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Speaker 1: Hey ba fam, it's Mandy. I'm here with a pretty

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Speaker 1: special and unusual show for you guys this week. It

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Speaker 1: almost wasn't any show at all. For those of y'all

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Speaker 1: who listened to our and joined our Instagram live the

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Speaker 1: Tiffany and I did last week, thank you so much.

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Speaker 1: We're sorry we weren't able to post the video for y'all.

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Speaker 1: Apparently something happened with Instagram and Tiffany couldn't save it

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Speaker 1: maya Kopa. But on the live we said that we

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Speaker 1: have a bit of a surprise, and it's because of

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Speaker 1: that surprise that we're not able to record a new

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Speaker 1: show last week, so you might have noticed there was

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Speaker 1: no episode. We're very sorry, but it's for a really,

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Speaker 1: really good reason, a reason that I can't quite announce

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Speaker 1: just yet, so we'll wait until next week when Tiffany's back.

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Speaker 1: That being said, we are here. We are here, y'all. Okay,

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Speaker 1: don't worry. We're fine. Since we couldn't record our regular show, though,

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Speaker 1: I wanted to go ahead and share with you guys

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Speaker 1: an amazing conversation that I had last week when we

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Speaker 1: were off with the CEO and co founder of an

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Speaker 1: organization based in Brooklyn, New York called Higher Heights for America.

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Speaker 1: This is a nonprofit that actually focuses on getting black

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Speaker 1: women elected to higher office. So I'm talking about mayor races,

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Speaker 1: gubernatorial races, and beyond. Kamala Harris yup. That is someone

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Speaker 1: that Higher Heights has championed and endorsed and helped support

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Speaker 1: and they are not stopping Now. I had Glinda Carr

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Speaker 1: join the show, and I'm thrilled to share that conversation

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Speaker 1: with you guys. Why because yes, I had chills just

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Speaker 1: like the rest of you last week when we watched

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Speaker 1: Kamala get sworn in as the first female black vice

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Speaker 1: president in our nation's history. I can never get tired

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Speaker 1: of saying that. But that being said, when I started

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Speaker 1: to do my googles about black women in politics, Kamala

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Speaker 1: was a rarity, and I don't think even I appreciated

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Speaker 1: how rare her presence was in our nation's capital until

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Speaker 1: I really got down and dirty with the numbers. So

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Speaker 1: let me share some with you. Okay, there are zero

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Speaker 1: zero black women serving in our US Senate right now. Okay, Now,

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Speaker 1: there were a record number of black women in the

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Speaker 1: House of Representatives in twenty twenty one, twenty five though

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Speaker 1: y'all only twenty five, Like that's a record that is pathetic, Okay,

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Speaker 1: Like I cannot twenty five out of four hundred and

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Speaker 1: thirty five elected officials in the House are black women.

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Speaker 1: And that's twenty five women Black women in Congress at

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Speaker 1: a time when I mean, haven't you guys heard the

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Speaker 1: pundits and the politicians thanking black women. How we saved

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Speaker 1: the election for Joe and Kamala, you know, how we

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Speaker 1: saved twenty twenty, how we turned out in states like

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Speaker 1: Georgia and gave them the edge that they needed. The

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Speaker 1: thank you Black women, Thank you Stacy Abrams, thank you

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Speaker 1: to our fore mothers like Shirley Chisholm, Fanny lou Hamer,

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Speaker 1: and so many women who came before them and after.

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Speaker 1: But what are we really seeing reflected on Capitol Hill?

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Speaker 1: We are not seeing ourselves, and I think that's a problem.

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Speaker 1: I'm not saying that we have to get out there

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Speaker 1: and run for governor like Stacy Abrams or run for

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Speaker 1: mayor like Kisha Land's bottoms. But what I hope is

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Speaker 1: that my conversation with Glinda encourages all of us to

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Speaker 1: not just stop with casting our vote in the twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty election, but to stay engaged at the local level.

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Speaker 1: And maybe you're not someone who wants to run for

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Speaker 1: an office, whether it's a town council or the school

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Speaker 1: board or whatever. Maybe you're not someone who has aspirations

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Speaker 1: of getting into politics. But before you give up on yourself,

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Speaker 1: or before you think that it's not for you, listen

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Speaker 1: to my conversation with Glinda and feel empowered. Our voices matter,

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Speaker 1: Our voices can bring about the change that we need

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Speaker 1: to see in this country, and twenty twenty was just

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Speaker 1: the beginning. I am so excited for you guys to

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Speaker 1: hear my conversation with Glinda. Please hit me up on Instagram.

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Speaker 1: We're at Brown Ambition Podcast on the Gram. You can

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Speaker 1: also send us an email at Brown Ambition Podcast at

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Speaker 1: gmail dot com. Send us your thoughts, your questions. We

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Speaker 1: can't wait to be back with you guys next week

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Speaker 1: with a brand new show. In the meantime, enjoy this

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Speaker 1: conversation with Glinda and you can check her out at

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Speaker 1: Higher Heights for America dot org. All right, Glinda, well,

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Speaker 1: thank you very much for coming to Brown Ambition. It's

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Speaker 1: really an honor to have you here, especially during a

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Speaker 1: year when it seems like brown ambition really became a

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Speaker 1: little bit less about money and career and a lot

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Speaker 1: more about what is it like out there for black

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Speaker 1: women in this world today? And how can we get

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Speaker 1: more political I don't know, political power, How can we

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Speaker 1: feel more empowered other than the news headlines will have

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Speaker 1: you belie leave that you know, black women really came

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Speaker 1: out for this election in previous elections and saved you know,

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Speaker 1: the progressive candidates and got them elected. But you often, personally,

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Speaker 1: for me, you don't always feel like you're seeing the

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Speaker 1: representation on Capitol Hill or even the state capitals that

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Speaker 1: that matches that, you know, appreciation for black women in

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Speaker 1: our power politically. So I'm so excited to have you

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Speaker 1: on the show because what I want to talk to

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Speaker 1: you about is, you know, first and foremost, what is

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Speaker 1: Higher Heights? Why did you guys found this organization? And

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Speaker 1: where do you see the future for black women in politics?

