WEBVTT - Civic Cipher 092620 Dr. Camilla Westenberg 0:00:00.880 --> 0:00:05.160 Welcome to another edition of Civic Cipher. I am your host, 0:00:05.320 --> 0:00:07.840 Rams's Jah And for those of you who've been following 0:00:07.880 --> 0:00:10.600 along with the show, that have been keeping up with 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:14.200 the promotions and so forth, you'll know that today is 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:17.079 a very big day for us here on Civic Cipher. 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:22.000 As you know, the show exists to give a voice 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:26.239 to the community. A lot of times, especially in black 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:32.040 and brown communities, there are conversations that really don't make 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:38.000 their way to public platforms for public consumption, and that's 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:41.479 exactly what we're trying to challenge and change with Civic Cipher. 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:44.520 And I think that the issue that we're discussing today 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:48.440 and the person with whom we're discussing the issue are 0:00:49.400 --> 0:00:58.080 particularly significant because there is a special relationship with today's topic, 0:00:58.240 --> 0:01:03.680 voting and black people. Black people obviously were not always 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:06.880 given the right to vote. That was something that black 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:09.960 folks had to work for, and you know, a lot 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:13.680 of times there's a lot of hopelessness in black communities, 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:18.240 especially poor black communities, so a lot of folks don't 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:22.679 really feel the connection between their vote and their immediate 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:27.240 lifestyle or you know, their immediate surroundings. So today, what 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:31.440 we're going to do is discuss how real the connection 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:35.640 between those two is. And the person that we have 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:41.280 with us today is doctor Camilla Westenberg. Now, I do 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:44.640 think it's very important. Obviously, many many people. 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:48.360 Know who you are. You've worked with the. 0:01:48.360 --> 0:01:54.200 NAAC, You've worked for black people and all people, of 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:57.320 course as an educator, but you've worked especially for black people, 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:02.000 especially in Arizona, for many years decades. I happen to 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:04.360 be around for a couple of those, so I know 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:08.280 full well. But I think that for the people who 0:02:08.840 --> 0:02:12.040 may not know who you are, especially we'll call them 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:15.560 allies who maybe are not black, but they're listening to 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:17.520 today's show, they may not know who you are. So 0:02:17.520 --> 0:02:19.880 I think it's very important for us to establish who 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:23.120 you are, and I think that that will help us 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:28.080 really give some gravity to today's message. So we'll start 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:34.640 how I know you. You are a professor emeritus of 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:37.680 Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona. 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:39.280 And how long did you teach there? 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:42.560 Approximately thirty years, Okay. 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:46.799 I think that that perspective is very important. 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:49.840 To have the perspective of a teacher and educator and 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.960 someone who has interacted with young people for her career. 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:56.919 The majority of her career. But on top of that, 0:02:57.160 --> 0:02:59.560 you are also the. 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:05.720 UH. I want to say second, but you know, okay. 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:09.440 Because we have several branches fortunately here in Arizona. But 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:13.760 I'm the second vice president for the Maricopa County branch 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:17.320 of the na A CP and my focus is political action. 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:18.359 Okay, very good. 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:23.120 And I know that you have a long standing relationship 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:29.280 with the A k As. So uh, you became an 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:35.200 AKA yourself and continue to work with the akas as 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:40.760 a high ranking UH member contributor. 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:43.320 You know, I couldn't. I couldn't explain it as well 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:43.760 as you. 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:46.200 What I'll say, given that we're going down this rope, 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:47.600 can do all my shout outs. 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:49.200 Go ahead, that's what I want. 