We were hearing the National Media talk about black folks. Vote but more importantly we wanted to build power in our community so we could have impact on policies that were impacting us. So we started black voters find and black in order to have a really robust democracy you have to do work to engage voters on the ground level, on the local level so that they could chip the policies, and take a chip representation for the communities. Why did your organizing approach look like this year . With did you do at on the ground to get more black voters to not only register, but the show up and vote. A couple of things. When we did start this, year we started into thousand 16 and we never stopped. One of our things is cant, stop wont stop. Oftentimes in the black community you often see people come around election time, right, and its not like if a friend who only close when they want something, you never excited to see them. But for us the way that we felt we would build power is that we would build a base. We had to continue to engage communities, and the first thing that we learned is that all politics are local. We started working with many of the communities including from georgia and the other 11 states that we are working in to support them around local elections, to hold referendums, so we have been building a relationship and our support of them overtime, for the last four years. In addition to that, we actually show up and support as we see power. So as theyre working around the School Board Races or other races and really be able to educate people around voting, at the process of voting, we support them on that. We actually provide grant dollars for groups this election cycle, over 600 black lead grassroots organizations, we were going to make an investment into resources so they can build their own programs. In addition to that we were able to give them tools, from phone banking to text message in campaigns, and we were able to create a coordinated campaign so that we working in concert with each other all across the region, all across the states that we are working in. So i think that the things that weve done have made a difference. One, recognize the politics and local real the capacity of groups where they exist. The second thing is the way that we talk about voting. We talk about voting young. The idea is about participation. But for us, voting is about, power and really be able to educate and connect our community is not the panacea, it will resolve all of our problems, but its certainly a leverage of power and we want people to use their agencies so we can have more influence on people to select the representation for our communities. Being able to hold people accountable, take people out of office that need to be removed and really be able to shape policy. And the third thing that we thought whats really important in order to influence the narrative and what i mean by that is i know as a black senator i was extremely frustrated that even in the National Media platforms you would hear the sound talked about as if we were just a football team. Theres a red team and blue team. No im part of the humanity team. Its not who i am as a label. Its who i am as a human being, and what we want and our communities what are better schools. We want more access to resources and Economic Development opportunities. We want to it all other americans want sos really important that we were shifting the narrative who we are in the south. And that theres a new south or new coalition of people in the south that are rising to really be able to shape this country at shape our state that we want them to be so that theyre more accountable to, us and so that we actually benefit from the fruits of our labor. Do you consider your organization a partisan organization . Are you reaching out to just black democrats or black democrats, black republicans, black independents, black libertarians . Are you registering everybody . Our organization black voters matter our goal is that we would let black voters in. Thats our entire goal. To provide civic representation and engagement. When registering people we dont ask them what party they are voting for. What canada. What were interested in is are we able to talk to black people around their process, around the agency, and really understanding the political process. We do have other organizations, that oftentimes in that organization were really able to resolve all candidates, not necessarily just belong to a particular party but because the community that we are working with has decided this particular candid is the best candidate for our agenda. Our focus is on building independent black political power in a way that we can leverage, make some changes, and ships in our community. Now were you able to see any specific results from your strategy that you said you have been working on since 2016 . Can you point to any specific results from the 2020 election . Absolutely. I think weve got many receipts. The biggest result that weve seen it in georgia. Their lot of people that did a lot of work in georgia. We are so proud that we were one of the organizations that work with the coalition of groups in georgia. Georgia has not particularly in the last election cycle, a state that you saw, particularly when you look at a anticipated election, there were more black voters that participated in this election that would effort present elect biden that voted for obama. Part of what we wanted was to increase engagement. When you look at the counting areas in the black belt region of, georgia oftentimes theres a lot of focus and emphasis on the urban areas, and the metro center. But when you look at the numbers around, when you look at the