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Speaker 1: Is it an exciting time? Is it a time where

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Speaker 1: you know we're sort of you know, accepting that there's

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Speaker 1: still a long way to go. How are you feeling

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Speaker 1: these days? And especially for our listeners, we'd love to

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Speaker 1: hear from you tips on how people can get involved

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Speaker 1: in their local politics, state politics, and beyond, you know,

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Speaker 1: in a way that helps them contribute more than just

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Speaker 1: a vote.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: So, you know, black women have been the architects of

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Speaker 3: our democray since the nineteenth Amendment. In frankly earlier but

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Speaker 3: the nineteenth Amendment. Were in the one hundredth and one

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Speaker 3: anniversary of that amendment and that movement, and so black

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Speaker 3: women certainly, you know, sat among the suffrageres of that

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Speaker 3: movement knowing that they weren't going to reap the benefits

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Speaker 3: of the work of that.

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Speaker 2: Decision making table. And that's been the work.

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Speaker 3: Of black women across many of the milestones across our

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Speaker 3: movement building history. You know, black women were clearly the

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Speaker 3: architects and quiet organizers during the Civil Rights Movement. You

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Speaker 3: had a Fanny Lou Hamer, who frankly was an everyday

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Speaker 3: woman sharecropper who sat in the back of a church

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Speaker 3: and got fired up and went from you know, being

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Speaker 3: motivated to registering to vote to registering over eighty thousand

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Speaker 3: residents in Mississippi and went on and sat at the

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Speaker 3: Democratic National Convention carrying the voices of African Americans demanding

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Speaker 3: seats at that convention, which led to just more political power.

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Speaker 3: And so we fast forward to twenty twenty and once

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Speaker 3: again a course of thank you Black women for saving

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Speaker 3: the country.

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Speaker 2: I'll be frank, we're not saving the country for our neighbors.

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Speaker 3: Black women recognize that, you know, the access to the

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Speaker 3: voting block and exercising the right to vote helps to

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Speaker 3: build the power. What we demanded in twenty twenty, though,

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Speaker 3: was that we want a return on our voting investment,

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Speaker 3: and that's in the form of policies that directly impact

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Speaker 3: Black women, our families, and our communities. And we certainly

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Speaker 3: are continuing to claim seats at decision making tables. Our

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Speaker 3: political power at the voting booth actually doesn't match equally

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Speaker 3: match our representation at elected decision making tables.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, what does it mean to you? I

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Speaker 1: think I think with the Capital riot, you know, how

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Speaker 1: is it? How long has it been now? It feels

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Speaker 1: like months, but it was only a week and a

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Speaker 1: half ago that there was an insurrection against the US capital,

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Speaker 1: which is still shocking to say. And part of me

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Speaker 1: is a little bit sad because I mean, well, first

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Speaker 1: of all, sad for so many reasons, but also it

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Speaker 1: feels like it's sort of taking away from this moment

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Speaker 1: of history of having the first black female vice president,

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Speaker 1: woman of South Asian descent, all of that, Kamala Harris,

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Speaker 1: And I wonder how you feel and how higher Heights

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Speaker 1: is looking at her candidacy, her nomination, her win as

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Speaker 1: Vice president. What excites you about that? And do you

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Speaker 1: feel like Kamala is bringing to the table that sense

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Speaker 1: of listen, I am here, I'm a black woman, and

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Speaker 1: I am going to be unapologetic about that and put

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Speaker 1: forth policies that truly help black women in their communities.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely.

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Speaker 3: So, we have been proud to stand with Vice President

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Speaker 3: elector soon to be Madam VP, Kamala Harris since her

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Speaker 3: run for US Senate in twenty sixteen. So we've only

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Speaker 3: had two black women ever elected to the US Senate, right,

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Speaker 3: and so there's a lot of work to continue to

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Speaker 3: ensure that we have representation at all decision making cables.

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Speaker 3: But we certainly were excited that she, you know, joined

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Speaker 3: the US Senate at a point where she brought not

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Speaker 3: only her you know, years of qualifications as an elective

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Speaker 3: official that ran one and governed on the city level,

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Speaker 3: ran one and governed on the state wide executive level,

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Speaker 3: and then carried her voice to the US Senate, and

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Speaker 3: we proudly said with her when she ran for President

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Speaker 3: of the United States, and her multiple identities as a woman,

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Speaker 3: as a woman of color, as a daughter of two immigrants,

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Speaker 3: and a black woman, as well as her identities around

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Speaker 3: attending a historically black college, being a member of a

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Speaker 3: Greek you know, a black Greek letter organization. You know,

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Speaker 3: we're excited about her standing and presiding over the US

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Speaker 3: Senate at a time where you know, her vice presidency

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Speaker 3: will make her one of the most you know, consequential,

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Speaker 3: you know leaders in a generation with a fifty to

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Speaker 3: fifty split Congress. And so although we are you know,

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Speaker 3: very concerned that there is no representation in the body

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Speaker 3: of the US Senate, we have literally a US Senator

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Speaker 3: standing and presiding over the Senate, and so certainly many

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Speaker 3: of the legislative pieces of legislation that she has introduced

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Speaker 3: and authored and championed, you know, you know, it's something

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Speaker 3: about a full circle moment that there may be times

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Speaker 3: where she's the deciding vote to be able to move

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Speaker 3: that legislation from her, you know, standing with Senator Corey

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Speaker 3: Booker very clear about a discussion around racial disparities around

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Speaker 3: COVID nineteen, the discussion around anti trying to roll back

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Speaker 3: old law around anti lynching, to her talking about black

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Speaker 3: women in fibroids, and the innovations around black women and infomortality.

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Speaker 2: And natal care.

