1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,160
Speaker 1: Hey, ba fam, we have another how to throw back

2
00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,240
Speaker 1: for you. We've talked about before on the show about

3
00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:11,039
Speaker 1: the amazing organization Higher Heights. They are a five to

4
00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:15,000
Speaker 1: oh one C three that is building a national civic

5
00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:20,000
Speaker 1: engagement infrastructure and network to strengthen black women's leadership capacity.

6
00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:22,239
Speaker 1: We love a black woman leader. Okay, so this week

7
00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,759
Speaker 1: we are looking back at our conversation with the one

8
00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,840
Speaker 1: and the only founders, one of the founders of Higher Heights.

9
00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:29,360
Speaker 2: Glinda c.

10
00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,320
Speaker 3: Car Check it out, Check it out, check it out.

11
00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,479
Speaker 3: Heyba fam, it's Mandy. I'm here with a pretty special

12
00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,840
Speaker 3: and unusual show for you guys this week. It almost

13
00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:58,200
Speaker 3: wasn't any show at all. For those of y'all who

14
00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,520
Speaker 3: listened to our and joined our Instagram live the Tiffany

15
00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,280
Speaker 3: and I did last week, thank you so much. We're

16
00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:06,679
Speaker 3: sorry we weren't able to post the video for y'all.

17
00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:10,120
Speaker 3: Apparently something happened with Instagram and Tiffany couldn't save it.

18
00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,959
Speaker 4: Maya Kopa. But on the live we said that we

19
00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,039
Speaker 4: have a bit of a surprise, and it's because of

20
00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,840
Speaker 4: that surprise that we're not able to record a new

21
00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:20,880
Speaker 4: show last week. So you might have noticed there was

22
00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:24,440
Speaker 4: no episode. We're very sorry, but it's for a really,

23
00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,440
Speaker 4: really good reason, a reason that I can't quite announce

24
00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:29,920
Speaker 4: just yet, so we'll wait until next week when Tiffany's back.

25
00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,600
Speaker 4: That being said, we are here. We are here, y'all. Okay,

26
00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:39,080
Speaker 4: don't worry. We're fine. Since we couldn't record our regular show, though,

27
00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,679
Speaker 4: I wanted to go ahead and share with you guys

28
00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,320
Speaker 4: an amazing conversation that I had last week when we

29
00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,360
Speaker 4: were off with the CEO and co founder of an

30
00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,120
Speaker 4: organization based in Brooklyn, New York called Higher Heights for America.

31
00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,640
Speaker 4: This is a nonprofit that actually focuses on getting black

32
00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,600
Speaker 4: women elected to higher office. So I'm talking about mayor races,

33
00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:04,960
Speaker 4: gubernatorial races, and beyond Kamala Harris. Yep, that is someone

34
00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,040
Speaker 4: that Higher Heights has championed and endorsed and helped support

35
00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:13,040
Speaker 4: and they are not stopping now. I had Glinda Carr

36
00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,680
Speaker 4: join the show, and I'm thrilled to share that conversation

37
00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,000
Speaker 4: with you guys. Why because yes, I had chills just

38
00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,200
Speaker 4: like the rest of you last week when we watched

39
00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,080
Speaker 4: Kamala get sworn in as the first female black vice

40
00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:29,480
Speaker 4: president in our nation's history. I can never get tired

41
00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,560
Speaker 4: of saying that. But that being said, when I started

42
00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,560
Speaker 4: to do my googles about black women in politics, Kamala

43
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,880
Speaker 4: was a rarity, and I don't think even I appreciated

44
00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:42,960
Speaker 4: how rare her presence was in our nation's capital until

45
00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,360
Speaker 4: I really got down and dirty with the numbers. So

46
00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,640
Speaker 4: let me share some with you. Okay. There are zero

47
00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:54,519
Speaker 4: zero black women serving in our US Senate right now. Okay, Now,

48
00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:59,440
Speaker 4: there were a record number of black women in the

49
00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,399
Speaker 4: House of Representatives in twenty twenty one, twenty five, though

50
00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:08,079
Speaker 4: y'all only twenty five. Like that's a record that is pathetic. Okay,

51
00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:12,320
Speaker 4: Like I cannot twenty five out of four hundred and

52
00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,639
Speaker 4: thirty five elected officials in the House are black women.

53
00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,560
Speaker 4: And that's twenty five women Black women in Congress at

54
00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,040
Speaker 4: a time when I mean, haven't you guys heard the

55
00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,560
Speaker 4: pundits and the politicians thanking black women. How we saved

56
00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,000
Speaker 4: the election for Joe and Kamala. You know how we

57
00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,400
Speaker 4: saved twenty twenty, how we turned out in states like

58
00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,120
Speaker 4: Georgia and gave them the edge that they needed. Thank you,

59
00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,640
Speaker 4: Black women, Thank you Stacy Abrams, Thank you to our

60
00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:41,120
Speaker 4: fore mothers like Shirley Chisholm, Fanny lou Hamer, and so

61
00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,280
Speaker 4: many women who came before them and after. But what

62
00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:48,760
Speaker 4: are we really seeing reflected on Capitol Hill. We are

63
00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,480
Speaker 4: not seeing ourselves, and I think that's a problem. I'm

64
00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:54,920
Speaker 4: not saying that we have to get out there and

65
00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,720
Speaker 4: run for governor like Stacy Abrams or run for mayor

66
00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,880
Speaker 4: like Kisha Land's Bottoms. But what I hope is that

67
00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:05,080
Speaker 4: my conversation with Glinda encourages all of us to not

68
00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,840
Speaker 4: just stop with casting our vote in the twenty twenty election,

69
00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,280
Speaker 4: but to stay engaged at the local level. And maybe

70
00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,480
Speaker 4: you're not someone who wants to run for an office,

71
00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,279
Speaker 4: whether it's a town council or the school board or whatever.

72
00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:21,720
Speaker 4: Maybe you're not someone who has aspirations of getting into politics.

73
00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:25,360
Speaker 4: But before you give up on yourself, or before you

74
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,280
Speaker 4: think that it's not for you, listen to my conversation

75
00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:33,440
Speaker 4: with Glinda and feel empowered. Our voices matter, Our voices

76
00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,600
Speaker 4: can bring about the change that we need to see

77
00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,599
Speaker 4: in this country, and twenty twenty was just the beginning.

