October 26, 2020 • 13 mins
If you want to change, preserve, or build a better America, there’s one easy way to make your voice heard: Vote. This year, iHeartRadio is teaming up with over 20 incredible celebrities (plus a handful of our most popular podcasters) to get the country excited to go vote, broadcasting the personal, emotional and heartfelt stories behind why showing up to the ballot box means so much-- not just as individuals, but for our entire nation.
Thank you to our partners AXE, DoveMen+Care, Knorr®, Seventh Generation, Levi’s and Facebook
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Why I'm Voting, a production of I Heart Radio. Listen.
You already know this, but it's an election year. You
might already be tired of hearing about it. But here's
the thing. Democracy doesn't work without you. I'm Holly Frying,
and I'm sitting down with many of my fellow podcasters,
from Will Ferrell to Stephanie Rule, as well as other
(00:26):
luminaries to find out about their relationships with the ballot
box and ultimately just to find out why they vote.
I hope you're exercising your right to vote, and if
you're not, I hope that their stories inspire you. I
am so excited for today's guest on Why I'm Voting,
(00:47):
because it is Ogie Ibuno. Her work in film is spectacular.
She recently released the documentary Invisible Portraits, which reclaims the
narrative of black women in America. It is absolutely beautiful
if you haven't seen it. But she also turned her
talents recently to directing a p s A about voting
for Levi's So she is the absolute perfect person to
(01:10):
have on the show. Oh thank you so much for
being here. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Your voting p s A is really incredibly powerful, and
when I see something like that, I recognize that a
lot of work in labor and thought went into it.
But I want to know how that project started. The
project started because Levi came to me with the opportunity
(01:34):
to partner with Hailey Bieber on creating a p s
A around voting UM that really targeted the younger generation
because with this election, I believe it's UM seventy million
eligible voters. UM we'll be voting in this election due
to ENZ and the youth. And I absolutely said yes
(01:55):
to the opportunity UM. And in brainstorming the various way
that I wanted to tell the story UM, I looked
to Lengthen Hughes and some of the poetry that he created,
because to me, it's really about blending the various mediums
of arts and not just relying solely on the typical
(02:17):
way that p s as are done. And so I
really just reached out two the past. Really, I was
researching the Renaissance era and how that had such a
huge impact politically and through scholarly lends and also through
the entertainment lens, and what it lended itself to me
(02:39):
was that this current moment that we're in for me
really reflects that moment in time, UM, because at that
point in time in the Harlem, during the Harlem Renaissance,
it was this beautiful blend of civil rights. It was
this beautiful blend of poetry and the arts as a
way to uplift marginalized community, more partically Black community. And
(03:02):
during the time when the opportunity was afforded to me
to make this p s A, I felt we were
very much in that moment for me. The only difference
was that the Ethics Center was now UM in l A.
In regards to the blending of the entertainment industry and
the movement space, and so I really wanted to tap
into that. And I'm glad you mentioned that that this
(03:24):
is in l A because I think anybody who watches
this will recognize a lot of people in that two
and a half minutes UM, as well as a sign
interpreter throughout, you also appear in it. How did the
various participants all get involved? I created a list and
UM basically reached out to various people for me things
that I create, from my documentaries to commercial to p
(03:47):
s as It's really about blending the various different sectors,
getting people to realize that it takes all of us
to create change. And so for me, it wasn't solely
lending itself to just the voices of celebrities, because it's
not just the liberties that call the social change. It's
actually ordinary, everyday people who create movement and create policy change.
So I wanted to lend a voice to those individuals
(04:09):
who we made deem or label us everyday people. So
for me, it was drawing from the voices of scholars,
drawing from the voices of authors, drawing from the voices
of activists and organizers, as well as various people with
bigger platforms. In an entertainment space, it's so good. Um,
I mean, I don't mean to be a brilliant and
(04:29):
gushy over it, but the editing alone is like spectacular.
I want to pivot for a moment about uh and
talk about your own relationship and experiences with voting, because
this is clearly something that you are very passionate about.
Do you remember when you realized as a kid what
voting was and that it was something that was for
you to do. To be completely honest with you, I
(04:51):
didn't really participate in voting until the year that Obama
was elected. Growing up like it wasn't it wasn't pressed
taught me that voting was such a big deal, and
so I didn't really participate in because I didn't think
that my voice mattered. I didn't think that my vote matter,
So I was very much so nonchalant about the process. Um.