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Speaker 3: Those identities allow her to in the spirit of Maya

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Speaker 3: Angelou's poem Grandmothers, there's a stanza a line that says,

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Speaker 3: I come as one, but I stand as ten thousand,

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Speaker 3: and that is certainly you know what we're excited about seeing,

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Speaker 3: you know, our new Vice president do to bring all

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Speaker 3: of the lived experiences she has as well as her

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Speaker 3: for qualifications at a time that we are at the

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Speaker 3: height of racial tensions during my generation, and a discussion

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Speaker 3: around how do we move beyond COVID recover, survive, recover,

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Speaker 3: and thrive beyond COVID nineteen, particularly when community, the very

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Speaker 3: communities that her she comes from, have been disroportionately impacted

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Speaker 3: back that. So we are definitely excited about this opportunity,

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Speaker 3: but recognizing that our work has not finished and we

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Speaker 3: need to accelerate the work around black women's elected leadership.

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Speaker 1: Beyond now higher Heights has been around for nearly a decade, now,

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Speaker 1: is that right?

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Speaker 2: I know we were just planning that. We're like, it's

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Speaker 2: a decade.

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Speaker 1: Wow, Well, congratulations, listen, we love entrepreneurs here and especially

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Speaker 1: in the space that you guys, and so thank you

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Speaker 1: so much for that it. Congrats. Take a moment to

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Speaker 1: you know, accept the shine and all the work that

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Speaker 1: you've accomplished. Do you feel more of a sense of

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Speaker 1: urgency now than you did when you founded Higher Heights?

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Speaker 1: I mean, this is like you said, this is a

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Speaker 1: I mean all that there's so many things going on,

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Speaker 1: it is too much. There's the race, I mean you

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Speaker 1: say tension, but it is. It feels like a civil

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Speaker 1: war is bubbling under the surface. I mean, and there's

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Speaker 1: an economic crisis, and of course Black Americans it feels

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Speaker 1: like financially and health wise have been disproportionately impacted by

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Speaker 1: this pandemic. What does that feel like to you? Do

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Speaker 1: you feel like there's more of a sense of urgency

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Speaker 1: around getting more power, getting more influence in politics? And why?

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Speaker 1: What sort of are the platforms or the issues that

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Speaker 1: are most important to Higher Heights now?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely so, you know, Kimberly Peeler Allen the other co founder,

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Speaker 3: and I too, black women who happened to work in politics.

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Speaker 3: But every day black women sat in a Brooklyn cafe

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Speaker 3: literally ten years this February and we actually, kimberly came

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Speaker 3: to coffee because I was trying to figure out my

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Speaker 3: next career move and within that, you know, I had

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Speaker 3: grown some frustration around particularly progressive politics, which is what

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Speaker 3: we worked in at the time, and being in rooms

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Speaker 3: that were dominantly white, dominantly you know, male, and you know,

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Speaker 3: being looked at as like a unicorn, like like black,

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Speaker 3: black politically engaged women, you know, women who you know,

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Speaker 3: write checks and volunteer in our vocal that were this

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Speaker 3: like black unicorn and so out of event because you know,

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Speaker 3: you sometimes we all will have event conversation with a girlfriend,

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Speaker 3: we literally we should start our own organization, and we

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Speaker 3: sat and kind of just chatted about what it looked like.

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Speaker 3: We wrote the words higher Heights down that day. It's

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Speaker 3: been a year and a half researching like what would

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Speaker 3: this look like, and we wanted to see an organization

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Speaker 3: we could see ourselves in and so you accelerate the

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Speaker 3: work you know we have, you know, we're in a moment.

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Speaker 3: One of our foundation principles is we want to create

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Speaker 3: the environment for blackmen to vote, run, women lead, and

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Speaker 3: I certainly think that is some of the successes of

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Speaker 3: Higher Heights that we're in a moment where you know,

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Speaker 3: everyone is talking about black women's political power and leadership

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Speaker 3: and celebrating our leadership, but we also recognize there's a

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Speaker 3: lot of work to be done by the numbers, right,

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Speaker 3: and so in the one hundred and seventeenth Congress, we

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Speaker 3: have twenty four black women serving, and so over the

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Speaker 3: last couple of elections, sorry, twenty four black women and

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Speaker 3: two non voting delegates. So in total, twenty five twenty

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Speaker 3: six black women serving in the House of Representatives. And

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Speaker 3: that's been a steady gain over the last ten years.

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Speaker 3: We've seen a record number of black women run and

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Speaker 3: win each year, but we've never elected a black woman

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Speaker 3: to governor or as I would say, we've never had

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Speaker 3: a black woman serve because for me, Stacy Abrams did

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Speaker 3: win that twenty eighteen election cycle.

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Speaker 1: Beauhart twinges every time, Yes, Stacy Abrams, we cannot have

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Speaker 1: this conversation without mentioning her. Yeah, yep.

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Speaker 3: And you know, out of the two thousand, one hundred

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Speaker 3: and sixty two women who serve in state legislatures across

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Speaker 3: the country. Only three hundred and seventeen of them as

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Speaker 3: the end of the year are black women. And we've

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Speaker 3: seen a steady gain of black women running and winning

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Speaker 3: as mayors of top one hundred cities, but we currently

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Speaker 3: have six and so when you look at those and

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Speaker 3: I've already said, there's zero black women in the US Senate,

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Speaker 3: and so there's still work to be done. And it's

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Speaker 3: not that black women aren't running. Yes, we need more

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Speaker 3: black women to run, frankly, from the local office, may

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Speaker 3: it be school board, to city council to some of

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Speaker 3: your state legislators or county black women are running. Be clear,

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Speaker 3: there's still barriers access to navigating the political process and

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Speaker 3: party early party and institutional support, raising money, and you know,

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Speaker 3: still a discussion around what does electability look like like.

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Speaker 3: You don't hear anyone using the word electability to white men, right.

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Speaker 2: It is reserved for women and particularly women of color.

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Speaker 3: And so we know that a Kamala Harris or a

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Speaker 3: New York State Attorney General Tis James, they're actually the

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Speaker 3: road maps, not because you go, oh, I want to

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Speaker 3: be a g now or I want to be the

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Speaker 3: vice president. Is the fact that they ran for local office.