78
00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:42,599
Speaker 4: I am so excited for you guys to hear my

79
00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,440
Speaker 4: conversation with Glinda. Please hit me up on Instagram. We're

80
00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,320
Speaker 4: at Brown Ambition Podcast on the Gram. You can also

81
00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,200
Speaker 4: send us an email at Brown Ambition Podcast at gmail

82
00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:55,520
Speaker 4: dot com. Send us your thoughts, your questions. We can't

83
00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:57,359
Speaker 4: wait to be back with you guys next week with

84
00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,680
Speaker 4: a brand new show. In the meantime, I enjoy this

85
00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,640
Speaker 4: conversation with Glinda and you can check her out at

86
00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:07,680
Speaker 4: Higher Heights for America dot org. All right, Glinda, well,

87
00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:10,159
Speaker 4: thank you very much for coming to Brown Ambition. It's

88
00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,279
Speaker 4: really an honor to have you here, especially during a

89
00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,240
Speaker 4: year when it seems like Brown Ambition really became a

90
00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,760
Speaker 4: little bit less about money and career and a lot

91
00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:23,160
Speaker 4: more about what is it like out there for black

92
00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,000
Speaker 4: women in this world today? And how can we get

93
00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,880
Speaker 4: more political? I don't know, political power. How can we

94
00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,279
Speaker 4: feel more empowered other than you know, the news headlines

95
00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:35,320
Speaker 4: will have you believe that, you know, black women really

96
00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,239
Speaker 4: came out for this election in previous elections and saved

97
00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,520
Speaker 4: you know, the progressive candidates and got them elected. But

98
00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,400
Speaker 4: you often, personally, for me, you don't always feel like

99
00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,839
Speaker 4: you're seeing the representation on Capitol Hill or even the

100
00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:54,560
Speaker 4: state capitals that matches that you know, appreciation for Black

101
00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,880
Speaker 4: women and our power politically. So I'm so excited to

102
00:05:57,880 --> 00:05:59,320
Speaker 4: have you on the show because of what I want

103
00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:01,360
Speaker 4: to talk to you about is, you know, first and foremost,

104
00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,280
Speaker 4: what is Higher Heights? Why did you guys found this organization?

105
00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:09,839
Speaker 4: And where do you see the future for Black women

106
00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,920
Speaker 4: in politics? Is it an exciting time? Is it a

107
00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,960
Speaker 4: time where you know, we're sort of you know, accepting

108
00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,240
Speaker 4: that there's still a long way to go. How are

109
00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,799
Speaker 4: you feeling these days? And especially for our listeners, we'd

110
00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,280
Speaker 4: love to hear from you tips on how people can

111
00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,880
Speaker 4: get involved in their local politics, day politics and beyond,

112
00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:34,159
Speaker 4: you know, in a way that helps them contribute more

113
00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:36,200
Speaker 4: than just a vote.

114
00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:36,720
Speaker 2: Yeah.

115
00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,960
Speaker 5: So, you know, black women have been the architects of

116
00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:45,200
Speaker 5: our democracy since the nineteenth Amendment, in frankly earlier, but

117
00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:47,360
Speaker 5: the nineteenth Amendment. We're in the one hundredth and one

118
00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:52,719
Speaker 5: anniversary of that amendment and that movement, and so black

119
00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:57,760
Speaker 5: women certainly, you know, sat among the suffrages of that movement,

120
00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,400
Speaker 5: knowing that they weren't going to reap the benefits of

121
00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,320
Speaker 5: the work of that decision making table.

122
00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:03,800
Speaker 2: And that's been the work.

123
00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:07,200
Speaker 5: Of black women across many of the milestones across our

124
00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,760
Speaker 5: movement building history. You know, black women were clearly the

125
00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:15,280
Speaker 5: architects and quiet organizers during the Civil rights movement. You

126
00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:18,640
Speaker 5: had a Fanny lou Hamer, who frankly was an everyday

127
00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,400
Speaker 5: woman sharecropper, who sat in the back of a church

128
00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,160
Speaker 5: and got fired up and went from you know, being

129
00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,440
Speaker 5: motivated to registering to vote to registering over eighty thousand

130
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:32,000
Speaker 5: residents in Mississippi, and went on and sat at the

131
00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:36,880
Speaker 5: Democratic National Convention carrying the voices of African Americans demanding

132
00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:41,400
Speaker 5: seats at that convention, which led to just more political power.

133
00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,240
Speaker 5: And so we fast forward to twenty twenty and a

134
00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,760
Speaker 5: once again a chorus of thank you Black women for

135
00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:49,560
Speaker 5: saving the country.

136
00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,800
Speaker 2: I'll be frank, we're not saving the country for our neighbors.

137
00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:57,520
Speaker 5: Black women recognize that, you know, the access to the

138
00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:00,840
Speaker 5: voting block and exercising the right to vote helps to

139
00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,640
Speaker 5: build the power. What we demanded in twenty twenty, though,

140
00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,200
Speaker 5: was that we want a return on our voting investment,

141
00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,000
Speaker 5: and that's in the form of policies that directly impact

142
00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:12,960
Speaker 5: Black women, our families, and our communities.

143
00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:15,480
Speaker 2: And we certainly are continuing to claim seats at decision

144
00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:16,200
Speaker 2: making tables.

145
00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,520
Speaker 5: Our political power at the voting booth actually doesn't match

146
00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:26,520
Speaker 5: equally match our representation at elected decision making tables.

147
00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:28,600
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean what does it mean to you? I

148
00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:31,960
Speaker 4: think with the Capital riot, you know, how long has

149
00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:33,640
Speaker 4: it been now? It feels like months, but it was

150
00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:35,120
Speaker 4: only a week and a half ago that there was

151
00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,080
Speaker 4: an insurrection against the US capital, which is still shocking

152
00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:40,839
Speaker 4: to say. And part of me is a little bit

153
00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:43,360
Speaker 4: sad because I mean, well, first of all, sad for

154
00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,040
Speaker 4: so many reasons, but also it feels like it's sort

155
00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:48,280
Speaker 4: of taking away from this moment of history of having

156
00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:53,040
Speaker 4: the first black female vice president, women of South Asian descent,

157
00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,640
Speaker 4: all of that. Kamala Harris, and I wonder how you

158
00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,640
Speaker 4: feel and how you know, higher Heights is looking at

159
00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,680
Speaker 4: her candidacy, her nomination, her win as vice president. What

160
00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,960
Speaker 4: excites you about that? And do you feel like Kamala

161
00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,640
Speaker 4: is bringing to the table that sense of listen, I

162
00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:13,440
Speaker 4: am here, I'm a black woman, and I am going

163
00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,600
Speaker 4: to be unapologetic about that and put forth policies that

164
00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,400
Speaker 4: truly help black women in their communities.

165
00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:24,480
Speaker 5: Absolutely so, we have been proud to stand with Vice

166
00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,680
Speaker 5: President elect or as soon to be Madam VP Kamala

167
00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:32,480
Speaker 5: Harris since her run for US Senate in twenty sixteen,

168
00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,840
Speaker 5: so we've only had two black women ever elected to

169
00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:39,840
Speaker 5: the US Senate, right, and so there's a lot of

170
00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:43,920
Speaker 5: work to continue to ensure that we have representation at all.

171
00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:44,920
Speaker 2: Decision making cables.

