August 15, 2025 • 35 mins
BIN News Anchors Esther Dillard and Doug Davis join Ramses Ja and Q Ward on today's show to recap the biggest news stories of the week.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's been another busy newsweek and we like to review
the major stories of the week here on the bi
In Today, we are joined by bi In News anchors
Esther Dillard and Doug Davis to discuss this week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
This is the QR code. He is q Ward and
he is ram this job right, Esther.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Dillard Doug Davis, two of my favorite correspondents to talk to.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
What's the latest? What's the greatest? Doug?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Why don't you talk to me first this time?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Man? What's been going on? Oh? Man, life is good.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Just really kind of worried about where our country is
heading right now.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, I know the feeling. It's just been a tough week, right,
It's been a difficult week.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
So, you know, as we go about our daily lives
and deal with our normal struggles, kids back to school,
and you know, money and everything else, we can't help
but look at what's happening around us, you know, So
just from a personal level, I'm a little concern right now.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, No, I know the feeling quite well. And of
course saving the best for last Esther, I know you
say that to all the journalists, you know what. Honestly,
this was a difficult week.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
In the past couple of days, with all the things
happening in DC, however, I have really tried to stay
as positive as possible, and I'll try to stay on
a positive note to encourage people to, you know, not
just look at the news and get angry or get
upset about it, but do something positive that can not
(01:33):
only help others, but help yourself.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah. Yeah, I like that approach.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Well, let's get to the news that we're talking about today.
We're going to discuss something that took place last week.
So we reported that black and Democratic leaders in Texas
left the state in a symbolic display of protest against
proposed redistricting and black nominated voting areas. Now it seems
that Republicans are strategically responding with calculated actions against those
(01:58):
who support this move. Let's go ahead and get the
show started with you give us more on this story,
and then Doug and Q will get your thoughts next.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Well, it's getting hot. I'm Dellian in the political sphere.
Regarding this story, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxson is asking
a judge to jail former Congressman Beto O'Rourke. He's accusing
him of violating a court order that bars him from
financially supporting Texas Democrats who walked out to block a
new congressional map. Now Paxton pseud'urk and his group Powered
(02:28):
by People last week, claiming that they illegally raised money
to support that walkout. A judge temporarily banned the group
from fundraising for Democrats. Paxton now says Arourke broke the
ban at a Fort Worth rally where he told the crowd,
and I'm editing this, he says, there are no reps
in this game if the rules remarks that came after.
(02:51):
That's what he said, after urging retaliation by other states
as far as redistricting, you know in blue states. So
Rourke has filed his own lawsuit, accusing Paxson of a
political fishing expedition and trying to silence one of the
largest voting registration groups in the country.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, yeah, Douglas, teat your thoughts.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Wow, well, all right, I want our listeners to really
just kind of think, marinate, and ponder on the lengths
that the establishment is going through to silence black voices.
I mean, this stuff takes strategy, man, it takes money,
lots of it, and a lot of legwork.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
You know, probably some of.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
The greatest strategists are behind this. This whole redistricting effort
is of course part of, in my opinion, a greater movement.
We see blue states already proposing Trump's agenda, you know,
to assure their dominance on the hill.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Outside of Texas, what Florida, Ohio.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Missouri, Indiana, they're all exploring options of redrawing. They're voting
maps mid decade. Of course, Governor Gavin Newsom California, I
think he's the first red state to commit. I think
Kathy Hulkel of New York could be coming in as well.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Uh and Chill represent boldly.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
And so you know, I understand there are several other
you know, blue states considering redrawing maps as well, Illinois
joining in, I believe, with New York and possibly California.
Uh So, when you look at it from a historical perspective,
you know this is nothing new. History proves it and
will tell you that racial jeremandering.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You know, what's happening. Even they say.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Before the Civil War in states like Virginia and South Carolina,
and then of course you know, right after we were freed,
particularly in the South Black folks were doing it big
across mainly southern states, and then the suppression started, you know,
which is still being seen today. So yeah, it's going
to be a blood bath. And I think it's kind
of scary to me speaguratively.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
And what's really bothering me is that, you know, Trump,
he's implementing this plan to take over black run major cities,
you know, at the same time there's so many other
things going It's just eerie to me. You know, I'm like,
is this going to become a military country? You know,
(05:19):
like I mean, are we going to be in a
military state in the next five years?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
What is he really trying to do?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
He controls all the executive branches, He's got all his
people in place.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
This is truly a Trump world.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
The last thing you said was the most scary to me,
that this is truly a Trump world. It's not something
that's coming in a dystopian future.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
It's the right now. There are no guardrails, there.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Are no checks and balances, there's nothing to stop them
from doing whatever they want it. You know, if the
rules should sound ridiculous, except they've shown in action that
that's how they feel. And there's no one or no
apparatus that's stopping them. So, you know, watching what's going on,
it's increasingly scary. You know, I've discussed relocating with my
(06:07):
family to somewhere else in the world, but everywhere else
in the world is less safe because of what's happening here.
So let's buckle up, folks, and let's try our best
to take care of each other. Another massive story this
week involves the nation's capital, affectionately known as Chocolate City.
President Trump's decision on how law enforcement will be handled
(06:30):
in the city moving forward is something that is drawing
a lot of attention. Doug, let's start with you this time.
Tell us more about the story and esther Araums, let's
back him up.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
President Trump has declared a public safety emergency in Washington
d C. I lived there for what fifteen years of
my life? Man, this is amazing to me.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Can control of the.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
City's police department and deploying FBI agents National Guard troops
is part of his federal crackdown. The move overrides Mayor
Muriel Bowser, a black woman elected three times by DC residents,
and places law enforcement under federal command. Trump says the
city is in crisis, but the crime data shows otherwise.
Violent crime is down thirty five percent from last year. Still,
(07:14):
he called it Liberation Day during that historic press conference.
I would think I'll ever never like I'll always remember
that press conference, you know, But he says, you know, again,
this is part.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Of a broader plan.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
During the announcement, he named other cities that he made target,
like Baltimore, Chicago, Oakland, LA, New York, you know, all
led by black mayors, all with large minority populations. So
some say, how can he do this? Well, at least
in d C, he's using the Home Rule Act, which
allows him to control DC's police for thirty days, and
(07:48):
he's asking for a long term extension and says Hill
declare a national emergency if needed.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Well, I'll follow that up. You said everything that's actually happening.
