Inspiring Civic Engagement: A Conversation with Kelly Doucet

Inspiring Civic Engagement: A Conversation with Kelly Doucet

In our latest episode of Black Girls Eating, we had the privilege of sitting down with Kelly Doucet, the dynamic Director of Community Relations at the Indianapolis Urban League. Kelly is a powerhouse of knowledge and passion when it comes to civic engagement and community leadership. Her journey and insights are a testament to the power of voting, local government involvement, and the impact young professionals can have on their communities.

Kelly shared her personal story of how she fell in love with civil service during her senior year of high school. A mock election in her government class sparked a lifelong commitment to understanding and participating in the political process. This early experience taught her the importance of voting and staying engaged, even when outcomes aren't favorable. Kelly's dedication to civic duty is a reminder that our involvement in local and national elections shapes the policies that affect our daily lives.

One of the standout moments in our conversation was Kelly's emphasis on the importance of local elections. While many people focus on presidential elections, it's the local officials—city councilors, mayors, and judges—who have a direct impact on our communities. Kelly urged listeners to get to know their local elected officials, attend city council meetings, and even consider running for office. She highlighted the significance of understanding how policies are made and how they affect everything from housing and education to public safety.

Kelly also talked about her role at the Indianapolis Urban League and the Exchange, its young professional auxiliary. The Exchange focuses on personal and professional development with an emphasis on civic engagement. Kelly's leadership in this organization has created a supportive community where young Black professionals can thrive, find mentorship, and make meaningful contributions to their city.

For those under 25 looking to get involved, Kelly offered practical advice: start by understanding who your local elected officials are, attend city council meetings, and consider volunteering for campaigns. She also encouraged young people to run for office themselves, emphasizing that waiting your turn is not necessary. If you have ideas and passion, now is the time to step up and make a difference.

Kelly's dedication to her community extends beyond her professional life. She shared how she takes care of herself by setting aside Sundays for personal time and staying active through regular gym sessions. Her commitment to self-care ensures that she can continue to give her best to her community and her work.

This episode is a powerful reminder of the importance of staying engaged in the political process and the impact that each of us can have on our communities. Whether you're a seasoned activist or just starting to explore civic engagement, Kelly's insights will inspire you to take action and make a difference.

Don't miss this enlightening conversation with Kelly Doucet. Tune in to the latest episode of Black Girls Eating to hear more about her journey, her work with the Indianapolis Urban League, and how you can get involved in your community. Your vote is your voice—let's use it to create positive change.

 

Episode Transcript

>> Candace (00:07):
Welcome to black girls eating, a conversation about
justice, black girl magic, and well
seasoned food. We are, uh, black girls eating,
and welcome to our podcast.

>> Tanorria (00:19):
Welcome.

>> Candace (00:20):
Uh, hello, Friend!

>> Tanorria (00:22):
How long has it been?

>> Candace (00:24):
Way too long. Yeah, way too
long.

>> Tanorria (00:27):
It's been since the beginning of July.

>> Candace (00:30):
Yeah, we've had a whole summer.

>> Tanorria (00:31):
Yeah. That y'all have heard from us. But it's
been. Oh, my gosh. Since March or
April.

>> Candace (00:37):
Yeah. Since we had an episode drop.

>> Tanorria (00:39):
Since we recorded. Um. And it's been
almost two months since I've seen you, young lady.

>> Candace (00:44):
I know.

>> Tanorria (00:45):
Your birthday gift is still right here under my
desk.

>> Candace (00:49):
Listen, I still have stuff for you on my desk because
I'm ridiculous.

>> Tanorria (00:53):
Oh, I've missed you.

>> Candace (00:54):
I miss you, too. I miss you, too. It's so weird because
I was thinking about something, and I was like, I'm just going to drop
this over to Tanoria. And I was like, no, I'm not. I
can't go that way because she don't live right there, and I got.

>> Tanorria (01:05):
Sad lives seven minutes away.

>> Candace (01:07):
I'm very sorry. It's okay. Even.
Even Maddie's like. She's like, are we going to Tonora's? I'm like, no,
she doesn't live there.

>> Tanorria (01:15):
She's like, oh, I mean, my mother in law's
there.

>> Candace (01:18):
I know. I could. I could just check in on her. I could.

>> Tanorria (01:20):
You totally could.

>> Candace (01:21):
I could.

>> Tanorria (01:22):
I. I see her about once a week because, bless her
heart, she picks up my mom from dialysis on Saturdays.

>> Candace (01:28):
Okay.

>> Tanorria (01:29):
And drop. And, you know, my mom lives down the street from me, so
sometimes she'll swing by.

>> Candace (01:33):
So we just need to. I just need to, like, hijack
that moment so I can see her and your mom and like,
oh, look, Noi is here.

>> Tanorria (01:40):
Right? Girl, my mom would be all over that. She is a
Candace fan.

>> Candace (01:44):
She is a fan. I love her. I love
her.

>> Kelly Doucette (01:48):
Oh, goodness.

>> Candace (01:49):
Well, I'm glad to be back with you.

>> Tanorria (01:51):
This is so excited to be back. We,
um, are approaching
things a little differently this season.

>> Candace (01:59):
Yeah.

>> Tanorria (01:59):
Um. Cause life is great, and that means
new opportunities and new things, and
that means black girls eating is gonna have to ride our
wave.

>> Candace (02:08):
And, you know, we love a good pivot.

>> Kelly Doucette (02:11):
Yes.

>> Tanorria (02:13):
Yeah, we love a pivot when we know what the pivot is.
I'm currently in the season of, like, lord, what is my
pivot? Can you please tell me?
We love a good pivot.

>> Candace (02:22):
We love a good pivot.

>> Kelly Doucette (02:23):
So.

>> Candace (02:24):
Yeah. Well, with that being said, we
got an amazing guest on the show.

>> Kelly Doucette (02:28):
We do.

>> Candace (02:30):
Listen, we've been trying to get her for a while, and
the Lord allowed for the stars to align today. It
just worked out great.

>> Tanorria (02:37):
I am m so excited about this guest. My little backstory
is, I barely know this guest, but I am, um, in
awe of her. Just, like, seeing her out in
public and, um, seeing her on
social media and just what she does. And the first time that
we met in person, she told me I was, um, black
famous. And I was like, done. That's all I needed to.

>> Candace (02:57):
That's all you need right there. And honestly, if you get the cosign from this
person, that's really pretty much your golden. I
feel that really, if you get the co sign from
this person, you are golden. And
just know that time and the world is on
your side.

>> Tanorria (03:14):
I receive that. I do. That is.
That's authentic.

