Speaker 1: Broadcasting from the Hip Hop Weekly Studios. I'd like to
Speaker 1: welcome you to another episode of Civic Cipher, where our
Speaker 1: mission is to foster allyship, empathy and understanding. I am
Speaker 1: your host, ramses John.
Speaker 2: He is ramses Jah, I am q Ward. You are
Speaker 2: tuned into Civic Sipher.
Speaker 1: Indeed you are, And today we have a very special
Speaker 1: episode because we are joined by good friends of the show.
Speaker 1: These two are community leaders, activists and they are aka's
Speaker 1: and recently we all had a fun time and a
Speaker 1: core memory, as Talay puts it, at the Kamala Harris
Speaker 1: campaign rally in Glendell, Arizona, where she addressed a number
Speaker 1: of things, including her plans for her administration with respect
Speaker 1: to Israel and Palestine. So we're going to have a
Speaker 1: conversation with both of them. I'd like to welcome to
Speaker 1: the show Brandy Irvin, Hello, and to Lei Hornback Hello, Hello.
Speaker 1: And so we want you to stick around for that
Speaker 1: conversation because again we are going to get the black
Speaker 1: women's perspective on Kamala Harris. And this is something that
Speaker 1: we have talked around on this show, but today we
Speaker 1: have two black women who also come from a lot
Speaker 1: of the same, let's call it primordial sort of stuff
Speaker 1: that indeed Kamala Harris comes from as well. And to
Speaker 1: know what this moment is like for you and to
Speaker 1: kind of sit at that intersection is something that I
Speaker 1: think a lot of people need to know about, especially
Speaker 1: with so much misinformation and disinformation out there. The second
Speaker 1: half of the show, we are going to be talking
Speaker 1: about something that we've talked about before.
Speaker 2: This time. Q is going to take the.
Speaker 1: First Mike position, the lead role, and give us some
Speaker 1: advice on how to talk to our political opposition online
Speaker 1: and just kind of share what he's learned and what
Speaker 1: he knows and what he's learning.
Speaker 2: At not know. I was given advice today.
Speaker 1: That he is because he learned something recently that I
Speaker 1: think you will be in a treat force take around
Speaker 1: for that and so much more. But before we get there,
Speaker 1: it is time for some Ebony Excellent shout. I think
Speaker 1: you shall.
Speaker 2: Today's Ebony Excellence is sponsored by actively black. There is
Speaker 2: greatness in our DNA. Visit actively black dot com. Today's
Speaker 2: story from NBC News Paris, American men have competed in
Speaker 2: track and feel that the Olympics for one hundred and
Speaker 2: twenty eight years. Never before, however, has there been someone
Speaker 2: as young as Quincy Wilson. The sixteen year old ran
Speaker 2: the opening leg of round one of the US four
Speaker 2: by four hundred meter relay Friday inside Statte de France.
Speaker 2: With that run, Wilson became the youngest male US Olympic
Speaker 2: track champion, eclipsing middle distance runner Jim Ryan, who was
Speaker 2: seventeen at the nineteen sixty four Olympics. Wilson later became
Speaker 2: the youngest Olympic mail to receive a gold medal after
Speaker 2: the US four by four made up of Chris Bailey,
Speaker 2: Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadman and Rye Benjamin one gold over
Speaker 2: Botswana on Saturday. While Wilson did not compete in the finals,
Speaker 2: his effort in round one earned him the hardware and
Speaker 2: Friday's race, Wilson faded in the last one hundred and
Speaker 2: fifty meters to hand over in seventh place, three seconds
Speaker 2: behind the leaders, but Team USA did not panic with
Speaker 2: strong legs from the other American runners, seeing the US
Speaker 2: recovering to finish third and into Saturday's final. Without going
Speaker 2: into detail, Wilson said afterward he was not completely healthy.
Speaker 2: I knew I had a great three legs behind me,
Speaker 2: Wilson said, and I quote, I knew it wasn't just myself,
Speaker 2: because by myself we would be in last place. Wilson
Speaker 2: handed off the teammate Norwood, whose forty three point fifty
Speaker 2: four leg got the US back in contention. Norwood described
Speaker 2: himself as very proud watching Wilson. Quote, I was kind
Speaker 2: of in the moment because I was watching a sixteen
Speaker 2: year old running in the Olympics. Olympic history, Norwood said,
Speaker 2: the Olympics is a very interesting time for us to
Speaker 2: be very patriotic while also being very black and in
Speaker 2: an interesting position to be in in this country.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but that absolutely is some ebony, excellent for you,
Speaker 1: and we are happy to celebrate it.
