LIVE in Atlanta: NLP Town Hall at The Gathering Spot

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Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.

Welcome home. Y'all, Welcome to episode forty eight of Native Lamb Pod. It's so good to be home. We're coming to you live from the atl Shorty.

We are live in.

Atlanta for spell House homecoming. Well that's part of the celebration. We got another celebration. I'll tell you all about it later, but it's so good to be here Atlanta. And we have a live audience here. So we're gonna kick off the show right away and bring in my co host. I'm Tiffany Cross here with Andrew Gillham and the fabulous Angela Ry. What's up Angela fabulous tore in a mood today, y'all.

So we just came in here, and Andrew is I'm.

In a spirit of unity for all HBCU.

I don't know, Just so.

We're really clear.

Andrew came in here represent his set, this ganggang all day.

He said, to hell with.

Comings, and you're from an HBC. You you reap your HBC, You not the HBC.

I just am saying, I am us, Are you evoking my birthday weekend an honorary rattler, shout out to all the HBCUs.

But we do want to honor Spellman and Morehouse. How many people want to Spellman the more House in the audience?

Kay?

Okay, y'all, well can they hall in the yard right now? But we got a few folks in here, so thank y'all for being here.

Yes, Well, we have such a great show today.

The one thing that I want to just highlight in this moment is the election. We did a Professional Development Program call with the group of young people that we train and shout out to the Professional Development program students are here, Janey and Kirsten and then Lolo who is a graduate of that program who is our booking producer, research producer, Utility player m VP, and I want to just acknowledge we did this call. We talked about how

You think there might be some active KKK members in here.

No, I want to know how feel feeling about the upcoming.

A member of the KKK raise your about to go down?

Why are you pointing me?

Oh, I'm gonna say anything.

I think I would love to know of the group that is as symbol here, how many of you all are feeling confident right now? By showing hand, it's pretty confident about the outcome that you desired. Okay, that are at the opposite end of that, which is not very confident about the and then always feeling sort of in the middle like I'm nervous.

I'm nervous.

I believe I'm nervod God, You're gonna come through.

So not what I mean. About a third of the room said they feel confident about what do y'all think? About sixty percent of the room said they're not confident, and the remainder said they you.

Know, I don't know add it up, but y'all thirty seven.

That's great, tips up to one and fifty.

But I think about a third is split across the across the space.

I feel confident, y'all gonna just tell y'all, I feel confident. I feel like the sheer will of black women are going to carry her across the line. I believe and trust in our counterparts, our brothers. I know y'all gonna be right there with us to carry her across the line. I think it's just time. It's time. And I'm not consuming polls that come out every five minutes and one say this and one say that every day. I'm not consuming this media narrative that's been trying to divide our community,

I think the I think when we started looking at polls and reading everybody else's opinion about what's going to have in the election, we should turn on a new default, which is when you have that instinct to do it, text the relative who you're relatively unclear about whether or not they're going to vote. Uh, pick up the phone.

Call.

I know, it's very strange when your phone rings. I feel strange.

I'm like, who is calling?

Yeah, because there are other ways to communicate.

But neither he don't communicate those ways.

Pick up the phone and call somebody.

But because it doesn't really help us, it doesn't ease our nerves to read these polls.

It doesn't.

It doesn't frankly, further inform us when reading everybody's opinion, because it's just that an opinion. And if we're that concerned and we think that democracy is that much at stake, let's text somebody and make sure they get out to vote on election day instead of in that spiral, because it can take you down reading some of the stuff.

Georgia.

I think Georgia. I'm so proud of Georgia because Georgia is officially a purple state. And I get tired of people saying, well, you know, the South is read and the South is Republican, and I always say it only is till it ain't. And I think the people in Georgia have shown this new coalition of voters that you know what I love about this area is black folks ain't the niche vote. Black folks are the base vote, so you need to pass through black folks to advance

So normally at the top of every show, you all know, we say welcome home, y'all, and we are in a city that well, tip can claim it. You can kind of claim it, but you do the people out today where I know you're rather but there's somebody, there's somebody who's here who can absolutely not only claim it, but also welcome us home. That is none other than the fifty ninth Mayor of Atlanta, Cassine Reid, who has joined us. So we were welcome Mayor Reid, former mayor, some of

Ryan Wilson.

We love you, Thank you for welcoming us home. Thank you for everything you're doing in this election. Ryan is gonna come up to Ryan, come up. Why don't you go ahead and come up now, cause that's where I record every just so you guys. Let me tell y'all how down for the cause. Ryan Wilson is. We were trying to figure out a studio space in DC for the podcast.

I'm about to go to them under the busch.

iHeart told us that they had a studio that we could use, and they were not ready.

They couldn't do it.

And I was like, Ryan, don't y'all have a space, And Ryan was like, not only do we have a space, Tiffany is going to be welcome to record there every single week and he has done that. And so we are so grateful for you for the gatherings by family. So welcome home, y'all. We would like to get all welcome.

Mare Well, I mean, I heard the conversation before I came up on stage. Let me just tell y'all we're gonna win, So I'm gonna start with that. So it's very important that folks in my space and everybody talk about that. The Republicans are running a confidence game on us. They did the same thing in twenty when Biden was running. All the consternation, all of the flooded poles. Trump got beat in twenty twenty two, there was a red wave, all the consternation, all the talk, all the chatter. These

Been elected with unemployment being.

Above seven percent, and the Republicans did everything they could to keep unemployment above seven percent. They wouldn't send money to Florida that ninety five quarter. They wouldn't take money in New Jersey with Chris Christy, right, and we beat them because we stayed at it. And so rather than saying that that we're gonna focus on getting ourselves to the polls, let's really make a list. Because Obama won by tens of votes across thousands of precincts.

It's the same game.

So we need to identify five people, ten people, fifteen people, twenty people, and let's get real about it. They're real specific, actually calling them, make sure that they actually vote. Every person that you've ever done a favor for, anybody that owes you some money.

They may not answer.

You know how it? Yeah, you know what I mean. Y'all know how it is when people owe you money.

Right, anybody that you've done something for, call them and tell them you need help.

Our democracy is at risk.

And you got a woman in Kamala Harris who's doing every single thing she's supposed to do, every ridiculous hurdle they've placed in front of her. She's not talking to depress enough she needed to do to debate, She's not talking to ordinary. Everything she's done, she's doing it, and so when I got the call to be with this extraordinary group of people, I stop whatever I'm doing.

Every time you get a chance to talk talk.

Last night, we had one hundred people in the yard in the backyard, and then Casey from Jodas showed up and.

It became a whole nother thing.

Right, Oh yeah, yeah, he's saying forever my lady and killed it.

Y'all know.

But the point I'm making is, y'all, we can do anything for twelve days. Black people can do anything for twelve days. Give it to this woman, give it to her.

I want to come to you, Ryan, and then I.

That's my welcome, y'all.

Yes, that's it.

That is a good welcome because the welcome is action oriented. We also close every show with a.

Call to action. So we'll start at a call to action. We'll take that. Ryan.

You have also not only utilized this space as a galvanizing and an organizing space for this election, but you've also gone out to talk to other entrepreneurs just like yourselves in business and like yourself and business leaders talk about the importance of getting folks to focus on the economics of this election, because that's what a lot of folks are talking about at the kitchen table.

Look, look, I agree with the mayor.

Can join hear me? I agree with the mayor.

We have to do everything possible to make sure that we do everything possible before this election. I simply just cannot look at election night and know that we didn't leave it all on the field. So we're going everywhere. Right after this conversation. I'm going to the airport and I'm going to Durham right because they're small business owners there.

And that's partially to make sure.

That we're counted right, but it's also to make sure that down the stretch you're not diverting resources to go have to knock on your door again when we need to be going to knock on somebody else's door that might not vote right. So early voting, if you're here in Georgia, you have.

Until the first.

Please go vote now and then do like the mayor say, go get somebody else.

So I want to take this moment now. There's somebody that many of us listen to most mornings, and if you don't listen to you most mornings, if you're like me, you might change your ring tone. You might need a little gospel song to get you ready. She has a radio show called Get Up with Erica, and she is a legendary gospel singer.

We're bringing Erica Campbell to the stage to join us.

Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Testing one two, testing one two.

Okay, we're good.

Hey, Welcome home America.

Thank you, welcome home.

I'm glad to be here.

Thanks for being with us.

Absolutely honored, Absolutely honored.

I want to have this.

We do family talk a lot on our podcast, and there was something I haven't even talked to y'all about this yet.

I was crying about this, I know.