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:53.800 I'll come back to being just me. I'm not representing 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:56.880 any of the organizations that you're here for you. I'm 0:03:56.920 --> 0:04:01.360 here for me, representing Kamela Westenburg. But yes, UH, I 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:04.560 am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the Delta 0:04:04.600 --> 0:04:08.360 Beata Omega Chapter. I am also a member of the 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:13.080 Phoenix Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction and a member 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:16.080 of the Phoenix Chapter of the Links. 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:24.360 Incorporated waly Okay, so a well qualified person to speak. 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:26.320 On the issues that we're dealing with, uh today, or 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:27.760 the topic that we're discussing today. 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:29.440 So UH. 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:33.200 With that said, Oh, and there's another thing that I 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:38.160 wanted to mention U. I understand that there's a relationship 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:41.080 that you have or or a familiarity you have with 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:42.839 one of the founders of Black Lives Matter? 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:44.240 Is that true? 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:48.359 That's true? Okay, very good, that's true. I I'd l 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:51.200 sort of like to keep her incognito because things are 0:04:51.240 --> 0:04:54.320 so treacherous out there in the world right now as 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:58.839 things have unfolded, and I just want to assure the 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:04.880 se safe keeping of everyone. But yes, I do know. 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:07.880 One of the three founders, absolutely, So I think that's 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:10.960 important as well, because I do want to establish that 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.640 you are a member of the community, but you're also 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:17.560 a very strong supporter and champion of issues that relate 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:20.960 to the black community. So that as we discuss what's 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:25.760 what's about what we're about to discuss, we know exactly 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:29.880 who we're speaking to and and that the history that 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:33.880 exists here, and so it's not someone who again if 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:37.040 then the allies just tuning in right now doesn't know 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:38.240 who we're dealing with. 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:40.640 There's there's a lot of gravity here. 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:45.320 So with that said, uh, you know, today I read 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:52.240 an article and it said, uh, Trump supporters disrupt early 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:58.080 voting in Virginia. Read through the article, and you know, 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:02.600 they were out with their their flags. And while they 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:06.760 obviously they could not prevent people from voting, the idea 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:07.640 was to. 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:10.479 At least to the people. 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:14.080 That were reporting on the article, they took it to 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:17.120 suggest their behavior, to suggest that they were trying to 0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:22.120 intimidate the people that were going in to vote. And 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:24.800 I just want to know what are your thoughts on 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:27.800 that or things like that that you've seen happen. 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:32.640 I think there's definitely an element of that which is 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:39.360 unfortunate the United States of America. I myself, whatever I 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:46.280 see oversized flags in front of homes on trucks give 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:52.920 me reason to stop and think. It suggests that there 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:58.960 is a disposition of that person. I know from where 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:03.680 that person is coming typically if you are sporting an 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:10.560 American flag today. And I do think that there is 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:16.160 an element of individuals who are there who do try 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:24.000 to intimidate. But the voter suppression has always existed. The 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:28.920 fact that my family, my mother and my father and 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:34.440 my aunts had to pay a poll tax to vote. 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:40.120 African Americans had to pay a poll tax, was a 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:45.080 voter suppression, and that was not the case for individuals 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:49.480 in my community who were not African American, and of 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:53.400 course everyone could not afford to pay a poll tax. 0:07:54.440 --> 0:08:00.000 So it does carry over today. It has been said 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:06.920 anctioned from the White House. Again. Remember this is Kamilla 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:11.040 Westingberg today. And first, let me say thank you for 0:08:11.200 --> 0:08:18.360 the privilege to have the opportunity to speak to the public, 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:24.720 because I cannot get out there at this age with 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:30.240 COVID nineteen at seventy two. But I do want to talk, 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:37.360 especially to young people eighteen through thirty forty that age 0:08:37.520 --> 0:08:43.199 who don't have a sensibility of what is really at risk. 