Black America In Crisis

urgent time you're living in right now. They are freedom fighters from two different generations. Dr Angela Davis is a legend an iconic civil rights activists and one of the most brilliant women that I know. And we also have Ms. Tonka Mallory, who's been fighting passionately for our black brothers and sisters for over twenty five years. The events of the last four weeks are unlike anything we have seen, and it's all been triggered by this horrific video. My face,

do you know what do you want? And then breathe, Pas, I can appreciate it. Bro get up getting the car man, I will get up, get in the car. I've been wiping the whole You don't get any car. Get up and get it right. I can't throw up now. Bro. Look at what he got made. He got made. You guys, okay, check your quas checking, check your balls. Check. The man ain't moved yet. Bro, Bro, he's not even moving. Get off of Nick. Bro. You know movies over? Are you ceriously?

Are you seeing? It's still really m upsetting. Thank goodness for social media because we could at least film it. But you just think about all the times that has happened over and all the cases that we don't know about. Dr Davis, When you first saw that video, how did you feel that video represents what black people have experienced for generations and generations, over and over and over again.

When I saw that white cop with his hands in his pocket, nonchalantly murdering this black man, and we're collectively mourning the fact that we have not brought about shape our own failure to stand up and say never again, never again. I feel like right now the first time I've ever seen so many people on the same page. On one hand, that's really inspiring and and gives me a lot of hope, And on the other hand, it kind of feels like just now, just now, right after

all this time. I don't watch these videos, so I can't anymore because I find myself being paralyzed by the constant trauma, you know. And I get videos that most folks will never see. People text me videos all the time, the kids being beaten, people being abused, women being attacked, and it's a lot. It's heavy. But I definitely heard him calling for his mother, and when he says, Mama, Mama, get up, it strikes a nerve because from my own son,

to have him say mama calling for me. But I think about Eric Garner, you know, saying I can't breathe eleven times and people stood around and watched it happen. And that's what I see in this video. Not only do I see the man who's in his kneeling in his neck, I also see another person standing there protecting him and trying to block people from stopping it from happening.

There's just so many people complicit in this moment. When I watched the George Floyd video, just the amount of restraint, just for me to just the mainsteady, I just don't think that people understand the amount of pain and then the anger that goes along with it. In the trauma. There was a meme on social media, thank God, we just want justice and not rove the day. I'm gonna tell you something else too. I was telling a friend

of mine. I was like, hey, check it, um, let's be glad that the guns in the hood are not organized and less be glad that it didn't have to go to that, because I'm gonna tell you what, if we want to take it back to the late sixties, there was a lot of bloodshed, you know what I'm saying, And that's one of the reasons why I'm like, hey, we gotta get moving and i gotta make it change.

We've been warning these folks. We've been marching, we've been crying, We've been going to Congress, We're on the hill, We're doing all of this. So at what point do people begin to see that there is the frustration that's building up that we can't we can't control it anymore. After George Floyd was murdered to Mika gave what is being called the most powerful speech of a generation. We are in a state of emergency. Black people are dying, in a state of emergency. That and they're an easy way

to stop. Charge all the cotton, not just some of them, not just here in Minneapolis, charge them in every city across America where our people are being murdered doing what you say. This country is supposed to be about the land of the free for all. It has not been free for black people. And we are tired. Don't talk to us about looting. Y'all are the luders. America has a looted black people. America alluded the Native Americans when they first came here. The violence was what we learned

from you. So if you want us to do better, then damn it, you do better. Yes, yes, yes, yes, that was an absolutely incredible speech you made right. It's inspiring. Just one week ago, this heartbreaking video was public Another black man, twenty seven year old race Sharp Brooks, is dead at the hands of the police. Can you step out with me place from yes Siday? He said, Okay, if I pat you down to make sure you any weapon, just turn off face away for a real quick I

can just go along. I had my daughters there right now, my three. My daughter birthday was yesterday. Trying to make sure man, you're staying to drive that song. I know, man, I know, I know, you're just doing your draw Just take a deep breath, then get your mouth with an off piece. But it's hards you can't tell'll tell you stop. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah bla stop. Very good, I've said a few drinks. I see it. I think you've had too much to drink to be

driving chance when your back to win. Can't put chance when you back seem real agree, what do you want