>> Candace (03:18):
Well, y'all, let me read our
fabulous, fabulous guest bio, because
as we always say on black girls eating, the bio
is, y'all.
I am just overjoyed to
welcome Kelly Doucette to black
girls eating. Kelly is a Fort Wayne, Indiana native
who holds a bachelor's degree from Ball State University

(03:40):
Church. She currently
serves as the director of community relations at the
Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing
Partnership. She has a vast experience
in hospitality, office management, community
engagement. Y'all listen. The woman is all
about it, okay? She has an amazing
and unique perspective on leadership and relationship development.

(04:02):
She firmly believes that a good leader must be a great
listener and be someone with a willingness
and a heart to serve. She currently serves as the
president of the exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League,
the Annapolis Urban League board member. She's a member of the Ball State
University alumni Council and a proud member
of Sigma Gamma Rose sorority Incorporated. Y'all,

(04:23):
she's an advocate for young professionals, Indianapolis.
And she was recognized in 2023 as an emerging
leader from the 100 black men of Indianapolis,
and with an inaugural mastermind award
from the United Negro College Fund of Indianapolis,
y'all welcome my girl,
Kelly. Black girls eating.

>> Tanorria (04:42):
Yeah.

>> Candace (04:42):
Yay, Kelly.

>> Kelly Doucette (04:44):
Kelly.

>> Candace (04:44):
Kelly.

>> Kelly Doucette (04:45):
Hey. Thank you for having me. That was amazing. Like,
uh, black famous is a thing for me. So, uh, I am
equally as honored to be
here, uh, with two black women that
are doing amazing things in Indianapolis. So thank you for having me.

>> Candace (04:59):
Thank you so much for being here. I have tried
to nail down the moment that Kelly and I
connected, and I want to say it was
in my first alliteration of podcasting with stakes is
high. Shout out to Jones
and TC. Um,
and I just feel like I fell in love with

(05:20):
her from that moment. Like, I
just. Yeah, I loved her from then, and I don't even know, like, when we
actually saw each other for the first time in person.
But I just. Yeah, the love is so
real. So thank you, Kelly, for being here.

>> Kelly Doucette (05:33):
Thank you. That was the time, too.
Shout out.

>> Candace (05:38):
Yes. That was a time.
Yes again. I mean, when I think about it, like, I've been
podcasting almost ten years.

>> Tanorria (05:46):
Yeah.

>> Candace (05:48):
Well, t I'm gonna let you ask Kelly the question that we always
start our episodes with.

>> Tanorria (05:53):
Man, this can go so many
different directions. But, um, one
of the reasons that we specifically
thought that Kelly would be such a good
guest this particular time,
this particular season is because of
her expertise when it comes to civil service.

>> Candace (06:13):
Yes. Yes.

>> Tanorria (06:14):
And so I want to ask you, Kelly,
when did you fall in love with civil
service?

>> Kelly Doucette (06:21):
Um, it was actually my senior year of high
school. Uh, we had a
government class. Uh, shout out to miss stoler.
She, uh, was the
door that opened for me. Government, um,
was an interesting class. We had to take it. It wasn't an
elected class. And, um,

(06:43):
long story short, this was, um,
around the time of another election.
So this would have been
2005, I want to
say 2004.
Um, in that class, we had a mock election,
and I, um, was selected

(07:03):
to run as John Kerry. Uh, I had a running
mate, John Edwards. Um, and then we ran
against, uh, I want to say Bush and Cheney at that time.

>> Tanorria (07:11):
Yeah.

>> Candace (07:12):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (07:12):
And so, um, we did all the
things. I learned all of their
policy points. I learned their campaign slogans,
all the things. Um, I was the only
girl, uh, amidst a gang, uh, of
boys that was in that
election. And so, you know, I came in, uh, we had to do an

(07:33):
actual, um, debate. And I
came in with a black suit and made sure that I had a pink tie on. Cause I
needed them to know what time of day it
was.

>> Tanorria (07:42):
Yes, honey, yes.

>> Kelly Doucette (07:44):
And we did all the things, and I still lost.
And it was, uh, you
know, just like the real election. I lost this John Kerry in real
life. And I type a way about that. That, um.
And so from there, I just
was all in on the process.
I am a full advocate of understanding

(08:04):
that your vote is your voice and
that things don't always go our way. But that doesn't mean
that you stop being involved in the process
or you stop talking about it or you stop advocating for
it. Um, and that was kind of the jumping off
point for, uh, my interest
in understanding just how important,
um, civics are to

(08:27):
our. To our society and also, um, our
part in that as well.
Sounds high school.

>> Tanorria (08:35):
That means that you, I mean, you are an expert if
you have been immersing yourself.

>> Kelly Doucette (08:40):
I am highly invested is what I
said.

>> Tanorria (08:44):
Oh, that's good.

>> Candace (08:44):
That's good.

>> Tanorria (08:45):
That's good because everyone should be. But I.
We're not. I mean, I. I'm highly invested right
now. Mhm. I have become even more
highly invested since early August. Haven't we
all? But, um. Um. To be highly
invested all the time is.
Is important. And I think people

(09:05):
probably take for granted.

>> Kelly Doucette (09:08):
It's easy to. It's, it's very easy
to, um. Um, because we just live our lives. But
we also forget how instrumental, um,
policy, laws, all of those things are
to our daily lives because this is the life that we
live. Right. Um, especially in our
generation, we didn't really have a whole lot of

(09:29):
struggle where putting
laws into place. Like the Voting
Rights act, the civil rights act. Those
things are already in place.
Yeah, for now, lord willing,
they don't go away. Um, but they were already
in place for us. So that is not the life that we knew.
We essentially live a life of

(09:52):
ease. It may not always seem that way, but we're
not always fighting for things. Um,
generations before us were proactive. We
are a little bit more reactive and so it makes a
difference in how we, um. And how we live our
lives.

>> Tanorria (10:08):
That's good. Generations before us were proactive and now
we're reactive. That's a quote right there.
That puts some things into perspective because we
are so reactionary. We are
so, um, instant
gratification. And I think that instant
gratification comes from being
reactionary. We need to feel something

(10:29):
instantly because we feel like we've been
wronged instantly. Whereas
people were trying to be proactive
to fight continual wrong. So
they knew it was a long game.

>> Candace (10:43):
And it's so interesting, right? Because
as our generation, like, we know what's happened before
us yet and still, like, we don't always take
the necessarily steps to make sure that, I
mean, voting rights, uh, I mean, there's so many things
that are super key important, especially
right now in this season. And you would

(11:03):
think that knowing what we know, that we would automatically be like, okay,
yeah, like, we gotta put our butts on the line. Like, you know,
stick our noses around, get our feet to the pavement, get our friend, you
know? But, like, it's almost as if we have this
weird privilege with not worrying about
it. And it's strange.

>> Tanorria (11:20):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (11:23):
But again, it is a privilege that we were
afforded, right? It was put into
place in 64 and 65.
Um, so that we didn't have to worry about it. However,
I think somewhere along the way, we became complacent
in thinking that it was never going to go
away. Um, and now we're in a
situation where, you know, it

(11:45):
has, you know, the voting Rights act of
1965, I want to say,
is in jeopardy. Right. And
now we have to, like, redo a lot of the
things that we had. But fortunately for us, you
know, we don't have to march. We choose to
march.