Speaker 2: All right, let's talk.
Speaker 1: To black women about Kamala Harris. So, as I mentioned,
Speaker 1: we were fortunate enough to go to Kamala Harris's campaign
Speaker 1: rally in Glendell, Arizona on August ninth.
Speaker 2: It was cracking. It was yank.
Speaker 1: Let's just talk to him.
Speaker 2: I did the bank here bounce for the first time.
Speaker 1: Gosh the music though, shout out to DJ Javin. So
Speaker 1: for many of our listeners around the country, you know
Speaker 1: that the show is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Obviously we
Speaker 1: discussed national issues, but we have a sort of a
Speaker 1: unique lens through which we view politics in this country
Speaker 1: and the state of marginalized people in this country. Because
Speaker 1: being in Arizona, it's kind of like Middle America, but
Speaker 1: it's also really big city. I think we're the fifth
Speaker 1: largest city in the country. It's also swing states, so
Speaker 1: there's a lot of blue, a lot of red, and
Speaker 1: this is kind of like, you know how Florida is
Speaker 1: an interesting place. This is kind of like the Florida
Speaker 1: but one of the most interesting well you know, but
Speaker 1: it has a very Florida s like you might hear
Speaker 1: some wild stories coming out of anyway. So our being here,
Speaker 1: we certainly take advantage of the unique position that we're in.
Speaker 1: We do get visits from obviously political leaders, We do
Speaker 1: get a lot of things that you would get into
Speaker 1: New York and La Miami places like that. But also
Speaker 1: this is the I think this is the headquarters of
Speaker 1: the KKK is in Glendelle, Arizona, not far from this
Speaker 1: camp where this campaign rally took place, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 1: So again, an interesting place to be and to you know,
Speaker 1: grow up in and this campaign rally, I was told
Speaker 1: was the biggest political event in Arizona political history, which
Speaker 1: certainly speaks to the moment, But I don't know that
Speaker 1: it will speak to the moment more than the black
Speaker 1: women who were positioned behind Kamala Harris at this event.
Speaker 1: You know, there was a few moments that when viral,
Speaker 1: a few moments that the media took out of that event,
Speaker 1: and those moments, you know, when you look them up online,
Speaker 1: you'll see Kamala Harris speaking, and of course the crowd
Speaker 1: behind her is seated behind her with the signs that
Speaker 1: say Kamala and the signs that's a coach that are
Speaker 1: kind of supporting Tim Walls and so forth. But in
Speaker 1: those photos right behind Kamala Harris are the two young
Speaker 1: women that are in studio with us today, and they
Speaker 1: were back there wearing their pink and their green and
Speaker 1: they were supporting their I want to say this right, Sarah.
Speaker 1: That's how you say it right, Solo. I know the
Speaker 1: word is soro, but I always hear Sarah, so either
Speaker 1: way it sounds Camilla says sorrow.
Speaker 2: That's the That's where I got it from.
Speaker 1: Okay, And for those that don't know Sora Camilla is
Speaker 1: doctor Camilla Westenberg was a frequent contributor to this show
Speaker 1: who was also an Alpha Kappa Alpha member. For those
Speaker 1: that don't know, Kamala Harris is an Alpha Kappa Alpha
Speaker 1: member as well, you made it a point to mention
Speaker 1: that she is an Alpha Chapter A k A member
Speaker 1: and chapter indeed and this moment and again, let me
Speaker 1: back up a bit for those who don't know the
Speaker 1: A k A is a sorority. Actually, why would I
Speaker 1: tell this story? You are here, Why don't delay? Why
Speaker 1: don't you tell us about the AKA.
Speaker 3: Absolutely Alpha Kappa Alpha story incorporated. It was the first
Speaker 3: black sorority established for collegiate black collegiate women, and so
Speaker 3: a CHI in nineteen oh eight gives you some insight
Speaker 3: into the history and challenges and barriers that our founders
Speaker 3: overcame to make such a historical milestone in black history.
Speaker 4: Happened fantastic and founded at Howard University.
Speaker 3: At Howard University of oh So pretty Wednesday.
Speaker 2: Yes that's an HBCU by the way. Okay, so years
Speaker 2: ago Kamala started being black, I guess again, so that
Speaker 2: she could pledge a divine nine sorority. Alpha Chapter at
Speaker 2: an ABC.