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Speaker 3: Letitia James, you know, was a New York City council

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Speaker 3: member and her career projectory was to run for a

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Speaker 3: higher office. Oftentimes it could be you are going to

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Speaker 3: make you are going to have your maximum impact, like

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Speaker 3: I said, on your town council. And so our work

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Speaker 3: is to you know, help identify, help to inspire, train,

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Speaker 3: and support black women. Our Political Action Committee currently supports

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Speaker 3: women running for federal office, statewide executive office, and mayors

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Speaker 3: of top hundred cities. But our network of black women

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Speaker 3: across this country are elected or thinking about running for

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Speaker 3: office at all levels. And frankly, many of our members

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Speaker 3: are just like my best friend. They just want to

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Speaker 3: be more civically engaged and grow into stretch in their

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Speaker 3: political leadership, and that may be advocating on behalf of

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Speaker 3: issues they care about. To their elected leaders, continue to

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Speaker 3: help recruit, sorry, continue to help organize our community to

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Speaker 3: the polls, and so we all should consider ourselves political

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Speaker 3: leaders and then finding out what is the highest use

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Speaker 3: of your time, talents, and treasures to help move this

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Speaker 3: democracy in this country to higher Heights.

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Speaker 1: I think what I know sadly about local politics is

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Speaker 1: like parks and Recreation. That was a really good show

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Speaker 1: with Amy and Bomer. But honestly, ever since I told

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Speaker 1: you a little bit when we were talking about the

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Speaker 1: show my background, I bought a house a few a

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Speaker 1: few years ago, and we live in a town and

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Speaker 1: we've gotten to know our town councilmen and elected officials

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Speaker 1: and they are so accessible and they've they're right here

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Speaker 1: and it's kind of fun. My husband and I have

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Speaker 1: gotten like we like to just email them and tell

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Speaker 1: them about things that are going on. But let's talk

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Speaker 1: about town council because that, to me is something that's

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Speaker 1: really accessible for a lot of people looking for an entryway,

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Speaker 1: a pathway into political leadership in their communities. But what

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Speaker 1: kind of power is there in the town council to

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Speaker 1: drive change that can really impact black communities? And what's

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Speaker 1: that stake if we don't start having more diverse leadership

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Speaker 1: at that level? If you can talk a little bit

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Speaker 1: about that, yeah.

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Speaker 3: I mean, our diverse decision making tables make better decisions.

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Speaker 3: And so we are seeking to ensure that black women's

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Speaker 3: voices are heard at all levels. And as you know, frankly,

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Speaker 3: local elected office has a more direct and immediate impact.

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Speaker 2: On your day to day lives.

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Speaker 3: I use an example like my I have a earlier

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Speaker 3: in my career, I had a lot of friends that say,

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Speaker 3: you know, I don't do politics, and I certainly believe

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Speaker 3: we have a bunch of our networks that still say

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Speaker 3: I don't do politics. And I give an example that

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Speaker 3: you know, almost everything is tied to a public policy

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Speaker 3: or a poor public dollar. And I usually use an

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Speaker 3: example that in most places in the United States, we

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Speaker 3: all have street lights, and so certainly when that street

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Speaker 3: light goes out, there's a discussion around who do you

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Speaker 3: you know, how do we advocate to make sure we

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Speaker 3: have street lights making sure that street light is on.

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Speaker 3: And that is also tied to most likely a public

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Speaker 3: policy or a public dollar. And those public dollars in

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Speaker 3: public policies are tied to an elected official.

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Speaker 2: That you voted for or not voted for.

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Speaker 3: And so the work of you know, strengthening you know,

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Speaker 3: our government is beyond the voting booth. Right, democracy doesn't

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Speaker 3: begin and in on election day it actually begins. And

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Speaker 3: so we need to all be active citizens in not

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Speaker 3: only holding our elected officials accountable, but frankly creating the

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Speaker 3: environment for our champions to push innovation in public policy

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Speaker 3: and public budget processes.

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Speaker 1: So what does that look like? You know, for someone

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Speaker 1: who's listening at home and sees something in their town

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Speaker 1: that they don't like or wants to take auction, do

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Speaker 1: you just I mean literally, how do you get involved

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Speaker 1: in the town council? Like? Do you just go to

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Speaker 1: what is it town hall and say, Hi, I would

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Speaker 1: like to get on the ballot, or you know, I

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Speaker 1: just break it down because this is just the level

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Speaker 1: of detail that it's that access to knowledge of how

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Speaker 1: things happen that you know, I'm certainly lacking, and I

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Speaker 1: think a lot of other folks will be too.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: So if you're, you know, someone who's not thinking about

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Speaker 3: running for office but just want to be more actively engaged,

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Speaker 3: it is attending town halls, in town council meetings or

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Speaker 3: what a city council meet whatever level. It is lobbying

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Speaker 3: your elected officials, and so that is you know, I'm

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Speaker 3: still I spent six years working for the New York

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Speaker 3: State Legislature as a chief of.

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Speaker 2: Staff and you know, you.

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Speaker 3: Know the member I used to work for, we would

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Speaker 3: say the squeaky wheel gets the oil right, and oftentimes

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Speaker 3: people in our you know, people believe that the squeaky

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Speaker 3: oil is wealthy people in people that are connected. Yes,

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Speaker 3: they do have access, but frankly, votes matter to elected

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Speaker 3: the leaders. So when you are now looking about an

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Speaker 3: issue and you're getting hundreds or thousands of letters or

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Speaker 3: emails or tweets on an issue, it makes your elect

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Speaker 3: officials pay attention and you're opening up a dialogue. You

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Speaker 3: ought to be well one, we ought to know who

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Speaker 3: our elected officials are so that we can you know,

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Speaker 3: pay attention not only during voting time, but during during

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Speaker 3: governing times. And frankly, if you are passionate about an issue,

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Speaker 3: it is connecting with the elected officials. Again, when I

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Speaker 3: used to work for the state legislature, there are several

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Speaker 3: pieces of legislation that the senator I worked for introduced

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Speaker 3: because he had a conversation with a constituent who either

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Speaker 3: had something that they were inspired by or something they

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Speaker 3: were upset about. And so as a regular everyday you know,

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Speaker 3: citizen not running for office or governing, you can impact

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Speaker 3: and you know.

