The State of Emergency in American Democracy

WEBVTT

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Hello,

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and welcome back to Conversations with

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Karen and Kat,

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the podcast where we connect with powerful

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changemakers, visionaries,

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and everyday heroes who are shaping

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culture and community.

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Subscribe to Conversations with Karen and

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Today's guest is no stranger to

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Conversations with Karen and Kat.

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Welcome back, John.

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Thank you.

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Hey, Kat.

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Hey, Karen.

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How y'all doing?

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Thank you so much.

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Thank you.

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Brief intro.

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John is the Director of the Office of

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Policy and Legislative Affairs at the

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Urban League of Greater Atlanta.

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He has more than two decades of experience

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in public service and nonprofit

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leadership.

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He's dedicated his career to advancing

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economic opportunity,

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workforce development,

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civil rights and equitable public policy.

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So, John.

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Yes, ma'am.

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A lot has gone on since we last

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talked to you in twenty twenty four on

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this program.

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A lot.

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As someone who's worked in this public

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space that you have been in,

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local government, nonprofit leadership.

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What is your view on the current political

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climate in Georgia when it comes to race,

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representation, and public policy?

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I know that's a lot.

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I know that's a lot,

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but just the first things off the top

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of your head when it comes to our

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current political climate,

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and we'll just take it at race and

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representation.

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The first thing that comes to mind is

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that we're in a state of emergency,

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that the state of our union is weak.

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and teetering.

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And that on the two hundred and fiftieth

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anniversary of the Republic,

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there are a lot of things that are

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certainly in question.

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And we have as Americans,

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we have a lot of work to do

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if we're able to to continue this journey,

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certainly for our children and our

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grandchildren.

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So it's an emergency.

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You know,

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What can we tell our listeners?

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I don't want to assume everybody's up to

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speed on what's been going on.

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Yes, ma'am.

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So brother, can you break down what,

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what happened in Louisiana?

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What did the Louisiana case,

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what did it really change and what does

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it mean for everyday voters?

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The bottom line is,

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is that the Supreme court over a period

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of time,

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has been weakening the Voting Rights Act

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of nineteen sixty five.

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So let's just I'll give you a quick

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tour very quickly.

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As we all know,

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we had a little thing called a civil

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war in this country.

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Lincoln signed the Emancipation

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Proclamation.

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And in addition to strengthen that,

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they codified the Emancipation

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Proclamation with the Fourteenth and some

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would argue with the Fifteenth Amendment.

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But even with that it was another hundred

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years where there was poll taxes and

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people counting jelly beans and a lot of

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obstruction in terms of our people being

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able to vote.

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And so Dr.

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King and a whole host of others had

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been trying for quite some time but

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finally

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President Lyndon Johnson in Texas had the

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political capital and the courage to pass

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the Civil Rights Voting Rights Act of

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nineteen sixty five,

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which strengthened our ability to be able

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to vote,

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not impeded by poll tax and people being

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asked to do all kinds of crazy things

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and voter intimidation.

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And that's held.

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And as a result of that,

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we've been able to vote and to be

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able to expand, you know, black power.

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I argue that without the voting rights

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act,

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I don't know if you would have had

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a Barack Obama.

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I'm not so sure.

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So over time,

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particularly Justice Roberts,

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some would argue that Justice Roberts has

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made a career, you know,

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over the last forty years,

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one of his sole purposes was to basically

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to eliminate it.

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So they've done it over a period of

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time.

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But the final death knell was

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this last week in Louisiana versus Cali in

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this case.

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And what the Supreme Court basically did

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was, you know,

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Section two or two had already been

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was really the provision in the Voting

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Rights Act,

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which really gave us protection.

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If there was any injustices,

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if we thought there was some

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gerrymandering,

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really egregious gerrymandering,

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we could go to the Justice Department to

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appeal for help and push back,

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particularly in southern states, to do it.

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Well, now that's all gone.

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In a six-three decision,

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I think what broke all of our hearts

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is that Justice Clarence Thomas from

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Pinpoint, Georgia,

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was a part of the majority,

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If you read Justice Kagan and Sotomayor

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and certainly Justice Jackson, I mean,

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you could feel it coming off the pages.

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I would encourage everybody to read it.

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Basically, there are no protections.

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So as soon as the Supreme Court issued

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its ruling, you know,

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Louisiana has already made a move to do

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redistricting.

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There's a fight right now in the state

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of Tennessee.

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You know, they're going to eliminate

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a minority congressional seat.

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There will literally be no representation

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for people of color in the state of

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Tennessee, absolutely none.

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Unfortunately,

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here in the state of Georgia,

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the governor announced a few weeks ago

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that he's going to convene a special

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session of the state legislature on June

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seventeenth.

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A lot of things,

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but one of the purposes will clearly be

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for redistricting.

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Right now in the state of Georgia,

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We have five members,

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five people of color who represents

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congressional district.

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I really think me personally,

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although I don't have the data to support

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it,

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I really think we should have six probably

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down in Savannah and coastal Georgia.

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I really believe that when you take a

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look at the numbers in Savannah.

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But right now you have Nakima Williams in

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the mighty fifth, Hank Johnson,

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David Scott,

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who unfortunately was my congressman who

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passed away a couple of weeks ago,

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Lucy Macbeth,

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who's been challenged on and on,

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and Sanford Bishop.

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And so all of those seats right now

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are in jeopardy as far as I'm concerned

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because, you know,

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they're going to redraw those lines and we

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may lose, who knows, one, two, who knows,

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maybe three seats.

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I don't know.

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But that's a problem.

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And that's why Cali,

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and it's not just here.

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They're anticipating.

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It's all over the southern states.

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It's all over the southern states.

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But it's federal.

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And it's not just federal.

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It's state.

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It's House senators.

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It's county commissioners.

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It's going to trickle down.

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And, oh,

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and here's the other piece to it.

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Not just that.

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On the last day of session,

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I was actually at the Capitol.

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The state legislature passed House Bill,

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three sixty nine.

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And in short,

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it would they targeted five counties,

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including only out of one hundred and

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fifty nine counties.

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So now it's all nonpartisan.

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And he signed it.

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We made a huge rally.

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We've organized with our leaders, NAACP,

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ACLU, Legal Defense Fund.

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a whole host of other organizations,

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and we pushed back hard,

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but the governor signed it anyway.

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So now, right now, it's, you know,

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if you walk into a voting booth,

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we're not taking a position on political

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parties.

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We don't do that there really.

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We just want to make sure that people

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are informed.

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So right now,

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you don't know if a person is a

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Republican, is a Democrat,

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or an independent.

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You have no idea who you're voting for.

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Basically, you just have no idea.

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And so we think that's a problem.

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But the governor signed it.

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what this means is that they want to

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take the da make it only in these

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five counties attorney's office um which

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are in in these five counties are all

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uh black females that's right so the

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district attorney they want to make that

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non-partisan that's right partisan

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And it'll be partisan in all of the

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other counties except for DeKalb, Cobb,

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Fulton, Gwinnett, and Clayton.

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Yeah, those five.

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Which happen to be minority majority

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counties.

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So it is.

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their movie, they want to move DA,

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solicitor, who else?

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They want to move them to- County

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commissioners too.

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Don't forget that.

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County commissioners.

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And they want to move it.

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And they also want to move it to

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May when they're having nonpartisan

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elections.

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It's outrageous.

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It is.

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Go ahead.

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And my thing is,

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if you're going to do that,

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then you do it across the state.

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Of course you do.

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Because there is something in our

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constitution called equal protection.

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You cannot treat similarly situated people

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differently.

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So what that means is you have a

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rule.

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It has to be a rule for everybody

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applied across the board.

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So you cannot make rules specifically for

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these five majority black counties that do

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not apply across the state.

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So you either have it for all one

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hundred and fifty one sixty one forty

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nine.

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That's right.

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I'm glad you're doing that.

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And we know I had an opportunity to

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stand with Lisa Cupid last week,

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who's the chair, I believe.

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It's been a long day.

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I believe over in Cobb County with her

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solicitor.

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We had a wonderful press conference.

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And, you know, the solicitor was,

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you know, who's a pretty savvy lawyer.

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Like, this is illegal.

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There's no standing for this whatsoever.

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So I'm not really sure why.

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I know why they did what they did.

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I'm not so sure why.

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But it is what it is.

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And so, listen,

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whether it's local or federal,

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we're in for a fight this year.

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It's going to be a fight.

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But I am hopeful when you take a

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look at what happened on Tuesday.

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We'll get to that later.

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But people responded in kind on Tuesday,

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I think, to the nonsense.

00:10:54.673 --> 00:10:59.917
And going back to the overturning of

00:10:59.976 --> 00:11:02.619
Section two of the Voting Rights Act,

00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:06.802
as soon as that was overturned by the

00:11:06.881 --> 00:11:08.682
Supreme Court, as John said,

00:11:09.443 --> 00:11:11.904
states went right.

00:11:11.924 --> 00:11:15.227
The governors had already started enacting

00:11:15.727 --> 00:11:16.288
legislation.

00:11:16.328 --> 00:11:16.688
You know,

00:11:16.708 --> 00:11:18.409
they'd already pushed through signed

00:11:18.429 --> 00:11:20.692
legislation that would take away

00:11:22.496 --> 00:11:23.777
That would change voting maps.

00:11:24.378 --> 00:11:28.460
And one of the thing that about Louisiana,

00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:29.900
which is so egregious,

00:11:29.941 --> 00:11:31.361
it's egregious that they're that they're

00:11:31.402 --> 00:11:34.102
doing this quickly and without any sort of

00:11:35.783 --> 00:11:36.684
insight or.

00:11:37.289 --> 00:11:40.030
any type of public involvement.

00:11:40.051 --> 00:11:40.931
They did that.

00:11:41.071 --> 00:11:43.951
But then the Louisiana governor wants to

00:11:43.991 --> 00:11:46.773
make it effective this election.

00:11:47.094 --> 00:11:50.595
And people had already voted doing early

00:11:50.674 --> 00:11:51.154
voting.

00:11:51.514 --> 00:11:53.796
And so basically what he's saying is,

00:11:54.625 --> 00:11:56.326
The votes that you've already cast,

00:11:56.346 --> 00:11:57.966
I don't care about those votes.

00:11:58.186 --> 00:11:59.846
I don't care about you because these votes

00:11:59.866 --> 00:12:00.586
are going.

00:12:00.966 --> 00:12:04.648
So your vote that you've already cast will

00:12:04.808 --> 00:12:07.750
not count for this election because

00:12:07.769 --> 00:12:09.309
they're going to redraw the maps.

00:12:09.649 --> 00:12:11.890
And those maps will be effective for this

00:12:11.971 --> 00:12:12.490
election,

00:12:12.530 --> 00:12:14.692
for elections that people have already

00:12:14.772 --> 00:12:16.673
voted for the people that they wanted.

00:12:16.732 --> 00:12:19.994
It's outrageous.

00:12:20.553 --> 00:12:22.835
So I just I want to scream to

00:12:23.215 --> 00:12:23.654
everyone.

00:12:25.623 --> 00:12:28.104
who say elections don't matter.

00:12:29.504 --> 00:12:33.424
Every election matters because as we see,

00:12:33.465 --> 00:12:35.225
it's going to have a consequence.

00:12:35.644 --> 00:12:39.946
It's having consequences in impacting our

00:12:39.985 --> 00:12:40.346
lives.

00:12:40.647 --> 00:12:43.586
Because if these maps get redrawn in your

00:12:43.726 --> 00:12:44.287
states,

00:12:44.807 --> 00:12:46.567
that's about money coming back to your

00:12:46.687 --> 00:12:48.187
district.

00:12:48.227 --> 00:12:50.068
Because if you now have someone who's

00:12:50.149 --> 00:12:51.849
representing your district who doesn't

00:12:51.908 --> 00:12:54.649
care about a certain segment of his

00:12:55.254 --> 00:13:00.197
of his or her district,

00:13:00.216 --> 00:13:01.357
of their constituency.

00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:05.220
You're not going to get resources that you

00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:08.101
are entitled to for your community.

00:13:08.682 --> 00:13:11.683
I don't think folks have said enough about

00:13:12.264 --> 00:13:12.384
it.

00:13:12.485 --> 00:13:14.706
That's one of the questions you jumped in

00:13:14.725 --> 00:13:17.268
because that's exactly what I wanted to

00:13:17.447 --> 00:13:19.208
ask and I want you all to really

00:13:19.369 --> 00:13:21.669
drive it home.

00:13:22.850 --> 00:13:23.912
Does this ruling

00:13:25.326 --> 00:13:26.486
right?

00:13:26.506 --> 00:13:29.668
Does this allow partisan politics to

00:13:29.707 --> 00:13:32.489
become a cover for racial discrimination?

00:13:33.068 --> 00:13:33.828
Absolutely.

00:13:35.950 --> 00:13:36.330
Absolutely.

00:13:36.690 --> 00:13:37.009
No question.

00:13:37.029 --> 00:13:39.931
They are redrawing these maps to dilute

00:13:39.990 --> 00:13:41.791
black political power.

00:13:43.410 --> 00:13:44.631
Bottom line.