So there's a gospel artist named La Craye who I adore, and he recently had I just heard some grown so y'all might have cried too. So he recently had a conversation with a Republican and a Democrat on his podcast, and they were talking about the choices in this selection, which I really don't believe there are any, but they were talking about the choices. The Republican gentlemen focused more on economic issues as we were used to, despite probably

But I'm about to do what I hate.

He talked about the other side championing killing the unborn, and I think that we really have to have an honest conversation with our folks about what really is on the line and what we're talking about, because that hyperbolic rhetoric is so dangerous right now. So I want to come to you, Erica about how you're threading that needle. I know you've been working hard for the Harris campaign.

You're really laying it all online.

Can you weigh in here and what you think we can do to really make sure church folks understand that this is still a very clear contrast.

I understand at the core of what abortion is people calling it murder.

Okay, I get that, But.

If Jesus was here, what would he say to a woman who had to choose? He wouldn't tell her what to choose. The Bible says I've placed before you life and death. So it is your choice. So if God lets me choose, how dare a government tell me what I can do with my body even.

If I'm doing the wrong thing.

So some people do choose to do the wrong thing, they'll stand before God, not their government. And I think that it is our job to remember that the government is not my pastor. And if you got faith, no matter what the economic strategy is, God still supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory. Some are already operating on a different level. So I don't feel like even excluding somebody from the LGBTQ community if we just honest about it.

And I know I'm gonna get in trouble for this.

They already go to our churches, they already sing, they're already here, So what is it that you're really talking about?

Right?

And so I just think that it is very hypocritical because in my mind, when you think of when Jesus was here, who was it that was.

Bashing him the most?

The religious we're better. You're supposed to be followed this law, followed, this rule. This says that you're religious. So if you have this unrealistic list of what it means to be a Christian, and you say we are the party of Christians. How dare you imply that somebody that doesn't agree with you is lacking faith. I just think it's absurd, and I just think if God lets me choose, even if I choose the wrong thing, it's still my choice and not yours.

Thank you, miss Erica for taking time being with us. May I want to circle back around on this expectations game because you mentioned some of the flooding of the poll I don't know if you all had read about the fact that a lot of these outlying Republican polling firms have been dumping their polls into the mix here at the last minute as a way to affect the polling averages. So when you have national polling averages, it's

Because hope requires courage, and people like to be a part of winning things. And you know, when you're in the home stretch and you feel something that's real, you've been in real campaigns, it energizes.

It's a force multiplier.

But if you're down, if you're concerned, if you're worried, you're less active to go be the best version of yourself. So that's why whenever I go, Ryan and Out are together. The other night, I opened by saying we were gonna win, and you can feel the room change just hearing. It's a force multiplier. And so I think that going into the last twelve days, all of you all have been around. The Vice president knows she feels amazing. And these people

Georgia and we know how to vote.

Raphael Warnock won three elections in a row for the United States Senate, and the Jewish gentleman named John Arsoff is the other United States Senator. So they can talk that talk to us but we know what we're doing. So I think and the reason I'm here today is to focus on the execution because it's that.

Small margin, and to let people know.

When we walking around barbershops, some beauty Pauls tell her we're gonna win and take people on. And when people talk crazy, talk crazy back, because you know they're folks that aren't watching this podcast.

You know.

I'm in the barber shop the other day. The guy's talking about Trump on the economy. I'm like, my guy, there're more black people working to day that have ever worked in the history of the United States of America. My guy, black wealth is being increasing. My god, there's a black woman on the Supreme Court. My guy, who are you talking?

What did Trump do? It changes the room.

And I'm not on the bandwagon a bashing black men, but I am on the bandwagon are telling black.

Men we own sisters. Stop it. You don't even need to get deep. We own sisters.

The President Obama, the President Obama ran black women, wasn't talking about even.

So let's not have a sophisticated conversation. I got a mama, I got a daughter.

I know what a black woman being president of the United States is gonna do to my daughter's brain. And you talking about Trump ain't for you, and so I think it's on us Andrew, my brother mayor right to be out here at it. We ain't got nothing more important than this. Over the next twelve days, I don't care who you are. This country's gonna be changed in

Over with, y'all won't have to worry about voting anymore.

Right, Come on now, So Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, Mech's going home.

Yeah, yeah, for real, Right, he.

Did his time.

I'm for all of the talk. When they marched Kwame kill Patrick out of when Trump free Kwame kill Patrick. He was trying to do what trying to influence an election, So for all, I'm with all of the process.

So that's what I came here to be, you know, I'm for it.

I got three more of these today.

Thank you for your service, mister Mayor. Tim.

I just wanted to pick up on what you said because I appreciate your words that black men old sisters, but I just want to say, brothers, you owe yourself. You owe yourself because black women, when we win, y'all win.

We are one.

They can't deny us in her policies. She had a whole policy roll out just for y'all. You ain't doing us a favor by voting for her. We are locked arms as a community. There is no other community on this earth like black folks. When they try to divide us and talk about how violent we are, all these things ain't no. You dropped me in any neighbor. I can go to all y'all's house with Thanksgiving and I

Ask you all before you before you head out what your most.

Significant issue was. If you had the privilege to be a single issue voter in this election, what would be your most important issue.

We talk a lot about small business here, and there's some real important reasons why. Right, ninety six percent of our businesses don't employ anybody. Forty five percent of black folks in Atlanta have delinquent debt. And I got in trouble for saying this a couple months ago, but it's the truth. If you think about it, right, this is spell Houses homecoming weekend, and it's an important occasion. Shout out y'all.

The didn't let me.

But when you think about it, no matter where you graduate, right PWR or HBCU, unfortunately you were probably going to work at a PWI. And that's because too many of our businesses don't employ anybody. Right, So the research is very clear. Right, if we were to get more businesses in our community to a place where they were employing more people in our community, that that is and to expand the pie moment, that's good for everybody. So that's what we're talking about in this election. We've got to

I love y'all.

I'm actually about to go talk about the same thing in North Carolina. So if you know anybody in Durham tonight, tell them that we're doing what we're called Economic Freedom Talks, and we're having this discussion talking about what's on the table, but come back and see to GGS. I appreciate y'all, y'all, thank.

You, mister Mayor.

I'm gonna come to you because I got a two parter for you, Erica before you go to this conference.

Yes, mineus. I like living in the democracy.

I like being able to vote, and going to Tiffany's point, the fact of the matter is, just when we about to be able to run stuff, they want to change democracy. So as the country moves towards being where no one has a majority, right, we want to change the game. So I'm voting for a democracy fairer is harder. The more rights people have, the harder it is. And they're offering a Hitler based alternative.

Thanks, So that's mine. I like democracy, I like being able to vote.

I love that.

I would say education, I would say, why aren't we teaching taxes in high school? Why aren't we talking about economics and you know, while we teach government and the different branches, and they don't even teach that anymore. They don't write in cursive anymore. Like there's so many things that they don't teach that would equip them to.

Be prepared for what is to come.

Why aren't we teaching them empathy and compassion and different things like that in our education system which is so broken. I went to public school, so I get it, and my kids are even in public school. With all that I do, and so when I see things, I say things. So I would be voting for education.

So the last question I every year, and I know you guys have to run off. I just have been watching the souls to the polls efforts. Yes, I've been watching faith leaders fight. We just talked about one of the discussions that's not most recently. I would love for you to issue just a call to action for believers at home and for those in the audience to that. I think all these folks are going to vote, have

Yes, yes, I stay behind you.

I would say, if you have a church and your church is in a community and that community is struggling, you need to vote. If your parishioners are struggling financially, you need to vote. If you're seniors in your church are struggling with social security and don't have what they need.

You need to vote.

So you need faith, but you also need to take that faith and put in an action outside the church. You don't become a believer to just sit in the building you come in to. You become a believer to go out to the world to teach people, to help people, encourage people. And so that's why believers should vote. Take your faith, feel self to the polls and vote.

Can I ask real quick that one quick question before the mayor leaves. I think there is a growing concern out there in the country, especially among black folks, that when Vice President becomes President elect Harris, how insufferable will Howard alumni be across the.

Oh my god, you already know, you already know.

I mean, you won't be able to go nowhere without here. You know, you know it's gonna be terrible. We'll discuss this good.

All over the catcher.

You will take y'all being insufferable for our freedom while we are thank you much to see read into Erica Campbell having wonderful conferences.

Everybody, welcome y'all.

Okay, while we're transitioning, we have our next panelists coming up from the A. C.

O U.

