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35: We Need a Revolution w/ Jamarr Brown
21 Plays24 days ago
They’re not hiding it anymore.
This week on Geneva Says, Jamarr Brown joins me for a blunt conversation about the Supreme Court’s Callais decision, the dismantling of voting rights, and the very public effort to eliminate Black political power in America.
We talk about the anger so many people are feeling right now, the limits of performative outrage, and why this political moment feels different. Jamarr breaks down what’s actually happening behind the headlines, what’s at stake in upcoming elections, and why local organizing may be one of the last lines of defense.
This conversation is raw, honest, and necessary.
Time to say the quiet parts out loud! Let’s get into it.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Journey
00:00:00
Speaker
Today on Geneva Says, we need a revolution and maybe it needs to be televised.
00:00:19
Speaker
This is Brittany Geneva. Welcome to another episode of Geneva Says. So happy to be back with you wherever you're watching or listening from. Another great episode planned today. I'm bringing up a second guest, Jamar Brown. So excited to have him here. he is an amazing political strategist. We are going to talk politics, Black political power, recent Supreme Court decisions, some really important stuff that we need to make sure that we're tapped into.
00:00:48
Speaker
But before we get to that, First, let's have a little bit of a catch I just need to stop and like reflect on the fact that it has been three months. I cannot believe it has been three months since I relaunched the podcast and What a whirlwind. like i can't like February feels like it was yesterday. like This year is going by so fast. This time has gone by so fast.
00:01:13
Speaker
And I just can't believe that it's already been that long. like I have to say I'm super proud of myself. I have to clap it up for myself because... It was really hard to be consistent with the podcast before.
00:01:27
Speaker
And so to have three months of consistency for me is huge. And I just want to like, sometimes I have an issue with stopping and like celebrating my wins. So I'm going to make sure that I do that now. And I just want to reflect on like a few things that I'm learning and just like understanding more as the podcast is really kicking into gear. i think, you know,
00:01:50
Speaker
Obviously, there are creators that I follow that I look up to and I see the type of content that they're creating. They're doing multiple podcasts per week.
Content Strategy and Audience Engagement
00:02:00
Speaker
They're posting on social like three and four clips a day. and I literally am doing everything.
00:02:07
Speaker
an episode every two weeks and trying to do like four clips a week, which like ah on one hand, I'm like, I need to stop comparing myself, especially to people who are way further ahead than me. But i also think it's really important to like have that ramp up, you know, like if I had tried to come out and do a weekly episode and all these clips and boom, hit the ground running like as fast as possible, 100% would have burned out, would not have made it to three months. So I think it's really important that I took that time to ramp it up. Like my next goal is to do daily posts on social. And that's going to be like a huge win for me. Like that's going to be, who that's that's going to be a lot because right now the four clips a week feels like a lot. So the fact that...
00:02:57
Speaker
You know, eventually I'm going to get to daily clips. Eventually, not long from now, I'm going to get to weekly episodes. And each one of those milestones is an important step.
00:03:09
Speaker
And I can only get to them because I didn't try to start from the beginning at that like massive pace. So let that be a lesson to you, too. If there's anything that you're working on or anything that you want to start working on, and you feel overwhelmed or it feels like it's so big, how can you ramp it up? How can you start at a medium pace and build from there? Because that's going to make it so much more sustainable. And that's why I think I've been able to stick with this for three months, which, like I said, for me is a huge win. I think the other thing, the second thing that really comes up for me is just how much I've learned, like,
00:03:43
Speaker
who just learning about everything to do with putting a podcast together, which I started it years ago. And like the landscape is very different. The technology is different. The apps are different. Like I had to relearn a lot of things. I had to learn about the technology, the audio, the video, um because I was doing a very low five before. So this is like a higher production and like all the learning from that. basically becoming a damn social media strategist like damn I i signed up to be a podcaster I didn't know i was gonna have to be a social media girl too but it's kind of impossible to create this and not also post on social all the time so I'm learning about the algorithm you know like learning things that I never thought I would have to but also I'm glad that I am um and also trying to balance that with just remaining authentic because I definitely never want to get to the point where I'm
00:04:32
Speaker
creating this for views. Like this is about me sharing things that I think are important, that I think we need to be talking about, that I think we need to be thinking about differently. And I'm never going to get to the point where it's about like just trying to get views. So as much as I'm learning and and understanding the platforms better, I'm always going to remain true to me. um And I think the last thing is just the constant reminder of like how much support I have, like y'all. You make a girl feel so nice. Like people have been so supportive, looking out for the episodes, checking in what time does it come out? I want to make sure I don't miss it. Telling people about it, sharing the clips on their ah stories. And I'm just like, huh, like it's so I'm so grateful, so grateful. I cannot describe how grateful I am to have your support for you to be listening, for you to be watching, for you to be caring, for you to be commenting,
00:05:28
Speaker
it It means so much to me. And i just really hope that we can continue growing from here, continue to build this platform. And hopefully it remains, it is now and remains something positive and uplifting and good. And it might be a little provocative and it might be a little, you know, might get the girls going, but I want that to ultimately all be for like a positive outcome to make people think and be more um be more media literate and be more savvy and be more thoughtful, like all of that. So I'm really hoping that with this platform, I can inspire that. And I really appreciate everybody who has been watching and listening up to this point. And I hope you stick with me.