172
00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,920
Speaker 5: But we certainly were excited that she joined the US

173
00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,400
Speaker 5: Senate at a point where she brought not only her

174
00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:55,600
Speaker 5: you know, years of qualifications as an elected official that

175
00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,840
Speaker 5: ran one and governed on the city level, ran one

176
00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,080
Speaker 5: and governed on the statewide executive level, and then carried

177
00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:04,720
Speaker 5: her voice to the US Senate, and we proudly said

178
00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:08,280
Speaker 5: with her when she ran for President of the United States,

179
00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:13,360
Speaker 5: and her multiple identities as a woman, as a woman

180
00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,880
Speaker 5: of color, as a daughter of two immigrants, and a

181
00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:21,280
Speaker 5: black woman, as well as her identities around attending a

182
00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,679
Speaker 5: historically black college, being a member of a Greek you know,

183
00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:28,040
Speaker 5: a black Greek letter organization. You know, we're excited about

184
00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:33,160
Speaker 5: her standing and presiding over the US Senate at a

185
00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:36,120
Speaker 5: time where you know, her vice presidency will make her

186
00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,479
Speaker 5: one of the most you know, consequential, you know leaders

187
00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:42,960
Speaker 5: in a generation with a fifty to fifty split Congress,

188
00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,480
Speaker 5: and so although we are you know, very concerned that

189
00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:49,600
Speaker 5: there is no representation in the body of the US Senate,

190
00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:54,360
Speaker 5: we have literally a US Senator standing and presiding over

191
00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:58,560
Speaker 5: the Senate, and so certainly many of the legislative pieces

192
00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:02,040
Speaker 5: of legislation that she has introduced and authored and champion,

193
00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:04,960
Speaker 5: you know, you know, it's something about a full circle

194
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,680
Speaker 5: moment that there may be times where she's the deciding

195
00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:11,040
Speaker 5: vote to be able to move that legislation from her,

196
00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:15,520
Speaker 5: you know, standing with Senator Corey Booker very clear about

197
00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:19,720
Speaker 5: a discussion around racial disparities around COVID nineteen, the discussion

198
00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,080
Speaker 5: around anti the trying to roll back old law around

199
00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:27,600
Speaker 5: anti lynching, to her talking about black women in fibroids

200
00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:34,040
Speaker 5: and the innovations around black women and infmortality and prenatal care.

201
00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:40,199
Speaker 5: Those identities allow her to in the spirit of Maya

202
00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,880
Speaker 5: Angela's poem Grandmothers, there's a Stanza a line that says,

203
00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,000
Speaker 5: I come as one, but I stand as ten thousand,

204
00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,240
Speaker 5: and that is certainly, you know, what we're excited about seeing,

205
00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:53,640
Speaker 5: you know, our new Vice president do to bring all

206
00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:56,760
Speaker 5: of the lived experiences she has as well as her

207
00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:01,600
Speaker 5: for qualifications at a time that we are at the

208
00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:07,120
Speaker 5: height of racial tensions during my generation, and a discussion

209
00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:11,960
Speaker 5: around how do we move beyond COVID recover, survive, recover,

210
00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:16,760
Speaker 5: and thrive beyond COVID nineteen, particularly when the very communities

211
00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:21,280
Speaker 5: that she comes from have been disroportionately impacted back that.

212
00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,679
Speaker 5: So we are definitely excited about this opportunity, but recognizing

213
00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:28,080
Speaker 5: that our work has not finished and we need to

214
00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:33,560
Speaker 5: accelerate the work around black women's elected leadership beyond twenty twenty.

215
00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,120
Speaker 4: Now. Higher Heights has been around for nearly a decade, now,

216
00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:37,720
Speaker 4: is that right?

217
00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:40,400
Speaker 2: I know we were just planning that. We're like, it's

218
00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:41,120
Speaker 2: a decade.

219
00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:46,040
Speaker 4: Wow, Well, congratulations. Listen, we love entrepreneurs here and especially

220
00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:47,720
Speaker 4: in the space that you guys in, so thank you

221
00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,600
Speaker 4: so much for that it congrats. Take a moment to

222
00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,400
Speaker 4: you know, accept the shine and all the work that

223
00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,560
Speaker 4: you've accomplished. Do you feel more of a sense of

224
00:12:56,679 --> 00:12:59,640
Speaker 4: urgency now than you did when you founded Higher Heights? Mean,

225
00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:02,120
Speaker 4: this is like you said, this is a I mean

226
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,880
Speaker 4: all that there's so many things going on, it's too much.

227
00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:08,600
Speaker 4: There's the race, I mean you say tension, but it

228
00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:13,600
Speaker 4: is it feels like a civil wars bubbling under the surface.

229
00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,160
Speaker 4: I mean, and there's an economic crisis, and of course

230
00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:20,120
Speaker 4: Black Americans it feels like financially and health wise have

231
00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:24,720
Speaker 4: been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic. What does that feel

232
00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:26,079
Speaker 4: like to you? Do you feel like there's more of

233
00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:30,600
Speaker 4: a sense of urgency around getting more power, getting more

234
00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:35,160
Speaker 4: influence in politics and why what sort of are the

235
00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,120
Speaker 4: platforms or the issues that are most important to higher

236
00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:38,600
Speaker 4: heights now?

237
00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:41,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely so.

238
00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:44,680
Speaker 5: You know, Kimberly Peeler Allen, the other co founder, and

239
00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,400
Speaker 5: I too, black women who happened to work in politics.

240
00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:52,200
Speaker 5: But everyday black women sat in a Brooklyn cafe literally

241
00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:56,280
Speaker 5: ten years this February and we actually Kimberly came to

242
00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,680
Speaker 5: coffeecause I was trying to figure out my next career

243
00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:03,840
Speaker 5: move within that, you know, I had grown some frustration

244
00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,280
Speaker 5: around particularly progressive politics, which is what we worked in

245
00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,360
Speaker 5: at the time, and being in rooms that were dominantly white,

246
00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,880
Speaker 5: dominantly you know, male, and you know, being looked at

247
00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:18,520
Speaker 5: as like a unicorn, like like black black politically engaged women,

248
00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,840
Speaker 5: you know, women who you know, write checks and volunteer

249
00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:26,560
Speaker 5: in our vocal that we're this like black Unicorn and

250
00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:28,920
Speaker 5: so out of event because you know, you sometimes we

251
00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,120
Speaker 5: all will have event conversation with a girlfriend. We literally

252
00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,600
Speaker 5: we should start our own organization, and we sat and

253
00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:37,520
Speaker 5: kind of just chatted about what it looked like. We

254
00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:40,840
Speaker 5: wrote the words Higher Heights down that day and spent

255
00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:42,760
Speaker 5: a year and a half researching, like what would this

256
00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:45,400
Speaker 5: look like? And we we wanted to see an organization

257
00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:48,680
Speaker 5: we could see ourselves in, and so you accelerate the work,

258
00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:49,880
Speaker 5: you know we have.

259
00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:51,840
Speaker 2: You know, we're in a moment.

260
00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:55,560
Speaker 5: One of our foundation principles is we want to create

261
00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:56,640
Speaker 5: the environment for black.

262
00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:57,680
Speaker 2: Men to vote, run, women lead.

263
00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:01,120
Speaker 5: And I certainly think that some of the successes of

264
00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,160
Speaker 5: Higher Heights that we're in a moment where you know,

265
00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:07,440
Speaker 5: everyone is talking about black women's political power and leadership

266
00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:11,160
Speaker 5: and celebrating our leadership. But we also recognize there's a

267
00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,160
Speaker 5: lot of work to be done by the numbers, right,

268
00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,120
Speaker 5: and so in one hundred and seventeenth Congress, we have

269
00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,720
Speaker 5: twenty four black women serving, and so over the last

270
00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,960
Speaker 5: couple of elections, sorry, twenty four black women and two

271
00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,520
Speaker 5: non voting delegates. So in total, twenty five twenty six

272
00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:30,120
Speaker 5: black women serving in the House of Representatives, and that's

273
00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,080
Speaker 5: been a steady gain over the last ten years. We've

274
00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:35,760
Speaker 5: seen a record number of black women run and win

275
00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:39,120
Speaker 5: each year, but we've never elected a black woman to

276
00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:41,280
Speaker 5: governor or, as I would say, we've never had a

277
00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,560
Speaker 5: black woman's serve because for me, Stacy Abrams did win

278
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:46,800
Speaker 5: that twenty eighteen election cycle.