I want to just remind you all that you are welcome to come to this center mic to raise any question or comment to the audience, so feel free, or to our panelists into each other to the audience, so feel free to come up. When you do come up, make sure that you say your name and where you're from in true n LP fashion. Joining us now is Andrea Young, who is the executive director of a c o U in Georgia. She is doing some tremendous work

Listen, oh, listen to all that.

If everybody's excited about that, I love it.

And I hate to say about another Howard, So yes, the Howard people.

To say nothing to you.

Here, right, Howard is here, So yes. And and that was our you know, one of our mayors. You know, we've had black men for a long time in the city. That's kind of how we roll so and all about empowerment and as he said, democracy, because democracy is how we got here.

Yes, No, I was just gonna say Speter. First of all, thank for the work that you do. I'm a monthly member contributor.

Thank you so much, of course.

But you all, we've been saying for a long time the most important election, the most important election. I gotta imagine that when we're faced with the potential of a fascist on the other side, that for the ACLUES, this has really.

Got to be.

You know, we're at a death con you know, death Con five at this point, and you.

Know, just to say we are meeting NonStop and preparing.

We have all the legal papers ready.

You know, we saw you know, what happens in twenty twenty, and you know we are prepared and we're working, you know, in advance. I mean here in Georgia and in every battleground state, the ACLU is working to make sure people can vote unhindered. You know, that they don't change the in the middle of the game, and that afterwards the votes get counted, they get certified, they get sent up to Washington, you know, to to be for the Electoral College.

We love that and I would just ask for the ACOU what would you all what do you fear most in the changing of our democracy should there be a Trump two point zero.

Well, you know, I came to Georgia during segregation, so you know, I don't have to imagine I remember, you know, because really, you know, Langston Hughes said Jim Crow is a fascist regime, right, so we know and our grandparents know, you know what, you know what this could look like.

And you know, the ASILU.

Was very involved in stopping the family separation policy. You know, so people who will do that, we don't know how low they can go.

I want to ask you.

You all have been instrumental in the state election board's recent hand counting rule, and you all are fighting the good fight, whether we know it or not. I would love for you to talk a little bit about that. We talked about it on our podcast as well. Thank you to hear from someone on the front lines. I think is really really important to our listeners.

Yeah.

So, you know, the ACLU is working on the right to vote twenty four to seven, three hundred and sixty five days. We don't just do it in election years. So we've been monitoring the election boards every month when they meet. We have volunteers that go we monitor the state election Board. We go in the legislature to try to keep them from changing the rules. So they change the rules to make the state Election Board essentially a MAGA,

And so the.

Rules that were in place during the primary will pretty much be the rules under which we are operating this election. But it takes relentless, relentless effort to you know, as the church folks say, the devil is busy, and so it takes a relentless effort to to to keep access to the to the ballot. So at the a c l U, we believe voting should be easy for for everyone and and you know, everyone votes and you accept the result.

That's democracy.

Now that Georgia only fifty two percent of Georgia voters self identify us white. So, as Mary Reid said, you know now that you see, you know, this real opportunity for you know, we've already elected you know, Senator Warnock, Senator Astov statewide that are folks who are pro choice, pro democracy, interested in criminal legal reform, uh, you know, interested in you know, access to capital for you know,

Let's keep this going. And and politics.

Is how you and voting is how you make the folks who make decisions be responsive to your priorities.

I want to.

Ask some some local issues here. I really appreciate the point you made about Atlanta having black mayors. Atlanta always has a black mayor, and it's been shaky a few times a few elections. But my mother worked for Bill Campbell. My grandmother grew up not far from here. I went to elementary school, middle school, high school here, So this city means a lot. I haven't lived here in over twenty five years. When I left, it was not the

So I think, you know, one of the things I look at is in the in terms of the agency of the black community is what Manor Jackson's grandfather called the book, the ballot and the book. Right, So we have the education, you use your political power, and you use that for economic power.

And while you know, as they.

Said, we're not where we need to be, and of course all of this has been taking place. You're working against a state, you know, that doesn't believe in even medicaid expansion. You're working against the federal government that has withdrawn resources for housing. You know, there's no such thing as welfare, the kinds of things that used to sustain people and allow them to move up. So we're working against you know, some very difficult national and state trends.

Right, you know, one of the things that we address at the top is the inks that some folks are feeling about this election. You're doing the work that would hopefully prevent us as a collective from experiencing that type of inks. What can this audience do? And you all are still welcome to ask questions. I am very surprised because normally NLP fan be all up into mic and in the camera. So please ask questions with this genius

Well, as Andrew said, we do we we do take individual donations and you know, our monthly supporters, and it's actually because we are supported by individuals, not by big mega We don't get corporate government, which means we are independent and we work for the people. And you know we will you know, we will persist, but people have to vote right, we and we have to talk people

What the realities are.

And there is a lot of disinformation, a lot of very intentional we know we've heard that you know, Russia, China and Iran are all trying to throw this to Donald Trump. Why is that? You know, we are the example of a multi racial, multicultural democracy. There's so much more that we can do and we're not you know, as we said, let's you know, we have you know, understand so really talking to people, meeting with them where they are asking them what is really important to them.

Uh?

And of course, you know, reproductive rights understand that that when they when they.

Struck down Roe v.

Wade, they didn't just say you can't have an abortion. They also struck down the law that says the government can't sterilize you.

Right.

And so this thing of reproductive choice and freedom goes both ways. Right, if the government can tell you that you have to continue your pregnancy, they can tell you that you can't have a pregnancy. And we know that this has happened to Black women in the past.

You know, So.

This this thing when we talk about reproductive justice. You know, Black women disproportionately die from maternal uh. You know, maternal health. Infant mortality is still was too high in our community before Roe v. Way.

Now that they've struck down Road v.

Way, they are undermining the ability of women to get reproductive health care. We see maternal mortality and infant mortality going up in you know in you know this very not because the ability isn't there to save people's lives, but because the government is saying and tying the hands of physicians when they are trying to deliver health care.

You have a question. Yes, yes, Brandon Carter.

I live here in Atlanta, and my question is a lot of people feel that Trump's presidency was retribution for Obama's election twenty twenty.

We know January sixth.

Was retribution for Biden's and then all of the court of all of the laws that were passed was because of that.

Do you feel that there's going to be a retribution win? Harris wins.

Now if we keep voting, you know, I mean people, you know, there was a big outpouring. People came out and voted for Obama, and you have to keep it going.

So we talk.

We also at the ACLU have a saying called Hope, Vote Advocate.

You know, voting is the beginning.

You then have to advocate, you know, for the things that you want your elected officials to do, and we have to keep voting. I think Spelman has a thing about for donations, like every woman every year like don't.

Just give on your you know, your alumni year.

And it's the same thing we have to vote every year. We can't just vote every four years. We didn't we even with Obama, he didn't keep the Congress that he needed to let him continue his agenda.

So we we are.

I mean, the only reason this is even a discussion is because we have the electoral college, which is rooted in you know, the defensive slavery. But if you look at the popular vote, you know Hillary won the popular vote, right, and so based on the popular vote, George Bush shouldn't have been president and Trump shouldn't have been president if we had a system where the popular vote winner was one.

So yes. So the thing is is that we just have to keep at it.

There will always be pushback, but the but I think the people who believe in a fair and just and multiracial America, I believe are the majority. But we have to believe it and we have to keep voting like it.

Thank you so much for you. I think there will be retribution. I get your point about keep voting and political retribution, but I am fully raised for political violence in this country. When President Kamala Harris wins, I think we've already seen evidence of that, and as black folks, we already know how violent white people can be when they don't get their way, So I'm very raceed for what will come next.

I also think there'll be political policy retribution. I think the Senate is probably going to go Republican. They already stole the Supreme Court seat from Obama a year out from the election, yet they gave one four or three to Trump and one within weeks a few months of the election. I think they're going to be poised to prevent her from moving her agenda on day zero. The people who we are in bed with for the purposes of getting her elected, these former Trumpers who are now

But you know, Beyonce is going to Texas now, Colin already is.

You know, uh.

In Florida, the you know, abortion issue is on the ballot. That has always brought out, you know, voters who believe in in freedom. So you know, I, uh, you know, I'm an optimist till they till they capt the votes.

Hear that, and we have another question, and tell us your name and where you're from, sir.

Afternoon, Welcome home, y'all.

My name is Earl West.

I'm from Seattle, Washington, twelve six.

Garfield class of eighty four, same as your brother.

Same as my brother and my daddy, my brothers. Have you talked to him, I haven't talked to him.

I have talked to him.

I was with your father at our one hundred year reunion up in Seattle, so I do have a picture of that. But my comment in question, my comment will probably will lead to a question.

But uh, just the other day I was over at.