Black Representation and Supreme Court Decisions
00:06:12
Speaker
All right, y'all, I am so, so excited and honored to have the one and only Jamar Brown with me here today on Geneva Says, and amazing political strategist and analyst.
00:06:24
Speaker
We are going to talk about politics. We're going to talk about voting rights. We're going to talk about Black representation, all of the things that are happening now with the recent Supreme Court decision, Louisiana versus Calais.
00:06:37
Speaker
We really need to get into it. If you haven't heard about it, this is a really big deal and something that is going to have big implications for Black people in America. So I really want to get into it.
00:06:49
Speaker
First, Jamar, I'm going to ask you to go ahead and introduce yourself. My name is Jamar Brown. I was raised in Charleston, South Carolina. i have worked in democratic and progressive politics now for over 17 years. Hard to believe it's been that long, but worked in um democratic and progressive politics. um I've been able to work on campaigns at all levels, from city council races to state legislative races to statewide races and even ah presidential races throughout my career.
00:07:18
Speaker
ah But most recently, I was the executive director at Color of Change PAC, And ah before that, I was the first African-American executive director at the Texas Democratic Party. And before that, worked Planned Parenthood. And so I've ah been able to do a lot of things throughout the course of my career. but Over the last seven months, I've been running my own political firm.
00:07:38
Speaker
And so I've been able to work with candidates across the country who are running ah for office from Congress to governor this year um and supporting them on campaign strategy and fundraising and coalition building and all the things that we need to be doing on the ground to, one, deepen our infrastructure in communities across the country, but also, two, ensuring that and particularly Black candidates are resourced this cycle um with what they need to you know reach as many voters as possible. and In light of everything that's happened with the Supreme Court, people needing to vote, and we'll talk all about that. ah I'm just so happy about this. like Jamar and i met when he was at Color of Change PAC.
00:08:20
Speaker
was brought in to do comms and ended up... Yes, and just fell in love with Jamar. I'm like, oh my God, I love working with him. When he left, I was like, oh God, save me. I'm like, But I needed a break. To be completely honest with you, I can say this publicly now that I'm seven months out.
00:08:38
Speaker
ah You know, I honestly needed the break. I mean, y'all, this work is so hard. as I know many people are experiencing and feeling, one, with this administration, and two, with, you know, these Supreme Court decisions um that, you know, really have been given license to a lot of the discrimination and things that we're seeing. But I enjoy working with Brittany. You so helped me when I went on CNN. And so y'all who were like,
00:08:58
Speaker
Oh, look at him on CNN. Brittany was the one who prepped me. So that it embarrassed the culture when I went on TV. and You would never. It was such an honor to work with you. We worked together for a year.
00:09:10
Speaker
um And we just got to do a lot of different things on different issues and different projects and um media and different engagements. And so yeah here we go again, Brittany. Yes, it was awesome. let's Let's do it again. i yeah You know, before we get into, you know, what the decision really was and the implications, like, I just want to stop and reflect on, like, how it felt.
00:09:38
Speaker
You know, because for me, I think one thing I've really been trying to do since November of 2024 is not let this administration and all the things that are happening. It's like, I don't even want to admit how it's impacting me emotionally. Like, I don't, I want to be able to say, like,
00:09:56
Speaker
I'm still, you know, living my life. I'm still trying to find moments to have joy. I'm still trying to, you know, be who I am and not give them the power to say that it's actually making me feel like down or depressed.