00:13:44.672 --> 00:13:46.432
So the language says,

00:13:47.312 --> 00:13:48.572
y'all correct me if I'm wrong,

00:13:48.653 --> 00:13:53.033
does it say that the ruling now means

00:13:53.193 --> 00:13:54.313
we have to prove

00:13:54.969 --> 00:13:59.169
racism and drawing the lines, right?

00:13:59.190 --> 00:14:00.210
Yeah, it's a pretty high bar.

00:14:00.429 --> 00:14:03.811
Race out of it.

00:14:03.850 --> 00:14:05.890
So that is,

00:14:06.091 --> 00:14:08.011
so it basically somebody has to come on

00:14:08.052 --> 00:14:09.631
there and say, you know,

00:14:09.751 --> 00:14:10.971
we don't want Black people to have the

00:14:10.991 --> 00:14:11.331
right to vote.

00:14:11.392 --> 00:14:12.472
Well, they're not going to say that.

00:14:12.493 --> 00:14:14.052
Absolutely.

00:14:14.072 --> 00:14:15.092
They're not going to say that.

00:14:15.312 --> 00:14:17.173
But what they'll do is they'll put this

00:14:17.253 --> 00:14:21.894
very weird shaped district that has no

00:14:21.953 --> 00:14:24.794
cohesiveness to the map

00:14:25.902 --> 00:14:26.182
Oh,

00:14:26.481 --> 00:14:29.582
putting people's interests together that,

00:14:30.302 --> 00:14:30.562
you know,

00:14:30.602 --> 00:14:33.443
this is not a community that is going

00:14:33.464 --> 00:14:35.245
to vote together that that has any

00:14:35.325 --> 00:14:35.585
interest.

00:14:35.625 --> 00:14:36.585
And so they'll dilute.

00:14:36.945 --> 00:14:40.885
They'll put a majority white district with

00:14:40.926 --> 00:14:42.287
a few black people so they can show

00:14:42.307 --> 00:14:43.226
that they've got black people.

00:14:44.328 --> 00:14:45.110
on this map.

00:14:45.129 --> 00:14:46.250
They say they got a couple of them.

00:14:46.269 --> 00:14:47.850
They say they're right.

00:14:47.890 --> 00:14:52.052
It's statistically impossible for a Black

00:14:52.091 --> 00:14:55.352
person or a person of color to be

00:14:56.234 --> 00:14:56.714
elected.

00:14:56.974 --> 00:14:59.394
And so what they're saying is all parties

00:14:59.534 --> 00:15:00.054
do this.

00:15:00.174 --> 00:15:03.817
All parties draw maps that favor their

00:15:03.876 --> 00:15:05.777
party, right?

00:15:06.236 --> 00:15:09.899
But it just so happens that the majority

00:15:09.938 --> 00:15:12.759
of African Americans vote Democratic,

00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:13.019
right?

00:15:14.392 --> 00:15:17.696
So when you're diluting the Democratic

00:15:17.735 --> 00:15:21.681
vote, you're diluting the Black vote.

00:15:22.701 --> 00:15:24.404
And that's the guise that it will be

00:15:24.524 --> 00:15:24.825
under,

00:15:25.385 --> 00:15:26.988
that they're intentionally

00:15:27.355 --> 00:15:27.715
you know,

00:15:27.995 --> 00:15:30.475
trying to draw these maps because they

00:15:30.495 --> 00:15:31.716
want to maintain power.

00:15:31.735 --> 00:15:32.716
This is about power.

00:15:32.816 --> 00:15:33.755
They do.

00:15:34.355 --> 00:15:36.836
And just as a caveat, you know, obviously,

00:15:36.996 --> 00:15:37.256
you know,

00:15:37.297 --> 00:15:39.998
the Urban League or certainly the National

00:15:40.018 --> 00:15:40.758
Urban League, you know,

00:15:40.778 --> 00:15:45.298
we certainly can't delve in terms of any

00:15:45.359 --> 00:15:46.658
party politics.

00:15:46.698 --> 00:15:47.339
But for us,

00:15:47.839 --> 00:15:50.340
we do believe that the redrawing of these

00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:51.779
maps certainly disenfranchises

00:15:52.264 --> 00:15:53.065
the communities, you know,

00:15:53.105 --> 00:15:53.985
certainly that we serve.

00:15:54.666 --> 00:15:57.567
And so it's, you know, it's just,

00:15:57.707 --> 00:16:00.710
and it's been reported that about in the

00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:01.129
South,

00:16:01.330 --> 00:16:02.270
we're going to lose about two hundred

00:16:02.311 --> 00:16:03.010
elected officials.

00:16:03.572 --> 00:16:04.812
Two hundred.

00:16:04.832 --> 00:16:05.493
That's real power.

00:16:05.533 --> 00:16:06.173
That's real money.

00:16:08.634 --> 00:16:10.096
I mean, that's that.

00:16:10.176 --> 00:16:12.577
There will be no Congressional Black

00:16:12.618 --> 00:16:14.379
Caucus because there won't be any members

00:16:14.438 --> 00:16:14.759
left.

00:16:14.840 --> 00:16:15.940
It'll be decimated.

00:16:16.061 --> 00:16:20.964
Can y'all elaborate on

00:16:22.349 --> 00:16:22.849
the difference,

00:16:22.869 --> 00:16:25.110
because I'm hearing so many comments on

00:16:25.529 --> 00:16:26.971
just talking to people in the community,

00:16:26.990 --> 00:16:29.392
and it's not driving home what this means.

00:16:29.432 --> 00:16:31.513
Like, oh, you still get the vote.

00:16:31.552 --> 00:16:33.394
But can you elaborate the difference

00:16:33.413 --> 00:16:37.515
between access to a ballot and equitable

00:16:37.596 --> 00:16:38.635
political power?

00:16:39.115 --> 00:16:41.216
When they dilute it and take all of

00:16:42.298 --> 00:16:43.979
our votes away and we no longer are

00:16:44.038 --> 00:16:44.658
represented,

00:16:44.719 --> 00:16:48.000
what does that look like in terms of

00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:48.541
access

00:16:49.878 --> 00:16:51.958
to a good quality of life and how

00:16:51.999 --> 00:16:54.100
that will materialize in everyday people's

00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.061
lives.

00:16:56.201 --> 00:16:58.222
I'll give you one example here in Gwinnett

00:16:58.243 --> 00:17:00.163
County as someone who's lived in Gwinnett

00:17:02.024 --> 00:17:04.006
for over twenty years.

00:17:04.986 --> 00:17:06.686
When I first came into this county,

00:17:06.707 --> 00:17:08.428
you know,

00:17:08.448 --> 00:17:11.068
there weren't a lot of black and brown

00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:14.211
people in the district,

00:17:15.231 --> 00:17:16.592
in the district that I am,

00:17:16.653 --> 00:17:19.273
that I was in for my county seat.

00:17:19.940 --> 00:17:22.099
for my district commissioner.

00:17:22.619 --> 00:17:25.421
And so we had someone who was representing

00:17:25.461 --> 00:17:27.121
this district, um,

00:17:27.181 --> 00:17:28.721
and they drew this long,

00:17:28.780 --> 00:17:30.561
they drew the map because this was a

00:17:30.622 --> 00:17:31.442
Republican district.

00:17:31.461 --> 00:17:33.582
So this was a Republican stronghold for

00:17:33.622 --> 00:17:35.163
many years.

00:17:35.863 --> 00:17:36.143
Um,

00:17:36.202 --> 00:17:38.583
and they drew the maps so that it

00:17:38.603 --> 00:17:39.603
was very long.

00:17:39.682 --> 00:17:41.483
It went from the North end of the

00:17:41.523 --> 00:17:44.203
County all the way down to the South

00:17:44.344 --> 00:17:45.423
end of the County.

00:17:45.723 --> 00:17:46.664
It did.

00:17:46.765 --> 00:17:48.484
And, and, and because of that,

00:17:48.664 --> 00:17:49.484
and this was, uh,

00:17:51.045 --> 00:17:53.890
District Commission to become that a

00:17:53.930 --> 00:17:56.855
Republican had always had this seat and

00:17:57.375 --> 00:18:00.040
that person no longer represented the

00:18:00.340 --> 00:18:02.965
interest of the southern end of the

00:18:03.026 --> 00:18:03.446
county.

00:18:04.113 --> 00:18:06.634
And the only way he got out was

00:18:06.694 --> 00:18:09.718
because the county changed,

00:18:09.817 --> 00:18:11.739
the demographics changed.

00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:14.862
And so it became inevitable that a

00:18:15.041 --> 00:18:18.365
Democrat was going to get that seat only

00:18:18.404 --> 00:18:21.186
because the demographics changed.

00:18:21.426 --> 00:18:23.209
Not because the counties changed the map,

00:18:24.490 --> 00:18:25.691
but the demographics changed.

00:18:25.891 --> 00:18:28.752
You then had black and brown people on

00:18:28.772 --> 00:18:29.314
the north end.

00:18:29.354 --> 00:18:30.615
You had Democratic people who are moving

00:18:30.654 --> 00:18:32.076
on the north end of the county to

00:18:32.096 --> 00:18:33.176
the central part of the county.

00:18:33.769 --> 00:18:35.029
That's what.

00:18:35.089 --> 00:18:38.230
So imagine if the demographics never

00:18:38.290 --> 00:18:41.692
change, that seat would never change.

00:18:41.892 --> 00:18:43.952
So that's what's going to happen at the

00:18:44.012 --> 00:18:45.273
state legislatures.

00:18:45.534 --> 00:18:47.595
They will draw these districts where there

00:18:47.615 --> 00:18:50.935
will be a spackle of black and brown

00:18:51.355 --> 00:18:53.557
or what they think will be Democrats.

00:18:53.636 --> 00:18:54.617
Right.

00:18:54.657 --> 00:18:58.118
So that they can have majority Republican

00:18:58.719 --> 00:18:59.440
districts.

00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:01.441
And we know in Georgia what that

00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:02.320
translates to.

00:19:02.713 --> 00:19:03.294
Right,

00:19:03.314 --> 00:19:06.915
because representation means not only

00:19:06.955 --> 00:19:09.217
someone who looks like you,

00:19:10.657 --> 00:19:14.058
but can actually contribute to your

00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:19.141
cultural experiences and be relatable.

00:19:20.761 --> 00:19:21.803
Because we're not going to make the

00:19:21.823 --> 00:19:23.143
mistake that just because someone looks

00:19:23.182 --> 00:19:24.364
like you that they're going to vote in

00:19:24.403 --> 00:19:24.963
your interest.

00:19:24.983 --> 00:19:25.903
No, you shouldn't do that.

00:19:25.923 --> 00:19:26.184
Right, I agree.

00:19:27.444 --> 00:19:29.185
And so I don't want that to be,

00:19:29.826 --> 00:19:30.987
I want to be very clear.

00:19:32.046 --> 00:19:33.146
I don't want that to be the takeaway.

00:19:33.186 --> 00:19:34.827
Just because someone looks like you does

00:19:34.867 --> 00:19:35.969
not mean that they're going to be voting

00:19:36.048 --> 00:19:38.871
in your interest at either the county

00:19:38.911 --> 00:19:41.492
seat, the state capitol, or in Washington.

00:19:41.532 --> 00:19:42.773
That's right.

00:19:42.814 --> 00:19:44.756
And the irony of it all,

00:19:45.797 --> 00:19:48.479
if you take a look,

00:19:49.318 --> 00:19:49.859
at the Urban League,

00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:51.221
we were very involved in the

00:20:02.412 --> 00:20:05.175
soon will eclipse that of Fulton County in

00:20:05.195 --> 00:20:06.017
terms of population.

00:20:06.076 --> 00:20:07.919
Gwinnett County will be the most populous

00:20:07.959 --> 00:20:09.541
county in the state of Georgia.

00:20:09.781 --> 00:20:10.442
Don't take it from John,

00:20:10.462 --> 00:20:12.345
that's from the Census Bureau.

00:20:12.365 --> 00:20:14.208
This is back in the year of the

00:20:14.248 --> 00:20:14.627
projections.

00:20:15.128 --> 00:20:17.291
The population is a third of the

00:20:17.332 --> 00:20:19.294
population in Georgia, one third.

00:20:20.373 --> 00:20:20.792
or more,

00:20:20.833 --> 00:20:22.814
about thirty three percent are people are

00:20:22.913 --> 00:20:23.634
African-Americans.

00:20:24.075 --> 00:20:26.035
We have one of the highest concentrations

00:20:26.174 --> 00:20:27.996
of probably I think Mississippi probably

00:20:28.316 --> 00:20:30.317
has the largest probably in the country.

00:20:31.258 --> 00:20:32.357
We have huge.

00:20:32.377 --> 00:20:33.518
So I don't understand.

00:20:33.898 --> 00:20:35.999
And then if you tack on all the

00:20:36.058 --> 00:20:40.240
emerging groups like our Latino brothers

00:20:40.260 --> 00:20:42.162
and sisters and Asian Asian-Americans,

00:20:42.182 --> 00:20:46.403
I mean, you know.