>> Tanorria (12:03):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (12:03):
Uh, social media, right?

>> Tanorria (12:06):
So, good.

>> Kelly Doucette (12:07):
So, like, that's how we express ourselves.
But we don't have to leave our homes to have
a conversation or to fight,
if you will, against what is being wronged against us. We
just make a TikTok and hope it goes viral and
go from there, and then we still live our lives. Right. Um,
whereas, you know, 64, 65 was a time

(12:28):
they had to ride a bus if they could find one.
They had to find food. If they could find somewhere that they could
sit. They had to go there. Where are you going to stay?
Right. There was no Airbnb.

>> Tanorria (12:38):
Yep.

>> Kelly Doucette (12:39):
Right. They might have had to stay on the bus. We don't know.
Um, so we go. We make a
TikTok, we go about our business, we go back to
work, or we go hang out with our friends and have a
drink and then look at views and, like, all right,
it's viral. Now I'm good to go that it does
something. But, um, our fight is certainly

(13:00):
a different type of fight.

>> Tanorria (13:02):
You know, saying that is hits
home real hard for me, because
prior to early August, um,
I would talk to friends, like, I
would say, really, the spring and summer
months, I would spend time talking to friends, making
plans for
2025 and would end it and

(13:24):
say, well, you know, if things turn out a certain
way, or, um, I would
say, you know, if I still live in this country,
because I'm just gonna. I'm gonna put it all out
there. Um, before,
um, Kamala was endorsed as a presidential
candidate, I had my neighbor, who's a
vet tech, helping me figure out paperwork to get my dogs out of

(13:47):
the country with me. Like, my passport was ready, we
were leaving, and now
I have this hope and this sense of
obligation to stay here and fight.
Um, but to think
that I felt like I couldn't make plans
or that I couldn't be concrete in my

(14:08):
plans if it went past,
really, November 2024,
um, and to know that
that was a choice, that was an option, that was a
privilege to say that my passport's ready. I'm just gonna
leave. And to know that
literally only 60 years ago, y'all, this. This

(14:29):
is our parents and our grandparents age.
It's not that long ago that they were
left with no choice.

>> Candace (14:36):
That's the thing that I think a lot of us, I mean, you
know, I'm in the 40 club, so I have
parents who, when they were born, did
not have, if you, had they been of age, could not have
legally voted in that country.

>> Tanorria (14:50):
Same.

>> Candace (14:51):
So that is living, breathing evidence
of just how raggedy this place has been.

>> Tanorria (14:56):
Yeah. You know what I mean?

>> Candace (14:58):
And like, I think, we think, oh, well, that was, you know, so long
ago. No, it's not. My parents are still living.
They know what that, what that felt like. I can remember my mom
saying. She remembers when,
you know, my grandfather could
legally vote in, you know, in this
country. My mom was ten.

>> Tanorria (15:18):
Yeah. Wow.

>> Candace (15:20):
You know, like, and I remember, you know, my
grandfather telling me, you know, growing up in the south and
how, you know, white men would tell him, you know,
get off the street, boy. He's like, I'm a grown man. Like,
I'm a grown, college educated man. We love
to think is that, that's so far, long ago, but it's not. It's a
blink away. That moment, that time
period is literally a blink away. And right now, we're

(15:43):
literally dealing with all of the residual of that.

>> Tanorria (15:45):
Yes.

>> Candace (15:48):
You know, it's. Yeah, but I love the fact that
you, Kelly, were able to tap in at such a
young age. I, ah, mean,
because I remember falling in love with government and civics in high
school and just how it kind of, you know, clung to
me. So let me ask you, what is
something outside of voting,
obviously, that young people, you know, under the age

(16:11):
of 25, can do to get engaged
civically?

>> Tanorria (16:15):
That's a great question, Candace.

>> Kelly Doucette (16:16):
Sure. I mean, there's actually quite a bit, um, you
know, just being
involved locally is something that I think,
um, people overlook. I think that
folks get really invested in the
presidential election, forgetting that
we have midterms. Um, and those
midterms are equally as important,

(16:38):
um, because a lot of those folks are your local,
um, your local elected officials. So your city
councilor, your county
surveyor. Right. And so
I, um, think just first and foremost, just
understanding who your elected officials
are, um, state

(16:59):
and, uh, uh, local,
um, is huge, right. Because then you can. Those are
the ones that we have the biggest impact on. Those are the
ones that, um,
represent your neighborhood. And
so if you don't even know who your local city counselor is,
that is a good place to start. Because they are the

(17:19):
ones that are going to have a huge influence
on the laws and policies that are put
into place, um, in your neighborhood.
So, you know, going to a city council meeting,
um, is a great start, because then you just see how the
process goes. All of those meetings are open to the
public. M the committee meetings and the

(17:40):
actual city council, monthly city council meeting are
open to the public, um, and so even if you just
start there, right, because I think a lot of times people think
that being civically engaged is an
action item always. But sometimes just
sitting back and having an understanding of what is going
on is equally as important, because then it
determines how you move day to day. Um,

(18:03):
if you choose a party, um,
I'm not here to tell people whose party to
choose, right. But if you have a party that
is more aligned with your
daily moral or with your morals and your daily
moves, then get involved in a campaign.
Right. Phone banking is important. Door
knocking is important. Um, you

(18:25):
know, just being an advocate
for the policies that most affect you
is huge. Um, you can
run to be, like, a precinct committee
person. That's a big deal. We don't have a lot of
young people in those roles. Um,
and quite frankly, most
importantly, just voting is

(18:47):
actually a huge step. Um, you know,
Indianapolis in particular, is,
um, synonymous with having great
voter registration. But then our voter
turnout is at record low numbers.
Oh, particularly when it comes to,
um, like, the midterm elections. People are going to show

(19:07):
up for the presidential because it's a big deal,
right? That's the one that a lot of times, people are most invested
in. Um, but, you know, voting for your
mayor. My goodness, how is that not important
to you? Right? Voting for the person that is
going to fight for your. Your neighborhood, if you
need, you know, city streets. Your

(19:28):
city, your street, uh, that you live on
is, you know, cratered to the moon. Right? Like, it's
huge. You can't call the president for that,
you know? So who are you going to call if you don't know? If you don't
know who to call? That's a bigger issue to me than you not voting
for the president, right. Because their
policies are trickled down. The folks that

(19:48):
are local are the ones that are affecting you every day.
So, um, just knowing those people, you
can set up times to even just chat
with them. Um, that is what they are there
for. They're not
someone to put on a pedestal, in my opinion. They are
everyday people. They have everyday jobs. They've
just chosen to elevate

(20:11):
their particular district.
Um, and to represent them, but they are no, they are
nobody that you should be afraid of, that you
can't talk to. They should be just as approachable
as anyone else. Um, so, young
people for the 25 year olds,
um, that's a great way to

(20:31):
start, right? And then, quite
frankly, if you want to run for office, let's get to it,
right? I am not a let's wait your turn type of
person. Uh, I think
that waiting your turn means
standing back and listening to someone else's thoughts and
ideas and not being able to insert your

(20:51):
own. Um, and so if you have ideas,
if you have thoughts, there are plenty of opportunities to
either run for office, help someone with their
campaign, get into a city government job,
um, and then you can start helping so that,
um, so that we have a fair and equitable
way of thinking about how our city should

(21:12):
run.

