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  • (upbeat music)

  • - Hey guys, I Rocsi Diaz.

  • - And I'm Free Marie.

  • - And I'm Freddie,

  • and welcome to Cocoa Butter's Voting Special.

  • - The purpose of this show is to get each

  • and every one of you informed enough to get ready to vote.

  • - So what we're gonna do is we're gonna touch

  • on some really important issues that affects us both locally

  • and on a national level.

  • But before we get started,

  • what I wanna know is how amped up and ready are you guys

  • for all that we have in store for everybody.

  • - Freddie looks like she start to dance.

  • (laughing)

  • If I see people doing that dance at the voter lines,

  • I'm gonna crack up.

  • I'm super excited to get out and vote.

  • I have a mail-in voter registration,

  • and I can do the other way.

  • So I'm ready to either way,

  • and I think I'm gonna go out and do it.

  • 'Cause I wanna be there with the people

  • and feel the energy.

  • - Absolutely, I'm super excited to vote.

  • I vote every election that comes around.

  • So this is no different

  • but 2020 was a whole different beast.

  • So we all have to get out there

  • and I'm excited to get our audience informed.

  • - Yeah, I am just with you guys.

  • So I will be home filling in my ballot

  • and kind of making it like a pop quiz,

  • Googling everybody and then filling it out at the same time.

  • So that's gonna be my strategy,

  • but we're gonna teach everybody

  • about different strategies and what they could do

  • but first inform them, Free.

  • - That's right, in case you've been living

  • under a rock somewhere and don't know what's going on,

  • it's time for us to inform you.

  • On the Republican side, we have Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

  • Their policies include; clean energy,

  • protecting the right to bear arms,

  • and limiting international interference.

  • - And on the Democratic side is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

  • Their policies include; universal childcare,

  • closing the racial wealth gap,

  • and more jobs for Americans.

  • We pretty much know what these candidates stand for,

  • but we're really here to get to the bottom

  • of what Black and Brown people need on a micro level.

  • - That's right, because what we're really looking

  • for is better employment, accessible healthcare.

  • And for Latinos especially,

  • we're looking for immigration right.

  • Not just Latinos, but immigrants in this country.

  • And I'm so glad that I have my friend,

  • the founder of She Se Puede and also This is About Humanity.

  • Elsa Collins is joining us right now

  • to talk about Black and Brown communities

  • and immigration rights.

  • I am so excited 'cause this woman is so powerful

  • and so informative.

  • when I heard that we were having this series I was like,

  • Elsa, I need Elsa right now.

  • So thank you so much for joining us, Elsa.

  • - Thank you for having me.

  • - So tell us a little bit about both your organizations.

  • - Yeah, amazing.

  • So I'm one of the co-founders of She Se Puede,

  • which is a new digital lifestyle community founded

  • by 10 amazing Latinas.

  • Including America Ferrera and Eva Longoria, Jess Morales,

  • Monica Ramirez, Stephanie Valencia,

  • Christy Haubegger, Alex Kondracke.

  • There are 10 of us involved and we really came together

  • and started looking around at our community and said.

  • What is out there for us that speaks to our needs,

  • our desires, our wishes,

  • and fully embraces who we can be as a community.

  • So that's really where She Se Puede was born.

  • And we're so excited to be in existence.

  • We're excited for people to be a part of this community,

  • like you Rocsi, thank you so much.

  • And really we're looking to empower Latinas

  • not just in their household,

  • but also in the community and to be civically engaged.

  • - So, can you tell us about this is about humanity

  • and what policy changes

  • that your organization can benefit from?

  • - Yeah, so this is about humanity.

  • I'm one of the co-founders of...

  • We were founded in 2018 in response

  • to the family separation crisis.

  • We were all seeing what everyone was seeing.

  • These children being separated from their parents,

  • hearing the recordings of them crying out for mama, papa.

  • It was a visceral reaction that I think all of us had.

  • I grew up on the border,

  • so I have a personal connection to what's happening.

  • And we just wanted to respond to raise awareness

  • about the issue

  • so that people could feel more comfortable talking about it.

  • A lot of times when people talk

  • about immigration or family separation,

  • they feel like it's complicated.

  • They're not really sure what's going on.

  • And so they don't feel comfortable speaking out

  • or speaking up on the issue.

  • So that's really what This is About Humanity

  • has as its mission.

  • And clearly what we would benefit from

  • is policies and decisions that respect the laws

  • of asylum that have existed in this country for many years.

  • So slowly we have been peeling back the ability

  • to seek asylum which it's a human right to seek asylum.

  • A lot of times people say like,

  • is that really the right way to come into this country?

  • But seeking asylum is one of those ways.

  • And so we wanna make sure

  • that we're respecting asylum laws

  • and that we're protecting individuals

  • who are seeking refuge.

  • - Yes, so we love the work that you all are doing

  • to make sure that people seeking asylum are protected.

  • So like sort of along those lines,

  • I'd love to chat with you to find out like

  • are there voters rights for undocumented residents?

  • - So people who are undocumented in this country

  • unfortunately don't have a right to vote.

  • So I wanna encourage everybody

  • who does have a right to vote,

  • to think about what that really means

  • and to vote for those who can't in this country.

  • So I'm relying on everyone who cares

  • about our undocumented brothers and sisters,

  • our dreamers, our DACA brothers and sisters,

  • to really vote on their behalf.

  • So that we can sure that we're protecting them,

  • and that we are putting people in positions of power

  • who have an idea about how to have a path to citizenship.

  • How to make positive immigration reform in this country.

  • So I think that's the message

  • I want everyone to walk away with.

  • Is if you're sort of on the fence about voting,

  • because you don't think that your life

  • is gonna change either way,

  • know that someone else's life is gonna change in a big way.

  • - And I wanted to follow up with that.

  • I know with She Se Puede and your organizations,

  • we do focus a lot on Latin immigration,

  • but it is all immigration in this country.

  • I always tell the story of how I came to this country

  • as an immigrant and when I did seek my citizenship.

  • When I got sworn In, it wasn't just Latinos.

  • It's Asians, African, Indonesians, Caribbean.