00:20:46.503 --> 00:20:48.845
It is clear to us that

00:20:49.798 --> 00:20:52.181
the so-called minorities are now in the

00:20:52.361 --> 00:20:52.780
majority.

00:20:52.800 --> 00:20:55.743
I don't know how that's going to pan

00:20:55.785 --> 00:20:55.944
out.

00:20:56.826 --> 00:20:57.906
Just based on pure numbers.

00:20:58.887 --> 00:21:00.148
I don't see how they do it,

00:21:00.189 --> 00:21:02.311
but they're going to do it.

00:21:03.452 --> 00:21:07.717
So they'll end up coming up with weird

00:21:07.777 --> 00:21:11.842
contortions to take slivers of

00:21:12.607 --> 00:21:12.907
you know,

00:21:12.928 --> 00:21:15.749
the minority population of maybe like

00:21:15.769 --> 00:21:19.190
Gwinnett County and like Walton County,

00:21:19.250 --> 00:21:21.270
or they're going to come up with,

00:21:22.412 --> 00:21:24.652
they're going to come up with some weird

00:21:26.012 --> 00:21:30.654
maps that don't make any sense as far

00:21:30.694 --> 00:21:31.654
as boundaries.

00:21:32.067 --> 00:21:34.891
and communities having similar interests

00:21:35.310 --> 00:21:36.491
so that those interests could be

00:21:36.571 --> 00:21:38.053
represented again,

00:21:38.134 --> 00:21:41.457
either at the county seat, the state seat,

00:21:42.037 --> 00:21:44.880
or in Washington.

00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:46.141
And if you take a look at Athens,

00:21:46.381 --> 00:21:47.801
for example, I mean,

00:21:47.821 --> 00:21:49.503
the way Athens was sliced and diced,

00:21:50.665 --> 00:21:51.686
I mean, it's crazy.

00:21:51.767 --> 00:21:54.289
I mean, Athens has a population,

00:21:54.750 --> 00:21:56.353
but they just sliced it up like it

00:21:56.373 --> 00:21:58.234
was like an apple in terms of you

00:21:58.255 --> 00:22:00.116
take a look at the lines currently right

00:22:00.136 --> 00:22:00.317
now.

00:22:01.117 --> 00:22:05.021
And so it's just another way of diluting

00:22:06.243 --> 00:22:06.984
political power.

00:22:08.205 --> 00:22:08.846
But it ain't over.

00:22:10.204 --> 00:22:11.905
We still have some tools in the toolbox.

00:22:12.526 --> 00:22:13.145
Okay.

00:22:13.586 --> 00:22:15.507
Let's talk about some of those tools.

00:22:15.707 --> 00:22:18.048
What can, because more than anything,

00:22:18.188 --> 00:22:19.929
what I want to take away from this

00:22:19.949 --> 00:22:23.971
show is what can I do?

00:22:24.131 --> 00:22:26.111
What can the listener, what can I do?

00:22:27.791 --> 00:22:31.834
Understand that you are in a participatory

00:22:31.874 --> 00:22:32.493
democracy.

00:22:33.787 --> 00:22:37.549
that you have to do your homework as

00:22:37.569 --> 00:22:39.871
a citizen and that you have to vote.

00:22:40.392 --> 00:22:42.153
Let me say this in a nonpartisan way.

00:22:44.115 --> 00:22:45.556
If you take a look at the results

00:22:45.635 --> 00:22:49.778
of the twenty twenty four election,

00:22:49.798 --> 00:22:51.901
the Democratic nominee for president only

00:22:51.941 --> 00:22:53.342
lost Georgia by one hundred thousand

00:22:53.382 --> 00:22:53.642
votes.

00:22:54.323 --> 00:22:54.682
Hmm.

00:22:55.983 --> 00:22:56.064
Hmm.

00:22:59.082 --> 00:23:00.222
I'm just saying, factual,

00:23:00.242 --> 00:23:01.982
I'm not making a judgment on either

00:23:02.022 --> 00:23:02.324
candidate.

00:23:02.344 --> 00:23:02.804
I'm just saying,

00:23:03.144 --> 00:23:04.325
if you take a look at the Democratic

00:23:04.365 --> 00:23:06.326
candidate for president that year,

00:23:06.425 --> 00:23:09.366
that person only lost Georgia literally by

00:23:09.386 --> 00:23:10.267
a hundred thousand votes,

00:23:10.287 --> 00:23:11.288
a hundred thousand and change.

00:23:11.407 --> 00:23:13.068
That's less than a thousand people per

00:23:13.128 --> 00:23:13.628
county.

00:23:14.009 --> 00:23:16.750
You could find that in Lawrenceville on a

00:23:16.770 --> 00:23:17.131
Saturday.

00:23:17.903 --> 00:23:18.884
Yes.

00:23:19.044 --> 00:23:20.525
So, you know,

00:23:20.545 --> 00:23:22.444
I'm just saying that a lot of,

00:23:22.685 --> 00:23:23.506
in many instances,

00:23:23.885 --> 00:23:26.027
elections are very tight, you know,

00:23:26.047 --> 00:23:29.007
you know, you know, ten votes,

00:23:29.047 --> 00:23:30.208
fifteen votes, twenty votes.

00:23:31.167 --> 00:23:33.108
And so, I mean, this stuff is real,

00:23:33.169 --> 00:23:33.388
real.

00:23:33.548 --> 00:23:34.288
It's for real, real.

00:23:34.848 --> 00:23:37.349
And so, you know, I'm kind of happy.

00:23:37.730 --> 00:23:38.309
If you take a look,

00:23:38.509 --> 00:23:40.510
I think we broke records this week in

00:23:40.530 --> 00:23:42.531
terms of people coming out to vote,

00:23:42.571 --> 00:23:43.192
broke records.

00:23:43.231 --> 00:23:43.451
And so,

00:23:43.852 --> 00:23:45.652
And some history was made, too.

00:23:45.771 --> 00:23:46.392
History was made.

00:23:46.412 --> 00:23:47.232
I'm hopeful about that.

00:23:47.292 --> 00:23:51.032
Yeah.

00:23:51.113 --> 00:23:54.314
When have we ever... Let's back up.

00:23:55.794 --> 00:24:01.634
Keisha Lance Bottoms is the nominee for

00:24:01.694 --> 00:24:05.195
the gubernatorial race for Democrats.

00:24:05.215 --> 00:24:10.457
And then we have a brown woman in

00:24:10.497 --> 00:24:12.336
the runoff for

00:24:13.173 --> 00:24:15.915
Lieutenant Governor, right?

00:24:15.996 --> 00:24:16.876
We have an Asian,

00:24:16.957 --> 00:24:17.718
we have an Asian woman.

00:24:18.178 --> 00:24:22.020
And then also for Secretary of

00:24:22.181 --> 00:24:22.922
Agriculture,

00:24:23.521 --> 00:24:26.144
an African-American female who now has a

00:24:26.183 --> 00:24:27.164
Democratic nomination.

00:24:27.384 --> 00:24:27.805
So yes,

00:24:28.045 --> 00:24:29.606
some history was absolutely- And Secretary

00:24:29.626 --> 00:24:30.386
of State, if I might add.

00:24:30.406 --> 00:24:33.609
Secretary of State, absolutely.

00:24:33.829 --> 00:24:37.972
Yes.

00:24:38.012 --> 00:24:41.355
Some history has been made and we got

00:24:41.375 --> 00:24:42.977
to come back for runoffs.

00:24:43.446 --> 00:24:43.767
people.

00:24:43.926 --> 00:24:45.407
You got to come back for the runoffs.

00:24:45.448 --> 00:24:45.748
You do.

00:24:47.209 --> 00:24:51.371
So we have a chance to do something.

00:24:51.490 --> 00:24:55.993
And why it's important that we flip or

00:24:56.034 --> 00:24:58.795
get as much flipped as we can is

00:24:58.835 --> 00:25:01.557
so that we can get these maps change.

00:25:01.997 --> 00:25:03.137
John's nonpartisan.

00:25:03.178 --> 00:25:03.938
He can't say that.

00:25:04.178 --> 00:25:04.858
I can say it.

00:25:05.058 --> 00:25:05.739
I'm a Democrat.

00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:07.119
I ain't got no problem saying that.

00:25:08.394 --> 00:25:10.336
I want everybody Democratic to win.

00:25:10.457 --> 00:25:12.519
Everybody that's a Democrat with a big D,

00:25:12.919 --> 00:25:17.041
I want them to win.

00:25:18.163 --> 00:25:19.984
We know we want to get smart people

00:25:20.904 --> 00:25:24.448
in office.

00:25:24.508 --> 00:25:26.769
You, John, Karen,

00:25:27.911 --> 00:25:29.772
we got to give people marching orders

00:25:30.633 --> 00:25:35.717
because I hear we got to vote.

00:25:35.757 --> 00:25:36.538
Yes, we know that.

00:25:37.432 --> 00:25:39.493
But what is the thing that is not

00:25:39.574 --> 00:25:42.415
allowing us to go to the polls?

00:25:43.396 --> 00:25:46.358
We are still in the districts that I

00:25:46.380 --> 00:25:48.141
know I live in in Gwinnett.

00:25:48.862 --> 00:25:53.404
We're like two-thirds the vote or a third

00:25:53.444 --> 00:25:55.767
the vote population.

00:25:56.627 --> 00:25:58.910
And we don't vote.

00:25:59.150 --> 00:26:03.094
The last election in the district,

00:26:09.286 --> 00:26:10.366
Ninety-three, ninety-four,

00:26:10.446 --> 00:26:14.307
ninety-five of Gwinnett County.

00:26:14.327 --> 00:26:16.749
And between those three counties,

00:26:18.589 --> 00:26:20.010
just in the early voting,

00:26:20.030 --> 00:26:22.491
which those counties overlap,

00:26:22.951 --> 00:26:24.692
some of Gwinnett, some of DeKalb,

00:26:25.932 --> 00:26:29.674
we outnumber DeKalb by registration,

00:26:30.474 --> 00:26:35.617
but DeKalb County had a higher turnout.

00:26:35.637 --> 00:26:38.019
So when you see stats where we have

00:26:38.058 --> 00:26:38.739
the numbers,

00:26:39.723 --> 00:26:41.625
and you can make things happen,

00:26:42.266 --> 00:26:43.366
we don't show up.

00:26:44.827 --> 00:26:47.568
And if this is crucial where the voting

00:26:48.410 --> 00:26:51.152
is being diluted and that term means we

00:26:51.192 --> 00:26:52.211
lessen our power,

00:26:53.673 --> 00:26:58.655
if these things are now happening and the

00:26:58.796 --> 00:27:00.416
other stuff didn't happen, Mr. Floyd,

00:27:01.718 --> 00:27:03.398
what is that thing that's going to take

00:27:03.479 --> 00:27:05.540
us without us basically losing our lives

00:27:05.560 --> 00:27:07.021
to get people to get out to the

00:27:07.041 --> 00:27:07.422
polls?

00:27:08.452 --> 00:27:09.814
I think it's messaging,

00:27:09.854 --> 00:27:11.253
and I just wanted to share with you

00:27:11.314 --> 00:27:11.493
all.

00:27:12.595 --> 00:27:13.075
This week,

00:27:13.214 --> 00:27:18.477
I was invited to meet with two sets

00:27:18.576 --> 00:27:22.038
of young voters, African-Americans,

00:27:22.999 --> 00:27:25.480
voters male and female between the ages of

00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:29.862
and I made it my business to listen.

00:27:30.582 --> 00:27:31.762
And when I tell you that was an

00:27:31.923 --> 00:27:32.323
eye-opener,

00:27:33.729 --> 00:27:36.912
listening to these kids in the heart of

00:27:36.952 --> 00:27:38.334
Atlanta, in the heart of Atlanta,

00:27:38.374 --> 00:27:38.934
not too far,

00:27:39.015 --> 00:27:42.720
not a stone's throw from Mercedes Benz.

00:27:43.888 --> 00:27:46.351
And with the exception at about forty or

00:27:46.391 --> 00:27:47.751
fifty kids, only two kids,

00:27:48.571 --> 00:27:50.492
students agreed that they thought voting

00:27:50.594 --> 00:27:52.714
at two literally thought voting was a good

00:27:52.734 --> 00:27:52.954
thing.

00:27:53.595 --> 00:27:56.176
The others had completely checked out.

00:27:57.377 --> 00:28:00.180
They said it wasn't a dime's worth the

00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:01.740
difference between whoever won it,

00:28:02.260 --> 00:28:03.682
whichever political party won.

00:28:04.241 --> 00:28:06.023
It didn't it didn't it wasn't reflective.

00:28:06.738 --> 00:28:08.778
They were completely dismayed by what's

00:28:08.818 --> 00:28:10.459
going on in our national politics,

00:28:10.598 --> 00:28:11.519
taking a look at what's going on.

00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:13.681
They didn't believe, they didn't see,

00:28:14.280 --> 00:28:16.961
there were questions about the future.

00:28:17.842 --> 00:28:19.762
There were questions about messaging that

00:28:21.222 --> 00:28:24.884
tour people don't talk to them.