to Oh? I got right, dude. I think one of the most painful things for me is that the idea that black men are the most dangerous creatures on the planet, so that if he's drunk in a drive through at Wendy's, that justifies him being murdered, or everyone talking about whatever George Floyd's rap sheet might have been, as if any of that has anything to do with his rights to be treated as a human being, and the fact that

we are still dealing with that issue. Well, you can't even be twelve years old in a park because to me, a rice was shot in a park. Yes, a toy gun that is sold in the store that any other child would be able to play with, especially if they're not a black child in this situation, within seconds to me, or Rice is shot twelve years old because they see black boys all so as being black men. As we

are criminalized from very young, black men are demonized. The whole history of racism is full of images of the demonization of black men. But let's not forget that black women also suffer as a result. As a matter of fact, black we think or lenched. The worst examples of lynching consisted of a pregnant but who are being lynched and the fetus being cut out of the stilla. So let's also remember Brianna Taylor all the women who have suffered

as a result of this racist violence. As long as this violence continues to be inflicted on black people, no one to say the older white man who was the protester in Buffalo, New York, he also suffered. Y. Yeah. One thing that I heard you say, Dr Davis that I thought that was very interesting is diversity and inclusion. Enough as far as white people going, well, I'm doing my part by making sure that I you know, I love black people. I'm I'm I'm employing, I'm employing more

black people. You know, I'm giving money to more community services for black people, which I think is great. I think it's good that we're seeing so many white people out in the street. Yes, I want to talk about Roger Goodell taking a knee. When people like that engage in such behavior, it's actually a good thing because it represents their sense that they've got to find their way to the right side of history. That's what they really think,

what they really feel, what they're committing to doing. It represents of the fact that they want to be included in those movements that are moving in the direction of progress. But let me say why inclusion and diversity it just don't work, not by themselves, and it has to deal with the fact the powers that we are constantly seeking

ways to deradicalize our demands. Every single university has an office of a Diversity and Inclusion That simply means including black people within a racist institutions without rooting the structural racism out of the institution itself. So diversity and inclusion are okay, but only when they are paired with justice, only when they're connected to transformation. The institution as a

whole has to be transformed. Me I've on a small level and just my own industry, you know, with the whole diversity inclusion and just seeing how you're right, just as far as the how the infrastructure itself, the very foundation is not changing. So I've had to learn the hard way. So that really resonated for me. Police lat infrastructure. Yeah, it's the same thing, exactly the same thing. Diversity and

inclusion means quotas, it means numbers. You know, we're giving X amount of dollars we hired this number of people. White people have to be responsible for deconstructing white supremacy. It is your people started it. It's what you are. You're privileged enough to enjoy the benefits of it, so you have to actually deconstruct it. So Karen who works in the corporation, who's always looking for a reason to report other black women because you know, she came in

this morning, she wasn't nice enough to me. When she calls to human resources to complain about something that is silly, there should be a stop right there that this will not be tolerated and it should be called out. That's deconstructing white supremacy within the industry. You will not terrorize our employees because the person just wasn't nice enough to you today, and and and now she's making me feel threatened and I'm running around the office with white tears.

That has to stop. And most people don't want to do that. They'll they'll say, well, you know how she is. Meanwhile, a black woman who may come in, she may be frustrated, she's going through a lot. Yes she's got the job, but she feels under pressure at every moment she's sitting there. She can't in any way get upset in a meeting. You can't. You can't even show that you don't like something.

You actually have to go along to get along. So deconstructing white supremacy is to deal with the Karens that work on your job, the Karens that are in your family. Excuse me, your mama who's telling you that she's going to vote for somebody that is harmful to people of color, Because that's Billy that we love, you know, I know, Billy Bombson, he was the kid. Billy Bob is a racist, and that has to So don't worry about so much coming to our movement. Yes we we we we welcome you,

but that's part two. Part one is how are you getting uninvited from Thanksgiving, from the Christmas party and from the activities where you know white supremacy flies around. In case you don't know, Tom could tell us what does it mean to call someone a Karen. It's the mindset, you know. First of all, Black Twitter is a place where you can find love, where you can find something else. You don't want to get caught in black Twitter on the wrong side for black people because of everything that

we've experienced. Coming up with names and ways to describe the pain and the insult and the injury is all we had. So you at least have to be able to call it out. So Karen is a part of that. Karen and Becky, these are names that people have. You is to describe a certain behavior. And what happened with Amy Cooper in the park in Central Park in New York, she would be considered a character. Please don't come post me, Please don't come close to me. Please please call the cops.

