WEBVTT - Lets Get Ready to Vote feat. L Joy Williams 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:01.960 I'm Tamika d Mallory and it's. 0:00:01.880 --> 0:00:02.800 Your boy my son. 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:05.120 In general, we are your host of t M. 0:00:05.240 --> 0:00:09.760 I Tamika and my Son's Information, Truth, motivation and inspiration. 0:00:10.000 --> 0:00:15.880 New name, New Energy. What's up my son? Lenon? What's 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:18.919 up to Mallory? How you today? I'm doing good? You 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:20.840 got my water? 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:24.200 Smith you keep you some just Wood. 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:25.119 I love just water. 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:27.479 I don't got no water today, but I got my 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:28.320 actively Black. 0:00:28.680 --> 0:00:30.800 Yeah, I actively black need too. 0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:34.440 Shout out to my boy is smith Man. 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:36.720 Look, it's so good. I love this sweat. 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:40.400 Listen, make sure that you get you some actively black. Yeah, 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:42.200 I'm black from the head to the total. 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:44.040 We support actively Black. 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:47.040 You know I I wear First of all, I don't 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:49.800 wear Nike, let's be clear about that. But I wear 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:53.880 some of the other brands. 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:53.920 For workout clothes. 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.040 And by the way, I wear workout clothes every day, 0:00:56.480 --> 0:00:58.760 every day that I don't have something special to do 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:01.360 or a reason that I have have to actually dress up. 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:05.160 And you know, I find that those those are cool. 0:01:05.200 --> 0:01:07.600 All the other brands, y'all know the names. We ain't 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:10.720 giving them free advertising. But I feel proud when I 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:13.479 wear actively Black, So it still feels good. I still 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:16.600 got some sexy leggings. I got the whole thing, my 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:20.119 Prolates body and my Pilates clothes. I'm a little bigger 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:22.280 than Pilate's body. I need to work on that. But 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:27.800 I still feel you know, I feel good. I still 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:30.920 feel good, good, still feel sexy. But I feel proud 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:34.000 because this is a black owned company. We support Actively 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:38.520 Black one hundred percent, and right now, go and click 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:41.160 on the links and go get you some actively Black 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:44.520 support them, and also support until Freedom. We need the 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:48.000 support we have merch. You can go pick up sweatsuits 0:01:48.720 --> 0:01:50.880 from us. They cool, they look good, they feel good. 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:51.720 You can wear them with shoes. 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:53.720 You can dress them up, dress them down, do your thing, 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:57.040 but not men. Men cannot wear them with shoes. Are 0:01:57.240 --> 0:01:58.320 women can wear. 0:01:58.120 --> 0:01:58.640 Them with you? 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.520 That would actually be done. 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:09.400 We're gonna hit you up until Freedom. 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:10.040 Listen. 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:13.200 So we gotta move quickly today because we have the 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:16.040 guests coming up that's gonna educate us, and you know 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:18.000 we're gonna learn a little bit or something something. 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:20.119 So I want to talk about my thought of the day. 0:02:20.400 --> 0:02:23.480 So there was an interview that I did a while 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:27.959 back where I was talking. I was on TMZ and 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:32.160 Kamala Harris was selected as the vice presidential pick. 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:34.600 And I remember I was in the car. 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:36.720 I was on my way to Brooklyn to a photo shoot, 0:02:37.120 --> 0:02:39.359 and while I was talking to the folks on TMZ, 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:41.920 they asked me, do you think that Kamala Harris can 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:43.000 become president? 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:43.560 Right? 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:45.800 Do you think she can also be president? 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:48.200 So she's vice presidential pick, but do you think that 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:51.720 she can run and ascend to the presidency? And I said, 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:55.800 I don't know. I said, because you know, racism is terrible, 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:59.880 so that's already bad enough, and sexism, when you bring 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:04.400 that into the equation, it's even worse. Right, So if 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:06.919 you listen and I and a couple of people started 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:09.160 attacking me. They went crazy. Not a lot of people, 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:11.560 but you know, there's a certain segment. A couple of 0:03:11.560 --> 0:03:13.679 people called me up, like, I'm just trying to understand 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:16.880 your perspective because a lot of people are very sensitive 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:21.280 about that racism and then comparing it with sexism, and 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:24.400 it felt like I was including all women, white women, 0:03:24.480 --> 0:03:28.560 this woman, that woman or whatever, over black people and 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:31.880 what black people have experienced, and specifically black men. 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:34.400 And so I was explaining it to a good friend 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:35.600 and He. 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:38.640 Was like, why are you, Like, are you seriously trying 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:41.720 to explain to me what you meant? Like I'm stupid, 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.680 Like I understand exactly what you're talking about. It's not 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:50.600 that I was saying that racism is not the most horrific, horrendous, 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:55.280 disgusting atrocity of American culture. That is not what I 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.400 was saying. What I'm saying is when you are black 0:03:57.800 --> 0:04:00.840 and then you had maybe let's just use it another example. 