Speaker 1: She knew that was she in forty.
Speaker 2: Years she was going to play that Trump card and
Speaker 2: come back out black.
Speaker 3: Yes, and while we are proud members of the sort
Speaker 3: incorporated in our opinions expressed tonight do not reflect that
Speaker 3: of the story.
Speaker 2: Sure, absolutely absolutely.
Speaker 1: Now I think that.
Speaker 2: You being.
Speaker 1: At that event behind her wearing pink and green, knowing
Speaker 1: that she uh skipped out on meeting with I believe
Speaker 1: it was Benjamin net and Yahoo when she had an
Speaker 1: opportunity to to fulfill her prior commitment to go to
Speaker 1: I believe it was Houston. Am I wrong?
Speaker 2: Is it Houston?
Speaker 1: No, that's correct, Okay, So tell us about what was
Speaker 1: going on in Houston. Actually I think it was down Dallas.
Speaker 3: It was our uh boulet. So all members of the
Speaker 3: Storty come together every four years to accomplish you know
Speaker 3: what we what we set out to accomplish as service
Speaker 3: to all mankind. So formal business setting conference like environment
Speaker 3: and centered on keynote speaker as you can imagine. So
Speaker 3: it was a big deal of course to have a
Speaker 3: common present.
Speaker 1: Okay. Now, if you still don't know how big of
Speaker 1: a deal this was, and you are just now coming
Speaker 1: to the conversation about akas. I will be the one
Speaker 1: to tell you about my experience, and you all feel
Speaker 1: free to jump in. Q. You included in terms of
Speaker 1: service you mentioned service all mankind. I've never seen anything
Speaker 1: like it. The woman who's closest to my mother, she's
Speaker 1: certainly my college mother. She comes and does to show me.
Speaker 1: You mentioned her name, doctor Camille Westenberg. Her whole life
Speaker 1: is lived in service, and her support system is the akas.
Speaker 1: And she's not the only one. They're everywhere I've been
Speaker 1: with and it's just a It's an amazing thing. Because
Speaker 1: you know when people say bet on black women, black
Speaker 1: women save this country time and again, black girl magic,
Speaker 1: all these things, the thing that comes to mind most
Speaker 1: frequently to me is a Ka's There's there's no other.
Speaker 1: My sister used to compel me to go to AKA
Speaker 1: events and she's like, you need to go and don't
Speaker 1: come back without a wife.
Speaker 4: Right.
Speaker 2: She was on what happened Ran.
Speaker 1: I'm still working on her because I don't know, but.
Speaker 2: I thought she hit you with the beatbox.
Speaker 1: Yeah, man, But here's the thing. I think that all
Speaker 1: of these sentiments are well founded. You two were at
Speaker 1: this event with Kamala Harris, Uh, talk to us a
Speaker 1: bit about what it meant for you as a black woman. Brandy,
Speaker 1: We're gonna We're gonna go with you this time as
Speaker 1: a black woman to sit there over the shoulder of
Speaker 1: the vice president soon to be president of the United
Speaker 1: States of America who is your so roar and witness
Speaker 1: that moment.
Speaker 4: Like nothing short of amazing. And I'm sick to think
Speaker 4: that almost wasn't going to attend, but it was so amazing,
Speaker 4: Like not even just me being a black woman and
Speaker 4: have been in being part of the same sorority as
Speaker 4: our Vice President, Kamala, but just being there with an
Speaker 4: arena full of people who were excited and had all
Speaker 4: this energy and we're excited about this energy towards change
Speaker 4: and could see like a brighter And I know this
Speaker 4: sounds so cliche and just corny, but to see actually
Speaker 4: see a brighter future with someone than what we've been
Speaker 4: experiencing or what we can imagine in the future if
Speaker 4: there's an alternative. So just being there in that moment
Speaker 4: and then being able to be like right behind her,
Speaker 4: like girl, you have backup because we're here and you know,
Speaker 4: and and it's almost like yeah, like you have backup,
Speaker 4: Like we're here, and it's not even just about being
Speaker 4: you know, to the level of AKA and all that stuff.
Speaker 1: It's like.
Speaker 4: Or her party, or her running for president or her
Speaker 4: being the vice president. It's like, this is our sorority sister,
Speaker 4: and we're going to support her endeavors, which that day
Speaker 4: happened to be that.