Please call the cops. I'm going to tell them there's an African American man threatening my life. Please tell them whatever you like, there is an African American man. I'm a seperate Park. He's recording me threatening myself and my dog I think, threatened by a man in the ramble. Please sell the cops in any HI, I'm asking you if this is your property, because it's private property. Because it's private property, are you defacing private property? And you don't know if I live here or if this is

my property? Absolutely, do you know that's my Really, don't call the cops. And that people, is why black lives matter. I've been hearing about Karen, but I haven't watched the tape. It's a real thing, and we make the joke, but the truth is if the police showed us, Yeah, it's dangerous because Karen is a direct connection. It goes from her to the knee and the net to the I

can't breathe to the Brianna Taylor being shot. And so in order to be a white person who's like, what do we do, you've got to actually deal with that being This is really historical though, and I want to touch on this for a moment, how white womanhood has been protected by racism and and and white supremacy. Is the idea that Karen knows to say that a black man, I'm going to tell the police that you're a black

man who is threatening my life. And it goes all the way back to MTL was represented as a response to black male rapists, and of course it was the southern white womanhood that had to be safeguarded by lynching black men. It wasn't about sexual assault. Lynching was necessary in order to preserve white womanhood. One can look at

so many cases, the case of the Scotsboro Nine. These black men ended up spending decades of their lives behind bars, and many of them were sentenced to death because of the false claim on the part of white women and Scotsboro, Alabama, that they had been raped by these men. But what I want to say is that they've also been white women who resisted this, and I think it's important point that out as well. UH. In ninety three, an organization

UH against Lynching was created by Southern white women. There are white women who genuinely want to participate in what is happening right now, but a lot of them aren't educated around the issues. So how can we help with that? When we started the Women's March, was four co chairs and one white woman, and we're sitting together one day and she said, I don't understand what racism and women's issues have to do one another. We have a commonality and we can just focus on this and then leave

the black thing over there that's separate them. And I was like, first, I was angry. This is one of the things that I just have a difficult time with my white sisters. Okay, it's like you were fighting sexism, Okay,

you were fighting for your equal rights. So if we talk about all the isms that are tools that are used to oppress groups of people, I just have a very difficult time why racism cannot be recognize as a tool, a fierce tool of oppression that sits right there and is the sister to sexism, is the sister to misogyny, is the sister to all of those tools that are

used to oppress groups of people. Right, So, if you are a freedom fighter as a white woman, I can't understand for the life of me why it is so difficult to understand how racism is a tool that's used to oppress people. And as long as there's any old pressed person on this planet, your fight will never will never end, right, And I think that's the thing that we need to get our white sisters to understand. You

can't separate your isms from ours. That's the privilege though, that that some of them had or some of them recognize, and they want it. They want to maintain power and position. Can we honestly, honestly Dr Davis and to Maka expect white people to dismantle white supremacy because they're giving up their power if they do that, Like, how do we

expect that? And I'm just asking a very honest question when we talk about getting to the core mhm okay, the deep question, when we talk about core infrastructure that we know we don't hold the keys to writ can we honestly expect I think there's something white people that will There's some that have devoted their lives to fighting it, but it's not widespread enough. But maybe this is the moment when we're beginning to see people from all over

the world, not just white folks in America. We're saying, hey, this is too much. Maybe it's the generations to come, because when I look at Willows generation, they have a different mindset. They really do. We're not even sure. It's like my boy, my girl is like we're blurring the colors.