>> Candace (21:13):
Um, that's good. That's really, really
good. I think a lot of people are going to
be, um, helped by
just knowing that, um, it doesn't always take. I say this a lot.
It doesn't always take those grand gestures. Right?

>> Kelly Doucette (21:27):
Yeah.

>> Candace (21:27):
Ah, it's, you know, it's a combination of these little things
that really add up and matter most. Like you signing up to work
the polls, you helping elderly people get to the
polls, you actually getting to know who your elected officials
are in your own community. That's going to make more impact
than you doing a million
phone making campaigns for the presidential election, because, like

(21:48):
you said, Kelly, we know people are going to vote on the presidential election. We know
that. But it's those local elections that
really matter. So thank you for calling that out.

>> Kelly Doucette (21:56):
Absolutely. And I'll even say for the 18 and up,
um, I was heavily involved in our student government
when I was at Ball State. And so that's also
a way to get a better understanding,
um, for the long run, on how legislation is
created and why it is created in the
process of how. So, at Ball State, our

(22:17):
student government association wrote legislation just like
we write the laws for Indiana. And,
Candace, you know, from experience, just how
difficult the legislation is
to understand. And, you know,
1819, I'm writing it
the way, the same way that our lawmakers are doing it. So

(22:38):
you have to. Understanding how to read
legislation is critical
because it is not written. It was not
written when it first started,
um, for, you know, for our time. Like the
blue collar worker. Right. It
was written really for white men that were
educated, and so they used

(23:00):
large words, words that were not everyday
language. I tell people, ah, heretofore
and aware as every once in a while will throw you off.
Um, and so if you. If. Even if you just understand
what. How legislation is written, that's huge, because
it can be written to sound one way and mean
the exact opposite.

>> Candace (23:21):
Yeah. Yeah, I was up, so, yeah, let's jump
into herbality. So, um, one of the great
joys, um, I've had with Kelly is being a,
um, member of the exchange at the Indianapolis
Urban League. So I'm going to let Kelly share a little bit more about
that, and then I'll kind of jump in and kind of share my experience so that you all can
kind of get a well rounded idea of what that means. So, kelly, tell

(23:42):
us more about the exchange of Indianapolis Urban League.

>> Kelly Doucette (23:45):
Sure. Um, so the exchange is
the auxiliary, the young professional
auxiliary of the Indianapolis Urban League.
We, um, will be rounding out on ten years
next year. So that's exciting. Yeah.
Originally, our original chapter, uh,
was started in 2005, and the

(24:05):
current Indianapolis Urban League CEO, Mister Tony
Mason, was the first president. Um,
that kind of, um, fizzled out a little
bit for a few different reasons, but then in
2015, it was basically the
second iteration, a name change, um,
and then an ideal of what it is like
for the Indianapolis Urban League to have a young professional

(24:27):
auxiliary that is focused on personal and
professional development with an emphasis on civic
engagement. Um, we are part of
a national body, so we are part of the National Urban League young
professionals, um, and we are one of 62
plus and growing chapters across the country.
So we have, um,
thousands of young professionals, um,

(24:50):
that mostly look like us,
fighting, um, the good fight in all the different
ways that you can imagine. The beautiful part about it
is that no chapter is the same. No chapter has
the same way, um, of going about
things, but our fight is the same.
Our struggles are the same, and

(25:11):
so we can lean in to one another,
um, and really figure out how can we best
impact our communities, um, with a
general age group of 21 to 40 young
black professionals in and across
America, um, and so that has been a
beautiful experience. I have, um,
lifelong friends at this point now that I'm calling out where they

(25:33):
want, they belong to me now, whether they want to or
nothing, um, all over,
from, literally from New York
to California and everywhere in between,
um, and so here locally, our focus during, um,
my administration is, um,
community. And so

(25:54):
we are trying really hard to
continue to create a community where young
black professionals feel like they belong in the city of
Indianapolis, um, and so
that comes in a multitude of ways, um, if
you're a member, the group chat is a good time
on any given, um, it can be serious

(26:15):
where we're dropping, um,
jobs, new, uh, jobs for
somebody. Um, we're posting
congratulations. Um, or
probably the highest engagement day was what we call the
purge. And so that, quite frankly, that's
when we go through and we re up, uh,
our members for the year. And the

(26:37):
group chat is part of membership. And so if you have not paid your dues
by a certain day, you gotta go. And it was a wild
day, um, because I think people thought we were playing. Well, we
weren't. And so now, you know, folks are trying to get their
dues paid last minute because they don't want to leave the
chat. And I have been in very few
situations where a chat was the community that
we needed.

>> Tanorria (26:57):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (26:58):
Somewhere where you can go, you can post how you
feel about the day, you can post how you feel about a
situation. And it is a, uh, literal no
judgment zone. However, if
anything is offensive, that is where the buck
stops. Right. Because that's not what that space is for.
We also engage in a lot of civic engagement

(27:19):
activities. So we do early voting
days, um, where we want to make sure that people that
maybe have never voted before don't feel like they are alone in the
process. Right. Earlier this
year, um, we. Or later this
year, we have a couple things in the works. We'll do some voter registration
drives. I'm going to hint at a local, um,
indie legend. So once that

(27:41):
is, uh, more m
confirmed, we'll get that into the atmosphere.
Um, but we'll do voter registration drives. Every
event that we have from here until October
7, uh, will have a voter registration
opportunity. Check your voter registration
or get registered to vote.
Um, because we need people to just understand that things

(28:03):
don't always go our way. That does not mean that
you stop being engaged in the process. Right.
And so that is what we push. We push that.
It doesn't mean that everything is going to be
perfect. The people that we are voting for are
not perfect. But what we push is
what most aligns with you.

(28:23):
Right. It could be a certain person.
Well, we won't say that on the air.

>> Candace (28:30):
We can.

>> Kelly Doucette (28:31):
Well, we are a nonpartisan m
organization.

>> Tanorria (28:35):
Black girls eating.

>> Candace (28:36):
Can.