279
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,720
Speaker 4: Beauheart twinges every time. Yes, Stacy Abrams, we cannot have

280
00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:52,160
Speaker 4: this conversation without mentioning her.

281
00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:53,320
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.

282
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,800
Speaker 5: And you know, out of the two one hundred and

283
00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:59,680
Speaker 5: sixty two women who serve in state legislatures across the

284
00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,280
Speaker 5: current only three hundred and seventeen of them as the

285
00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,160
Speaker 5: end of the year are black women.

286
00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:07,480
Speaker 2: And we've seen a steady gain of black.

287
00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,440
Speaker 5: Women running and winning as mayors of top one hundred cities,

288
00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:13,080
Speaker 5: but we currently have six and so when you look

289
00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,680
Speaker 5: at those and I've already said, there's zero black women

290
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,640
Speaker 5: in the US in it. And so there's still work

291
00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,480
Speaker 5: to be done. And it's not that black women aren't running. Yes,

292
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:24,920
Speaker 5: we need more black women to run, frankly, from the

293
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,640
Speaker 5: local office, may it be school board, to city council,

294
00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,760
Speaker 5: to some of your state legislatures or county.

295
00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:33,440
Speaker 2: Black women are running.

296
00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:38,120
Speaker 5: Be clear, there's still barriers access to navigating the political

297
00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:42,320
Speaker 5: process and party early party and institutional support, raising money,

298
00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:46,000
Speaker 5: and you know, still a discussion around what does electability

299
00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:49,320
Speaker 5: look like like. You don't hear anyone using the word

300
00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:51,000
Speaker 5: electability to white men, right.

301
00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,360
Speaker 2: It is reserved for women and particularly women of color.

302
00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:58,640
Speaker 5: And so we know that a Kamala Harris or a

303
00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,080
Speaker 5: New York State Attorney General Tis James.

304
00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:03,160
Speaker 2: They're actually the road maps.

305
00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:05,280
Speaker 5: Not because you go, oh, I want to be a

306
00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,560
Speaker 5: g now or I want to be the vice president,

307
00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:11,240
Speaker 5: is the fact that they ran for local office. Letitia James,

308
00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,520
Speaker 5: you know, was a New York City council member and

309
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,520
Speaker 5: her career projectory was to run for a higher office.

310
00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,360
Speaker 5: Oftentimes it could be you are going to make you

311
00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:25,000
Speaker 5: are going to have your maximum impact, like I said,

312
00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:27,159
Speaker 5: on your town council. And so our work is to

313
00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,920
Speaker 5: you know, help identify, help to inspire, train, and support

314
00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:36,359
Speaker 5: black women. Our Political Action Committee currently supports women running

315
00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:40,040
Speaker 5: for federal office, statewide executive office, and mayors of top

316
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,119
Speaker 5: hundred cities. But our network of black women across this

317
00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:47,040
Speaker 5: country are elected or thinking about running for office at

318
00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:50,800
Speaker 5: all levels and Frankly, many of our members are just

319
00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,159
Speaker 5: like my best friend. They just want to be more

320
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:57,120
Speaker 5: civically engaged and grow into stretch in their political leadership,

321
00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:00,199
Speaker 5: and that may be advocating on behalf of issue they

322
00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:04,320
Speaker 5: care about. To their elected leaders, continue to help recruit, sorry,

323
00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:08,639
Speaker 5: continue to help organize our community to the polls, and

324
00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:12,200
Speaker 5: so we all should consider ourselves political leaders and then

325
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,840
Speaker 5: finding out what is the highest use of your time,

326
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:19,119
Speaker 5: talents and treasures to help move this democracy in this

327
00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:34,440
Speaker 5: country to higher heights.

328
00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,439
Speaker 4: I think what I know sadly about local politics is

329
00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:41,600
Speaker 4: like parks and recreation. That was a really good show

330
00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,560
Speaker 4: with a meere But honestly, ever since I told you

331
00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:47,440
Speaker 4: a little bit when we were talking about the show

332
00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:49,680
Speaker 4: my background, I bought a house a few a few

333
00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:52,520
Speaker 4: years ago, and we live in a town and we've

334
00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:56,000
Speaker 4: gotten to know our town councilmen and elected officials and

335
00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:59,240
Speaker 4: they are so accessible and they've they're right here and

336
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,040
Speaker 4: it's kind of fun. My husband and I have gotten

337
00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,000
Speaker 4: like we like to just email them and tell them

338
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:05,560
Speaker 4: about things that are going on. But let's talk about

339
00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:07,920
Speaker 4: town council because that, to me is something that's really

340
00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:10,919
Speaker 4: accessible for a lot of people looking for an entryway,

341
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,760
Speaker 4: a pathway into political leadership in their communities. But what

342
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,399
Speaker 4: kind of power is there in the town council to

343
00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:22,000
Speaker 4: drive change that can really impact black communities? And what's

344
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,920
Speaker 4: that stake if we don't start having more diverse leadership

345
00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:27,840
Speaker 4: at that level. If you can talk a little bit

346
00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:28,320
Speaker 4: about that.

347
00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:33,320
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, our diverse decision making tables make better decisions.

348
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:38,719
Speaker 5: And so we are seeking to ensure that black women's

349
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,160
Speaker 5: voices are heard at all levels. And as you know, frankly,

350
00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:49,480
Speaker 5: local elected office has a more direct and immediate impact.

351
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:50,400
Speaker 2: On your day to day lives.

352
00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,360
Speaker 5: I use an example like my I have a earlier

353
00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:55,480
Speaker 5: in my career, I had a lot of friends that say,

354
00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:57,560
Speaker 5: you know, I don't do politics, and I certainly believe

355
00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,880
Speaker 5: we have a bunch of our networks that still say

356
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,440
Speaker 5: I don't do politics. And I give an example that

357
00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:05,359
Speaker 5: you know, almost everything is tied to a public policy

358
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,280
Speaker 5: or a poor public dollar. And I usually use an

359
00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,560
Speaker 5: example that in most places in the United States, we

360
00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:13,440
Speaker 5: all have street lights, and so certainly when that street

361
00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:17,639
Speaker 5: light goes out, there's a discussion around who do you

362
00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,880
Speaker 5: you know, how do we advocate to make sure we

363
00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,800
Speaker 5: have street lights, making sure that street light is on,

364
00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:26,399
Speaker 5: and that is also tied to most likely a public

365
00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,480
Speaker 5: policy or a public dollar. And those public dollars in

366
00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:32,639
Speaker 5: public policies are tied.