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Speaker 2: Help author and move policy.

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Speaker 3: And then finally, if you think about running for office,

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Speaker 3: you know, there are a ton of training programs. Higher

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Speaker 3: Heights just hosted our first boot camp of the year

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Speaker 3: and a half day training. But our partners like Emerge

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Speaker 3: in Emily's list, the Black Campaign School from the Collective Pack,

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Speaker 3: they all have you know nowadays, all have online programming.

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Speaker 3: And what's great about that we've always done online training

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Speaker 3: is that one of the one of the obstacles that

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Speaker 3: the research from the Center for American Women in Politics

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Speaker 3: have pointed out is that women aren't encouraged to run

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Speaker 3: for office, but women of color, and particularly black women

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Speaker 3: oftentimes are discouraged from running for office. So sometimes doing

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Speaker 3: physical trainings or or starting.

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Speaker 2: To talk about your.

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Speaker 3: Thinking about running for office, that you don't want those

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Speaker 3: those people who will be the naysayers before you even

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Speaker 3: have thought this through, and so frankly being able to

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Speaker 3: you know, spend a little quiet time in a corner

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Speaker 3: in your home with your you know, watching a webinar

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Speaker 3: to really determine if running for office is again the

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Speaker 3: best use of your you know, time, talents, and treasures.

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Speaker 3: And so I would always encourage people, if you think

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Speaker 3: about running for office, to take any of the amazing trainings.

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Speaker 2: Most of them are free.

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Speaker 3: And I would also encourage as you know, we are

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Speaker 3: in environment whre everybody so oh I want to.

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Speaker 2: Run for office.

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Speaker 3: Not every one of us need to run for office.

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Speaker 3: And so it's determining what is you know what what

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Speaker 3: how do you want to make an impact in your community?

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Speaker 3: And that may be, like I said, strengthening your leadership

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Speaker 3: roles outside of government, you know, considering running for office,

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Speaker 3: or frankly being the person that recruits in, recruits and

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Speaker 3: encourages those to run for office.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, I think one of the I mean, obviously it's

436
00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,040
Speaker 1: in the name of our podcast been ambition. It's it's

437
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:41,280
Speaker 1: crazy to me, but so common. True ambition sometimes starts

438
00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,399
Speaker 1: in quiet places where you're safe, and you don't want

439
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,680
Speaker 1: to stay it out loud because you're afraid. You know,

440
00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:47,400
Speaker 1: it takes courage, I think, to stand up and say

441
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:51,080
Speaker 1: that I want something. You know, I am ambitious enough

442
00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:54,120
Speaker 1: to reach for a higher height. And you're right, there

443
00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:56,840
Speaker 1: are people who will be those naysayers and or because

444
00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,120
Speaker 1: I've never seen it before, they want to protect you,

445
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:01,080
Speaker 1: don't want you to get hurt, and you know, made

446
00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:03,840
Speaker 1: dissuade you from that. So the work of the work

447
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:07,240
Speaker 1: of your organization is is wonderful in that way because

448
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,639
Speaker 1: you guys it's and kind of describe how Higher Heights works.

449
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:10,760
Speaker 3: Is.

450
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,760
Speaker 1: I know that you guys have a political action Sorry,

451
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:14,879
Speaker 1: what's a pack? What does the stand for?

452
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,159
Speaker 2: Political actions? Political Action Committee? Thank you?

453
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:21,600
Speaker 1: I watch MSNBC. So, yeah, you guys, you you raise

454
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:23,560
Speaker 1: fund so that you can back candidates. What do you

455
00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:26,360
Speaker 1: guys look like? We'll look at in candidates that you're

456
00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,200
Speaker 1: looking to back and do you have to go looking

457
00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,160
Speaker 1: pretty far and wide to find women of color out

458
00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:37,119
Speaker 1: there to to to push into you know, higher office.

459
00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:39,760
Speaker 2: No, so yet. We have a Plitical Action Committee.

460
00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:43,920
Speaker 3: Our committee is made up of board members and some

461
00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:50,200
Speaker 3: community community members, and so we solely, unapologetically support women

462
00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:53,960
Speaker 3: that identify as black women who are running at the

463
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,240
Speaker 3: you know, federal level, statewide executives, in top mayors of

464
00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:00,800
Speaker 3: top one hundred cities, and we, as you mentioned, yes,

465
00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,919
Speaker 3: we do financially support candidates. We also encourage our members

466
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:08,440
Speaker 3: and our networks to support and fundraise for our candidates.

467
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,600
Speaker 3: And we then activate our community, our growing community, to volunteer.

468
00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:15,320
Speaker 3: And so in COVID nineteen, there are a couple of

469
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,440
Speaker 3: things I think that have come out that have allowed

470
00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:22,200
Speaker 3: us to, like many organizations and programs, to expand is

471
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,720
Speaker 3: the notion of being able to be anywhere across the

472
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:28,399
Speaker 3: country and being inspired by someone running for office and

473
00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,080
Speaker 3: being able to volunteer by making phone calls or texting

474
00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 3: neighbors and texting voters in that district and frankly hosting

475
00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:39,440
Speaker 3: virtual fundraisers that you could literally sit in your house,

476
00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:39,919
Speaker 3: in your.

477
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:40,720
Speaker 2: Across the country.

478
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,200
Speaker 3: And so we helped to you know, connect our members

479
00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:45,880
Speaker 3: to volunteer opportunities.

480
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:47,520
Speaker 2: We host volunteer opportunities.

481
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:50,480
Speaker 3: The cycle we you know called across you know our

482
00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:53,719
Speaker 3: you know, sixteen black women that were on the general ballot,

483
00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:56,560
Speaker 3: you know shy of you know, a thousand calls and

484
00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,720
Speaker 3: texts and for them it is that is how you

485
00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:03,159
Speaker 3: win elections, right, You build, you build an infrastructure that

486
00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,880
Speaker 3: helped you talk to and get your message out to voters.

487
00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:11,360
Speaker 3: But you know, each year, you know we've, yes, we

488
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:15,040
Speaker 3: do reach out and go hey, Jane, you should consider

489
00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:15,840
Speaker 3: running for office.

