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Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome home. Y'all, this is Native Lampid. We are live from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center here in Washington, DC, and we couldn't be more thrilled to be joined by two very special people. Andrew and I are the host today. Andrew and I are the host today, and we are joined by our friend Roland Martin, and we are the backup dancers for Tivity Cross who joined us. Y'all. She ran from the train,
but she's here. She made it and we couldn't be more thrilled to be here for the Phoenix Awards. How y'all doing?
You came from the train.
My train was delayed out of New York an hour and I'm thank you.
I see that's how you need a good friend to tell you.
Yeah, listening to you and I has a run home, get dressed and literally run here.
I couldnt find my shoes, so I'm in sneed you look at a lot. That's all that and you know what that means. You're gonna save your feet Unlike the rest of I'm surprised.
You have some is I didn't like any you take it to see these guys before we come on air.
But gorgeous. You guys will be able to see her full attire.
Hopefully than surprises them.
I could not find them. Bro, you look handsome as always.
He is.
Let's get.
You even got on the sweater on the shirt. I love that the lion kick Disney, y'all all rolling some money? You got Mofosa on the shirt? Okay, school mascot, Okay, but I'm not calling Mufasa if I say it's Mufasa. The Lion's name is MUFAs. I love that.
Tell you guys, was saying, where are you guys set up? I'm like, I'll let you know when I get there.
Well, we are really thrilled to be here, y'all. There's so much happening right now in this country. You all know that the conference theme is made for this moment. I have been ending all of my panel discussions this week saying, please tell me why you're made for this moment. Can you say made for this moment? Because and fill in the blank. And I've left to hear that from you. Roland Martin we'll start with you and we'll go down the line.
Made for this moment, because this is what I was born to do. That's song one thirty nine. So somebody asked me, they like, well, how do you deal with all of this? I said, well, well, this is what you were supposed to do. Then you understand what the focus is and so not getting to not getting freaked out, but being completely focused on what it is that we have to communicate to our people in this moment.
I love it. I like that, mister Mayor, my forever governor. Yeah, tell us why you were made for this moment, made for this moment.
Because made for this moment, because God has made it such that I've spent some good.
Time on my mental energy.
Yeah.
And I think we.
Oftentimes expect our leaders to sort of get out there, run the race without any renewal. Yeah, And the truth is is we can't win that way.
So mental health is in the right place.
I feel, Yeah, TI, what about you? Okay, I was moderating for a little bit and I can't.
I think I was made for this moment because it's a time for information informing people. All of our information can't come in sound bites. Or social media. It's a time for reading books. And so I hope that every time people hear from me that I'm informing them in some kind of way.
Absolutely are tip. The survey says you do. We just surveyed more than six hundred of our listeners and y'all absolutely agreed that this is the news Lady for the time, and so we're so grateful. I'll tell you all, I feel like I'm made for this moment because I was able to pivot. I walked into this year on the other side of Martin Luther King Day when this man was sworn in to take the you know, the oath of office, allegedly, and I felt like just so much resentment.
And I was able to turn that rage into powerful passion and try to mobilize our community. And I couldn't have done that without great partners like y'alls. I just want to thank you Roe. First of all. I'll say this to you and we and TIF and I talk about it all the time, Andrew as well. You put so many young black voices on that have never been heard on air, and for many of us, including me, You're not gonna make me emotional today. Some goa look this way. I know, but I'm just saying looking at
your face and just knowing the importance. Oh yeah, black boy, don't call on a forefather.
Here's that damn all.
But no, but Roland gives so many of us opportunities, and you don't always get the recognition, the honor and the flowers you deserve. So thank you so much for putting us on, for trusting us, and for being a light to us on our issues. You might not be I to be wells, but maybe your ego or be wells. But for that we I mean.
The thing is, and this is what I think people need to understand. It was all intentional.
I was.
I am intentional. When I meet people and I look at them, I go, all right, let's put them on a show and see what they do. Because it took four and a half years for me to get hired at CNN. I was there six years. I did. I did all those networks for free for four and a half years.
Jesus.
So I watched how the producers and the bookers they were gatekeepers, and that were amazing people who I thought could have been amazing voices who never got a shot. So I said, even when I guess hosted I'm putting folks on and I said, when I get my own show, we're gonna do that. I never forget one of the I think it was at twenty sixteen, twenty ten election.
One of those it Waswens sixteen. So seeing in hired like eight or nine people who are regular payelists on our TV one show now tweeted, I said, Jeff Zucker, you can hire every persons on my show. I'm good. I'm gonna go find a whole new crop that you can go hire all of them and find a whole new crop. And so what I keep telling our people don't get a position of power and then you don't
use it and you're not intentional in doing it. And so I'm not going to release the names, but in the next month and a half, they're two sisters who are going to be launching shows on a network. One will be a daily show, one won't be a weekly show. Of course, we just launched Bria Baker and jamiir Burley show, the Other Side of Change, same thing, you know, two millennials.
And I made it clear that I'm looking for gen z voice as well, because what I also never understood were black people who have black platforms who didn't understand that you have to cultivate the next generation with your platform. Is stupid to me to build something and then when you retire, it goes away and so all that infrastructure, all of that stuff that came with it, and so that that so it was all intentional from day one and it still is.
Love.
I think ro you are so crucial to the community, your integral and it was interesting because in our survey, Roland Martin also came up a lot, and I think we shared the biggest audience with you. And when people stopped me, I think they all think we live in like one big dorm right.
House.
It's a big brother black media house all the time.
That yeah, exactly.
But the first time I saw you host was Roland Martin's show. I remember you had all the members of Congress on there. The first show I did was yours. I used to do Fox News the first the first.
Show that Laurad Coach hosted was mine.
Yeah.
The first time Nea Malika Henderson did TV was mine.
Wow.
The first time April Ryan got paid this contributor was mine.
That I didn't get paid.
That was That was like that was them.
I control you.
Yeah, but even even conservatives Gianna Calwell, Michael.
Singleton think we got you to.
So are you talking about so again, it was, but it's intentional because I saw how white producers and white bookers, no, we don't know them, and I'm like, okay, but they're great. And I remember Tiffany Lofton. I had Kim on the show and then she's ad the AFL CIO and they came to her. She told my people, don't tell Roland. So they literally said, oh no, we're gonna send somewhere else, not you. And I then my producer told me, I said, what do they say? I said, I need you explain them.
I didn't invite them. Yeah, I invited you. They don't get to pick who comes on my show. And I had to check them and I was like, no, no, I picked you, not them, and let them know that. And so again I see how the game is played. Yeah, and there's so many people. All they want is a shot. What did James Brown say? He said, don't hand me nothing, just open the door. I'll get it myself. I believe you have to open the door. You got to kick it open, and you give folks a shot. And there
are some people I put on game a shot they sucked. Yeah, And it was like absolutely, say brother, say what you do. But other people I've worked with them, like, hey, work on this, work on that. And again I don't even treat if somebody goes into another show, I'm fine if they leave. People who work for me, I'm like, no, you should leave. But we have to create opportunities for more people. And I just think that there are too many black folks who like being the only one, who
like being the center of attention. And I'm like, nah, I want there to be thirty fifty one hundred, two hundred. And the people who I help, I want them to do the exact same thing, to bring on the same thing, because that's how we now build scale.
Well, we thank you, I appreciate. I want to ask you this to the second part of this week's theme has been power, policy and progress. Where do you grade us right now? Row, and I'm talking about us. Is not everybody because they not like the but like black as the black community. Where do you grade us right now?
Right now? Our people literally you said it pissed off in shock. A lot of our folks are still there. Folks were tripping. So two days after the election, I'd already processed it and moved on, and they were like, what are you doing. I said, the election is over. I have to focus on the next election and then the next election. And I could not allow myself to allow the rage. But so what's happening is our people
are frustrated. But when they're frustrated because and I literally hear this everywhere I go in this country and I am always on the road, they are begging for leadership. Yeah, they're like, who is drafting the plan? Who is telling us? They're like, we want to do something, but they don't know what to do. And I have no problem with saying it. Our civil rights organizations are frozen, our business groups are frozen. People are afraid of retribution, they're afraid
of being attacked. They don't know where to go. And what I've said to the groups that don't get lots of attention, this is your moment. This is your moment. And what we keep trying to have is we keep trying to have the macro conversations versus the micro conversations. My whole deal is as an election in Virginia, If the Dems controlled to keep the House, Don Scott remains Speaker of the House. If they control the Senate, that
black woman Louise Lucas controls all the money. If Spanberger, who needs to do more black media interviews, becomes governor, they now will be able to put it to pass a bill in January to put on the ballot to restore voting rights without the governor's permission, because you have to do it in two consecutive years. So that's the impact New Jersey go to election. I made it clear, Mikey Cheryl, you need to start talking to black people because the pole is tied. Same thing next year. Now
we're talking about not just midterms city election. There's a mayoral election in New Orleans. Okay, black folks didn't turn out and Baton Rouge. The sister lost. Some of us elected officials didn't support the sister in Mobile. She just lost by fourteen hundred votes on Tuesday. So our people are waiting for somebody to say this is where we're about to go. I have told alphas. I said to
the preachers in NANDLS, be life member, baby. I've said we've got to be locked and loaded on North Carolina for next year, I said, but not western North Carolina, in the black belt, East North Carolina, I said, so mobilize our people. Same in Georgia, Bishop Barbara sent me a text said, six hundred thousand blacks in North Carolina did not vote in November, a million in Georgia. So
they are waiting for somebody to say to issue. In essence, the Neamiah Claring called this is how we're gonna rebuild this wall. Yeah, and then here the piece of everybody forgets. The piece of the people said, let us rebuild. But they're waiting for somebody to say, here's where we're going.
Roland, I got a quick follow up. You mentioned that civil.
Rights organizations are frozen, and if I were on the listening end of that, as I am, but if I were at home listening to that, I would wonder, why would organizations that are speaking of the theme made for this moment, Organizations that were literally thought of, they were born out of a resistance to whatever the status quo
was at the time. How could how could we look on them right now as being frozen in a moment with an administration that never respected them, that that never gave us the time of day and are now actively going after us, and.
The soul frozen because there's a generator, just generational shift happening. And I'm gonna say this here, and Angela understands I'm about to say, and and those of us are unders stay. There was a there were a group of people. They were the ones who sustain us from King's assassination to present day. They were the ones who knew who didn't vote. They did precinct walks, they showed up at city council,
county government, state government. I guess my parents seventy eight, just like Eddie Rae and I guess what those people are retiring or in some many cases they passed away. So there's a generation that did not replace those people. So what we've done is we've become so technical where we think that social media Texabaschien phone calls replaces that on the ground infrastructure. And that's what's missing if you go to place all around the country. That group, Dude
gen X did not step up. So we have to replace that massive black infrastructure. If you look at NAACP chapters, it was a sixty sixty five seventy year old sister or brother who were doing the work, they're now they're tired or they passed away, So now who replaces them? So we have to replace that infrastructure. So that's what I mean by frozen. So now it's like who's next, who's batter up? And that to me is the problem. So now that's what I keep saying, micro versus macro.