>> Kelly Doucette (28:38):
I very much like to sit in that, because we do have different
points of view. Right. We cannot,
we should note, be
pushing one person. But what we can push in
is an agenda. We can push
the things that are going to affect the black community at high
rates. Right. So that if that happens
to be one person, then that is the

(29:00):
person that we, you know, cannot, um,
endorse, but we fully push for those
agenda items.

>> Tanorria (29:08):
Hey, friends, it's Tanoria. My
first ever cookbook is staples. Plus five is available
wherever cookbooks are sold. It was voted one of the best
cookbooks in 2020 by glamourmagazine.com.
you can purchase [e-mail]
books. And make sure to tell me what your favorite recipe
is.

>> Candace (29:26):
Hey all, it's Candice the spice slinger. Here
is your food, bland, unseasoned.
Let's spice it up with seasonings from foodlovetalk.
Catch me [e-mail]
dot be ye seasoned, y'all.

>> Tanorria (29:40):
I feel like our listeners need to know in case they
don't. And then, Candace, I, uh, do want you to talk about your
experience, but while Kelly's on this, two things.
One, you mentioned October 7. Why is
October 7, um, significant?

>> Kelly Doucette (29:54):
Sure. October 7 is the voter registration deadline for this
election, and that is in.

>> Tanorria (29:59):
The state of Indiana. Everyone.

>> Kelly Doucette (30:01):
That is, I believe.
I want it for Indiana. Yes.

>> Tanorria (30:06):
Okay, sure.

>> Kelly Doucette (30:07):
I can't speak about every other states,
uh, rules around voter registration, but
for this, yes, that is ours. It is 30
days before election day.

>> Tanorria (30:17):
Friends, if you go to vote dot gov, you can find out
the deadline for your state. So for our listeners who are not
in Indiana, if you go to vote dot Gov, you can find
that out, and we'll make sure to put that in the show notes as well.
Um, and then, Kelly, the other thing that you
mentioned is, what are the
agendas that are affecting the

(30:37):
black community and the things that we, as
black voters need to be aware
of and consider how it's going to affect the
quality of our life? And can you talk
about that a little bit on the national level,
but also, and, uh, most importantly, on the local
level?

>> Kelly Doucette (30:56):
Sure. So, I mean, it really, there is
no one right answer, um, especially
because obviously, black people are not monolithic. And
so we, um, will take a look at
housing and how that is affecting the black
community. So I work
for a, ah, local, um,

(31:16):
affordable housing nonprofit, and again,
for Indianapolis, home ownership rates are
again at historic lows. So why
is that? What are the things that are affecting our
community that makes it so difficult
for black people to get houses now?
One is out of our control, and that is the

(31:36):
banks. Right. And how they decide on who to
give a loan to. So those are the things that, when we look at
policy, what does policy
say in regards to
banking and how they are,
um, determining who gets a loan for a home and who
doesn't. Right. We'll also take a look at things
like, um, capital, uh,

(31:59):
for entrepreneurs. Right. Black
women are probably one of the highest, at one of the
highest rates of opening new businesses
across the country. But yet we have things like
the fearless fund being attacked because they've
decided that we cannot give to
just black people. That affects our ability to open

(32:19):
businesses and to thrive on our own
2ft. Right. Because we don't have access
to capital. Um, we'll take a look at
education, particularly here locally.
Um, and what the policies and
things that are going into instructing our children
look like. Um, our babies can't read.

(32:39):
Right. That's a problem. And why is it a
problem?

>> Tanorria (32:43):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (32:44):
And the problem starts with our elected officials
a lot of times because, um, in my
opinion.

>> Tanorria (32:50):
Mhm.

>> Kelly Doucette (32:52):
A lot of our elected officials that are getting into education
policy have not been educators.
How can you make policy based on an
experience because you have a child and not based
on understanding instruction.
Right. So when we think about who we're
voting for, those are the things that we think about.

(33:13):
When you're looking at voting for a president, people,
a lot of times what we focus on is that one person
forgetting that the person that we vote into office
also selects the secretary
of education, the secretary of
transportation. Right. Those things
affect, uh, infrastructure,
affect our education system.

(33:37):
Um, they affect the housing and urban development.
So hud. Right. Those who will also
be appointed by the person we
elect. So we focus a lot on the president, and that's great. Love
that for them. Right. But I'm more affected
by the cabinet positions
later down the line. So when our,

(33:57):
our lovely Marsha fudge was in office, she
was very focused on making sure that HUD
policy, um, was equitable.
Right. Get someone else in place.
Homeownership for black people could go
drastically down because they're not concerned with
us. They're changing the way that things

(34:17):
do, that things happen. And when people get in place,
they move the marker. Right. And we
are always playing catch up. Um, so
here locally in Indianapolis, um, I
think how much, you know, we. When you're
not involved or have an understanding, things
like understanding the budget that the mayor
passes, it's incredibly important. Right.

(34:39):
How much are they giving to public safety? How much are they giving to public
education or education, period. How much are they
giving to infrastructure? Those are the things
that we have to think about, um, as a black
community, quite frankly, when we are electing people in
office, and let me say this, also, who our
judges are, you get to the ballot, know

(35:00):
who's on the ballot for judge, you should.

>> Tanorria (35:02):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (35:03):
That is affecting the sentencing,
uh, hm. Or not sentencing of our people.
And so those are the things when we think about
elections, we look at it from very
high level, but when you get into the nitty gritty of it, it is
certainly affecting how our people are moving forward,
or not, quite frankly.

>> Tanorria (35:23):
I have a question, this is more of a personal question.
Um, I live in a
suburb outside of Indianapolis
and, um, my husband and I have been
here for a little over a year and a half. So we
have voted in,
um, last year. What's that called

(35:44):
again?

>> Kelly Doucette (35:45):
Midterm.

>> Tanorria (35:45):
Thank you. I knew it was an m and it just, I was about to say moderate,
and I'm like, that's not it. Um, and we voted
in the primaries this year,
and both times we
voted, we had very limited
options, meaning that it was very one
sided in who we got to vote
for. Um. What do you do about

(36:07):
that? How do you navigate that when it's, when
the people on the ballot are your only option and you don't
really want to vote for them?

>> Kelly Doucette (36:15):
Um, well, first and foremost, you don't have to,
uh, you don't have to check the box. Let's be
very, um. Because that also
sends a message, right?

>> Tanorria (36:26):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (36:27):
Let's say, I don't know, in a local, let's say
1400 people are eligible, came to vote
and you got 200 of those votes. Right. Like
something doesn't mean you didn't win, but it should be, it
should be very clear that the people were not,
were not on board with you as their option.

>> Candace (36:45):
Right.

>> Kelly Doucette (36:45):
But also start talking to people. Right.

>> Tanorria (36:48):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (36:48):
Um, we're in a very interesting time where, you know,
the 2016 election,
um, was a tough time. 2016,
2020, um, was,
um, an interesting
eight years.

>> Tanorria (37:04):
Yeah.