  • So when you think about who you're voting for,

  • and even though you may have the right

  • but that next person doesn't,

  • what kind of things do you like to arm voters with

  • before they go on poll?

  • One of my favorite things that you say is,

  • if you have a take home test,

  • take it home and study it and fill it in

  • while you're voting.

  • - Think about an election as a job performance review.

  • We all get job performance reviews.

  • And when you do well, you get a thumbs up.

  • And when you don't do well,

  • well, some not good things happen.

  • So an election is an opportunity

  • to give a performance review for those that are in power.

  • So we wanna make sure that we're studying

  • and we know the issues,

  • we know how they voted,

  • we know their positions on the things that matter to us.

  • Because we're about to give them a job review.

  • - We love you, we love your organization.

  • And keep on fighting for us, girl power.

  • We love it, thank you.

  • - Every year it's important to vote,

  • but this is one of the most important time to vote

  • in our lifetime.

  • Between the pandemic, the ongoing protests and detentions

  • being at an all time high.

  • The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor

  • and Ahmaud Arbery were clearly a call

  • for immediate police reform.

  • - Absolutely, Free.

  • And our next guest is using his power to enact change.

  • You know him from Amazon's hit show "The Boys."

  • Please welcome Laz Alonso.

  • Laz, thank you so much for being here.

  • - My pleasure, thank you for having me.

  • How y'all doing?

  • - We're good.

  • Freddie, that's Laz.

  • - Hey Laz.

  • (laughing)

  • - Freddie.

  • - There it is, we was waiting for it.

  • - It's a pleasure to meet you Freddie.

  • (laughing)

  • - [Rocsi] Come on Freddie.

  • - Alright, so how are you using your celebrity

  • to help push forward the Afro-Latino agenda?

  • - So I really don't look at it as using celebrity.

  • I feel like it's really about using humanity.

  • I happen to have a platform,

  • I happen to have a group of people

  • that have supported my career from day one.

  • And so now when the tables are turned and they need support

  • because there are injustices happening all around us,

  • it will behove me to do the same that they have done

  • for me for all these years.

  • 'Cause I wouldn't be here if it wasn't

  • for a very loyal fan base

  • that's been there with me through my highs and my lows.

  • So how do I use it to amplify their voices?

  • I'm not on the front lines.

  • There are other people who live

  • this battle every single day.

  • And I feel like as a "celebrity,"

  • it would be disingenuous to try to step on out

  • in the front lines and grab a megaphone

  • and try to act like this is my fight.

  • No, this is our fight.

  • And there are leaders that are doing this morning to night.

  • Who are educated with the day to day battles

  • that they're facing,

  • representing the community and it's activism.

  • And it's up to us to use our platform

  • to amplify their voices,

  • not try to come in and because I'm a celebrity now,

  • let me just come up with something and wing it.

  • It's not how it works.

  • - And there's one thing that I know about you Laz

  • is you're a huge news buff.

  • You're always watching the news,

  • you're always staying up to date

  • with what's going on in the world.

  • And what I'm curious to know,

  • with everything that we see in the news and with COVID,

  • we see so much police brutality.

  • How much do you think that's actually

  • going to affect people going out to the polls and voting

  • and just voting in general,

  • especially our Black and Brown community.

  • - So I've gotten off the news Rocs to a certain degree.

  • I've downgraded the amount of news

  • that I consume by over 50%.

  • And I've been investing that time into talking to people.

  • We're spending one on one time trying to get people

  • to become politically active.

  • To register to vote,

  • to check to make sure they're registered to vote,

  • and to go out and vote.

  • The problem that I'm finding is that

  • there are very, very well paid people who look like us

  • that their main objective

  • is to make us feel disenfranchised

  • and like our votes do not matter.

  • No matter who you vote for,

  • who matter who gets elected,

  • it won't make a difference in your life.

  • And that is simply false, that is fake.

  • And it's unfortunate because they are very well trained,

  • very convincing and very well financed.

  • And if voting didn't make a change and didn't matter,

  • then why would they be spending so much time

  • and effort and money to get us not to vote?

  • Ultimately, the system needs to be changed.

  • And the only way that is gonna change

  • is from the inside out.

  • We can protest till we're blue in the face,

  • and it is a very effective way

  • to bring attention to a situation.

  • But once you bring attention to the situation,

  • you need the right people on the inside

  • to carry out and create policy and then enforce policy.

  • Because it ain't enough just to create policy,

  • you have to make sure that the people

  • that are on the inside enforce it.

  • We look at the case with Brianna Taylor,

  • and a lot of new information is coming out now.

  • And we realized that a lot of what we heard

  • that attorney general say was just simply not true.

  • And if we don't have the right people on the inside

  • that are going to enforce policy with a certain level

  • of humanity in mind,

  • then we're basically given up.

  • - How do you choose and how do you consider a candidate

  • that speaks to you?

  • And what's your process when it comes to voting?

  • - I mean, that's a good question because

  • there are so many people on the state and local level

  • that I still have my homework to do before November 3rd.

  • So admittedly, I have work to do between now and then still.

  • Even though I already know when it comes to voting

  • in the general election for president

  • who I'm gonna vote for.

  • When it comes to all the other state and local people,

  • I have to do my homework.

  • I have to do my research and look them up,

  • and find out what articles have been written about them.

  • And what kind of voting records they have,

  • what kind of moves they have.

  • Because like you know,

  • there's a saying that says all skin-folk ain't kinfolk.

  • So you gotta make sure that the person

  • that you're voting for speaks directly to the things

  • that you want out of life.

  • - Thank you Laz and everybody that's a fan of Laz.

  • Be sure you check him out on Amazon, "The Boys" that is out.

  • He's doing phenomenal work on that.

  • - So we are back at it again

  • to make sure you're as informed as possible

  • for November 3rd.

  • - We have so much information for you,

  • and we have some more guest to talk to.

  • But before we do,

  • there's some quick facts that you should know.

  • The 15th amendment gave black men the right to vote.

  • The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote,

  • excluding women of color.

  • - And did you know that the Civil Rights Act of 1964

  • gave us universal voting rights?