We got to go back to micro. So if I say, you can't change nation without states, states without cities or counties, counties, cities, cities, neighborhoods, neighborhoods, blocks, blocks, streets, streets, houses, house, person in the house. That has to be our mentality and our people are they are crying out. Who is going to issue the clarion call?
If y'all know Roland, you know that he is big on Texas. He is very serious about Texas. On a raid you, I've been joined by a very mighty Texan, someone who is a people's championship.
Quyat, she's meek, she's an introvert.
I let Rowland introduce this Texan. Go head, row go ahead, row Eli.
She's quiet, she's meet she's an introvert.
Uh.
She went to this little school called the University of Houston right behind jack Yayes High School across from texasuthern University. Was an international track star, goes on to run for office. Child, she being everything. She been on the school board, she been on the city council. Now she's in the state legislature and now she's running for congress.
So she is.
Somebody said real Reality TV a little.
Bit all that rallity TV. She's an AKA state represented Jelonda Jones. Well, hello people, did I miss anything now Roland?
Because you from the third Ward, you went to school with third Ward, you diet a good.
Job, good Jackie's graduate.
Baby.
Absolutely, I represented jay okay there, I represented Jayy. I still represent Jayy, and when I went for Texas eighteen, I'm represent Jayy.
Nice nice that is lying on his shirt.
I see you, I see you, King, You're a kid.
Thank you for joining us. Welcome once again because we had you on the show before, but welcome back, Welcome. I appreciate that there's a lot happening in Texas, as we well know, but I think for people who may not be from Texas. For years now, we have been promised, titilated in teased that Texas will eventually be a purple state. I'm curious what you predict for the future of Texas politics.
I predict a number of things.
I predict we racist, anti black in Texas, anti immigrant in Texas, anti anything that's not a rich billionaire white man in Texas. I predict that. I predict that unlessen until the National Democratic Party invests in Texas, it doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell of being.
Purple, right, That's what I predict.
I predict that Democrats take us for granted, and they just think Black folks going to vote for Democrats as if we ain't sick and tied to being sick and tied to being sick and tied. So I predict that if the Democratic Party doesn't specifically invest in black people, black political consultants, black media, black church, that the Democrats will not have black people and that we I don't believe we'll go vote for Republicans, but we will just stay home.
For people who don't understand infrastructure, Texas has more eligible black voters than any state in America. For sure, we do when you talk about a party infrastructure. There are two hundred and fifty four counties in Texas massive state. There are only eighty one county Democratic parties, so that's only one third of the state. When Betro ran, he
visited all counties. But that was a campaign. When when Obama and Clinton ran in two thousand eight, that was massive energy because because folks were on fire and folks said, finally they can to organize Texas. What happened Obama wins. They only came to Texas to raise money. He went to Dallas, Houston, Austin, picked up checks and left. So they've never funded the state. There are two million eligible Latinos who are eligible but not registered. Sixty one percent
of Texas is minority. Sixty one percent of Texas who vote are white.
Wow.
You sure, right, But I mean if government was doing stuff for me, I probably vote too.
And so that's right. I mean, it just makes it and it just seems to me that the.
People who need government the most are engaged the least. Yes, and that's because we as a party haven't figured out how.
To connect the dots for people. When Beno ran against Greg Abbott, seventy five percent of voters thirty and under did not vote.
Wow, but you got to speak to our issue rolling.
Yeah, you guys speak I'm just giving the data so folks understand that they're there, but.
You got to talk to them, but you got to connect the dots for them.
Right.
So if I'm struggling, right, and I see, what's the lady's name, Wendy Davis.
She stood in some pink tennis shoes.
And against the abortion bill, got lots of attention, lots of money, and got crushed.
But what we knew is black people.
What I knew as a black person is you'll stand for all them ours for abortion, but you won't stand for all them ours for.
Criminal justice reform, right right.
You won't stand for all in ours to make sure that we have affordable health care, or that we have affordable housing, or that you're not standing to stop the police from killing us with impunity.
So we know what you're willing to do when you believe in something.
Right, we see that the Democratic Party is afraid to say racist. When we were out on the corm rate, the conversation talked about this Angela, we talked about this Roland was that Donald Trump wanted to steal five season. Now I was racist. That's why I had that viral moment because the right answer was they identify four black seats. They messing with the CBC. They're trying to undermine the
CBC's power because they're the most senior caucus. And but they have the people that are speaking about the corn break don't look like us. When they literally have moved Jasmine out of her district, They've taken VC's core constituency, Terror County moved it. They've literally collapsed CD eighteen and CD nine And ain't nobody saying it's racist.
And when I talked to Terran County Commission at Lisa Simmons, they jerrymandered her district. Yes, they had a huge rally in Tarran County. The lawyer said, when you go to the mic, call it racial jerry mander.
Yes.
Every speaker who went up there, who was in black didn't say racial jerry mandry. And the lawyer said, you have to use that lane, which because parts jeered manding has been loud on Supreme Court, racial geer mandering is not allowed. Literally, until he went up, they wouldn't even say it.
But you know, Roland, I'm a lawyer for thirty years.
I'm a trial lawyer.
Let me tell you what I would do to all the people that went up and refused to say racial germander. When it goes to court, they're gonna call witnesses.
Yep.
And the first person I'm gonna calls a witness if i'm them, is a person that said it was political Jerry right right, And I'm gonna say is it racist? And they're gonna say no, or even if they say yes, I'm saying.
What you said evidence, they're.
Gonna say so now you're saying it's racial now because are you lying.
In or you're lying in? Are you looking now?
Let me so.
My point is.
What we need, like the most importantly in the Democratic Party is we need white people, our allies, those who lack and melanin, to actually be courageous enough to say racist.
Okay, wait a minute now, I've been ping ponging my head back and forth between two Texans. We have a legend that just walked up to the set. AJ just come say hi really quick. We got a jalloway from Oh.
I thought the woman he was with was a legend. I wasn't even thinking she was talking about him. That's my mama. She is the left to said, yo, mama, legend.
I know.
I thought she was coming up.
Principle say hi, I'm the set you over your wave and we're not gonna let her. He wrote, walk by without a heroes welcome.
How are you doing?
We're doing We're getting schooled by two Texans.
Were we're doing like this and you want to you wanna take your hat off to me. I'm gonna take my hat off to y'all because honestly, we need honest reporting and a time like this and the day like this. I gave Rolling his flowers last night at an event, and I'm giving them to.
He said, an event we at the park last night. Look, but we do, but we do. Got talked to the thoat at the club. The doctor King went to pool halls too. Exactly, you have to you have to go and talk to the people.
But that y'all was not doing doctor King's work.
Yes, yes we were, Yes, we were. We were register voters exactly, we would. We were talking policy. We were talking about friend d C.
We talked about friend d C.
We talked about giving money. Yeah, giving money. People were handing me donations. That's right. Look, we would work out because that's how Roland got that outfit.
Todays.
You know why he got donations. I heard you was tworking at the club yesterday.
That ain't nothing new, Lord, have murdy back to the CBC.
Yes, Lord, Hey, I'm so happy you joined us because you are a legend for so many young people who grew up watching One on six. In part that was us, well for us, for us older people and younger people. We also lost another legend this year in Annanda Luis, who a lot of us grew up watching and Teens Summit. I was so disappointed that she was not honored at the award show, so we certainly want to take our
time to honor her here. But because you said at that intersection of entertainment and information, I'm curious what you make of the landscape now because it's been so democratized. People are getting information on social media. What would you advise for younger people, like, how can they get proper information and be awake?
Watch Roland Martin on Tilter. No, honestly, So two things.
First, I just want to acknowledge what you said because Ananda was one of my first friends at Howard University.
We lost the legend, so moment.
Out for Ananda Lewis.
I'm glad you said that, but.
Honestly, there's so much misinformation. There's so much nonsense that's out there. Everybody with a microphone does not deserve to be amplified. Everyone with a microphone does not deserve to be amplified. Everybody with a camera phone, everybody with a podcast, everybody has on a show, does not deserve.
To be amplified.
JJ.
I don't want to interrupt you, but I have to that brother right there is running for governor of Nevada. Aaron Ford. We went to Texas A and M together. He's a Kappa a J. He's a kappa, but it's all good company. But he's running for governor of Nevada. Give him my microphone, Novada Baby, Nevada, Nevada is Anyvada in alpha any v a D he's a member.
And he is.
Yes, no, no, no, he's a he's the current attorney current attorney general.
And walk in front of the camera, Aaron, go sit in.
So we were we were at Texas A and M together. He's also a Texan, but again running for governors that crucial state.
Aaron, it's so good to see you and we're so excited that you're running for governor in a swing state at that you and I have traveled together overseas but been friends a long time, so really happy to have you join the show.
Welcome home.
Well, thank you so very much. And let me thank Roland, my classmate, my good buddy. He's an alpha, but we get along very well. Thank you so much, sir for calling my name out. And Tiffany's so great to see you. We did travel. It's been over a decade now and I'm delighted to.
Be here on the show. Thank you, thank you so much.
Well, I want to know from you all. I asked the host when we came on Rolling, is I'm doing a popa riote thing today? We got an honorary guest host and when he gonna stay as long as he wants. Yes. But I will say to you all, Julanda and Aaron, this conference made for this moment. I would love for you all to say made for this moment because before you depart today.
Well, you know, look, I love the theme and the fact that the matter is made for the moment is very fitting. I'm the first African American to be elected statewide to a concerts office in Nevada, and this moment
I don't think it's just this moment. It's been the entirety, frankly, of my tenure as Attorney General, whether it was George Floyd and Meeping the top law enforcement officer in the state, being able to speak truth to power from my position to power about what our relationship was with law enforcement. I said at point blank, I'm a black man, married to a black woman, raised in three black sons and a black nephew, and I'm gonna speak truth on this issue.
And I think that moment was entirely designed for me to be in this particular position and right now, as we have to define and protect our constitutional rights from an onslaught of unlawful activities, it takes people who are willing to stand up and speak truth to power right now. And I'm happy to be in this position for this particular moment that I'm made for.
Get a website. Get a website. Oh the website. Thank you, sir, Ford for Nevada dot Com.
Listen, I'm the first black person to be ag for Nevada, but I'm going to also be the first black person to be governor of Nevada. And that website is Ford for Nevada dot com I appreciate you.
Let me come on, y'all, thank.
You for me made for this moment.
Is important because those of us who are on the front lines, this is hard work.
For this is hard work.
