Native Land Pod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Reason Choice Media.
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome home, everybody.
This is Angela Rai, one of your hosts of Native Lamppod, thrilled to be with you today. As our producer Nick goes on mute since I can hear his television, and we are so excited that you all have joined us today.
We have so much to get into.
This is going to be one of my favorite solo pods because we are going to hear live from some folks just like you. As you know, we say welcome home, and that means that our Native Lamppod community has the opportunity to weigh in some with questions today. Before we get started, I want you all to know within about the next hour, the House Republicans will be bringing up a vote. We have somebody Okay, I was going to say we have somebody else who just joined us, when you's them to go backstage.
The House Republicans will be voting on.
What they call a stopgap measure or a continuing resolution to determine whether or not the government will continue to operate. I'm gonna argue with you all right here, and just let you know that the government has been shut down since Donald J. Trump was sworn into office on Martin Luther King Day this year. The government has been shut down since Elon Musk went into the Department of Treasury with doze and got access to our most secure information.
The government shut down the day that they decided that USAID workers all over the world should no longer receive funding and should be fired. The government was shut down the day they began to fire inspectors general throughout the government. The government was shut down the day ethics no longer mattered, the day that the felon got into the White House and decided that there would be crime running rampant, except
for for those of us who commit no crimes. So, y'all, the government has been shut down, and what the Republicans are going to vote on within the next hour will merely give Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk a rubber stamp to continue and engaging in waste, fraud, and abuse. And it gives them a rubber stamp to continue to shut down services most needed for the American people. This bill will decrease non defense spending by thirteen billion dollars.
This bill will cut SNAP benefits, which again we talked about before. Our food stamps provide food benefits to the most vulnerable Americans among us. Two hundred and thirty billion dollars in cuts to SNAP. The cuts to Medicate are over eight hundred billion dollars. That provides healthcare to people all over the country and is named different things. In your state, it's something different. In Washington State, it's Apple.
There are tax cuts for people with incomes in the top one percent in the country one point one trillion dollars, so they can afford to give tax cuts to wealthy billionaires but starve out and cause harm to healthcare for the most vulnerable among us. That is what we are up against. UH. And I want to just call out the fact that there are House Republicans who are vulnerable. They live in districts, some of them with large black populations.
I want to name some of those folks, and then we are going to get into the conversation, UH with with people in the community who have questions. But I just want to take a moment, UH, to name some of those folks. Hold on, I'm trying to find the post where we lifted up all the names of these workers. Hold on one moment, I just oh, here it is.
So this is These are the Republicans who you need to be paying attention to because they may vote against your interests and you still have called time to call them at two zero two two two four.
Three one two one.
These are Republicans who were elected in districts that have large Democratic populations and large populations of people of color. That is Nick Beggach in Alaska. That is David Sweikert in Arizona. That is Eli Crane in Arizona. That's Juan Ciscomanni in Arizona. It's a lot of Arizona.
Huh.
Kevin Kylie in California, David Valadeo in California, Young Kim. Are we sure it's not Kim Young? I just want to make sure we checked that Young Kim in California. Kevin Calvert in California, Jeff Heard of Colorado, Gabe Evans of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna in Florida. Representative Marinette Marionette Miller Meeks. Marionette Miller Meeks in Iowa, Zach Nunn in Iowa, Bill Huayzenga Jesus help. I don't know if his last name is h u I z e n g A, Michigan.
Tom Barrett in Michigan, John y'all. John James got the nerve to be a black man in Michigan, voting against snapped in medicaid in Michigan, John James, somebody run against his brother.
Now, I'm sorry, you gyall should run against these white folks too.
But I'm just saying, this is a black man voting against snap and medicaid, Okay, John James. Ron zinc in Montana might be zinkey. I'm not sure. We've got to get pronunciations of these I'm not gonna mess these up. I'm gonna keep naming these folks. So let's make sure we get this done. Little lot, help me out. Don Bacon and Nebraska, Tom Keen Junior, New Jersey, Nick Lalatta.
In New York. Mike Lawler, New York.