(05:12):
But it wasn't until that year when Obama was nominated
that it really galvanized me. And that was the first
time that I voted. I love it. I think it's
important for people to hear those stories that not everyone
really feels like voting is is for them that, but
they eventually come to it. And I'm I'm glad that
we see this journey now that you are making the
(05:33):
rallying call to other people who may feel that way
in the moment, and that you can change their point
of view. Um, do you remember what it felt like
the first time you voted. Yeah, it felt very surreal because,
like I said, like I had been taught our condition
rather that my vote didn't matter and that you know,
it really wouldn't affect any kind of change. And then
(05:55):
to realize that the things that you have been conditioned
to believe, to believe to be true is not true.
It really you know it It galvanized me, Like it
really woke me up in one of the most beautiful ways.
And I just remember me and my friends going to
cast our vote and then after voting just been in
our cars just looking at each other in complete violence
for about five or ten minutes because you're like, wait,
(06:17):
did I just do that? And like really processing the
emotion that was happening. And I mean in that particular moment,
I was still in the arrange of emotions and so
allowing myself to really be in that space and process
what was coming up for me, that's beautiful. Do you
participate in your local elections as well? Oh? Absolutely. I
(06:37):
think local elections are far more important than the election
of president and vice president. I think that, you know,
one of the things that this society has done very
well is to condition us to look at the bigger picture,
but rather than like assessing the smaller details that make
up the bigger picture. And so for me, local elections
(06:58):
are just that, you know, it's very important who represents
us as a d A right because that person is
in charge of you know, filing charges for police officers
that continue to kill black and brown folks, that continue
to kill the most marginalized folks. So if we're not
being active in picking our d a, those those situations,
(07:19):
in those cases that they you know, they will continue
to go unresolved. And so it's very, very very important
that I and others participate in local elections. Those are
sometimes a little bit trickier in terms of getting information
on on candidates. You're not seeing as many ads, usually
they're not getting as much press. What do you do
(07:39):
to make sure you've properly researched for those local, smaller elections.
For me, it's really figuring out what are the organizations
within your city that are very very active around community works.
And so for me, it is, you know, looking towards
the guidance from Black Lives Matter l A chapter, it's
looking towards the guidance of Justice l A, it's looking
(08:02):
towards the guidance of Bill power. Really getting involved with
local organizations that are actually doing the work on the ground,
because it's those organizations that will give you access and
resources and materials um to really educate yourself and empower
yourself on what's going on in a local level. I
wonder what your relationship is with the results as they
(08:23):
come in. You know, we are already in the middle
of early voting in a lot of places, and we're
getting some early returns and predictions. Do you engage with
that information or are you waiting until it is all
said and done to really take it in and process it? Um?
For me, my focus right now is getting as many
people educated on local elections as possible. So for me
(08:44):
to stop doing that and focus on an outcome that
isn't is it fully there yet will be a disservice
to my community and to myself as well. So I
don't tend to focus on the results that are coming
in at the moment, but rather how can I get
as many people still and involved as possible. So that's
really where all my energy and attention is going. Oh smart, Um,
(09:07):
you're probably saving yourself a lot of headaches along the
way as well. I wanna I want to go back
and talk a little bit about, Um, the work that
Levis is doing, because the message that your collaborator Levis
has been sending as they work on on their own
positioning and their campaign around this is that people should
be focusing on the issues that are most important to
(09:28):
them and voting based on that. So how do you
incorporate that idea into your own voting mission. You've talked
about it a little, but I would love to hear more. Yeah,
for me, I think it's you know, like, that's the
way that you get people involved, right there has to
be an entry point for people to get involved in activism,
and I think, um, what this current year has done
(09:49):
is like the foundation for that, right, I think that
one of the beauty for Ashes in the moment that
the pandemic has laid the foundation for so many people
to really do the work of self reflection and really
realizing the ways that they're contributing to the depressive systems.
Are they're contributing to, um, the dismantling of these depressive systems,
(10:11):
but also like how are they showing up for themselves?