We are made for this moment because we have got to remind people that this is history repeating itself. We've got to remind people that we got hoes, we got lynched, people getting lynched again. We got to remind people that we used to didn't have voting rights and they're trying to take us back. We got to remind people that there was Jim Crow. We got to remind people of that at this moment in time. And for me being
here in this space, I need rejuvenation. And it's very difficult when you're home and people, young people especially don't understand how bad it can be. So I need people who are reinforcing me because I got to go back to Texas. I got to go back to Texas. And so we are made for this moment for those of us that again on the front lines to be reinforced and reminded while we have to do this work, and who we can lean on when this starts getting weak.
And for me, I'm running for Congress Texas at the seat at Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Sylvester Turner were in. And we need somebody who's unafraid. I was the first black, openly LGBTQ plus person in the Texas Legislature House or Senate, and when I win on November fourth, I will be the first black LGBTQ plus woman in the US House of Representatives. And so I just need reinforcement.
And I we came back.
We say as long gone as long as I wanted, And I need to be around people who I know woul to stay gone longer. And so I too, will give a website real quick Joelanda Jones dot com. Let me tell you how to spell joelaw It's a made up black name. My mother like Yolanda. My daddy's name was John. She wanted me to have his initials. Take away to why and add A J J O L A n DA Jones dot com because we need people who are unafraid and unapologetically black, and that's who we all.
Are, That's what we all are, real quick, real quick, Jolanda Aaron, please tell specifically aka's and kappus while they've got to get out of our insular business and active in driving folk to the polls locally. Yes, I said it, So make the call for what they need to do these D nine folk.
No, absolutely, there's no way we can do this, as you've indicated, as insular individuals and insular entities. What I'm proud of Roland. To your point is, I was invited to the Alpha Pack event. I'm a sweet new I'm pretty.
But then let me come to the hour.
But you need that out for money, but go ahead, I show.
It will take it as well.
So we have to move, have to come together as organizations to pursue these goals and to assist us and get in there. And I'm grateful for the support that I'm getting across the board.
We so appreciate you.
And I am an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman, so is my wife. She's so pretty Fall nineteen eighty seven and we were the first black sorority, and we need to be the first getting people to the polls because if the world is run by those who show up, we need to show up.
So I am encouraging all.
Of my sorority sisters specifically and the D nine generally that we are the infrastructure in this country. We give scholarships. We all believe in service to mankind and womankind, So we need.
To do that.
As Alpha Kappa alpha women, we need to be more than pretty. We need to be soldiers in the cause.
I hear you and Prince all Mason start and links. We have massive black infrastructure that's not being fully maximized. And doctor King said that in his book Where do we Go from here? Chaos all community here we have money, right, but but the point is too many of us are risk averse. We think it's going to jeopardize our letters. No,
we have the infrastructure. We're international, national, regional, state undergrad grad we go all the way down from k So I just think that we're not maximizing our infrastructure.
Great, you're right. I love y'all, and we're gonna carry this town hall, this Greek town. All y'all doing later. But Aaron and Jalanda and roll An, I said, a black from the West Coast's hour some time. So sorry, lens. We are so grateful for y'all. Thank you so much for being here. I want to just acknowledge someone whose legacy this live podcast is and that is Congressman Joyce Baty. She's gonna come join us later, but she's standing right here, so let's give it up.
The International President of the Ak's is right over there. Oh yeah, I saw the president. President.
Yeah, is in the house. I got the house. Are where you could come back if you want. You're always young. Now is my good friend Todd Cox, who is making things happen at the na A c B Legal Defense Fund. We just had a conversation on redistricting. Of course, the na A c P l d F will be arguing a case before the Supreme Court on Section two of
the Voting Rights Act. What's hanging in the balance is very, very serious, and they will determine whether or not the Section two of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional or not. We also have our good friend Elizabeth Booker Houston who's joining us. Y'all know hera is Booker Squared. All that content going viral. She tells us like it tells it like it is. Or Daddy say, you don't mind her cussing? My daddy does, but they love That's the way she tells the tr.
Okay, But can I tell you. I got to ask Jasmine crocketts daddy yesterday if he minded her cussing, and he kind of gave the same kind of answer my daddy did.
Like, Okay, I don't really like it your daddy talk to my daddy.
So I got as I can I help jump in and ask a question because when you were making the introduction, I was curious for our audience and even for myself, what exactly is Section two of the Voting Rights Act?
Yes?
And why is it so important?
Well?
Section two of the Voting First of all, let me just say thank you so.
Much, Michael. Oh yeah, shit, your mic down, just pushing down.
Sorry, just talk right into it, all right, can you hear me now?
Yeah?
Real close? Or lifted up just a little bit. Lifted it back up there you go, Ques should be.
Perfect good, all right, Thank you, Thanks for that question, and thanks for the opportunity to join you all. Section two of the Voting Rights Act is a key part of the Voting Rights Act, which, by the way, is only sixty years old. It's a gen x statue, it's a young statute. Section two is the bulwark that really protects voters, black voters, voters of color, from having their
votes diluted. It says basically that you can't create a plan, a redistricting plan, or any kind of voting change that would take away, dilute, diminish the voting rights of those voters. And as Angela mentioned, Section two is at stake right now. From the very beginning, Section two has been threatened by courts. We've been fighting to keep Section two seen as constitutional.
We have won under Section two cases very recently, and now, as Angela mentioned, a case called Louisiana versus Cala, we're going to be arguing for the constitutionality of a plan that was drawn to big sure that voters had the right to let their candidates a choice under Section two.
But now also the state is arguing that.
Section two is unconstitutional, and we're doing all we can make sure that they lose that argument.
Yeah, do we know when that case will be before the Supreme.
Court, We certainly do.
It's going to be argued October fifteenth, and we would love for everyone to come out be on the steps of the Supreme Court to support us. We know we need folks on the ground, folks in the real world, not just in court, making sure we protect our voting rights.
And then what are the consequences if Section two were to go down? Well, especially as we're looking at redistricting, racist based based redistricting happening.
In red states around the country, right, well, what are the implications?
The implications are democracy itself. I dare say if Section two were did not exist, it would not protect the rights of voters who are currently being threatened by this off cycle redistricting. Right we see in several states black elected officials, who are the candidates of choice of voters in those states being targeted in.
A way that we haven't litigated.
This may be seen as as threatening the candidates of choice of black voters. Section two stands for the proposition that that can't happen, and if we didn't have Section two, we would not be able to as successfully defend those.
Districts as possibly.
We still have tools. Don't be wrong, we still have tools to do that. But Section two is the most effective way that we have in place right now to make that happen.
You know, I want to come to you on this point, Liz, because I think what Todd mentioned about us being on the steps of the Supreme Court is important. What we know in this day and age especially, is there is a lot that is one in the court of public opinion. You have been outside of steps, outside of the Heritage Foundation, outside of all kinds of things with bullhorns, saying all
kinds of important things, sometimes foolishness. But can you talk a little bit about why it's so important to lift up your voice at a time like this and to lean into courage when there's so much to be afraid of.
Well, I would just say it's all about pushing back on the disinformation.
You know.
I'm just thinking about what I've learned the week, in particular here at CBC ALC Week, and we talked a lot about censorship.
We talked a lot about suppression.
I sat in on a panel that Congressman Lamona MacIvor led, and Karen Atilla was on that panel, who we know
was just fired from the Washington Post. I know that April d Ryan was on that panel, and there was a lovely woman named Jollin who I had never met before, who was a public relation specialist, and she said, there is spiritual power in telling our stories, and that has been resonating with me all week, because it's really important that we get out there, and we are the ones making our voices heard because they are going to talk
about us whether we are out there or not. So we want to make sure that we set the record straight and also to just inform our communities. You know, Angela, you and I are in a very gate kept profession. We're in a very gate kept profession when it comes to the law. And there's not very many black lawyers. What are there over the over sixty thousand black lawyers that we have percent somewhere in there, and we I know that the profession is geate kept for a reason.
It's so we can charge well, I'll say, white male lawyers can charge three hundred, five hundred dollars an hour for the information.
But really this is stuff that pertains to all of us.
When you talk about Section two of the Voting Rights Act, that pertains to all of us, and it's important to get that information out to our communities in a way that they understand. And so sometimes it is me with foolishness on the steps somewhere because that's the way that it's going to get across. But I know that I've had very proud moments that yeah, I'm talking foolish. But I also taught a whole bunch of people what substantive due process was on Instagram one day, and I think
that's amazing. I think it's amazing that people understand how things are affecting them and also the disinformation, in particular when it comes to the Voting Rights Act. I know that I got to talk to Congressman Jasmine Crockett for a recording for State of the People TV, and I don't want to give away too much because I want people to go watch that episode, but we did talk about Section two of the Voting Rights Act and how that is about Black people being able to choose who
represents us. It's not about putting black people in seats, which is a common piece of disinformation use because I'm from Memphis, Tennessee, where Congressman Steve Cohen, who is a white man, is actually in a Section two seat, so that's what he's technically in. And it wasn't about the race of the person elected, but it was about making sure that black individuals just have the opportunity to elect the person who we feel as best represents us.
I want to just pause here. I know Tiff is smart. Her brain is buzzing. She's got more questions. But we've been joined by Mayor I call him Mayor Leo. Mayor Leonardo Williams from Durham, North Carolina. I got to meet Leo during our State of the People Power tour and he's been a great partner ever since. So I just wanted to welcome to the stage. He can get into redistricting too, he knows a little bit about that in North Carolina as well.
North Carolina.
Yes, indeed, so I want to, but I want to guilt to you.
Yeah, I'm sorry because you know, I didn't know this data about black lawyers, so that was really surprising to me. And we're blessed to have so many on the panel right now and something that I've always wondered about, and anybody who has an answer can weigh in. Doesn't help us or hurt us by not televising Supreme Court hearings, because when you're saying, show up on the steps of the court, how so many people have no idea when
the Supreme Court is in session. They have no idea what's before the court, and they have no idea about the back and forth. Some of the dissents from Justice Kazanji Brown Jackson and the counterpoint Andrew, You and I talked about this from Amy Hony Barrett.
I mean it was.
Tantamount to a rap battle, like the real dis tracks coming out.
Of the court.
So I'm just curious the thoughts from the lawyers. Should there be cameras broadcasting these proceedings?
Well, I can't speak for the Legal Defense Fund on that point, but personally, I think in this day and age, we do a disservice not to be as transparent as we can about the very processes that determine the future of our democracy. The Supreme Court is one. We televised congressional arguments, congressional hearings, c span. We don't do the same thing with courts, and increasingly, you know, all eyes are on the courts.
They are the.
