WEBVTT - Preserving Our Future 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:14.480 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to woke Ep Daily with 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:18.680 me your girl, Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker. Folks. 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:24.760 First off, thank you for sending me a happy anniversary 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:30.240 WOKF messages and comments and you know, just letting me 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:32.720 know how much you all appreciate this show. 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:35.880 It really just warmed my heart. So I just wanted 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:39.200 to start off today with saying just a deep, deep 0:00:39.240 --> 0:00:42.120 appreciation and gratitude for all of you who have been 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:45.000 writing with me for so long and listening to the 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:50.000 show Switching gears. Though God, I hate Donald Trump. 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:50.760 It's like. 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:55.720 I just I wonder if there will ever come a 0:00:55.800 --> 0:01:00.760 day where I don't mention that man's name. I feel 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:03.560 like I say his name more than I say my own, 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:10.120 because it is just every fucking place that you look, 0:01:10.200 --> 0:01:16.760 this motherfucker is doing something that deserves not just attention 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:21.240 but condemnation in a way that it's not being received. 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:27.080 So you know, over the Easter holiday weekend, right you 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:32.720 had Donald Trump hockin bibles and posting imagery of Joe 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:38.760 Biden Hogtide behind a car, and just I am just 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:42.760 so in awe, and by in awe, I'm just like 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:49.320 fulabergasted at the media after seven fucking years, the inability 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:53.520 to just call out this motherfucker. You have never met 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:57.279 a person more handled with kid gloves than fucking Donald 0:01:57.320 --> 0:02:02.520 Trump and corporate media. It is a I mean, just 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:09.880 think about if any other politician, Republican or Democrat, were 0:02:09.919 --> 0:02:14.800 to repost a picture of political violence, what the fuck 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:19.360 would happen. I miss the days where the smallest gaps 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:23.799 would result in you losing your fucking job. I miss 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:29.440 those days. I long for them. But my god, Donald 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:35.360 Trump is just such fucking trash and a criminal, and 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:39.600 instead of us just honestly being able to call it 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:46.720 what it is, we still have these conversations in media 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:49.360 as if we don't know what he's up to, as 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:53.640 if Donald Trump is just like an overgrown fucking toddler. 0:02:55.240 --> 0:03:01.880 He's not. He's been scamming and grifting and lying and 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:05.760 cheating for the last fifty fucking years and has been 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:10.280 able to do so without having any accountability for any 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:15.679 of his actions whatsoever. Right now, you have foot soldiers 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:19.040 of the insurrection in prison that he is referring to 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:24.720 as political prisoners that he will free, but not the 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:29.840 man that was the architect behind the insurrection and continues 0:03:31.080 --> 0:03:34.960 right to court violence on his enemies, whether they be 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:40.240 Joe Biden or the judges or the judge's family that 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:45.280 are hearing his bevy of criminal cases. I'm just so 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:50.040 sick to fucking death, and I honestly I pray for 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:55.480 a day when there is no more conversation about Donald Trump, 0:03:56.000 --> 0:04:00.880 but to talk about like him in the past fucking 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:06.080 tense as like a warning. That's the day that I 0:04:06.160 --> 0:04:09.480 pray for. My God, I'm just so over it. Coming 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:15.400 up next, though, is my conversation with president of Children's 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:19.960 Partnership is a policy and advocacy organization focused on advancing 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:26.040 child health equity through research, policy, and community engagement, and 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:30.440 we get into a conversation about where we are currently 0:04:30.640 --> 0:04:37.599 with women's reproductive rights, abortion, IBF and more. That conversation 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:46.560 with Mara Alvarez from Children's Partnership is coming up next, folks. 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.440 I am very excited to welcome to OOKF Daily for 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:53.800 the very first time. Mayra Alvarez, who is the president 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:58.640 of the Children's Partnership, a policy and advocacy organization focused 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:04.080 on advancing child health equity through research, policy and community engagement. 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:08.760 Myra First, I got to tell you that I feel 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:11.440 when I have conversations with people in your line of work, 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:16.040 it is a tough time to be in this type 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:23.560 of work, in child advocacy, in reproductive care, in any 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:27.640 type of community that frankly is under attack right now. 