Ryan McKenzie Pennsylvania, Rob bress Child, Rob Brestman in Pennsylvania, Scott Perry, Pennsylvania, Monica Dela Cruz in Texas. Bob Whitman, Virginia. Jump I'm sorry, Jen Keegan's Virginia. Brian Steell Wisconsin. Derreck
van Orden, Wisconsin. Y'all called them today at two zero two two two four three one two one while you're watching me, pick up the phone, record a video of your call to their office and let them know they better not vote against this continuing Resolution that is merely a perpetuation of a government shutdown that has been happening since Donald Trump got in office. Call them and let them know that you don't want to be a rubber
stant for Donald Trump. Call them and let them know that you want to fund snap benefits, and you want to fund Medicaid, and you want to fund Medicare, and you want to fund Social Security. Let them know they plan with the wrong ones. Okay, let them know two zero two two two four three one two one. You can find this post about the Republican members who are in vulnerable districts and who are likely to vote to support this continuing resolution. Tell them to vote no because
our lives depend on it. Okay, So now we're going
to get into these questions. I just wanted to make sure we do that because we have about an hour before they vote, maybe a little less before they vote on this continue Resolution on the House floor, and then y'all call these Senate Democrats that think they going that they have an obligation to support this No, they do not tell them what they have an obligation to support, and that is making sure that the American people can live and thrive under this administration.
That means you got to vote to tell a fascist, No, what are we talking about. This is not up for grabs. It's not up for discussion.
We have to make sure that our voices are heard and we tell these folks what we really need to see done. That's our obligation. Where the taxpayers you know what that means. We pay their salaries. You know what that means they work for us. All right, we're gonna open up for questions. I think Brittany is up first. I can't hear you, Brittany. I'm so sorry. I don't know if it's on mute, but I can't hear you right now.
Can you hear me now?
I can, Hi, Brittany, how are you tell us your name? Your full name, and where you're from.
My name is Brittany Scott and I'm from Durham, North Carolina.
All right, tell me your question.
Okay, So my question is as we most recent so there were ten Democrats that voted to censor Al Green.
They are the opposition.
I want to know in times like this, what do we do to appeal to the opposition? Can we appeal to them? And if we can't, does that mean that black people now need to do basically fubu for us by us?
Yes, I love this question, Brittany. First of all, let's shout out Congressman Al Green. For those of us who were watching the State of the Union, what we know is that there was one sole member who stood up and challenged Donald Trump face to face. Congressman Green pointed that cane to Donald Trump and said, you do not have.
A mandate to cut Medicaid. He stood up boldly.
He said he didn't intend to protest verbally, he just intended to walk out. Several other members walked out of the chamber after Al Green, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Ayana Presley, Sydney Komliger, Dove Maxwell Frost. There were so many members who walked out after Congressman Green, but with Al Green standing up in the way that he did and specifically naming what they call an entitlement program medicate he was saying, I'm going to stand up for the most vulnerable in
my district. Well, I want to name the ten because they stood on the wrong side of history by voting with the Republicans to censure Congressman Green. Some of you may be saying, what does it mean to censure a member of Congress. It is a formal reprimand where they go into the well of the House. That's when, if you're ever watching the house floor on C Span or somewhere else where the members go down to speak and
they're facing outward, that's called the well. So he had to stand in the well and essentially receive a reprimand when they voted to censure him and he stood in the well of the House, many members came and stood with them, and they began to saying, we shall overcome. The purpose for that is we know that the punishment did not meet the crime. There's no reason, there's no rhyme or reason why Congressman Green should have been censured when all he did was stand up for the vulnerable
amongst us. He wanted to ensure that they had a voice, and they knew that there was someone who would speak up on their behalf and protect something as critical to our survival as medicaid. Well, there are members of Congress who have historically said they support medicaid, but they voted to Center al Green despite him sure violating the rules of decorn. But when somebody's lying to your face before the American people, somebody got to call him out on it.