I think that one of the things that may may
our audience may not know is that what some people
believe may have started this whole thing was a carjacking.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Or at least gave Trump the I guess.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
The fuel to kind of support this was that, or
fuel to kind of put this out there, to try
to send in the troops to d C. Was a
carjacking of a nineteen year old former DOJE employee named
Edward Korstein, and after that attack, the President renewed his
threats to federalize and run DC, citing that that incident
(08:40):
was proof that local leadership is failing on crime. Now,
while Bowser disputes this and there's statistics that showed that
this is not the truth, that crime is overrunning the
city and that it's out of control, she acknowledges that
her legal authority is limited under the Home Rule Act,
which allows the President to take over DC's police force
(09:00):
for forty eight hours in an emergency and with possible
extensions up to thirty days. I think that a lot
of people are becoming concerned because he put out there
he named Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, Chicago as possible
next targets if this precedent takes hold, and those cities
(09:23):
are all run by black mayors, and so a lot
of people are concerned that this is like a strategic
place or strategic thing that he's trying to do. And
I understand exactly what you said, Doug earlier in regard
to you know, being upset or being scared about this
whole thing. But I think that honestly that we have
(09:44):
to look in terms of history. History has shown that
things like this have happened in the past, and from Reconstruction,
I guess to the Civil rights era, we see moments
that when those in power try to expand their control
through fear and force, people do push back and sometimes
they do win when they stay organized, they stay vocal,
(10:05):
and they stay connected. And I guess the goal of
fear is paralysis, and the antidote is informed action, and
that means, you know, platforms like this and other ways,
small ways that we can do that may not be
as visual or big, can really make a difference. And
that means knowing, you know your rights, documenting abuses, supporting
(10:28):
local leaders and organizations to protect democracy, and refusing to
be isolated.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
Rams Doug mentioned the possibility of a police state or
a military state. Does that sound or feel like what
we're slipping into right now?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yep?
Speaker 1 (10:46):
And pastor to say, you know, the goal of fear
is paralysis, I think that also kind of helps frame
my thoughts or explain my thoughts, because I've kind of
had these thoughts. Obviously, you and I've covered this since
the announcement that it was coming, and up to today
(11:10):
where we see the videos of police interacting with protesters violently.
The police are the violent ones, of course, we see
we've seen the culmination of this effort. But yeah, I
think that, you know, there's something potent in that statement.
(11:31):
It's very easy for people to receive what the president says,
especially those that voted for him, but those that are
just like, Okay, this is just his heavy handed approach.
That's what that's what he is, that's what he's known for,
and it'll be fine. He's only dealing with violent people.
He's only dealing with the bad guys. Blah blah blah.
(11:52):
For those people, okay, that are paralyzed by the that
is peddled like, you don't want these people jacking your cars,
so we're gonna get them off the streets and make
your streets safer.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
This is your country.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
You know.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
That's type of rhetoric, right for people that are receptive
to that type of language.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I think it's important to reframe who's at the center
of these stories.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
People with money.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
When we say this with people with enough money, don't
go out and do carjackings and just just follow me.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
For a humor me. Carjackings are dangerous, Okay.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
We have the Second Amendment in this country, meaning that
if you try to take somebody's car from them with
a gun or otherwise at a red light or whatever,
they might have a gun in their car too, and
they might have the drop on you, or have something
you don't know about, and so it's just dangerous by
the very nature of the act. If people have enough
(12:58):
money and have had enough money and they've kind of
gotten beyond that scarcity mindset, they don't do that. Who
would risk their life to get a car that they
don't need. I'm sure this whoever this person was, wasn't
driving down the street in a million dollar car, probably
in a Honda or something.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Nobody needs a Honda that bad, right.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
So on top of that, in DC, the police are
going after homeless people, right. These are people that just
didn't have enough money to get a house. And so
my thinking, which was established to be fair back in
twenty twenty as one of the main pillars of the
(13:41):
defund the police movement, which Q and I always say
whenever there's a mic and an audience, perhaps, wasn't you
know the title of it wasn't well conceived, you know
what I mean, But the strategy and the thinking behind
it had some sound logic to it. If we attack
(14:02):
the root of the problem, then we attack the problem.
And the root of these problems is poverty. Poverty is
what results in the majority of crimes that end up
taking place, certainly in impoverished neighborhoods where you find a
lot of people who are black and brown. And if
you want to get rid of these crimes, get rid
(14:23):
of poverty, or at least make access to fiscal independence
and fiscal empowerment a little bit more available with head
start programs, with better infrastructure, bus schedules, even you know,
access to jobs, you know, these sorts of things. Nobody
wants to sell drugs, nobody wants to carry a gun
(14:45):
if they don't have to. And Donald Trump rather than
and indeed a lot of Republicans, it's so much easier
for them to blame what I've come to see as
the victims of failed economic Republican policies going all the
way back to Reaganomics. And then in order to blame
(15:09):
the victims, you need a sympathetic electorate. So blame these
victims and rebrand them as criminals. These are homeless people.
They're not hurting it. They don't have anywhere to go.
They're not going to hurt you. If they steal anything,
it's food. And from where I said, stealing food is
not a crime. If a deer walked into to my
(15:33):
restaurant and stolen apple and ran out, I'm going to
chase the You know, if a pigeon stole some chips
out of my bag and flew off a rest of no,
it's stealing food.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Just think about it.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
And if you can't meet me where I'm at, then
I implore you to examine your humanity. Don't let this
man continue to get away with this. If you're in
the middle, do not let this man get away with this.
From where I said, these are crimes against you and
have been for some time. He's just taking advantage of
it and playing to your fears. Thank you for that, Esther.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Hey, what's up?
Speaker 6 (16:06):
This is Ramsy's Jaw and I am q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher, our weekly
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Speaker 7 (16:14):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that fusters allyship,
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Speaker 2 (16:33):
That's civiic cip h e er. Right here in the app.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Bin, news anchors Esther Dillard and Doug Davis are here
with us discussing this week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
All right, up next, we have.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
News involving one of our nation's oldest civil rights organizations
and their plans to give black and minority voters a
fighting chance in the upcoming midterm elections. Esther, let's go
back to you give us some more details on this story,
and then Doug and Q will get your thoughts next.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Well, the NAACP is now launching a national series of
town halls to momialize black voters ahead of the twenty
twenty six mid term elections. President Derek Johnson says the
effort is urgent, accusing President Trump's administration of rolling back
diversity and equity policies, slashing medicaid and food assistants, and
targeting immigrant communities. The first forum is in New Jersey,
(17:26):
where I'm at, and featuring Newark Mayor Ross Baraka and
Congressman Congresswoman Lamonica mckiver, both recently were charged and in
their attempt to get into an ICE facility and in Brocks.