00:10:10
Speaker
But the Calais decision and like what's going to happen to Black representation really actually like That was the first time I almost felt like crying again, like after Kamala lost. Like I really felt sad and feel sad about that. And so first I just want to ask you, like, how are you feeling, you know, overall with that decision? Just like, how are you feeling? Yeah.
Activism and Self-care
00:10:34
Speaker
Yeah. And I mean, I was there with you that night. I mean, I remember you were ah over at Howard and waiting on the results of the election. And I was supposed to come meet you um yeah because everybody was texting and calling and have all these inquiries. I never made it to come meet you.
00:10:50
Speaker
And so yeah um I can definitely imagine. Here we go again. And that's what I felt like. um And one of the things I think that's unique, I mentioned I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. I grew up, you know, with grandparents and great grandparents who told me all the things they had to do to fight for rights, right? To be able to go to school, to be able to read, you know? You to be able to go to work, to be able to go to college. Right. My grandparents were the first in our family to go to college. And a lot of times they you had to go to a place like South Carolina State University or other land grant universities. Now they're known as historically black colleges and universities.
00:11:25
Speaker
um And so, you know, learning about them working to expand their rights. And now it's in my generation's hands and we're losing those rights, whether it's a woman's right to choose what she does with her body and the health care she seeks for herself and her family.
00:11:40
Speaker
You know, whether it's about gun restrictions, whether it's the, you know, conversion therapy opening that we're seeing or now, obviously, with this decision around voting rights,
00:11:51
Speaker
You know, it's just, here we go. um and And we've always been taught that we have to fight for these things, but you never know how hard you have to fight. And so to be completely honest with you, I got back to work.
00:12:04
Speaker
And that's what drives me, is to be able to strategize and to do the thing and to respond quickly. And so I'm doing okay. I could be doing better. And I just had a birthday.
00:12:15
Speaker
And so got to celebrate another year of life. where Black don't crack. that We thank the Lord for And I'm taking a little vacation. And so what as we now working for myself and with campaigns has taught me, you know is Jamar, you've got to take some time for yourself. And so I did all the rapid response and all the things. But then I also stepped aside and said, you know what, I'm going to take myself to a nice dinner and do some self-care. And so I'm also encouraging everybody who's listening today that, you know, hey, please take your self-care. If it's, you know, a Saturday evening or a Sunday that you could take away from,
00:12:46
Speaker
The hustle and bustle of the 24-hour news cycle and all the work and thoughts and ideas and strategizing that's happening, I encourage you to do so. Because at the end of the day, the stakes are high, but if we're not healthy, we also can't respond and organize in communities in the way that we need to.
00:13:04
Speaker
we've got to restore ourselves to be able to move the community forward. Amen. Amen. And I just, i'm I'm going out of town. I'm going on a little cruise. Might be a, you know, with hands of virus out there. I hope I'm okay, but I'm going a cruise. hope so, because last time, ah because I went on a cruise in January 2020, and then two months later, we were at home at Cope. I was like, thankfully, didn't catch the virus. But it seems like every time everybody goes on a cruise, we get come back with a virus. And every time Trump's in office, we have a virus. So, you know, but whatever, I digressed.
00:13:38
Speaker
but but i'm I'm going at the end of May and i'm I'm excited and exactly what you just said. Like, we have to have that getaway. We have to have that self-care. yeah we have to take care of ourselves before we can take care of the community. Let's dive into, you know, the specifics of the Calais decision. You know, I think the the high level is that basically the Supreme Court said it's discrimination to try to prevent discrimination. And that- You now Louisiana can redraw maps. They don't have to keep in mind black representation and try to make sure that black people are proportionally represented and now they can just do whatever they want. But like from your, you know, expert perspective, like give us a deeper dive into what this decision is, what it means. and
00:14:30
Speaker
and yeah, like just the overview of it. Yeah, and I'm going to put this ah as layman's term as possible because, look, I'm an organizer, and ah a strategist, a campaign person. I am not a lawyer. Yes. Even though in my mind, I went to law school. Yes.
00:14:44
Speaker
but But, you know, I mean, ultimately, at the end of the day, what the court ruled is that the congressional maps in Louisiana that was drawn to give Black voters, in particular, a second majority drawn Black district was basically unconstitutional, is what they're saying. And that drawing the lines based on race as a factor violated the Equal Protection Clause under the law. Now, here's what's...