A black owned boutique and in line talking to some brothers the importance of voting, and one of them was a libertarian, which was confusing to me because you had a black owned boutique.

Ironic.

But it's more of information and how information is being gathered and distributed and where we can find it information because I'm having to combat the information out there just by talking to some of the brothers, because I don't believe that the black man thing is real because I have moms, sisters, aunts and every nephew's nieces. So I have to vote as a as the poet and lyricists and UH sports expert once said, we vote based on

I love for you to answer.

You know, our website a c l uga dot org has all the information about you know, links to where.

To vote, how to vote.

You know, we have talking you know, different issue on points, but particularly right now, it's just the you know, getting the getting the where to go. And I appreciate your point about harm reduction because you know, we do a lot of that right now. And uh, and it's real, right, it makes a difference.

And why don't I see like.

The comments that JD Van said about Trump on the air twenty four seven? You know, I mean, there are some things that I think we should be saying and seeing that though Republicans have said about this guy, and.

Why don't we see these things twenty four seven?

It just baffles.

Me, you know, I'm gonna tell you, Leonard and I did CNN last night, and yeah, they ended up going viral, and part of it was honestly a continuation of the conversation we had on our podcast. We talked about fascism and if Andrew, of course, you've already mentioned today that Jim Crow is a form of fascism, and so one of the things that I brought up was I remember being on air, and this is getting to to your point, being on air, and I said that Donald Trump was racist.

He was like, well, what are you basing that on?

I'm like his history, So I started running things down. But it was a very tense moment on air, not just with Anderson, but with the whole panel, because oh, you can't say that, I dare say that, Yes I can.

Here are all the facts.

So I brought up the point that when Kamala Harris was asked at the town hall if she thought Donald Trump was a fascist, not is he a fascist, but if she thought he was a fascist, it got so so much more press attention than the fact that her chief of staff, the former Department of Homeland Security secretary, said that he is a fascist and defined the terms.

So that is one of the things that we should be saying.

I also want to acknowledge we are saying in a lot and that's why we did our podcast the way we did. We went through and defined what fascism is, examples of fascism. These guys go overseas a lot more than me and their commentary. I stay domestic as much as I can. It's enough going on over here. But they are brilliant at this. They talk about the ways in which we've seen fascism historically and through other parts

It absolutely can so well.

I want to say about the news urn because I think that's a significant thing. You know, that's my constant beef the cable news. Y'all have seen like they have centered a shrinking demographic. They center the interest and comfort of conservative white folks. They have no interests in centering us, and that's why we've seen their numbers continue to decline over the years, and media has become more democratized so

So just two quick things. One on Partifany's point on the media.

One of the strategies with fashion in its earliest stages is the assassination of facts so that no one becomes the arbiter of what is true in what is false. And now you don't have a source that we can call a main source, because everybody's a main source.

The stuff you.

Get on your feed, the stuff through social media, somebody's snapchat video to you becomes a primary source. So the assault on facts is number one. And who introduced that in large form, Donald Trump, when they began with alternative facts.

Oh, that's just another way to see it.

And we adopted that there are now alternative facts as a legitimate form of describing another set of facts not true fascism.

And then to the point of when we speak.

About Iran and Russia foreign actor's intrusion in our elections, it's not that they're sending missiles and bombs and folks into our country. They're taking what exists in our country as natural rifts between communities, between a people's and then they are exploding those rifks and what push notifications you get what information, what shows up as as whatever in your Instagram and you're like, I ain't followed this person, but they're still showing up in your in your fees.

Absolutely, I want to give you the opportunity to any partnering words. I know you have to go and we're bringing up our next panel, but before you do, yeah, I just.

Went, well, thank you for doing this. I'm you know, I.

You can't say enough about how important this election is. And one of the things, you know, one of the things we do, of course, is defend the right to free speech and the right to protest, and so understand that we can disagree with the president Harris, you won't be able to disagree with the President Trump. And he's already promised to send the military, to send the National Guard after people who don't agree with him and support him.

That are on the ballot right now, because voting is.

Happening in Georgia, North Carolina right now. So please participate and take five friends.

From Aco you.

We are so grateful for your partnership and for being here today.

Thank you so much, thank you.

Thank you.

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.

We now have the opportunity to welcome to the stage some additional women champions and queens joining us from the UH from from Georgia. She is a Democratic Member of Congress and a CBC member, so she's CBC fan. This is Congresswoman to Kima Williams. We also have someone who's becoming a legend before our eyes, fighting the good fight to ensure access to capital and equity for businesses and business owners who look like us, as Arian Simone from the Fearless Fund.

She got some fans in here and certainly not look at them and.

You're look at this.

I knew it, no problem. We love y'all. Y'all got to set down now.

We also have joining us our good friend and sister Kimberlee Blackwell, who runs a Marsham marketing company PMM agency and is a business strategist extraordinaire dimples. Hello everybody, Hello, thank you all for joining us.

Nikim, I want to start with you.

You sit on financial services, you are dealing with kitchen table issues every day, and Committee. I know that we did a round table with you with Arian. I want you to talk about the fight that we're up against, particularly if Democrats don't take over the house. What does it look like for people who are just trying to make ends meet, who are trying to access capital, who think DEEI doesn't mean didn't earn it, but actually means diversity, equity and inclusion are abundantly important.

Absolutely well, hellover one and welcome to Georgia's fighting fifth Congressional District. I am Congresswoman Nikima william and so happy to be here having this conversation with people that I've been in this fight with and it is still ongoing.

Y'all.

So, as a member of the House Financial Services Committee, y'all, I've been in Congress for two years, well, two sessions, two terms, and my first year in Congress, I was appointed to the very powerful House Financial Services Committee, and one of my subcommittees was the Subcommittee.

On Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

And I served on that committee for two years under the leadership of my chairwoman, Joyce Baty, and then, y'all, I got re elected to my second term in Congress and Democrats were no longer in control. And the first thing that they did in our organizational meeting is.

They got rid of the entire subcommittee.

So there is no longer a subcommittee on diversity equity inclusion in the House Financial Services Committee. And we looked at our chairman and we asked, well, what was this about, and he said, well, we're going to include it in everything that we do. But we all know that means it is not going to be included in nothing. And

What's at stake.

So when we talk about our freedoms being on the ballot, it includes our economic freedom. It includes our ability to build that general racial wealth so that we can close the racial wealth gap that is so persistent in this country, even here in Atlanta, where we are the mecca for black people coming to build wealth. I moved here from rural Alabama. Shout out to my HBC utility of college. Moved here after college looking for the opportunity that I

But we know that in eleven.

Days we have options on the ballot. We have work to do to make sure that we are victorious.

And when I.

Show up to the polls, because I haven't banked my vote yet, but I have a plan. So when I show up and cast my vote, my vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for our future, a vote for our economic freedom. Because when we're disbanding committees like DEI in the House Financial Services Committee, it is quite telling where the Republicans in this country are and what they think about us being able to close that racial wealth gap and build generational wealth within our communities.

Thank you for that, congress Woman, and we're extremely proud of you. Another person we were proud of is Arian, the rattling community all over but I think all over the country we've born witness to your fight. And I say your fight, but I know it's your fight on.

Behalf of all of us. Right. We hope to see you in Detroit last week. What up?

Though?

We were there and your.

Home is every Can y'all leave the mic sign because this is a very interacting podcast. Let's leave the mic sign.

You guys are going to every city I've lived in. Yes, my hometown Detroit, my home here and fam.

You the real home.

Yes, he's not biased, but.

Arian, I want you to talk about a lot of us that follow the ebbs and flows of this fight. I'd love for you to give this audience and our listenership an update on where we are as relationship protecting women's accesship.

I'm Marian Simone.

I'm CEO of the Fearless Fund, where the nation's first venture capital fund that's built by women of color for women of color. And literally we had opposition way before a lawsuit. So I want people to understand that when people see that this lawsuit is over, they're like, oh, she can breathe. Yeah, to an extent. To an extent, the opposition still exists. Women of color are the most founded entrepreneur demographic, just the least funded, receiving only zero

Way before a court case.

Right now, our case is permanently dismissed. Thank god, that's a collap.

Thank you, Lord said.

Thank you Lord, because she was in plenty of meetings with us and plenty of the late nights strategizing. So literally, even as soon as this week, we've been dealing with people trying to shut our fun down conversations Angela, I have you have to even inform you of this is still a situation just because you don't see it in a lawsuit. The enemies of equity and equality are real, and they have a problem with us running this business. Prior to the Fearless Fund existing, a black woman's average

This is more of a policy issue.

That's what it is at its core, which is why I was so excited when.