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:30.320 And so I just want to ask you, you know, 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:37.000 with your organization, with Children's Partnership, how are you dealing 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:42.400 with the current political climate and attacks that we are 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:48.080 seeing on our children, on families, and on just our 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:48.719 well being. 0:05:49.760 --> 0:05:52.200 Yeah, that's a great question, Danielle. 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:54.680 Well, first, I just want to say thank you for 0:05:54.720 --> 0:05:57.240 the opportunity to be a part of this conversation and 0:05:57.320 --> 0:06:00.680 for creating the space to engage in the common with you. 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:05.320 It is a really tough time as advocates for children, 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:09.599 particularly children from marginalized communities, black and brown families, immigrant communities. 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:13.599 It's a challenging time, and it's been a challenging time 0:06:13.720 --> 0:06:16.120 for many of our families. Remember, we're not that far 0:06:16.200 --> 0:06:20.839 removed from the global pandemic that hit our families harder 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:24.520 than other communities, and we're not far removed from the 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:27.080 very many challenges that they were facing even before that 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:30.960 global pandemic. So you can imagine it's been difficult. And 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:35.119 I think what motivates me every day and what gets 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:38.159 me up every day are the families that we're seeking 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:41.440 to uplift and the incredible resilience and strength that they're 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:45.600 bringing to these conversations into this work every day, because 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:49.360 I think that that resiliency and the ability to move 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:53.760 forward and believe that we can have hope rests and 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:57.520 the experiences of our black and brown families that have 0:06:57.760 --> 0:07:02.159 overcome so much for centuries and that continue to lead 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:04.800 the way, and that continue to be strong, and the 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:06.880 way they raise their children and the way they contribute 0:07:06.880 --> 0:07:10.160 to their communities, and the way they are demonstrating time 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:15.200 and time again how strong they are and how they 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:17.720 are the ones that are holding the solutions that we 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:20.920 need to abide by in order to create a more welcoming, 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:23.960 more equitable environment. 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:24.560 For children and families. 0:07:24.600 --> 0:07:27.320 So that's what gives That's what gives motivation every day 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:30.560 in our work, and I think we hold on to that, 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:31.800 hold on to that hope every day. 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:35.800 You know, it is like you were saying, you know, 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:40.720 from the beginning throughout history, black and brown families communities 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:47.760 have faced so many attacks through policy, right through policy 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:53.000 that whether it is not providing you know, hungry children meals, 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:58.280 whether it is not providing universal pre K and you know, 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:00.800 things that would actually go to strength in the family 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:07.880 and strengthen children and help build of resilience and possibility. 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:13.680 We have a party, the Republican Party, that has always 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:19.160 couched themselves and their policies as pro children, as pro life, 0:08:20.040 --> 0:08:25.080 and yet there is nothing that they do that actually 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:30.520 is about strengthening the lives and the livelihood of children. 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:34.440 As of late, in some states, they have rolled back 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:39.440 child labor laws. Right in some states now just recently, 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:43.160 we're seeing IVF even the ability to create the family 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:46.880 that you want being taken away from families. We've seen 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:52.920 the criminalization of people who seek reproductive care through abortion. 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:56.360 And so I want to talk to you about the 0:08:56.520 --> 0:09:01.000 systematic kind of roll out that we are seeing that 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:04.080 isn't that is coming from everywhere. It's like, we're going 0:09:04.160 --> 0:09:06.719 to get you while a fetus is in utero, We're 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:09.839 going to get you. If you're forced into labor, we're 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:12.520 going to get you. And you know, say that your 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:14.880 children have to be put to work because in these 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:18.480 you know, states that are rolling back child labor laws. 