>> Candace (37:05):
Mhm. The least, yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (37:08):
And people,
um, how do I say people are just
not invested, they're not interested,
are, um,
sad, quite frankly, some people
going, um, but they are also
not fired up. Right.
And, you know, um,

(37:29):
people just don't want to be involved right now. They just want to live
their lives. So, you know, when I'm having
conversations with folks,
um, and I just hear their passion about certain
things, I always just pose the question, have you ever thought about
running for office?
And you just start asking, just, it's just like a little, it's just
like a little. See, that you plant,

(37:51):
um, because a lot of times that's how people get
involved is you just asking them.
I hear you and I hear your
passion. Is that something you would
consider. If so, tell me how I
can help.

>> Tanorria (38:06):
Yeah, uh, that's good,
Kelly.

>> Kelly Doucette (38:10):
I mean, because a lot of times the people that should run
for office do nothing, and the people
absolutely do, and they do it with gusto and
a lot of confidence because someone has.

>> Tanorria (38:21):
Convinced them that they can, or they.

>> Kelly Doucette (38:23):
Convince themselves, more importantly, that, too.
Yeah. Right. And so if you,
you know, the other thing is, uh,
way back when, um, you know, our
communities, uh, picked a person and then we
fully supported that person.
Right. It's a game, and we have to be
very privy to that. It's not by circumstance

(38:45):
or by happenstance that people, uh, just
run for office. Right. We. We
find somebody with that fire in them, with that
passion, and we say, hey, I think you
should do this. And also, we're going to
support you, and also we're going to
fundraise for you,
and also we're going to put, you

(39:08):
know, uh, flyers and
mailboxes in on doors, right? So we
can't say, I think you should do this, and be like, good luck.
Hope you win. I'll vote for you.
We have to then put action
into place to say, this is the
person that we've decided we want to support
as a community, and then we support them in

(39:30):
all of the ways so that their life as a
campaign and on a campaign is not miserable
because they're concerned that they don't have enough money to do this or
that. They're always begging people to phone, bank,
or knock on doors or show up at events
or have events for them to show up to. Right. Um,
it is a collective effort, and I think

(39:52):
in communities like yours, um,
it can be overwhelming.

>> Tanorria (39:59):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (40:00):
Um, the things that are put into place
were not put into place for us.

>> Tanorria (40:05):
Absolutely.

>> Kelly Doucette (40:07):
And I changed that.

>> Tanorria (40:09):
I say that about my
community, knowing that. I
am absolutely
fascinated with how diverse
just my streak is. Like,
there is more. Um,
and when I say diverse, I don't just mean
race, I guess race heavily, but

(40:31):
we have same sex families on our street.
We have elderly people, we have
young couples, we have young singles,
we have older single. It is just.
I m am so grateful, because that was something that I
literally prayed for. Um, but
to know how diverse just

(40:53):
my street is and to know that when we were in the
process of building this house and we would come
out, you know, to the grocery store in the area
or to do shopping in the area, if there was
a checkout person of color, I would ask them, do you live here
or do you also work? Do you only work here? Or do you also live
here. They could easily. There's

(41:13):
a very, um.
Um,
much, uh, more established, mature
area of Indianapolis that's just one or two
exits away. So someone could easily commute to
this community for a job. And a lot of the
people said they worked here and lived here.

(41:33):
Okay. This is hopeful. And then I get to the
ballots and I'm like, what is happening?
What's going on? So, yeah,
that's. I mean, it's good to know. It's like you said,
talking to people and just planting a seed. Cause
it's probably something that they hadn't even considered or don't even
think they're capable of, but they really are. Mhm.

>> Kelly Doucette (41:54):
They probably think they have to wait their turn.
Yeah. Or that they have to be,
you know, have had to do
something or. Or have been established
in some way to do
this. And elected officials
are public servants. Yes.

>> Candace (42:12):
Right, right.

>> Kelly Doucette (42:15):
That's why I said they should not be always put on a
pedestal, because they are public servants.
They're. They are regular people like you and I.
So if they can do it, I can do it. That's awesome. Um,
that's just the way it is. You know, you can learn
how to handle a meeting. You can
learn how, you know, the way that writing
legislation works. But what you can't learn is how to be a good person.

(42:38):
Um, can't learn is how to care about the people in your
community. Right. Those are things you can't fake, and
if you do, you can't do it for long.
And so the people that are committed day in
and day out are doing the things day in and day out are the ones
that should be fighting for us locally, at
the state house, on the national level.

(42:58):
Those are the people, um, that I
want running for office young
or doesn't matter, quite frankly. Now I'm
leaning heavily on young because that's just where I'm passionate
about. And I think people forget
Martin Luther King junior was 39 when he was killed.

>> Candace (43:14):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (43:15):
Look what he did from up, um, until
39. Yeah, right.
Like, those are the things. Now, did he look a little
older? I think it was the mustache and.

>> Tanorria (43:27):
Probably life wearing away at him as
absolutely black man, I'm sure.

>> Candace (43:32):
All that he had to carry.

>> Kelly Doucette (43:35):
But, like, it's not impossible,
right? Ah, improbable.
So good.

>> Tanorria (43:42):
So good.

>> Candace (43:44):
Kelly, thank you for lifting all of this up, because,
again, like, we do see and know people who would be
absolutely amazing at public service.
And for me, it's a lot of women.
Yeah, it's a lot of women. Who would be amazing at public
service. And part of me thinks it's just this
misogynistic culture that we live in that makes

(44:04):
them feel like they absolutely have to step back and wait for someone
else. Um, and then another part of me
is just, it's fear that speaks to them, says, hey, no, I can't do
that. But thank you for calling that out, because I know there's someone out
there listening that says, you know what? Yeah, that probably
is me. So thank you for calling that out.

>> Kelly Doucette (44:21):
And let's also forget that when those people get in office, that
we have to support them.

>> Candace (44:25):
Right?

>> Kelly Doucette (44:26):
Right. Because as soon as something goes down, we were like,
well, that's what we get for electing that person, right.
Instead of giving them a chance. Right. People are not
perfect. And representing a, ah,
district, a state, you know, is
not easy. Um, but we get them in
office, and then again, we just go about our lives forgetting

(44:46):
that they're still going to need ongoing support, um,
and a circle of trust, um, to continue
to want to fight that fight for us.

>> Tanorria (44:56):
Gotcha.

>> Candace (44:57):
Thank you for that. That's good.

>> Tanorria (45:00):
Candice. Ah, what has your involvement with
the urban league meant for you and your
perspective as we enter or as we
live through this current political season?