00:28:24.904 --> 00:28:28.205
They're not listening to turning on NBC or

00:28:29.006 --> 00:28:30.846
CBS or ABC or looking at CNN.

00:28:31.207 --> 00:28:32.607
They don't get their information from

00:28:32.647 --> 00:28:33.488
there.

00:28:33.788 --> 00:28:34.949
This has been a game changer,

00:28:34.969 --> 00:28:35.949
particularly for young people.

00:28:37.365 --> 00:28:37.625
Yeah.

00:28:37.644 --> 00:28:39.385
This is where they get their information.

00:28:39.405 --> 00:28:40.125
So TikTok,

00:28:40.205 --> 00:28:42.465
Instagram and other emerging platforms.

00:28:43.046 --> 00:28:45.866
But I was I wasn't so much discouraged.

00:28:45.926 --> 00:28:46.787
I realized I said, you know,

00:28:46.846 --> 00:28:47.547
I just have to.

00:28:47.626 --> 00:28:48.326
And I listened.

00:28:48.467 --> 00:28:50.086
I actively listened to them.

00:28:51.067 --> 00:28:51.528
And in the end,

00:28:51.607 --> 00:28:53.048
I think I think some of them turned

00:28:53.087 --> 00:28:53.288
around,

00:28:53.307 --> 00:28:55.208
but they don't believe they believe that

00:28:55.248 --> 00:28:56.269
the system is gamed.

00:28:56.808 --> 00:28:57.189
Yeah.

00:28:57.269 --> 00:29:00.788
And that it's not it doesn't serve them

00:29:00.848 --> 00:29:01.449
one way or the other.

00:29:01.489 --> 00:29:02.990
And I don't think it's just people that

00:29:03.009 --> 00:29:03.410
feel that way.

00:29:03.430 --> 00:29:04.630
I think many people feel that way.

00:29:06.346 --> 00:29:07.846
But you have to, it's messaging,

00:29:07.906 --> 00:29:08.867
messaging, messaging.

00:29:09.347 --> 00:29:10.327
You have to talk to folks.

00:29:11.409 --> 00:29:12.348
And you do.

00:29:12.750 --> 00:29:13.730
And they have to see that there's

00:29:13.769 --> 00:29:14.730
something in it for them.

00:29:15.310 --> 00:29:16.711
If they don't feel like it's in it

00:29:16.731 --> 00:29:18.952
for them, and I don't think...

00:29:19.943 --> 00:29:22.586
We as leaders have made a compelling

00:29:22.665 --> 00:29:23.105
argument.

00:29:24.007 --> 00:29:25.186
Yes, Dr. King marched.

00:29:25.247 --> 00:29:26.327
Yes, the civil rights movement.

00:29:26.367 --> 00:29:27.868
Yes, we stand on the shoulders of greats.

00:29:28.528 --> 00:29:30.530
But times are moving.

00:29:30.570 --> 00:29:31.290
Things are shifting.

00:29:31.371 --> 00:29:32.951
And we have to make a compelling argument

00:29:32.991 --> 00:29:33.913
of why, once again,

00:29:34.613 --> 00:29:36.233
it's in people's best interest to vote,

00:29:36.815 --> 00:29:38.455
in their best interest.

00:29:38.615 --> 00:29:40.876
Yeah.

00:29:41.798 --> 00:29:42.837
And all we can do is try and

00:29:42.898 --> 00:29:43.798
educate, right?

00:29:44.579 --> 00:29:45.839
Yes.

00:29:46.080 --> 00:29:48.102
I can bring you...

00:29:49.326 --> 00:29:50.487
To the water.

00:29:50.507 --> 00:29:51.027
To the water.

00:29:51.067 --> 00:29:52.347
Amen.

00:29:52.448 --> 00:29:53.388
I can't make you get me in.

00:29:53.409 --> 00:29:53.648
Can't.

00:29:55.150 --> 00:29:57.830
And there's so much information.

00:29:57.911 --> 00:29:58.932
You reference,

00:29:59.172 --> 00:30:01.133
this is something I always say when I

00:30:01.232 --> 00:30:01.794
talk to my kids.

00:30:01.894 --> 00:30:04.394
I said, this little thing right here,

00:30:04.756 --> 00:30:07.416
y'all have literally the world at your

00:30:07.457 --> 00:30:08.038
fingertips.

00:30:08.057 --> 00:30:08.278
Amen.

00:30:09.338 --> 00:30:10.358
When I wanted to learn,

00:30:10.378 --> 00:30:12.180
when I wanted to get information on a

00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:12.820
subject,

00:30:13.721 --> 00:30:17.864
I had some year old encyclopedias

00:30:18.382 --> 00:30:19.502
that we had at our house.

00:30:19.522 --> 00:30:22.084
And every year we had the Nineteen Eighty

00:30:22.124 --> 00:30:23.663
World Book Encyclopedia.

00:30:24.065 --> 00:30:27.046
And every year we would get the update.

00:30:27.066 --> 00:30:28.506
We would get an update.

00:30:28.666 --> 00:30:29.707
You take me way back, Karen.

00:30:29.747 --> 00:30:30.666
You take me way back.

00:30:30.767 --> 00:30:32.087
Amen.

00:30:32.288 --> 00:30:34.449
And because my mother was so proud when

00:30:34.469 --> 00:30:35.990
she finished paying those things off.

00:30:37.450 --> 00:30:39.691
But we had to you had to wait

00:30:39.730 --> 00:30:40.751
for the yearly update.

00:30:40.771 --> 00:30:42.972
So when we did book reports,

00:30:43.472 --> 00:30:45.253
we use the encyclopedia.

00:30:45.374 --> 00:30:45.673
Right.

00:30:45.713 --> 00:30:46.795
We have a place to start.

00:30:46.815 --> 00:30:47.795
We go to the library.

00:30:48.613 --> 00:30:50.394
I had to leave my house to get

00:30:50.413 --> 00:30:50.634
information.

00:30:50.654 --> 00:30:52.236
You went to the what?

00:30:52.536 --> 00:30:53.436
You went to the what?

00:30:53.477 --> 00:30:54.317
To the library.

00:30:54.336 --> 00:30:54.877
To the what?

00:30:55.178 --> 00:30:56.778
Right.

00:30:57.298 --> 00:30:58.559
You mean with a card catalog?

00:30:58.619 --> 00:30:59.300
Yes.

00:30:59.861 --> 00:31:01.241
With a card catalog.

00:31:01.342 --> 00:31:02.182
Doing decimal system.

00:31:02.202 --> 00:31:07.346
But I had to go and seek out

00:31:07.426 --> 00:31:08.007
information.

00:31:08.067 --> 00:31:09.807
These kids have information available

00:31:09.828 --> 00:31:10.209
right here.

00:31:10.648 --> 00:31:13.151
And I've said to my kids,

00:31:14.304 --> 00:31:17.406
We had less access, less information,

00:31:17.446 --> 00:31:17.866
but we knew more.

00:31:17.886 --> 00:31:18.027
We did.

00:31:18.067 --> 00:31:19.909
We knew more.

00:31:20.689 --> 00:31:22.130
And something, you know,

00:31:22.269 --> 00:31:24.332
I grew up in a household where my

00:31:24.392 --> 00:31:24.952
father,

00:31:25.932 --> 00:31:29.675
who passed a few days shy of his

00:31:30.196 --> 00:31:31.357
ninth birthday,

00:31:32.378 --> 00:31:37.563
read two papers every day up until a

00:31:37.663 --> 00:31:39.064
month before he passed.

00:31:39.683 --> 00:31:41.345
I read two papers every day.

00:31:41.404 --> 00:31:43.026
My father didn't get to go to college.

00:31:43.046 --> 00:31:44.926
He went to Edward Waters College and came

00:31:44.967 --> 00:31:46.768
home from Jacksonville and went to the

00:31:46.807 --> 00:31:47.429
military.

00:31:48.409 --> 00:31:49.250
He didn't go to college,

00:31:49.509 --> 00:31:51.691
but that man was the smartest man I

00:31:51.730 --> 00:31:55.313
knew because he read the paper and he

00:31:55.333 --> 00:31:56.953
was up on current events.

00:31:57.714 --> 00:31:58.575
These kids,

00:31:58.855 --> 00:32:00.997
if the TikTok is longer than thirty

00:32:01.076 --> 00:32:04.317
seconds, they're swiping.

00:32:04.838 --> 00:32:05.618
They're swiping.

00:32:05.638 --> 00:32:06.880
And

00:32:07.295 --> 00:32:09.155
And this is by design.

00:32:09.435 --> 00:32:11.096
All of this is by design.

00:32:11.176 --> 00:32:11.518
It is by design.

00:32:11.538 --> 00:32:13.719
Our kids are on the computers at school,

00:32:13.838 --> 00:32:14.318
right?

00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:17.461
And I was just listening to this study.

00:32:18.122 --> 00:32:18.882
This woman was talking about it.

00:32:18.902 --> 00:32:19.942
I think it might have been on NPR.

00:32:20.282 --> 00:32:22.324
But she was talking about the fact that

00:32:23.384 --> 00:32:25.226
our kids have all of this access to

00:32:25.266 --> 00:32:27.067
information and this knowledge,

00:32:27.346 --> 00:32:29.708
but they're spending so many hours on the

00:32:29.749 --> 00:32:30.108
computer.

00:32:30.429 --> 00:32:32.930
In countries where kids spend five or more

00:32:33.029 --> 00:32:36.332
hours a day on the computer for learning

00:32:36.393 --> 00:32:37.053
purposes,

00:32:37.691 --> 00:32:42.773
their scores are going down versus in

00:32:42.913 --> 00:32:45.375
other countries and communities where the

00:32:45.415 --> 00:32:47.696
kids do not spend as much time or

00:32:47.717 --> 00:32:49.538
get that much learning time on the

00:32:49.557 --> 00:32:49.958
computer.

00:32:50.178 --> 00:32:51.318
So they're on the computer,

00:32:51.358 --> 00:32:54.280
but they're not gaining knowledge.

00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:56.182
They're not gaining critical thinking.

00:32:56.461 --> 00:32:59.584
So it's no wonder that when they're given

00:32:59.683 --> 00:33:00.423
information,

00:33:00.923 --> 00:33:03.425
they're not really processing it to

00:33:03.586 --> 00:33:06.587
understand this is impacting me.

00:33:08.954 --> 00:33:10.895
And so I'll have to find that study.

00:33:11.855 --> 00:33:15.977
But it's something that we instinctually

00:33:16.037 --> 00:33:20.557
knew that the generations are actually

00:33:20.617 --> 00:33:23.798
like this Gen Z generation,

00:33:23.838 --> 00:33:25.298
because they're the first ones growing up

00:33:25.318 --> 00:33:27.839
with computer access from the time they

00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:28.480
were born.

00:33:29.299 --> 00:33:32.320
They actually are different.

00:33:32.867 --> 00:33:36.169
not doing as well as we have in

00:33:36.189 --> 00:33:39.309
the past gen x's and above and millennials

00:33:40.170 --> 00:33:44.250
um educationally right because of the way

00:33:44.290 --> 00:33:46.431
that they're being taught so there's no

00:33:46.451 --> 00:33:48.511
there's no critical thinking you do that

00:33:48.531 --> 00:33:50.573
right yeah yeah there's no critical

00:33:50.593 --> 00:33:54.453
thinking you know you know at my church

00:33:54.653 --> 00:33:56.173
we had a forum

00:33:56.666 --> 00:33:58.407
that was called, uh, media,

00:33:58.468 --> 00:33:59.489
faith and fear.

00:34:00.288 --> 00:34:01.569
And one of the guest speakers,

00:34:01.630 --> 00:34:02.289
I go to, uh,

00:34:02.309 --> 00:34:05.112
Gwinnett Berean Christian church.

00:34:05.652 --> 00:34:07.913
And one of our guest speakers, um, is,

00:34:09.673 --> 00:34:10.514
uh, a therapist.

00:34:11.295 --> 00:34:13.036
And Karen, to your point, she,

00:34:13.235 --> 00:34:14.157
she even said,

00:34:14.217 --> 00:34:16.757
as far as young as two years of

00:34:16.898 --> 00:34:17.119
age,

00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:19.139
shouldn't two years of age and older

00:34:20.159 --> 00:34:21.920
should not have all these devices.

00:34:22.481 --> 00:34:24.443
And she gave a lot of information about

00:34:24.523 --> 00:34:26.503
the negative impact, uh,

00:34:26.909 --> 00:34:29.909
the science was showing on young people.

00:34:30.590 --> 00:34:32.550
And it was a very good segment she

00:34:32.570 --> 00:34:33.070
was speaking to.

00:34:33.170 --> 00:34:34.210
I was like, oh,

00:34:34.251 --> 00:34:37.710
you need to come on our show.

00:34:37.771 --> 00:34:41.152
So somewhere along the way,

00:34:41.351 --> 00:34:43.592
the more we try to make things better,

00:34:45.253 --> 00:34:48.813
it seems like each generation is losing

00:34:48.873 --> 00:34:49.914
less and less knowledge.

00:34:50.373 --> 00:34:52.434
And it doesn't have to be.