So these are the members that voted to Center al Green. And I think it's important because we're living in times where there should be no agreement with Republicans on a disciplinary procedure for someone who's challenging someone who's lying to us. When you stand up for truth, you should not be reprimanded for standing up for facts. So ed Case voted to cinchor al Green, Chrissy Hulahan, James Hines or Jim
Hins as we know him, Mary, I'm sorry. Marie Glusen, caamp Perez Beara, Jared Moskowitz, Jim Costa, Laura Gillen, Thomas Suosi, Marcy Captor are the members who voted to censure Congressman Green. And I think that it needs to be called out because even someone like Ami Bea said that he supports civil disobedience, and to me, that's saying that what mister Green did was not civil. Well, if you can remember that all of these folks have a significant population in
their district who are on Medicaid. He told the President you do not have a mandate to cut medicaid. They should at least be able to align on that point, even if you disagree with how.
He did it. At least someone set up to the president.
And the last time that I checked, Nipsey Hustle, they were all elected to make sure that Donald Trump is accountable to their constituents, to the American people.
He's not following.
Nobody voted for Donald Trump to cut Medicaid except for maybe the richest among us. And I think that is what is remarkably dangerous. So we have to remember that these folks are to be accountable to the collective. They should be voting in alignment with what Congressman Jeffries, who is the Democratic leader we've been calling him the opposition leader, says, and that means not voting to harm black or brown people, but also not poor white folks, some of whom live
in their districts. So I think that is what we need to remember in this moment. Call them and let them know they better not fall out of line anymore. Because they did that. There was a whole robust conversation about whether or not the Democrats who stood or all the members who stood with Congressman Green in the well of the House while he was reprimanded post censure, whether they should be stripped of their committees. We can't afford
to lose their voices on key committees. They are the folks who are challenging Trump appointees and others on facts. If we lose their voices in those committee, we're really in trouble. And that is how fascism continues to grow. So they at least should be voting against fascism. When you look historically in the House, there's a history point, a site on the House that talks about how many members of Congress have been centered in history.
We're talking about twenty seven.
Congressman Green became the twenty eighth, and when you look at the reasons why most of them, until Republicans got in charge a couple of years ago, we're censure because they broke the law. Please tell me what law Congressman Green broke. And that's the point. So Brittany I Thank you so much for your question. I will see you soon.
All right, thank you, welcome home. All right? Hello, Please say your name and where you're from.
Hey, Angela. My name is Tanya Lobo and I'm from Taunton, Massachusetts. Are you today?
I am great. Thank you so much for joining us. Tell me your question.
Thank you for having me. So my question is how do we so obviously we know, when you've said it so many times, we're fighting for our lives right now, right but on the local level, we're wanting to run for elections, make sure that we're involved effect change in our own little area of the world. How do we motivate those who are saying I'm not worried about all that, right, I'm just here to survive. I'm trying to figure this
all out. What is our message when we're knocking on doors, you know, how do we get our national and state leaders to help community activists, you know, local organizations to actually be able to do this. We're not thinking about at least right now here. This is our year for local election. We're not thinking about twenty twenty six. We're thinking about what are we going to do right now to make sure that the fifteen to twenty percent that come out, like we can have more percentage come out
and vote. Then you know, the low numbers that we normally get during a local election. That really is a concern as we're sitting here trying to figure out what our message is because when we when we look nationally, we don't even know what our messages in the Democratic Party at the moment, which you are you say it all the time, so that that's really just my question, what do we do locally?
Well, let me turn this back on you.
You said a key thing you said when we knock on doors, So I take it and means Sonanya, that you're knocking doors about the election?
Is that true?
Yeah? Yeah, go ahead.
What organization are you a part of or did you start?