In Baraka's case, he was cleared after protests outside an
(17:46):
ICE detention center. The events will focus on volunteer recruitment,
voter turnout, and grassroots organizing in key states including Texas, California, Georgia,
and North Carolina. While black voters overwhelmingly back to Kamala
Harrison twenty twenty four, Trump actually gained around some ground
among black men, and the NAACP says it's starting early
(18:09):
to protect voting rights and influence the balance of power
in Congress.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Doug all right, Well, first off, hats off to CEO
and President Derek Johnson.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
He's doing what he needs to do.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
And again, you know, like I said before, we're seeing
the power of states, right and he'll be traveling, you know,
these the states that he's picked out, you know, very strategic.
You know, the twenty six mid terms just as important
as the twenty eight presidential election, you know, and as
I stated before.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
I think I did it twice.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
At the end of the day, this is going to
be a blood bath, and so I applaud him for
getting ahead of this. You know, this is a critical
time in our country. Like I listened to Representative Garcia
of California yesterday urging all Democratic state leaders to get
(19:02):
on the ball now, not to wait, because the Republicans
are right now doing their thing behind closed doors. And
it's always a perception that Democrats are way behind the
curve and that Republicans are a slick one. So it's
time for you know, Democrats to put that hat on.
And the NAACP, you know, is doing what they should
do again, mobilize man.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
At this very moment.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
You know, some of Trump's cuts may not hit right now,
but they say by midway twenty six, you know, most
of us will start to feel some of these cuts
in some way, form or fashion. And so you know,
with all of these campaign efforts, I should say, with
all of these efforts by nonprofit groups like the NAACP
going out doing the thing, I would love to see
(19:51):
more collectiveness with our nonprofit groups, white, black, green, or
purple that are fighting for the rights of everyday people.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
You know, unity is.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
Our strengths, and although we may have similar thoughts about
what's happening today, I would just love to see, you know,
a unified front of all organizations coming together and just
taking this to a huge, massive level. So it hats
off to the NAACP for their effort to mobilize voters.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Now, yeah, two, you know, the thing that keeps me
most discourage even when things like this happen that we
should be excited about, is that I don't want to
state it as a matter of fact for everyone, but
I'm pretty certain that the presidential election was stolen. So
(20:45):
knowing in my mind that that's something that can happen,
it's really difficult to kind of wrap my mind around
being excited about elections moving forward when the winning party
in this last election has said and plain words, not
I didn't have to decipher it. I didn't have to
you know, run it through a translator to see what
it meant. They said, in plain words that they rigged
(21:06):
the election and that's how they won. So when they
can say that and admit that out loud and nothing happens,
it's hard to get excited about elections in general moving forward.
Because even if we organize and strategize and do everything properly,
as I think we did this last time, because I
was outside and I saw the momentum, I saw the
numbers of people who turned out, and I've seen the
very very irregular results in counties and cities where Democrats
(21:32):
won across the ballot but there was no vote cast
at off for the president. I just find that strange
and unusual, and you know, points to something nefarious going
on behind the scenes. That seems to be the case
with the Republican Party. So until we figured out a
way to combat that, or to make people be accountable
for that, or there be any punishment for cheating or
(21:53):
feeling an election, it's hard to feel good about the
promises or potential of elections moving forward. And our final
story this week comes out of Missouri and falls into
the category campaigning. While black, Doug, let's start with you
this time. Tell us more about this story. Esther and
Ramses will join you and close us out today.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
All right, Well, Justice Horn, a black candidate's running for
office in Jackson County, Missouri. He was out knocking on
doors in a mostly white neighborhood near Kansas City, when
an older white woman began trailing him with a walking stick,
which he saw as a weapon. She interrupted a conversation
with a resident and to ask, you know, what's going on,
(22:40):
implying that Horn was a threat, and then followed him
down the street, living his campaign flyers some doorsteps and
refused to stop when asked so once she realized Horn
was filming, she changed her story and accused him of
soliciting illegally, even though Horn had permission to canvas there.
So he posted the video to TikTok and call the
(23:01):
encounter racist and unsettling, saying it reminded him of past harassment,
including homophobic vandalism of his campaign science. So despite the intimidation,
he says he's not backing down. He's committed to meeting
voters face to face and serving his community. Wow, it's
twenty five, gang, twenty twenty five, and this is still happening.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
I agree with you, Doug. It's kind of crazy.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
You know, I was looking at this story, and I
mean a lot of emotions when going through this. I
got angry, I got disappointed, and you know, when I
think about what happened to Justice Horne in Missouri, he
was just a man trying to meet voters, followed by
and intimidated by someone who saw him as a threat
because of the color of his skin. And I think
(23:53):
how easy it is for people like this to really
harden their hearts. And it's tempting to live in anger
because the injust this is real. But I've also spent
some time and it's something that I've been doing for
quite a few months. I don't know why I'm kind
of attracted to this, but I've been watching some of
the interviews with people who had near death experiences, and
(24:15):
over and over again they talk about their life review
and how it's not the big headlines of their life
that they're shown, but really the things that are the
small acts of kindness that ripple out and that mattered
the most. And that's powerful to me. It says our
reason for being here is to connect with people and
leave this world better than we found it. And I
(24:36):
mean it won't be the thing like you did, this
big charitable thing. I mean, it's like going to the
store and how you treated the cashier, how you treated
the person on the street, how you gave them a
smile or you said some compliment or open the door
for somebody. So, yes, we should call out this behavior.
I'm not putting that down. We should protect our rights,
we should stamp with those who are targeted, but we
(24:58):
have to protect our own spirit in the process. And
that means, you know, practicing kindness even when the world
tempts us to shut it down. It means remembering that
your power we carry isn't just political. It's how we
treat each other every single day, and how we treat
other people every single day. So moments like this can
really push us apart, or they can remind us why
connection is our truest work.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Rhymsis jah. All right, let me give you some game
dig this. We work in the allyship space.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
We recognize that we don't accomplish anything without allies, without
people that can break through barriers more easily than we can.
And the barriers are more pronounced in this moment in
our country's history than at any other point in our lifetime.