Last stand in many ways to push back on this overreach for this executive. And I would love for my community to be able to see the strength and power of lawyers speaking in court about what's going on in this country with our democracy, and we don't have a chance to do that very often. The other thing, I'll say, we have very few black lawyers, We have very few black women lawyers done arguments in the Supreme Court. Jane Nelson, my boss, my president director counsel. She is going to
be arguing the Kale case. It is rare to see a black woman in the Supreme Court. We're so proud of that. But I think that's another thing that people should be aware of, and they should see visually the power of those kinds of arguments and the lack, frankly of voice that we've given folks who represent us in this community.
Yeah.
Yeah, and I would agree with all of that. It goes back to what I just said about the profession being.
Very gate kept.
That is the problem, and that would take away some of that gatekeeping and take away some of the illusory power that we see that comes with the profession, which again is just trying to assert dominance over the entire populace. When we know again that this is something that affects everybody, that everybody should have a stake in, that everyone should have a saying, and everybody should be informed about.
I will tune in to goo to TV.
I would love to see all of the expressions that Clarence Thomas makes whenever Justice Katanji Brown Jackson decides to slam down with good some good line here or there.
I would like to see it, mister Mayor. I know you joined us.
I want to bring you into the conversation because a lot of big cities get a lot of attention.
You know, there's a race in New Orleans right now.
We talk about Detroit and LA but for some of our smaller towns that may not be in the headlines. Why should people who don't live there care about what's going on there? And how can we support some of these smaller towns because it's our way of community. No matter where we are geographically, we are one in this country. So curious your thoughts there.
You know, the the manipulation that's happening in politics right now, the city doesn't matter anymore. I mean they're starting in smaller towns. It's starting with school boards. The power should be built from the bottom up. And that's what's happening to your point, what you're just talking about. You know, ignorance is the greatest currency for political manipulation. And I mean we can do for your requests for everything except this untermed limited you know, body of legal leads people.
And it's so intimidating because we don't know. So if we don't know how and we can't see it, how can we be a part of it?
Right?
So back to the size of the towns and cities, it really doesn't matter, you know. There there's there's takeovers of you know, redistricting starting from those smaller areas. My city is almost a half million people, but I get the same representation as Wentworth, North Carolina, or somewhere else where they have maybe twenty five hundred people. That doesn't make any sense. But you want to make sure there's
equal representation, Yes, we all want to make sure it's balanced. Yeah, and we're not getting that.
Well, thank you so much for joining us as a really helpful insight. We'll have to have you all back. This was a really fascinating conversation to me because I had no idea about black lawyers. So that's a conversation that has to continue. And speaking of black lawyers, we're going to welcome.
Yet another one.
It's a very well known friend of the show, and that is, of course, Marilyn Moseby, former Baltimore State's Attorney, joins us now looking beautiful dainning a beautiful black down and we're also going to be joined by doctor Michael Eric Dyson and certainly last but not least, Congressoman Latifa Simon will also join us. Thank you please come along everybody. I have to say for our viewing audience who can't see we are a beautiful people because we see the line of people coming along.
Looking beautiful and gorgeous. Oh well, thank you.
I came here from the train station, so I'm in sneakers, so I'm.
Hiding behind well, thank you to tell nobody, but she's been telling it all.
Of Maryland, Maryland, Maryland, Maryland, Maryland. It's good to have all of our guests, Congressmoman, doctor the Doctor, michaelry Dyson, Michael Maryland.
Since the last time you were with us on the show, something pretty monumental happened. As it relates to your case, which native lampod listeners, our family rallied significantly, you know, behind you on this cause. Can you let the folks know what happened and that time between now and then shore Key.
Yeah, I'm so incredibly grateful to all of you. You all advocated for me. There were over one hundred thousand people that signed that part and petition. Unfortunately, the Biden administration didn't do what it needed to do. But in the end, the Court of Appeals actually reversed one of the convictions and affirmed yes, yes, the mortgage fraud conviction, the same sort of playbook that they used on me that they're executing perfectly on Lisa Cooke and Letitia James right,
that same reversal of that conviction. However, they did affirm two of the perjury convictions. And mind you, these reconvictions are based off of a vague and ambiguous statute that has never been legally defined or used against anyone in this country. And so my attorneys actually, as of two days ago, filed an appeal on Bunk in front of the Fourth Circuit, which we're asking all fifteen judges to review not only the two perjury convictions that the Court of Appeals affirmed.
I love it.
I love it, and I want to come to Congresswoman and Simon because I begged her to stay right here for two seconds. I want you all to understand this woman is so powerful and standing on some tremendous shoulders. We know that you replaced Congresswoman Barbaraly in Congress, who is now the mayor of Oakland and you read Oakland hard. You know the best coast has always went in Latifa. But I just want you to give us a charge. We've been asking all of our guests, why are you
made for this moment? And I know if there's anybody that can bring this, just you. Let's bring this word Latifa.
Well, first of all, doctor I met doctor Dyson when my daughter was five years old. She's right over there, she's twenty nine, and she's an attorney. She's an attorney because there are women like miss Mosby who decided not only to study the law, but to enter the public space. These public spaces were not made for us. We know that, we know that, damn well. But we are made for the moment because we don't have a choice. Liberty and justice is so deeply ingrained in the deep DNA and
bone marrow of black people. Listen, it's not easy to run for the district attorney. It's not easy to be a black academic and white institutions. It's not easy being single mothers or folks who are trying to fight cancer on budgets. Now is the time where we call a spain a spain. I'm an organizer. You know that you know that Andrew Gillum told me to run for office some years ago and got me into the Young Elected Officials Network. We are family and we have always fought charity.
And here's the charge, s here's the charge. What is happening right now? We know it's not new, we know it's not new, but we are gathered here today at this conference not just to celebrate, but to force back. And I'm gonna give you a little bit of what I've learned from Dyson's text.
They are trying to erase not only us, but memory.
Yeah, but memory, the memory of liberation, struggle, the memory of joy through organizing and fighting.
And we say hell no.
So when I go into the Dome on Monday, when the Republicans will still be vacationing, we are going to get ready to throw off all that we have in me. I'm fighting for the mothers who doesn't have quarters for laundry. I'm not just fighting for a democracy. I watch that mother. I am fighting sus for the mothers who are literally taking their children out of clinical trials because this damn administration is defunding the NIH.
Listen, our lives are on the line.
The only thing that we have to lose is our lives.
And the last thing that I'll.
Say Asada, if she's taught us anything, all right, anything, live and die free.
Yes, yes, thank you, Congresswoman, thank you both.
We got We gotta close out this amazing panel with the rightful preacher that I know I call a mentor Dad. This is doctor Dyson, and we have some special guests coming right up. But doctor Dyson, we are made for this moment because.
As my pastor used to say, we've already come through what we've come to, right, We've been here before.
I've been reading a brilliant book.
I guess I'm not allowed to say what book I'm reading, but it reminds us that we have faced all the stuff we facing out.
Racism is a dry run for fascism.
Everything that fascism fears, racists have already visited upon black people, whether calling our congresswomen out of their names, these inveterate viragos who stalk the horizon with their viciousness and vitriol, we face that before.
So we're based in the.
Reality of this moment, because we don't limit ourselves to this moment. And so I think Howard Thurman said it best our slave. Fore parents refuse to reduce their dreams to what they confronted immediately. They borrowed from the future in order to articulate a goal and aspiration for their kids that they could never imagine. So I'm glad to be an inheritance of that profound legacy.
And we got to continue.
And let's be real, Black women in particular have always saved not only the race, but America. So I look forward to the day when we look past this. Last time I checked, God ain't resigned. If God ain't resigned, that means God is going to be here when other people are dead, gone.
Buried, or out of office.
So we continue to fight because we have the strength of our ancestors behind us.
We love, thank you, enjoy the dinner. We will see y'all in there just shortly, beautiful and at this time we are being joined by some more living legend. Y'all hugging right in front of our CRI is so sweet. But y'all got to see black love, Black family, right. And speaking of black family, we have the opportunity to be joined by some incredible people who are coming up in just a moment. They are an incredible black family. They exude black love. They are our good sister and
brother from the state of Maryland. They are coming right up. They're just hugging another Marylander. But literally everybody's welcoming then because they are the black y'all, come sit together. Right here next to to this is the Governor y'all of Maryland, Wes Moore and the first Lady Don Moore. They're taking a picture and that.
They will join because he was known as the other wes Moore for so long and he is not the other wes Moore.
Who is the other wes Moore. This is the only one. We love y'all, thank you so much.
While they're allading, you know, I know we always say the CZC, but we hugged while they're getting seated, guy, I will tell you a story of my book club read the other wes Moore.
This was maybe ten years ago, maybe a little more than ten years ago, and you were in labor at the time, and the other wes Moore was still kind enough to dial into our book club so he can participate. So this brother is committed.
So I'm so thankful to have you both on the show.
I love it.
I want to know how y'all are feeling right now, this is gonna be a special moment for you tonight as well. Talk about what you're gonna be doing at the CBC Foundation dinner, Governor, Well.
Listen, first, were so excited to be at an award dinner where you are going to be recognized.
And yes, thank you very much, thank you, thank you.
It is so well deserved. And listen, I mean, I think for both of us, this is just a night of lyft.
We got to get your mic closer.
I was like, I can't even I apologize. I mean, this is just a night of lyft and a filling up. And I think, honestly, like these past weeks and months for so many people has been so draining, has been so tiring, has been so exhausting, and so like tonight is a night to remind us just how powerful we are, just how important we are, just how just how important we are inside this moment, and it's a time to go out there and laugh and smile and celebrate and
celebrate what excellence is. And so honestly, like you know, to have a chance to be here with each of y'all, to have a chance to have a date night, my bride. But honestly, Angel, I'm telling you, it means so much to us to watch you lift it up, and so tonight is a real joy, and tonight is a blessing for all of us to watch you be celebrated for the work that you do.
I love that. I love that.
Well, we first, Lady, we're not gonna give you softballs today because you yeah, we know, we know you're broad intellection and otherwise capacity, so as a leader on this stage as well, because we know that our governors need partners. In fact, some of the best advice and guidance we get are from those partners, and I would imagine the
same may be true in this case. As you analyze the moment that we found ourselves in, not just in the state of Maryland, but around the country, what would you diagnose are the things that are missing in this movement, in this space, in this counterbalancing to autocracy.
What do you think is missing that you would.
Charge your fellow Americans and Black Americans most specifically with needing to step up on if we're going to win this race.
Well, first, let me just say thank you for this platform, thank you for everything that you all do. I love that you know the theme of this weekend is that we are made for this moment and that is a fact. So what I would say is for us to continue fighting. It's it's not what we're missing is that sometimes the fight is long and we just have to continue on that path and we can't give way to despair. We
cannot be scared to keep stepping up. When I think about my husband, I tell everybody this, I never knew I would marry a governor, but I knew I was marrying a soldier. And now it's time to soldier on. And this is what we're doing, and we have the ability. We're here to celebrate. We're here to talk about the great work that the CBC is doing, that we are all are doing. But then we get back to work after we celebrate, and that's what I would say that we continue to do.