Kind of Swimming Williams was on the panel. I said, wait a minute.

I showed him out to do list. I said, at the top of it was, I said, you're on my call is today.

I said, we'll chat right after this.

But really it's because that's what it is. It's a policy issue.

There was a time, as we all know, when slavery was legal, you know, but that doesn't mean it's right. So we have to fix some of our policies in order to protect marginalized communities so that everybody can achieve the American dream er.

I just want to pick up on something that you said, because I think it's so important to understand those numbers when it comes to when you have a business idea and you go to get funded. There was research that came out, I think twenty eighteen on rate my VC. So you talked about the numbers of who is on

And I'll think one second, and I know we got to get to Kim, but I want people to understand how this industry actually works. So the largest investor in private equity and venture capital the industry I work in, are pension funds. I work in a sixty two trillion dollar industry. So on the ground floor you have pension funds.

You say that number again, sixty two trillion dollars, trillion trilli, not billions trillions.

So on the ground floor you have these pension funds that are the largest investors. You're talking teachers, you're talking firefighters, you're talking police officers, ground floor right here. Then that money goes up to the sixty two trillion dollar industry

You know.

Kim. I love that arian You said that it is a public policy issue, and it is.

But one of the things that we know is that public policy doesn't change without pressure. So I love that you're up here, Kim, in part because of your own role on boards. The important role that boards played. That is also politics, right y'all are voting members of an entity that control how dollars are spent for a corporation.

Okay, so one, thank you all for having me. I will tell you that in the same way that we have public policy, there's governance. As Angela mentioned in the cor in Corporate America and the Private Spector. I'm a twenty five year old year young founder founded my business right out of college scaled it to a multimillion dollar enterprise, Thank you Jesus. But what that being said, some of

Of this becomes strategic.

Sometimes we are a little bit lost in the tactics of things and we need to stay at the macro. But with Angela's comment, we have to have seats at the table. And after George Floyd, you did see a spike and increase by way of representation of many on boards whether it was women, black Latino, and I want to say this to our Latino brothers and sisters too. You know, you talk about where and how we are

Them in the leadership seats.

So you know, we have to look at this as a collective force and get out of the game of marginalizing all these different verticals and understand that the power is really in the collaboration and making sure that the representation and the accounta But because you can't go in there scared, see you and those folks who on me and I operate from a spirit of humility, but I also understand where and how when I'm in the room and at the table, operate from the side of making

I don't have to lead.

They can see that I'm a black woman, but we need to discuss in the sense of business and what is right and be able to show that as business leaders, and that's how we begin and continue to move the needle.

I appreciate you bringing up the Latino community Kim, because we have had this discussion on our podcast routinely what we see happening in some communities across the country. I hate to see any of us use the white man's the oppressor's tools or language. This country has not been kind to any community of color. In twenty forty four, there will be no racial majority, so we can win together or we could lose divided. And I think we have to acknowledge that one we talk about this as well.

We have to get through this guy into it.

But come on, come on up.

The only other thing I wanted to add because I think as we look at the segmentation and I'm wearing this sweatshirt today that represents all of the black female leaders as it relates to Fortune one hundred CEOs and they sit and lead as directors of some of the largest global brands that we know. It's also understanding too, let's not leave out white women. And I say that because we haven't really talked about that as much.

No, they laughing as this there's a podcast.

You haven't been interrupted yet. I'm impressed. Well, you said, you.

Know, we have to look at and she used the word ally. In my world, and especially in the space of business, I'm looking for accomplice, you know, because to me,

We better find them commonalities.

After they find this chastising real quick, let me come here for this question, all right, So then yeah, just say your name and where you're from. And then y'all we are over time on this panel.

We love y'all. We're gonna keep talking about this, but I do want to come here.

How y'all doing.

My name is Mario Raised, originally from the Bronx New York, calling Atlanta home in.

New York's everywhere home to Atlanta.

Thank you.

I actually sit really knee deep in the trenches in Atlanta. When it comes to black men, I'm a board member here at TGS, I'm a board member with on Google, I'm a board member with black Man Lab, and I see about one thousand men faces weekly.

And one of the.

Things that has come up time and time again, so I'm gonna respectfully disagree with you brother that you guys have to fight very hard for the black male vote and it's because they feel betrayed by the Democratic Party. They don't feel like they represent them. And I also feel like this they've been taking for granted. So how can I, sitting in front of them, combat a lot of the misinformation that they've been fed time and time again. And just a follow up comment, I am Afro Latino.

And I'm often combatd with that.

Furthermore, especially obviously black women, notwithstanding a lot of women in the Caucasian and Latino community are scared and don't believe America is ready for a female president.

And I look at that kind of as cutting your nose.

Off despite your face, right, And I guess my biggest question first is how do I come back to misinformation? Is there just a simple website where I could.

See Well, I want to ask you, because you said black men feel betrayed by the Democratic Party. I want to be clear. We are not mouthpieces for the Democratic understand, but I am.

A sure woman of our state Democratic woman to ever hold this position.

And I hired the first black man to ever be the executive director of our state Democratic Party. And Kevin raise your hand, Kevin is here with us today.

Are not overlooked on our watch.

I am married to a black man, I'm raising my nine year old son to be a black man, and this is something we're in this together. I hear it all the time, and my pushback is, we're showing up to do the work, and it shows in the work that we're doing, not just the word of mouth that you'll hear in an election cycle. And I hear you, Angela, We're over time, and so I would love to connect you with Kevin so that we can get you those resources.

Said something really specific that I want to touch on. You said, you show up and a lot of times, these great handles show up behind the gate, so people can't afford the gathering spots, so they're not privy to this conversation.

And Ryan opened it up for everyone.

So shut up to Washington Park on two days ago with the community for a barbecue and ballacy that with that the story not showing up here at the gathering spot, I mean open events for the community.

I represent this community. I live in Southwest.

Atlanta, and every day I am leading into in this community for the people that I serve.

And I know that I cannot do this alone. It takes whole communities and.

That includes this is such a big disconnect, and I would like to say I would like to offer myself to help men that thank you.

I shouldn't do black men feel because I think this is such an important point you're making. I want to hear what do black men feel that they've been left out of or disrespected.

By, but from the Democratic Party. I want to hear everything about, you know, financial progress, the way that the nuclear family is now propagated by because they feel this LGBTQ agenda that's being hijacked by the Democratic Party. These are conversations that I've heard seriously, and a lot of times black men say.

What I've heard also is that they will hold their vote.

In protest, which obviously, again is cutting your nose despite your face. So I want to be out here as a mouthpiece to help bridge these gaps in communication and misinformation.

So that's just the first of all.

Everything you said, it resonates.

And the resident black man on the stage.

We're not a monolith and we shouldn't be fighting a battle against what one person's experiences versus your own. And that extends to you, which is, uh, you're not every black man. Uh uh bronx bodiqua is what you said. But I know this much, there's not the gentleman that you're coming into contact with aren't lying about what they feel their experiences with the Democratic Party.

They're speaking it as they have experienced it.

And the truth is is that until Kamala Harris, I've never seen a president of the United States or candidate put out an agenda specifically for black men. Never ever within the Democratic Party, it's been a third rail by and large that the campaigns and candidates haven't gone to put black men first. In to name it, my philosophy with when you don't call something a thing, it ain't a thing.

It is. How I tell you, one of my kids are at the pool.

If everybody's watching, ain't nobody watching, which means I have to name it.

I'm watching my three children as they play. So what I would say is that, yeah, we have problems within the Democratic Party.

Yes there are champions who are trying to change that, but Kamala Harris, as a candidate standalone right now for president, has prioritized us and she's done it over the black man president.

And I say that with.

Respect of Barack Obama, because when he was asked what's the black agenda, he said, my agenda for America is the black agenda. And guess what there's an a black person I know that didn't benefit from health care when he changes.

So in some ways he's right.

But also in some ways the third rail wouldn't allow him to call out Look at what he said, what about Skip Gates coming in contact, He had to have a bear summit.

It still came up on the short end of that.

Look at what happened with Donald Trump, what he called him out is not an American, he's Birtherism and all that shit. It broke my heart when the President of the United States, at least his public birth certificate.

Broke my heart.

It still does when I think about it. Right, So, but the point is that we are making progress. We're in We're not the perfect, but we are in the pursuit of the better, in pursuit of the perfect. Kamala Harris is not the person we are to take our angst out on. She actually is in alignment with what it is that we believe ought to be the case.

That's what white people have gifted us.

I agree with your whole heartedly.