(26:04):
This man knows, knocking on these doors and canvassing ahead
of his election that if the police show up, they're
more likely to arrest him than the woman who's actually
harassing him, breaking the law and taking down his flyers
(26:25):
and We all know that there's no reason for us
to research that any further because we know full well
that's the country that we live in. There are people
like this woman who are fortified by the president and
all the elected officials who are willing to do the
worst things, the most morally bankrupt things, to achieve or
(26:50):
maintain a certain standard that they would like to see
achieved that looks very similar to forties fifty's America. Right,
So we know that, So what do we do about it? Well,
we still continue to run for office, and we count
(27:13):
on allies to help us out. This means run for office.
Get you some white folks who know what you're about,
to stand with you, that recognize the importance of your message,
and have them knock on the doors.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
You have to be creative.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
One of the things that we've credited the right and
the far right and conservatives for being is being creative.
We can do the same thing, and we don't have
to be morally bankrupt in order to do it. We
can use the tools at our disposal, and indeed we
do have allies. I use an ally famously to walk
(27:57):
into meetings ahead of me is in a white guy's
little older than I am, and you know, he makes
the powers that be feel settled, and then I walk
in as his partner quote unquote, and then I have
the bulk of the conversation, and you know, sometimes we
(28:17):
close deals that way, and it's a strategy that I
found works quite well. You know, he looks the part,
He looks like what they're expecting to see, and I
walk in with my afro and all that, and I
look like maybe his sidekick to them. But ultimately, once
they find out that I am competent, I do know
(28:38):
what it is I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
I'm certainly more educated.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Than this man I'm talking about, and have more experience
doing the things that we end up doing together and
have a proven track record, not saying that he doesn't,
but you know, I can stand on my own in
these meetings.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Once they get to that point, then it's all good.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
And so I say all that to say that this
is a time in our country where we need to
be creative. And let's not forget that we do have allies.
We don't need to put ourselves in the crosshairs of
people like this woman who are going to chase us
down and follow us down and remove our canvassing signs,
and we do need to run for office. So don't
(29:14):
let this story discourage you. If anything, let's let this
story make us more resilient and more creative.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
All right?
Speaker 3 (29:21):
From the jock, Can I make a comment real quick, man,
Of course, you've been using those strategies for years, for generations.
I learned about it in the early nineties when I
started doing radio and met a black family from Dayton,
Ohio who made history in the nineteen fifties by opening
the first luxury.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Auto dealership for Mercedes Benz. Right, this is the fifties.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
And no one knew that he was black, right, because
his entire staff was white, right, And so later through
the years they found out. I guess my point is
that racism is in our DNA, brother, It's in this
country's DNA, and the only way that we can heal
(30:13):
our past is by facing it, talking about it, and
really taking it for what it is. If we don't
face if this country doesn't face racism, man, the way
it should be, this is not going to work because
(30:33):
we're at that point. People are tired. Black people are
tired of hiding, man. We're tired of having to put
up and having to put game out there in order
to get our goals.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
You know, I'm tired of it myself.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
I'm tired of the way that I feel like I
have to maneuver in a corporate society, and it takes
away a part of me.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
You know, it's just a sad.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Situation when you have to continue to quote unquote use game.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
To get what we want. You know what, You're right, Doug,
You're right, You're absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
However, from where I sit, there is a critical process
to changing things, and the critical process requires a concerted effort,
not unlike the Montgomery bus boycotts, not unlike what was
taking place during the Civil rights movement, when everybody's on
(31:32):
the same page, page rather and committed and taking action.
We saw a glimpse of it in twenty twenty, so
we know it's possible. It just takes the right I guess,
moment in time to get everyone aligned and active at
the same time. Because we can all be aligned and
just point and stare and say, oh, that's that's unkind
(31:53):
of that.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Lady.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Hope he makes it, you know, hope, hope he wins
his election. Right, but what we need to do again,
this critical process we all need to have more power,
and in order to get power, elections is one way
to do that. Money is another way to do that.
And money we've been locked out, and elections we've been
(32:15):
locked out, and we need that power in order to
get to the point where we can compel this country
to really have an honest, truth and reconciliation era like
they did in South Africa. For us begging the top
from the bottom to do that. To your point, I
think we've been doing that for decades. This country is
(32:35):
not willing to do it because this country is embarrassed
by it and doesn't want to pay the cost for it.
And there's this idea of American exceptionalism that defines a
lot of rich white men's realities, and they don't really
feel compelled to see any other version of this country
and don't want us to see it either, even though
we live in that meyer. But the fact is is
(32:55):
that in order for us to ultimately reach that point,
maybe it's not for in our lifetimes, but maybe it's
in our grandchildren's or their children's lifetimes or whatever. We
need power or we need money. Likely we need both.
And one of the ways that we do that is
by using the tools that we have at our disposal
right now. Despite how tired we are. Right now, we
(33:16):
have allies, you know, as near as well, I don't
want to say as near as makes no difference. But
let's say half the country voted for Donald Trump, the
other half did not. They voted against Donald Trump, and
there's a pool of people there who would be willing
allies who might get out in canvas for you so
that you don't have to potentially get arrested ahead of
your election. It's of course I'm tired of it too.
(33:40):
I agree it's awful, but I mean just that that
critical process is really, in my estimation, what we need
to go through. We can't compel this country. They're actively
taking our names off of statues and out of museums.
So for us to compel people to have some truth
and reconciliation right now is you know, we can do
(34:02):
that or we can roll over and die. It's our
options are kind of limited. So from where I sit, ally,
ship is a great place to start examining the tools
that we have left to try to make the changes
that we ultimately will want to see in the future.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
But I do want to make one more quick comment,
real fast, and you know we got to go, but
I want to say that, you know, I would love
to explore further conversation about the question does black political
power actually equal black justice and black economic justice? I
would love to have a conversation with that, just just
(34:38):
on that a right there, because I've got my opinions
and we don't have time to talk about it.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Well, in short, I'll say that white political empowerment doesn't
equal black anything, So I would I'd be willing to
start a conversation about black public office and black elections
and so forth.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
But yeah, ready, by yeah man, I'm always down.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
So with that mind, I thank you both as always
very much for your time in your ANDSI once again
today's guest our bi In News anchors Esther Dillard and
Doug Davis. This has been a production of The bi In.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. You have some
thoughts you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback
feature on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure
to hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I
(35:19):
am your Host Ramsey's Jah on all social media.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
I am qword on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this
weekend on a station near you. For stations, showtimes, and
podcast info, check civiccipher dot com and join us Monday
as we share our news with our voice from our
perspective right here on the QR code
It's been another busy newsweek and we like to review
the major stories of the week here on the bi
In Today, we are joined by bi In News anchors
Esther Dillard and Doug Davis to discuss this week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
This is the QR code. He is q Ward and
he is ram this job right, Esther.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Dillard Doug Davis, two of my favorite correspondents to talk to.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
What's the latest? What's the greatest? Doug?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Why don't you talk to me first this time?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Man? What's been going on? Oh? Man, life is good.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Just really kind of worried about where our country is
heading right now.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, I know the feeling. It's just been a tough week, right,
It's been a difficult week.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
So, you know, as we go about our daily lives
and deal with our normal struggles, kids back to school,
and you know, money and everything else, we can't help
but look at what's happening around us, you know, So
just from a personal level, I'm a little concern right now.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, No, I know the feeling quite well. And of
course saving the best for last Esther, I know you
say that to all the journalists, you know what. Honestly,
this was a difficult week.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
In the past couple of days, with all the things
happening in DC, however, I have really tried to stay
as positive as possible, and I'll try to stay on
a positive note to encourage people to, you know, not
just look at the news and get angry or get
upset about it, but do something positive that can not
(01:33):
only help others, but help yourself.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah. Yeah, I like that approach.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Well, let's get to the news that we're talking about today.