  • And just because we are legally able to vote,

  • it doesn't mean that we don't face other challenges.

  • - Activists and author, Marc Lamont Hill

  • is here to talk about challenges like voter suppression

  • and what it looks like.

  • Marc, thank you so much for joining us.

  • - Oh, it is my pleasure to get to see you all.

  • - Yes with the hoodie, come on.

  • I knew Mark was gonna come with it.

  • - I love it, it says free, you after me Marc.

  • Thank you.

  • - You already know.

  • (laughing)

  • - Good to see you Marc.

  • - You too.

  • - Let's talk about voter suppression.

  • Can you give us some examples

  • of what voter suppression can look like.

  • - Yeah, I mean basically voter Suppression

  • is an attempt to take people

  • who should be voting and stopping them from voting.

  • And so voting suppression can look like

  • not having enough machines at the polls.

  • It could be having not the right language signs

  • up in the neighborhood.

  • For example, if there's a neighborhood

  • where everyone speaks Spanish as a first language

  • or as a primary language,

  • or if I'm in Dearborn, Michigan,

  • where everyone speaks Arabic

  • or a lot of people speak Arabic as a primary language,

  • and all the signs are in are in English,

  • it might make it harder to find the polls

  • or read what's mailed to me.

  • Voter ID laws are one of the primary ways though

  • that we see voter suppression.

  • Demanding that people have certain types of IDs

  • when they come to the polls will lower the chances

  • that poor people,

  • the very, very old people and others

  • have access to the polls.

  • Because they may not have the resources necessary

  • to get an ID.

  • 'Cause a whole bunch of folks who may work legal jobs,

  • who work really hard may not be able to get a state ID.

  • - Why do you think voter suppression happens more

  • in Black and Brown communities?

  • - Because quite honestly if everybody voted,

  • I'm not even talking,

  • just if everybody voted,

  • the elections would turn out probably the same way

  • every election cycle.

  • And so a lot of times particular people in power,

  • particular parties.

  • I don't wanna get to partisan,

  • I know we're talking about voting right now

  • and not politics per se.

  • But a lot of times the question becomes,

  • how does a party win when they don't have the most votes?

  • Well, a lot of times they win

  • because all the people who can vote don't vote.

  • And so what the powerful often do regardless

  • of their political party is trying to create rules

  • or situations that discourage people from voting.

  • And so then the numbers get lower and lower and lower.

  • And so imagine if I was on a call with you three right now,

  • and I said I want us to vote on some policies,

  • and I wanna make policies so that men will run everything.

  • It's three of y'all and one of me.

  • So I'm not gonna win those votes.

  • But if I start making new voter rules,

  • like only people with hoodies can vote, right.

  • Or only people who worked at BET could vote.

  • I could cut at least one person right there.

  • I keep making rules and it's the law.

  • And then I may be able to get it so that is one to one

  • or two to one.

  • I may be able to convince Rocsi to come on my side,

  • or convince Free to come on my side, right.

  • And so that would be the logic and that's what we see.

  • Parties don't win by the majority of votes,

  • they win by the margin of people

  • who don't have access to the vote.

  • - [Free] Got it.

  • - Once you could really, really explain to people, Marc.

  • What is the difference between voter suppression

  • and voter fraud?

  • Because a lot of they skew that line.

  • And I saw your vein popping out when you was ready

  • to choose a party and talk about bipartisan stuff

  • that we're not supposed to talk about.

  • - See, I followed the rules.

  • I'm mad but imma follow the rules.

  • - Thank you Marc.

  • - I said voter suppression is processes and laws

  • that take people who could or should be voting

  • and making it harder for them to vote.

  • Voter fraud is people who should not be voting

  • and creating processes and laws,

  • or not laws necessarily

  • but processes that allow them to vote.

  • For example, my uncle Bobby,

  • he died in 1994.

  • If he were to vote,

  • that would be voter fraud.

  • 'Cause he can't vote.

  • But we've seen States where people who are dead

  • have somehow managed to get on a voter roll.

  • If I vote twice, that will be voter fraud.

  • If I'm 16 and I vote, that will be voter fraud.

  • Voter fraud is often the excuse

  • that people use to justify voter suppression, right,

  • So they say well,

  • we don't want anybody to show up and vote wrong.

  • We don't want anybody to show up and be fake at the polls.

  • So we're gonna make all these rules and laws

  • that make it harder to get to the polls,

  • that's why you need a ID.

  • And that's the argument that some people will make.

  • They'll say well, you need an ID to get in the club.

  • So if you need an ID to get in the club,

  • why wouldn't you need an ID to vote?

  • And the answer to that question,

  • and I think it's an important question

  • is I don't have a constitutional right

  • to go to Magic City or whatever club, right.

  • I don't have a constitutional right

  • to do certain activities.

  • I have a constitutional right to vote.

  • And the 24th amendment, just to give you one example.

  • The 24th amendment makes it illegal to have a poll tax.

  • The reason it's illegal to have a poll tax

  • is because if I make people have to pay a tax

  • at the voting booth,

  • then what I'm doing is I'm making it harder

  • for poor people to vote and easier for rich people to vote.

  • Which will skew an election and undermines democracy.

  • Well, if I need an ID to vote,

  • and I say, well, you just need an ID.

  • Everybody need an ID, but how do I get an ID?

  • I need my social security card and birth certificate.

  • How do I get that?

  • I gotta get in the car, gotta drive to the office,

  • gotta fill out this stuff, gotta write a cheque,

  • gotta mail it out, gotta have an address to get it to.

  • That becomes a poll tax in its own way

  • because I'm having to spend money to do something to vote.

  • And so that's why the voter fraud

  • and voter suppression conversation is so important.

  • Nobody wants voter fraud but we don't wanna create rules

  • that are so intense that they actually lead to suppression.

  • And let me be real clear about this,

  • voter fraud happens very, very rarely

  • in comparison to voter suppression.

  • People do not lose and win elections because of voter fraud.

  • They lose and win elections because of voter suppression.

  • The odds of voter fraud are so minimal.