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:03.760 You black and you have a disability, or you're black 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.200 and you are I don't know, you're black in you're trans, 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:13.560 you're black in whatever, poor, you're black, and that makes 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:18.719 what you experience already as a black person worse because 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:22.960 you're adding another element onto it that really sort of 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:28.680 deepens the hate and the oppression and the disgust that 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.360 a person has to endure. And So when I look 0:04:32.400 --> 0:04:35.279 at Kamala Harris at that time, this is prior to 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:38.200 right now, this is years back. Like a lot of times, 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:41.560 we are ahead of ourselves when we speak on issues. 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:44.560 So I'm looking back at that time and I said 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:48.359 that sexism is even worse. So what I was saying 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:51.839 is that as a black woman, not as a woman 0:04:51.880 --> 0:04:55.760 in general, even though you see Hillary Clinton, also more qualified, 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.520 didn't win the election. But that's a whole different set 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:02.039 of circumstances. But when you look at Kamala Harris as 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:05.880 a black woman, she's going to deal with being black 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:09.640 and then having on top of that her being a 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:14.880 woman as another way for people to disrespect, discredit and 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:17.599 even our own people, even our own people. 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:20.520 And let's just keep it. A hundred men. 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:23.560 In our community and women, men and women, but a 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:26.320 lot more men who are unwilling to support her just 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:29.320 because she's a woman, right Like there's some people who 0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:32.479 have policy disagreements with her, there's some people who are 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:34.120 They look at it and they're like, listen, I have 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:37.880 issues with Kamala Harris with things that she may have done, 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:40.359 or things she said, or things the positions that she 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:43.360 supports right now, and I'm not arguing with any of those. 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:44.160 But when I have. 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:47.000 People on my page calling her a thing, calling her 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:50.120 a wench, calling her all these disrespectful names, and then 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:52.279 I also see that there are people who could be 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:54.840 helping her, But because of the way that you watch 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:57.960 them treat women in general, you know why they are 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:00.920 unwilling to support her because they never when I'm asking 0:06:00.960 --> 0:06:03.279 certain people, they like, oh no, I just don't think. 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:05.920 I just don't. They don't really have a real answer. 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:10.480 Okay, So anyway, I just want to say to myself, 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:12.880 right like how Snoop said, I want to thank me. 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:15.200 I just want to say to me, I was not 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:17.960 wrong in what I said. And it's playing out for 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.640 us to see it happening in real time. 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:21.920 And I know that. 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:24.240 When I spoke on it, I spoke on it not 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:27.440 just as a black person, but as a black woman 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.719 who I even know in spaces where we are doing, 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:34.000 you know, in civil rights spaces and social justice spaces, 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:38.000 in business spaces, I know that I am treated a 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:40.880 different way than some of the black men who are 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:44.080 my counterparts, or black men who may not even be 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:49.080 as effective or as progressive or as whatever as me. 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:52.159 But just because I'm a woman, I deal with another 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:56.960 layer of disrespect and of the sexism that is also 0:06:57.279 --> 0:06:58.679 ingrained in American culture. 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:01.200 Well, I have to agree, man, you know, I've said 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:04.080 the same thing, and I think shout out to applies man. 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.640 He had to give apology to black women because he 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:10.200 didn't even understand the level of hate that Black women 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:13.440 have experience, and I've listened to dudes just tell me, yo, 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:15.800 she's a woman. She just shouldn't be leading you know 0:07:15.840 --> 0:07:18.760 what I'm saying, And she's nobody's gonna respect her and 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:21.200 this and that, and it's like, wow, why I respected 0:07:21.240 --> 0:07:23.880 my mother? My grandmother was one of the strongest people 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:26.440 I know in my life. So when we have these conversations, 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:30.640 there is definitely a facet of America where men do 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:33.440 not respect women, and nick definitely do not respect Black women. 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:39.320 Malcolm said it, the most disrespected, unprotected, and neglected woman 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:41.600 in the world is the black woman. So person in 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:43.920 the world, not just the woman, the most neglected person 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:45.840 in the world is a black women. So we are 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:48.320 able to see this in real time. So like, when 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:50.280 you said it to me, I understood. 0:07:49.840 --> 0:07:50.920 Exactly what I was. 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:53.960 It was Mark Thomson. He was like, like, why are 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:54.720 you explaining it? 