367
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:34,840
Speaker 2: To an elected official that you voted for or not

368
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:35,520
Speaker 2: voted for.

369
00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:41,120
Speaker 5: And so the work of you know, strengthening you know,

370
00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:46,280
Speaker 5: our government is beyond the voting booth. Right, democracy doesn't

371
00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,080
Speaker 5: begin in on election day. It actually begins, and so

372
00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:52,200
Speaker 5: we need to all be active citizens in not only

373
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,480
Speaker 5: holding our elected officials accountable, but frankly creating the environment

374
00:20:55,480 --> 00:21:00,040
Speaker 5: for our champions to push innovation in public policy and

375
00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:01,840
Speaker 5: public budget processes.

376
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:04,520
Speaker 4: So what does that look like, you know, for someone

377
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,800
Speaker 4: who's listening at home and see something in their town

378
00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,159
Speaker 4: that they don't like or wants to take action, do

379
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,119
Speaker 4: you just I mean literally, how do you get involved

380
00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,199
Speaker 4: in the town council? Like? Do you just go to

381
00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,639
Speaker 4: what is it town hall and say Hi, I would

382
00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,080
Speaker 4: like to get on the ballot, or you know, I

383
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,000
Speaker 4: just break it down because this is just the level

384
00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:27,800
Speaker 4: of detail that it's that access to knowledge of how

385
00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:30,119
Speaker 4: things happen that you know, I'm certainly lacking, and I

386
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:31,600
Speaker 4: think a lot of other folks will be too.

387
00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:32,680
Speaker 2: Yeah.

388
00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,200
Speaker 5: So if you're you know, someone who's not thinking about

389
00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:37,920
Speaker 5: running for office, but just want to be more actively engaged,

390
00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:43,000
Speaker 5: it is attending town halls, in town council meetings or

391
00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:44,680
Speaker 5: what a city council meet, whatever level.

392
00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:47,480
Speaker 2: It is lobbying your elected officials.

393
00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,359
Speaker 5: And so that is you know, I'm still I spent

394
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,040
Speaker 5: six years working for the New York State Legislature as

395
00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,680
Speaker 5: a chief of staff, and you know, you know.

396
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:56,800
Speaker 2: The member I used to work for.

397
00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,320
Speaker 5: We would say the squeaky wheel gets the oil right,

398
00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,480
Speaker 5: and often people in our you know, people believe that

399
00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:07,399
Speaker 5: the squeaky oil is wealthy people and people that are connected. Yes,

400
00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:12,440
Speaker 5: they do have access, but frankly, votes matter to elected

401
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,320
Speaker 5: the leaders. So when you are now looking about an

402
00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:20,560
Speaker 5: issue and you're getting hundreds or thousands of letters or

403
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,960
Speaker 5: emails or tweets on an issue, it makes your elected

404
00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,760
Speaker 5: officials pay attention and you're opening up a dialogue. You

405
00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:29,160
Speaker 5: ought to be well one, We ought to know who

406
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,760
Speaker 5: our elected officials are so that we can, you know,

407
00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:36,160
Speaker 5: pay attention not only during voting time, but during during

408
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:40,600
Speaker 5: governing times. And frankly, if you are passionate about an issue,

409
00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:43,200
Speaker 5: it is connecting with the elected officials. Again, when I

410
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,359
Speaker 5: used to work for the state legislature, there are several

411
00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,359
Speaker 5: pieces of legislation that the senator I worked for introduced

412
00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,600
Speaker 5: because he had a conversation with a constituent who either

413
00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,159
Speaker 5: had something that they were inspired by or something they

414
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:58,919
Speaker 5: were upset about. And so as a regular everyday you know,

415
00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,800
Speaker 5: citizen not running for office or governing, you can impact

416
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:07,120
Speaker 5: and you know, help author and move policy. And then finally,

417
00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:09,600
Speaker 5: if you're thinking about running for office, you know there

418
00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,600
Speaker 5: are a ton of training programs. Higher Heights just hosted

419
00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:15,040
Speaker 5: our first boot camp of the year and a half

420
00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:18,879
Speaker 5: day training. But our partners like Emerge in Emily's List,

421
00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:23,520
Speaker 5: the Black Campaign School, from the Collective Pack, they all

422
00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:27,840
Speaker 5: have you know nowadays, all have online programming. And what's

423
00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:30,800
Speaker 5: great about that we've always done online training is that

424
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:34,960
Speaker 5: one of the one of the obstacles that the research

425
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:37,399
Speaker 5: from the Center for American Women in Politics have pointed

426
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,159
Speaker 5: out is that women aren't encouraged to run for office,

427
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,040
Speaker 5: but women of color and particularly black women oftentimes are

428
00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:45,680
Speaker 5: discouraged from running for office.

429
00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,359
Speaker 2: So sometimes doing physical trainings or.

430
00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,960
Speaker 5: Starting to talk about your thinking about running for office,

431
00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:56,439
Speaker 5: that you don't want those those people who will be

432
00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:00,240
Speaker 5: the naysayers before you even have thought this through. And

433
00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,200
Speaker 5: so frankly being able to you know, spend a little

434
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:06,000
Speaker 5: quiet time in a corner in your home with you,

435
00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:10,439
Speaker 5: you know, watching a webinar to really determine if running

436
00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,920
Speaker 5: for office is again the best use of your you know, time,

437
00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,679
Speaker 5: talents and treasures. And so I would always encourage people,

438
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:19,480
Speaker 5: if you think about running for office, to take any

439
00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,320
Speaker 5: of the amazing trainings, most of them are free. And

440
00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:24,280
Speaker 5: I would also encourage, as you know, we are in

441
00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:25,800
Speaker 5: a environment whe everybody say, oh, I want to run

442
00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,600
Speaker 5: for office. Not every one of us need to run

443
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,119
Speaker 5: for office. And so it's determining what is you know

444
00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:33,119
Speaker 5: what what how do you want to make an impact

445
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:35,560
Speaker 5: in your community and that may be, like I said,

446
00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,800
Speaker 5: strengthening your leadership roles outside of government, you know, considering

447
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,320
Speaker 5: running for office, or frankly being the person that recruits

448
00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:47,520
Speaker 5: in recruits and encourages those to run for office.

449
00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,880
Speaker 4: Absolutely, I think one of the I mean, obviously it's

450
00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:53,800
Speaker 4: in the name of our podcast been ambition. It's it's

451
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,800
Speaker 4: crazy to me but so common. True ambition sometimes starts

452
00:24:57,840 --> 00:24:59,840
Speaker 4: in quiet places where you're safe and you don't want

453
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,240
Speaker 4: to s say it out loud because you're afraid. You know,

454
00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:03,920
Speaker 4: it takes courage, I think to stand up and say

455
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,320
Speaker 4: that I want something. You know, I I am ambitious

456
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,360
Speaker 4: enough to reach for a higher height. And you're right,

457
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,760
Speaker 4: there are people who will be those naysayers and or

458
00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:15,640
Speaker 4: because I've never seen it before, they want to protect you,

459
00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:17,640
Speaker 4: don't want you to get hurt, and you know, made

460
00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,320
Speaker 4: dissuade you from that. So the work of the work

461
00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:23,760
Speaker 4: of your organization is is wonderful in that way because

462
00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:26,879
Speaker 4: you guys, it's and kind of describe how Higher Heights

463
00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:28,720
Speaker 4: works is. I know that you guys have a political

464
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,399
Speaker 4: action Sorry, what's a pack? What does it stand for?