home you also saw a increase in the savannah, albany, other places in the black belt of georgia that are a little bit more rural. When you look at how i think a lot of the messaging, the young, people the National Percentage of voting this election is 70 . In georgia it was 21 , so it works. The bottom line is that part of our work is to get people to get engaged. Part of what we believe is that america currently, 45 , almost half of the country dont bother to participate in the election cycle. We dont believe is a country we dont care, we believe that people in the country are disconnect to the process because you dont sense of power. They dont feel a sense of their own agency to really understand how voting in that elections could help advance or cheat or shift their lives. So lot of the work that we are doing is really getting them engaged in those populations, and young people, and other marginalized populations who are often not tot or sought for their support. So what we are really proud of is that we think with outcome of georgia, to have such a high turnout, the young people voting, people of color voting, we believe that resulted in work from organizations and others that i can go from the georgia project, georgia stand up and others that have created the space to really be able to increase our voting education and impeachment strategy that is centered around people in their power. Not necessarily political candidates and their party. Let me remind our viewers that they can take part of this conversation. That means democrats, you are at two two seven eight, 4000. Republicans year at independence, [inaudible] , and you can always text us. We are always reading on social media, twitter, facebook, facebook. Com slash cspan. I know that part of your story starts with your run for office in 1988 for a alarmist eat, tell us about how that affects your race and what youre doing now. You know its interesting. Its amazing that that was 20 something years ago. I think of Voter Suppression. Thats when i knew a Voter Suppression but i actually experienced it. I was a young woman. I was 28 years old. Owes running for state board of education. I have done a lot of education reform and Youth Leadership work, so i wanted to make it impact in the state and really be able to lift a policy issues that i felt like would be needed. So ran for office. I was certainly the under god. I ran against a 12 year incumbent who is a minister, who had been a favor for, years here i am a young single woman who had never run for office in her life. Quite frankly, he didnt know what she was doing other than i knew the cars that are supporting. As a matter of fact, i ran the campaign and it cant. Goes i had my front random so that was the campaign office. As i ran the campaign and was able to organize on the ground, i also learned a important lesson in the organizing. Works when you talk to people organizing works. I went all around the state to talk to people in all of the areas that i was working, ken and ultimately, what ended up happening was two weeks before the election i got a phone call to calm and see someone whos very powerful in the state, only to discover at that point that the people had as running neck at neck, which was remarkable that i was running in case such a strong incumbent. So Election Night the race was so tight that they can call. It seven days, back, so i understand these drawn out processes, so the seventh they they called the election and the results were that my elect opponent had 117 where votes that i had. I accepted it, i conceded. I called him and congratulated. Him i was prepared to move on. In the state of alabama, i was running the state of alabama. After the Election Results, the state certifies the election. The state certified Election Results at 12 noon. Ive got a phone call at 12 05 from my mentor to tell me, senator handke sanders, said to brace myself that the head of the Democratic Party was going to give me a call. I said okay. So he called me. He said the tasha, i just want to let you know that im so sorry to make this call to you but theres a sheriff in one of the counties that you ran, each county that i carried, i did very, very strongly in that county. The sheriff said that he found 800 votes that he had placed in the safe that he had forgot. I guess he remembered three minutes after the race was certified, and me in my navy i said thats great. Kept the votes. In my mind thats another chance. I just wanted those votes counted, so 800 votes, you got the votes, you know their legitimate votes. He says its not the simple. The race has been certified. We cant get the votes because the race has already been certified. So back to the moment, i felt completely powerless. I was like theres nothing you can do . So here is a person who has had votes. That conveniently remembered that he was interested by the people to be able to protect those votes, and he conveniently remembered seventies after and three minutes after the race was certified. Thats when youre working face to face against Voter Suppression. And nothing happened. When i asked what was my recourse it was you can seek legal remedy. We know oftentimes that those cases are often very hard to over turn, but at the time i was a first term candidate who had run on a grassroots campaign, there was one of the first thing i learn from the race was how insidious Voter Suppression how common it was. As i started to talk to other candidates and other people, particularly those rural areas, i recognize that Voter Suppression was an issue. It was a issue that identify. If people voted that they should actually have their vote cant. So i became a major proponent for the rest of my life making