Okay, Can I ask all a black love question? Really cozy? Since you brought it up. I think it's so important for and Wes. This is going to come to you. Here's a not softball for you. When people think about choosing partners, they say that who you married determines if you are you elevate to your next level to your highest purpose and what you do or you get pulled all the way down. Talk about what you saw in Dawn, the first Lady of Maryland that made you know like, oh,
she definitely gonna elevate me. I'm gonna get upgraded. But yo, so actually this I'm laughing, but I'm serious.
I love that.
I'm no, So it's so it's real. There are actually a couple of moments when I was like, oh, she's just different. Yes, and you're right, man, I was like, I have seen good people become great by the people they've chosen to have as their life partner. And I've seen great people become less than good by the people who they chosen to have as their as their life partner.
Because this is like, this is real.
Yeah, it's the it's the person who you wake up to every morning. Yeah, it's the last face you see every night. It's the person who and I'm telling you it was so crazy. So first of all, I tell you, there were a whole bunch of moments as we were like dating that I was like, oh, she again, she's
just different, Like I remember someone she remembers this. The first gift she gave me was It was the Christmas after we first started dating, and she gave me a bunch of a few things, but she gave me a speech by Voklibhabo about the importance of democracy and how to defendimoxy. I'm like, yo, most of the people I've dealt with before, I didn't know Whobabo even was. But like, I saw how like she thought deeply about this stuff in a way that frankly, in many ways, I never
had thought about it before. But I'm gonna tell you. I'm gonna tell you a quick story. I remember when I was running for governor, and I had never run for office before my life, so everything was new, all the stuff, and she was like, listen, let me tell you how this thing's gonna go down, and here's how they're gonna come at you, and here's how it is.
And she was like and at some point when the attacks started coming this and that, She's like, it's because they're finally starting to pay attention.
That's right.
Yeah.
And I remember it was April of twenty twenty two, the election year, and out of nowhere, I'm like, I just started watching all these attacks, all these lies, all this sudd I'm like yo, what is going on? And it literally just happened like over a three week period. It was like this onslaught. Yeah, And I remember getting up one morning and being like mad, It's like, I
gotta go through all this stuff again. And I was getting up when I was going in the bathroom and I turned the corner and she was standing right there and she put my face in her hands and she just looked in my eyes and she said, it's because you're winning.
Keep going.
And at that moment when I was like, yo, why did I sign up to do this? Why did we give up our life for this? And I looked in her eyes and it was all the reminder that she needed. She's like, listen, we in this together and we're gonna be Okay. I warned you what was going to happen. The moment the attacks are coming, it's not because they're they're not thinking about you.
Listen, this is my last point. But I have to say this because I'm and Donna's gonna be like, why are you telling family business? But I'm about to family business. So y'all, this is how I want you all to know. This is not a commercial. Yeah, this is real. Don isis this is my sister for real. And let me tell y'all why we got in a real fight and not like fist fight, but right I would never swing. She would win, by the way. Let me tell you don rides for this man, believes in this man. And
I was like, what about that? And I she was like, let me tell you something. My husband. Once she got to my husband the fifth time, I was like, you know what, y'all, I'm gonna make sure he knows he got a writer for real. And I think that there's something about that that is so magical. We believe in you, brother, But this sister right here, she might win me along somebody. I love it so much because it was so clear I was I love this for him, and I love it for you.
We love you, we love you, and it's real.
It's real because I say, like, like, I'm telling you, you can't say nothing about this lady to me. Yeah, I'm telling you, like she knows I got her front back, whatever it is. And also I know it's the same thing for her, and like this is why I mean, like, listen, God is I always say, man, It's like I get a reminder every single day that God loves me. Yeah, because he plays Dawn in my life and that's the reminder that I needed God. God loves me, and I'm grateful for that.
Because we're on this black love theme, I mean, because I really do.
Now is a moment when I say for informing and reading, it's also a time for love.
I mean, we are going through collective.
Trauma right now, and it feels sometimes that we're in our own silos. Young people don't know how to approach each other because they they've grown up with nothing but phones, text People are pretending to be okay with casual and you know, not so serious things, and we see the power of what happens, and the very thing that helped us survive this four hundred year nightmare was our love for each other, the way we would show up for
each other. So for people who are younger looking for life partners, for people who are just navigating this space, I'm curious what advice you guys might offer at a time such as this, where our politics impact our hearts, impact our lives. What should we consider navigating this jungle out there?
You know I would say this when I fell in love with Wes, I fell in love with a whole person. I didn't fall in love with someone that needed to be fixed, someone who needed.
Me to be his mother. He had all those things.
And what I found in Wes was that we were equally yoked. We had the same value system and it wasn't that hard. I didn't have to force him to love me, and he didn't have to force me to love him. And I think sometimes we have to realize that, you know.
You find love.
Wes and I we joke, we say our marriage is an arranged marriage because we were introduced and it was a beautiful way for us to meet. That doesn't happen for everybody, although I had a lot of girlfriends like.
Do you think your aunt knows anybody else?
But but the truth of the matter is is that it wasn't hard, and the value system was there, and that's it, you know.
And we worked as not to say that. We never ever question are we going to do this for life?
In the beginning, of course, we had all those honest conversations, but when it came down to it, we valued family, We wanted the same things we wanted to serve. We both had a deep belief in our faith and in God, and that was enough and so it was a blessing. It was a blessing, but we put the work in and we stay true to what was important to us.
I bet y'all did not become governor first lady thinking you would be the interviewed.
On marriage, life, love partnership.
So a good deviation probably from the normal rigor of interviews that you get. But I do want to just connect one other thing before we let you all go, and that is as the only sitting black governor in the United States right now, and we know that many have tried and there are many more who are attempting that feat right now in this cycle a state that has pretty prosperous African Americans. But also you've got the reflection of our community from the highest earners to the
lowest earners yet hardest workers. How do you all balance your leadership for the state where you have a diverse state without a doubt, but the expectations of our people, which have to be even more greatly animated that they have they see themselves reflected in their governor and first lady, how do you tend to those needs, give them the proper attention well at the same time sort of fighting off this expectation that you're only serving your people and
not the rest of fotes or the impression that you're only serving everybody else and you're taking us for granted.
How do you balance that end?
You know?
And first I'll say that I am the only black governor in the country right now, and that's not a title that I want to hold on to for very long. Yeah, we've got to make sure we are getting more black chief executives in the United States of America because you just realize, as you know, brother, like the power of a governor is unique.
For sure.
The budgets start with the governor.
Right.
For something to become a bill of law, it requires a governor, right. So it's like we have to be able to focus on and unapologetically say we need to have more chief executives in this country. I mean, there's no reason, Like when people celebrate, they're like, you know, you're only the third African American ever elected governor in
the history of the United States. I was like, that's not a celebration, it's an indictment that in the history of this country three And you can't tell me again, like you said that I'm only the third African American ever qualified to be a governor.
So I'll put that.
The second thing I will say, though, is this is the reason that I am unapologetic about focusing our policies on making sure we're uplifting black people. The reason that we talk about, yes, we do procurement reform in the state of Maryland that has procurre reform that focus on black businesses, where since I'm been the governor, we've now done procure reform that's now allocated over eight hundred million dollars to black own businesses, unapologetically, that we've put over
one point three billion dollars towards Maryland's HBCUs, unapologetically. But the reason I say we do this is because if you are not and do not have a focus on lifting up black communities, you cannot have a focus on lifting up your jurisdiction that you serve.
That that this country.
For the past twenty years we have lost sixteen trillion dollars in GDP because of the racial wealth gap. That's not GDP of a group, that's right, that's GDP. So racism is expensive and this country will never be able to fulfill this promise as long as we have policies that continue to harm, policies that continue to push back, policies that do not have an economic lift for Black Americans and in my case, black Marylanders. So the reason that I say we have to have these this lens,
we have to focus on the racial wealth gap. The reason that we say that is because it's not because I'm saying that, you know, this is because this is a zero sum game. I'm like, no, No, The way this country has historically been has been a zero sum game. And if you actually want to lift everybody, then make sure you have a specific focus on black folks and making sure there's real opportunities of black folks can benefit.
Well.
We so appreciate you all, and we will definitely see you all inside.
Y'all.
This is the Governor and first Lady of Maryland making history and also making change. We so appreciate y'all.
We appreciate you.
Congrats on winning the Dad Games with y'all.
Do that was dope?
All right? We are so grateful to be joined.
Uh hey, celebrity fests out here. I just Claudia Jordan walk up. Yeah, all kind of people.
Are here at the Personal Black Caucast Center. We see, well, you have to get Congresswoman Joyce Baty. This is a woman that wears many, many hats and is always making history using her voice boldly. I love this, she said when we were talking about bringing native lampod back. She's like, of course it's coming back. This is my legacy. And look at you got some Yes she is gold. Okay, absolutely, yes, ma'am. And then we also have joining us with Miss Batty,
Raina Walters Morgan. She is the vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation for the d NC. MSS Batty, We're gonna start with you. I want to talk about this theme this year. We've been talking to all of our guests about what it means to be made for this moment. You all had a really tough vote just last week with this resolution honoring the life of Charlie kirk Ben and to really put the Caucus in a really tough pozion. I'm really where you're seeing kind of
the caucus burst apart at the seams. And I'm not talking about the CBC, I mean the Democratic caucas is right. Talk about what you think the path forward is, particularly if we need to be made for this moment.
I think the path forward on that is for us to be blatantly clear that when we talk about made for this moment, and we talk about the three subsets to that, and that is policy and progress and power. That is power and policy and progress. So everything else we do, we have to share it and better educate the message and why we're doing something, because we all have different jobs.
But I was very clear that I can mourn.
Someone's death and not celebrate their life and legacy. And so I think it was clear because I told my folks back home that be real clear. I'm a no, I'm a real clear note. And here is why people have other jobs to do in trying to make sure our leadership. You know, I speak truth to power. You know, it was very difficult. We took some hard hits as Democrats. Our leader took hard hits. But we have three leaders
that made that decision. And too often it's only the black person that everybody wants to come after when you have shared power.
But that's the way it is.
But I can tell you with the Congressional Black Caucus, we have been on point with This conference has been one of our best conferences in the minority without the presidency, and we have the vice president coming today, we have Wes Moore that's going to be on this stage, and we have Angela Rod getting a fitting award on this stage. Yes, but I say that because those are the kinds of things that the public needs to see, especially now that
we have brought back the vice president. We have Raina here, and it's not by accident. This sister is the baddest sister at the DNC that was elected to do all of our engagement talking about voter registration and how we get out there.
And I get to be the.