465
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:33,679
Speaker 2: Political action? Political Action Committee? Thank you?

466
00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,160
Speaker 4: I watch MSNBC. So, yes, you guys, you you raise

467
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,080
Speaker 4: fund so that you can back candidates. What do you

468
00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:42,880
Speaker 4: guys look like. We'll look at in candidates that you're

469
00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,720
Speaker 4: looking to back and do you have to go looking

470
00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:49,680
Speaker 4: pretty far and wide to find women of color out

471
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,639
Speaker 4: there to to to push into you know, higher office.

472
00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,280
Speaker 2: No, so yet, we have a political Action Committee.

473
00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:00,440
Speaker 5: Our committee is made up of board members and some

474
00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:06,760
Speaker 5: community community members and so we solely, unapologetically support women

475
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,480
Speaker 5: that identify as black women who are running at the

476
00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:14,080
Speaker 5: federal level, statewide executive and top mayors of top one

477
00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,639
Speaker 5: hundred cities. And we, as you mentioned, yes, we do

478
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:21,639
Speaker 5: financially support candidates. We also encourage our members and our

479
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:25,600
Speaker 5: networks to support and fundraise for our candidates. And we

480
00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:29,720
Speaker 5: then activate our community, our growing community, to volunteer. And

481
00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:32,040
Speaker 5: so in COVID nineteen, there are a couple of things

482
00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:33,960
Speaker 5: that I think that have come out that have allowed

483
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,879
Speaker 5: us to many organizations and programs to expand. Is the

484
00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,600
Speaker 5: notion of being able to be anywhere across the country

485
00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:45,200
Speaker 5: and being inspired by someone running for office and being

486
00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:49,040
Speaker 5: able to volunteer by making phone calls or texting neighbors

487
00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:53,040
Speaker 5: and texting voters in that district, and frankly hosting virtual

488
00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:56,439
Speaker 5: fundraisers that you could literally sit in your house, in your.

489
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:57,240
Speaker 2: Across the country.

490
00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:01,080
Speaker 5: And so we helped to connect our our members to

491
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:05,199
Speaker 5: volunteer opportunities. We host volunteer opportunities the cycle we you

492
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,680
Speaker 5: know called across you know our you know sixteen black

493
00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:11,520
Speaker 5: women that were on the general ballot, you know, shy

494
00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:14,159
Speaker 5: of a you know, a thousand calls and texts and

495
00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,440
Speaker 5: for them. It is That is how you win elections, right,

496
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,760
Speaker 5: You build, you build an infrastructure that helps you talk

497
00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:25,119
Speaker 5: to and get your message out to voters. But you know,

498
00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:28,960
Speaker 5: each year, you know we've, yes, we do reach out

499
00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,399
Speaker 5: and go hey, Jane, you should consider running for office.

500
00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,040
Speaker 2: But certainly, you know there's a growing interest and we

501
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:36,720
Speaker 2: were in daily dialogue.

502
00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,719
Speaker 5: With women running for office and frankly running for office

503
00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,240
Speaker 5: that our Political Action Committee may not support, but all

504
00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:45,720
Speaker 5: of our resource tools and our training support women running

505
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:49,439
Speaker 5: for office. I recently got it, like a tweet or

506
00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:52,320
Speaker 5: a DM from someone that said you helped me win

507
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:56,720
Speaker 5: my election to town council. And you know my original

508
00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:58,639
Speaker 5: action is like, well, we didn't support you, and she's like,

509
00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,040
Speaker 5: you sure, did you create the space for me? I

510
00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:03,919
Speaker 5: was quite you know, I was on, I was you know, engaged,

511
00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:06,080
Speaker 5: and she felt that you know, for us, we're the

512
00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:09,719
Speaker 5: political home that she had found a home that broadly

513
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:14,800
Speaker 5: supported her her candidacy and you know, you know, had

514
00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:18,080
Speaker 5: access to the tools that not only were tactical tools,

515
00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:20,119
Speaker 5: but also just the ability, like you said, the naysay

516
00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,480
Speaker 5: being the place like you can do this, that support mechanism,

517
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:25,600
Speaker 5: and you know that's one of the things that you know,

518
00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:28,840
Speaker 5: Kimberly and I are very proud at Kamala Harris once

519
00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:31,679
Speaker 5: said to us in twenty eighteen, and she's, you know,

520
00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:35,119
Speaker 5: been a great you know, governing partner and partner in

521
00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,120
Speaker 5: this work. Is that did you know? And again it's

522
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:40,200
Speaker 5: been ten years. We felt like it was the longest

523
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,240
Speaker 5: ten years. There were years where you know, people didn't

524
00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:46,080
Speaker 5: think they got the vision of the organization. Those same

525
00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:50,720
Speaker 5: people are like, you know all in now is Kamala said,

526
00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:52,760
Speaker 5: did you know you were going to build an organization

527
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,000
Speaker 5: for a time as this? She was like, it may

528
00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:57,520
Speaker 5: have not hit the benchmarks that you thought they were

529
00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 5: going to meet when when you thought they were supposed

530
00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:02,560
Speaker 5: to be me, but you actually had a container to

531
00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:07,000
Speaker 5: be able to harness this power since two frankly, since

532
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:08,440
Speaker 5: twenty sixteen.

533
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,480
Speaker 4: Right, I mean, it feels like part of you wants

534
00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,200
Speaker 4: to I'll speak for myself. Part of me is a

535
00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,400
Speaker 4: little jaded in the sense that oh, you thought, okay,

536
00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:20,840
Speaker 4: so now black women are all that and everyone wants

537
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,560
Speaker 4: to lean into us and pour into us. And you know,

538
00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,520
Speaker 4: I was laughing with Tiffany because we haven't gotten more

539
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,000
Speaker 4: podcast networks reaching out to us to partner with.

540
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:30,000
Speaker 2: Us until this summer.

541
00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:32,880
Speaker 4: And I'm like, oh yeah, because you looked at your

542
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,000
Speaker 4: lineup and you realize there was something missing. And we've

543
00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:38,760
Speaker 4: been here for five years doing it and independently, and

544
00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:41,840
Speaker 4: it's like you said, you know, you put the work

545
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,200
Speaker 4: in and you're ready for the moment. And I guess

546
00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,680
Speaker 4: part of me had to quickly put aside that little

547
00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:49,280
Speaker 4: bit of cynicism, like where were you five years ago? Okay,

548
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,240
Speaker 4: you're here now, all right, I'll take advantage of the guilt.

549
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:51,920
Speaker 4: That's fine.

550
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,200
Speaker 5: Oh no, so you're part of my you know, I

551
00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:59,080
Speaker 5: go through my moments of pettiness. Oh now you're here,

552
00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,800
Speaker 5: Oh you want to meet? Oh you're taking my phone call?

553
00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:07,040
Speaker 4: And I'll say it. Yeah, So we're looking to diversify it.