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:58.160 Anybody with good sense knows exactly what you're saying. They 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:01.320 are trying not to know, or they're emotion. And it's 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:03.240 funny because some of these same people. 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:05.520 Always are like, oh, let's not move with emotion. 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:08.240 And then when I speak to something that is my 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:12.880 experience as a woman then it's emotional. That's cute. But anyway, 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:17.000 let us move on. This is a point we're not 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.040 going to do t because we gotta go. So you 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.240 go see a music segment, all right, So. 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:23.160 We're gonna go to my music segment. Shout out to 0:08:23.200 --> 0:08:25.239 Marvin Being. You know, we was out. 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:27.880 In Detroit, super organized. 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:32.240 Marvin King Being Man, he put us all together. You know, 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:36.760 you had a panel in Detroit with Ice Wear, Vessel Killer, 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:39.360 Mike Push your T, Beanie C. 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.720 Freeway. You know, it was so many. 0:08:43.480 --> 0:08:47.760 Different Nipsey Hustle's brother. The brother's name, it always escapes me, 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:48.559 but I love. 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:52.520 Him so much, Black Sam, Black Sam, and we had 0:08:52.559 --> 0:08:54.719 a beautiful panel shadow. 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:57.559 To take the eating. We can't be leaving people out. 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:02.360 Since you want a name, pastor, Mike mc Mike McBride, 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:04.040 what's our other brother's name? 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:05.880 Oh lord, but. 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:07.200 Listen, it was a dope panel. 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:10.720 And there's a soundtrack and the first song off the 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:14.360 soundtrack is called still Here and it's the Vote or 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:19.840 Else soundtrack and it's featuring Benny the Butcher, is featuring 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:26.079 Jae Electronica, Freeway, Black Thought, Metal Feet, and Joe taking Eadie. 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:27.000 Shout out to Joe Taker. 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:30.080 You know she wasn't singing on this, but you know 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:32.720 she she out here. She thinks she a singer. 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:35.360 Yes, she definitely thinks she can sign. 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:39.280 She's actually the song is dope and it's really touching, 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:40.640 so make sure you go. 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:42.000 It's on all platforms. 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:46.080 Still here, his vote or else and is featuring all 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:47.719 all this side this name and shout out to. 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:49.560 Phil Agnew was Agnew? 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:52.000 See I knew it was somebody important and feel is 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:52.480 our brother. 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:58.520 That is yellow pain Yellow. It was a powerful it 0:09:58.559 --> 0:09:58.880 was a. 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:02.439 Very very powerful discussion. My boy Smoke Dizzer was on there. 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:05.840 And so much music came out. I mean, music is 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:06.760 coming out of here. 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:08.319 It's going to be a dope. I'm going to be 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:11.120 on the soundtrack, so it's gonna be on the. 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:15.920 S king bing king bing ing, not me king. 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:19.160 Make sure that you go and listen to that song. 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:21.440 Still here. The soundtrack would be out very soon. 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:25.439 And still here, Still here. That's what's up. That's what's up. 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:29.680 And today we are joined by a super friend who 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:32.760 has some information. I mean, as we've been saying, this 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:34.600 election is really important for us. 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:37.400 We don't really care who doesn't like it, right, We don't. 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:40.520 Care who is not interested and who's mad at us, 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:43.400 and who said we shouldn't be and don't this and that, 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:47.920 go talk to somebody else, because we we're really deeply 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:52.520 into this thing. And tm I has really been turned 0:10:52.559 --> 0:10:55.680 into a show to discuss all the elements of the 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:59.840 election for the next several weeks. And so in our 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:04.079 super friend world, l Joy Williams, who's joining us today 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:07.240 is somebody who of course is very special to me, 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:09.959 and now you know, over the years she's become special 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:16.239 to you as well, President of the NUBACP Brooklyn Network 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:19.000 and also she and I serve on the board of 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:21.920 Higher Heights, which is an organization that does a lot 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:26.720 of political education and raising funds for black women candidates. 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:28.360 We do so many things. 0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:31.520 She's a consultant, super brilliant, you got all the things 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:34.920 in this one woman. But what's important for why she 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:38.640 comes here today is because Joy has created. Joy is 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:43.880 an educator, an educator, and so she's created a guide 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:48.079 for the it says, a journal for the empowered voter, 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:52.199 call Get Vote Ready, Get Vote Ready. And so today 0:11:52.280 --> 0:11:54.800 we're gonna be hearing from our sister l Joy Williams 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:56.640 and I'm excited about that, just. 0:11:56.640 --> 0:12:00.800 Her story, just when we're talking about the kids, Like. 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:03.439 Even though she's doing all this leadership in the community, 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:06.719 she also is fostering several children at the same time. 