We're going to discuss something that took place last week.
So we reported that black and Democratic leaders in Texas
left the state in a symbolic display of protest against
proposed redistricting and black nominated voting areas. Now it seems
that Republicans are strategically responding with calculated actions against those
(01:58):
who support this move. Let's go ahead and get the
show started with you give us more on this story,
and then Doug and Q will get your thoughts next.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Well, it's getting hot. I'm Dellian in the political sphere.
Regarding this story, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxson is asking
a judge to jail former Congressman Beto O'Rourke. He's accusing
him of violating a court order that bars him from
financially supporting Texas Democrats who walked out to block a
new congressional map. Now Paxton pseud'urk and his group Powered
(02:28):
by People last week, claiming that they illegally raised money
to support that walkout. A judge temporarily banned the group
from fundraising for Democrats. Paxton now says Arourke broke the
ban at a Fort Worth rally where he told the crowd,
and I'm editing this, he says, there are no reps
in this game if the rules remarks that came after.
(02:51):
That's what he said, after urging retaliation by other states
as far as redistricting, you know in blue states. So
Rourke has filed his own lawsuit, accusing Paxson of a
political fishing expedition and trying to silence one of the
largest voting registration groups in the country.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, yeah, Douglas, teat your thoughts.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Wow, well, all right, I want our listeners to really
just kind of think, marinate, and ponder on the lengths
that the establishment is going through to silence black voices.
I mean, this stuff takes strategy, man, it takes money,
lots of it, and a lot of legwork.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
You know, probably some of.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
The greatest strategists are behind this. This whole redistricting effort
is of course part of, in my opinion, a greater movement.
We see blue states already proposing Trump's agenda, you know,
to assure their dominance on the hill.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Outside of Texas, what Florida, Ohio.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Missouri, Indiana, they're all exploring options of redrawing. They're voting
maps mid decade. Of course, Governor Gavin Newsom California, I
think he's the first red state to commit. I think
Kathy Hulkel of New York could be coming in as well.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Uh and Chill represent boldly.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
And so you know, I understand there are several other
you know, blue states considering redrawing maps as well, Illinois
joining in, I believe, with New York and possibly California.
Uh So, when you look at it from a historical perspective,
you know this is nothing new. History proves it and
will tell you that racial jeremandering.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You know, what's happening. Even they say.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Before the Civil War in states like Virginia and South Carolina,
and then of course you know, right after we were freed,
particularly in the South Black folks were doing it big
across mainly southern states, and then the suppression started, you know,
which is still being seen today. So yeah, it's going
to be a blood bath. And I think it's kind
of scary to me speaguratively.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
And what's really bothering me is that, you know, Trump,
he's implementing this plan to take over black run major cities,
you know, at the same time there's so many other
things going It's just eerie to me. You know, I'm like,
is this going to become a military country? You know,
(05:19):
like I mean, are we going to be in a
military state in the next five years?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
What is he really trying to do?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
He controls all the executive branches, He's got all his
people in place.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
This is truly a Trump world.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
The last thing you said was the most scary to me,
that this is truly a Trump world. It's not something
that's coming in a dystopian future.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
It's the right now. There are no guardrails, there.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Are no checks and balances, there's nothing to stop them
from doing whatever they want it. You know, if the
rules should sound ridiculous, except they've shown in action that
that's how they feel. And there's no one or no
apparatus that's stopping them. So, you know, watching what's going on,
it's increasingly scary. You know, I've discussed relocating with my
(06:07):
family to somewhere else in the world, but everywhere else
in the world is less safe because of what's happening here.
So let's buckle up, folks, and let's try our best
to take care of each other. Another massive story this
week involves the nation's capital, affectionately known as Chocolate City.
President Trump's decision on how law enforcement will be handled
(06:30):
in the city moving forward is something that is drawing
a lot of attention. Doug, let's start with you this time.
Tell us more about the story and esther Araums, let's
back him up.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
President Trump has declared a public safety emergency in Washington
d C. I lived there for what fifteen years of
my life? Man, this is amazing to me.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Can control of the.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
City's police department and deploying FBI agents National Guard troops
is part of his federal crackdown. The move overrides Mayor
Muriel Bowser, a black woman elected three times by DC residents,
and places law enforcement under federal command. Trump says the
city is in crisis, but the crime data shows otherwise.
Violent crime is down thirty five percent from last year. Still,
(07:14):
he called it Liberation Day during that historic press conference.
I would think I'll ever never like I'll always remember
that press conference, you know, But he says, you know, again,
this is part.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Of a broader plan.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
During the announcement, he named other cities that he made target,
like Baltimore, Chicago, Oakland, LA, New York, you know, all
led by black mayors, all with large minority populations. So
some say, how can he do this? Well, at least
in d C, he's using the Home Rule Act, which
allows him to control DC's police for thirty days, and
(07:48):
he's asking for a long term extension and says Hill
declare a national emergency if needed.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Well, I'll follow that up. You said everything that's actually happening.