554
00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:08,440
Speaker 4: I'm like, just and you know, if you own it,

555
00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:10,360
Speaker 4: it's you know, I own it, you know what I mean, Like,

556
00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 4: just let it be known. Don't don't pretend like we've

557
00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:15,160
Speaker 4: you know, all of a sudden you notice that we're

558
00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:15,920
Speaker 4: here and that kind of thing.

559
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:18,120
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, I had said I was playing off of

560
00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,840
Speaker 5: I was like, black women are like the show or

561
00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:24,240
Speaker 5: just the new black, right, So black women are the

562
00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,960
Speaker 5: new black right, And so certainly we're leaning into the

563
00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:33,480
Speaker 5: moment one for our allies who have recognized that black women,

564
00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:35,840
Speaker 5: you know, black women govern and lead.

565
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:37,600
Speaker 2: I just think in a way that's inclusive.

566
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:41,480
Speaker 5: You know, we have a great supporter, a white woman

567
00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:43,840
Speaker 5: who when we were talking about branding ourselves as a

568
00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:47,200
Speaker 5: political home for black women, and she was like, I

569
00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:49,960
Speaker 5: still see myself in that, right, And I was like, well,

570
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,440
Speaker 5: and that we didn't actually set out to go, let's

571
00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,480
Speaker 5: make sure that everybody can.

572
00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:56,720
Speaker 2: See themselves in the organization.

573
00:30:57,080 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 5: And but because people feel that they're a space for them,

574
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:04,840
Speaker 5: I was like, that is just how black women navigate, right,

575
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,520
Speaker 5: It's how our grandmothers navigated. I mean there were certainly

576
00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,920
Speaker 5: always a seat at my grandmother and mother's dinner table,

577
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,880
Speaker 5: right that if we brought somebody home, there was always

578
00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:18,520
Speaker 5: enough food and enough space.

579
00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:20,360
Speaker 2: And I think that's how black women lead.

580
00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:22,640
Speaker 5: Right, is that we don't have a defined you know,

581
00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:23,880
Speaker 5: there's only a set amount of.

582
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:28,400
Speaker 2: Chairs, and that we you know that it's closed.

583
00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:30,840
Speaker 5: That that is actually I think because we were locked

584
00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,400
Speaker 5: out of those tables and those chairs, we are ensuring

585
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,240
Speaker 5: that we're unifiers and that there's space. And I'll even

586
00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:40,040
Speaker 5: give you an example of how I now read Shirley

587
00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:42,440
Speaker 5: Chisholms quote about if there's not a seat at the table,

588
00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,360
Speaker 5: bring your folding chair. And so there's some debate about

589
00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:47,480
Speaker 5: well I shouldn't have to scoop myself up to the

590
00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,120
Speaker 5: table because of folding chair. I was like, well, how

591
00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:52,240
Speaker 5: if we envision What she was saying is that if

592
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,320
Speaker 5: you envision that the table is big enough, there's enough seat,

593
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,680
Speaker 5: you can bring enough seats at that table. If we

594
00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:01,040
Speaker 5: continue to believe that the seat the table is already

595
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,560
Speaker 5: set and that we have to fight and push people

596
00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:05,080
Speaker 5: like be clear that some people were pushing out of

597
00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:08,760
Speaker 5: chairs like I am, I'm not apologic, Like sorry, this

598
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:12,560
Speaker 5: is still political science, and politics is that you know,

599
00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:16,200
Speaker 5: we are definitely tapping on several people's chairs, going it's

600
00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:19,360
Speaker 5: time for you to go. But if we're really gonna

601
00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:22,880
Speaker 5: like move past this like this, this toxic moment, we

602
00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:24,920
Speaker 5: have to be able to say that black women are

603
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:29,360
Speaker 5: building different tables in how those tables are set.

604
00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:31,680
Speaker 4: Up, right, It's not even about bringing your own chair.

605
00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:33,480
Speaker 4: It can be just okay, well you'll have your table.

606
00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,680
Speaker 4: We're just gonna make our own table and put it

607
00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:38,680
Speaker 4: in the same room nearby adjacent. Yeah, I love that,

608
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:45,160
Speaker 4: just to kind of round out this conversation. I feel

609
00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:48,960
Speaker 4: and I felt like many people, I imagine, so adrenalized

610
00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:53,400
Speaker 4: by this year and so devoted to keeping the momentum going.

611
00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:57,360
Speaker 4: And I'm wondering, from your perspective, what does that look like,

612
00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:00,320
Speaker 4: because I would hate for the progress that we've seen.

613
00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:02,560
Speaker 4: You know, people in my family in Atlanta got registered

614
00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:04,479
Speaker 4: for the first first time, you know, voted in their

615
00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:08,000
Speaker 4: first Senate runoff campaign. Ever, you know, this past January,

616
00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:11,800
Speaker 4: it's we're still in January, nevermind this year and and

617
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,400
Speaker 4: I I, you know, I wonder, how do we how

618
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:18,000
Speaker 4: do we maintain and this attention? How do we keep

619
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,680
Speaker 4: people fired up? You know, we had to really I

620
00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,240
Speaker 4: get it when it's it felt like life or death

621
00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:25,680
Speaker 4: this election cycle. You know, we really had to get

622
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:27,800
Speaker 4: out there. But yeah, how do you how do you

623
00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:30,640
Speaker 4: harness that momentum? And what can people be doing now?

624
00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,320
Speaker 4: Even though the general election's over and we're we're in

625
00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:36,240
Speaker 4: a bit of a I don't know, I hate to

626
00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,160
Speaker 4: say a place where we can be safe because we

627
00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,920
Speaker 4: just had a ride on the Capitol. But we're past

628
00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,760
Speaker 4: a big hurdle in terms of the general election, how

629
00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:45,320
Speaker 4: do we how do we keep that momentum going.

630
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:49,760
Speaker 5: I certainly believe that there's a lot of work to

631
00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:51,960
Speaker 5: be done. One you know, at the end of the year,

632
00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:54,840
Speaker 5: we sat and talked about what does next steps look

633
00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:58,040
Speaker 5: like for say, higher heights, and so we are definitely

634
00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:00,479
Speaker 5: taking the lessons learned from the first ten year. And

635
00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:03,120
Speaker 5: it's about you know, Kimberly and I started this whole

636
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:05,640
Speaker 5: hashtag black Women Lead the Road to twenty twenty, Like

637
00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:09,200
Speaker 5: in twenty sixteen that we knew that twenty twenty was

638
00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:12,000
Speaker 5: a pivotal year for black women's political leadership. It is

639
00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:15,240
Speaker 5: now beyond. It's now about the strategy beyond twenty twenty.

640
00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:18,279
Speaker 5: And certainly we are deep diving and accelerating our work

641
00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:21,320
Speaker 5: around electing black women to the US Senate, electing black

642
00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:25,440
Speaker 5: women governeurs within s not one and certainly you know,

643
00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:30,160
Speaker 5: ensuring that you know, our candidates are supported early by

644
00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:33,640
Speaker 5: the broader masses. You know, oftentimes people jump on very

645
00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:36,839
Speaker 5: late and go like I've been with Kamala from day one.

