Edutainment and Activism with Angelica Ross

all around amazing badass. My god, I don't even know how long I've been following your career now, but it's been it's been a delight to see your trajectory, Angelica, Like honestly, it warms my heart on a day to day basis. But you know, we've been changing up how we start PM Moods because we're in the midst of

a global pandemic. And when I had started this show, it was supposed to be lighthearted talking to folks about how you're utilizing your platforms to increase your social impact, which you have done all the time, um, you know, since the beginning of your work. But just talk to talk to us about where you are right now, where you are quarantined and how are you doing well. First

of all, I am blessed and highly favored. Um as my grandmother who would say, UM, but yes, I right now, I am really focused on all of the blessings and being grateful for everything that is going right right now. UM, I'm trying to um. You know, it's difficult for everyone, but in many many of us can look at our circumstances, I think and say, things could be worse, you know, And so I'm definitely, uh, just grateful for what I can be grateful for, which is my new home that

I bought here in Georgia, thank you very much. So it was I'm a first time home buyer and um, so that was you know, I have to be honest, like it was such a big milestone for me to purchase a home. It meant so many things to me as a black trans woman to sort of start putting these roots down and you know, getting I guess, a

piece of the American dream. Um. You know. But the thing is is that, like I'm like, how do I feel irresponsible when I not only put aside months of you know, reserves for all of my bills or whatever,

but I also saved for my down payment. I also not only had you know, my one main job of you know, filming an American horror story lined up, but I also had, you know, just speaking engagements, personal appearances, a lot of different things, you know, to add up to whatever keeping me busy and keeping the bills paid and all of that. All of it got completely shut down.

And so you know, I'm fortunate enough to I took advantage of every program that was out there, as far as like delay my mortgage for months, delay my car payments for a few months. You know, I'm just doing everything I can to sort of brace for this moment. But I also realize, um, you know, I talk spirits speaking.

You know, I feel like these challenges come up for a reason, and they come up for a certain time, and you know, America has the reckoning that is just we've been like putting all for trying to put off, for trying to pretend with things and with drugs and with just distractions or whatever. But you know, we're getting to a place where it's not letting us distract be distracted, because guess what, you got to sit with yourself half

the time in the house. So whatever it is that you're not dealing with, whatever excuses you're making for you know, situations, whatever things you've taken for granted, people, you've taken for granted relationships. Um, I mean just I think this is a time to reevaluate everything everything. What are you doing

right now? I mean I would assume that this is probably the first time, and god knows how long that you've probably been sitting still, right, I mean you've been You've been filming pos, you work then you know American Horror Story, all the projects that you have in between, trans tech, the speaking engagement. So what are you know?

How does it feel, I should say, first to sit still in your new home and actually be in your in your place and make and make a home because you know you're you are an incredible Hollywood hustler right then doing the month. So so what does it feel

like to be home, to be to be stationary. I'm so grateful again for my Buddhist practice because it keeps bringing me back to this perspective of duality of you know, the good and the bad, you know the advantage of the disadvantage, And so I feel like I'm constantly just in a heightened state of awareness around that. So being

in my house, man, what an accomplishment? What? Um? What um a reflection because I always believe, again from my spiritual practice, that your immediate external environment is a reflection of your internal environment, and it takes a lot of work to get those things to, you know, kind of reflect how you wanted to reflect. And so I look around in my house and you know, I think about the words of your home rising up to greet you and all of those things, and I'm in the process

of making all of that happen. And at the same time, Wow, I just have such mixed feelings of just my privilege, you know, in the situation, but then my privilege being so thinly veiled that I'm one foot away from, you know, a disaster myself, you know. So it's it's it's it's

I'm alive. And I say that in ways of saying both I'm grateful I'm alive, but also like I think, you know, I remember seeing Vanessa Williams on the celebrity RuPaul Drag Race and she was just talking about like just being back in that time and how you know, a new challenge sometimes makes you feel alive, you know, And I'm just like, you know, I feel alive in these ways where I'm not in a state where I can sort of kick back room and true truly rest. Yes,

this is a time to rest. I think this is also just a time to reflect and very just just to reflect, and I'm really holding myself to the fire to sort of take advantage of this time and think about also the concept to who much has given, much is expected. And so as I put into place all the things to protect myself and my family and my circumstances in my home, I'm blessed and I realize those things.