>> Candace (45:11):
Oh, my gosh. So I had the
amazing opportunity to be a member of
the great eight, the 8th cohort of the exchange
at the Annapolis Urban League. And it is a
personal development program, professional and personal development
program for urban young professionals. And let me
just tell you, um, first of

(45:31):
all, we had just a
great, we have just a great cohort of people
together. That's the first thing. Um,
but the support that we've received
from the exchange has been,
it's literally been life changing. And I don't say
that to be, you know, oh, it's this, you

(45:52):
know, rainbow and puppies. No, it's been
challenging. It's been hard because you have to balance your work
life and your family life with your classes,
meeting with your cohort. You have homework, you
have presentations, um, that you have to give,
but the connection and the care.
Um, um, I haven't even shared this on air, but. So
I started seminary, and Kelly shared

(46:15):
that in the chat, which when she talks
about the chat going up, the chat goes up. But from
that, several of the members of the exchange
reached out to me privately and was like, this is great. Like, I'm
so glad to see you doing this. Like, this makes sense.
Like, people who you never like, people who
I never thought knew my name, and I'm not kidding. And I just mean, like, as

(46:35):
a person, like, knowing my name, right. But they were just
like, I see you, and I'm so glad you're doing this. Please let me know how I can
support you. So not only does it give you the
professional development that is catered to black,
urban, you know, young professionals, um, it also
gives you the support and the guidance that you really need.
And our group has been able to pull together for our

(46:55):
team from various needs, whether they
need emotional support, financial support. Like,
the. When I say the love is real, like, it is real.
And it's also something that holds you
accountable, you know, because a lot of
times we know that there are people that, you
know, do community work and, you know, work
among the group and, you know, the person that

(47:17):
slacking off. Right. You know, the people that are slacking off. But this group
has been like, uh, did you do your homework? Like,
did you. Did you talk to so and so? Like, did you send that
email? So it's just all of these levels of support
and accountability that I didn't think I realized
that. I didn't realize just how much
I needed that on the other side.

>> Tanorria (47:37):
Um.

>> Candace (47:37):
Cause, like, you know, like, we have that for each other. Like, we have our
creative group that, you know, we can piggyback on. But, like, I.
When you're trying to develop as a professional,
yeah, you get a lot of that. Leadership programming
is not catered for us. Mhm.
It's not. It really. I mean, and you love it. Like, and that's. No, not
to the other ones, but I'm just saying, like, it's one thing. Like,

(47:57):
when you walk into a room and, you know, even if you don't know
another, you don't know the other black person in the room, you automatically
feel kinship to that person.

>> Tanorria (48:04):
Absolutely. Yep.

>> Candace (48:06):
And so, like, having, you know, professional development
that whether the people in the room look like you,
that matters. But that also means that you had a whole host
of ancestors behind you, too, pushing you to greater. So
it's just been a wonderful experience, and it is
still paying dividends in our classes. And don't we still have a couple of
more, um, meetings to go through with the, um,

(48:26):
iul? But, um, we still,
like, we chat every day. We know, we connect with each other, we
check in with each other. And I've seen people get job
interviews, make connections. It's just. It's wonderful. It
really is. And it makes me mad
that I waited so long to get this involved.

>> Kelly Doucette (48:44):
M never too late. Never too late.

>> Tanorria (48:47):
Yeah.

>> Candace (48:47):
So, yeah, it's been wonderful. I'm thankful. I really am
thankful. And, like, seeing, like, Kelly just lead as
she kicks butt as president, she really does.
Like, I've been telling people, I've been telling my family, like, just
about all these changes that we're gonna go through, like, with school and everything. I said,
hey, one band, one sound. Like, I know it's from a movie, but
I hear Kelly when I say.

>> Tanorria (49:07):
I love that movie. I
saw it in the theater five times when it first came out.
I kid you not.

>> Kelly Doucette (49:14):
That was an era. Okay?

>> Tanorria (49:16):
It really was.

>> Candace (49:17):
Love it.

>> Kelly Doucette (49:18):
We need more beside. No, we need more of those black movies to come,
like, between Drumline and
what, uh, are some others? I'm not. I can't even. It was just,
uh, uh, with Omarion
and Martha Houston.

>> Candace (49:32):
You got served.

>> Kelly Doucette (49:33):
You got served. Give me more.

>> Tanorria (49:36):
Yes.

>> Candace (49:37):
What a time to be alive.

>> Kelly Doucette (49:39):
That was a time, like, teenage
movies was a time during our
youth. It was like, uh. It's something you can't even
explain. There are just so many that I still sit and watch,
you know, all the time.

>> Candace (49:52):
All of them. All of them. Don't let the best man come
on. Don't let the wood come on. I'm going to
walk like I've never.

>> Kelly Doucette (49:58):
Done the brothers locked in.

>> Tanorria (50:01):
It's hard to get a good black, feel good movie
anymore. They all have to be portraying drama and
trauma.

>> Candace (50:07):
Okay, so there is one that I just saw
yesterday. Um, it's based on book
called, um, the Supremes at Earl
B's, all you can eat. It's based on a book.

>> Tanorria (50:17):
I saw it, and I have for that.

>> Candace (50:20):
Watch it. It's not necessarily feel good, but it is
literally, like, it's just magical. Just watch
it.

>> Tanorria (50:26):
I didn't know it was out yet. I've been waiting. That's good.
Yay.

>> Candace (50:31):
So this makes me want to ask Kelly. So, Kelly,
you are busy, and I want
to know, what do you do to
make sure you can
effectively take care of yourself? Uh, what do you
do for self care? What's enriching for you? What
replenishes you?

>> Kelly Doucette (50:51):
You, um, know, I would be lying if I said that I was good at
that. I'm really good at telling other people to do that.
Um, because, you know, the truth of the matter
is, if other people are good, I'm
good, because that's one less thing that I have to worry
about. Right. So if you're taking care of yourself, it is effectively
taking care of me.
Um, but, you know, I take.

(51:13):
I generally take Sundays off. I have an event I
need to go to later this evening. Um, but Sundays
are my days, right? So when you asked me about
this, I was like, do I need to leave my house? Because,
you know, I basically lock myself in on Sunday,
put my phone on, do not disturb. Um,
and I just have a moment to myself because,

(51:34):
you know, I do give a lot of myself out to
people. Monday, um, through Saturday,
um, and Sunday is really my. It is not a lot, but
it's a lot for me because it is, um, it's
important to me. Um, and I also started going to
the gym. I will be 100%
transparent with you ladies that discipline

(51:55):
is not a strength for me,
um, when it comes to me, right?
Like, I can be disciplined when it comes to work or
when it comes to doing things for the exchange, but when it comes
to me, uh, you know, keto hate to see me coming
because I, like, two weeks,
and I'm like, you know, a, ah, regular coke

(52:15):
as opposed to a diet sugar free coke is
going. Is gonna set me back.
So, uh, for some reason, and
I don't know, maybe it was God, who knows?
Um, last November, I went
to the gym, uh, for,
um, an assessment, and I came home and I stayed

(52:36):
in bed for the rest of the day because my body was
worn from just doing, like, little
things, right. I was 36 at the
time. Like, there's no way that my body should be
this worn from just from an hour of
physical activity. Um, and
so from there, I just said, you know,
I have to do better. And so, um, I