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:50.679 I am fearful. I am fearful for them. I am 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:56.480 fearful for my granddaughter. I am fearful for senior citizens. 0:08:56.760 --> 0:09:04.400 I am fearful for humansanity because what I see occurring 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:12.120 now has taken all of the humanity, humanitarian essence out 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:16.160 of the world as we know it, and we're not 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:21.920 functioning and interacting with each other as human beings, and 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:27.840 so we're taking sides. And when you have a president 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:33.320 who says beat them up, or if you're arresting someone, 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:37.280 take them just throw them into the car and just 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:43.800 don't don't make sure that they are secure, or you 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:48.640 do it and I'll bail you out. And when you 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:53.800 have someone who is bailing out at the highest level, 0:09:54.600 --> 0:10:05.720 individuals who have gone against and have had infractions that 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:09.520 do not align with the Constitution of the United States 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:12.280 and some of the basic things that if a simple 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:19.559 person were to do it, they would not be supported. 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:23.720 When you have that happening, it's a strange thing that's 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:29.120 going on right now. There's a lot of turmoil. You 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:34.600 have the right, you have left, you have alternative facts 0:10:36.360 --> 0:10:41.560 which can be documented as not being true, and so 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:52.040 it's very, very troubling. And what my mission is at 0:10:52.040 --> 0:10:55.760 this point. We just lost someone on the Supreme Court 0:10:57.200 --> 0:10:59.040 and she had a dying wish and it is not 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:07.200 even being acknowledged. Is not being acknowledged? How inhumane is that? All? 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:10.840 Because you want power and money And I can talk 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:13.880 about the money part of it too, but certainly the 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:20.199 power is there. What I want is for young people, 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:26.720 young adults to understand what is going on, and I 0:11:26.800 --> 0:11:30.920 want to applaud them for what they are doing. They 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:36.600 have seen the inhumanity, especially toward black men, black women. 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:41.240 The fact that we have social media now and a 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:45.000 way to capture it. The world has begun to see 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:50.000 what's taking place, but it has been hidden. I grew 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:54.840 up in the South in Arkansas, right on the Mississippi River. 0:11:56.080 --> 0:12:01.400 Right on the other side was Mississippi, So I know 0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:08.000 very well what the possibilities are. Young people today may 0:12:08.040 --> 0:12:12.840 not have everything that they want. They may not have everything. 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:16.480 None of us have everything that we want, but I 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:20.040 know that some of them may certainly have a sizeable 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:26.160 degree less than what they want. They have to understand 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:32.200 what has occurred in the past and where it can 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:37.960 go in the future. And I don't think you're prepared well. 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:42.760 And I feel that I answered your question. Do I 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:45.319 believe a suppression, but it is it is it is 0:12:45.440 --> 0:12:50.480 to intimidate well, the the uh you know, just myself. 0:12:50.760 --> 0:12:55.160 I you know, recently I did some some road tripping. 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:57.760 And I spent a good amount of time in Middle 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:00.840 America because there's a huge amount of it. And you know, 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:03.720 I saw a lot of those Trump flags and you know, 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:05.760 even on the West coast, and you know, on the 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:09.480 East coast up north, you know, you'll see the American flag, 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:12.400 and a lot of times, you know, a question that 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:15.400 I would ask myself is like who are you? Why 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:18.040 are you showing that flag here? You know, that'd be 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:20.720 like if I wore a T shirt around my own 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:22.680 house that had my address on it. 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:24.600 You know, who am I showing you to? You understand? 