I think that one of the things that may may
our audience may not know is that what some people
believe may have started this whole thing was a carjacking.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Or at least gave Trump the I guess.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
The fuel to kind of support this was that, or
fuel to kind of put this out there, to try
to send in the troops to d C. Was a
carjacking of a nineteen year old former DOJE employee named
Edward Korstein, and after that attack, the President renewed his
threats to federalize and run DC, citing that that incident
(08:40):
was proof that local leadership is failing on crime. Now,
while Bowser disputes this and there's statistics that showed that
this is not the truth, that crime is overrunning the
city and that it's out of control, she acknowledges that
her legal authority is limited under the Home Rule Act,
which allows the President to take over DC's police force
(09:00):
for forty eight hours in an emergency and with possible
extensions up to thirty days. I think that a lot
of people are becoming concerned because he put out there
he named Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, Chicago as possible
next targets if this precedent takes hold, and those cities
(09:23):
are all run by black mayors, and so a lot
of people are concerned that this is like a strategic
place or strategic thing that he's trying to do. And
I understand exactly what you said, Doug earlier in regard
to you know, being upset or being scared about this
whole thing. But I think that honestly that we have
(09:44):
to look in terms of history. History has shown that
things like this have happened in the past, and from Reconstruction,
I guess to the Civil rights era, we see moments
that when those in power try to expand their control
through fear and force, people do push back and sometimes
they do win when they stay organized, they stay vocal,
(10:05):
and they stay connected. And I guess the goal of
fear is paralysis, and the antidote is informed action, and
that means, you know, platforms like this and other ways,
small ways that we can do that may not be
as visual or big, can really make a difference. And
that means knowing, you know your rights, documenting abuses, supporting
(10:28):
local leaders and organizations to protect democracy, and refusing to
be isolated.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
Rams Doug mentioned the possibility of a police state or
a military state. Does that sound or feel like what
we're slipping into right now?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yep?
Speaker 1 (10:46):
And pastor to say, you know, the goal of fear
is paralysis, I think that also kind of helps frame
my thoughts or explain my thoughts, because I've kind of
had these thoughts. Obviously, you and I've covered this since
the announcement that it was coming, and up to today
(11:10):
where we see the videos of police interacting with protesters violently.
The police are the violent ones, of course, we see
we've seen the culmination of this effort. But yeah, I
think that, you know, there's something potent in that statement.
(11:31):
It's very easy for people to receive what the president says,
especially those that voted for him, but those that are
just like, Okay, this is just his heavy handed approach.
That's what that's what he is, that's what he's known for,
and it'll be fine. He's only dealing with violent people.
He's only dealing with the bad guys. Blah blah blah.
(11:52):
For those people, okay, that are paralyzed by the that
is peddled like, you don't want these people jacking your cars,
so we're gonna get them off the streets and make
your streets safer.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
This is your country.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
You know.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
That's type of rhetoric, right for people that are receptive
to that type of language.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I think it's important to reframe who's at the center
of these stories.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
People with money.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
When we say this with people with enough money, don't
go out and do carjackings and just just follow me.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
For a humor me. Carjackings are dangerous, Okay.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
We have the Second Amendment in this country, meaning that
if you try to take somebody's car from them with
a gun or otherwise at a red light or whatever,
they might have a gun in their car too, and
they might have the drop on you, or have something
you don't know about, and so it's just dangerous by
the very nature of the act. If people have enough
(12:58):
money and have had enough money and they've kind of
gotten beyond that scarcity mindset, they don't do that. Who
would risk their life to get a car that they
don't need. I'm sure this whoever this person was, wasn't
driving down the street in a million dollar car, probably
in a Honda or something.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Nobody needs a Honda that bad, right.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
So on top of that, in DC, the police are
going after homeless people, right. These are people that just
didn't have enough money to get a house. And so
my thinking, which was established to be fair back in
twenty twenty as one of the main pillars of the
(13:41):
defund the police movement, which Q and I always say
whenever there's a mic and an audience, perhaps, wasn't you
know the title of it wasn't well conceived, you know
what I mean, But the strategy and the thinking behind
it had some sound logic to it. If we attack
(14:02):
the root of the problem, then we attack the problem.
And the root of these problems is poverty. Poverty is
what results in the majority of crimes that end up
taking place, certainly in impoverished neighborhoods where you find a
lot of people who are black and brown. And if
you want to get rid of these crimes, get rid
(14:23):
of poverty, or at least make access to fiscal independence
and fiscal empowerment a little bit more available with head
start programs, with better infrastructure, bus schedules, even you know,
access to jobs, you know, these sorts of things. Nobody
wants to sell drugs, nobody wants to carry a gun
(14:45):
if they don't have to. And Donald Trump rather than
and indeed a lot of Republicans, it's so much easier
for them to blame what I've come to see as
the victims of failed economic Republican policies going all the
way back to Reaganomics. And then in order to blame
(15:09):
the victims, you need a sympathetic electorate. So blame these
victims and rebrand them as criminals. These are homeless people.
They're not hurting it. They don't have anywhere to go.
They're not going to hurt you. If they steal anything,
it's food. And from where I said, stealing food is
not a crime. If a deer walked into to my
(15:33):
restaurant and stolen apple and ran out, I'm going to
chase the You know, if a pigeon stole some chips
out of my bag and flew off a rest of no,
it's stealing food.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Just think about it.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
And if you can't meet me where I'm at, then
I implore you to examine your humanity. Don't let this
man continue to get away with this. If you're in
the middle, do not let this man get away with this.
From where I said, these are crimes against you and
have been for some time. He's just taking advantage of
it and playing to your fears. Thank you for that, Esther.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Hey, what's up?
Speaker 6 (16:06):
This is Ramsy's Jaw and I am q Ward and
we're inviting you to subscribe to Civic Cipher, our weekly
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Speaker 7 (16:14):
We pride ourselves on creating a show that fusters allyship,
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Speaker 6 (16:26):
The African proverb breeds, if you want to go far,
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Speaker 2 (16:33):
That's civiic cip h e er. Right here in the app.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Bin, news anchors Esther Dillard and Doug Davis are here
with us discussing this week's major stories.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
All right, up next, we have.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
News involving one of our nation's oldest civil rights organizations
and their plans to give black and minority voters a
fighting chance in the upcoming midterm elections. Esther, let's go
back to you give us some more details on this story,
and then Doug and Q will get your thoughts next.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Well, the NAACP is now launching a national series of
town halls to momialize black voters ahead of the twenty
twenty six mid term elections. President Derek Johnson says the
effort is urgent, accusing President Trump's administration of rolling back
diversity and equity policies, slashing medicaid and food assistants, and
targeting immigrant communities. The first forum is in New Jersey,
(17:26):
where I'm at, and featuring Newark Mayor Ross Baraka and
Congressman Congresswoman Lamonica mckiver, both recently were charged and in
their attempt to get into an ICE facility and in Brocks.