And one of the things I've noticed that the squeaky wheels get the greased so they're the loudest. The those complaints are resound louder than the solutions and the actual policies. And a lot of times we speak in echo chambers. We speak to those that understand, that communicate on a certain level, versus the brothers that feel like because they can't understand and there is that disconnect, they automatically feel abandoned.

But that's why we're talking with you, because the attention is is that you may have access to rooms that they won't have, so that you can take information back that they otherwise won't get access to. And I'll just simply say, there isn't a There is not a single website you can go to and get all of the debunking.

It all depends on what the attack is.

That one.

It all depends on what the attack is. But I guarantee you.

You cancl you toe.

But sorry, Andrew, really quick, I wasn't talking about acl There's a gentleman.

I don't know where he went. His name is Evan. He oh, Evan, where do you mean, I've been telling you to come up in Evan. I texted you and said come up here, Evan. Evan talked to this. What's your name?

Brother, Mario?

Mario Evan is working on a Fullton County specific website that deals with misinformation and how to combat is can you Wave Evan?

He works for congress Woman macmeth as well.

But the reason why this is important, what happened with Nakima is important. What happened with Andrew and what he's saying is important. Nakima and Andrew have had to take on the party themselves. This isn't just like, let's be honest, because we can't. What we can't do is win them over with lies. What the honest truth is. Democratic Party got just as many racists in it as the Republican Party.

Now.

I submit to you that it's a hell of a lot easier to do it within the Democratic Party than to be having that fight with the Republican Party.

We gotta be well.

Things was much better under Jim Crow.

Okay, y'all know who I'm talking. Mom will leave me alone.

I'm not gonna hijack.

I appreciate your question. Thank you for that.

We gotta you, guys, We gotta really get to this. Yes, Evan talked to him, and come really quick, tell us about his website.

Okay, and then oh yeah, we'll go to your question as soon as you're gonna tell us about.

This because it was about this.

Yeah, informational quick, go ahead.

Oh hello everyone, Hello, wonderful panel. Apologies for being late. I kind of got lost in viewer mode. Love you, guys. I I am with Watch the Vote at L is a collaboration between the Black Cross founded by Gail Brooks and George the Georgia Institute of Technology for their specific school for People and Technology. So what we have been doing is we have created a system where We use both machine learning and humans to track all the social

So thank you, thank you, Welcome home, Welcome Home.

My favorite podcast is twenty twenty four.

I love you guys.

As a certified financial social worker, I appreciate all the great work that you ladies do. I want to talk about picking back a conversation before as a social worker. My name is Basilisa Moreno. I'm also a Bronx bodyco I live in Delaware. Now we talk about I had the unfortunate having conversations of.

Working explaining.

Severely mentally ill clients back in twenty eighteen when Donald Trump cut food stamps. But why don't we talk about that? Why don't we use the language in twenty twenty when his disastrous COVID response and say he's got blood on his hands, He's killed a million people, one of them being my mom, one of them being ten clients when I worked in New York City. Why don't we have

I was riding with bout it all the way.

Until election day and now the Harris, I'm still all the way. I still have the image in my hand as a Bronx bod Equa and him shooting fake ass free throws on the island, Like what the hell are you doing? We don't even have electricity having to call my family or try to reach my family. They don't even have electricity, and having like guys I went to high school with that are Hispanic and like voting for Trump high school friends who are black brothers that went

What are y'all doing?

Why don't we have these conversations? That's all I wanted to say, thank you, thank you, and.

Our condolences on the loss of your mother and our gratitude for the work that you continue to do.

So thank you for having those conversations, smartpactful.

From you ladies.

We gotta do a part two or this. We did not have enough time, and yeah, we talked me so much time. But thank you all so much. We're gonna getting your sister just in one moment. Thank you all so much.

We are gonna bring up now if we can't give a round of applause. First to the Keema, Thank you, Arian, thank you for your work.

Queens.

We got a few more queens. They're joining us on the stage.

We have Alicia Garza, who is the founder of Black Futures Lab. We have Latasha Brown, co founder of Black Voters Matter, and Aaron Haynes, a podcast host called The Amendment and also as they hug and kiss and not walk up here, Aaron is also editor at Large of The Nineteenth.

They're gonna just say my time. I'm gonna take my time. Y'all want late.

Oh, they're gonna walk over here and also disrupt apartment last time, y'all come over here and hug.

Just stay till the end, Praise the Lord. Y'all gonna keep going.

Okay, all right, you know what's just ask your question because they're not even sitting down Jesus, Yes, ma'am, you're naming.

Where you're from.

Wait, wait, wait, before Albert Sanders, Albert Sanders is leaving. I just want to give a shout out to Albert Sanders. Real quick, Albert.

Sanders, we shouted you out on the podcast with Jibber Sanders. What are you doing to make sure that black people vote this selection? All the things he said, except and running out of the podcast. Okay, we'll still send us your notes my friends.

Okay, yes, ma'am, Okay, I was trying to lower this. I'm so sure it was a little tall for me, so you'll fix it. So my name is Littoria Whitehead. I'm originally from Jacksonville, Florida, but I've been here for a little over twenty years and I'm not a family rattler, but I'm a cau Clarkland University panther a long time. Oh okay, okay, So my question was actually for the

And I'm so happy to.

See all of you.

We definitely talk about it, Welcome home. We definitely talk about it, but it's not under the headline environmental justice. But with that hurricane coverage, that is environmental justice yesterday. There are over one hundred and thirty five million people in this country who mostly look like us, who do

Yeah, and that is the piece.

Yeah.

Yeah, we have three lovely guests who have joined us. Natasha, part of your work, you think about Black Voters Matter and how you all started Hurricane Katrina. And I think this goes hand in hand with what Tip was just bringing up. And tell me your name against sister Littoria, what Latoria was just addressing with environmental justice, talk to us about the important work that you all are doing

I just want to say, hey, y'all, we welcome to the Atlanta So two things I wanted to say really related to what you just the system on what you just shared.

One, well, let me let me let me do it backwards so we don't hear a lot about environmental justice.

Was started, Black Voters Battle was started.

It wasn't necessarily organization, but we did a lot of hurricane relief because ultimately, what is happening in the Guff coast is that the guff water. As the water is getting warmer and warmer, you're having more intensified storms. And so you're going to have a more frequency of storms and they're going more intensified. And I know my brother

It over and over and over and over again.

And one issue would be how they framed abortion. You would think that everybody in America get up every day thinking about, oh my god, what is about abortion?

Right now?

That's a real valid issue, right, but it is framed because it really was an artificial issue in terms of frame to actually take downv way, but it was also to listit a particular kind of emotional response from folks, right so that people make a divided line on this particular one issue. And I'm saying that because oftentimes the issues that we're hearing are not issues that you're hearing from the ground.

Or that people are really making their main issue.

I can talk to people on the ground right now for five minutes, and I can tell you they listen to. I can almost tell you what podcasts they listen to. I can tell you what network they listen to. I can tell you whether they read or not right.

And so part of.

It is because oftentimes what we're seeing as issues and what we're responding to, we're responding to because those there are folks who are planting particular kind of ideas and issues and priorities of ideas and issues. The black male thing right around, black men are going to have this exodus one. It's racist as hell. I'll tell you in terms of just the very foundation of that, and I'll

Oh there's black disillusionment.

Oh it must be because of Kamala Harris, And then that becomes the narrative, that is, and then it's becomes an analysis about black men and this this black I'm at the top of the ticket. If there was real genuine interest, you would really get to the bottom of an analysis of why black men are frustrated, right, and why it is valid for them to frustrat it. But you want to talk about d you want to talk

Running around saying that stop.

It, y'all, stop it, right, unless you're literally talking to people and really doing this work and getting down to it. Part of what we do a black vote is matter. Part of our work is really around listening. When we first started, for seven months, Cliff and I it was the only two we literally went to seven states and listen to folks. And so I'm saying that, and normally I hate to say it, but this is the truth. Normally, the first answer people give us.

Ain't never the real answer.

It's really not.

People would give you the quickest answer because we like to perceive.

As we're small and we thoughtful.

And so when we hear people on TV, when we see folks on the podcast where we read something, then if I give you I just heard over and over and over and over again that black men don't want to support this system. So I've heard that over and over again. I'm not really sat down and had an analysis or even really sat with that for a minute. So when you come to me and put a microphone

On, right, And so a lot of that.

There are poles, There are information that's literally being injected

Because now all of a sudden, you care about black men being.

Upset, and so that's the thing.

I want to go here for a moment, and at LEASTI I want to come to you because there's also another issue, the folks who dedicate their time and efforts and their own resources to ensure that black voices, Black voices are heard and black people are listening to to what LB was just saying, I think it's so important you founded Black Futures Lab to do just that. There was a black Did you guys hear about the Black census? Raise your hand if you heard about the Black Senses?