  • You have a better chance of winning a presidency

  • by voter fraud,

  • you have a better chance of winning the Powerball,

  • a better chance of winning a house

  • in Publishers Clearing House.

  • I mean, the odds are so small.

  • Whereas with voter suppression, we see it all the time.

  • One last thing,

  • 'cause this is something that people need to think

  • about when they vote this year.

  • And I need everybody to vote.

  • I don't care, I mean I might care.

  • But I'm not gonna tell you who to vote for,

  • I just need you to vote your conscience and vote.

  • But when you vote,

  • we also have to think about this idea of gerrymandering.

  • Gerrymandering is the practice where they draw your district

  • in a way that either makes your vote less powerful

  • in an area, right.

  • So for example, if there's a hundred black people in a town,

  • and I can put one black person in each neighborhood

  • and each district or 10 in each district,

  • then there's no powerful black vote, right.

  • So I'm watering down your vote by drawing the district

  • in weird ways.

  • 'Cause when you look at how districts are drawn

  • in cities and States,

  • they're not drawn like straight lines.

  • That would make sense.

  • They're drawn sometimes like this.

  • - Right.

  • - Back in the day, one was drawn like a salamander

  • which is why it's called gerrymandering.

  • And so they draw it so

  • that all the black people are spread out

  • or all the poor people are spread out,

  • or all the Italians are spread out.

  • Or they make it so that all those people are in one place.

  • Like, you know what?

  • Y'all gonna get this one district.

  • Y'all gonna get Harlem.

  • Y'all gonna get... - Just one.

  • - Right, just one now.

  • So instead of having to have impact in every election.

  • we'll just say there's gonna be 10 districts

  • and one's gonna be black.

  • One is gonna be LatinX.

  • And then that way it still lessens the impact, right.

  • It's this idea of when you spread it out,

  • it's called cracking.

  • When you do the opposite way, it's called packing.

  • But in each case, we're trying to water down the vote.

  • And that's another way of suppressing our vote

  • because we're making our vote not matter as much.

  • That's why it's important for everybody to vote

  • at every election at every level.

  • - I love your passion surrounding voting.

  • We love that you stuck to the rules,

  • we appreciate you.

  • - Thank y'all man.

  • And more importantly,

  • thank you all for the work y'all are doing.

  • What y'all are doing right now, all three y'all

  • is the work of justice and freedom.

  • This is the work that will make the world better

  • than we found it.

  • And y'all need to be applauded for this.

  • I love y'all for this.

  • - [Free] Thank you, we love you too.

  • - Thank you so much, thank y'all, peace.

  • - Felony disenfranchisement prevents convicted felons

  • from voting.

  • Celebrities like Mike Tyson recently chimed in

  • on the matter though,

  • saying that this election will be his first time voting.

  • He never thought he could vote because of his felony record.

  • And he's finally proud to vote.

  • And we're so happy for you Mike.

  • - Yes we are.

  • Also on Big Boy's radio show, rapper Snoop Dogg said,

  • and I quote.

  • "For many years they had me brainwashed thinking

  • that you couldn't vote because you had a criminal record."

  • - And I think that this next guest

  • is the perfect guest to talk about this topic right now.

  • Hailing from the Bx, Byway, Miami,

  • that's where he's calling in from.

  • He's here to share his opinions

  • on felony disenfranchisement.

  • Please welcome to the show our dear friend, Fat Joe.

  • I just gave you that one in six applaud.

  • Joe cracking in the building intro.

  • - We call that a platinum introduction, platinum.

  • - We know you gotta get to the big, big show

  • in just a little bit.

  • But Joe, thank you so much for taking time out for us.

  • Real fast, let's just jump into it.

  • I wanna know for you in particular,

  • how has your family been impacted

  • by the criminal justice system when it comes to voting?

  • - Oh wow.

  • I have a lot of friends.

  • Voter suppression been happening

  • before we even knew it was voter suppression.

  • So the minute you get locked up for something

  • you become not eligible to vote,

  • so now your voice doesn't count.

  • So we've been impacted for years and years and years

  • in the hood with voter suppression

  • - Now felony laws do vary state by state.

  • Do you think every state should allow felons to vote?

  • - I mean from my understanding there's other countries

  • that from the second you're born,

  • you're eligible to vote once you hit a certain age.

  • So it's not like you need a voting card,

  • you don't need an ID,

  • You don't need a registration.

  • You know it's your right as being a citizen of that country.

  • So everyone should have the right to be able to vote

  • and be heard because we're all Americans.

  • Even though some people may have made a mistake

  • in their life and I also believe that people can change.

  • I believe that people can change.

  • Who I was when I was 18, 20, 25,

  • it's not who I am now.

  • So I think that we shouldn't always be penalized

  • for something we've done in the past.

  • - Absolutely, so how does it make you feel to hear

  • about Snoop Dogg and Mike Tyson's big excitement

  • to vote for the first time?

  • - I'm glad Snoop Dogg is able to vote,

  • who's a very, very prominent figure in our community.

  • Who's been telling everybody to register to vote

  • who's been there.

  • And Mike Tyson, that's an American icon.

  • That's exactly what I mean.

  • You may be able to make a mistake or two in life

  • but that doesn't define you, you can change.

  • So I'm proud of both of them

  • - Do you know a lot of people that are dealing

  • with that right now?

  • - Well, my sister Remy Ma,

  • she's not allowed to vote 'cause she did that time.

  • And Remy is really aware of politics and her surrounding,

  • and she would love to vote and can't vote.

  • So it's like I think we deal with that.

  • I got so many friends that's been locked up

  • that's not able to vote.

  • I mean unfortunately,

  • we've been almost brainwashed to believe

  • that we don't deserve the right to vote

  • because somebody got locked up with this did jail time.

  • It's pretty much a brainwash job.

  • - Yes, thank you so much for that.

  • Yes, thank you Fat Joe so much for joining us today.

  • You were super helpful, super informative.

  • And I know everyone was looking forward for your opinion.

  • So thank you.

  • Thank you so much.

  • Tell everybody to get out there,

  • register to vote and actually go vote.

  • And we got to go out there and vote as one.

  • Alright guys.