And I think that um, in the midst of doing
that is how we've got to the point of where
we're at right now. Right with these uprisings that are happening,
people are realizing that they do a have a voice,
and that their voice matters, and that it is everyday
people that affect change in society. It is everyday people
(10:33):
who read movements in society. There was nothing remarkable about
Martin Luther King, there was nothing remarkable about Harriet Tubman,
there was nothing remarkable about Malcolm x Um. They became that, right,
they became that and finding out who they were, they
became that in discovering that it takes all of us
collectively to make change. And so I think that you know,
(10:53):
the current moment is laying the foundation for so many
people to see that it's a step into their power.
And in doing so, you realize what's important to you, right,
You realize that the things that you've probably been condition
or program to think is important, such as you know,
the car and the house and the career, isn't as important.
You know, What's important is how are you showing up
(11:15):
for your community? What's important is how are you showing
up for yourself? What's important is you know, like like
what does mutual aid look like between you and your neighbors?
Those are the things that's important, The things that um
many deemed to be UM none not tangible, right, like
one of the virtues and the values that you hold.
So I think that you know, when people realizing what
(11:37):
that is for them, that's their injury point, and it
allows them to get activated. It allows them to become
active citizens and engage citizens. And so I think you know,
when people realize what's important for them one of the
values that they're holding, it inspires them to create change.
A beautifully put, I want to like stand up and
cheer after that. If you could tell someone and who
(12:00):
is not using their right to vote one thing, and
this is something that you are doing with your work,
what would that one thing be? I would recite a
quote that has become one of my life mantras by
a guy named Ja Krishna Lutrie, which is, it is
no measure of health to be well adjusted to a
profoundly sick society. That is what I would say to them. Um,
(12:26):
My last question for you is an easy one. Will
you tell our listeners where they can go to see
the p s A that you directed for Levi's Yes,
you can go to levi dot com. You can go
to all of Levi's social media channels on Twitter, on Facebook,
and on Instagram and you will be able to see
the voting p s A. Share it, embrace it, and
(12:49):
enjoy it. I love it. Ogie. Thank you so so
much for spending this time with me today. Thank you
for having me. I really appreciate it. Thank you, thank you,
thank you. Hey. Are you not registered to vote yet
but you think it's something you want to do? You
may still have time. Voter registration deadlines vary by state,
(13:12):
so to find out the scoop for where you are,
check out a nonpartisan registration voting site like head count
dot org or fair vote dot org. Why I'm Voting
is an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from
I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever it is you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Why I'm Voting, a production of I Heart Radio. Listen.
You already know this, but it's an election year. You
might already be tired of hearing about it. But here's
the thing. Democracy doesn't work without you. I'm Holly Frying,
and I'm sitting down with many of my fellow podcasters,
from Will Ferrell to Stephanie Rule, as well as other
(00:26):
luminaries to find out about their relationships with the ballot
box and ultimately just to find out why they vote.
I hope you're exercising your right to vote, and if
you're not, I hope that their stories inspire you. I
am so excited for today's guest on Why I'm Voting,
(00:47):
because it is Ogie Ibuno. Her work in film is spectacular.
She recently released the documentary Invisible Portraits, which reclaims the
narrative of black women in America. It is absolutely beautiful
if you haven't seen it. But she also turned her
talents recently to directing a p s A about voting
for Levi's So she is the absolute perfect person to
(01:10):
have on the show. Oh thank you so much for
being here. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Your voting p s A is really incredibly powerful, and
when I see something like that, I recognize that a
lot of work in labor and thought went into it.
But I want to know how that project started. The
project started because Levi came to me with the opportunity
(01:34):
to partner with Hailey Bieber on creating a p s
A around voting UM that really targeted the younger generation
because with this election, I believe it's UM seventy million
eligible voters. UM we'll be voting in this election due
to ENZ and the youth. And I absolutely said yes
(01:55):
to the opportunity UM. And in brainstorming the various way
that I wanted to tell the story UM, I looked
to Lengthen Hughes and some of the poetry that he created,
because to me, it's really about blending the various mediums
of arts and not just relying solely on the typical
(02:17):
way that p s as are done. And so I
really just reached out two the past. Really, I was
researching the Renaissance era and how that had such a
huge impact politically and through scholarly lends and also through
the entertainment lens, and what it lended itself to me
(02:39):
was that this current moment that we're in for me
really reflects that moment in time, UM, because at that
point in time in the Harlem, during the Harlem Renaissance,
it was this beautiful blend of civil rights. It was
this beautiful blend of poetry and the arts as a
way to uplift marginalized community, more partically Black community. And
(03:02):
during the time when the opportunity was afforded to me
to make this p s A, I felt we were
very much in that moment for me. The only difference
was that the Ethics Center was now UM in l A.