646
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:38,799
Speaker 5: I've been with Stacey Abrams from day one, and that

647
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,840
Speaker 5: actually isn't you if I get to write the history

648
00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:44,120
Speaker 5: that is certainly not the case in the history books.

649
00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:48,759
Speaker 5: And so how do we then identify the next you know,

650
00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:52,920
Speaker 5: the next generation of leaders and that frankly, you know,

651
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:58,040
Speaker 5: starts with a multi generational approach. And then, you know,

652
00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:00,759
Speaker 5: we don't elect black women for black women's sake. We

653
00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:04,760
Speaker 5: believe that our leadership is a leadership that will build

654
00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:09,000
Speaker 5: a policy platform that creates what I believe black women,

655
00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:12,440
Speaker 5: what our research has pointed to our polling and our

656
00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:17,600
Speaker 5: informal salon conversations, black women want economically thriving, educated, healthy

657
00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:18,600
Speaker 5: and safe communities.

658
00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:20,200
Speaker 2: So if you're looking at what do.

659
00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:23,080
Speaker 5: We do beyond beyond the voting booth, it is ensuring

660
00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,960
Speaker 5: that we're creating that environment, as I mentioned earlier, for

661
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:30,120
Speaker 5: our champions to push real innovation into our public policy

662
00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:34,719
Speaker 5: making and to frankly, hold elected officials accountable. We can't

663
00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:39,680
Speaker 5: just continue to elect elect amazing leaders who don't have

664
00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:43,279
Speaker 5: the political support. Like the political support, right, It's all

665
00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:47,759
Speaker 5: about political demand and political will, and that's the work

666
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:50,719
Speaker 5: of the people is to build the political will by

667
00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:54,719
Speaker 5: flexing our political demand so that we can push policies

668
00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:58,520
Speaker 5: that center our communities, our families, our communities, and our nation.

669
00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:01,880
Speaker 4: Well, Glinda Karth, thank you so so much for joining

670
00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:04,799
Speaker 4: Brown Ambition. This is a conversation I've been looking forward

671
00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,560
Speaker 4: to for weeks and I'm so honored that you took

672
00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:08,719
Speaker 4: some time to spend with us.

673
00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:10,520
Speaker 2: No problem, Thanks for having me.

674
00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:12,880
Speaker 4: Where can folks find out more about Higher Heights and

675
00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:13,520
Speaker 4: get involved?

676
00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:17,759
Speaker 5: Yeah, so we need black women and our allies to

677
00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:21,719
Speaker 5: grow this movement building moment, and so as we celebrate,

678
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:25,120
Speaker 5: you know, continue to celebrate the swearing in of Kamala Harris.

679
00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:29,719
Speaker 5: I mean we even though the inauguration completely different than

680
00:36:29,719 --> 00:36:31,160
Speaker 5: what we thought it was going to be in to

681
00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:36,040
Speaker 5: be from both a health perspective and a safety perspective, we.

682
00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:36,839
Speaker 2: Are centering joy.

683
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:40,640
Speaker 5: So we are we have been celebrating and have hosted

684
00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:44,359
Speaker 5: a variety of virtual events celebrating this moment. But we're

685
00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,560
Speaker 5: still going to build. So go to Higher Heightsfoamerica dot org.

686
00:36:47,719 --> 00:36:50,440
Speaker 5: It takes a click to become an activist member that

687
00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:54,800
Speaker 5: will plug you into all of the programming and frankly

688
00:36:55,239 --> 00:36:59,120
Speaker 5: information and data and then you know, we'll work you

689
00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:01,480
Speaker 5: up the leadership, life matter to a variety of things.

690
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:03,040
Speaker 2: So you might be sitting here going I'm just going

691
00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:03,960
Speaker 2: to be a member, and the.

692
00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:06,320
Speaker 5: Next thing you know, in a year, you're running for

693
00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:07,680
Speaker 5: office with higher heights.

694
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:09,640
Speaker 4: Next thing you know, you show up at a virtual

695
00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:14,440
Speaker 4: brunch and you're putting yourself on a belllet got it. Well, Glinda,

696
00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:16,319
Speaker 4: thank you, thank you. Think you can't thank you enough,

697
00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:19,240
Speaker 4: and for all the work you've done. Congratulations on nearly

698
00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:23,080
Speaker 4: a decade of higher heights. It's wonderful, great, and we look.

699
00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:27,440
Speaker 5: Forward to being in contact and in conversation about what

700
00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:44,240
Speaker 5: we have planned for the next ten years.

701
00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:48,400
Speaker 4: Do you get the whole Wizard of Oz thing alive?

702
00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:48,920
Speaker 2: Yeah?

703
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,200
Speaker 5: Yeah, And I work it so Wizard of Oz. My

704
00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:55,280
Speaker 5: middle brother is a Wizard of Oz fanatic. He's probably

705
00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:59,080
Speaker 5: seen it over a hundred times, and so oftentimes I accident.

706
00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:02,280
Speaker 2: And I also have all types of things.

707
00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:04,359
Speaker 5: I bring into my speeches around I used to wear

708
00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:06,239
Speaker 5: red shoes all the time, So this whole thing around

709
00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:12,480
Speaker 5: red shoes and.

710
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:10,560
Speaker 2: It's a big deal.

711
00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:13,360
Speaker 5: Like there's a Glinda the Goodwitch.

712
00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:14,880
Speaker 2: So two things.

713
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:18,840
Speaker 5: My name is g l y n das said the

714
00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:21,719
Speaker 5: same way, but Glinda the Good Witch is.

715
00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:22,800
Speaker 2: G l I n d A.

716
00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:27,120
Speaker 5: And if you're with if you're an Oz fan, I

717
00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:31,080
Speaker 5: mean it's no Wicked. If you're a Wicked fan, it's Glinda,

718
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:34,799
Speaker 5: but we usually bring the Wizard of Oz into some

719
00:38:34,840 --> 00:38:37,279
Speaker 5: of our conversations because Glinda the Goodwitch once said to

720
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:40,840
Speaker 5: Dorothy when asked why she couldn't make it home, She's like,

721
00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:43,280
Speaker 5: you know, dear, You've always had the power.

722
00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:46,279
Speaker 2: You just needed to know that you had it. And

723
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:48,560
Speaker 2: that's certainly. You know, the work of.

724
00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:51,719
Speaker 5: Higher Heights is, you know, providing a space for black

725
00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:56,520
Speaker 5: women to step into their leadership, expand their leadership, and

726
00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:59,520
Speaker 5: frankly recognize the power that we have in our democracy.

727
00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:01,680
Speaker 4: I love that. I'm going to keep that as a

728
00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:03,920
Speaker 4: little bonus for the end of the episode, the story

729
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:10,799
Speaker 4: behind Glinda.

730
00:39:11,719 --> 00:39:14,799
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, what an awesome, empowering throwback. It was

731
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:18,120
Speaker 1: such so fun to make a trip down memory lane.

732
00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:19,600
Speaker 1: So make sure that you check out Brown and Bish

733
00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:21,800
Speaker 1: and we are here every Monday for the Throwback, every

734
00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:24,880
Speaker 1: Wednesday for the Bang Show, and every Friday for the

735
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:27,880
Speaker 1: ba Qa Okay,