00:34:52.454 --> 00:34:55.675
I was sharing with some colleagues

00:34:56.518 --> 00:34:58.161
I was talking about the existential

00:34:58.181 --> 00:34:59.561
threats to the United States.

00:34:59.601 --> 00:35:01.123
I think sometimes we get so caught up,

00:35:01.403 --> 00:35:02.364
and that's another show.

00:35:02.885 --> 00:35:06.289
But there are real threats to our position

00:35:06.309 --> 00:35:08.371
in the world in terms of the United

00:35:08.411 --> 00:35:09.811
States and education.

00:35:09.911 --> 00:35:11.693
We're losing the race to education.

00:35:12.514 --> 00:35:13.815
Some would argue that we've lost the race

00:35:13.835 --> 00:35:15.856
in terms of STEM, in terms of science.

00:35:17.597 --> 00:35:18.798
Just take a look at the reading scores

00:35:18.818 --> 00:35:19.438
here in Georgia.

00:35:19.498 --> 00:35:19.679
I mean,

00:35:19.699 --> 00:35:22.021
a third of the children in our state

00:35:22.561 --> 00:35:24.001
cannot read on grade level.

00:35:24.021 --> 00:35:26.523
And we know that prisons are built upon

00:35:26.583 --> 00:35:27.943
third and fourth grade reading levels.

00:35:28.003 --> 00:35:29.585
But that's a story of a different day.

00:35:30.326 --> 00:35:31.847
If we don't get this right,

00:35:32.007 --> 00:35:33.186
and money is not necessarily,

00:35:33.788 --> 00:35:34.608
money is very important.

00:35:34.648 --> 00:35:36.108
I'm not going to say it's not.

00:35:36.148 --> 00:35:37.969
But it's not the sole determining factor.

00:35:38.090 --> 00:35:39.271
If we don't get this education,

00:35:39.590 --> 00:35:40.791
we don't have another ten years.

00:35:41.929 --> 00:35:42.710
It's now.

00:35:42.849 --> 00:35:45.891
And with AI that's here, you know,

00:35:46.371 --> 00:35:47.893
Comcast would lay off, what,

00:35:47.932 --> 00:35:50.653
thirty thousand people a couple of a

00:35:50.693 --> 00:35:51.554
couple of weeks ago.

00:35:53.534 --> 00:35:55.675
It wasn't Comcast.

00:35:55.755 --> 00:35:56.635
I think it was Comcast,

00:35:57.016 --> 00:35:58.217
one of the big tech firms.

00:35:58.777 --> 00:36:00.717
I mean, so, you know,

00:36:01.097 --> 00:36:02.458
we're facing some serious headwinds in

00:36:02.478 --> 00:36:02.978
this country.

00:36:03.759 --> 00:36:05.579
And and then for those of us who

00:36:05.739 --> 00:36:07.840
are in terms of our community,

00:36:08.721 --> 00:36:10.202
if others are facing headwinds, you know,

00:36:10.222 --> 00:36:11.322
we're facing a tsunami.

00:36:13.021 --> 00:36:13.342
Yes.

00:36:13.742 --> 00:36:16.706
And for reference, for reference,

00:36:16.865 --> 00:36:22.914
I want to point people to Fortune magazine

00:36:23.074 --> 00:36:25.438
in their February twenty first twenty

00:36:25.458 --> 00:36:26.760
twenty six article.

00:36:27.909 --> 00:36:28.949
titled The U.S.

00:36:29.009 --> 00:36:31.670
Spent Thirty Billion Dollars to Ditch

00:36:31.730 --> 00:36:34.510
Textbooks for Laptops and Tablets.

00:36:34.831 --> 00:36:37.630
The result is the first generation less

00:36:37.670 --> 00:36:40.532
cognitively capable than their parents.

00:36:40.931 --> 00:36:45.432
And it goes on to talk about inciting

00:36:46.653 --> 00:36:49.134
the source for that is testimony that was

00:36:49.213 --> 00:36:52.114
given at a before the U.S.

00:36:52.155 --> 00:36:54.936
Senate Committee on Commerce,

00:36:54.976 --> 00:36:56.436
Science and Transportation.

00:36:56.996 --> 00:37:00.737
by neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath

00:37:01.418 --> 00:37:04.077
said that Gen X is less cognitive capable

00:37:04.097 --> 00:37:08.159
than previous generations despite its

00:37:08.398 --> 00:37:10.880
unprecedented access to technology.

00:37:11.139 --> 00:37:12.860
So this is not just Karen, Kat,

00:37:12.900 --> 00:37:14.260
and John sitting here having this

00:37:14.300 --> 00:37:15.820
discussion.

00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:21.322
Go look up the article, fortune.com,

00:37:22.157 --> 00:37:25.217
It was published on February first,

00:37:25.257 --> 00:37:26.958
twenty twenty six, just this year,

00:37:27.237 --> 00:37:29.277
where they're talking about the testimony

00:37:29.378 --> 00:37:32.239
of this neuroscientist based upon the

00:37:32.278 --> 00:37:34.018
research that has been done.

00:37:34.099 --> 00:37:37.260
So this is not just us saying it.

00:37:37.280 --> 00:37:41.820
So I want you to look this up.

00:37:41.880 --> 00:37:44.061
So it's so and this is this is

00:37:44.121 --> 00:37:44.940
design.

00:37:45.041 --> 00:37:46.722
This is by design.

00:37:46.762 --> 00:37:48.302
That's the other thing that I want.

00:37:49.980 --> 00:37:51.061
folks to understand, like,

00:37:51.141 --> 00:37:54.963
we're getting rid of whole departments in

00:37:55.043 --> 00:37:57.324
the Department of Education.

00:37:57.704 --> 00:38:00.585
And it's one with someone who has no

00:38:00.724 --> 00:38:02.425
educational experience.

00:38:02.907 --> 00:38:03.286
None.

00:38:03.306 --> 00:38:07.588
Zero.

00:38:08.449 --> 00:38:09.670
And people are okay with that.

00:38:09.750 --> 00:38:10.650
And people are okay with that.

00:38:10.670 --> 00:38:11.670
And some people are okay with that.

00:38:11.710 --> 00:38:12.190
You're right.

00:38:13.452 --> 00:38:14.672
Yeah.

00:38:15.112 --> 00:38:16.193
But, you know, John,

00:38:16.213 --> 00:38:17.494
we were talking about, like,

00:38:17.653 --> 00:38:19.675
what can we do as

00:38:20.657 --> 00:38:23.380
as just the general public,

00:38:23.480 --> 00:38:24.701
how can we engage?

00:38:25.081 --> 00:38:26.822
Tell us about some of the initiatives and

00:38:26.862 --> 00:38:28.963
things that you're working on and what the

00:38:29.143 --> 00:38:31.766
Urban League is doing in response to the

00:38:31.806 --> 00:38:34.588
clarion call that we have right now with

00:38:34.608 --> 00:38:35.168
what's going on.

00:38:35.778 --> 00:38:35.858
Well,

00:38:35.878 --> 00:38:38.201
the first thing that we've done is that

00:38:38.260 --> 00:38:41.083
we put together a super coalition of about

00:38:41.143 --> 00:38:43.144
twenty organizations statewide,

00:38:43.204 --> 00:38:43.945
some of whom you know,

00:38:44.726 --> 00:38:48.369
whether it's our Legal Defense Fund or the

00:38:48.929 --> 00:38:52.592
Southern Education Foundation or the

00:38:52.893 --> 00:38:55.155
Partnership for Southern Equity or the

00:38:55.655 --> 00:38:57.016
Coalition for the People's Agenda.

00:38:57.556 --> 00:38:59.737
We are talking to our partners on a

00:38:59.757 --> 00:39:00.219
daily basis.

00:39:00.278 --> 00:39:02.059
We have pooled our resources.

00:39:03.181 --> 00:39:04.322
We are either at the Capitol

00:39:05.925 --> 00:39:07.706
fighting for progressive legislation.

00:39:09.067 --> 00:39:09.567
For example,

00:39:09.806 --> 00:39:11.807
we got some movement in terms of the

00:39:11.847 --> 00:39:14.728
governor adjusting the QBE formula that

00:39:14.768 --> 00:39:17.088
funds schools or in terms of mandatory

00:39:17.128 --> 00:39:18.329
kindergarten in our state,

00:39:19.010 --> 00:39:21.170
or we're on the ground registering people

00:39:21.210 --> 00:39:21.610
to vote,

00:39:22.170 --> 00:39:24.231
getting them to the polls in a nonpartisan

00:39:24.271 --> 00:39:24.411
way.

00:39:24.880 --> 00:39:26.621
or workshops, seminars,

00:39:26.721 --> 00:39:27.601
educating our people,

00:39:27.621 --> 00:39:28.581
talking to our young people.

00:39:29.041 --> 00:39:30.581
So we realize right now it's all hands

00:39:30.641 --> 00:39:31.021
on deck.

00:39:32.382 --> 00:39:33.802
The days of going it alone,

00:39:33.943 --> 00:39:36.364
that's over now because the resources,

00:39:36.423 --> 00:39:38.884
the opposition is so great to what it

00:39:38.923 --> 00:39:39.744
is that we're doing.

00:39:39.764 --> 00:39:42.364
And so well organized because baby,

00:39:42.505 --> 00:39:44.146
they weren't new to this and they were

00:39:44.326 --> 00:39:45.445
certainly new to this.

00:39:45.786 --> 00:39:48.007
They worked years to get Roe v.

00:39:48.027 --> 00:39:49.628
Wade overturned.

00:39:49.690 --> 00:39:50.389
And trust me,

00:39:50.409 --> 00:39:52.711
I believe that project twenty twenty five

00:39:52.972 --> 00:39:55.373
didn't just start in in twenty twenty

00:39:55.393 --> 00:39:55.655
five.

00:39:55.894 --> 00:39:57.635
Like they've been working on this thing

00:39:57.715 --> 00:40:00.759
for years and it was project twenty twenty

00:40:00.798 --> 00:40:02.019
four, project twenty twenty three.

00:40:02.280 --> 00:40:03.981
So they've been working on that for a

00:40:04.021 --> 00:40:04.362
while.

00:40:04.702 --> 00:40:07.105
So and if you look at and when

00:40:07.144 --> 00:40:08.365
you say working on that,

00:40:08.425 --> 00:40:11.427
that means putting people in place who

00:40:11.547 --> 00:40:12.289
agree that.

00:40:12.929 --> 00:40:14.451
from the Supreme Court,

00:40:14.490 --> 00:40:17.632
the highest law of the land,

00:40:17.851 --> 00:40:21.333
and you placed them how long ago for

00:40:21.353 --> 00:40:23.954
them to do the things that was implemented

00:40:23.974 --> 00:40:24.094
today?

00:40:24.114 --> 00:40:25.295
Starting in the lower courts.

00:40:25.456 --> 00:40:27.976
They started them in the lower courts with

00:40:28.036 --> 00:40:28.398
some of them.

00:40:28.478 --> 00:40:30.177
Some have no judicial experience.

00:40:30.338 --> 00:40:33.000
And to me,

00:40:33.199 --> 00:40:35.121
it is the people who say something in

00:40:35.141 --> 00:40:37.081
Congress or in any office,

00:40:37.442 --> 00:40:39.222
and then those that don't say anything.

00:40:39.682 --> 00:40:41.083
If you're not going to be in those

00:40:41.143 --> 00:40:41.523
seats,

00:40:42.014 --> 00:40:44.114
and be consistent and fight for human

00:40:44.175 --> 00:40:46.175
rights and civil rights and equity.

00:40:46.235 --> 00:40:47.476
Like you said, John,

00:40:47.815 --> 00:40:48.956
it's not a partisan issue.

00:40:49.036 --> 00:40:49.856
It's a human issue.

00:40:50.317 --> 00:40:52.697
Everybody should have the right to vote,

00:40:52.797 --> 00:40:54.818
to live, to marry, to eat,

00:40:54.838 --> 00:40:57.260
to have a quality of education.

00:40:57.679 --> 00:40:59.380
And we have people on both sides to

00:40:59.440 --> 00:41:01.181
me and all of the decades has been

00:41:01.222 --> 00:41:01.621
around,

00:41:01.961 --> 00:41:03.983
made all these crazy choices where we're

00:41:04.003 --> 00:41:04.682
here right now.

00:41:05.143 --> 00:41:05.923
If you would have been,

00:41:05.963 --> 00:41:10.505
when you had the opportunity to pass the

00:41:10.545 --> 00:41:11.786
John Lewis bill,

00:41:16.583 --> 00:41:18.605
And they didn't.

00:41:19.105 --> 00:41:20.505
And I know you're going to ask some

00:41:20.525 --> 00:41:21.686
more stuff about reparations,

00:41:21.706 --> 00:41:23.467
but there were opportunities that were

00:41:23.548 --> 00:41:26.170
missed to stand up and fight for it.

00:41:26.190 --> 00:41:27.351
Not only missed,

00:41:27.831 --> 00:41:30.494
undermined by certain members of the

00:41:30.554 --> 00:41:34.056
Senate who had an ability to do it.