490
00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:18,359
Speaker 2: But certainly you know there's a growing interest.

491
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,560
Speaker 3: And we were in daily dialogue with women running for

492
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,320
Speaker 3: office and frankly running for office that our Political Action

493
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:27,040
Speaker 3: Committee may not support, but all of our resource tools

494
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,320
Speaker 3: and our training support women running for office. I recently

495
00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:34,119
Speaker 3: got it, like a tweet or a DM from someone

496
00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:37,920
Speaker 3: that said, you helped me win my election to town council.

497
00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:40,879
Speaker 3: And you know my original action is like, well, we

498
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,720
Speaker 3: didn't support you, and she's like, you sure did.

499
00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:44,320
Speaker 2: You created a space for me.

500
00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:46,399
Speaker 3: I was quite you know, I was on, I was

501
00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,200
Speaker 3: you know, engaged, and she felt that, you know, for us,

502
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,560
Speaker 3: we're the political home that she had found a home

503
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:57,560
Speaker 3: that broadly supported her her candidacy and you know, you know,

504
00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,560
Speaker 3: had access to the tools that not only were tactical tools,

505
00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:03,600
Speaker 3: but also just the ability, like you said, the naysay

506
00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:06,360
Speaker 3: being the place like you can do this, that support

507
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:08,840
Speaker 3: mechanism and you know that's one of the things that

508
00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,720
Speaker 3: you know, Kimberly and I are very proud at Kamala

509
00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,920
Speaker 3: Harris once said to us in twenty eighteen, and she's

510
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,359
Speaker 3: you know, been a great you know, governing partner and

511
00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:21,119
Speaker 3: partner in this work. Is that did you know? And

512
00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:23,159
Speaker 3: again it's been ten years. We felt like it was

513
00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:25,800
Speaker 3: the longest ten years. There were years where you know,

514
00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,960
Speaker 3: people didn't think they got the vision of the organization.

515
00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:32,240
Speaker 3: Those same people are like, you know, all in now

516
00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:34,440
Speaker 3: is Kamala said.

517
00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:36,240
Speaker 2: Did you know you were going to build an organization

518
00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:37,080
Speaker 2: for a time as this?

519
00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:40,120
Speaker 3: She was like, it may have not hit the benchmarks

520
00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:42,400
Speaker 3: that you thought they were going to meet when you

521
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:44,720
Speaker 3: thought they were supposed to be met, but you actually

522
00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:49,080
Speaker 3: had a container to be able to harness this power

523
00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:52,640
Speaker 3: since two frankly since twenty sixteen, right.

524
00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,040
Speaker 1: I mean, it feels like part of you wants to

525
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 1: I'll speak for myself. Part of me is little jaded

526
00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:02,240
Speaker 1: in the sense that oh, you thought, okay, so now

527
00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:04,720
Speaker 1: black women are all that and everyone wants to lean

528
00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:07,400
Speaker 1: into us and pour into us. And you know, I

529
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:10,680
Speaker 1: was laughing with Tiffany because we haven't gotten more podcast

530
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:12,920
Speaker 1: networks reaching out to us to partner with us until

531
00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,040
Speaker 1: this summer, and I'm like, oh yeah, because you looked

532
00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,479
Speaker 1: at your lineup and you realize there was something missing.

533
00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:22,040
Speaker 1: And we've been here for five years doing it and independently,

534
00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,000
Speaker 1: and it's like you said, you know, you put the

535
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:27,440
Speaker 1: work in and you're ready for the moment. And I

536
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:29,880
Speaker 1: guess part of me had to quickly put aside that

537
00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:32,720
Speaker 1: little bit of cynicism, like where were you five years ago? Okay,

538
00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:34,640
Speaker 1: you're here now. All right, I'll take advantage of the skill.

539
00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:35,400
Speaker 1: That's fine.

540
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,400
Speaker 3: Oh no, so you're you're part of my you know,

541
00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:42,560
Speaker 3: I go through my moments of pettiness. Oh now you're here,

542
00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,240
Speaker 3: Oh you want to meet? Oh you're taking my phone call?

543
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:49,800
Speaker 1: And that's say, I'll say it. Yeah, So we're looking

544
00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:51,440
Speaker 1: to diversify it. I'm like, just you know, if you

545
00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:53,240
Speaker 1: own it, it's you know, I own it. You know

546
00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:55,320
Speaker 1: what I mean, Like, just let it be known. Don't

547
00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:57,960
Speaker 1: don't pretend like we've you know, all of a sudden

548
00:29:57,960 --> 00:29:59,400
Speaker 1: you notice that we're here, and that kind of thing.

549
00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:01,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I had said I was playing off of.

550
00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:04,480
Speaker 3: I was like, black women are like the show Orange

551
00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:07,720
Speaker 3: is the new Black Right. So black women are the

552
00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:11,440
Speaker 3: new Black right. And so certainly we're leaning into the

553
00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:16,920
Speaker 3: moment one for our allies who have recognized that black women,

554
00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:19,320
Speaker 3: you know, black women govern and lead.

555
00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:21,080
Speaker 2: I just think in a way that's inclusive.

556
00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:24,960
Speaker 3: You know, we have a great supporter, a white woman

557
00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,320
Speaker 3: who when we were talking about branding ourselves as a

558
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,680
Speaker 3: political home for black women, and she was like, I

559
00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:33,440
Speaker 3: still see myself in that right, And I was like, well,

560
00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:36,920
Speaker 3: and that we didn't actually set out to go let's

561
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:38,960
Speaker 3: make sure that everybody can.

562
00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:40,200
Speaker 2: See themselves in the organization.