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:21.280 It's not white children that they are targeting. It's not 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:23.320 white children that are going to be in these in 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:25.959 these factories. And so I want to get a sense 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:31.679 from you, how are you able to fight back and 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:37.400 make the greater case around health and wellness for our children, 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:40.120 which are in fact the future, not just the future 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:43.440 of our workforce, not just the future right in terms 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:46.760 of how capitalism continues to flow, but like really are 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:50.280 our future and we should be caring for them in 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:50.760 that way. 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:54.080 Absolutely, I could not agree with you more. 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.800 And you know at where I work at the Children's 0:09:56.840 --> 0:10:00.880 Partnership where you know, where a nonpartisan organization or one. 0:10:00.720 --> 0:10:04.400 Three, and actually really believe that across. 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:09.319 The political spectrum, children generally are upheld as this universal 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:14.079 value that across the board, across income, across race, across ethnicity, 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:18.080 again across politics, people speak to the issue of children 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:22.840 as a top priority and it's in their actions that 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.360 we want to hold them accountable. And as you said, 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:29.199 time and time again, there are certain elected officials who 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:33.560 are talking about children but not demonstrating that commitment in 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:37.319 their actions. And I think what's important to remind ourselves 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:40.480 is that when we talk to people individually, one on one, 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:44.240 that we can delve deeper than when we talk about 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:47.600 politics at a national level and we hear soundbites coming 0:10:47.679 --> 0:10:50.840 from elected officials. I think it goes back to this 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:55.000 idea of building community with one another. It's really hard 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:58.360 to do that when you're waking up in a twenty 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:02.560 four to seven news cycle to multiple sound bites that 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:07.600 are preaching the divisiveness, that are making clear how politically 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:10.960 contentious everything is, how we're in the stalemate, how we're 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:14.559 not making progress. And yet in a community level, when 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:18.440 we are having one on one conversations as parents, as mothers, 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:19.920 as neighbors. 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:21.360 There's a shift. 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:24.679 There's a shift, and I have to believe that that 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:28.720 one on one interactions, the relationship building, the community building, 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:32.800 is the absolute necessity to make change happen in this country. 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:34.840 And it's the only thing that's going to make change 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:39.480 happen in this country because as people, we can see 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:43.320 that we are not able to rely on elected officials 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:45.520 and the way that we have wanted you, because the 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:48.199 policies that are moving forward are not reflective of what 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.720 families need and want, particularly black and brown families. 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:54.080 But as you saw with the recent Alabama decision. 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:59.320 Many white families have spoken out with serious concern about 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:01.839 what the ramifications of that decision were. 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:03.079 And I think this is. 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:05.800 The time to really demonstrate that the decisions that you 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:10.880 said disproportionately impact black and brown communities are actually lynch 0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:15.200 pins for what is happening to communities at large, right 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:18.080 And I think that's the danger, and that's why we 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:21.960 have to really consider ourselves part of one larger community. 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:27.040 And that only happens with building relationships. And it's you know, again, 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:30.400 coming out of this pandemic where we saw social isolation 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:33.800 as a necessity of keeping ourselves safe. In a world 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:36.880 of increased technology where frankly, you don't have to talk 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:40.480 to anyone outside of your four walls, creating community and 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.280 building relationship is that much more difficult, but it can 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:46.160 be done. And again, it is necessary in order to 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.079 ensure that we're going to continue to prioritize the needs 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:51.959 of our children, in order to prioritize the needs of 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:54.240 all of us, given that children are our future. 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:56.000 And again, I. 