Associate chair of the DNC.
So I'm wearing a whole lot of hats today, but I think we just have to educate our young folks. Today I was with seven hundred folks, all probably between twenty nine and forty five, and it was amazing to see how thirsty they were for made for this moment. So we have to engage them. But we have to sit down and have a better dialogue. And that's why I like this podcast, and I will fight every year because this is my legacy of making sure that this podcast exists.
Breaking a little bit of news saying Angela's get in the world. So I do want our viewing audience to know that you guys are in for a special treat because you will be treated to Angela's acceptance speech here before anyone else gets to hear it. So please stay tuned to the end of the show for I want to revisit something you said, congresswomen, because so many of our listeners are deeply engaged and they take ownership over
this platform. A lot of people were very troubled and hurt by some of the yes votes, and you said a lot of times it's only the black people who they come after. And I think for our viewing audience, they come after our community because they expect the most out of our community. What might you offer them? You voted no, But what might you offer them? The people who are have a righteous anger about the way some
of our leaders voted in this moment. What words might you offer them, even though you made the right decision in their mind?
I think education is important, so it's important for me to tell them that more than fifty percent of the Democratic Caucus voted now, so when there were people who didn't dignify the vote, four members of the Congressional Black Caucus walked out and didn't vote because they didn't want to dignify.
It with the vote.
And then we had four of our we had twenty six of our members who voted present. And then we did have four of our members that voted yes. So I want people to get it in the theme of the thing that more of us voted no overwhelmingly other than two in leadership voted yes, and two other members of the CBC voted yes.
But the work you know of the Democratic I got to tell you honestly, first of all, Congressman, thank you for your leadership, And honestly, black members of Congress are having to work over time, not only tending to the constituencies that you represent, which are oftentimes largest in need in many of our communities, but also having to pull the weight of keeping people who are registered Democrat to say still being Democrat and saying that they are.
Because I have to tell you, this was the first time I've ever seriously considered registering as an independent.
Looking up and seeing a party that appeared quite frankly, quite feckless in some ways, almost complicit to the legacy of a person who endangered the lives of black women who endangered the lives of black men. A man who would say, when I see a black pilot, I have to ask whether or not.
You're qualifified it to fly this plane.
The kind of indignity that that imbuse.
In society creates it to be harder to stepping stone for all.
Of us, not just some of us.
Let me give you a better answer than you becoming an independent.
I need to have you do more of what you're doing now. We all have a role, and I like to share people.
It is on us and Andrelie are absolutely right and to think that people look to us, and so we have to carry our heavier load. But what you do in allowing us to come and voice ours, we need to be doing more with you. So our plan should be that we should be getting more contracts, more of appearances so we can have more exposure. And that's why I wander Raina to be here because I'm gonna be hooked to her, and she's gonna let me be hooked
her because we are teamed. But people don't know about her skill sets and being here, you allowing her to be here, makes the difference to your listening audience for sure.
And can I chime into please, and I have a question for you, Rain. I think it is such an interesting time because too miss Baby's point, the CBC largely stay together and I hate to harp so much on the resolution, but I think the resolution represents kind of this larger problem. I said to someone last week. They said, well, where does the party go from here? And I said,
the party is shattered? And so I want to know, given your role, you know, in voter participation and engagement, where people are checking out by the droves, particularly folks who look like us, what is the path forward and how is the Democratic Party made for this moment when only two white Democrats vot know on that resolution last week, Jasmine Crockett was broken hearted about that made it very clear on air. So I do want to hear what is the path forward? You're one person, and that party
apparatus has been there a long time. I watch it try to destroy Jamie Harrison. I've watched it hurt many of our members. I've watched them disrespect our members over and over again. And I even know we were going to talk about this today, but that's what's on my heart, and I just I do think it's important to recognize that resolution, which is a nothing burger. They were willing to risk it all on a nothing burger. So what is the path forward for the party?
So I think it's really important to acknowledge that people are feeling away, and rightfully so. But at the same time, we are built for this moment and at the same time, the work that you're doing angelo with going into the communities and reaching out to people.
That's what we've got to do more of.
You don't always reach people with politics, but how you do reach them is when they're going through things, when they start rolling off of those snap benefits, when they start losing access to Medicaid and Medicare, when those rural hospitals start close, saying who is going to be there for them? And at the end of the day, the Democratic Party has been the party that has been there for communities and we've got to make sure that that's
how we are showing up. I know that we are in a very difficult time and I would be remiss to not acknowledge that people are have been very disappointed in the way that some things went down. But when the rubber meets the road, we are the best party to do the work of the people, and so that's how we've got to move forward. We can't always start
with politics. We have to start with meeting people with where they are and making sure they understand that when they have needs, when they need access to health care and education, that we are the people that are going to be there for them. And that's why I said, I've got to chime in and commend you for the work that you're doing with Stay to the People, because that is essentially the base.
And the root of how we move forward.
Sorry, and I'm going to hope right now. I speaking of the people. There's a woman who runs a platform that gets people engaged politically, mostly from small dollar donations regularly. Regina Wallace Jones is joining us. I wanted to make sure she could come on at this time andrew your question next, because there's also a little Delta party going on, So I want to make sure Regie.
I simply want to say right now because I think the work that you're going to be doing and that you are doing is critically important, and I don't want folks to be confused that we are people are throwing off their hands because of a Charlie Kirk that.
Issue is a harbinger.
However, for do we have a group of folks who are prepared to fight to the mat on behalf of the things that we believe in. We know that the worst bill or bill better. But whatever the bill is that Trump called, this thing is horrific for our community. But but what makes it makes the sting so much harder and so much tougher, is on the things where we can stand up, where we can show leadership, what we can push back.
We're saying, if they give away on the easy stuff, how can we rely on them for the hard stuff?
So I don't I don't think this was simply about a vote of honoring Charlie Kirk or not. It is when you are in your power, in your position where you get to demonstrate your power.
Are they going to do it?
But I think you see that every day. I'm sorry, I think you see that every day in communities. You have black mayors, you have municipal and county officials who are doing the work.
This is not just one body.
This is a moment where we all have to get together because it is going to take a village. It is the mayors, it is the governors. The new Jerseys race, the Virginia race, Wesmore and Maryland. It's gonna take all
of us standing together. So yes, that vote was difficult, and yes, like there are people who will always disappoint you, but you can't just look at one body, because at the end of the day, we are a party up and down the ballot, and you've got some really, really amazing people who are doing the work in their communities at the local level, and that's how we're gonna do it.
We're gonna have to all do it together. Well, let me say this on that, because I think you're right. I don't want to sound naive or defensive. It was a bad vote, it was taken by our community, very upsetting, but I would say that lessons were learned. And what you didn't hear was immediately after there was a meeting with the civil rights leaders.
With journalists to say, here was my job.
Right or wrong, but I should have had a better process and I have.
Learned from this to move on.
So my thing is it didn't turn out the way it should have for Black America. By the way people are responding, and I'm not making it small, but I am saying the Republicans set this up to get us distracted.
Let's not let that work, because we have.
Too many children, too many seniors, too many people who are at risk of losing their snack, their Medicaid, their Social Security, their Medicare and healthcare. We need to fight for and we need to fight for my sister, to make sure that those dollars it Act Blue, that they don't come after her like Lisa Cook, like they did with Peggy Carr, and coming after black women.
So we need your voices.
We need you to stay where you are absolutely and not give up on us, and I'll make a commitment that we'll stay in the fight.
Well, thank you.
So much, you're so great for being joining us.
Speaking of where a money reside, where the money reside, where the money reside, we would love to know on the you're sort of.
At the.
Canary in the coal mine when you start to see Democratic dollars weighing off away from their candidates and their infrastructure. Folks out to be in touch with you, trying to figure out what's happening and what's happening in that space. I'd love for you to share with us, not only a little bit about the platform of Back Blue, but also, where are you diagnosing the state of affairs right now as you see money either coming in or not coming in as relates to candidates who are on your platform.
Excellent, thank you for the question, and let me just back up and say Act Blue is a twenty one year old platform. It is beloved by Democrats and progressives. We have twenty eight million donors who at any given time are going to make a choice to give to a candidate, to an issue, or to a cause. And the average donation that comes through Act Blue is about thirty eight dollars. It's not huge, but the average donor
is going to give thirty eight dollars six times. And the truth is that when you magnify that over the number of donors that care about our candidates, our issues, and our causes, that swells into something that is a huge behemoth. So one thing that we're a canary in many ways, we were also the canary of.
Right wing attack.
Actually, there is a whole section of Project twenty twenty five that is written specifically and explicitly to dismantle Act Blue, and it lays out the clear steps that it was that they were trying to take to do that. But they substantially underestimated the strength of what this entity is. So it turned out that under attack, what they had hoped was that the donors would lose faith in the platform, that they would believe the lies that they were spreading
and sharing. What actually happened is that donors took a different position. This has been the largest off year fundraising cycle that we have ever had on the platform, and it is thirty six percent larger than this time in.
Twenty twenty one.
That's incredible, that is incredible.
So we see it very clearly. Donors are leaning into giving for a redistricting. Donors are leaning into candidates that are committed deeply.
To the grassroots.
Donors are leaning into candidates and elected officials who are showing courage in this moment, not cowardice. And donors are leaning into many of the things that Democrats and progressors really care about, clean energy, climate, etc. So we're finding a ton of success, and we are also in this moment spending a fair amount of resources to defend ourselves. And that is not because there's anything that we are
guilty of. Unfortunately, when you make a charge against an organization, they have to take the resources to defend themselves, whether they're guilty or not. So we are encouraging the universe of donors that care about the things that we're fighting for to double down. It is actually an act of resistance to keep on giving. And what we're finding is that donors are doing exactly that.
You know, I want to come to you, thank you so much. I'll also it's the two mayors sit next to each other, for we're mayor right here as well. So I want to come to Ilhan Omar, who has been such a champion, such a clear voice since even before where we are right now, like have always been
a voice of conviction. When I think of what the CBC represents as the conscience of the Congress, Ilhan, you have done that, you have lived that, You've broken history in your home state, and I know that the battle has not been easy for you, and I know you got to go inside. So my quick question for you
is continuing to double back into this theme. When you consider what it means to be made for this moment, true to this conference theme, how are you embodying that and what would you encourage our audience to do to represent.
I just say real quick to the Congress someone from Minnesota say yes, and that's part of the pride and a history maker as well.
So this, this is what happens when you get interviewed by your friend, a member of Congress.
That are just like Omars here, Representative Elhan Omar, the legendary.
No.
I mean, I think it is beautiful the fact that you mentioned that the Congressional Black Caucus is the conscience of Congress. Because I had the fortune of coming into Congress doing a really horrendous time, right, it was the first Trump administration. My class was supposed to be the anecdote to the hate, the vitriol. We were about love, we were about compassion. We were about shaping a narrative that was like what it was to be American.