And so if things go well and I can get myself, you know, taken care of and solidified, then my focus is always to go back to the beginning, which is service. You know, I'm someone who believes that success always begins with service. That's it began with trans Tach, it began before trans Tech, with the trans Life Center that I worked at. It began before that doing HIV, you know, educate, peer education in high school, whatever the things is. Is

having this heart of service. We now have to kind of divert our attention and that's what I'm just doing right now. And it's just really diverting my attention on from all the things that maybe don't matter as much in this moment and trying to show up and matter more in this moment in ways that truly matter. How have you found you know, because we we what we are learning, right and what you're talking about, this reckoning that America is experienced, right, the world is experiencing. We

have abused this planet, We have abuse one another. We are seeing the manifestation right of it of what it means to be selfish and neglectual, and we are we are seeing which vulnerable populations are are most affected right.

Those that we have been dismissive of and have believed them to be expendable have largely been people of color, and we know that within our community, within the lgbt QI community, that those are some of the most vulnerable people, trans women of color being some of the most vulnerable people. What have you been hearing with regard to how folks in the lgbtq I community are faring in this moment?

Because we're talking about the economic and health vulnerabilities of black people of Latin X people, but we haven't done deep dives into other marginalized communities. So what have you been hearing and what do you know to be true that we should Frankly, as you have been a leader and an activist for quite some time, what do you think we should be talking about in this moment with

regard to our community to day? Well, I definitely have been hearing about a lot of struggle financially speaking, as well as mental health struggles, because you know, you thought people were struggling before with anxiety and depression and all of the things that are triggered by things. So take a situation like COVID nineteen and that just really exacerbates

many folks situation. And so I'm definitely hearing that. What I'm also hearing and seeing is community taking care of each other, because that's always been the moo, especially when you're talking about black trains and queer folks. We've always had to take care of each other when the system has not taken care of us. And so that has really just only further kind of gone into play. And you know, I I sometimes am feeling quite um dysphoric,

and not in my gender identity. Um, I'm feeling so such a dysphoria being in this country and turning on the TV and watching people we're supposed to trust lie to our faces, um avoid accountability UM and or speak half truth in favor of personal and UM professional or corporate interests, you know, UM and so you really can't my my, my, my antennas are so heightened right now because I know how people slip things in It's just like the how our government makes a bill and then

slip things in there while you're not looking, or are things that you don't quite understand. And so to be in an environment where you can't trust your leaders, and you can't trust the system, and you can't trust the people who are meant to protect you, it is inevitable. It is of critical importance that these marginalized community create their own systems. And that's really the call of Black

Lives Matter. You know, I feel like I'm continually standing behind that Moniker to make it true for all of us, to make it true for our entire community. And you know, it's it's just unfortunate because these community, these these most marginalized communities, don't have a lot to give. But they are the communities that I see giving the most when

it comes to this. They're the communities that I see speaking up the vote most and putting themselves in the line of fire when they have the least amount of protections and the least amount of privilege in the situation. So, um, you know what we need to be doing in this situation is if we are tired of looking and scrolling on social media and looking at another damn video of you know, police brutalizing black bodies, or see another hashtag come up? You know, um, is it Brianna Taylor? Ye?