So this okay, so.

A lot of people in here, how many of y'all took the Black Senses don't lie. I'm gonna find out. I'm gonna look up your names on it. I'm just winning. I'm not gonna do that.

But I think that it's important to just pause here for a moment to acknowledge that when black people do things for black folks, to ensure that black voices are heard and that black people's needs are met on a policy level, we don't damn participate. Okay, Hello, lights, Alicia, can you just weigh in on this.

I think it's important that'sring me in. Wait, hold on?

Can her mic?

Can we please turn all these mics on? All right now? Please no hell because you can hear me.

Okay, all right, like hold it like this?

Okay, there you go that.

Sorry, y'all, I'm.

Gonna get real.

Eric being rock, Come on, hi, y'all get afternoon.

All right.

We can talk about the Black Census, we can talk about the Black Futures lab.

But I just want to.

Say thank you, Natasha, because I think there is both a conversation about what we need to be doing with each other to stay connected, to stay focused, and to stay unified. There's also a conversation about what onslaught we deal with every single day. And that misinformation disinformation stuff is a real thing and we all getting caught up in it. So I want to appreciate you for raising that, and I want to appreciate you for raising it and saying not what you're going to do about it, but

No, no, we literally we.

Have people out here saying that that was made up too. So I want to sit us inside of like a powerful vision for how we get free by having each other's back and staying connected. And that's really what the Black Futures Lab is about. I started that organization to be a political home for black people, to be a space where black folks can come, not have to know everything, not have to be you know, rocket scientists.

But be able to get in a place where.

You can get informed, where you can fight together for the things that we want and the things that we need on our terms, not created by somebody else's agenda for us. And the Black Census was our first project that was an opportunity for us to say, Okay, the Democratic Party is not going to speak for black folks.

We can speak for ourselves.

We reach two hundred and eleven thousand black folks with that Black Census. That's the largest survey of black people that's ever been done in this country's history. Let me say that again, that's ever been done in this country's history. But at two hundred and eleven thousand black people, can

We just asked, what do you care about?

How do you see these people, how are you relating to these people?

What are the issues that you care about?

And I can tell you we said a year ago the number one issue for black folks.

Is the economy.

We said this a year ago, we said it four years ago, and people like, what is the most important issue for black people?

Is it?

We We were like, no, it's the economy, second most important issue for black folks, gun violence, third most important issue for black folks. Housing, affordable, accessible, quality housing. Now, those aren't the sexy things that people like to talk about, but those are the things that we go to sleep thinking about every night, and those are the things that we wake up thinking about every day. And so then the question becomes, okay, well, now you've got that information,

Just one clinic with one doctor.

When we go and.

Try to access health care, right, we can't get it. Why Well, the governor in this state don't want to accept federal dollars so that the rest of us can have health care.

That's a real thing.

So we started this project in this organization to fight for us on our terms. We don't always have to be a part of the conversation that people shape. For us, always have to be inside of that comment. Do you like Kamala or do night like Kamala? That's not the conversation that people are having. The conversation people are having is why is gas so high? Why can't I get toilet paper at the supermarket? Why is there no supermarket in my neighborhood. So we got to stay in the right conversation.

We got to stay in.

The right story, and the Black Futures librially helps to try to do that.

Speaking of stories, you gotta go ahead.

No, I was a saying thank you, thank you.

I'm not doing a good job at it today. I'm like we over time, Aaron.

I want to come to you because Alicia brought up stories, just so you all know that the three down there and Tiff and I Andrew can be honorary since he got his Rattler shirt on, and we do claim our brothers. We do not disconnect from our brothers, but we represent half of the Machetes.

For those of whose listening a podcast, you heard.

About us Ganggang all day, Aaron, So I want to come to you. Speaking of stories, Aaron is one of the funniest writers in history, right, It's the best funny text and tweets and all the things. I can't wait till she go to Hollywood and breaks away from the nineteenth.

You should be a Hollywood writer. She really is that good.

So if she's unfiltered today, y'all might get some of it in her answered, Aaron, you're talking to Mike.

Why you whisper it?

I'm like, but are you reading the journalism?

No?

I mean yes, I'm hilarious, but I mean I got a newsletter, I got a podcast.

I'm not hearing these elections story.

When you were hugging. You didn't hear any of it, but I did say all of that in your intro. Man, So I want to come to you though, speaking of the stories.

I'm writing stories when I'm not cracking jokes. It's true.

Yes, she writes the stories, all the stories.

So can you tell me the headline that you envision writing the night of the election.

I can tell you the headline she would have.

Let me get to my question.

You see the headline that the headline that is in my mind that I cannot write on election day.

And this is regardless of who is y'all aint gonna believe this shit.

Either way.

Either way, it goes like that could.

Be a headline that someone could use. I don't know if it's going to show up somewhere. If it does, just know you heard it here first. No, but I mean.

That's actually a real thing.

Actually, that's where I'm at.

That's where I'm at.

Today's out people, That's where I'm at.

But no, I mean, look, I think.

I am reminded listening to both Alicia and Latasha. We have to listen to voters in this moment. I love elections,

Right.

We started our newsroom.

Four years ago, a week before the Iowa CAUCUSUS this is now our second presidential election, and listening to voters about the things that.

They care about.

Yes, we'll tell you that the economy is the top issue for people that we are centering, women, people of color, LGBTQ plus people, the disabled community, the caregiving community, listening to those people about the things that are affecting their daily lives.

And also, what do.

You mean when you say the economy is your number one issue? Because that looks different for different people. We have an economy, we have an environment and gender reporter. Why because we know that gender is I mean, people are disproportionately impacted by gender as it comes to the environment. Everybody's environment is not created equal, right, and your environment sucks in a lot of cases depending on where you live.

They care about.

People of color care about the people that are being impacted by climate change. And so that's what we mean we talk about. We can't talk about environmental justice for a building, right, we need to talk about what that means in terms of people. The reproductive rights issue that Alicia mentioned right like that is we are talking about reproductive rights is an economic issue. That is what we

Now, what does it mean when you have abortion?

Man?

People are flooding into other states, flooding into the er. Now are people who may or may not have insurance who need to show up at the r can't get in because they can't be seen because this abortion ban is sending people in droves to states where it's still safe to get care.

You don't know that kind of stuff.

You wouldn't know a lot of that stuff watching cable news right now, reading a lot of the stories in some legacy traditional mainstream outlets, because those people are not spending time with people on the ground, They're not hearing from people on the ground, and so that matters. And that is where the Nineteenth has remained focused in this election. And that is I mean, like, we just have to continue to talk about the issues. And that is beyond

You started.

You start off funny, So do you guys know where over time, so we really quickly.

Well come, well come, welcome, welcome, welcome.

Miss Lawrence, my good friend, Miss Lawrence is gonna ask a question, make a statement. But we have Quentin James, who is I'm here from the Collective Pack.

What are you telling me?

Oh?

John Taylor is here as well. John Taylor is joining us, right? Is that what's happening? Okay, ladies, I love you, we need lady love you.

We're out of here.

Okay.

Yeah.

When one of y'all say, we got two of them, two of them got to sit down up like, well all right, no, I.

Don't say y'all can say that then stage, I'll move to the neee he.

Said, don't leave, but you just got to get off the stage. Please. We love y'all. We need these shares for John Taylor, who is the co founder of Blackmail Initiative. Y'all, we have to be done in six minutes. What are you telling me? But yes, and Quentin, nobody is obedient. You can stay up here. Alicia says she's gonna stay right here. Okay, I love you says that is just fine. You are always welcome. They can they won Hi, John

If you haven't, oh, I'll be real quick.

My name is Quintin James.

I'm the co founder and president of the Collective Pack, also the Votes to Live Action Fund and Votes Live Foundation.

I got a resource for you all.

A lot of people are talking about who to vote for, why to vote and all that, and that's really important. I have a resource for you all. Please go to vote to Live dot org. We're providing free ride share vouchers folks to go and vote early round trip uber go go early between now and election day. That's what I'm here to say. All right, make your voice heard however you think you need to do, but show up

So is this specific to Georgia or is it.

It's in about ten states? But here in Georgia it's live now some states don't.

Can you say the ten? Just because yes?

Again votes live dot org. We are running this program in Florida, in Georgia and North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada and also Maryland. So any one of those states go to votes who live dot org you can get a free voucher to go and vote early between now and.