563
00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:44,400
Speaker 3: But because people feel that there's a space for them,

564
00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:48,320
Speaker 3: I was like, that is just how black women navigate, right,

565
00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:52,000
Speaker 3: It's how our grandmothers navigated. I mean there were certainly

566
00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:56,400
Speaker 3: always a seat at my grandmother and mother's dinner table,

567
00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:00,000
Speaker 3: right that if we brought somebody home, there was all

568
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,720
Speaker 3: always enough food and enough space. And I think that's

569
00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,080
Speaker 3: how black women lead, right, is that we don't have

570
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,720
Speaker 3: a defined you know, there's only a set amount of chairs,

571
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:12,160
Speaker 3: and that that we you know that it's closed. That

572
00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:14,480
Speaker 3: that is actually I think because we were locked out

573
00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:17,160
Speaker 3: of those tables and those chairs, we are ensuring that

574
00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:18,800
Speaker 3: we're unifiers.

575
00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:21,040
Speaker 2: And that there's space. And I'll even give you an example.

576
00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:24,680
Speaker 3: Of how I now read Shirley Chisholms quote about if

577
00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:26,920
Speaker 3: there's not a seat at the table, bring your folding chair.

578
00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:29,600
Speaker 3: And so there's some debate about well I shouldn't have

579
00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:32,720
Speaker 3: to scoop myself up to the table because of folding chair.

580
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:34,600
Speaker 3: I was like, well, how if we envision What she

581
00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 3: was saying is that if you envision that the table

582
00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:40,480
Speaker 3: is big enough, there's enough seat, you can bring enough

583
00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:43,120
Speaker 3: seats at that table, if we continue to believe that

584
00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,720
Speaker 3: the seat the table is already set and that we

585
00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:47,480
Speaker 3: have to fight and push people like be clear that

586
00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:49,800
Speaker 3: some people were pushing out of chairs like I am,

587
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:53,520
Speaker 3: I'm not apologic, like sorry, this is still political science,

588
00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,800
Speaker 3: and in politics is that you know, we are definitely

589
00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:00,240
Speaker 3: tapping on several people's chairs, going to time for.

590
00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:03,160
Speaker 2: You to go. But if we're really gonna.

591
00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:06,360
Speaker 3: Like move past this like this, this toxic moment, we

592
00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:08,400
Speaker 3: have to be able to say that black women are

593
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:12,840
Speaker 3: building different tables in the in how those tables are set.

594
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:15,160
Speaker 1: Up, right, It's not even about bringing your own chair.

595
00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:16,960
Speaker 1: It can be just okay, well you'll have your table.

596
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:19,080
Speaker 1: We're just going to make our own table and put

597
00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:21,080
Speaker 1: it in the same room nearby adjacent.

598
00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:21,720
Speaker 2: Yeah.

599
00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:24,560
Speaker 1: I love that, And can you you know, and just

600
00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:29,200
Speaker 1: to kind of round out this conversation, I feel and

601
00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,600
Speaker 1: I felt like many people I imagine, so adrenalized by

602
00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:36,880
Speaker 1: this year and so devoted to keeping the momentum going.

603
00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,840
Speaker 1: And I'm wondering, from your perspective, what does that look like?

604
00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:43,800
Speaker 1: Because I would hate for the progress that we've seen.

605
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:46,040
Speaker 1: You know, people in my family in Atlanta got registered

606
00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:47,959
Speaker 1: for the first first time, you know, voted in their

607
00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:51,480
Speaker 1: first Senate runoff campaign. Ever, you know, this past January,

608
00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:55,280
Speaker 1: it's we're still in January, nevermind this year and and

609
00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:58,880
Speaker 1: I I, you know, I wonder, how do we how

610
00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:01,480
Speaker 1: do we maintain and this attention? How do we keep

611
00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:04,400
Speaker 1: people fired up? You know, we had to really I

612
00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:07,040
Speaker 1: get it, when it felt like life or death this

613
00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:09,520
Speaker 1: election cycle. You know, we really had to get out there.

614
00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:12,840
Speaker 1: But yeah, how do you harness that momentum? And what

615
00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:15,800
Speaker 1: can people be doing now? Even though the general election's

616
00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:18,360
Speaker 1: over and we're we're in a bit of a I

617
00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:20,720
Speaker 1: don't know, I hate to say a place where we

618
00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:22,360
Speaker 1: can be safe because we just had a ride on

619
00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:26,200
Speaker 1: the Capitol, but we're past a big hurdle in terms

620
00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:28,080
Speaker 1: of the general election. We how do we keep that

621
00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:28,800
Speaker 1: momentum going.

622
00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:33,240
Speaker 3: I certainly believe that there's a lot of work to

623
00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,440
Speaker 3: be done. One you know, at the end of the year,

624
00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:38,320
Speaker 3: we sat and talked about what does next steps look

625
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,520
Speaker 3: like for say, higher heights, and so we are definitely

626
00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,920
Speaker 3: taking the lessons learned from the first ten years. And

627
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,600
Speaker 3: it's about you know, Kimberly and I started this whole

628
00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,080
Speaker 3: hashtag black women lead the road to twenty twenty. Like

629
00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:52,680
Speaker 3: in twenty sixteen that we knew that twenty twenty was

630
00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:55,479
Speaker 3: a pivotal year for black women's political leadership, it is

631
00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:58,719
Speaker 3: now beyond. It's now about the strategy beyond twenty twenty.

632
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,080
Speaker 3: And certainly we are diving and accelerating our work around

633
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,120
Speaker 3: electing black women to the US Senate, electing black women

634
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:09,520
Speaker 3: governeurs within s not one and certainly, you know, ensuring

635
00:34:09,640 --> 00:34:13,839
Speaker 3: that you know, our candidates are supported early by the

636
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:17,479
Speaker 3: broader masses. You know, oftentimes people jump on very late

637
00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:20,319
Speaker 3: and go like I've been with Kamala from day one,

638
00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:22,239
Speaker 3: I've been with Stacey Abrams from day one, and that

639
00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,400
Speaker 3: actually isn't if I get to write the history. That

640
00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:27,839
Speaker 3: is certainly not the case in the history books. And

641
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:32,239
Speaker 3: so how do we then identify the next you know,

642
00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:36,360
Speaker 3: the next generation of leaders and that frankly, you know,

643
00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:41,520
Speaker 3: starts with a multi generational approach. And then you know,

644
00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:44,200
Speaker 3: we don't elect black women for black women's sake. We

645
00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:48,240
Speaker 3: believe that our leadership is a leadership that will build

646
00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:52,439
Speaker 3: a policy platform that creates what I believe black women,

647
00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,840
Speaker 3: what our research has pointed to are polling and our

648
00:34:55,960 --> 00:35:01,080
Speaker 3: informal salon conversations. Black women want economically thriving, educated, healthy

649
00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:03,600
Speaker 3: and safe communities. So if you're looking at what do

650
00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:06,560
Speaker 3: we do beyond beyond the voting booth, it is ensuring

651
00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:09,440
Speaker 3: that we're creating that environment, as I mentioned earlier, for

652
00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:13,600
Speaker 3: our champions to push real innovation into our public policy

653
00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:15,920
Speaker 3: making and to frankly hold.