And you know, and and even with Brianna Taylor, I'm gonna name another one, Nina Pop Yeah, you know, a black trans woman. And for some reason we don't understand that your humanity's off when you can rally a one around one and not all three of those people right around a mod around Brianna and around Nina. And those are just the three most recent, all murdered within weeks of each other, right but why well, well yes, maybe in the sense of, you know, the sad part about

Brianna Taylor's story is we're hearing about this now. This happened actually back in March, right, and a mod we heard about now, and that happened in February. Oh exactly, you know what I'm saying, So likely within you know, within weeks, meaning of them being taken. But then how we learn about it? Right, Like, why not in that moment? How that's the that's how are we learning about it? And the reality is we're learning about it from who

each other yep. And so we are the we are the news source that we trust, we are the pharmaceutical companies that we trust, we are all of the different level of authorities that we trust. And I think that we need to take it just like those days of Black Panther, where we got to take it to mean about protecting, educating, and you know, all these taking responsibility for everyone in the flock, regardless of identity, sexual orientation.

We have to be willing to confront this misogyny and patriarchy and that for right now, that's a really hard part point for us. Right now, we can I can see it in social media. I see it in so many places that that's like a sticking place for us.

And so what's going to help us get beyond that is every single last one of you brilliant black cists women are going to really have to stand up and stand next to your LGBTQ plus black folks and together the resound a message that is almost that is louder than the NABLEACP that is louder than these things that because the LEACP. Right now, I'm like, I'm I'm to being keeping one hundred like I'm mad. I'm mad because I've been in your zone. I've been at some meetings.

You called me into your space and you I basically almost was there for a photo ops. How I feel right because I you know, at this town hall, we're talking about real things, and we talk about certain things, and I'm trying to get meetings, and I can see it's an internal struggle with who with the older black folks in the community who are in the older leadership. So either we're going to really do this work or

it's going to be a struggle. Because I'm I'm I'm actually a little worried at this point because there's a lot of real facts and things that are happening right now that just add up to things that people are just want turning it. They're not wanting to add it up because if they do, that means you'll have to do something about it. You'll paying attention, you know what

I'm saying, Paying attention to things, right, paying attention. There's a price to it because if you're gonna if you're going to provide a necessary spotlight on an issue on a people, right then it's going to force you to do something about it. Recognition is only part of the pathway to justice. Right Like, so we can recognize the fact that certain people Pole's deaths are upheld and are discussed and our headlines while others are not right they are.

The sad thing is that our oppression and our deaths are entertainment for white America. So any movies they want to award or green lit like have to do right our oppression and the murder of our bodies. They have to do a certain narrative. And I, you know, there's certain movies I just can't watch them anymore because I refuse to see all this diversity in Into the Woods and motherfucking creek scars use my language and all these creatures that they can imagine in these stories, but they

can't imagine Black people in those stories. They can't imagine, um, you know, create anything other than our oppression and are killing us. And not only that, like, it pisces me off that folks look yes, creating entertainment and storytelling definitely changing hearts and minds is part of it. Well, when we're talking about going up and against the system where they don't give a damn, and when I'm telling you

don't give a damn. Listen, Jay Love, Listen, love you Jeff Qute performance at the Super Bowl Girl, But like that wasn't in alignment with the front that we was putting up. You understand, I'm saying, with all the all the black artists and major artists, Rihanna, everybody else, you saw the stances they were taking. So then you try to make a statement and then put children in cages on the stage, and that went over all the white people's heads. Under what I'm saying that that didn't change

the damn thing about the situation. So, like you know, we have got to get to a place where we're really prepared for what's happening. They're lying to our faces, they're making the laws and breaking them. At the same time, you have white people who are busting into state buildings, buildings with arms armed. If black people dared, we know what happens when we dare to be our full and complete cells right and show up as full and complete humans right that are not asking permission to exist, but

just existing on our own accord. We know what happens, right, But the thing is, we're not going to be able to disarm because the moment you say, um about disarming America, then the white people go get very loud and crazy about the right to bear arms. Yes, but here's here's what I'm saying. Sometimes when folks abuse things, those rights

should be taken Those rights should be taken away. Meaning like America, our stats aren't doing well for us in the sense of mass shootings, in the sense of violence and all these different things. Maybe the right to bear arms needs to be earned. Maybe there's you know some okay, like you can do this, but we got to now earn this right back by showing what are the reasons for you to even have these sort of weapons, you know, And there's certain weapons that just don't need to be