November fifth, John, you have are you're coming at this from a unique man. Of course, we just had Latasha Brown on the stage who also is involved in canvassing efforts getting out and talking to our folks. Please talk to the audience and to us a little bit about some of the tremendous canvassing efforts that you're engaged in.

Absolutely, good afternoon, everybody.

First of all, I'm John Taylor Black mel Initiative fun founder, co founder Black Men Bill number of networks that we do on ACRON around the country. In this moment, I have about six hundred and fifty canvas was on the ground right now. They've been kicking since July first. We knocked over one hundred and fourteen thousand doors for the primary, had over twenty two thousand conversations with voters in Georgia.

Not only do we care, but we're critical thinkers. The other thing, thank you.

Tasha, because I love Natasha Brown like fat folks love cake. It is one thing to drive a wedge into our community and say black men and black women have a problem with each other. It is another thing to tell the lie that we don't show up for each other. Latasha Brown been showing up since for brothers, since brother's been here. Black men care about black women. We support and respect the leadership of black women. We all came from a sister. We know what it means to be

Woman as president.

My grandmama been telling me what to do my whole life, and she ain't never told me wrong.

Black women have great knowledge and wisdom.

That is not the same as black men not trusting systemically the problems that we face.

In a country where it does not matter who's president, we die. It does not matter who elected. We go to jail.

It does not matter who gets elected or appointed to Congress. We still get arrested. No matter where I go, handcuffs follow me. Not because I'm a danger, a threat, a problem, aggressive, or any of those things. It's because the narrative is that somehow I'm a problem. So no matter how articulate, beautiful, powerful, intelligent we are, we find ourselves on the wrong side

Well, that's what y'all do to black men.

Not y'all in this room, but as a society structurally, black men have been the second largest progressive voting block since the inception of voting for us in this country. Yet somehow we're always the reason and the problem.

We don't win. It's not us.

So our message is there's nothing wrong with black men. As a matter of fact, there's everything right about us. And when we connect with sisters, there's everything great about us. And when we do the work that we do on the ground, not only will we break a million doors, but we will turn out. Because it's sixty seven percent strong approval from our data, it's another fifteen percent week to moderate approval.

If you do maths.

She broke eighty four y'all, less than five percent undecided.

Y'all, I'm not telling you.

About what some poster said. That's one hundred and ninety five thousand conversations you could take.

To the bank.

Thank you so much. Really quickly, we have a former Congressman Cedric Richmond here. Sedric, can you just join us really quickly. We're having this really important black men moment.

John, that was divine which you just shared. I just want to acknowledge that as well. Thank you so much for your work. Congressman Cedric Richmond for Congressman, also a White House senior advisor. Be careful, please don't slide off that stage.

That scared me.

He is a co chair of Kamala Harris's campaign, and I just wanted you to give us some closing words before we wrap up.

Is you ever mine?

First all, let me thank you all for what you do.

Good to see Andrew and Tiffany and Tiffany, But I was gonna say at some point I was gonna say something specific about Andrew because we were talking about brothers and knocking doors. I went down the campaign for Andrew because I believe in him and his leadership and what he has done. So thank you for everything in Tiffany and Angela, y'all are my bantering partners. We argue like sister and brother because we love each other like sister and brother. Let me just thank you all for what

Going to be close. But the struggle in the fight for us, it's what we've always done.

I will tell you don't get too excited or interested in polling because the first part of a poll is you have to predict who's going to show up. And they never predict we're going to show up. But when you see people in this room like this, you know we're going to show up. And I have since I've been running for office since nineteen ninety nine, I have one way of telling when we're gonna have turnout, high turnout.

And she's running against it.

Kids stuck in his terrible threes that just keeps making stuff up. I mean it is when I say climax and foolishness.

It's crazy.

This dude's on TV tumbo. I'm not going to tax overtime pay. But in Project twenty twenty five they said I'm gonna get rid of overtime. So you're actually right, you're not going to overtime paid because you're gonna get rid of it. He said, I have concepts of a plan, and all of a sudden, no matter what Kamala Harris does, they're just gonna keep moving the goalposts. But the truth of the matter is we're not trying to please the

Now we still have a long long way to go. And then the other question is what's in it for me?

Why bother?

And so when we talk about black males and we talk about black women, we owe them answering the question.

Why bother? And what's in it for me it is.

There's nothing wrong with challenging your elected officials in saying, what's in it for me, what's in it for my common unity, what's.

In it for my family?

And so that's what you heard from black men, and rightfully so they should ask, and rightfully so we produced an agenda to answer their question because they deserve the respect of knowing. And so in closing, that's why I think it's gonna be a close race, but I think we're gonna win, and in fact, I would not be surprised if we won all of the battleground states. So you know, I'm bullish on Georgia, and that's because I'm

And so thank you all for what you're doing.

Look, offering yourself a public service is never easy, and to do that, we do it for kids, families and people will never ever know. But it's not about politics, it's not about profits, it's not even about party.

It's about purpose.

And at some point somebody is going to be appreciative that the Lord allowed me to walk this earth. And that's how Kamala Harris feels. She wakes up every day fighting and for anybody you know who really questions her, she is HBCU through and through. Whoa slow down? I mean, that's why I didn't name the HBCU. She is HBCU threw and through and she can fight with the.

Best of them.

So, like my grandpa used to say, if you see her fighting a bear, help the bear because she's gonna be all right.

So let's go out and help her. Let's win this election.

That bear alone.

I didn't say help for orange bear.

I just said help no bears.

Please.

A beautiful place to end, y'all.

I know it's felt like rapid fire, but can we give it up for this closing panel and stuff conversation, And we also want to thank our listeners who are on the other side of these cameras.

You know.

Uh they say polls are predictive, but the only one that matters, right is election day. Uh, those that are counted. I remember being running fifth out of fifth the weekend before the primary election in Florida and being one out of five on election night at its close. So we get to determine who who wins, who becomes the next president, and we'll fight whatever fight is necessary. After that, y'all, there's only one thing left to do is say.

Wait, wait one second, we have another Oh we have a special I thought say we had a bether guest. We might have no ho, I think we do and we don't. Maybe you guys don't know. But tomorrow is Angela Rye's birthday.

Happy birthday.

Oh and some of our Machete sisters could not be here today, but they could not let the day go by without wishing her a happy birthday. So let's roll that tape.

Angie Rye, Happy birthday, girl, wishing you the most fabulous, fun, fierce and phenomenal birthday ever because you deserve it, because you are such a dear sister, friend, so genuine. So they're not just for your people, but for the people. So I just respect and love and adore you so much.

You know, Hey, sister, I hope that you're having the very best day.

We love you so much.

I'm sorry I can't be there in person to celebrate your birthday.

But Angela, you are chief of staff to the Blacks, just like Tiffany says all the time, but you are also chief of staff to so many of our hearts. You make us feel loved and mothered, cared for, and always thought about.

We love you, We love you, We love you.

Happy Birthday.

I love you so much, sister. I think that you deserve to be celebrated for your excellence every single day of the year. But because today is your special born day, I am celebrating you. I am saying I'm so bummed I cannot be there, but I love you big, I love you deep. I love you hard like we go together.

So five, So God that you're aundlive.

Hey, you look real great. So people are gonna hate.

Hey, keep doing what you do because they really needed you. Hey, this is your year.

So that's toasting.

Cheer wo.

Website lady, other birthday.

We love you, Angela.

You are such a beautiful person inside and out.

You do so much for the culture, for your family, inspire assault to be better people, and I just pray that you have the happiest birthday.

I love you.

What's going on Native lamp Pod family. It is your cousin, doctor David J. John's Angela, Teresa Rye. I'm so very thankful for the gift of you. I pray that this next turn around the sun brings you an abundance of everything, love, joy, everything that you've been dreaming of.

And that's some because you deserve that and more. I love you.

I look forward to celebrating with you soon.

Now we're doing that. We don't do that.

Yeah, happy bir.

Yeahe early happy Yeah, happy Boday.

Okay, we gotta love you.

Let yourday about.

Twenty minutes, says somebody else got to be in this room. You ain't got your goe.

You got to get and we thank you you all.

Welcome home, y'all. Thank you so much. That is go vote, go, go vote.

Thank you y'all. I love you, dee. Thank you. My birthdays tomorrow so I'll do this all again tomorrow. Thanks.

Thank you for joining the Natives intentional with the info and all of the latest rock gulum and cross connective to the statements that you leave on our socials. Thank you sincerely for the patients. Reason for your choice is clear, So grateful it took to execute rooms. Thank you for serve, defend and protect the truth.

He went the pace.

We welcome home to all of the natives.

We thank you Welcome Home, y'all.

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