So? I'm the founder and executive director of the True Collective and it's a local organization and we've been doing the thing we are currently, you know, opening our own community center. We've gotten lots of grants whatever. But I guess it's the frustration on my end is I'm only
one person. I don't have the army, the backup, I don't have the national accolades, you know, but I'm doing the work, and I have grassroots individuals who are like, we want to do what we want to do it right, But there's usually like five to twenty of us at the most, you know, at these protests are different things going on, but that's not what's that's not what's working. Right, Going going in the streets and holding up a sign isn't what's working. We need to knock on doors. We
need to start talking to people. I have a State of the Community coming up. I've invited all our federal, state, local, you know, elected officials to come and talk to us. We need to talk to you. They keep having these town halls, but I don't know something is off because we aren't there, and I don't think they really understand what's going on. So I'm in Massachusetts and obviously not really in re Presley's district. But who we have here
they don't have. They don't understand what and I always say our community within the larger community because they don't understand what's really going on. So how do we talk to us right? Because we're the ones who sat back, We're the ones who said we weren't voting for Kamala. We were the ones who said that we weren't. We We've been disenfranchised for so long and you know they
don't do anything for us. But in actuality, politics is paying attention to you, even though you're not paying attention to politics. What are we doing to make sure that they know we care? And we need to figure out what to do together, because like you always say, we all we.
Got so when you say we are the ones who didn't vote for Kamala Harris, you're saying your organization or were there other folks in the community who didn't.
Other folks in the community. It was so many arguments that we've had and I don't want to say arguments, but back and forth with do you mean you're not coming out to vote? You know, as we're knocking on doors, as we're just having conversation. It was very shocking to me to see how many of us and I mean black people who were just like completely disengaged and saying they're going to do what they want anyway. And now
we're here and now you want to do something. But where were you when we were saying, just, you know, take a couple of minutes to go and vote.
Yeah, Well, I will tell you this.
One of the things that I'm trying to do in the shift. In my own posture is what asking myself? What good does it do to tell someone I told you so? At this point, like I told you so, as not a motivator to get someone out of the house to help you knocked doors to help you organize. So really, the unifying factor has to be what is
necessary for our survival. Even if congress Woman Pressley is not your Remember, I'm confident that she would love to know about the work you're doing if she doesn't already, and I'm sure she would want you engaged in the stuff they're doing. Who is your member of Congress based on where your organs position in Massachusetts?
Jake Falking Class, I don't.
Even know who that is, but call call Jake. Now.
I've spoken to Jake. I've invited him. You know, his scheduler is working to see if he can come out. But it's always that, right, you get the go between and let's see if we can fit it in the schedule. But you know, we're not a major whatever, So will they come out. We're waiting to see. We're still you know, they're they're very active in our community.
But I would ask Ayana to apply pressure to him.
I would ask I did hear what? I think her name is miss Edie or something. But we emailed, and we've emailed everyone, everyone who represents federal and state, Warren Markey, all of them. We've emailed everybody.
But I think what I'm trying to suggest, Tanya is it might be a different approach than an email.
It may be a call.
It may be an email's open copying some people that you know may be helpful.
It may be.
I'm glad that we had a conversation because if there's something that you can give to Lolo that I can put on Ayana's radar, I will. One of the things that we've seen in the last few weeks is that coalition matters. We're not trying to go alone anymore. So who is the NAACP president or the state the NAACP chair in your area that can help? Can you guys have a collaborative convening with a multi racial coalition of
folks who are engaged in this process right now? Can you all have a candidates form where people are hearing from their candidates. You know, when you're knocking on doors, are you listening or are you just talking at people. That also makes a really big difference, because, yeah, we can get mad that they didn't participate, but the reason people didn't participate is because they didn't see themselves in the process. And the reason why they don't see themselves
in the process is because they didn't go vote. So who's going to break the cycle? Like That's a conversation that needs.
To be had.
The other thing that we have been doing is deepening into listening a lot more. The tactics that we tried for the last several decades did not yield the results we desperately need.
That means a.
Paradigm shift has to happen, you know, And so I think that's another piece of it as well. Again, even when we just plan the State of the People twenty four hour marathon, if you go back and look at it, you will see people from a bunch of different organizations, a bunch of different voices, some who don't even like each other, but know that it's more important.
If we agree seventy five eighty eighty five ninety.
Percent of the time, then that is a majority, and that is enough to hold hands, lock arm in arm, and go forward together. That is our only mission right now. If members of Congress aren't being responsive to you, let us know they work for you. But also if we can get to them early, sooner and easier, we will.