In Baraka's case, he was cleared after protests outside an
(17:46):
ICE detention center. The events will focus on volunteer recruitment,
voter turnout, and grassroots organizing in key states including Texas, California, Georgia,
and North Carolina. While black voters overwhelmingly back to Kamala
Harrison twenty twenty four, Trump actually gained around some ground
among black men, and the NAACP says it's starting early
(18:09):
to protect voting rights and influence the balance of power
in Congress.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Doug all right, Well, first off, hats off to CEO
and President Derek Johnson.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
He's doing what he needs to do.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
And again, you know, like I said before, we're seeing
the power of states, right and he'll be traveling, you know,
these the states that he's picked out, you know, very strategic.
You know, the twenty six mid terms just as important
as the twenty eight presidential election, you know, and as
I stated before.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
I think I did it twice.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
At the end of the day, this is going to
be a blood bath, and so I applaud him for
getting ahead of this. You know, this is a critical
time in our country. Like I listened to Representative Garcia
of California yesterday urging all Democratic state leaders to get
(19:02):
on the ball now, not to wait, because the Republicans
are right now doing their thing behind closed doors. And
it's always a perception that Democrats are way behind the
curve and that Republicans are a slick one. So it's
time for you know, Democrats to put that hat on.
And the NAACP, you know, is doing what they should
do again, mobilize man.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
At this very moment.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
You know, some of Trump's cuts may not hit right now,
but they say by midway twenty six, you know, most
of us will start to feel some of these cuts
in some way, form or fashion. And so you know,
with all of these campaign efforts, I should say, with
all of these efforts by nonprofit groups like the NAACP
going out doing the thing, I would love to see
(19:51):
more collectiveness with our nonprofit groups, white, black, green, or
purple that are fighting for the rights of everyday people.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
You know, unity is.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
Our strengths, and although we may have similar thoughts about
what's happening today, I would just love to see, you know,
a unified front of all organizations coming together and just
taking this to a huge, massive level. So it hats
off to the NAACP for their effort to mobilize voters.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Now, yeah, two, you know, the thing that keeps me
most discourage even when things like this happen that we
should be excited about, is that I don't want to
state it as a matter of fact for everyone, but
I'm pretty certain that the presidential election was stolen. So
(20:45):
knowing in my mind that that's something that can happen,
it's really difficult to kind of wrap my mind around
being excited about elections moving forward when the winning party
in this last election has said and plain words, not
I didn't have to decipher it. I didn't have to
you know, run it through a translator to see what
it meant. They said, in plain words that they rigged
(21:06):
the election and that's how they won. So when they
can say that and admit that out loud and nothing happens,
it's hard to get excited about elections in general moving forward.
Because even if we organize and strategize and do everything properly,
as I think we did this last time, because I
was outside and I saw the momentum, I saw the
numbers of people who turned out, and I've seen the
very very irregular results in counties and cities where Democrats
(21:32):
won across the ballot but there was no vote cast
at off for the president. I just find that strange
and unusual, and you know, points to something nefarious going
on behind the scenes. That seems to be the case
with the Republican Party. So until we figured out a
way to combat that, or to make people be accountable
for that, or there be any punishment for cheating or
(21:53):
feeling an election, it's hard to feel good about the
promises or potential of elections moving forward. And our final
story this week comes out of Missouri and falls into
the category campaigning. While black, Doug, let's start with you
this time. Tell us more about this story. Esther and
Ramses will join you and close us out today.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
All right, Well, Justice Horn, a black candidate's running for
office in Jackson County, Missouri. He was out knocking on
doors in a mostly white neighborhood near Kansas City, when
an older white woman began trailing him with a walking stick,
which he saw as a weapon. She interrupted a conversation
with a resident and to ask, you know, what's going on,
(22:40):
implying that Horn was a threat, and then followed him
down the street, living his campaign flyers some doorsteps and
refused to stop when asked so once she realized Horn
was filming, she changed her story and accused him of
soliciting illegally, even though Horn had permission to canvas there.
So he posted the video to TikTok and call the
(23:01):
encounter racist and unsettling, saying it reminded him of past harassment,
including homophobic vandalism of his campaign science. So despite the intimidation,
he says he's not backing down. He's committed to meeting
voters face to face and serving his community. Wow, it's
twenty five, gang, twenty twenty five, and this is still happening.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
I agree with you, Doug. It's kind of crazy.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
You know, I was looking at this story, and I
mean a lot of emotions when going through this. I
got angry, I got disappointed, and you know, when I
think about what happened to Justice Horne in Missouri, he
was just a man trying to meet voters, followed by
and intimidated by someone who saw him as a threat
because of the color of his skin. And I think
(23:53):
how easy it is for people like this to really
harden their hearts. And it's tempting to live in anger
because the injust this is real. But I've also spent
some time and it's something that I've been doing for
quite a few months. I don't know why I'm kind
of attracted to this, but I've been watching some of
the interviews with people who had near death experiences, and
(24:15):
over and over again they talk about their life review
and how it's not the big headlines of their life
that they're shown, but really the things that are the
small acts of kindness that ripple out and that mattered
the most. And that's powerful to me. It says our
reason for being here is to connect with people and
leave this world better than we found it. And I
(24:36):
mean it won't be the thing like you did, this
big charitable thing. I mean, it's like going to the
store and how you treated the cashier, how you treated
the person on the street, how you gave them a
smile or you said some compliment or open the door
for somebody. So, yes, we should call out this behavior.
I'm not putting that down. We should protect our rights,
we should stamp with those who are targeted, but we
(24:58):
have to protect our own spirit in the process. And
that means, you know, practicing kindness even when the world
tempts us to shut it down. It means remembering that
your power we carry isn't just political. It's how we
treat each other every single day, and how we treat
other people every single day. So moments like this can
really push us apart, or they can remind us why
connection is our truest work.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Rhymsis jah. All right, let me give you some game
dig this. We work in the allyship space.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
We recognize that we don't accomplish anything without allies, without
people that can break through barriers more easily than we can.
And the barriers are more pronounced in this moment in
our country's history than at any other point in our lifetime.