in everybody, in the everyday person's hands. So there's there's a conversation we're not willing to have because people are like, oh, right to bear arms. So okay, I'm a Buddhist and I'm trying to stay away from the violence and the things as much as possible, But we also have to recognize the playing field and environment we are in, and so as non white America. You know, um, I don't know if it makes that much sense to keep allowing

white people to stop pile weapons like this and we're not. So, you know, that's funny because this conversation that has now come up on my political podcast Woke f on a regular basis, which is that many of us who believe in progressivism, believe in gun control, believe you know it to some extent. I have never had full belief in

the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment was created in a time when AAR fifteens and machine guns and all these things didn't created for white people, the safe so that the negroes didn't overthrow their stuff so they can protect their property, and that's where the police came from too. So so so it's like it was never meant for us, and it was never meant for the current type of

system that society that we're living in. But on the flip of that, I'm saying, when I see these pictures of these militia, these white Trump militia, storm in these government buildings, right going into a Starbucks with a bazooka on your back, what is the what the point of that is intimidation, the point the point of that is oppression. And so at what point do black people say, you know what, they're killing us any fucking way, right like they are doing the most anyway. Maybe it's time that

we begin to exercise our rights. And you saw that after the two men in the Ahmad Augury murder were arrested. We saw black militia now are guarding his home, where where his family is, and they have the same weaponry on and the cops were afraid to come down the street stay your ass at day. Then you weren't. You

weren't nowhere for the last two months. Well, I mean, and I think the biggest rule that I heard come out of somewhere from someone that said something, was about the fact that you should not be policing a neighborhood you're scared of. Like if you don't know how to talk to the people you're serving and protecting, you have no right to be serving and protecting that environment. If you're shaking, you know, people are just our skin tone is a threat to you, just at one, you know.

So I do believe, I do believe unfort you know, I hate I just I hate to say it because you know, that's just not that's not it's not where I live. But at the same time, UM, I know one thing. I love me. Let me tell you something. I know one thing. The higher that I move up and the more things I do, the more I want to keep somebody with me and around me. Do you understand I'm saying the one The more I need to keep certain folks around me that can make sure don't

nothing pop off. Right, I'm a black trans woman, I know so instead you know, so I just you know, Um, I'm a prayer. I'm praying about it. I'm praying stronger about it, and I'm trying to show up in my leadership in certain ways. But that's what I mean. Is that. So, whether it's me doing trans tech, whether it's me building, um, you know, an army of black LGBTQ plus creatives to sort of re claim the narratives that have been told as well as like sort of filling the gaps that

are missing. Um, you know, in both non scripted and

scripted television. I'm doing my part. I'm doing what I know how to do, whether it's hitting that stage and talking to you know, college students, who are about to start off and and really need some like a spark to understand their purpose beyond some degree, or whether it's talking to people in a boardroom and getting them to recognize their power and responsibility on making sure that their corporation and their brand is making the right kind of

footprint or you know, fingerprint on our planet and on our society. I'm doing every any and all the things like I can do. And part of doing it, or part of being what they would call a level five leader, is leaders who create other leaders, that's all. So I'm not just trying to create a bunch of people following me. And that's what the damn I feel like it's happening on the side, on the right or with everything is about just follow me blindly, without checking, without fact checking,

without anything. Because if you took two seconds to fact check one thing you would see that our president is, which is a would unravel. It would it would unravel? You know? That's that's that's that's the fact. You know what do you think, um Angelica, because you have again you have been an activist, you have worn that hat since the beginning of your Hollywood career. Do you think that is it a personal responsibility that each each person

has to make for themselves. Or do you think that when you work yourself into these positions, into these large platforms where you have, you know, hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of people watching your shows, do you think that more actors, more actresses, more people of prominence should really be taking on the position of activists as well, because it's you know, in this space, government clearly it will under Trump is the problem, but what is you know,

what do you think the responsibility of other folks in outside industries in Hollywood is to help usher in the change we really want to see. So I will answer that by first by saying, like, I've learned an alternative sort of definition for the word responsibility, and that is to have the ability to respond. And so I think that I am working as hard as I can to stay away from the should and telling people what they