  • - So guys, here's one thing.

  • Something that we didn't think about are the elections

  • in our home towns and how they change our everyday lives.

  • - We all have to show up for our presidential election,

  • and we must be proactive in our local elections.

  • - And guys I'm so excited because

  • as we were talking about the importance of local voting,

  • this next woman she knows all about elections

  • and most importantly, the local level of things.

  • Please welcome Alencia Johnson to the show.

  • - Thank you, thanks for having me.

  • - I'm so excited that you here

  • because I stress so much to people.

  • Guys, it's not only about the presidential vote.

  • It's about who you're electing into office,

  • who you are electing in to be a judge,

  • our sheriff, everything.

  • Could you please knock it into every door right now,

  • the importance of the local vote.

  • - I'm so glad you started that.

  • And my background is in president for politics,

  • but all of the issues that I have fought for

  • my entire career and actually my entire life.

  • From reproductive healthcare to civil rights,

  • voting rights, racial justice,

  • those are literally impacted at the local level.

  • I talk to college students all the time

  • and they say.

  • Alencia, I can't see why it's so important for me to vote

  • in the presidential election because things aren't changing.

  • And I flip that on them and ask them,

  • "What's your number one issue."

  • When I asked the question

  • to the students at Morehouse College

  • they mentioned the criminal justice reform

  • because they were young black men.

  • And I said, well listen.

  • There is an ability to elect over 2,400 attorneys

  • at the state and district level

  • who are managing the cases

  • that we are all protesting against.

  • And the interesting thing about that

  • is those 2,400 elected prosecutor attorney position,

  • only 25 of them are black women.

  • Only a small percentage of them are black people.

  • And so we have the ability to change politics

  • and policy at the local level that will impact us

  • within that year of us voting

  • if we get out in these local elections.

  • So yes, the top of the ticket is important

  • but it's really those local elections

  • where we're talking about judges, attorneys,

  • superintendents, city councils,

  • school board members, you name it.

  • Those are all electoral positions

  • that really impact our day to day life.

  • - Propositions as well, people ignore propositions.

  • And it's like y'all,

  • these are like rights that we're voting into office

  • and we don't even know.

  • It baffles my mind when we complain about something

  • but it's like we didn't go and vote for it,

  • 'cause hey, it's every two years

  • for our local representatives.

  • It's not every four years all the time.

  • - That's right.

  • I mean, we think about the things that folks really care

  • about from legalizing marijuana that we are perfectly living

  • without it being legalized has over incarcerated

  • so many Black and Brown folks.

  • You think about legalizing same sex marriage.

  • All of these started out as state propositions

  • within California and Oregon and Colorado.

  • And that went all the way up to the federal level for some,

  • and we're still fighting for a federal policy

  • to legalize marijuana across the country, right.

  • And so to your point, I'm glad you brought this up.

  • A lot of these start with propositions.

  • There are districts that are putting propositions

  • around how we can incarcerate people

  • or the rights that they have restored

  • when they get out of jail or prison.

  • And so that's so important for people to pay attention

  • to the propositions that are on their ballot.

  • - Yes, thank you so much for that explanation.

  • - Now, in past elections,

  • how were you able to bridge the gap

  • between local voters and state candidates?

  • - I think the key to a lot of this is storytelling.

  • So I've been fortunate to work

  • on president Obama's election.

  • I've worked with Hillary Clinton's campaign.

  • I worked

  • on Senator Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign.

  • Right now I'm currently working with the Joe Biden campaign.

  • And to be honest,

  • while these are national presidential campaigns

  • the way that we've been able

  • to move voters to be enthusiastic and to engaged,

  • is by local stories, local community leaders.

  • Oftentimes in the work that I do,

  • I get asked to bring influencers and celebrities

  • and people with millions and hundred thousand followers

  • to engage in the campaign.

  • But what I really find is those local community leaders

  • are the trusted voices.

  • So the church first lady or the hairdresser

  • at our favorite salon, or the barber,

  • or our favorite disk jockey.

  • These tend to be better messenger for voters

  • to get them engaged them in issues that pertain to them.

  • And I'm not just talking about them

  • being out here talking about the candidate

  • that they love.

  • They're holding round tables as small black business owners.

  • They're having conversations about access to healthcare

  • and what a law means for them

  • as they are on their entrepreneurship journey,

  • or they just graduated from college

  • and may not have the job that they want.

  • And so these local influential people

  • who have the trusted voice of the community,

  • who have the authentic stories,

  • that is really how we bridge that gap

  • and bring people along the process.

  • - I love that you guys are using local people,

  • 'cause people around you,

  • if you see them doing it you're more likely to do it

  • and follow their footsteps.

  • So that makes perfect sense.

  • Alencia, how does 1063 West Broad inform people

  • about the issues that affect Black and Brown communities?

  • - Yeah, so we work with different companies

  • and organizations and major brands

  • on issues that they care about for meaningful stuff.

  • Like you have to be committed to racial justice,

  • and you have to be committed to gender equity,

  • or pro-choice causes.

  • And oftentimes we take big brands who say,

  • I wanna do more for people of color,

  • I wanna do more for women of color,

  • and I wanna connect them on certain issues.

  • And sometimes they'll say I don't wanna be political.

  • And I said, well actually in our country the personal

  • has become political and you actually have to pick a side.

  • If we look at the current occupant in the white house,

  • he's taking a side.

  • And so therefore we have to take a side.

  • And so we try to tap into culture leaders and the creators.

  • Whether it's the clothing brands,

  • whether it's the story lines

  • that we're seeing in TV and film,

  • whether it's technology

  • and the latest trend that's happening on Twitter.

  • How are we tapping into that authentic engagement

  • to these cultural moments

  • around critical issues related to people of color.

  • And so I love what so many organizations are doing.

  • We were talking about the vices challenge

  • before we all got on here.

  • Now there's a platform to talk about voting.

  • We're seeing that award shows are talking about voting.

  • They're bringing in the critical elements

  • of our right to exercise our right to vote.

  • And so that is what 1063 is doing,

  • working with different candidates

  • and getting them on platforms with entertainers,

  • with influencers.