sure that peoples vote can outs. The second thing that i learned in that process as well was how we need to create more accountability measures. Those who are bad actors in this process, we have to hold them accountable. If they lived those stories up to let people know. The third thing that i learned in that process is that organizing works. I as a young woman to know what i was doing. I had never run for public office. I was running against a incumbent. But would i knew how to do was and you had to organize. I knew that i should go to get people and talk to folks, listen to them, and you can actually make a difference. All of those things have been part of shaping my work as i look 20 years later im still doing work thats informed by that moment. Its informed by that experience that i had. And it has actually field my commitment of why i fight so hard for Voting Rights, and why i fight so hard to make sure that every person has their voice and their vote counted. Some of our viewers joining the conversation. We will start with calling from atlanta, georgia, on the independent line. Good morning. Tom im an African American. Me im not a republican or democrat. The democrat party, [inaudible] most black people vote democrat. Joe biden is the biggest races there is. He has said many racial things before. He had friends that were kkk, segregation, they said we understand whats our. Vote for him. How can you called donald trump a racist when joe biden is the biggest races there is . And even if you overlook his racial statements, [inaudible]. You wanna respond . A couple of things, i think its really interesting that when we talk about comparison, even when shes raising around biden, youre talking about 20 years ago. I can give you examples around donald trump just a few months ago, a couple of weeks ago. Who aligned himself with the proud boys. Who said to stand down and stand back, which is known by even the fbi as a white supremacist group. This is a woman who has done work around structural racism, i dont take that. I think you align yourself with white supremacist, thats a problem. Donald trump has a consistent long history around discrimination, including, in his own property. And you know what donald trump has done. So im not gonna waste my time with trump, because we have other things. But aside from that, but i would like to raise, is that part of what black people have voted for is there is an assumption that we are voting for something other than what were voting for. We have a tactical strategy, and black people vote. Black folks voted and made a decision. At the majority of us made a decision despite all the misinformation. Because some of the information that the colors, raising im not familiar with. And i have not heard of, i havent even checked into some of that. Ive seen some of that align, and some of that could be substantiated. What i do know, is that there is a African American woman that is on the ticket. Kamala harris, that will be the Vice President elect, that makes me happy as a white black woman who has dedicated my life to black representation. That makes me happy. And i look at some of the policy issues, things that i want, but the biden platform, that resonated with me. With whom he surrounding himself, i saw black women in his campaign, i saw black people in his campaign. Black women that i respect and admire. Folks who i know are committed to our community. That makes a difference, to me. So for me, the candidate with who were doing work, and this black voters matters, i work as necessarily around as just a candidate or the party. I work, and we are talking about us, were making a practical decision of who can we represent, who can we support, that wants to help reduce to harm happening to our community. That will be more accountable to our community. And has at least a track record of engagement in our community, around the things that we care about. So the fact that the matter is, i think we are keep going back and forth round two candidates, that i think are distinctly different. Because yes, i understand that this shows that america is way more than one race in this country. Theres quite a few of them. But i also know, as someone who has dealt with that issue, that there is a distinction between even racism and white supremacy. And we have to be able to draw a distinction in that line. It creates a very dangerous environment for me, my community, and the people that i love and i care about. And there is an unraveling of democracy. One of the pieces that i think was very dangerous around donald trump, and he continues to do as we speak, is to unravel democracy. As a person who is a native from selma, alabama, where people were being on the bridge 55 years ago, because we understood that our protection and safety, of having a democratic government, was far, far more safe for us. Right then, fundamentally, he has done everything to unravel democracy, which creates another danger for our community. So i am certainly happy with the results that we have, and i am certainly happy that most black folks are sophisticated voters enough to know the difference between racism and white supremacy. We are also sophisticated enough to know that there are many people who seek to exploit black pain, and well come up with misinformation, not because they really care about racism. We heard that coming from the trump camp. Its not like they really care about racism. We see his actions every day. That he would also use it as an opportunity to exploit black pain. And a third, and final thing that i will say, is that i think there has been a movement of folks in a racial intergenerational coalition, that has been building ourselves, growing