should and shouldn't be doing. However, I would encourage people to take responsibility for their platforms and if that's the least that you can do is take responsibility for your platform. So when Amanda seals, I think kind of read justin Timberlake for posting about amand but closing the common closing his comments because the comments are racist. But so you're not taking responsibility, and I'm not. This is not about

taking blame. This is about taking responsibility, which is taking your ability to respond because guess what, white man in your castle, you have some ability. You got some time to respond, and so should could you know? Those are all the different things. But I think that another thing I wanted to address when what you were saying is like, you know, when you work yourself into these positions, And I want to like cycle that back a second, because I know for my own self, like, yep, I work

my ass off. But to be real, when we're talking about this, this this spot, like when we're talking about this platform, I didn't do this by myself. And so it is a responsibility to your fans, to each and every single one of your fans, because I am a celebrity. And when I say that now, that's because I have reconciled with that initially being a four letter dirty word to me because of who and what celebrities were known

to be and known for. But in one of my books, I have the Heart of the Load of Suture, one of my Buddhist books. It says that it says tells me to become a celebrity of the mystic Law. So that and what that means is basically, in the Mystic Law, we just talk about the fact that no matter who you are, what your challenges are, what your identities are, you two can sort of blossom into this amazing thing

of overcoming all of your challenges. And so it says become a celebrity of that mystic law, which means I am a celebrated example of what it means to profoundly overcome challenges. That's why Angelica Ross is celebrated so hard. That's why people stay me so hard, not just because I'm pretty, not because you know of these certain things those who stand me or if you know. And so that's where I want to make sure that, Yeah, I own I'm a celebrity. But what am I celebrated for? Oh? Oh,

I love that I am. I taking responsibility for my platform? Right? Right? Do I deserve to be celebrated? M And those are just questions I think that we as fans going forward should ask ourselves, correct, should we be celebrating this? Dude? I don't know? Right? Should they should they be should they be bestowed the honor that we are giving them? Right? Right? I mean, that's that's very deep. That is the yes.

That's the question that celebrities need to be asking themselves, and we need to be asking of the people that we are presenting with the honor and elevating. The last question that I will ask you is the question that I ask everyone who joins me on PM mood, which is, how do you get in the mood to change the world? How do you get into that space? I mean, well, that's easy obviously for me. It is my chanting practice because I chant every morning somewhere around seven am, and

I chant every evening at six pm. So every day, basically what I'm doing is I'm looking myself in the mirror and I'm taking a very profoundly deep assessment of the reflection, both in the morning and when I've taken on all the drama and everything that I've taken on to face in the world, to clearly see what those things are not to sort of bring that into my evening or bring that into my night. So how I

prepare myself is chanting. That if the practice of chanting for other people it's meditation, you know, it can be various things, but I would say the more specific you are, just like smart goals, you know are specific and that's what makes them, you know, great goals. So the more specific I am about my preparation, the more that I also reflect to myself that I'm not just doing this

for myself. This is not just about me accomplishing my own selfish desires and needs and what have you, But this is also about me being there for other people and being able to recognize when is it time to snap out yourself, snap out of your own circumstances and see somebody next to you just need your shoulder, or needs your um guidance, or needs a word, or needs some some kind of support that you absolutely have the

capacity to give in this moment. Beautiful Angelica Ross, you are a treasure and you you you deserve every bit of celebration, um and and spotlight because you you are doing so much to educate as well as entertained, and it is it's remarkable to see and edertainment and I can I stand and have for many years and will continue to thank you, appreciate you. Stay safe all right, by bye bye, Thanks for listening to this week's PM Mood. My political podcast, Woke a f Daily is on Patreon

for just five dollars a month. That's five new hour long shows every week for just five dollars a month. Join the conversation now at patreon dot com slash woke AF and you can continue listening to PM Mood every week absolutely free. Now more than ever, we see the importance of independent media, so thank you for your support, and as always, stay in the PM mood to change the world.