  • I'll hear people who say.

  • Oh, we've got so and so to do this Instagram live

  • with this person

  • and I didn't even know they were politically engaged.

  • But that is a way to marry two people

  • who care about a certain issue,

  • and who come from different industries,

  • different backgrounds together to really engage with folks.

  • One of the things that I love

  • that the Biden campaign recently did

  • was we put President Obama in the chamber.

  • Like talk about getting to the culture

  • We went to the chamber room.

  • - It's 20 million followers I heard in the same room.

  • - Exactly. - 20 million votes we keep.

  • Alencia, we're all in this together.

  • We just wanna thank you for taking the time

  • to share your passion with us about voting

  • and how important it is.

  • Not just right now in this election but every election.

  • Thank you so much for taking your time.

  • - Thank you.

  • - Thank you.

  • - Thank you.

  • - Yes, super important.

  • Also there's a direct connection

  • between voting in the local elections

  • and getting our needs met on a national level.

  • It's all important and I'm really happy that we had Alencia

  • here to break it all down for us.

  • - Our next guest knows all about community engagement.

  • She was CEO of WEEN,

  • and she was also the former National Youth Vote Director.

  • And we actually go way, way, way back.

  • Please, welcome Valeisha Butterfield, hey.

  • - Hey

  • - Hey mama, we love you, oh my gosh.

  • - Girl, I'm gonna fan out.

  • If there's two girls that I fan out about

  • is Valeisha and Rihanna.

  • Those are like up there.

  • - Hey Valeisha, thanks for being there.

  • - Thanks for having me.

  • - I'm so glad you're here.

  • You being the daughter of a U.S. Congressman.

  • We love Mr. Butterfield over there.

  • I wanna know for you,

  • I always stress the importance of local voting

  • in your own towns, in your own community.

  • How important is it to tell people to be informed

  • not only in the big ballot,

  • but also on a local level as well?

  • It's crazy Rocsi and Free and Freddie too

  • that I grew up in a small town

  • in North Carolina called Wilson,

  • rural part of the Southern state

  • that typically always votes red, right.

  • So growing up in the South in the 80s and 90's,

  • both of my parents were elected officials.

  • My dad, as you've mentioned is a United States Congressman

  • but started as a judge in the local courts there.

  • And then my mom is a North Carolina state representative

  • and long story short.

  • I remember as early as five years old,

  • understanding the importance of thinking globally

  • in the work that you wanna do

  • maybe in the dreams that you have in life,

  • but having to operate locally.

  • And so for me, I think it's important

  • to focus so much on who we're electing

  • as the next president of the United States.

  • But also thinking about the state elections

  • and the local elections to make sure

  • that you're getting good people in those seats.

  • I've seen great politicians.

  • They exist, they're out there.

  • My parents are two examples of that.

  • And so I really believe that it's less about politics

  • and more about just getting the right people in office

  • that are gonna fight you

  • - Not just the big national ones

  • where it's lights and camera actions

  • but the real work is done locally.

  • - Yeah, Free, like if you think about the bridge

  • that may be broken in your small town,

  • or the things that you have to do locally

  • right in the neighborhoods that you live in,

  • that happens at the local level.

  • And so again, it's important to think about

  • who's gonna be the next president of the United States.

  • But you also have to make sure

  • that you're really voting down ballot

  • based on the people that really care about the issues

  • that matter to you every single day.

  • - Right.

  • - Absolutely, so you clearly come from a long line

  • of powerful political figures

  • and you've also done a lot of this work

  • in your life as well.

  • So I just wanna know like how do you use

  • your past experiences to encourage others

  • to get involved in their communities?

  • - I think Freddie,

  • the first thing is for any young person watching,

  • I definitely was one of those people when I was young.

  • Like hey, does my vote really matter?

  • Do I really even want to work in politics

  • because both of my parents worked in politics.

  • And so I questioned those things when I was younger.

  • Like, does my vote really count?

  • Should I really be a part of this?

  • And I can honestly say it does.

  • And so when I worked for President Obama

  • as the National Youth Vote Director,

  • I was able to witness firsthand

  • as I traveled across the country,

  • the power of young people,

  • the power in your voice, the power in your vote.

  • And so if ever there is a time

  • for you to activate your vote, it is right now.

  • And young people have the power.

  • So I think that we think that we don't have as much power,

  • the younger that we are.

  • But you actually have all the power

  • because you're the future and you're the now.

  • And so if it's your first time voting,

  • or if you're voting for the first time in a long time.

  • Just remember that when it feels hard,

  • when it feels too big or too impossible

  • you actually do have the power.

  • And so make sure that you use it on November 3rd

  • and leading up to the election.

  • - Well, that's it in a nutshell right there.

  • Thank you Valeisha,

  • we so appreciate you coming to sit and talk with us.

  • And I hope that every young person hears your words

  • because you actually work with the youth vote.

  • So you know what it takes to get them to vote.

  • And we just wanna thank you

  • for coming and sitting with us today.

  • It must be time for another hip hop summit or something.

  • I feel one coming on.

  • - Listen, Free, I know, I do.

  • Remember we travel all over this country together,

  • Free, Rocsi, Freddie.

  • It was powerful and it was magical.

  • And so thank you ladies for what you're doing here

  • because I think it's so important now

  • with COVID and everything to take it digital, right.

  • So we're in a virtual world right now

  • and the work don't stop.

  • - Work don't stop.

  • And if there's somebody that's the queen

  • of digital master classes

  • it is Valeisha Butterfield right now.

  • If you don't know, now you know.

  • I wanna thank you again so much.

  • We really appreciate you joining in with us.

  • So thank you so much, we love you.

  • - Bye, bye, love you. - Thank you.

  • - November 3rd is the big day.

  • You're registered to vote.

  • You know all the candidates and what they stand for.

  • Lots of debates.

  • You know what issues are important to you and your family.

  • It's time to make your choice

  • - Yes, I'm so ready to vote.

  • It's been such a long time coming, I'm so excited.

  • But we have some questions

  • that we wanna answer for you guys.

  • So how should you prepare before you hit the polls?