00:41:34.317 --> 00:41:36.137
I can think of two United States Senators

00:41:36.918 --> 00:41:38.059
who, for whatever reason,

00:41:38.400 --> 00:41:39.201
and they're gone now,

00:41:39.260 --> 00:41:41.501
Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kirsten

00:41:43.065 --> 00:41:48.327
cinema from Arizona to do that.

00:41:48.507 --> 00:41:49.306
It was outrageous.

00:41:49.847 --> 00:41:51.228
I didn't understand the rationale.

00:41:51.628 --> 00:41:53.347
They had the position.

00:41:54.349 --> 00:41:54.949
They could do it.

00:41:55.128 --> 00:41:56.628
They were the ops.

00:41:57.369 --> 00:41:58.510
They were the ops.

00:41:58.630 --> 00:42:01.271
I'll say it.

00:42:01.391 --> 00:42:02.451
You don't have to say it.

00:42:02.471 --> 00:42:03.192
They were the ops.

00:42:05.172 --> 00:42:05.771
Yes, I said it.

00:42:06.632 --> 00:42:07.612
Who's going to check me, boo?

00:42:07.632 --> 00:42:07.672
On

00:42:11.481 --> 00:42:11.561
John,

00:42:11.581 --> 00:42:13.581
we're talking about things that we can do.

00:42:13.802 --> 00:42:14.663
There is a rally.

00:42:14.702 --> 00:42:17.023
Tell us about the rally that's coming up.

00:42:17.063 --> 00:42:19.925
Yeah, we have a rally on January,

00:42:20.085 --> 00:42:22.065
on June seventeenth at the State Capitol,

00:42:22.226 --> 00:42:23.246
eight o'clock in the morning.

00:42:23.666 --> 00:42:26.668
We're going to assemble at Liberty Plaza,

00:42:26.708 --> 00:42:28.128
which is right across the street from the

00:42:28.168 --> 00:42:28.509
Capitol.

00:42:29.601 --> 00:42:31.603
to push back on redistricting.

00:42:32.083 --> 00:42:32.563
We have to,

00:42:32.923 --> 00:42:34.465
not only are we going to make our

00:42:34.485 --> 00:42:35.806
voices heard at the ballot box,

00:42:35.885 --> 00:42:36.686
and we did that,

00:42:36.726 --> 00:42:38.929
we broke records last Tuesday,

00:42:39.048 --> 00:42:40.030
but now we have to be on the

00:42:40.070 --> 00:42:40.429
ground.

00:42:42.331 --> 00:42:42.751
Step two.

00:42:42.831 --> 00:42:45.012
And FIFA is going to be in Atlanta,

00:42:45.054 --> 00:42:45.634
the World Cup,

00:42:45.974 --> 00:42:48.516
with all the international world looking

00:42:48.596 --> 00:42:49.336
at Georgia.

00:42:49.956 --> 00:42:51.998
And we think that's an opportunity now.

00:42:52.108 --> 00:42:55.789
to let the world know of what's going

00:42:55.929 --> 00:42:58.108
on in the cradle of the civil rights

00:42:58.148 --> 00:43:00.329
movement and on the two hundred fiftieth

00:43:00.429 --> 00:43:02.329
anniversary of the founding of this

00:43:02.369 --> 00:43:02.831
republic.

00:43:03.351 --> 00:43:05.570
And in which right now, as we speak,

00:43:05.610 --> 00:43:07.592
there are young men and women right now

00:43:08.112 --> 00:43:11.012
in uniform defending this country.

00:43:11.152 --> 00:43:14.932
And it's outrageous that what the

00:43:14.952 --> 00:43:16.614
administration is doing

00:43:18.617 --> 00:43:19.739
in the face of this nonsense.

00:43:19.778 --> 00:43:21.460
So if you're a citizen,

00:43:21.519 --> 00:43:23.661
if you care about our Republic as I

00:43:23.702 --> 00:43:23.862
do,

00:43:24.362 --> 00:43:25.862
we invite you to come down to your

00:43:25.882 --> 00:43:28.465
state Capitol on June,

00:43:28.505 --> 00:43:31.626
at eight o'clock at Liberty Plaza and come

00:43:31.666 --> 00:43:34.429
join us in this fight to save our

00:43:34.469 --> 00:43:37.210
democracy.

00:43:37.670 --> 00:43:38.492
All right.

00:43:39.192 --> 00:43:40.472
I love it.

00:43:40.552 --> 00:43:41.134
I love it.

00:43:41.253 --> 00:43:41.773
And so June,

00:43:41.893 --> 00:43:44.076
eight AM rally against redistricting at

00:43:44.096 --> 00:43:44.976
the state Capitol.

00:43:45.317 --> 00:43:47.157
That is a Wednesday morning.

00:43:48.467 --> 00:43:49.851
Let me check my calendar if I've got

00:43:49.871 --> 00:43:50.110
any cases.

00:43:50.130 --> 00:43:51.373
I might have to put leave in for

00:43:51.393 --> 00:43:52.755
that day if I don't have any cases.

00:43:53.077 --> 00:43:55.101
And check their league website.

00:43:55.121 --> 00:43:56.503
We'll have some information on the

00:43:56.523 --> 00:43:56.983
website.

00:43:57.666 --> 00:43:58.246
And that's at...

00:43:59.775 --> 00:44:00.896
Kat, can you refresh my memory?

00:44:00.916 --> 00:44:01.556
It's been a long day.

00:44:02.396 --> 00:44:05.798
www.ulgatl.org.

00:44:06.018 --> 00:44:09.360
That's www.ulgatl.org.

00:44:09.460 --> 00:44:10.661
Or call the Urban League.

00:44:10.961 --> 00:44:12.043
Call us directly at.

00:44:12.103 --> 00:44:13.963
Call us directly at.

00:44:14.045 --> 00:44:16.146
Call us directly at.

00:44:16.346 --> 00:44:17.867
Call us directly at.

00:44:18.086 --> 00:44:27.213
Call us directly at.

00:44:27.253 --> 00:44:27.853
Call us directly at.

00:44:28.760 --> 00:44:30.880
You got something coming up in June?

00:44:30.900 --> 00:44:31.001
We do.

00:44:31.041 --> 00:44:33.221
Listen, and on June second,

00:44:33.880 --> 00:44:36.641
we're having a town hall meeting in

00:44:36.702 --> 00:44:39.063
Atlanta at the Auburn Research Center.

00:44:39.722 --> 00:44:40.362
From six to eight,

00:44:40.422 --> 00:44:43.184
I'll be the moderator on a town hall

00:44:43.204 --> 00:44:44.023
for reparations.

00:44:44.983 --> 00:44:49.826
The United Nations recently took a vote

00:44:50.672 --> 00:44:51.331
And unfortunately,

00:44:51.351 --> 00:44:53.072
the United States and some other nations

00:44:53.092 --> 00:44:54.833
voted against reparations,

00:44:54.873 --> 00:44:56.034
but it's making,

00:44:56.134 --> 00:44:57.474
it's front and center at the United

00:44:57.514 --> 00:44:58.094
Nations now.

00:44:58.735 --> 00:45:00.315
And we think that there's a place for

00:45:00.335 --> 00:45:02.737
reparations against the backdrop and

00:45:02.757 --> 00:45:04.498
certainly the trauma that was happening in

00:45:04.538 --> 00:45:05.579
this country with our people.

00:45:05.599 --> 00:45:06.679
So join me.

00:45:06.699 --> 00:45:09.840
Was it five states, countries?

00:45:12.900 --> 00:45:14.822
I'll leave it at that.

00:45:14.862 --> 00:45:15.782
Well, what I do know,

00:45:16.101 --> 00:45:19.123
one of the nations was the United States

00:45:19.143 --> 00:45:20.702
who voted no on that.

00:45:20.842 --> 00:45:22.664
And I'll leave the rest to our listening

00:45:22.724 --> 00:45:24.664
audience to draw their own conclusions.

00:45:25.585 --> 00:45:29.766
You mean to tell me that I can

00:45:29.786 --> 00:45:34.246
get reparations for all four of my lines,

00:45:34.867 --> 00:45:36.228
mom and dad's side,

00:45:36.387 --> 00:45:37.967
and those lines going back,

00:45:38.307 --> 00:45:40.369
I can trace all of my lineage into

00:45:40.429 --> 00:45:40.969
slavery.

00:45:42.190 --> 00:45:43.369
on all of my lines.

00:45:44.811 --> 00:45:48.452
So my family can't get reparations for the

00:45:48.913 --> 00:45:55.755
hundreds of years that my family slaved in

00:45:55.795 --> 00:45:58.155
this country free,

00:45:58.556 --> 00:46:01.496
free labor and folks rich.

00:46:02.436 --> 00:46:07.458
But the January six defendants,

00:46:08.099 --> 00:46:09.099
the criminals

00:46:09.704 --> 00:46:12.284
who were convicted in a court of law

00:46:12.824 --> 00:46:16.565
can partake in one point seven seven six

00:46:17.085 --> 00:46:23.047
billion with a B dollars that that was

00:46:23.246 --> 00:46:27.248
recovered by the that was recovered

00:46:27.648 --> 00:46:30.108
payable we're writing the check for that

00:46:30.148 --> 00:46:31.807
like the check is coming out of our

00:46:31.827 --> 00:46:34.188
accounts as U.S citizens

00:46:34.880 --> 00:46:40.922
because the president sued his own his own

00:46:40.963 --> 00:46:44.523
government that he is ahead of the

00:46:44.563 --> 00:46:48.063
attorney general signed off on a

00:46:48.364 --> 00:46:51.784
settlement so let me back up the attorney

00:46:51.824 --> 00:46:54.286
general is

00:46:54.681 --> 00:46:58.005
Trump's former personal lawyer who sued

00:46:58.045 --> 00:47:00.045
the United States government and then got

00:47:00.085 --> 00:47:03.628
appointed as attorney general signs off on

00:47:03.668 --> 00:47:05.570
a settlement of a lawsuit that he had

00:47:05.590 --> 00:47:07.592
been involved in as the personal lawyer.

00:47:07.972 --> 00:47:09.114
How that's not a conflict,

00:47:09.954 --> 00:47:10.635
I'll never know.

00:47:11.394 --> 00:47:15.057
But here proved for the U.S.

00:47:15.077 --> 00:47:20.141
government to settle for one point seven

00:47:20.402 --> 00:47:23.224
seven six billion dollars.

00:47:23.800 --> 00:47:26.961
to go into this fund that was created.

00:47:28.262 --> 00:47:30.003
And as a part of that,

00:47:30.463 --> 00:47:36.086
January six defendants can access for

00:47:36.146 --> 00:47:39.989
reparations.

00:47:40.289 --> 00:47:41.208
To quote my dad,

00:47:41.228 --> 00:47:42.110
ain't that a kick in the head.

00:47:42.130 --> 00:47:46.431
What is that?

00:47:46.472 --> 00:47:49.574
In the words of my dear departed cousin,

00:47:50.054 --> 00:47:52.695
H. Carl Butler, ain't that nothing.

00:47:54.221 --> 00:47:55.722
Ain't that nothing?

00:47:55.762 --> 00:47:58.523
Because that's absolutely what it is.

00:47:59.764 --> 00:48:01.606
African-Americans have been fighting in

00:48:01.666 --> 00:48:05.369
this country since emancipation for

00:48:06.269 --> 00:48:07.331
reparations.

00:48:09.693 --> 00:48:11.773
And it has fallen on deaf ears.

00:48:12.293 --> 00:48:15.556
So after this fiasco here,

00:48:16.056 --> 00:48:18.699
I never want to hear one other

00:48:18.778 --> 00:48:21.802
congressperson or one other person say

00:48:22.121 --> 00:48:23.722
that we cannot afford it.

00:48:24.516 --> 00:48:26.197
that this country cannot afford it.

00:48:26.458 --> 00:48:27.659
Who would we know how to pay?

00:48:28.119 --> 00:48:28.940
Give it to anybody Black.

00:48:30.342 --> 00:48:31.463
I don't care if they just got here

00:48:31.483 --> 00:48:31.983
first generation.

00:48:32.003 --> 00:48:32.503
I don't care.

00:48:33.204 --> 00:48:34.005
Give it to anybody Black.

00:48:34.505 --> 00:48:35.465
Because if they said,

00:48:35.985 --> 00:48:36.967
wherever they came from,

00:48:37.608 --> 00:48:40.429
they had hell to pay because of either

00:48:41.610 --> 00:48:45.454
colonialism or if they were in somewhere

00:48:45.614 --> 00:48:47.615
in North America, South America,

00:48:47.976 --> 00:48:50.478
they were involved in slavery as well if

00:48:50.498 --> 00:48:51.018
they're Black.

00:48:51.398 --> 00:48:53.159
Because that's how their family got there.

00:48:54.606 --> 00:48:59.447
So if you're South American, Canadian,

00:49:00.449 --> 00:49:04.210
whatever, you get money too.

00:49:04.250 --> 00:49:05.670
We still paying for people.

00:49:06.931 --> 00:49:07.552
Y'all tell me,

00:49:07.572 --> 00:49:10.833
did we pay for in the Holocaust?

00:49:11.974 --> 00:49:13.273
Didn't we get reparations?