Speaker 1: But also.
Speaker 4: You know, me personally feeling like wow, like there's someone
Speaker 4: who looks like me that will have, in you know,
Speaker 4: a short few months, would have the power to like
Speaker 4: really make a positive impact in this country. And it's
Speaker 4: exciting to even think about, to even imagine, like just
Speaker 4: the hope in the in the joy of just seeing it,
Speaker 4: Like it's I don't know, I'm gonna carry that like
Speaker 4: with me forever.
Speaker 2: The sad thing is that you said it sounded cliche.
Speaker 2: Maybe it used to, ye, but it doesn't anymore. You know,
Speaker 2: politics in our country have become very divisive, a lot
Speaker 2: of mudslinging, a lot of name calling, and the other
Speaker 2: side more specifically, they don't even campaign on policy anymore.
Speaker 2: They jump off the porch with hate and division, you know,
Speaker 2: racistristry and things that divide us. They look to divide us.
Speaker 2: So it's not cliche at all. And I think that
Speaker 2: what was so for Ramses and I especially, what was
Speaker 2: so energizing and so refreshing, is that they didn't come
Speaker 2: on stage hating on anybody else. If you look at
Speaker 2: that crowd, you see campaign signs and American flags, you
Speaker 2: don't see schwashtikas, you don't see Confederate flags, you don't
Speaker 2: see anti anything.
Speaker 1: Everybody was happy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So that's you know, you said cliche and but
Speaker 2: it's actually nowadays not cliche anymore for somebody to just
Speaker 2: come out and give you hope and enjoy and happiness.
Speaker 4: You know, they say laughter is contagious, and like you
Speaker 4: also know how the other side kind of tries to
Speaker 4: condemn Kamala for laughing and being joyful, but it's like
Speaker 4: the reality is is that's starting to spread and and
Speaker 4: that energy there's been there's an energy shift because she
Speaker 4: is happy, she is smiling, she is a positive energy.
Speaker 4: And you know, and I feel that you know, people
Speaker 4: who aren't that way, you know, feel attacked, but you
Speaker 4: shouldn't feel attacked by someone being happy and joyful and
Speaker 4: spreading it. You know, to me, it reminds meself like
Speaker 4: I like, you know, we laugh, we have a good time.
Speaker 1: We have a good time.
Speaker 4: You know, how to be serious when you need to
Speaker 4: be serious, But like if you're not being serious, it's
Speaker 4: okay to laugh a joke, to crack a smile, to
Speaker 4: be you know, chummy with people.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would just add, you know, it is a
Speaker 3: historic moment. It's a historic time, and so I think
Speaker 3: that was just further events at our experience, not only
Speaker 3: being in the building, but where we lucked out or
Speaker 3: blessed to be positioned that was unplanned. And so you know,
Speaker 3: just our not only presence in the arena, but on
Speaker 3: whether that was television or whatever. It was already historical moment.
Speaker 3: That's why we went right. But to now have that
Speaker 3: tangible kind of evidence, uh, you know, the trail that
Speaker 3: we're there, Yeah, it was. It was a blessing.
Speaker 1: So let's let's let's keep going with you today because
Speaker 1: you know, we've talked about one of the things that
Speaker 1: we've witnessed is that this campaign should be exciting. It is. Okay,
Speaker 1: it is exciting. Joe Biden stepping down and making way
Speaker 1: for the next generation, if you will, of leadership in
Speaker 1: this country and embracing how that leadership looks. That's no
Speaker 1: small thing. So there are those of us who recognize
Speaker 1: the gravity of the moment and we appreciate it. But
Speaker 1: there are people who are kind of like trying to
Speaker 1: suck the oxygen out of the moment. They're trying to
Speaker 1: kind of sour the moment somehow. And a lot of
Speaker 1: the attacks on Kamala Harris aren't necessarily based on really
Speaker 1: anything tangible. There are things like the way she laughs
Speaker 1: or silly nonsense like that. One of the things, of course,
Speaker 1: and I want you to speak to this, is whether
Speaker 1: or not she's black. Now we know that her parents
Speaker 1: are immigrants to this country, but she's she's mixed race, right,
Speaker 1: Her father's Jamaican, and so that was what anchors her
Speaker 1: to blackness. And we talked about her history pledging you know,
Speaker 1: AKA at nineteen years old, which you don't do unless
Speaker 1: you're a black woman, you know what I mean. But
Speaker 1: as someone you know to lay as someone who is
Speaker 1: black and Fijian, kind of speak to that a little bit,
Speaker 1: like how those attacks hit you and how maybe that
Speaker 1: feels bizarre or if it's something that you're you're comfortable
Speaker 1: with or you've known about or whatever. So talk us
Speaker 1: through that a little bit.
Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, they definitely hit me home for me, I
Speaker 3: can I can relate to that. I think also just
Speaker 3: coming up in Arizona, right, and I think we're five
Speaker 3: to six percent black now growing.
Speaker 2: Up that much three to four percent.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, we've grown.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we have grown, right, we have grown. But so
Speaker 3: I can relate on many aspects of the questioning right
Speaker 3: of blackness. But I do think that both can be true.
Speaker 3: She is both you know, East Indian, East Asian excuse me,
Speaker 3: and also black. I think what's most important is the
Speaker 3: perspective she brings to the table a minority, right, because
Speaker 3: that minority perspective is something that we all share, regardless
Speaker 3: of what group you identify with. Right, race is a
Speaker 3: social construct anyways, that's a whole nother discussion. But culturally
Speaker 3: and those connections between all of us, is that is
Speaker 3: that minority perspective. But I think to counter that in
Speaker 3: terms of issue black which is just the most ridiculous
Speaker 3: argument anyways, but we do have to address it, right,
Speaker 3: it's out there. I think one thing that we all
Speaker 3: know to be true that does unify black people in
Speaker 3: particular is a black experience, and I think a lot
Speaker 3: of that is lead a black experience with who you
Speaker 3: are on the outside, right, your features, your skin color,
Speaker 3: and so we know that won't step into your room,
Speaker 3: whether you're half Fijian, half Indian, half whatever. When you
Speaker 3: do look black, you experience the world different than those
Speaker 3: who don't. And so you know, I think just having
Speaker 3: someone who also has that black experience is enough. Let
Speaker 3: alone she is black, Yeah, absolutely, Yeah.
Speaker 2: You know the other side has this very strange standard
Speaker 2: that they hold themselves to and a completely different reality
Speaker 2: that they use to judge and view us that entirely
Speaker 2: different lens. Their narrative on our vice president changes daily.
Speaker 2: Some days she put on black conveniently so that she
Speaker 2: could run for president, which I don't know how they
Speaker 2: would see that as some advantage.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Other days they highlight her blackness and call out ways
Speaker 2: that she is somehow less qualified because of it. So
Speaker 2: they DEI higher. So they speak out of both sides
Speaker 2: of their neck with regard to her ramses, and I
Speaker 2: have our perspective, our sense of pride, and our sense
Speaker 2: of you know, it's interesting talking about DEI right us
Speaker 2: feeling like we belonged and feeling personally proud of where
Speaker 2: your soro is right now, but we could not imagine,
Speaker 2: you know, aside from and I'm actually glad that we
Speaker 2: have not, specifically on this portion of the show, gotten
Speaker 2: into specific policy one because she's been running for president
Speaker 2: for what three weeks, whereas most have far longer to construct,
Speaker 2: you know, their ideologies and what they think their campaign
Speaker 2: strategy and what their legislation and policy platform is going
Speaker 2: to be. She had to on the fly go from
Speaker 2: being the active vice president to now the presumptive candidate
Speaker 2: to run for that position. But we're spending a lot
Speaker 2: of time talking about how it felt. And I think
Speaker 2: that's important because I told Ramsen and I even spoke
Speaker 2: to you guys, there was a moment during the rally
Speaker 2: where I just start taking pictures of strangers because I
Speaker 2: just watched them experiencing joy out loud children. I saw
Speaker 2: a family that was three generations together there and and
Speaker 2: you know, Brandy, you and I spoke about, you know,
Speaker 2: the women in our family who when they became of
Speaker 2: age to vote, couldn't, and just the idea that now
Speaker 2: they get to elect someone that looks like them, and
Speaker 2: you all get to elect someone specifically that looks like you,
Speaker 2: the personal sense of pride that comes with that.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, there's a whole discussion that we had that I
Speaker 1: want to invite you to check out at the Black
Speaker 1: Information Network. It's on the Black Information Network Daily podcast
Speaker 1: where we do get into some more issues, but for now,
Speaker 1: I just I appreciate you sharing that perspective because obviously
Speaker 1: this is something that people need to know about how
Speaker 1: special this is.