  • First, choose how you plan to vote.

  • Next, know your local election dates and deadlines.

  • Next, wear bipartisan clothing,

  • and then finally stay in line.

  • Just stay in line,

  • commit and know it could be long

  • but it will be very much worth it

  • if you just stay in line and cast your vote.

  • - Exactly, act like it's a pair of new Jordan's

  • that is coming out of release there

  • until you get that purchase, allright.

  • Don't go anywhere until you vote, but let's be real.

  • The pandemic is affecting this year's election,

  • and that shouldn't stop you from casting your vote.

  • There are many opinions available to us to make sure

  • that we are safe on election day.

  • - Alright, so we're jumping back into Buzzfeed world

  • for a second.

  • Buzzfeed news reporter Hayes Brown is gonna tell us

  • about voting on election day

  • and what to expect after.

  • Welcome Hayes Brown.

  • Hi, thanks for having me you guys.

  • - Hi, Hayes.

  • - I love that you're representing BuzzFeed hoodie.

  • - Right.

  • - Old school fashion, win you back.

  • - So Hayes let's jump right in.

  • what safety measures can voters take on election day?

  • - Well, if you are voting in-person on election day,

  • then safety measures like you would go

  • into the grocery store to be honest.

  • You wanna be wearing a mask,

  • you wanna be socially distancing as much as possible.

  • And you want to be aware of the fact

  • that we are still in a pandemic.

  • And that shouldn't run up agaist your right to vote.

  • So if you're going out to a polling location

  • know where you're going.

  • Have the location ballot hand in your brain

  • what location you are going to.

  • Try and be in and out as fast as you can.

  • I know that for a lot of people that's not the case.

  • Which is very unfortunate.

  • I know it's gonna be hard for a lot of people

  • 'cause lines are probably gonna be pretty long this year.

  • A lot of people wanna vote,

  • but still while you're waiting in line

  • your right to vote,

  • your right to stay in line until the polls close,

  • until you've had the right to vote.

  • So do your best to keep that social distance

  • and keep that six feet apart from people around you,

  • even as the line seems infinite.

  • - Thank you Hayes.

  • Now in the past with elections,

  • it always seems like we're sitting at the TV

  • and we're waiting for that result to come through.

  • It's a little different this year, right.

  • How long is it really gonna take

  • to count all the votes realistically.

  • - We might have a case where the president declares victory

  • just based on the occurrence from November 3rd.

  • But we're not going to know for sure

  • who has won unless it's a complete blowout

  • in electoral college until much later.

  • - Let's talk about the chain in command

  • if there will be a chain in command.

  • What happens after we get those results

  • and the transition?

  • 'Cause it's not automatic,

  • once we know who the winner is.

  • And in this case,

  • it's gonna take a minute for us to really get those results.

  • - Yeah, it is.

  • And so here's where it gets tricky.

  • 'Cause Election Law unfortunately is not very clear

  • in a lot of ways.

  • Hopefully, this runs normal, run smooth.

  • We know within a couple of weeks who has won

  • each of the electors.

  • Both candidates agree, yes,

  • that is the correct result.

  • The Electoral College meets, no drama.

  • They vote, we have a president sworn in

  • for a new term come January.

  • But like I said, this is a weird year.

  • So there's a lot up in the air

  • and a lot to look out for.

  • So be weary after election day that it's not over.

  • - You are like,

  • I hope it runs smooth and hopefully not.

  • I'm like, have you been with us

  • 'cause there's nothing nothing about the election

  • will run smooth.

  • (laughing)

  • - I am concerned but I want everyone to know

  • what sort of processes are in place right now.

  • So that if things do look weird,

  • they can say alright,

  • I know what is happening right now.

  • And here if I should or should not

  • be really freaking out right now.

  • - Right.

  • Deep breaths everybody.

  • It's gonna be all right.

  • We're all in this together.

  • - So one other thing I can say is

  • Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of House.

  • If we do get to the last situation,

  • she sent out a letter to her democratic colleagues saying,

  • look, we gotta run up the vote this year then.

  • We can't let any of us be plied.

  • We have to make sure that we win

  • even bigger majority in the house.

  • Make sure if we do have to make this decision,

  • that we have more States behind us.

  • But at the same time,

  • the Trump campaign and the GOP, the RNC,

  • they're prepared to file a lot of motions

  • after election day to help decide

  • which ballot should be counted and which shouldn't.

  • So it's going to be tense.

  • Let's put it that way, it's going to be tense.

  • (laughing)

  • - Hayes, thank you so much for being with us today.

  • We appreciate all the information,

  • all the gems that you just dropped on us.

  • Thank you so much.

  • - Glad to do it.

  • - Super informative.

  • And also we would love to spotlight the organization

  • that brought us all together.

  • - That's right.

  • Let's go ahead and say it.

  • And Still I Vote, And Still I Vote guys.

  • It's a group that takes action against all forms

  • of voter suppression and empowers communities

  • across the nation to stay active in the election.

  • - Our final guest, is a part of the campaign,

  • And Still I Vote.

  • Please welcome Leigh Chapman.

  • We're so happy to have you here today, Leigh.

  • We've been talking about voting and youth and rights.

  • And we wanna know a little bit more

  • about the campaign that you're working with,

  • And Still I Vote.

  • - Thank you so much for having me.

  • So And Still I Vote is actually a project

  • of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

  • And we're the nation's largest

  • and oldest civil rights coalition.

  • We've actually been around for 70 years,

  • and we've been at the front lines

  • of every major civil rights battle.

  • From the passage of the Civil Rights Act

  • and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

  • So we knew because of voter suppression in our country

  • that we needed to have a campaign to shine a spotlight

  • on voter suppression,

  • and really mobilize people to take action.

  • So that's why we launched And Still I Vote.

  • We launched it earlier this year in Selma, Alabama.

  • Actually on the Edmund Pettus bridge

  • where the late Congressman John Lewis

  • was beaten and bloodied for civil rights

  • and for voting rights in our country.

  • And so that was such an important moment for us.

  • And we knew that voter suppression

  • was alive and well in 2020.