00:15:07
Speaker
crazy about that, if you want to call it that, right? It's the Voting Rights Act requires us to consider race, right? And this is why, you know, back in the day that we have pre-clearance. And so that when states would change voting laws or states would redrop maps, obviously every 10 years during the redistricting process,
00:15:25
Speaker
There were certain states, particularly southern states like Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, you know places where we're seeing all this action now. The preclearance was saying that when those laws changed or when those maps and lines changed, that you had to go to the Justice Department for further review.
00:15:42
Speaker
Because a lot of the laws in those states and because a lot of the politics in those states was so based on race, right? When you think about, you know, slavery, you you think about the Civil War, you think about Reconstruction, right? When this lays out until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965. And so you were required to actually consider race if there was a majority a minority, a part of that community, right? And so those lines were drawn to, we saw in history, to exclude people. And so now what the court is saying is we can acknowledge that that harm has happened, but now you can't use race to fix the harm.
00:16:18
Speaker
And so just what you're saying is not being able to use discrimination to fix discrimination is what they're trying to say, right? And so it is about protecting the outcome of discrimination while making it illegal to undo it.
00:16:31
Speaker
And that's what's happening. And so what you see now is, you know, states going back into session. We saw this, you know last week that Tennessee General Assembly just passed a 9-0 map.
Gerrymandering and Political Implications
00:16:44
Speaker
We saw that, you know, Alabama is moving through, you know, a new map. we We just saw Louisiana put out proposed maps, you know, that reduces the congressional districts to one majority Black district, right? we're seeing We just saw the governor of South Carolina called for a special session in June. We saw that the governor of Georgia is calling for a special session, right?
00:17:07
Speaker
ah And so in last year, you know, being the former executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, we saw Texas do a on a rare mid-decade redistricting to draw more Latino districts hoping that they would skew conservatives, right?
00:17:22
Speaker
Then you saw California and Virginia take it to the voters, right? And so all of this is happening while we're trying to have election, right? And basically, the Supreme Court has given license to all of this to happen.
00:17:34
Speaker
Let me follow up on a couple of things you said, because, you know, you brought up some really... yeah But there's some stuff I'm like, no, we need to drill down on that, because basically what you're saying is that in a state like Louisiana and all the other southern states you mentioned, the black people, the the the areas that the census has determined are majority black.
00:17:57
Speaker
They they are not going to actually be able to have their own representative. Right. Like they're going to be sort of split and parsed into all of the other districts so that the black voice is completely diluted. Like, is that basically what what we're saying? That's basically what's happening. And so when the census shows that there are majority black communities or even now majority brown communities. because the country is blackening and browning, if you want to call it that, right? And so when there's um a majority of what is known as minority, that those communities would be drawn into a political district that would allow them to, as the majority in that district, to choose a candidate of their choice.
00:18:38
Speaker
the doesn't The candidate doesn't have to look like them, but right it was chosen by them. And so now when you have this breakdown, you're splitting people and you're actually splitting up and diluting the black and brown vote to elect Republicans.
00:18:53
Speaker
And so yeah it goes back to, you know, the Voting Rights Act protected some drawing based on race to ensure that a majority of people could have a candidate their choosing upon review by the Justice Department.
00:19:05
Speaker
There is no review when it is partisan gerrymandering, right? And so now they're splitting up race in order to actually keep Republicans in power. It's not about representation of communities of interest. It's actually about partisan power.
00:19:18
Speaker
And so I think people need to pay attention to that, how it impacts us over the short and also the long term in terms of the issues that we all care about, right? So if you care about you know funding for public education, if you care about you know funding for health care,
00:19:33
Speaker
and energy and lowering costs and, you know, not going into wars that we don't need to be into. Now those communities do not have the numbers to have a candidate of their choice that represents them in that body when those policy decisions are being made. That's the short and long-term impact of that.
00:19:54
Speaker
And then the other thing you mentioned was what happened in Virginia. Now, all of, you know, in my opinion, all of the redistricting things that are happening is crazy right now because it's not a census here. And all of these things are just being politically motivated. But at least...
00:20:12
Speaker
Virginia, California, other states, you know, that are democratically led are at least trying to just rebalance it so that right if Texas is finding Republican seats, OK, let's find Democratic seats so that we can come back to to status quo.
00:20:29
Speaker
So at least Virginia actually had an election and the people actually went out and voted for the map that they, you know, wanted to see. and then that was overturned. I mean,
00:20:41
Speaker
how With all of the things, all of the difficulty that we already have with voter apathy and people feeling like their vote doesn't count. How do we address that?