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:58.640 Really want to emphasize that we need to start holding 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:03.320 accountable elected office for their commitments to children, because that 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:07.280 talking point is just a talking point in many instances, 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:09.240 and when we think about. 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:15.080 Being pro life, not being pro embryo, not being pro 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:20.080 what's happening in that process, but the birthing process, the 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:21.360 birthing process. 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:23.560 That has taken far too many lives of black women 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:27.160 and black birthing people across the country just proportionately dying 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:31.640 compared to white women. Also when that child is growing 0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:35.320 up their early childhood development and investing in their screenings 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:37.640 and preventive services, and making sure they can see a 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:41.880 doctor in their neighborhood in a way that is culturally competent, 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:45.240 that speaks their language. Those are investments that we have 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:48.360 to make. Our education system and ensuring that we have 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:53.800 a public education system that provides the necessary skills and 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:57.560 environment to support again the healthy development of children. These 0:13:57.600 --> 0:14:01.440 are all incredible responsibility. These that is a society we 0:14:01.559 --> 0:14:04.560 have for children, and that we need to hold our 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:08.120 elected officials accountable to again across both sides of the aisle, 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.760 and I think it's important to emphasize that that really 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:14.480 rests in the power of people and really recognizing the 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:17.840 power of people to hold those elected officials accountable through 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:20.200 the many very processes of civic engagement that we can 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:26.960 make happen for people in this country. 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:28.280 You know, one of the things that I want to 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:32.840 go back to when you have mentioned COVID a few times, 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:36.880 and I know that you were appointed to President Biden's 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:41.600 COVID task Force, I believe in what twenty twenty one 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:46.440 or twenty twenty What gets me myra is that it's 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:53.080 been four years, right since the global health pandemic started 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:57.000 claiming the lives of millions of people in this country 0:14:57.120 --> 0:15:06.520 and globally, since children, jobs, education was disrupted. What troubles 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:09.080 me about where we are right now is as if 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:12.800 we have pretended that it never happened, and yet so 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:18.400 many things are fundamentally different now than they were four 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:25.840 years ago, particularly how our children feel safe and engage 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:29.440 with one another, engage with their schooling, the amount of 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:34.480 education socialization that was lost in that time period that 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:38.120 we're still building back, and really don't talk about the 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:40.400 effects of what has happened. So I want to get 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:46.320 your thoughts on how just we as a society have 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:50.880 kind of I thought we had an extraordinary opportunity to 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:55.320 kind of choose a different path, to see what wasn't 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:59.880 working right and be able to refresh and start a 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:06.200 new but instead we have, in my opinion, have regressed considerably, 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:09.400 and so I want to get your thoughts about how 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:13.520 we have dealt and continue to deal with the effects 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:19.800 of COVID and that time that we collectively experience together. 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.360 Yeah. Absolutely, I mean I think. 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:28.680 I'm going I feel like I'm an optimist at my core, Danielle, 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:32.240 and I hold on to that optimism as a strength 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:36.600 to believe that we there is hope, and hope is 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:38.000 something I. 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:39.200 Hold on to as much as possible. 0:16:39.920 --> 0:16:42.800 And I have to say that one of the greatest 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:48.240 takeaways from COVID was the opportunity to listen to community 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:51.720 members about what they needed. Because as we were in 0:16:51.760 --> 0:16:54.600 the thick of COVID, it was clear that the federal 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:58.080 government couldn't our state governments couldn't do it alone, that 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:01.120 they could not reach people with the that they needed, 0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:04.840 that they could not educate folks, that they could not 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:08.760 make people come in to get vaccinations and learn about 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.760 what was necessary in order to keep themselves healthy alone. 