00:49:14.114 --> 00:49:15.755
I know that we gave reparations.

00:49:17.956 --> 00:49:20.998
I know that we gave reparations to the

00:49:21.038 --> 00:49:23.059
Japanese for that.

00:49:23.159 --> 00:49:26.282
I believe in the eighties,

00:49:26.342 --> 00:49:27.661
there was compensation for that.

00:49:27.742 --> 00:49:28.463
That's right.

00:49:28.503 --> 00:49:29.324
That's right.

00:49:29.704 --> 00:49:31.445
So, you know,

00:49:31.465 --> 00:49:33.626
the good news is that there's a precedent

00:49:33.666 --> 00:49:34.007
for it.

00:49:34.146 --> 00:49:35.166
How about that?

00:49:35.206 --> 00:49:36.668
There is a precedent.

00:49:37.168 --> 00:49:38.969
Do y'all know that England was still

00:49:39.010 --> 00:49:40.751
paying out the families?

00:49:41.927 --> 00:49:44.568
slave-holding families up until just

00:49:44.708 --> 00:49:45.389
recently.

00:49:45.969 --> 00:49:48.130
They were still paying reparations to

00:49:48.170 --> 00:49:50.592
those slave-holding families for when

00:49:50.612 --> 00:49:51.492
slavery ended.

00:49:53.934 --> 00:49:54.614
And the British were,

00:49:54.934 --> 00:49:57.335
if you remember your history,

00:49:57.896 --> 00:49:59.797
they abolished slavery before the United

00:49:59.817 --> 00:50:00.157
States did.

00:50:00.177 --> 00:50:00.757
Yeah, the

00:50:08.179 --> 00:50:09.320
I just say all that to say,

00:50:09.521 --> 00:50:11.521
when you hear the argument that the U.S.

00:50:11.541 --> 00:50:12.242
can't afford it,

00:50:12.302 --> 00:50:13.483
they don't know who they would be able

00:50:13.523 --> 00:50:14.043
to pay.

00:50:14.864 --> 00:50:17.724
Why should people who didn't have anything

00:50:17.764 --> 00:50:20.547
to do with it have to pay reparations?

00:50:20.567 --> 00:50:20.726
Well,

00:50:20.947 --> 00:50:22.987
I had nothing to do with January six.

00:50:23.869 --> 00:50:24.628
As a matter of fact,

00:50:24.869 --> 00:50:27.751
I think we deserve some reparations for

00:50:28.550 --> 00:50:31.452
the PTSD from sitting there watching this

00:50:31.992 --> 00:50:34.313
on TV when it happened.

00:50:35.054 --> 00:50:35.394
Because

00:50:35.956 --> 00:50:39.056
you know, I was home minding my business,

00:50:40.016 --> 00:50:43.038
turn on TV and I'm watching it live.

00:50:43.057 --> 00:50:43.739
I'm like, wait a minute,

00:50:44.378 --> 00:50:45.458
are these people storming again?

00:50:45.878 --> 00:50:49.940
So, you know, I still have, I think,

00:50:50.141 --> 00:50:51.280
I think I need some,

00:50:51.900 --> 00:50:53.621
some therapeutic intervention.

00:50:56.322 --> 00:50:57.083
And you are not alone.

00:50:57.123 --> 00:50:58.282
I'll leave it at that.

00:50:58.302 --> 00:50:59.123
Amen.

00:50:59.143 --> 00:50:59.603
They're getting,

00:50:59.764 --> 00:51:00.724
but they're getting reparations.

00:51:00.804 --> 00:51:03.644
I'm just, so it's BS.

00:51:13.710 --> 00:51:17.731
But it is garbage when someone tells you

00:51:17.771 --> 00:51:20.092
that our government cannot do it because

00:51:20.112 --> 00:51:21.693
they have found a way.

00:51:23.233 --> 00:51:27.615
This president and his appointed cabinet

00:51:27.655 --> 00:51:31.577
members are finding a way to reward people

00:51:31.657 --> 00:51:32.719
for bad acts.

00:51:34.510 --> 00:51:39.713
who were complicit in their convictions.

00:51:39.733 --> 00:51:42.074
So miss me with the,

00:51:42.134 --> 00:51:44.094
we can't afford it, it can't be done.

00:51:45.614 --> 00:51:49.016
Miss me with that.

00:51:49.036 --> 00:51:50.536
Somebody always says,

00:51:51.677 --> 00:51:54.239
if you want to see where a person's

00:51:54.298 --> 00:51:56.559
priorities lies,

00:51:56.599 --> 00:51:57.739
look at where they spend their money.

00:51:58.664 --> 00:52:01.224
Cat, don't we always say that?

00:52:01.724 --> 00:52:03.485
Don't we always say that?

00:52:03.505 --> 00:52:04.905
That's how you know what their priorities

00:52:04.945 --> 00:52:05.025
are.

00:52:05.067 --> 00:52:06.186
Where do they spend their money?

00:52:06.887 --> 00:52:09.367
Even when it comes down to your personal

00:52:09.427 --> 00:52:10.489
finances, right?

00:52:11.128 --> 00:52:12.628
Where do you spend your money?

00:52:12.688 --> 00:52:14.050
That's where your priorities are.

00:52:14.389 --> 00:52:17.231
If you are someone who always has designer

00:52:17.271 --> 00:52:20.391
bags, designer things, right?

00:52:20.771 --> 00:52:21.893
Those are your priorities,

00:52:22.112 --> 00:52:24.914
but yet you don't have life insurance.

00:52:27.561 --> 00:52:30.601
You know, and to add to that,

00:52:31.021 --> 00:52:34.184
I think, John, I always enjoy you.

00:52:34.204 --> 00:52:34.943
You know,

00:52:34.983 --> 00:52:36.505
you got so much information and we can

00:52:36.545 --> 00:52:38.465
talk to you for a very long time.

00:52:38.485 --> 00:52:40.206
We got to definitely have you back before,

00:52:41.487 --> 00:52:42.768
after your meetings and stuff and the

00:52:42.788 --> 00:52:44.289
rallies to give everybody an update.

00:52:45.048 --> 00:52:46.670
I really do think when we talk about

00:52:47.489 --> 00:52:50.010
the family union and where we went wrong,

00:52:50.572 --> 00:52:50.931
you know,

00:52:50.952 --> 00:52:53.072
just going back to our ancestors and all

00:52:53.112 --> 00:52:53.373
of their

00:52:53.867 --> 00:52:55.489
their teachings and upbringings where we

00:52:55.588 --> 00:52:57.550
insulate our seniors, our elders.

00:52:57.871 --> 00:52:59.532
They're the ones that are wise and they

00:52:59.891 --> 00:53:02.934
give us all this information and initiate

00:53:02.954 --> 00:53:04.235
the family as a village.

00:53:04.496 --> 00:53:06.277
You know, the enemy is division.

00:53:06.757 --> 00:53:08.237
And that has worked for centuries.

00:53:08.559 --> 00:53:10.340
As long as you can create light skin

00:53:10.380 --> 00:53:12.141
against dark skin, you know, oh,

00:53:12.181 --> 00:53:13.161
you've got good hair.

00:53:13.202 --> 00:53:13.342
Well,

00:53:13.362 --> 00:53:15.242
the good hair is still attached to my

00:53:15.282 --> 00:53:15.583
head.

00:53:15.943 --> 00:53:16.224
You know,

00:53:16.244 --> 00:53:18.585
I don't care what color it is.

00:53:19.005 --> 00:53:22.688
You know, we have to get that, that,

00:53:23.715 --> 00:53:26.076
closeness back and get that poison out

00:53:26.135 --> 00:53:28.797
like what you just said where you where

00:53:28.818 --> 00:53:31.759
you spend your your your time that's where

00:53:31.778 --> 00:53:33.440
you're gonna spend your money where your

00:53:33.480 --> 00:53:35.340
heart is is where you're gonna go and

00:53:35.360 --> 00:53:37.481
that's just the bottom line but no one

00:53:37.521 --> 00:53:39.402
wants to get involved until it's at your

00:53:39.422 --> 00:53:41.844
front door and what i believe the three

00:53:41.885 --> 00:53:45.786
of us are saying today is it's at

00:53:45.827 --> 00:53:46.427
your front door

00:53:48.396 --> 00:53:50.998
It's in the house.

00:53:51.018 --> 00:53:51.599
The front door.

00:53:51.619 --> 00:53:53.099
They don't kick the door down, Kat.

00:53:53.440 --> 00:53:54.822
They're standing in the living room

00:53:54.862 --> 00:53:57.423
looking at you, swearing in the eye.

00:53:57.503 --> 00:53:57.884
Right.

00:53:58.003 --> 00:53:58.704
And now asking you.

00:54:01.793 --> 00:54:02.452
Who going to check me?

00:54:02.472 --> 00:54:03.012
What you going to do?

00:54:03.032 --> 00:54:03.393
Right.

00:54:03.452 --> 00:54:04.853
Who you going to call?

00:54:04.974 --> 00:54:06.054
It's truly nothing.

00:54:06.333 --> 00:54:07.914
And you can no longer say we don't

00:54:07.934 --> 00:54:09.416
have the money to help.

00:54:09.795 --> 00:54:12.617
You know, let me just stick with veterans,

00:54:12.637 --> 00:54:13.516
with foster care,

00:54:13.916 --> 00:54:15.557
our children that's in need,

00:54:15.617 --> 00:54:16.657
children that's, you know,

00:54:16.697 --> 00:54:18.599
mentally ill and people who need

00:54:18.639 --> 00:54:20.280
assistance to help that family,

00:54:20.300 --> 00:54:22.800
to keep kids out of dangerous homes or

00:54:22.820 --> 00:54:23.960
get ridden with them,

00:54:24.081 --> 00:54:26.202
access to drugs and guns and fentanyl and

00:54:26.242 --> 00:54:27.063
all that stuff.

00:54:27.083 --> 00:54:27.922
Or you could just drop

00:54:28.663 --> 00:54:30.505
seven point some odd billion.

00:54:31.405 --> 00:54:32.346
Where that's coming from?

00:54:32.425 --> 00:54:33.327
We broke, ain't we?

00:54:34.708 --> 00:54:38.369
We have people suffering.

00:54:38.389 --> 00:54:40.090
We got veterans suffering.

00:54:40.351 --> 00:54:44.353
You know, where we're coming from?

00:54:44.775 --> 00:54:44.994
You know,

00:54:45.034 --> 00:54:50.139
but I feel with all knowing all of

00:54:50.159 --> 00:54:50.438
that,

00:54:50.619 --> 00:54:53.001
something has to motivate you enough

00:54:54.121 --> 00:54:54.961
inside of you.

00:54:55.081 --> 00:54:56.163
We can't do it

00:54:56.887 --> 00:54:59.329
Something has to jump off inside of you.

00:54:59.668 --> 00:55:02.070
That spark is going to make you not

00:55:02.130 --> 00:55:05.273
only protest, but either vote,

00:55:05.994 --> 00:55:08.516
educate people on voting, learning,

00:55:09.317 --> 00:55:11.878
volunteering, be some eyes and ears,

00:55:12.179 --> 00:55:13.860
attend your local meetings,

00:55:14.360 --> 00:55:16.681
start writing and emailing your elected

00:55:16.722 --> 00:55:17.322
officials.

00:55:17.702 --> 00:55:20.005
And then when all that fails, join.

00:55:20.626 --> 00:55:22.606
organizations to help you navigate and

00:55:22.646 --> 00:55:27.889
learn how to organize and teach you how

00:55:27.909 --> 00:55:28.449
to run.

00:55:29.630 --> 00:55:32.431
A young person said to me and my

00:55:32.472 --> 00:55:35.994
family,

00:55:36.014 --> 00:55:38.054
they didn't want to vote because they

00:55:38.074 --> 00:55:40.436
didn't believe that anything was going to

00:55:40.496 --> 00:55:40.757
change.

00:55:42.918 --> 00:55:43.297
What am I?

00:55:43.318 --> 00:55:43.478
Amen.

00:55:43.498 --> 00:55:43.617
Amen.

00:55:50.304 --> 00:55:50.804
you think I'm doing?

00:55:50.824 --> 00:55:54.306
I'm out of here.

00:55:54.925 --> 00:55:55.826
These young people,

00:55:55.846 --> 00:55:57.766
they losing hope and telling them that

00:55:59.166 --> 00:56:00.947
when ancestors died isn't getting it,

00:56:00.967 --> 00:56:02.807
but I think we need to bring back

00:56:03.027 --> 00:56:03.407
civil.

00:56:04.628 --> 00:56:05.768
Let's always be civil.

00:56:05.869 --> 00:56:09.789
Don't get me going about the civil war.

00:56:09.809 --> 00:56:11.369
That's a dumb name in itself,

00:56:11.409 --> 00:56:13.710
but what's civil about war?

00:56:14.871 --> 00:56:17.472
Start having these civic engagements at

00:56:17.532 --> 00:56:17.692
home.

00:56:17.711 --> 00:56:17.831
Amen.

00:56:19.981 --> 00:56:21.742
Reconnecting and doing that at home.

00:56:22.443 --> 00:56:24.423
Having these conversations at home.