  • You just have to look at the 2018 election.

  • Look at Georgia, where there were massive voter purges.

  • There were polling place closures in black neighborhoods.

  • There were no long lines of five to seven hours

  • for black people to vote.

  • So we launched this campaign and then COVID-19 hit,

  • which is just another barrier to the ballot

  • that people are facing,

  • especially Black and Brown voters.

  • - And you speak about the Honorable John Lewis.

  • And I know he'd be smiling upon you right now

  • knowing that we're still fighting against voter suppression.

  • And that's one of the messages

  • that we've been kind of pounding and pounding and pounding

  • on people to go out there and know what your rights are

  • to go vote.

  • But I do wanna also shed light on the Heroes Act

  • and it's importance.

  • Can you shine some light on that for me please?

  • - Sure, so when COVID-19 hit,

  • we knew that this was going to be a challenge

  • for voting rights in our country.

  • And election officials needed additional funds

  • and resources so voters could cast

  • their vote safely this year without a worry or concern

  • of contracting COVID-19.

  • So we were pushing and advocating for Congress

  • to provide more funding so States could have PPE,

  • so they could have more poll workers,

  • so they could have more vote-by-mail ballots

  • and more early voting days.

  • So people could safely social distance

  • and cast their ballot.

  • But unfortunately because of partisanship in our Congress,

  • that bill was actually blocked by the Senate.

  • It passed the house in May

  • and it had over $3.6 billion in funding for elections.

  • But Senator McConnell actually blocked it.

  • And it's been sitting on his desk

  • for over 140 days without action.

  • Which is really a shame because we should want to

  • have a democracy where more people can participate.

  • Our elected leaders should be doing everything

  • that they can to provide more resources

  • for voters to safely cast their ballot

  • in the middle of a pandemic.

  • And it's unfortunate that some elected leaders

  • just don't see that.

  • So advocates like the Leadership Conference,

  • our partners, we've been litigating.

  • We've been advocating and also private businesses

  • have actually stepped up to the plate

  • and have provided that critical funding

  • that we need for States to operate safe elections this year.

  • - Yes, thank you so much.

  • So I really wanna just ask a follow up,

  • because I do feel like people in general.

  • It's like people who are eligible to vote in America.

  • We a lot of times feel like no matter what we do

  • if something gets to an elected official's desk

  • and there's legislation that needs to be signed

  • and he's just letting it sit there,

  • like what can we do as citizens to really help to push

  • that initiative forward when it feels hopeless in that way?

  • - I think it's really important

  • that we hold our elected leaders accountable.

  • And if they're not doing what we want them to do

  • in Congress or in state legislatures or in the city hall,

  • we need to vote them out.

  • You have to make sure you're registering to vote,

  • make sure you vote in every election

  • from local election to state elections,

  • to federal elections,

  • because what they do have impact on our everyday lives.

  • So that's one thing that we try to encourage is

  • that people really make that connection

  • on the policies that we wanna see.

  • Whether it's ending police brutality

  • or having better education

  • or better healthcare for our families.

  • It all starts with making sure

  • that we elect leaders that represent our interests.

  • - Yeah, and so that goes back to the sort of

  • what we've been discussing throughout all of these episodes

  • which is that it's really important to vote

  • and make your voice heard from a smaller local level,

  • all the way up to nationwide.

  • And so with that said,

  • I would love to consider voting rights program.

  • And I'd like to talk a little bit about how

  • even after November 3rd,

  • how is that program gonna stay active?

  • - Sure, so depending on how the election checks out,

  • we do not know yet.

  • But if Congress does become more progressive

  • and more open to pro-democracy legislation,

  • then we have a real opportunity to pass

  • some impactful bills.

  • So the Leadership Conference we have two main priorities

  • when it comes to voting.

  • One is called the For the People Act,

  • and that's a huge massive voting rights bill

  • that would end felony disenfranchisement.

  • We hear that a lot of people with felony convictions

  • are blocked from the ballot.

  • So this would end that practice nationwide.

  • It would have automatic voter registration nationwide.

  • Same day voter registration nationwide.

  • I mean it would do so much just to transform

  • our voting system,

  • and it's something that's critically needed.

  • So that's one priority.

  • Another one is the Voting Rights Advancement Act

  • which was recently named

  • the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

  • after he passed away.

  • And that bill is all about restoring the Voting Rights Act

  • that was gutted by the Supreme court in 2013.

  • So with that bill States that had a history

  • of voting discrimination way back since the 60s

  • had to have any voting law or policy approved

  • by the federal government before

  • they could put into place

  • to make sure it didn't discriminate against voters of color.

  • And in 2013, the Supreme court basically

  • just rubber stamped voter suppression

  • with this case, Shelby County versus Holder.

  • So we've been working since then for seven years

  • to make sure that we're restoring the Voting Rights Act,

  • so we can stop voter suppression,

  • so we can stop strict voter ID laws, voter purges,

  • and massive polling place closures

  • that we know lead to these five to seven hour long lines,

  • and majority neighborhoods of people of color.

  • - Right, it is so much we can do at the poll

  • whether it's helping somebody get there,

  • whether it's bringing water to support people.

  • and we really need to salute And Still I Vote

  • for all the work they're

  • doing making sure people get out and vote.

  • We wanna thank you for joining us, Leigh.

  • - Thank you so much for having me.

  • - I hope you guys know and see how determined

  • we are to get you all the information you need

  • to cast a vote properly.

  • And also to know the issues

  • that you're casting your vote for.

  • All I know is if you need more information,

  • go to AndStillIVote.org,

  • and you'll find everything you need, everything.

  • Trust me.

  • - That's right.

  • We wanna thank our guest's that joined us today,

  • thank you so much.

  • And for myself, Freddie and Free,

  • that is it for our series.

  • We hope you guys are amped ready to go out there

  • and go and vote.

  • Tell them Freddie, tell them we gotta go.

  • - Yes, we have to go.

  • We don't have time to play y'all.

  • Actually, we're gonna go right now.

  • - I think we can go now out of the cast.

  • Bye, bye, see you later

  • (upbeat music)

(upbeat music)

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