We're making you know what I mean between gender where it's very blurred and kids are growing up with this understanding that you can be whatever you want and and you're not defined by your oppression, or your gender or your color. You know, what are your thoughts? Dr Davis? You know, I think that we can't underestimate the gravity of this moment. So the changes that we're seeing young people have given us the capacity to question that which

is considered normal. Yes, the fact that was in such a short period of pot people begin it seems to get it. People are waking up. I won't say that whoa winking right way? Right? So let me ask another question, and just in regards to the idea within our own community of getting the black community to understand, now, listen, we can't be fighting racism and practicing sexism and massage. And you know, I think that we don't understand that

that all goes hand at hand. I see that as a huge issue that we need to deal with at some point. I don't know if today is it, because we have some very pre pressing issues at hand, but I do know that to press on that is something that we have to have to do, that we have to deal with because for this momentum to continue. I do believe that there has to be a deeper sense of unification within our community. And we exist in a patriarchal society where we uphold our men, the man as

being the center, and I don't disagree with that. I think that we should make sure if we respect our men. You know, my father is the head of my family's household. You know, he is the man. But he will say to you in a moment, if I want to get anything done around here, I gotta let your mom. Like white people have to deconstruct white supremacy, men have to deal with patriarch that's right, and specifically in our community, because we can't do it without them, and they cannot

do it without us. And I sometimes think that through all of the anger that they experienced, they sometimes come back and it's directed towards And I think that that's another thing that would need to be addressed, because that's so real, you know, And when you look at why racism exists and why sexism, it's all around power, you know what I mean, And so we have to kind of change our ideas around that. Is, Well, you beat up because you can't beat up the cop. You can't

beat your boss up at work. You can't. So now you come home and there's a vulnerable black woman there who's willing to take it all. We're gonna take it. We're like, give it to me, I'll hold it so that you could go back out there into the world and be productive. Let me say this too, that even back in nine eight, Stokely Carmichael says, we're not strong enough to fight each other and the enemy. Not take our eyes off the prize and what the real issues

really are. And that's real talk right there. I think the mantra is all black lives matter. That's so important, and not even I have had to work on unlearning some of the things that I have learned from family, from childhood. Things you hear when people didn't necessarily understand or respect the l g B t Q I a community properly. And now you know, I have through first of all, being humble enough to know that I didn't

know a lot and I needed to learn. I've come to a place when I'm like, we have to protect black trans women. This is real. And so I posted on my page, and let me tell you, in the beginning, when I first started posting it. I was like, oh Jesus, look watch just watch the comments, and people were like saying the craziest things or now I'm posting it and I'm like, hey, if you don't like it, I'm followed. That's all you have to do. Because that's what everybody

can't go. Everyone is just not gonna be with us. Let's talk about cancel culture that is so prevalent right now. I'm seeing people shaming others, like saying really terrible things, shaming people for what they're choosing to say, or shaming people for not saying anything at all. If we really want change, shaming doesn't lead to learning. Cancel culture is a little dangerous. I'm expected if you if you don't

get if you're canceled time. If you're not canceled, you ain't really doing it like you know you want to be it. You gotta get canceled. It's a space that is a little difficult to maneuver because you do have to leave people room to make to make me some really important aspects to our new social media technologies that

we can organize and mobilize. But the tendency to shortcut everything and to assume that everybody has to know everything already, you know what about the conversation, and this is a moment in which we can share and learn and sing and come first. People should not be afraid of being canceled because they make a mistake that process. I have to agree, agree, agree, because this is the time for conversation, and of course people are going to say something wrong.

People are going to have different views about a whole lot of stuff, specifically in these times. And I was talking to some friends of mine. I'm like, don't be in the fight if you don't want to be in the fire, because everybody's been able to play a safe meddle. There ain't no safe meddle here, right, And so I'm telling everybody you just gotta know your position and you gotta just be steady, you know, ten toes down, because if you're in this conversation and you're in this movement,

fight is coming your way and it's oh okay. And that goes for black people, that goes for white people who are trying. I would say to white people who are trying, keep trying, you know, but make sure it's genuine right And yet you're gonna get bit up. You're gonna get bit up. There's no way around it, and it's okay, keep moving because it's tough and you're gonna get burned. You're gonna get burned. You are, there's no