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:29.080 So I think that a lot of folks don't realize, 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:31.120 or maybe they do realize and they're doing it on purpose, 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:34.360 but it can be a very divisive symbol because I 0:13:34.400 --> 0:13:36.839 think that most of the people that wave that flag, 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.000 with the exception of like military folks and you know, 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:43.480 municipal buildings and things like that, it's meant to suggest 0:13:43.559 --> 0:13:46.839 this is our country, and who they're trying to show 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:50.240 that to is people who are they don't consider to 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:53.960 be them, And at the very least that's how it 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.400 comes comes across. And so it's strange to see people 0:13:56.480 --> 0:14:03.160 with American flags, even them, and the subtle intimidation that 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:07.680 perhaps they know that they're you know, uh uh putting 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:09.960 out into the world, or maybe it's it's a little 0:14:10.000 --> 0:14:12.320 bit more overt because as soon as that's accompanied by 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:16.520 a Trump flag, one of the ones out and in 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:22.920 uh in Virginia. Then it's it's a decidedly more adversarial position. 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:26.560 It's it's almost like MAGA versus b l M at 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:27.600 a lot of these places. 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:28.000 And so. 0:14:29.680 --> 0:14:32.440 Yeah, I would definitely, at least for me, I kind 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:35.800 of view it as voter suppression or a tactic or 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.160 in voter intimidation, because we can certainly talk about voter suppression, 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:40.160 and I think we will. 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:41.720 But says something. 0:14:42.400 --> 0:14:48.040 Every every group has its own way of demonstrating you are. 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:51.720 I mean, you have the Black Power movement, you know 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:56.440 these you all kinds of symbols. The flag, the American 0:14:56.520 --> 0:15:00.600 flag actually belongs to all of us as a Americans. 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:09.840 By that particular cohort. There may be the disdain for 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:12.440 an individual who will burn the flag, and I don't 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:16.440 think anyone should burn the flag. I understand being upset 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:20.440 about that there are symbols in this country, and I 0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:25.640 think we should be respectful of that. But by the 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:29.640 same token, I don't think it means that you should 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:36.040 take a whole population of people and oppose a whole 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:41.280 population of people, especially if you were to understand the 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:44.360 journey that they have taken sure and the road that 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:50.560 they have trod up until this point, which is distinctly different. 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:54.040 I mean, there is a thing as white privilege. It 0:15:54.160 --> 0:15:58.760 does exist, and if you're there, you may not see 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:03.960 it on the other side. But part of the reason 0:16:04.080 --> 0:16:12.400 there is this fear, there is this real fear of minorities, Hispanics, 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:19.120 China right now, look at what the day young people 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:23.560 who are from China immigrants that they are being attacked 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:30.800 because of COVID nineteen. You have to understand that our 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:34.640 people need to understand that we are all people, and 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:40.720 you really need individuals need to stop where they are. 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:47.240 They need to stop it because we are not demonstrating 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:51.600 the better part of humanity. 0:16:52.400 --> 0:17:00.160 Yeah, honestly, I recognize that, and I think that there's 0:17:01.480 --> 0:17:04.240 the majority of people's impulse. If I had to guess, 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:06.440 of course, this is not something that you can really 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:09.119 pull or you have a scientific approach to, But the 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:14.640 majority of people, I have to believe are fundamentally good 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:18.000 people and recognize that there's more that connects us than 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:23.159 separates us. And as a result, I think that you know, 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:27.119 there are some people who have been conditioned to just 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:29.159 be adversary or anything that you say, they're going to 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:31.280 say the opposite. That's just kind of in their nature, 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:34.560 or they question, you know everything, and they are extra critical. 