and organizing, so that we can shape whoever is in office. And we can actually put pressure on whoever is elected in office, to make sure that our gender and our issues are also considered and are part of the gender general agenda going forward. We have a lot of calls waiting here. So lets go to robert, who is calling from utah. On the democratic line. Robert, good morning. First thing, you are the sharpest dresser there is. You are looking good. Miss brown, i am hearing, i dont know, but im hearing that black men are not as enthusiastic about voting democrat as they may have once been. Im wondering, i mean nobody would understand blackmon more than a black woman, so is there an effort to focus on that and get the guys back into camp, because we are going to need everybody. You are looking at the run numbers, the overall numbers over the nation, we cant afford to lose anybody. I was wondering if you are making an effort to do that, and thank you, and i will take off the air. Thank you for the question. What i will say, i think there is an issue around, not just men in general. When you look at black man, let me offer this, black man voted for biden at a higher percentage than any other Constituency Group in this country. White men, white women, let next, native americans. Black man voted at a higher Percentage Rate for biden, than any other Constituency Group in this country, with the exception of black women. And im raising that because i do think that there is something that you raised. Theres something to unpack. I think there are three court pieces. One, i think we dont need to exaggerate that 80 of support for any candidate or party is actually extraordinary. We dont see that with any other Constituency Group. I think that even while there is a focus around how did that come about, i think we just need to acknowledge that. So this victory, while it was certainly led by black women, and black women have been in the foreground, black men were not that far behind us. And they were certainly in front of the other Constituency Group in the country. The second thing i would say, is that there is a frustration in the political process, across the board in this country. We all feel it. And there has been a frustration with black man and black people consistently around, even when weve been talking to folks, around will our issues be centered . Will the Democratic Party be responsive to us . Will we be any, will any of the parties be responsible to us . We are literally going to be able to see shaping of, weve seen how the criminal justice systems has devastated our community, and has exploited our community. There is discontent in our community, and it is actually rooted in Something Real and real experiences. And so, part of what i often say, as i do think that, as i was saying to the previous color, is that there has been an effort, a concerted effort that has been documented by the Republican Party to exploit black pain. Theres always been a white power structure that has been willing to go through whatever needed to go through, to exploit black pain, because it does exist. These same people who have been creating commercials to really be able to tap into the frustrations and the anger, and the disappointment of black man, are the same people who are literally leading efforts. I can take trump, in particular. We were talking about the platinum plan, with 80 of black businesses that did not receive any dollars. So my point is, theres a mix match. So i think theres three things. I think thats one. I think the second is around the discontent. I think the third piece, is, oftentimes the reason why were doing the work that were doing, its because people dont talk. Oftentimes, folks are not going to listen to whatever the concerns in the community. I remember, we were talking to young men in detroit, that said they were got not going to vote. Wed listen to them, we asked him well what is they care about . Really engage in a conversation with them, i didnt even have an opportunity to ask them. I said give you the people, let me registry to vote. Part of it is that there is a constituency base. And i do think that we got caught up in a super voters. And there is a group of folks who are not being spoken to. Their issues are not being engaged in. So i do think, that certainly, as you say, we want to bring everybody along, we want to bring everybody along to create a nation that is going to work for all of us. But one, we have to talk to those folks, we have to address their core issues. We cant overlook it, and we cant just write off them being with another party. We have to really understand what is that saying to, us right now. And i think whats that is saying to us, is we have to do more. Lets go to dave, who is calling from tennessee, on the republican line. Theyve, good morning. Hello, we were talking about racism. Did you know that the Late Supreme Court justice had 161 look blocker law clerks, and only one was black. Enough said. Im glad you said that because out of all the judges that donald trump selected, he did not select not a single black person. Not one. Lets go to paula, who is calling from washington, d. C. On the democratic line. Paula, good morning. First and foremost, i would like to thank you for your work, your hard work in being diligent and getting us through this election. The one thing i would like to say is, that just enhanced site, were still looking at it, but i feel like it is disheartening that so many people voted for a man like donald trump, the second time around. The first time, you kind of accepted that, because even though most people knew he was, you do want to give anyone a fresh start in any endeavor. Especially, if you are