Help to do that.
I know firsthand Ayana shows up for the people, and I'm saying Ayana is my friend, But congress Woman Presley shows up for the people massively and across the country and across the globe, so I know she would do it in Massachusetts. My experience with Senator Warren's folks is
not much different. I wish that she would be more vocal and more out in the front than what I've seen her lately, because she was such a powerful voice in the twenty twenty election, and I just wish that we were seeing more of her because she always speaks truth to power. The main thing is I love that you guys are door knocking. I don't know how long we're going to have access to these social media platforms, and we need to be mindful and aware of that.
I am very concerned about that.
So the fact that y'all are still engaging in old school tactics and building up your database and figuring out how you're going to keep talking to people is really really smart, Tanya. I will just say this last thing because I know you didn't ask me for tactics specifically, but for you, when you're giving all that you have to your organization, it needs to feel rejuvenating. And if it's feeling like it is draining you more than it is pouring back in you, it's a sign from the
most high that something has to shift. And I'm telling you this firsthand because I just went through this. There were a lot of things I was doing, a lot of battles I was fighting that were not mine. And I went to my friend's Bible study on the phone and I heard it two months in a row, like I'm fighting some extra because I'll fight anybody and anything.
Ain't my call no more.
Like now, my call is to be strategically focused on the battle that is mine.
The rest of it is the Lord's.
A Jolanda Adam said, you gotta stay focused on the gifts that you have, the gifts that aren't yours. You got to delegate those out. And it might mean trusting and delegating again to somebody who let you down and.
Drop the ball before.
That's so hard, I know, I know, but they will show up this time. The season has changed, so you got to shift with it, be still and listen to the work that is yours to do. Because I'm clear just from talking to you, Oh you got it. You're supposed to be doing something right now. But I can also see the exasperation on your face.
Yes, I can see.
I can see. I can see your drained. I can see that you're tired. I can see the frustration. But part of that means, Tanya, there's some people who are trying to communicate something to you that you're not hearing. And what we normally do is like, no, I gotta figure it out. I know we're supposed to go down this blah blah blah. But I'm telling you, even from the twenty four hour marathon, I learned from Lolo and from Holly and from Mark and from Ashley and all these people.
I didn't have everything that I was supposed to have to do this.
You don't know me, but I'm a crime baby. So we're not going to make.
Say you say, but I'm just saying I literally God gave me a part of a vision, and the part of the vision he gave me was the part that was mine to do and the rest of it. I had to just surrender because it was everybody else and their gifts and their talents and their time to do. And it was hard for me because guess what, Tanya, I can tell this about you too. I don't like to ask for help, don't I don't like to ask as for help because for the most part is this
It is not even me being like prophetic. For the most part, the people who get into this are those who will be like, I'll carry the whole community and culture.
On my back if I have to, yep.
But that's not your work right now. Your work right now is to find coalition. It is to identify the talents. It is to call forth the gifts and to build together.
Do not stop.
We need you, We got you. You are going to be able to push this forward, and we're gonna we're gonna do a tour so hopefully we can come do this with you. And if people need to see names, fine, let them see names. We'll make sure that you're surrounded and covered.
But just start. Whoever, whoever there's a grudge.
Release it and call that person today wherever somebody you know, somebody let you down and they didn't come through. Call them today, be like, nothing else matters right now but Black survival and liberation. Nothing else matters. But making sure that somebody who deserves to be here don't get deported. Nothing else matters, or making sure people who are sit god healthcare. Nothing else matters, but making sure we preserve cancer funding research. Nothing else matters, but making sure that
folks who need snap benefits have it. So everything else we're carrying, let it go.
You're not prophetic, but I have been struggling with that, and the Lord has been talking to me. So you said a word, and I know that it means that that's what I'm supposed to do. So I appreciate it. Thank you very much for having me.
I'm so glad you caught in.
I was like, I can see I was like, I know exactly what you're dealing with.
I can see that in your faith.