Right.
We were the most diverse class in the history of Congress. But what I didn't realize was that part of our fortune is that we were joining the Black Caucus with the likes of Jan Lewis.
And I remember, you know, I had all of these you know moments, and.
John stopped me on the floor one time and he said, young lady, pace yourself. And I thought that was peculiar, And I said, what does that mean?
And he said, we are in a moment not only are we fighting for.
A democracy that we desperately need, because we as black people do not have survival in this country without democracy, without the ability to voice our opinions through the ballot box. And he said, in this moment, we are also dealing with what it means to be American. And I know you and stand that, and so I want you to pace yourself because this journey of struggle that we have entered.
Is going to be long. Wow, that's so powerful.
And so what I carry with myself since that conversation is that history of people who understood the long arc of struggle, knowing that ultimately there will be justice, but also that the pensulum will spin back and forth, that even though we might win justice for ourselves in moments, we have to continue to fighting for that because the retention of that justice, of that progress requires us to
pace ourselves. Because what white supremacist and hate and violence does, it occupies you, it distracts you, it wears you down. And so if we are not engaging in this moment, in this battle pacing our selves, we are going to get tired, We are going to get exhausted. We are going to get disillusion while they win. And in order for us to win, yes, we have to pace ourselves.
Good.
Thank you.
I was well.
One good friend of mine used to tell me, we're in this movement space. We sleep in shifts. So part of this pacing means that everybody can't be on front deck on every issue every time.
And Congressman, we've seen nothing.
Wanting to be but oftentimes, uh, the opposition trying to make you the center of their attention by.
Way of distraction. And we thank you for moving gracefully through that every time.
Uh.
And to my brother over here, fellow rattler, uh, fam you in the house, but also in the house the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Real quick, I know, Ihan, you have to go inside. We snatched her up, but we're gonna we're gonna let her go ahead and and go back inside. Thank you, Susan. Thank you all for the family love.
No no, no, no none.
Rattlers, Come on, Ratlers.
Now to the question events.
Your membership has had quite a week and this week, but leading into this week, some difficult votes that I think you can take pride in the carcase hanging as tight as it was, but as we were saying with some of the members earlier, the burden for you all is just higher at this time. The expectations are greater, and largely because the needs and our communities happen to
be greater. What kind of guidance support are you making sure that your membership has during these tough times that again, ready, prepare them and keep them steady for the fight.
You know, when we were at this conference a year ago tonight, we believed we were on the precipice of breaking that hardest, highest class ceiling to send a woman to the White House. Right twelve months later that it's not the case tonight. In America, healthcare is on the line, food service programs are on critical life support, jerry mandering is on steroids, and a government shut down is looming. So twelve months later, the stakes are dramatically different. The
paradigm has shifted. And you know, sixty two members strong, the largest in our history. Our members are working hard. But the reality is there is not a lot of good news that I thought I would have coming into this conference. What I can tell you is and what I think most of us have felt over the last couple of days. There's a lot of joy in this space. There are a lot of beautiful black, brilliant people. Joe, Taika, Edie, all of y'all up here tonight, and so I am
renewed tonight. And I know the members are that we must stay on the battlefield. There's not a fight we are not in right now.
There is.
We are standing in the brief.
You know this all too well.
And you just said what I was going to say, and I said it all across the country with Angela this summer. Black people in America must sleep in shifts. When you are asleep. I've got to be up when.
I am sleep. You gotta be up because the people.
Of ill Will are never sleeping ever. And so that's what's required of I feel right and I just.
Have to take them off. Congress Woman Marsha Budge's right here. Also a former secretary I'm going there, y'ah, I got it. Also the former secretary of HUD We Love You. She's walking by. She's also a delta. We had a whole slew a deltas up here. And speaking of yeah, there's another delta here. Also the founder of WIN with Black Women Women Win with black women, but there we had to win with this black woman first. She is also getting a Phoenix Award tonight, So Joe take a congratulations,
Joe taking you. Welcome to the state. I didn't know if it's running on.
Joe Taka, you look amazing. I'm always the shallow person looking at everybody's outfits and a tire, but you always shut it down every room you're in. I always talk about how beautiful you are every time I see you.
Thank you, my friend.
It is always the good to be good to be home. Yes, yes, and congratulations to you. My sister Angela Rye too right back.
Thank you so much. And I want to just acknowledge to the president of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Nicole Austin. Hillary has also joined us. I know she's got a fun feeled impact evening, so we welcome you home as well.
Nica.
Thank you, and we're so happy to honor both you and Joe Taka tonight. Thank you.
I just want to remind our viewers really quickly. I did before, but I want to remind you again. If you're just joining us, please stay tuned because you'll get to hear Angela's acceptance speech here live on our very show, So don't go anywhere, stay tuned. Jill Taika, I want to come to you before we'll come back to you. I want to come to you because it's a time where people are so frustrated they don't know what to do.
People constantly ask us what should we be doing? And I always direct them to the Win with Black Women call that takes place every Sunday, because you lead a charge. I just want to know for the folks who haven't been able to join that call for whatever reason, what would you say to the millions literally millions of women who you helped to organize and maybe some who you haven't yet tapped into, who are asking what.
Should they be doing right now? Well, thank you for that question.
I think when we look at the theme of what we have been talking about this entire week, made for this moment, and particularly when it comes to Black women, I think about Esther. Esther was in a midst of something that was chaotic. She was scared, she was nervous, but she was reminded that she was made for such.
A time as this.
And so what I would say to black women, and particularly black women, we are feeling more so than anybody else.
The heart threats and all of.
The systemic challenges and the very specific racism is sexism that is coming out of this administration. We feel the brunt of that because we are targeted. But the thing that I think is most important is that we can never lose sight of our power and our power. It is not just a positional power. You don't have to be the leader of an organization. Everybody has power, individual power, and when we bring that collective power together, there's nothing
that can stop us. And so what I will say to that woman is that do what you can do from where you are, because whatever it is, as long as it is nothing, it is going to move us towards the liberation that we so desperately need.
But if they do want to join the calls on Sunday, how can they do that?
They can go to www dot when with Blackwomen dot Org. You can go to our bitly slash WWBWA you Sunday call and you probably could just ask a black woman and she probably can direct you to us on a Sunday night.
I love this so much. I want to come to you, Nicole. You will be so happy we have been on messages this whole evening about what it means to be made for this moment, and we've asked everyone. I've asked closed my panels this week with that, and I know that this is a theme that's near and dear to your heart.
Before you answer that, I also want to take just a moment to thank Joe Takahiti for joining us in this moment, Rachel Nordlinger, the legendary publicist right here and coming to Melanie Parker, who was also a partner of Native lampod and the vice president of Googler Engagement. So we're so happy to have you. Were going to get into hbcusing all the great things you're doing in just a moment, but first we're gonna come to President Nicole Austin Hillary talk about the theme a little bit, Angela.
You know, when we got to this year's theme, my team said what is going to encapsulate this moment that we're in And what I said to them is that this alec is more critical than ever because we are in challenging times and folks are trying to really ameliorate us. I mean they are trying to get rid of our community.
They're trying to.
Ameliorate us with some of these new tasks and new policies they're putting out, But we know that's just junk that is not for us. And we knew that we had to have everyone come together and strategize around how do we move forward as a community and as a people. And this is the nation's largest Black public policy conference, and so we said, we have to do something that's going to galvanize our community so that everyone will know they have marching orders and need to come together, talk
and then take the message back to their communities. So that's what made for this moment means and it's also a reminder of our struggle but also of our history of strength and resilience, so that folks know, yes, we are at a time of challenge, but in our DNA is the strength, the resilience and the power to move forward and to overcome and to get to even higher heights.
That's what made for this moment is about.
Yeah, what I'd be curious to know.
Obviously there's been a lot of energy around the conference this year, but there's also a lot of despair, as we all know, out in our community. What do you think if there was if there was a way to give lyft, especially coming on the hills of a vote that has been extremely demoralizing for a lot of black
people at every level of our society. What we would tell folks around this fight when it doesn't look like we're winning, and I think we can level with people that were not winning and the stage is set for greater.
Loss, where do they go? Where's the reservoir of.
Tactics that folks can tap into that they can use and exercise at their respective levels.
You know, Joe Taco said something very interesting that I've actually been saying all week. Sometimes it feels like we're all talking to one another and thinking along the same wavelengths. What I tell people is look to yourself and the community around you, because you have leaders. You have black women who have been working for decades in the good times and the bad times, and they know what strategy is about. They know what it means to in hard
times coalesce around a movement. They know what it means to make a dollar out of fifteen cents. That's what we have to do right now. We have to go back to those routs and do it right in our communities, go to those wise sages go to those young people who are brilliant, who are out there right now saying we're not waiting for somebody to give us a title or give us permission to lead.
We are leading right now.
I'm asking everyone to look inward and right in their own neighborhoods and their sororities, fraternities, churches, civic organizations, and that's how we are going to get the well of information and then come together and share that information and understand that it's going to take that unity for all of us to move forward.
Thank you for that, Melanie. I want to bring you in the converce station after that sermon that we just got.
In and we should probably she literally hasked to run out. She had a whole program. Thank you, President, and thank you.
For honoring our your sister tonight. We are so proud and excited to see her get a privileged to do so. Yes, thank you, thank you very much, melaniew. If there is a role for the private sector to play at this time, news came out this week that corporate boards have been bringing on more white men and drove numbers since Trump has assaulted DEI efforts across the private sector and the public sector. I'm curious in your role.
One.
We want to know in the community how safe you are. We want to be able to support you. But to what role does the private sector have to play to hold the ground and not completely capitulate if we as we've seen so many other private sector companies do.
And tip if I could add to that, particularly as it relates to training up the best and brightest our future. I'm sitting between sandwich between two HBCU grads and if I had another piece of bread, it would be you over there, Speilman. So I know that, Hampton.
I think it was Spelman.
Do I do that every HBT you love? Okay, I'm sorry, Hampton. I'll get it right next time. My little cousin, Evany also went to Hampton. So I will I want you to tap into how you prepare these future young leaders given everything that's going on, you have a deep and abiding commitment to that.
Yes, And actually I said, I was on Joe Jaca's call on Sunday and I was asking myself, like, what can I do, like in my role, what can I do? And I walked away from that thinking, actually, I have to make all of the resources that we have available at Google, we got to push that more out into the community. As an example, we offer certificate programs you can at them like Cloud architect, Data.
Science, AI Essentials.
Over two hundred employers accept these certificates.
In lieu of degree.
And so my thing is, how do we get go to market partners from the Divine nine, from the links incorporated, from our churches, you know.
Et cetera.