00:20:53
Speaker
How do we yeah address people who are going to say, look at this clear example of my vote not counting? Yeah, well, I think the thing to also note, Brittany, that's important, too, is California also showed up.
00:21:06
Speaker
Yes. and Obviously, things were cleared in the courts in California. Virginia followed the same path. And so it's interesting that when we draw Democratic seats and the voters approve it, it gets overturned.
00:21:19
Speaker
Republicans have gone into state legislatures and just rammed the thing through. I mean, so much as every Democratic legislator in in Tennessee lost their committee seat. Just to punish them for fighting against their map. Yeah, so they're not even serving on committees anymore. So how do you get bills passed?
00:21:35
Speaker
Or how do you even have your voice on bills in but when it has to go through the committee process? But back to your question about yeah a Virginian, I think what we're asking people to do, quite frankly, is how do we keep faith in these systems that fail us?
00:21:50
Speaker
Exactly. And that's the fundamental question that we have to answer. And that's something that I think keeps me up at night. yeah And I don't think that honestly, the answer is just keep voting. I'm not telling people not to vote.
00:22:03
Speaker
I'm telling people that the only solution is not to do that. Right. And so what I believe we have to start telling the truth is, is that what voting can and cannot do. And we have to stop overselling it and meeting people exactly where they are. Right.
00:22:15
Speaker
We have to understand that, yes, it's important to still vote, but that voting is a floor, not a ceiling. Right. And it's still even in the midst of a fail. We got to stop there.
00:22:27
Speaker
Voting is a floor, not a ceiling. That's where we start. yeah like that hard That's And voting is the start. ah Right. And so it helps us to try to prevent the worst outcomes. And then we see all these attacks. Right. I don't know if I need to rename them for ya for everybody. Right.
00:22:45
Speaker
And so voting by itself also doesn't produce liberation by itself. Right. And so we still do have to show up, but we have to also show up in other ways. So yes, I'm encouraging people to still vote.
00:22:57
Speaker
I know it's discouraging, right? To still vote. And then what do we do after the vote is what we have to focus on. It's the organizing, it's the mobilizing, it's the accountability that happens, right?
00:23:10
Speaker
Because it's not just about asking people to show up to Capitol and fight against math. It's also about who are the legislators, right? The state representatives and the state senators that we are electing and how are we holding them accountable to a strategy?
00:23:21
Speaker
So, for example, with some of these maps, what is the, you know, amendment strategy to delay? Right. What are the committing tactics? What are the other procedural ploys and in in tactics that you can employ in order to be able to do that? Right. That's an important piece.
00:23:38
Speaker
It is still, and I look at voting as an opportunity just as a nonprofit board would select a CEO, right? The board decides who the CEO is. And so we're deciding, right, who our representative is and we're the board.
00:23:51
Speaker
And so we can go and say, Nope, will not happen. Absolutely not. And we don't have to reelect someone. Right. And so it's about showing up to vote, but it's also about showing up after the vote.
00:24:03
Speaker
And that's what have to do. we yeah So I applaud all the folks, especially in places like Louisiana and Tennessee and Florida and Alabama.
00:24:14
Speaker
I mean, people we watch be almost dragged out of buildings. you know by law enforcement or by the security in the building. But we have to keep doing that because they still have to see our voices and and be able to do some of that work.
00:24:26
Speaker
And then I also thank groups like the ACLU and NAACP because they're still going to court and they're still filing lawsuits. They're still fighting on some of those things. And so what I also challenge people is to not give up on voting.
00:24:40
Speaker
But like I said, right voting is the floor, not a ceiling. And so the vote is the start. And so now, you we'll be appealing, you know, the decision of the Virginia Supreme Court.
00:24:51
Speaker
And there are some federal courts that are still favorable. And so there's still an opportunity and that we can't give up. But how do we reinvigorate faith in systems that keep failing? And that's, but allowing the system to fall apart isn't going to help us.
00:25:07
Speaker
So trying to work and organize in the system will still allow us to prevent the worst outcomes. And that's how I would answer that question. I know that's not sexy answer. But that's how I would answer the question, because at the end of the day us not voting will eliminate everything.