(52:58):
go to the. To this one gym. Shout out to
omnifitness. Um, Ryan Coleman is
an incredible, incredible trainer. He
has become a friend.
Um, his gym is. Is really based on
spirituality. So the omni comes from m.
Omnipresence, omni all the things, right?
And that was an incredible mind shift

(53:20):
for me because I started feeling bad if
I didn't go. And that's the first time that
something like that has really affected me. So I go
two to three times a week. Um, in this current moment,
I'm still dealing with sciatica. It kind of came out of
me. M and,
you know, last week I went back, and
we've been working through it. Um,

(53:43):
and I'm grateful for that. But I
also understood that I felt
off. I didn't go for about a month between
travel and the sciatica. I didn't go for a month, and
my psyche was just off.
I felt overwhelmed for some reason.
Um, and I figured out it was because that piece of

(54:03):
my routine was not
happening. And so that
has been incredibly important, not just the physical aspect
of it, but I have some incredible friends that also go to
that gym. You know, we go
663-6457
sometimes I believe that's dedication girl m

(54:24):
in the morning. But sometimes that's how, that's
the best part of my day. It started because
we'll have conversation. We've been having conversational politics.
We'll have conversations on life. We'll have conversations on
discipline. We'll have conversations, you know, Drake versus
Kendrick Lamar. Beef came out. That was the time.
So I love it. That is. But I am able

(54:44):
to connect with people because I'm not at a huge
gym. It is very small. And we
just now they are my friends. Yeah,
you're holding, uh, other people accountable. I went in
the other day, I said, hey, homeboy, I didn't see you yesterday. He was like, you know
what? I didn't come. That's why I'm here today.
I love that has been how I do

(55:05):
it. Am I still great at it? No. Mhm.
Mhm. And I don't want people to think that folks that are
busy or that are doing all these great things,
that they are great at self care, because they aren't.
And I don't that to be a lie, but
I think that you have to find moments.
It's not every day, but you do have to find

(55:26):
where, you do find ways to replenish yourself.
I had drinks with a friend yesterday. My cup
was filled from an conversation.
Um, she moved, and she came back for something,
and I hadn't seen her. I don't know, it feels like in
almost a year.

>> Tanorria (55:41):
Wow. Um, so.

>> Kelly Doucette (55:43):
And keeping people around you,
that in a
season where I'm learning, you know, that hard lesson, everybody can't go
with you. Yeah. And that's
tough. I don't know. That is
very difficult because it's not like they're terrible
people, but they're going in the direction that you're
going in. That's been hard.

(56:05):
But I have some best friends from college. We've been best friends
since freshman year at Ball State.
Um, and they hold me
accountable, but they also give me space.

>> Candace (56:16):
M. I love that.

>> Kelly Doucette (56:19):
So when people ask me how you do that, it's because I have a
solid group down. Right.
And that is important. If you don't
come to the exchange, we'll help you find somebody.

>> Tanorria (56:30):
Hello.

>> Candace (56:30):
I love that. Well, this is a perfect segue to
end with our question. Tonya, since
you asked the first, you want me to ask this one.

>> Tanorria (56:38):
Do it.

>> Kelly Doucette (56:39):
Go for it.

>> Candace (56:39):
Okay. So, as you know, on black Rose eating, we always
have our moment of deepness here, and,
you know, we provide a form of therapy for
people, and we don't take that
lightly. So, Kelly, we want to know,
what would you tell your six year old self, your six year
old self, what would you say to her?

>> Kelly Doucette (56:59):
M. That's a good question, probably.

>> Tanorria (57:02):
Um.

>> Kelly Doucette (57:05):
Don'T worry about what other people think. Just do
you.

>> Tanorria (57:08):
So good.

>> Candace (57:09):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (57:10):
Yeah.

>> Tanorria (57:10):
That is the reminder that we all need all the time.

>> Candace (57:13):
Yeah.

>> Kelly Doucette (57:14):
Yeah. Because people will. People will. People
every.

>> Tanorria (57:18):
Mhm.

>> Kelly Doucette (57:18):
Single time. But we're more concerned
about making an impact, being a good
person first and foremost,
you know, being the person that you didn't
have. So that's what I am to my six
year old self, is the person in community that
I did not have growing up.

(57:40):
And so I don't. I don't take that responsibility
lightly. Um, so, to my six year
old self, I would say be, you know, be you. But
to my 37 year old self, I also say, be the person
you wish you had.

>> Tanorria (57:53):
That's good.

>> Candace (57:54):
I love it.

>> Tanorria (57:55):
I like that one.

>> Candace (57:56):
I love it. Well, Kelly, thank you
so much for being on black girl meetings today.

>> Kelly Doucette (58:01):
Thank you. Black famous crew with y'all. I
feel so honored and so special.

>> Tanorria (58:09):
Oh, gosh. I genuinely
know in my heart, heart of hearts, that your words of
wisdom today are going to encourage and inspire
someone, especially in this current
2024 political season. You gave me
perspective. I know you're going to give our listeners something to
think about. Yeah. Um, and

(58:29):
something to be very mindful of as they go
to the ballot box.

>> Candace (58:33):
Absolutely, absolutely.

>> Kelly Doucette (58:35):
Take five people with you.

>> Candace (58:37):
There you go. Take five people with you. There's your charge.
We typically don't give you a charge, but there's your charge, folks. Take a
lot of people with you.

>> Kelly Doucette (58:44):
That is a good one. Just very quickly, every
vote counts.

>> Candace (58:48):
Yes.

>> Kelly Doucette (58:49):
I know someone in the state of Texas that lost an
election by four votes. What?

>> Tanorria (58:55):
I've never heard that small of a number.

>> Kelly Doucette (58:58):
Yeah, four votes.

>> Candace (58:59):
Wow.

>> Kelly Doucette (59:00):
It matters. It really, really
matters. So, uh, don't take it lightly. Don't
think you don't matter. Don't think that vote's not going to count, because
it absolutely will.

>> Tanorria (59:10):
Yeah.

>> Candace (59:11):
There we go.

>> Tanorria (59:12):
Wow. Thank you so much for that.

>> Candace (59:15):
Thank you. Well, friends, we will definitely get all
of the information about the urban league, about
Kelly, and our show notes will also drop some information
on where you can get registered to vote and find out
your, um, polling place. All that good stuff. As
always. Thank you for listening to black girls eating.

>> Tanorria (59:31):
Y'all take care.

>> Candace (59:32):
Take care. Bye bye. Black girls eating the
podcast. It's sound engineered and
produced by David McKissick.
It's recorded at Nexus Impact
center creative suite.
Follow black girls eating the podcast on Instagram
lack girls eating follow Tanoria at
Tanoria's table. Follow candaceoodlove

(59:55):
talk thank you for listening.