654
00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:17,480
Speaker 2: Elected officials accountable.

655
00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:22,280
Speaker 3: We can't just continue to elect elect amazing leaders who

656
00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:26,359
Speaker 3: don't have the political support. Like the political support right,

657
00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:30,600
Speaker 3: It's all about political demand and political will, and that's

658
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,400
Speaker 3: the work of the people is to build the political

659
00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:37,279
Speaker 3: will by flexing our political demand so that we can

660
00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:41,280
Speaker 3: push policies that center our communities, our families, our communities,

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00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:41,799
Speaker 3: and our nation.

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00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,400
Speaker 1: Well, Glinda Carr, thank you so so much for joining

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00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,279
Speaker 1: Brown Ambition. This is a conversation I've been looking forward

664
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:51,000
Speaker 1: to for weeks and I'm so honored that you took

665
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:52,400
Speaker 1: some time to spend with us.

666
00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:54,000
Speaker 2: No problem, Thanks for having me.

667
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:56,360
Speaker 1: Where can folks find out more about higher Heights and

668
00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:57,000
Speaker 1: get involved?

669
00:35:57,600 --> 00:35:57,799
Speaker 2: Yep.

670
00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,800
Speaker 3: So we need black women in our allies to grow

671
00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:05,480
Speaker 3: this movement building moment, and so as we celebrate you know,

672
00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:08,680
Speaker 3: continue to celebrate the swearing in of Kamala Harris. I

673
00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:13,279
Speaker 3: mean we even though the inauguration completely different than what

674
00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:14,840
Speaker 3: we thought it was going to be, in to be

675
00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:19,520
Speaker 3: from both a health perspective and a safety perspective, we.

676
00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:21,560
Speaker 2: Are centering joy. So we are we.

677
00:36:21,719 --> 00:36:25,560
Speaker 3: Have been celebrating and have hosted a variety of virtual

678
00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:27,200
Speaker 3: events celebrating this moment.

679
00:36:27,520 --> 00:36:29,480
Speaker 2: But we're still going to build. So go to Higher

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00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:31,040
Speaker 2: Heightsfoamerica dot org.

681
00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:33,920
Speaker 3: It takes a click to become an activist member that

682
00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:38,280
Speaker 3: will plug you into all of the programming and frankly

683
00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:42,600
Speaker 3: information and data, and then you know, we'll work you

684
00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:45,040
Speaker 3: up the leadership ladder to a variety of things. So

685
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:46,640
Speaker 3: you might be sitting here going I'm just going to

686
00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:48,759
Speaker 3: be a member, and the next thing you know, in

687
00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:51,160
Speaker 3: a year, you're running for office with Higher Heights.

688
00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:53,480
Speaker 1: Next thing you know, you show up at a virtual brunch

689
00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:57,920
Speaker 1: and you're putting yourself on a balllet. Got it, well, Glinda,

690
00:36:58,000 --> 00:36:59,799
Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Can't thank you enough

691
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,840
Speaker 1: for all the work you've done. Congratulations on nearly a

692
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:06,760
Speaker 1: decade of Higher Heights. It's wonderful, great and we look forward.

693
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:11,080
Speaker 3: To being in contact and in conversation about what we

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00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:27,600
Speaker 3: have planned for the next ten years.

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00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:31,839
Speaker 1: Do you get the whole Wizard of Oz thing along?

696
00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:35,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, And I work so Wizard of Oz. My

697
00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:38,800
Speaker 3: middle brother is a Wizard of Us fanatic. He's probably

698
00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:42,560
Speaker 3: seen it over a hundred times, and so oftentimes I accident.

699
00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:45,440
Speaker 2: And I also have all types of.

700
00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:47,640
Speaker 3: Things I bring into my speeches around I used to

701
00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:49,480
Speaker 3: wear red shoes all the time, So this whole thing

702
00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:53,680
Speaker 3: around red shoes, and it's.

703
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:56,799
Speaker 2: A big deal. Like there's a Glinda the Good Witch,

704
00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:58,360
Speaker 2: so two things.

705
00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:02,879
Speaker 3: My name is jia y n das said the same way,

706
00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:05,960
Speaker 3: but Glinda the Good Witch is g l i n

707
00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:10,160
Speaker 3: d A. And if you're with if you're an Oz fan,

708
00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:13,439
Speaker 3: I mean it's Oz, no Wicked. If you're a Wicked fan,

709
00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:17,919
Speaker 3: it's Glinda. But we usually bring the Wizard of Oz

710
00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,480
Speaker 3: into some of our conversations because Glinda the Goodwitch once

711
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,879
Speaker 3: said to Dorothy, when asked why she couldn't make it home,

712
00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:26,760
Speaker 3: She's like, you know, hey, dear, You've always had the power.

713
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:28,279
Speaker 3: You just needed to know that.

714
00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:28,759
Speaker 2: You had it.

715
00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,960
Speaker 3: And that's certainly you know, the work of higher Heights is,

716
00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,240
Speaker 3: you know, providing a space for black women to step

717
00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:41,120
Speaker 3: into their leadership, expand their leadership, and frankly recognize the

718
00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:43,000
Speaker 3: power that we have in our democracy.

719
00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:45,160
Speaker 1: I love that. I'm going to keep that as a

720
00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:47,360
Speaker 1: little bonus for the end of the episode. The story

721
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:48,040
Speaker 1: behind Glinda