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:16.440 It was only in partnership with community organizations, with church leaders, 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:22.320 with community health workers and promotas that our state and 0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:25.280 country really was able to make any type of progress 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:29.560 in response and even within that, you know that disproportionately 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:34.080 decimated many of our black and brown communities with the 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:38.640 COVID deaths, with how hard it was hit, I taught 0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:40.919 I think a lot about I shared this when I 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:42.760 was part of the task force about my own mom, 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:45.639 you know, during the pandemic, and my own my own siblings, 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:48.800 my mom, you know, during the pandemic, cleaned houses, My 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:51.800 mother made, did everything to make ends meet, and there 0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:55.720 was no stopping her job. Right that For many families 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:58.600 across this country, it was not it was not an 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:01.440 option to work from home. And for those of us 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:05.600 privileged myself included, to work from home, it was often 0:18:05.640 --> 0:18:09.880 because there were people facing the frontlines every day and 0:18:10.040 --> 0:18:13.000 recognizing that so I personally was not far removed from 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.639 that for many in our communities they were. And so 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:20.440 thinking about holding those experiences, putting ourselves in other people's shoes, 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:23.840 was absolutely necessary during COVID and is that much more 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:27.439 necessary now? And I think it's those experiences and the 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:32.439 realization of government how critical the reliance was on partnerships 0:18:32.440 --> 0:18:35.199 with the community that enabled us to again come out 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:38.000 of that pandemic, but also to think differently about what 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.760 are we doing moving forward? And I see that today 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.880 in our healthcare system. You know, the Biden administration has 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:48.160 released multiple efforts to try and strengthen community partnerships through 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:50.600 the federal government, whether it is something like community health 0:18:50.600 --> 0:18:54.000 workers and really stabilizing that workforce across the country, or 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:57.280 whether it is through local health departments and their collaboration 0:18:57.440 --> 0:19:02.520 with local organizations, or through many of our more historic 0:19:02.880 --> 0:19:06.080 events in our country. There has to be a commitment 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:08.639 to that partnership in order to make progress. And so 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:12.399 I'm hopeful that we will continue that trend. And again, 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:15.159 this is absolutely necessary in black and brown communities, but 0:19:15.200 --> 0:19:19.200 it's absolutely necessary and predominantly white communities do. It's necessary 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:22.399 in rural communities where we rely, where neighbors rely on 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:24.919 each other to be able to get support from one 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:27.560 another and be connected to services and have someone in 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:30.639 their community that they trust to answer those questions. That 0:19:30.760 --> 0:19:35.720 skepticism of government or the skepticism of large institutions that 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:39.520 crosses our color lines, and we have to understand that 0:19:39.720 --> 0:19:42.000 we need to work against that in order to ensure 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:44.440 that there is trust in what the government is able 0:19:44.440 --> 0:19:48.000 to provide. And that is only necessary again through trusted 0:19:48.040 --> 0:19:51.360 messengers through those strong partnerships. So and like I said, 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:54.239 I have seen some of that as we've worked, you know, 0:19:54.720 --> 0:19:58.280 since the quote unquote ending of the public health emergency. 0:19:58.560 --> 0:20:00.760 And I say quote unquote because for many of our 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:05.439 low income families, again across color lines, across and ethnicity, 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:08.679 it's still an emergency. You know, housing is still too 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:11.600 high of a cost, health care access is still a challenge, 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:13.760 getting the healthy foods and the mouths of their children 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:14.840 is still a challenge. 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:18.760 And so those are emergencies for families every day. So 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:19.560 when we think. 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:24.159 About the opportunity to offer flexibilities during the public health emergency, 0:20:24.200 --> 0:20:27.080 which we did many of our public programs, families were 0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:30.159 allowed to stay enrolled in those public programs because they 0:20:30.160 --> 0:20:34.159 didn't want to cause more burdens during the emergency. Why 0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:37.560 aren't we offering those types of same flexibilities now again 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:40.439 when it's always an emergency for low income families who 0:20:40.480 --> 0:20:42.760 are trying to take care of themselves and their families. 