You're gonna get canceled. Okay. I want to talk about you hear all of this about how Hollywood should be involved Black Hollywood, white Hollywood. Everybody's just trying to like figure it out. For me personally, it's like, I want to be connected to somebody who's boots on the ground right And I feel like that way we can really know and understand what position we played, and so what can people who have platforms do to help the movement that is happening right now? So I don't think people

are connected enough. I think influencers unfortunately, you know you're gonna get me in trouble for telling the truth on this show. It's a vest the managers and the pr people and the agents and all those folks get in the way of you, as an artist and as an influencer, getting right to the core of what you need to

be at. Your freedom is not going to be determined because your agent find you the best organization that has all the bells and whistles, and I tell folks all the time, I can't work with the assistant on your freedom. I need your phone to talk to you. In order to do the Brianna Taylor campaign, I was on the phone with Alicia Keys myself at two o'clock and then Alicia and and and and Kelly Rowland and mc light and all these folks. Cardi b and I were on

the phone like what do we do? You know? And she's super brilliant because she was the one to say, Hey, we should do it like this, we should say these things. Here's the script. I mean, that's what you need. You gotta go out there, you gotta hit the ground. Luckily enough, we were able to help get Brianna's law pass. What are the next steps? We have an election coming up now.

We may not all be excited about how things are turning out, but there is an election coming That means we have to rend stir and ensure that younger people and other folks are at the polls because we're going to have some issues there. You have voted suppression that

we're dealing with across the country. We see people standing online in Georgia just in the latest Democratic primary people were standing online for five and six hours trying to vote in America and also encouraging people who otherwise wouldn't vote to vote. I know so many young people who feel like democracy doesn't exist. Not people, though, it's so many people that don't believe in the process anymore. How are you because right now I don't feel like either

party is servicing the communities. Here's what I'm tired of. I'm tired of that party acting as if they are servicing our community and when they are not. But yet they know we have no other place to go. So what can we do? We can ask ourselves, but candidate can be most effectively pressure, and we know we can't

do that. Was the current occupant of quite right. The only reason to vote for the Democratic candidate is because we may be better able to generate our protests and our power and to pressure that candidate and to moving in a more progressive diverge. And what that means is I love the protest sides at say, defund the police. We have to abolish policing as it how dontly exists because it is so saturated with racism and violence that there is no way to truly before police. I think

we begin there. I agree. I don't think you can reform a institution that was designed to be slave catchers, right, that's the history of the police. People get really afraid of words, you know, and everybody's like, oh, don't say defund. You know, you have to say defund. So explain what defund the police means. So when you think about defunding the police, what you're saying is that it's not working and you're not hearing us because we're still dying. So

now we've got to start messing with your budget. Police officers are being given a terrible job, Jada. They're being asked to go to a mentally ill person's home and now you become the doctor, and you're asking them to move into those situations without the proper tools. And they also don't have the sensitivity for our people in our communities.

That's just something that you can't be taught. So when they approach a drunk man on the street, what's gonna happen is what they do use a force versus taking some of the funding from that and putting it towards mental health experts and people who know how to approach situations and de escalate the problem. There is no reason why we are sitting here and Rachard is dead to

be handled in a totally different way. So basically, what you're saying is defunding the police does not mean the police will not show up when you dial nine one one, but that we need to use some of that funding for other services. I also believe in abolishing the police, So I'm gonna say that here. I don't want to walk away not being honest. Right before I got here, people will calling me like you not say that, Like you just can't because it's no. I want to have courage.

I want to be politically courageous. At some point, we need to get to a place where we do not need police officers with heavy, you know, machinery in our communities. But at this point, what is being discussed so then people can woo is that yes, you will be able to call the police. Right? Is there anything I want to say before we leave the table. People need to stay in the street, Jada, don't go home. Hey, we can't go back because guess what, since we've been in

the street, folks are moving it. So don't go home because when you go home then it's quiet. And people can go back to business as usual, right. I totally agree with them. This is the most exciting moment I have experienced in my entire life, and I wanted to continue. Never seen anything like it in my lifetime. The ain't gonna be no justice, ain't gonna be no peace, justice, no peace. I just want to thank you both. This

was an awesome conversation. We are beyond honored that you both blessed us with your wisdom, your power, your strength, and just thank you, thank you, thank you. So yeah, after Davis, maybe you'll come back and share with us. Yeah, thank you, thank you, thank you. I love her so much. Yes, she's just brilliant to join the Red Table Talk family and become a part of the conversation. Follow us at

facebook dot com slash red table Talk. Thanks for listening to this episode of Red Table Talk podcast produced by Facebook Watch, Westbrook Audio, and I Heart Radio.