00:56:24.963 --> 00:56:27.724
By the time we get to them and

00:56:27.744 --> 00:56:28.724
say we need your vote,

00:56:28.744 --> 00:56:33.525
they're looking like technology, internet,

00:56:33.585 --> 00:56:35.286
resources, division,

00:56:35.586 --> 00:56:37.347
keeping your mind on stuff that's just

00:56:37.407 --> 00:56:40.289
poison from pressing music to all this

00:56:40.369 --> 00:56:40.929
other stuff.

00:56:41.648 --> 00:56:42.829
You're not going to be thinking about

00:56:42.889 --> 00:56:43.969
what's really important because you've

00:56:43.989 --> 00:56:44.690
been distracted.

00:56:46.072 --> 00:56:46.831
That's right.

00:56:46.851 --> 00:56:48.072
It's too many competing interests,

00:56:48.092 --> 00:56:48.773
you know, for them.

00:56:49.032 --> 00:56:49.512
There are.

00:56:50.153 --> 00:56:51.094
I want to make two points.

00:56:51.273 --> 00:56:54.735
First off, I misspoke on something.

00:56:55.516 --> 00:56:58.878
The British government paid twenty million

00:56:58.978 --> 00:56:59.679
pounds.

00:56:59.699 --> 00:57:04.461
They took out a loan to pay the

00:57:04.922 --> 00:57:06.682
forty thousand slave owners.

00:57:07.342 --> 00:57:10.565
They did not finish paying off that loan

00:57:10.704 --> 00:57:12.306
until twenty eighteen.

00:57:12.744 --> 00:57:15.266
So I wanted to clarify that and give

00:57:15.286 --> 00:57:16.106
the correct information.

00:57:16.346 --> 00:57:17.067
And then secondly,

00:57:17.106 --> 00:57:19.228
to follow up on what Kat said about

00:57:19.547 --> 00:57:21.228
speaking to your elected officials,

00:57:21.309 --> 00:57:22.289
writing, calling.

00:57:22.809 --> 00:57:24.309
If you don't know who your elected

00:57:24.329 --> 00:57:25.170
officials are,

00:57:25.789 --> 00:57:33.253
please go to sos.mvp.ga.gov.

00:57:33.773 --> 00:57:34.733
What did I flip?

00:57:34.893 --> 00:57:36.054
MVP.sos.

00:57:36.074 --> 00:57:36.574
Okay.

00:57:38.195 --> 00:57:38.856
Let's redo that.

00:57:38.916 --> 00:57:41.777
That is MVP.sos.ga.gov.

00:57:43.353 --> 00:57:44.934
So go there.

00:57:45.614 --> 00:57:48.293
You'll put in your name,

00:57:48.594 --> 00:57:50.614
your first initial, last name,

00:57:52.054 --> 00:57:53.974
and your date of birth and the county

00:57:54.014 --> 00:57:55.056
that you live in.

00:57:55.675 --> 00:57:58.315
And you'll find out who your elected

00:57:58.356 --> 00:58:05.898
officials are so that you can then contact

00:58:05.918 --> 00:58:06.177
them.

00:58:08.217 --> 00:58:11.978
Again, mvp.sos.ga.gov.

00:58:12.389 --> 00:58:14.210
If you don't get no other piece of

00:58:14.369 --> 00:58:17.891
information from this show today,

00:58:18.851 --> 00:58:21.992
find out who your elected officials are.

00:58:23.132 --> 00:58:26.132
Start calling.

00:58:26.172 --> 00:58:27.134
Start calling.

00:58:27.173 --> 00:58:28.373
Start letter writing.

00:58:28.773 --> 00:58:31.135
Let them know that you are concerned about

00:58:31.195 --> 00:58:32.235
what's going on.

00:58:33.735 --> 00:58:35.795
Join the Urban League and these other

00:58:35.896 --> 00:58:37.876
organizations on January.

00:58:39.518 --> 00:58:40.918
Capital at eight o'clock.

00:58:41.393 --> 00:58:42.554
for this rally.

00:58:43.635 --> 00:58:44.675
And then not only that,

00:58:44.996 --> 00:58:47.958
another thing that I want to implore upon

00:58:48.057 --> 00:58:51.940
other people is we talk about, um,

00:58:52.039 --> 00:58:53.041
and then also the,

00:58:53.141 --> 00:58:54.262
or you can get in contact with the

00:58:54.342 --> 00:58:57.664
urban league at www dot U L G

00:58:57.943 --> 00:58:59.925
a L dot org.

00:59:00.264 --> 00:59:02.487
And their phone number is four Oh four

00:59:02.947 --> 00:59:08.469
six five nine one one five zero for

00:59:08.590 --> 00:59:09.130
folks.

00:59:10.146 --> 00:59:12.686
who have never been involved in the

00:59:12.847 --> 00:59:14.327
electoral process,

00:59:14.987 --> 00:59:18.590
I want to challenge you right now that

00:59:18.889 --> 00:59:21.510
we have the opportunity to turn some

00:59:21.550 --> 00:59:24.231
things around here in the state of

00:59:24.291 --> 00:59:24.811
Georgia.

00:59:25.853 --> 00:59:27.452
I want to charge each of you who

00:59:27.512 --> 00:59:30.153
are listening to get involved in at least

00:59:30.554 --> 00:59:33.295
one political campaign.

00:59:33.775 --> 00:59:34.396
Donate,

00:59:34.815 --> 00:59:37.557
even if it's ten dollars and you want

00:59:37.577 --> 00:59:38.257
to, you know,

00:59:39.393 --> 00:59:41.014
If you only got fifty dollars and you

00:59:41.034 --> 00:59:44.014
want to donate ten dollars to five people,

00:59:44.355 --> 00:59:47.036
donate to a campaign because it takes

00:59:47.356 --> 00:59:50.878
money to be able to get their message

00:59:51.217 --> 00:59:51.478
out.

00:59:52.278 --> 00:59:53.199
Donate.

00:59:53.358 --> 00:59:55.960
And I also want to get involved with

00:59:56.000 --> 00:59:57.181
somebody's campaigns.

00:59:57.221 --> 00:59:59.581
If it's nothing but making phone calls,

00:59:59.981 --> 01:00:01.503
knocking some doors,

01:00:02.302 --> 01:00:04.664
you need to be the difference.

01:00:06.527 --> 01:00:09.170
So I don't want to hear that something

01:00:09.349 --> 01:00:13.952
can't be done because if you never try,

01:00:14.672 --> 01:00:16.574
it definitely won't be done.

01:00:17.554 --> 01:00:20.356
So for everyone who's listening and

01:00:20.436 --> 01:00:24.039
watching, we need you to get engaged.

01:00:24.498 --> 01:00:25.739
We need you.

01:00:26.440 --> 01:00:27.240
You understand?

01:00:27.541 --> 01:00:29.621
Like you are important.

01:00:30.023 --> 01:00:33.144
Your existence is important and this

01:00:33.204 --> 01:00:35.465
cannot be done without you.

01:00:35.985 --> 01:00:39.806
everyone as many people as possible to get

01:00:39.847 --> 01:00:42.289
involved to get engaged and to stay

01:00:42.329 --> 01:00:44.489
engaged and then once we get our

01:00:44.829 --> 01:00:47.871
candidates elected holding them

01:00:47.911 --> 01:00:52.574
accountable and staying vigilant as what's

01:00:52.635 --> 01:00:55.297
going on don't just wait for the next

01:00:55.336 --> 01:00:57.938
four years or the next two years to

01:00:57.978 --> 01:00:58.539
come around

01:00:59.326 --> 01:01:01.346
And don't think moving to another country

01:01:01.385 --> 01:01:02.427
is going to take it away.

01:01:02.547 --> 01:01:04.626
You can see that this all is global.

01:01:04.686 --> 01:01:06.246
This is a human experience.

01:01:06.726 --> 01:01:08.487
And when one person suffers,

01:01:08.527 --> 01:01:09.307
we all suffer.

01:01:09.367 --> 01:01:11.288
And that truly is that you look at

01:01:11.307 --> 01:01:13.387
the gas prices over four dollars here in

01:01:13.407 --> 01:01:15.849
Georgia and gas prices are affecting

01:01:15.909 --> 01:01:17.708
everybody, not just in the United States,

01:01:18.009 --> 01:01:19.690
but other countries who rely on the same

01:01:19.750 --> 01:01:20.130
source.

01:01:20.610 --> 01:01:22.369
But before you go, brother,

01:01:22.809 --> 01:01:24.070
always we ask folks,

01:01:24.449 --> 01:01:26.030
how do you manage your mental health?

01:01:26.050 --> 01:01:27.610
We want to also break that stigma.

01:01:27.967 --> 01:01:30.809
So we like folks to share their tools

01:01:30.829 --> 01:01:32.409
so someone else can benefit from it.

01:01:32.630 --> 01:01:34.692
So how do you manage and maintain your

01:01:34.731 --> 01:01:36.353
mental wellness while you have this busy

01:01:36.393 --> 01:01:38.373
life in community service?

01:01:38.733 --> 01:01:41.396
You know, my wife checks me regularly,

01:01:41.416 --> 01:01:42.717
to be honest.

01:01:43.577 --> 01:01:45.699
She does, you know, calm down,

01:01:45.798 --> 01:01:46.800
cut off the television.

01:01:47.460 --> 01:01:48.101
And so for me,

01:01:48.121 --> 01:01:49.722
I know it's going to sound weird.

01:01:50.262 --> 01:01:51.083
I like to garden.

01:01:51.643 --> 01:01:52.903
So I'll go in my backyard.

01:01:52.923 --> 01:01:54.204
That's not weird at all.

01:01:56.739 --> 01:01:57.880
And she has me now planting,

01:01:57.900 --> 01:02:02.164
I don't know, these really frilly flowers,

01:02:02.244 --> 01:02:04.306
but... You don't know what they are,

01:02:04.326 --> 01:02:05.547
you just plant them.

01:02:05.586 --> 01:02:07.467
Hydrangeas and all this other kind of

01:02:07.487 --> 01:02:09.070
stuff.

01:02:09.190 --> 01:02:11.452
It's good to get connected with nature,

01:02:13.193 --> 01:02:13.873
to feel the wind.

01:02:14.659 --> 01:02:15.139
And the sun.

01:02:15.179 --> 01:02:16.742
So that's all I unplug, quite frankly.

01:02:17.121 --> 01:02:19.065
Just getting reconnected with nature,

01:02:19.105 --> 01:02:21.307
particularly now since it's the spring.

01:02:21.829 --> 01:02:23.150
And I would encourage you to do the

01:02:23.190 --> 01:02:23.411
same.

01:02:23.650 --> 01:02:25.434
When I was grieving my parents because

01:02:25.454 --> 01:02:26.735
they died three months apart.

01:02:26.755 --> 01:02:27.677
I'm sorry.

01:02:27.737 --> 01:02:30.621
When I was grieving them, I gardened.

01:02:30.641 --> 01:02:31.422
I did gardening.

01:02:31.780 --> 01:02:33.983
I had containers all on my back.

01:02:34.063 --> 01:02:34.583
Yes.

01:02:37.545 --> 01:02:39.387
Seeing things grow.

01:02:39.527 --> 01:02:42.791
And there was something very therapeutic

01:02:42.811 --> 01:02:45.893
for me in that process.

01:02:45.954 --> 01:02:47.235
So gardening is,

01:02:48.398 --> 01:02:51.599
it's relaxing and just seeing things come

01:02:51.639 --> 01:02:54.480
to life and you're the person responsible

01:02:54.581 --> 01:02:56.501
for watering it and growing.

01:02:56.541 --> 01:02:58.362
Like that was there for me.

01:02:58.461 --> 01:03:02.143
So that's, that's, I love that.

01:03:02.182 --> 01:03:03.423
Good stuff.

01:03:03.463 --> 01:03:05.005
You guys come over to the house and

01:03:05.985 --> 01:03:10.726
come over to the house for a barbecue,

01:03:10.867 --> 01:03:12.206
you know?

01:03:12.286 --> 01:03:12.726
I'm there.

01:03:12.786 --> 01:03:14.668
All right, y'all.

01:03:19.943 --> 01:03:20.284
Kat,

01:03:20.324 --> 01:03:22.746
you've already asked your last question.

01:03:23.065 --> 01:03:26.489
And so to our listeners, as always,

01:03:26.708 --> 01:03:29.490
we ask you to subscribe to Conversations

01:03:29.510 --> 01:03:31.472
with Karen and Kat on YouTube, Facebook,

01:03:31.612 --> 01:03:34.114
IG, and wherever you get your podcasts.

01:03:34.255 --> 01:03:37.297
And remember that you are part of the

01:03:37.356 --> 01:03:38.237
conversations.

01:03:38.697 --> 01:03:40.298
Thank you, as always,

01:03:40.318 --> 01:03:42.400
for joining us on this episode of

01:03:42.440 --> 01:03:44.061
Conversations with Karen and Kat.

01:03:44.603 --> 01:03:44.762
Well,

01:03:44.802 --> 01:03:46.643
we are impacting the world on conversation

01:03:46.664 --> 01:03:46.844
at a time.