friends on woke 363 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 1: app as always, power to the people and to. 364 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 2: All the people. Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck. 365 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: Yah.