loyal to your country. But this second time, i am just not understanding how people, especially people of color, could vote for a candidate such as donald trump. And i just wanted to hear your thoughts on that. Also, john to speak just to speak on how you reached out to the younger voters, 18 to 25, because they were disengaged in 2016, obviously. Just to speak on that. And i will take the comment off line, and thank you. Thank you so much for that question. Part of, i think, the problem, that were gonna have to overcome, is were gonna have to get out of boxes. Were gonna have to get out of boxes and labels, even when people try to label me. When i say that i want my Voting Rights, that is not a liberal issue, i want my Voting Rights. If there is a white male, you want to hear Voting Rights is not considered liberal. I want quality education, thats not a liberal agenda. I want quality education, and deserve, that i work in this country and i pay my taxes. I should have access to the same thing that everybody else has. And im raising that because i often think that and what happens, is we have this political paradigm, that we are looking at politics and peoples lives, as if youre either on the red team or the blue team. The democrats or republicans. The bottom line is, i am on humanity team. And the bottom line is that all human beings should have access, they should have quality education, if they go to work they should be able to get paid a fair wage for the work. They should really be able to benefit from the fruits of their label. I am raising this, because i think that all of us have been held hostage with this concept of is partisan. So if youre on this, team you have to find what is wrong with the other team. Instead of having the courage and being honest about what is right and what is wrong. There is some things that have been done, even with the current president , that is just wrong. It doesnt matter whether you are a democrat or republican. Im not saying this because im attached to a particular party. I am saying this because i love humanity. And im a human being. And anytime somebody is putting little children in cages, something is fundamentally wrong with that. Im not okay with that. I dont care what level you put on me, i will never be okay with that. I am not okay with standing by someone that there are women who came over here seeking asylum, and they were giving hysterectomies, because they had a different color passport. That is a humanity issue. So, as i do my work, when i say, i think we have to ship this whole political paradigm for one if we voted, with this phrase, ive been saying it, for the love of humanity. Before everything that we do. Literally, i was making a vote for the love of humanity. I was supporting policy, for the love of humanity. Why would that look like . Im supporting candidates, for the love of humanity. We have to be courageous. Fundamentally, what i think is happening, in this country, and where we are right now, is we all have been complicit. We have the republicans i can blame the democrats all day, and the democrats can blame republicans all day. But the bottom line is, if covid19 didnt show us anything else, its that we are interconnected. And on some level, what i do will impact you, and will you do will impact me. Im hoping we will rise above where we are right now, and we will get to a place where we can move beyond these boxes of partisanship, and really focus on making decisions and supporting policies that are literally going to advance humanity, not just a limited agenda for a limited amount of people. What is some wrong with everybody having health care . What is so bad about people having access to quality education . So im raising this because i think sometimes we get caught up in this box is, that we are responding to, what is liberal or white conservative, what is red whats blue . I am human. That is why i make my decisions, i love humanity. When i make my decisions, and im voting for, people im voting based on who i think is actually going to give humanity a chance, the most people the opportunity to really be able to live life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So as we were talking related to your question about young people. When i think happened this time, is we had young people on our team. We were supporting young people. Our work in pennsylvania, was a key election cycle. Was led by a young woman who was actually under the age of 30. We had the women who ran our work in alabama, under the age of 30. The woman who ran our work in louisiana, under the age of 30. Unfortunately, we are out of time. I really appreciate you coming, on we would like to thank the tasha brown for being with us today. The tasha, we appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Use your mobile devices and go to cspan. Org. Up next American History tv looks at the hallmarks and its holocaust and its aftermath, starting with it all figment, followed by chris dodd, describing the leaders of world war ii, from letters from his father a leader during the trials. Then well take you on a tour of the u. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to learn how the American Public and officials reacted to nazi germanys persecution of jews between 1930 in 1945. Then later, a look at the documentary on the nuremburg trials that was first screened in germany in november of 1948, but not released in the u. S. Until several decades later. Next, neil bascomb describes how a tip from a holocaust survivor led to the capture of holocaust war criminal, adolf ike man who then smuggled him to for trial. He wrote about the sequence in e
vimarsana.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.