(26:04):
This man knows, knocking on these doors and canvassing ahead
of his election that if the police show up, they're
more likely to arrest him than the woman who's actually
harassing him, breaking the law and taking down his flyers
(26:25):
and We all know that there's no reason for us
to research that any further because we know full well
that's the country that we live in. There are people
like this woman who are fortified by the president and
all the elected officials who are willing to do the
worst things, the most morally bankrupt things, to achieve or
(26:50):
maintain a certain standard that they would like to see
achieved that looks very similar to forties fifty's America. Right,
So we know that, So what do we do about it? Well,
we still continue to run for office, and we count
(27:13):
on allies to help us out. This means run for office.
Get you some white folks who know what you're about,
to stand with you, that recognize the importance of your message,
and have them knock on the doors.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
You have to be creative.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
One of the things that we've credited the right and
the far right and conservatives for being is being creative.
We can do the same thing, and we don't have
to be morally bankrupt in order to do it. We
can use the tools at our disposal, and indeed we
do have allies. I use an ally famously to walk
(27:57):
into meetings ahead of me is in a white guy's
little older than I am, and you know, he makes
the powers that be feel settled, and then I walk
in as his partner quote unquote, and then I have
the bulk of the conversation, and you know, sometimes we
(28:17):
close deals that way, and it's a strategy that I
found works quite well. You know, he looks the part,
He looks like what they're expecting to see, and I
walk in with my afro and all that, and I
look like maybe his sidekick to them. But ultimately, once
they find out that I am competent, I do know
(28:38):
what it is I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
I'm certainly more educated.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Than this man I'm talking about, and have more experience
doing the things that we end up doing together and
have a proven track record, not saying that he doesn't,
but you know, I can stand on my own in
these meetings.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Once they get to that point, then it's all good.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
And so I say all that to say that this
is a time in our country where we need to
be creative. And let's not forget that we do have allies.
We don't need to put ourselves in the crosshairs of
people like this woman who are going to chase us
down and follow us down and remove our canvassing signs,
and we do need to run for office. So don't
(29:14):
let this story discourage you. If anything, let's let this
story make us more resilient and more creative.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
All right?
Speaker 3 (29:21):
From the jock, Can I make a comment real quick, man,
Of course, you've been using those strategies for years, for generations.
I learned about it in the early nineties when I
started doing radio and met a black family from Dayton,
Ohio who made history in the nineteen fifties by opening
the first luxury.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Auto dealership for Mercedes Benz. Right, this is the fifties.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
And no one knew that he was black, right, because
his entire staff was white, right, And so later through
the years they found out. I guess my point is
that racism is in our DNA, brother, It's in this
country's DNA, and the only way that we can heal
(30:13):
our past is by facing it, talking about it, and
really taking it for what it is. If we don't
face if this country doesn't face racism, man, the way
it should be, this is not going to work because
(30:33):
we're at that point. People are tired. Black people are
tired of hiding, man. We're tired of having to put
up and having to put game out there in order
to get our goals.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
You know, I'm tired of it myself.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
I'm tired of the way that I feel like I
have to maneuver in a corporate society, and it takes
away a part of me.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
You know, it's just a sad.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Situation when you have to continue to quote unquote use game.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
To get what we want. You know what, You're right, Doug,
You're right, You're absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
However, from where I sit, there is a critical process
to changing things, and the critical process requires a concerted effort,
not unlike the Montgomery bus boycotts, not unlike what was
taking place during the Civil rights movement, when everybody's on
(31:32):
the same page, page rather and committed and taking action.
We saw a glimpse of it in twenty twenty, so
we know it's possible. It just takes the right I guess,
moment in time to get everyone aligned and active at
the same time. Because we can all be aligned and
just point and stare and say, oh, that's that's unkind
(31:53):
of that.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Lady.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Hope he makes it, you know, hope, hope he wins
his election. Right, but what we need to do again,
this critical process we all need to have more power,
and in order to get power, elections is one way
to do that. Money is another way to do that.
And money we've been locked out, and elections we've been
(32:15):
locked out, and we need that power in order to
get to the point where we can compel this country
to really have an honest, truth and reconciliation era like
they did in South Africa. For us begging the top
from the bottom to do that. To your point, I
think we've been doing that for decades. This country is
(32:35):
not willing to do it because this country is embarrassed
by it and doesn't want to pay the cost for it.
And there's this idea of American exceptionalism that defines a
lot of rich white men's realities, and they don't really
feel compelled to see any other version of this country
and don't want us to see it either, even though
we live in that meyer. But the fact is is
(32:55):
that in order for us to ultimately reach that point,
maybe it's not for in our lifetimes, but maybe it's
in our grandchildren's or their children's lifetimes or whatever. We
need power or we need money. Likely we need both.
And one of the ways that we do that is
by using the tools that we have at our disposal
right now. Despite how tired we are. Right now, we
(33:16):
have allies, you know, as near as well, I don't
want to say as near as makes no difference. But
let's say half the country voted for Donald Trump, the
other half did not. They voted against Donald Trump, and
there's a pool of people there who would be willing
allies who might get out in canvas for you so
that you don't have to potentially get arrested ahead of
your election. It's of course I'm tired of it too.
(33:40):
I agree it's awful, but I mean just that that
critical process is really, in my estimation, what we need
to go through. We can't compel this country. They're actively
taking our names off of statues and out of museums.
So for us to compel people to have some truth
and reconciliation right now is you know, we can do
(34:02):
that or we can roll over and die. It's our
options are kind of limited. So from where I sit, ally,
ship is a great place to start examining the tools
that we have left to try to make the changes
that we ultimately will want to see in the future.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
But I do want to make one more quick comment,
real fast, and you know we got to go, but
I want to say that, you know, I would love
to explore further conversation about the question does black political
power actually equal black justice and black economic justice? I
would love to have a conversation with that, just just
(34:38):
on that a right there, because I've got my opinions
and we don't have time to talk about it.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Well, in short, I'll say that white political empowerment doesn't
equal black anything, So I would I'd be willing to
start a conversation about black public office and black elections
and so forth.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
But yeah, ready, by yeah man, I'm always down.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
So with that mind, I thank you both as always
very much for your time in your ANDSI once again
today's guest our bi In News anchors Esther Dillard and
Doug Davis. This has been a production of The bi In.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. You have some
thoughts you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback
feature on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure
to hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I
(35:19):
am your Host Ramsey's Jah on all social media.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
I am qword on all social media as well.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
And we'll be hosting another episode of Civic Cipher this
weekend on a station near you. For stations, showtimes, and
podcast info, check civiccipher dot com and join us Monday
as we share our news with our voice from our
perspective right here on the QR code
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