But yes, you got this, and don't give up, and please make sure you stay in contact with us through Lolo.
Probably already got a whole bunch of no treat right now. I'm I already knew I know her, I know her.
Yeah, Yeah, we don't want you to give up, and I know that we need you in this fight too, so maybe just even you coming to be a part of this with us. There's some you know, mutual sharing that we can engage with, or we can give you what you need you feel poured into so you can go give the community what you need, thank you, or what they need. Yeah both, reciple absolutely, Yeah, all right, Kanya you too. Well you guys, I know we're a little bit over, but we have.
A few more guests.
I have to be obedient to my spirit, so that's what I was doing. I do not apologize for that when you're a little over, So stick with us, and we have another question coming up. Hi yam, all right, how are you doing? Please tell us your name and where you're from.
I'm doing great. My name is Jaya Davon. I am in New York. I'm so honored to be here. I'm honored to be here.
Are you in the city?
I am, I am, I am here. I'm honored to be speaking to you. I'm so grateful for the work that you do that Native Lamb pod does. You are on my vision board in college, so to be holding space with you right now is insane. So thank you for that. My question is in this time of deep division, with so many conflicting messages, voices, platforms. Everybody got a podcast, as everybody has an opinion, everybody is on social media. How do we begin to unify around a common purpose?
And then also should we even be looking for a single definitive leader or is that the wrong approach? Like I'm hearing a lot about who's the leader of the Democratic Party, who's the leader of this? And it also sometimes feels as though people are more focused on becoming high profile activists than actually doing the real work of change.
And Bernice King, she once noted recently, I think it was for Black History Month, that her father, doctor Martin Luther King Junior, wasn't considered famous in his time and in his era. And people of today get that conflicted because we honor him in such, you know, great fashion, But he wasn't famous then. So what does that tell us about leadership today in this mine digital era.
Yes, I would tell you, Ja, first of all, thank you for all that you shared and the compliments. I'm really grateful to have been on your college vision board. I'm tired of you young folks talking about Oh I learned about you when I was this school.
I'm like, that is no.
I've been following you that a long time and I've been out of college.
But that's my point that no, but these I'm telling you that.
But that's the point too, Like a long time ago when I was a college I'm like, Okay, this is so disrespectful, but it's fine. I'm really really grateful for that. I will tell you that now. It is imperative that we keep the main thing the main thing. And black folks everywhere knows what that know what that means. It is we cannot be distracted with stuff that doesn't matter.
It don't matter who the leader is. It don't matter who is.
Trying to put their ego up top and be the biggest boss. It don't matter who think they running for president in twenty twenty eight, especially those who don't have no chance. That's all I'm gonna say with that, it doesn't matter. Like that's not our battle right now. Our singular mission should be the liberation of black people. Because what we know, even from the Civil rights movement, is when we went out and protected our rights, our humanity,
our personhood, that covered everybody. Every time we stand up for us, we cover the masses, and we just got to remember that right now. And so Ja, I can tell from talking to you you are thoughtful. I can tell from talking to you you are compassionate. I can tell from talking to you deeply care about the upward mobility of black folks. That's what you fight right now, That's what you push right now. You yoke up with people who are aligned with that mission and you push
towards that. There is a lot of space and needs for volunteers and what we're trying to build. We would love to have you. Everybody's volunteering.
I am too. We would love to have you.
We want like minded people who love our people enough to push us forward.
The leaders will show up, The leaders will rise to the top. The leaders will bring others along with them.
We don't have to identify that. That's on God, Like we can let that go, you know. And I will just say shout out to my brother Hakim Jeffries, who is the highest ranking black person in the party, okay in the party right now, And I thank God because I'm watching an evolution happen with Hai Kim Jeffries where he's starting to show up and like, oh, we fighting Okay, well then let's fight with it, and it is what is needed for the moment. People just want to see
that they're protected. So our obligation is protect one another, to love on one another, to tell the truth to each other, to make sure that when harm is coming, we hunker down and protect against those harms. And that is leadership. Leadership isn't about being seen or going viral. If that happens, more power team if it doesn't, keep doing the work, and that's what we have to focus on. I would just challenge you to not be worried about the distract and keep the main thing the main thing.