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:38.680 And then there's other people whose impulses to perhaps lead 0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:41.120 with love, they come to the table first with understanding 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:45.880 and so forth. Now, because I believe that most people 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:49.320 have to feel that way on some level, we've survived 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:53.800 as long as a species. It begs the question, why 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:56.800 are the people? Why are those who are in power 0:17:57.080 --> 0:18:00.240 at present? How do they get that power without getting 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:05.959 the majority of people to subscribe to those philosophies. 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:08.360 What do you think, Well, it's a system. For one thing, 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.600 we have the president right now because of the electoral college. 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:14.560 You did not get the popular vote. So it is 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:19.480 the design of our system. And then as we have 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:23.840 gone through these four years, we have discovered that there 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:27.320 are some loopholes in the system. And if so, if 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:31.640 you don't have a person sitting on that pedestal who 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:34.439 is on the up and up, and you bring in 0:18:34.480 --> 0:18:39.200 an attorney who is not on the up and up, 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:45.639 and you look at a Senate that is of the 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:50.760 same political persuasion, and there's a lot of power there. 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:56.879 There's a lot of power in Washington, DC that affects 0:18:56.920 --> 0:19:01.640 us in an adversarial way, and many of the things 0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:04.520 and the reasons that people are tilting in one direction 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:08.000 of the other direction. It's because of immigration, it's because 0:19:08.040 --> 0:19:11.200 of freedom of speech, it's because of freedom of religion. 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:16.240 It's because of abortion, it's because of LBGT. It's all 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:19.640 of those things that they in some instances oppose and say, 0:19:19.720 --> 0:19:22.080 I'm just I disagree with it. It should not be 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:24.400 a part of this country. And so that's why I'm 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:32.639 on this side of the fence. I understand how a 0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:37.560 person can take a position toward abortion. I have thought 0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:44.160 about that, and I know it occurred to me. If 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:50.840 you don't want to take a child in its embryonic state, 0:19:53.920 --> 0:20:00.199 why do you not want to save a senior in 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:06.679 his are her fading days on this earth? A life 0:20:07.119 --> 0:20:10.560 is a life, is a life is a life? Sure, 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:19.879 and so I understand your position, and I agree the 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:23.320 people's voice will have to be heard on that, and 0:20:23.359 --> 0:20:26.800 you have a lot of religious concepts about that. But 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:34.000 then I look at COVID nineteen that impacts certainly senior citizens, 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:37.640 and you have a president that says it is what 0:20:37.680 --> 0:20:37.959 it is. 0:20:38.000 --> 0:20:43.320 It's a very cavalier attitude toward them. How it doesn't 0:20:43.440 --> 0:20:50.320 compute well, I think that, you know, since we're talking 0:20:50.359 --> 0:20:55.080 about voting today and about a president, we're going to 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:58.440 need to discuss how to change that. And if you're 0:20:58.480 --> 0:21:01.119 just if you're just tuning in to excite for today's 0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:06.479 guest is doctor Camilla Westenberg, Professor emeritus from Phnix College. 0:21:06.880 --> 0:21:11.280 And you mentioned earlier some of the voter suppression tactics 0:21:12.200 --> 0:21:14.440 that you were made aware. 0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:18.399 Of growing up in Arkansas. One of them was a 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:19.000 poll tax. 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:23.080 One that I'm familiar with is a I guess it 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:26.800 would be a poll test with like impossible questions. And 0:21:27.560 --> 0:21:30.640 my understanding of at least the stories that I've read 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:33.960 about this is that there would be a test given 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:38.560 to black folks and a test given white folks, and 0:21:38.600 --> 0:21:40.360 the white folks is what's two plus two? 0:21:40.680 --> 0:21:42.320 The black folks is you. 0:21:42.280 --> 0:21:45.840 Know, calculate through trajectory of a rocket, you know that 0:21:45.960 --> 0:21:48.119 leaves or you know, like that sort of stuff. So 0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:54.440 very unfair, and it was blatant over a voter suppression. 0:21:56.119 --> 0:21:58.080 But there are some things that we're seeing today that 0:21:58.160 --> 0:22:02.159 are perhaps not as blatant, perhaps not as old vert 0:22:02.840 --> 0:22:07.040 I can think of one at least, which is this 0:22:08.400 --> 0:22:16.760 mail like mail fraud voter the suggestion rather that mail 0:22:16.800 --> 0:22:21.560 in ballots are going to be invalid or insecured or 0:22:21.600 --> 0:22:25.200 something like that. And then I think there's another one 0:22:25.240 --> 0:22:29.800 that says that early voting doesn't count or something like that. 0:22:30.040 --> 0:22:32.080 You know, So, what are your thoughts on on these 0:22:33.000 --> 0:22:35.840 more modern voter suppression tactics and how can people be 0:22:35.920 --> 0:22:36.840 mindful of them? 