0:20:43.160 --> 0:20:44.760 There were certain. 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:49.720 Again flexibilities, certain opportunities that afforded themselves in our country 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:53.320 because of this quote unquote public health emergency or the pandemic. 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:56.160 And now as we're trying to come out of it. 0:20:56.560 --> 0:21:01.359 How can we explore what needs to stay, what worked in. 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:04.080 Order to better respond to people's needs during the emergency, 0:21:04.480 --> 0:21:07.439 that we can continue to strengthen how our systems respond 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:11.560 to people. And I put that back on our elected officials, 0:21:11.560 --> 0:21:14.679 on our policy makers to think that through. Here in California, 0:21:14.760 --> 0:21:18.800 we've asked our state of California to keep children continuously 0:21:18.920 --> 0:21:22.040 enrolled in the medical program so that those first five 0:21:22.119 --> 0:21:25.080 years of life. Why are we asking new parents or 0:21:25.359 --> 0:21:27.680 parents that are stressed out about the first few years 0:21:27.680 --> 0:21:30.360 of their child life to go back and make sure 0:21:30.359 --> 0:21:31.800 you're still eligible for Medicaid. 0:21:31.960 --> 0:21:33.480 Oh, give me your income statements. 0:21:33.720 --> 0:21:38.640 When the overwhelming amount of time people stay eligible, it's 0:21:38.640 --> 0:21:41.120 not like they're making so much more money that they're 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:44.680 going to be out of eligibility. No, those first five 0:21:44.720 --> 0:21:47.119 years of life. I'm a relatively new mom. My baby's 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:49.639 two and a half years old, and I went to 0:21:49.680 --> 0:21:52.120 the doctor more times in her first couple of years 0:21:52.119 --> 0:21:52.880 than I have been in. 0:21:52.840 --> 0:21:54.920 My last ten years of my life. Yeah. 0:21:55.000 --> 0:21:57.280 Right, If I had to worry that I didn't have 0:21:57.320 --> 0:21:59.679 insurance coverage or I had to pay full price for 0:21:59.760 --> 0:22:02.960 a vaccination, that is something that no parents should have 0:22:03.040 --> 0:22:05.320 to worry about No parents would have to worry about 0:22:05.359 --> 0:22:07.800 whether they're child's and they get a service. And we 0:22:07.840 --> 0:22:10.000 have the opportunity to do that through our policy process, 0:22:10.000 --> 0:22:12.439 and I think across the political spectrum that's something we 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:12.920 want to offer. 0:22:12.960 --> 0:22:21.960 Folks, how do you think that we need to be 0:22:22.160 --> 0:22:28.600 talking about the needs of children, children's health as we 0:22:28.760 --> 0:22:32.280 move to one of the most consequential elections in our time. 0:22:32.920 --> 0:22:37.320 Many people are and I know that your organization is nonpartisan, 0:22:37.520 --> 0:22:41.040 and I think that elections are about exercising your responsibility 0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:44.200 as a citizen right to vote for people that will 0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:47.040 represent your best interests, and a lot of people are 0:22:47.080 --> 0:22:50.960 siloed voters. But what we saw, particularly during the pandemic, 0:22:51.040 --> 0:22:53.840 two million women dropped out of the workforce because they 0:22:53.880 --> 0:22:58.320 had to be caretakers. Right. We have seen so much 0:22:58.359 --> 0:23:02.480 again be reshaped by tragedy, by disaster, and I'm wondering 0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:07.280 how you think we focus the narrative over the next 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:10.760 several months around the needs of families, around the needs 0:23:10.800 --> 0:23:16.640 of children, to energize people in a way that shows 0:23:16.680 --> 0:23:17.719 out in the votes. 0:23:19.680 --> 0:23:22.119 I love that, and that's exactly what we're trying to 0:23:22.160 --> 0:23:25.359 do because to your point, even as a nonpartisan organization, 0:23:25.840 --> 0:23:28.760 we are able to ensure that people are thinking about 0:23:28.880 --> 0:23:31.840 the issues in front of them and who is going 0:23:31.880 --> 0:23:34.240 to best fight for those issues, who is the best 0:23:34.880 --> 0:23:38.000 best fight for their kids for their well being. By 0:23:38.040 --> 0:23:40.600 being in these positions of power and privilege, it's real 0:23:40.680 --> 0:23:44.679 privilege to be an elected official and serve the people 0:23:44.680 --> 0:23:46.520 that sent you there to do this work right. 0:23:46.880 --> 0:23:47.800 And I think what we. 0:23:47.720 --> 0:23:51.399 Talk about when we talk about children's health health is 0:23:51.800 --> 0:23:54.399 oftentimes when you think about health, people think about, oh, 0:23:54.520 --> 0:23:56.960 let me go to the doctor, let me access these services, 0:23:57.000 --> 0:23:58.879 let me have a health insurance card. 0:23:58.960 --> 0:24:02.800 And those are apps absolutely essential tools to health. But 0:24:02.880 --> 0:24:03.560 if you think. 0:24:03.400 --> 0:24:07.000 About our health and our well being, it's connected to 0:24:07.160 --> 0:24:10.000 so many different aspects of our lives. You can look 0:24:10.040 --> 0:24:12.520 at any of our biggest goals as a country, when 0:24:12.560 --> 0:24:15.280 we want our children to do well in school, when 0:24:15.320 --> 0:24:18.280 we want our parents to work a full work week, 0:24:18.359 --> 0:24:21.320 our community members to contribute to the well being. 0:24:21.160 --> 0:24:21.919 Of their community. 0:24:22.560 --> 0:24:25.760 Improving health is connected to every single one of those goals, 0:24:26.119 --> 0:24:29.520 and on an individual level, health is fundamental to opportunity. 0:24:29.760 --> 0:24:32.159 The healthier we are, the more freedom we have to 0:24:32.200 --> 0:24:35.040 pursue our dreams and to contribute to our families and 0:24:35.040 --> 0:24:37.840 our workplaces and our communities. And so we know that 0:24:37.880 --> 0:24:41.040 as we're trying to build in our state a healthier California, 0:24:41.080 --> 0:24:44.520 but a healthier country, we need a chance to have 0:24:44.600 --> 0:24:46.400 many more of our people to be able to reach 0:24:46.440 --> 0:24:49.440 that full potential. And so I think if we think 0:24:49.480 --> 0:24:52.440 about children's health, we need to be able to connect 0:24:52.480 --> 0:24:55.720 it towards those other facets of life, and that as 0:24:55.720 --> 0:24:59.439 we think about the path towards equity, that it's the 0:24:59.440 --> 0:25:00.560 path towards health. 0:25:00.760 --> 0:25:00.879 Right. 0:25:01.000 --> 0:25:04.080