I received that.
Thank you, Angela, Thank you, Jane, I really appreciate you.
Sure, Okay, thank you, welcome hall, thank you.
Okay.
I think we have a couple of more questions. Let's put the next one up. Tell me your name so that people know my.
Name is Brandon James Scott. I just the question is like, what does the resistance look like knowing that this we're up now against a very huge structure of people that do not play fair and do not follow the laws themselves.
Yes, Brandon, where are you from?
I'm live I'm in Live in Memphis, Tennessee. But I've been over twenty years.
Okay, Okay, but you're from Memphis.
No, I'm from Florida originally.
Okay.
So you're from Florida originally and now you live in Memphis.
Now I'm living in Memphis. I moved to Memphis to create some change.
Okay.
So the question for Brandon is what does the resistance look like? Let me tell y'all something that you're not gonna like.
The resistance is so twenty twenty, honey, it's no. I'm sorry.
The resistance is so twenty sixteen, honey. There was twenty twenty two as well. And I think we are called beyond the resistance right now. We are the opposition because we are embodying our power. I was in Selma this past weekend for the commemoration of Bloody Sunday, and even as we walked across the Evan Pettis Bridge back into time because that's where this fascist regime is trying to take us back into time, what I know is.
That we are still in our power.
Janey Nelson from NAACPLDF define democracy as the power of the people, and so what we are being called to do is to sit within, to embody our full power, to unite, to realize that the power is in numbers. We cannot engage in the math of subtraction and division. We must engage in the math of addition and multiplication. It is required of us. When the people unite, they will never be defeated. That is the protest line. The people I was gonna say, divided Jesus, the people united
will never be defeated, right, that is the line. So if we can stand together, if we can get rid of petty disagreements, if we can get rid of old beef, if we can shed who needs to be in charge, if we can get rid of ego, the people united will never be defeated. And that's what we got to know right now. The People united are the opposition because there's power in numbers. The people united is what democracy looks like. Know this alleged democracy and never served you.
But yes, you can build the democracy we deserve. You must because the People united will never be defeated, Brandon, And that's the part. So I will tell you this too. As you are in Memphis. I want you to know that Memphis has a very very special place in my heart.
Memphis is a.
Place for black people to go for a spiritual pilgrimage. That is where they took out doctor King. So if we can go back to Memphis together as a people, I don't know when we're going to do this, but I feel strongly that we must. That is where the rebirth is. Doctor King preached a sermon called a Knock at Midnight. It was midnight when he was assassinated. For us,
it's time for us to come out of midnight. It's time for us to come together and turn the page of what is very dark in our historical past, that darkness they're trying to bring back. It might be midnight for all of us right now. Midnight is the darkest hour. But at some point day has to break and the People United will never be defeated as how we see daylight. So I want to encourage you with that, Brandon. I look forward to working with you. I hope that we
don't focus on resisting and we focus on empowering. I hope that we focus on opposition, because that's where the power that people really is.
Thank you that was very well put.
And pray for Memphis right now because they just sold a lot of land to Eon Musk, so pray for Memphis.
Eon is right Ei eio elon. We are not here for you. We got to take them on. And I think that this is the kind of thing where we should be starting to go fund me and trying to reclaim property. But you're absolutely right. They always take advantage of what who is most vulnerable and the areas that are most vulnerable among us, the People United is what will make us see something different. So thank you so much, Brandon, Thank you obay?
Okay? Is that all the questions y'all? Did we get through everybody? All right?
Well, we so appreciate your time today. Let's keep talking y'all again. It is the trick of the enemy to make us feel like we are by ourselves, like we are alone, we are in isolation. Keep talking to your neighbors, keep talking to your friends, Keep digging in with how we can fight against this fascist regime called the Trump administration. Do not let them steal your joy, Do not let them steal your creative ability to unite, come together and
fight back. The People United will never be defeated. Welcome home, y'all. Native Lampard is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Reason Choice Media. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.