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:44.280 Mail in ballots work? Okay, okay, I receive my ballot early. Sure, 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:51.560 Up until recently, I would have thought that it would 0:22:51.600 --> 0:22:54.040 have been okay to put it in the mail. I 0:22:54.200 --> 0:22:57.520 just tend to like to walk in and deposit it 0:22:57.560 --> 0:23:00.440 in the slot. I don't have to stand in line. 0:23:00.440 --> 0:23:03.639 It's already filled out, its sign date, it's sealed, so 0:23:03.680 --> 0:23:06.280 I just walk in and put it in. There's something 0:23:06.320 --> 0:23:10.280 about making this statement of doing what I need to 0:23:10.320 --> 0:23:14.960 do and engaging in the process. There are a couple 0:23:14.960 --> 0:23:19.400 of things. The postal system has been compromised. 0:23:19.800 --> 0:23:20.080 Okay. 0:23:22.440 --> 0:23:31.000 Who would have thought that our president, the president would 0:23:31.080 --> 0:23:39.119 dare have taken down the individual who is in charge 0:23:39.160 --> 0:23:44.399 of overseeing the US postal system. Come rain, come snow, 0:23:45.040 --> 0:23:51.879 come sleep. Who would have thought this historical institution in 0:23:51.960 --> 0:23:58.480 our country would take down an individual who is skilled 0:23:58.520 --> 0:24:02.600 in the field and put a person who has been 0:24:02.800 --> 0:24:08.919 a billion dollar contributor to your campaign, who has no 0:24:09.160 --> 0:24:15.280 information about the industry, who does not even know the 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:20.240 cost of a stamp, who walks in and does not 0:24:20.600 --> 0:24:27.160 do any type of research within a couple of days. Besides, 0:24:27.320 --> 0:24:30.480 I'm going to have trucks go and take up all 0:24:30.520 --> 0:24:35.040 of the mailboxes in select places around the country and 0:24:35.160 --> 0:24:41.800 remove them, which is an inconvenience. Who is taking sawders 0:24:41.840 --> 0:24:47.320 out of post offices? And of course these are devices, 0:24:47.400 --> 0:24:50.480 very expensive devices that can go through and sort them 0:24:50.600 --> 0:24:54.040 quickly for the mail to go where it needs to go. 0:24:54.640 --> 0:25:00.960 To take them out, dismantle them and sell them for scrap, 0:25:02.280 --> 0:25:10.560 for reducing the hours for your post deliverers to deliver mail, 0:25:11.320 --> 0:25:14.840 and to say you cannot do a second run, and 0:25:15.000 --> 0:25:20.040 have not done any research to understand how it is 0:25:20.119 --> 0:25:23.600 going to impact the country, how it is going to 0:25:23.680 --> 0:25:27.680 impact medicine getting to seniors or to veterans, or for 0:25:27.800 --> 0:25:29.960 people to get their bills in time, to pay their 0:25:29.960 --> 0:25:37.480 bills in time. That is voter suppression. When you uproot 0:25:38.760 --> 0:25:44.040 an institution, then of course everyone's going to be leary 0:25:44.440 --> 0:25:48.639 about the ballot, and you have set the stage for 0:25:48.920 --> 0:26:00.560 that this president is gifted in causing disruptions. He is 0:26:00.800 --> 0:26:06.040 a disruptor. And mind you, while all of the disruption 0:26:06.280 --> 0:26:08.840 is going on, I listen to the news twenty four 0:26:08.880 --> 0:26:16.240 to seven, he's signing executive orders, He's appointing judges and 0:26:17.320 --> 0:26:21.760 undermining the system that we have today unbeknownst And I 0:26:21.800 --> 0:26:28.440 want to say this unbeknownst in some instances to young people. 0:26:28.440 --> 0:26:30.600 And I don't want to just hit on young people, 0:26:31.680 --> 0:26:34.200 because there are some people my age who are not 0:26:34.680 --> 0:26:41.720 voting either. But unbeknownst to all of those particulars, while 0:26:41.760 --> 0:26:48.880 they are marching and protesting rightfully, they have the right 0:26:48.960 --> 0:26:54.879 to do that peacefully. And there is no reason for 0:26:55.640 --> 0:27:00.320 an army. Are people in military garb with all this 0:27:00.720 --> 0:27:04.800 gear that I don't even understand myself to stand there 0:27:05.040 --> 0:27:10.200 in front of them because they are peacefully protesting, that 0:27:10.720 --> 0:27:11.880 is there. 0:27:12.400 --> 0:27:16.879 Right I can serve no, no, no, no. 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:20.640 I want them to march. I have to get this in. 0:27:21.840 --> 0:27:26.159 I want them to march. I want them to protest. 0:27:27.760 --> 0:27:33.159 I won't use the word riot. I don't want to 0:27:33.200 --> 0:27:40.480 say that. I want them to march and protest to 0:27:40.560 --> 0:27:45.479 the polls. I want them not to gather together in 0:27:45.520 --> 0:27:48.919 the evening and decide what are we going to do 0:27:49.119 --> 0:27:53.159 over the weekend. I want them, if they do it, 0:27:53.480 --> 0:27:59.679 gather together and register to vote, and get up in 0:27:59.720 --> 0:28:06.280 the morning, in daylight, on a new day, on a 0:28:06.400 --> 0:28:12.320 new day, with that ballot, and I would like to 0:28:12.400 --> 0:28:17.199 see all of them line up in mass, in mass, 0:28:18.480 --> 0:28:22.720 in mass and walk in Now. No' is supposed to 0:28:22.760 --> 0:28:25.560 be social distancing, but I'm leary of the post office. 0:28:25.760 --> 0:28:28.439 But you can go online and find out where the 0:28:28.480 --> 0:28:31.920 polling locations are, the hours, how long the wait is, 0:28:32.280 --> 0:28:34.160 and just go bare. 0:28:35.000 --> 0:28:37.520 Let me say this, bam, and just. 0:28:37.520 --> 0:28:42.160 Put it in one after do it. Do it. You 0:28:42.440 --> 0:28:46.720 have the power. You have the power. People have fought 0:28:46.800 --> 0:28:50.800 to give you the power. It's in your hands, it 0:28:50.960 --> 0:28:56.320 really is. And even if you don't believe in the system, 0:28:56.480 --> 0:29:03.280 I would dare say, trust grandmother, your grandfather, trust some 0:29:03.320 --> 0:29:09.280 of those seniors, trust those elders. Give it a try. 0:29:09.720 --> 0:29:14.040 He said that, He said that what do you have 0:29:14.080 --> 0:29:16.680 to lose? Well, hey, we're. 0:29:16.480 --> 0:29:17.479 Here, actually quite a bit. 0:29:18.760 --> 0:29:20.920 What we have to lose is I can't breathe. 0:29:21.600 --> 0:29:25.600 There you go, So how about this to. 0:29:27.520 --> 0:29:30.280 So I was watching a video the other day and 0:29:31.000 --> 0:29:34.320 the first part of the video there's a guy, and 0:29:34.360 --> 0:29:38.760 he's basically explaining why he's never voted. Some of his 0:29:39.120 --> 0:29:41.920 excuses for never voting are some of the ones that 0:29:41.920 --> 0:29:43.160 we touched on earlier. 0:29:42.800 --> 0:29:43.520