In regards to the blending of the entertainment industry and
the movement space, and so I really wanted to tap
into that. And I'm glad you mentioned that that this
(03:24):
is in l A because I think anybody who watches
this will recognize a lot of people in that two
and a half minutes UM, as well as a sign
interpreter throughout, you also appear in it. How did the
various participants all get involved? I created a list and
UM basically reached out to various people for me things
that I create, from my documentaries to commercial to p
(03:47):
s as It's really about blending the various different sectors,
getting people to realize that it takes all of us
to create change. And so for me, it wasn't solely
lending itself to just the voices of celebrities, because it's
not just the liberties that call the social change. It's
actually ordinary, everyday people who create movement and create policy change.
So I wanted to lend a voice to those individuals
(04:09):
who we made deem or label us everyday people. So
for me, it was drawing from the voices of scholars,
drawing from the voices of authors, drawing from the voices
of activists and organizers, as well as various people with
bigger platforms. In an entertainment space, it's so good. Um,
I mean, I don't mean to be a brilliant and
(04:29):
gushy over it, but the editing alone is like spectacular.
I want to pivot for a moment about uh and
talk about your own relationship and experiences with voting, because
this is clearly something that you are very passionate about.
Do you remember when you realized as a kid what
voting was and that it was something that was for
you to do. To be completely honest with you, I
(04:51):
didn't really participate in voting until the year that Obama
was elected. Growing up like it wasn't it wasn't pressed
taught me that voting was such a big deal, and
so I didn't really participate in because I didn't think
that my voice mattered. I didn't think that my vote matter,
So I was very much so nonchalant about the process. Um.
(05:12):
But it wasn't until that year when Obama was nominated
that it really galvanized me. And that was the first
time that I voted. I love it. I think it's
important for people to hear those stories that not everyone
really feels like voting is is for them that, but
they eventually come to it. And I'm I'm glad that
we see this journey now that you are making the
(05:33):
rallying call to other people who may feel that way
in the moment, and that you can change their point
of view. Um, do you remember what it felt like
the first time you voted. Yeah, it felt very surreal because,
like I said, like I had been taught our condition
rather that my vote didn't matter and that you know,
it really wouldn't affect any kind of change. And then
(05:55):
to realize that the things that you have been conditioned
to believe, to believe to be true is not true.
It really you know it It galvanized me, Like it
really woke me up in one of the most beautiful ways.
And I just remember me and my friends going to
cast our vote and then after voting just been in
our cars just looking at each other in complete violence
for about five or ten minutes because you're like, wait,
(06:17):
did I just do that? And like really processing the
emotion that was happening. And I mean in that particular moment,
I was still in the arrange of emotions and so
allowing myself to really be in that space and process
what was coming up for me, that's beautiful. Do you
participate in your local elections as well? Oh? Absolutely. I
(06:37):
think local elections are far more important than the election
of president and vice president. I think that, you know,
one of the things that this society has done very
well is to condition us to look at the bigger picture,
but rather than like assessing the smaller details that make
up the bigger picture. And so for me, local elections
(06:58):
are just that, you know, it's very important who represents
us as a d A right because that person is
in charge of you know, filing charges for police officers
that continue to kill black and brown folks, that continue
to kill the most marginalized folks. So if we're not
being active in picking our d a, those those situations,
(07:19):
in those cases that they you know, they will continue
to go unresolved. And so it's very, very very important
that I and others participate in local elections. Those are
sometimes a little bit trickier in terms of getting information
on on candidates. You're not seeing as many ads, usually
they're not getting as much press. What do you do
(07:39):
to make sure you've properly researched for those local, smaller elections.
For me, it's really figuring out what are the organizations
within your city that are very very active around community works.