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:08.839 That's why I love doing this podcast, right, because we 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:12.199 get an opportunity to interview and highlight our friends who 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:13.960 are doing so many dope things. So shout out to 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:17.320 el Joy for educating us about civics and about what 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:19.320 it looks like to vote in which we need to 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:23.160 know about voting. And they're also educating us about humanity. 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:26.160 You know, right, it is humanity when you like, I'm 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:29.840 gonna take Not only am I out here fighting for 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:32.559 our rights, but then I learned that children needed help, 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:34.240 and like she said, out of a. 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:36.520 Personal situation came her story. 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:38.360 So when people asked me, well, what's the first thing 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:40.360 that I should do, I'm like, look at your life, 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:42.839 look at the things that are near and dear to you, 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:45.920 and make decisions about how you can get active based 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:49.360 upon that. Because people who jump into stuff that has 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:52.720 nothing to do with what they're really interested in, or 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:55.000 because they get in it because they're like, oh there's 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:58.920 a check, or oh there's you know, or everybody else 0:12:59.040 --> 0:12:59.440 is doing it. 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:00.600 I think I do it better. 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:03.439 Then you're in an area that does not really really 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:06.280 make you feel like you're you're getting to your passion, 0:13:06.720 --> 0:13:08.160 like you're serving your purpose. 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:10.280 So there's that. 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:14.439 Yes, we definitely do have our sister el Joye. She 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:17.880 is an educator, she is a friend. She is one 0:13:17.960 --> 0:13:21.720 of those individuals that when you think of her, she's 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:24.840 always smiling, but you know, she's about business. So we 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:29.719 have our sister, the one, the only El joy in 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:30.240 the building. 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:33.360 Yeah, man, I love that, and I gotta come here 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:33.960 more often. 0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:35.079 That's it. 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:37.760 Thank you for both of you for inviting me today. 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:38.439 I appreciate it. 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:39.839 Thank you for being with us. 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:42.760 Joy tell us you know, first of all, let's just 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:47.840 get straight on in DOUAA CP Networks Chapters branch French. 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:57.480 Oh my gosh, Okay, listen, we did not have a rivalry. 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:57.120 If nan right. 0:13:57.280 --> 0:13:59.600 You know, it's just you know, we birthed everybody. 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:04.959 You see shade and shot already. That's what I love 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:07.199 so much about you, Joy, Like I think so. 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:10.960 Many people feel like in the movement we are just 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:14.760 stoic and boring and we're not like we enjoyed one another. 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.600 We make jokes. We snacked like we did at the 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:19.920 house back in the days when we were kids, and 0:14:20.000 --> 0:14:21.760 we have a good time. And you know, you're one 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:24.240 of those people who, like my son says, you're always smiling, 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:25.400 but you'd be serious as hell. 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:26.200 You'd be scaring me. 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:31.320 You say that in the elected say that too. Sometimes 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:34.920 they don't know the difference between if I'm coming and 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:37.320 being like, hey, how you doing, and like hang out 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:39.040 to like, oh no, what did I do? 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:39.920 Well? 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:43.760 You're coming in the tradition of our queen mother, which 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:47.680 is Mama Duke's Hazel and Dukes. Who is the president 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:50.200 or the former? I saw somewhere the other data. I 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:53.520 guess she's kind of like kind of she's cheat. 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:55.600 She's ninety two. 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:58.800 Yeah, you know, she said that she's not going to 0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:03.160 do it anymore. State NAACP Conference President. 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:05.680 Chargeah okay, got it. 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:10.680 So tell us about your book, This guide for you said, 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:14.520 a journal for the empowered voter. Yeah, and I love 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:17.720 the fact that you're speaking into people because I don't 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.600 be feeling like people that empowered. So, you know, but 0:15:21.320 --> 0:15:23.440 talk about what your journal is all about. 