How do we put these courses because they're free, they're on Casera and then for small business owners, we also offer a lot of free services as well. And so I have a personal goal to make sure you know we're doing our part to address the number of people, including communities of color and black women that.
Are out of work.
And how do you make that pivot and how do you take resources that are available and turn that in.
I was talking with a friend last week.
She's been out of work for ten months and she's consulting, and she said, you know, the consulting market is oversaturated because we don't need more consultants, but we do need more people with skills that are you know, meeting us where we are with AI and how do we do that?
So tell us. Where's the clearinghouse?
Where do folks if you're on your couches, where do they go?
So go to Grow with Google dot Com.
And then from Grow with Google dot Com you'll find our career certificates.
But you'll also.
Find the tools that we have for small businesses and for founders.
So Grow with Google dot Com.
We'll make sure you get in the show notes.
Tif I'm about to That's a good point, Andrew, that is a good show note. I'm about to tell the family business. So, Melanie, we have a chat of black women who are in media. It's called the Machetes. And I want to know if there is a machete like group for folks in your position. I can imagine, especially as things begin to change, it can become very lonely. So I want to know who are the sisters that hold you down in this space, so that you feel
like you've goulous sisters. I'm my own machete group. We hold each other up.
I mean, you know, Harriet Tubman started it right with the Underground Railroad.
We beat Morse Code. So I have a number of sisters in like.
Fields across industry, tech industry and other industries and we, you know, help each other, and we are proactive leading helping each other, like see around that corner.
But we want to do that together.
Some of those sisters, sadly, you know, are looking for new roles and need to make that pivot too, and some have been unsafe.
Yeah, same, I think in our group chat, and it speaks of the power of the group chat.
I was.
If you guys are regular workers on the show, you'll know that Angela recommended. We were exchanging booklists book readings, and Angela recommended Asada Chakor's biography, and I was just heartbroken this week at her passing. Our friend Jelani Cobb Dina Columbia Journalism School noted how she was eternally out of the reach of the people who were trying to
destroy her. But she talked about being isolated in prison, and she kept asking, why can't I go and be with the other black women, And she would shout to them through thick metal windows, how y'all doing, and they would in unison reply back, we good, sister, how you doing? And when she was able to be in community with them, just to hear their voices, she said it felt like a piece of home. So when I think about our group chats and where we gather as black women, there
is something magical and mystical even to that. So just in honor of Asada Shakur, I just want to say, I'm shouting through the thick metal windows to you, say Angela, to all the people out there, asking how y'all doing? And we want to know and hold and keep each other with a little piece of home as we remember, I.
Got checking a.
Feel glad that made it.
So you do, we have some We just need to change the topics up.
We do it in the halls, right, So think about we're out and about and we're giving each other that look like you know, and so I mean just even that exchange is.
Like a hug.
So, as we conclude our time here at CBC and re emphasize the theme here of being made for the moment, as you think about your own contributions in the space that you occupy in corporate America, how do you feel that you are prepared, made, stayed for the moment.
So my brother and I we're first generation college My parents were Air Force.
They both went in right out of high school.
My mom's from Texas, my dad's from North Carolina, but they fought for an America that didn't give them full rights and privileges, with a very.
Intention that what they were fighting for was going to be better for their children. So my brother and I we are made.
For this moment because we were groomed and developed in community to serve and we get that from our parents, we get that from everybody who surrounded us, and I do think like esther to Joe Tako's point, if not me, then who that's right?
That's right.
Thank you for being a partner to Native Lampard. Thank you for everything you're doing in your role. Melanie Parker. We so appreciate you, and we are part of your extended group chat. You have a support of the Machetes, you know from far beyond, So thank you. We appreciate all your support over the years, not just tonight, but over the years.
We really support me and Tip by giving us this dress because I'm sure beautiful, being so free.
I know that when she was standing over there, it's allR right when.
She came up.
So thank you so much.
Congratulations on your war. Yes, so excited, so.
Well deserved.
That's what I want to talk about now, Okay, so far.
Shout out quick Jamal Simmons, Hi, Jamal Simmons.
A lot of people who wanted to appear on air would always.
Represent look at that air mail.
Yes, I'm listening to you. I know, but we got eighty D a little band fam you.
I knew Andrew was going to spot out the fam you people. Yes, well, the audience can't see, but I want you all to know there is a room full of beautiful, elegant black folks here tonight. And I just sometimes I look at these colors and I'm like, damn, the color of yellow was made for black women. And I'm like, oh, the color pink was made for black women, was made for women. It's just a rainbow of fashion,
but beyond fashion consciousness. You know, we're gathered here tonight to celebrate the work that has been done and the work that needs to be done. And we knew, but Angela would not let us say anything. But we knew that Angelo Rye will be honored tonight, presented an award because fitting with the theme, she has indeed met the moment. She is a former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus,
the legislative body has worked tirelessly. When I met her, she was already a star in DC among the hills.
She has not changed at all.
People think, you know, sometimes you get on TV and become well known and get a new personality. This has always been who Angela is from the day I've met her almost twenty years ago.
Blacks.
Yes, she is, has always been, and she was staffed.
To the Blacks.
She was a business. You make that up. I think you made that up.
Albert Sanders actually made that up our Frank, yes, that he would always say, she's everybody's emergency contact because if something happens to me, please call Angela.
Rye.
No you, I'll respond next week, like girl, you're good, are you okay? But you've worked on campaigns, including Andrew Gilliams, has been a business owner, an activist. Impact Strategies was your business. But even before it was a business, it was I don't know what you guys were, an organization on Capitol Hill.
Yeah, yeah, I remember, I remember.
But also what I find really like inspiring about Angela, even as you said here, I'll say it is she has always seemed to make time for bringing the next generation of leaders up. Her cohort of young people of all really all range of ages, who were interested in professional development, who were interested in making real impact, have sought her out, and she's always made room for training up the next generation leadership, the folks that you want
to replace you. And I think of all of all the amazing things you do, and there are many in numerable, I count this among one of the I think greatest measures of impact you that you have had and are having, and that's in replacing yourself and replacing the rest of us with the next layer of talent.
You're so elegant.
And of course I didn't want to leave out State of the People. What you've done with State of the People. Please join us, I asked, Well, somebody grabbed mister and missus Rye. Please you get that they can come for her acceptance be But I also this is the professional things that we talked about, Angela. But I just want to say personally, if anyone has ever if you are in her world, and anyone has ever even slightly thought about wronging you, do not tell Angela because she's going
to carry it to her grade. She will not rock with you. If you mess with her people. She is always ready to throw some knuckles. So it is just a delight to see her honored. One of the reasons I think she is this powerhouse is because of who raised her. And that is of course, if you know Angela, you've heard her talk about Papa Rye, who is her hero, her partner, her father, and her beautiful, elegant mother.
You can see where she gets her looks from. So so nice to see you. Yeah, you sit down. Your first job is to hell Mommy sit here.
I love it.
My dad said, how you doing, Governor. So this is doctor Andrea Rye and Eddie Wright Jr. And at this point we are slightly We're supposed to be ending right now, but since we started late, I'm gonna reclaim my time. If you can help mommy sit down, or you guys are gonna stand up. Okay, that's fine. So parents, if you can pay attention for just a moment, mom you're on camera. If you can't pay attention just for a moment,
I think it is worth it. Because I learned this evening or this afternoon that we don't get remarks for the Phoenix Awards. I'm gonna do my speech now that I was gonna do. So I'm gonna just share it here. Good evening. I stand before you as the first former executive director recipient of the CBC Foundation's Phoenix Award. Receiving this award fills me with both gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose, and I will tell you that I wrestle with the fact that it feels unearned and premature.
In this moment, I feel like I've failed the people because this year I began working to really gather us in earnest as crisis called. But what I realized to miss this internal struggle is this honor is not the end. It's the beginning. It's an urging to keep going, to keep pushing, and to find higher ground. Thank you to Chairwoman Clark for seeing me and encouraging me to give the best of me to our people. I accept this honor with the full awareness that our story as a
people has always been one of resurrection and resilience. This award is not just for me. It belongs to every ancestor who refused to quit, every elder who told the truth, and every young person daring to dream beyond the failures of what America has promised. It belongs to my mom and Dad, doctor Andrea Rye, and Eddie Rye Junior, To the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and to every Black staffer who knows your duty to also serve as
the conscience of the Congress. It is for It is for the first responders of the movement, the state of the people, and every partner. It is for every person we fed, hugged, bailed out, heard out who felt left out, For the mothers of the movement, the Black Wall Street survivors, and everyone who knows black lives, history, stories, employees, entrepreneurs, scientists, veterans, preachers, teachers, elders and babies still matter. Tonight is about more than recognition.
It is a clarion call for what it means to meet this moment. We are witnessing the dismantling of democracy in real time. Book bands are spreading across our states. Voter suppression targets our communities with new force. The tightening of our economy is harming Black women by the hundreds of thousands, and the eggs, the cost of eggs are
still too damn high. Political violence is unleashed to keep us silent and afraid, and we are being made to believe that congressional honor must be bestowed upon someone who thought, who through death, is being upheld as a messiah when we all know the truth about the vicious, violent vitriol he actually spewed. We know what survival mode feels like. We see it in every headline that erases our history, every law that blocks our progress, every threat meant to
break our will. But we are not only survivors. We are meant to thrive. The question is how we will not get there through division or subtraction. We will not move forward by closing our eyes to hatred or shrinking in the face of unprecedented opposition and oppression. So tonight I ask what will history say about you? What will history say about me? What will it say about us? Will it record our silence or will it tell a
story of a collective rising up? Will it remember you as someone who stood in the gap or as someone who faded and blended when it mattered the most. History is not written by the comfortable. It is shaped by the courageous. This is our time to move in the fullness of who we are. Our steps are ordered to be bold, to be unapologetically black and beautiful. Shrinking is not an option. Bowing is not an option. Folding is not an option. Every moment demands our grit, our hustle,
and our backbone. We will not overcome until we confront division. We will not overcome until we face our fears, speak truth, plainly and without apology. We will not overcome until the demands we have of our elected officials are also met when we look in the mirror. We will not overcome until we let courage replace fear. That is our standard,
that is our charge. You are called now more than EVERBC, to not just be the conscience of the Congress, but even more to be the conscience of our community and the conscience of our culture. You stand on the shoulders of that kind of conscience of a bold thirteen in nineteen seventy one who demanded the bold pursuit of an
agenda for liberation that is our birthright. Let us move forward together, refusing to shrink, refusing to be silenced, refusing to be divided, because we were made for this moment. Thank you for this great honor, all power to the people. Welcome home, y'all.
For the last morning see. Thank you for joining the Natives intention of with the info and all of the latest rock Gilliman Cruss connected 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 the OA to execute rules. Thank you for serve, defend and protect the truth, even in case it will walk a home.
All of the natives, we thank you.
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