And so for me, it is, you know, looking towards
the guidance from Black Lives Matter l A chapter, it's
looking towards the guidance of Justice l A, it's looking
(08:02):
towards the guidance of Bill power. Really getting involved with
local organizations that are actually doing the work on the ground,
because it's those organizations that will give you access and
resources and materials um to really educate yourself and empower
yourself on what's going on in a local level. I
wonder what your relationship is with the results as they
(08:23):
come in. You know, we are already in the middle
of early voting in a lot of places, and we're
getting some early returns and predictions. Do you engage with
that information or are you waiting until it is all
said and done to really take it in and process it? Um?
For me, my focus right now is getting as many
people educated on local elections as possible. So for me
(08:44):
to stop doing that and focus on an outcome that
isn't is it fully there yet will be a disservice
to my community and to myself as well. So I
don't tend to focus on the results that are coming
in at the moment, but rather how can I get
as many people still and involved as possible. So that's
really where all my energy and attention is going. Oh smart, Um,
(09:07):
you're probably saving yourself a lot of headaches along the
way as well. I wanna I want to go back
and talk a little bit about, Um, the work that
Levis is doing, because the message that your collaborator Levis
has been sending as they work on on their own
positioning and their campaign around this is that people should
be focusing on the issues that are most important to
(09:28):
them and voting based on that. So how do you
incorporate that idea into your own voting mission. You've talked
about it a little, but I would love to hear more. Yeah,
for me, I think it's you know, like, that's the
way that you get people involved, right there has to
be an entry point for people to get involved in activism,
and I think, um, what this current year has done
(09:49):
is like the foundation for that, right, I think that
one of the beauty for Ashes in the moment that
the pandemic has laid the foundation for so many people
to really do the work of self reflection and really
realizing the ways that they're contributing to the depressive systems.
Are they're contributing to, um, the dismantling of these depressive systems,
(10:11):
but also like how are they showing up for themselves?
And I think that um, in the midst of doing
that is how we've got to the point of where
we're at right now. Right with these uprisings that are happening,
people are realizing that they do a have a voice,
and that their voice matters, and that it is everyday
people that affect change in society. It is everyday people
(10:33):
who read movements in society. There was nothing remarkable about
Martin Luther King, there was nothing remarkable about Harriet Tubman,
there was nothing remarkable about Malcolm x Um. They became that, right,
they became that and finding out who they were, they
became that in discovering that it takes all of us
collectively to make change. And so I think that you know,
(10:53):
the current moment is laying the foundation for so many
people to see that it's a step into their power.
And in doing so, you realize what's important to you, right,
You realize that the things that you've probably been condition
or program to think is important, such as you know,
the car and the house and the career, isn't as important.
You know, What's important is how are you showing up
(11:15):
for your community? What's important is how are you showing
up for yourself? What's important is you know, like like
what does mutual aid look like between you and your neighbors?
Those are the things that's important, The things that um
many deemed to be UM none not tangible, right, like
one of the virtues and the values that you hold.
So I think that you know, when people realizing what
(11:37):
that is for them, that's their injury point, and it
allows them to get activated. It allows them to become
active citizens and engage citizens. And so I think you know,
when people realize what's important for them one of the
values that they're holding, it inspires them to create change.
A beautifully put, I want to like stand up and
cheer after that. If you could tell someone and who
(12:00):
is not using their right to vote one thing, and
this is something that you are doing with your work,
what would that one thing be? I would recite a
quote that has become one of my life mantras by
a guy named Ja Krishna Lutrie, which is, it is
no measure of health to be well adjusted to a
profoundly sick society. That is what I would say to them. Um,
(12:26):
My last question for you is an easy one. Will
you tell our listeners where they can go to see
the p s A that you directed for Levi's Yes,
you can go to levi dot com. You can go
to all of Levi's social media channels on Twitter, on Facebook,
and on Instagram and you will be able to see
the voting p s A. Share it, embrace it, and
(12:49):
enjoy it. I love it. Ogie. Thank you so so
much for spending this time with me today. Thank you
for having me. I really appreciate it. Thank you, thank you,
thank you. Hey. Are you not registered to vote yet
but you think it's something you want to do? You
may still have time. Voter registration deadlines vary by state,
(13:12):
so to find out the scoop for where you are,
check out a nonpartisan registration voting site like head count
dot org or fair vote dot org. Why I'm Voting
is an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from
I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever it is you listen to your favorite shows.
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