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:26.080 Well, you know, one of the missions of what I 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:30.560 do sure with Sunday Civics, which is every week, I 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:34.560 sort of use what's happening in the political landscape to 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:39.520 empower people with the knowledge to get involved and engaged 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:43.160 in politics, because, as you know, part of our work 0:15:43.200 --> 0:15:46.480 as organizers, the first thing we do, particularly when we're 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:51.000 going into spaces, is helping people understand how the system 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:54.800 has worked, where you know who the decision makers are 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:57.160 and then what you can demand, what you can do. 0:15:57.960 --> 0:16:01.080 And in starting Sunday Civics, I realized that was a 0:16:01.160 --> 0:16:04.440 lot of Even in working inside government, I would still 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:07.400 go into spaces, whether it was in the Controllers office 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:09.520 or the city hall or whatever, and I would do 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:10.960 the back door and I'm like, Okay, this is what 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:14.000 you need to ask for, this is what is possible, 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:17.160 this is what can happen. You know who, this is 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:21.000 the person you need to push. And I realized that 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:23.720 that is something we take for granted a lot that 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:27.720 everybody knows like who the decision maker is what I 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:30.160 should be asking for. And that's why I started Sunday 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:34.600 Civics with the Get Vote Ready Journal. You know, notice 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:37.080 as we go through the journal, there's nothing, there's no 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:42.400 emotion in it, there's no you know, you know, one 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:46.240 party over another party. It is helping you make a 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:50.400 strategic decision for you to prepare yourself and make sure 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:54.280 you have the information to engage in the election. And 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:57.479 then too, starting with yourself and not with the candidates. 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:00.480 You start with in the book, what what are the 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:03.600 issues that matter to me? You know what moves me? 0:17:03.720 --> 0:17:07.160 What is the you know, kitchen table issue that I'm 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.000 most concerned about. Then you go to the candidates based 0:17:10.080 --> 0:17:14.119 upon those issues to determine okay, now which one most aligned? 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:18.960 So based on this book, you know what was like 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:20.920 the what made you say, you know what, I really 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:22.040 need to make this book? 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:23.880 What made you sit down and say that? 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:28.880 Two reasons. One, you can always go to family. So 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:33.800 this is for my cousin who call and text me 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:36.959 on election day to ask me who were voting for 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:41.119 or to ask me when is the election again? Or 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.200 oh they got there. They may know okay, I know 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:45.760 who I'm going to vote for mayor I know who 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:47.800 I'm going to vote for president. But then they get 0:17:47.840 --> 0:17:53.639 there and they be like, it's some questions look like 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.479 that I don't know nothing about. And to my dad, 0:17:56.680 --> 0:17:59.240 you know, God bless his soul. Who literally he would 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:04.359 call me to me from the voting book, right, And 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:05.920 I'm like, Dad, you can't call you. 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:09.199 That's actually illegal, right. 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:11.600 And then I hear him arguing with the people in 0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:13.840 the like the pope. But I'm like, because they're doing 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:17.480 this job, right, you're not supposed to do that. So 0:18:17.600 --> 0:18:18.360 this is for them. 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:21.320 I sent it to somebody. Is that I'm waiting, like, 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:23.639 text me back what I'm supposed to do, and that's 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:24.440 like illegal. 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:26.600 You'll take a picture of the ballance. I bet you 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:29.800 you didn't know that. 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:32.479 This is for them. This is for you know, my 0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:36.159 cousin Candae and them, you know, so that they have Okay, 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:38.480 this is my journal. This is my guy to prepare 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:42.240 myself before I go into the voting booth. And it's 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:45.760 designed and meant not for me telling you what to do, 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:49.840 but for you to put together's prompts and questions and 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:53.879 spaces there for you to contemplate. You know, what matters 0:18:53.920 --> 0:18:57.240 to me might be different than what matters to you, right, 0:18:57.560 --> 0:19:00.040 and so it's space for you to put that and 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:02.440 to you know, teach you. This is how I should 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:06.679 engage in a political process, in the election process, you know, 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:09.359 not so much to be swayed by celebrities, and I 0:19:09.400 --> 0:19:12.040 know that's the thing that everybody, well my favorite celebrity 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:15.440 endorsed this person or did not write. But no, they're 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:18.200 voting their own interests. They're voting their own money in 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:21.720 their own pocketbook, Like this is how you vote and 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:23.160 make your decisions for you. 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:26.120 I had to really get into the book. As soon 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:28.919 as I saw you promote that it was ready, I 0:19:29.000 --> 0:19:35.360 called immediately got listen because I know it's necessary. Because 0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:38.600 even though this is a very contentious time. And let 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:41.680 me tell you, I am so ready for November fifth 0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:46.280 to come and go. My spirit and my stomach and 0:19:46.480 --> 0:19:51.639 literally my body cannot sustain two or three more months 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:55.399 of all this arguing and people right and crazy, and 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:57.840 you're fallen out with friends and family. My cousin and 0:19:57.880 --> 0:20:00.399 I was in a big blow up about at a 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:03.520 family occasion. We end up being back love, but still 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:06.440 we had to go through this like really difficult conversation. 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:10.399 And the one thing I've realized is that civics one 0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:16.720 oh one, like basic understanding of politics and electoral politics 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:19.320