00:25:23
Speaker
So one thing that I was reflecting on is just like the no Kings marches that happened like at the end of March and just feeling like those protests kind of they were looking like day parties. were looking like block parties. Like I'm seeing like food trucks. Like to me, it felt like, is this really what protesting is supposed to be? Is this really what resistance looks like so much? And I say this as a person who's getting ready to take this episode and cut it up into pieces and put it on social media. And I feel like so much of what we're doing ends up on social media and kind of stays there. And I just want to hear from you on like, obviously you're talking about mobilizing and organizing, but what are the, what are the other ways or,
00:26:04
Speaker
you know, deeper ways that we can make a
Protest and Economic Impact
00:26:07
Speaker
difference. Sometimes I think about like economic protests. We saw what they would target. Is there a way to sort of scale that and and turn that into something that has more of a political angle? Just what are the ways that we can really yeah move past what we're doing right now?
00:26:23
Speaker
Yeah, well, I think the thing that we have to look at when we think about resistance is we're go it's going to be different, right? It's not going all be posted. It's not all going be televised. I mean, there going to have to be some systemic, structural things that we have to do.
00:26:38
Speaker
yeah So is this organizing in your precinct? Is this, you know, getting involved in school board races? Is this going to city council meetings when you typically don't? This isn't just about political pressure. We're at a moment of crisis where we have to think about the political pressure and the moral pressure, excuse me.
00:26:56
Speaker
Right. And so what are the opportunities, right, for us to be able to build um institutions and not just disrupt them? Right. The other thing that I also think about, just as you're saying, is the economic piece. Right. Because money drives all of this.
00:27:13
Speaker
And so if there are corporations that are funding these elected officials that are redrawing these maps, are we going hold them accountable as well? And so we should be looking at Ron DeSantis and Bill Lee and Kay Ivey. Who are their top donors?
00:27:26
Speaker
Nine times out of 10, they're millionaires and billionaires. Nine times out of 10, they're corporations. that They're getting tax rates from the state while this governor is actually decreasing. We're diluting our voices, our votes, and our power at the end of the day. And so we should be challenging that, you know, also as well.
00:27:44
Speaker
But one of the things I'm actually going to tell ah people to do is if, you know, most filing deadlines have passed, ah but if your filing deadline has not passed, we need more people to run for office. um And I know how hard that feels. Right. But we particularly need more people to run for a school board and city council.
00:28:00
Speaker
Some places are like even the water board. Right. Wow. Because all of these things have something to do with, you know, resisting all of the various issues that we see at stake. And so for me, it's not just about the march. The the demonstration of protest and resistance is great.
00:28:15
Speaker
But it's also about what is the call to action that's connected to it. And so I think it has to be political, moral, and economic. And I think all of it has to go together. dr King always talked about when we think of liberation, it has to be the balance of the political and economic power.
00:28:32
Speaker
So how are how are how are the economic forces impacting the politics? And there are millionaires and billionaires that are funding these elected officials that are putting bad policy into place, whether it's redrawing maps, cutting public education, cutting health care.
00:28:47
Speaker
you know, restricting voting rights, ah you know, restricting abortion rights, you know, whatever the case might be. And so we do have to look at the economic impact. So I applaud, you know, Reverend, ah it's Pastor Bryant, right? Where we're like, we're not going to this company that's doing bad business.
00:29:04
Speaker
in our communities. It's the same thing with data centers, right? That companies who are partnering with data centers around the country, which is raising our utility prices and polluting our air at the same time, right? And so we've got to be thinking about the economics of all of this. And I challenge our people to really start thinking, how can we have an economic impact that will impact our policies?
00:29:25
Speaker
And hold people accountable on the issues that matter to us most and tell them what we will accept and what we won't accept. And I think that's important. And I love what you said about running for office, school boards, water board. You know, I was an ANC here in D.C. advisory neighborhood commissioner, which is like the hyperest localist role you can have. But yeah I think as we see these things happening at a state and national level, these local roles and local policies,
00:29:57
Speaker
politics are going to become so much more important because that's the things that can really impact people's daily lives and try to counter what's happening from the top. Yeah.
00:30:08
Speaker
And we're going to have to do things a little bit differently. And I appreciate your ANC example, right? We might have to start showing up to the the zoning meeting, the redistricting hearing meetings, right? The party precinct conventions, right? You know, Democratic Party, a lot of states are doing their state conventions this spring and summer about those sort of things. And so, you know, we have to get out of the comfort of having opinions without having obligations. Wow. Wow. And so I would just challenge you, you go to your city council meeting, go to your school board meeting, go to the zoning meeting. Right. So go to the redistricting hearings. They have them.
00:30:45
Speaker
Right. And they're oh all of them are open to the public. Now, I know that strategically, if you want to call it that, you know, some of these electives will put them during work hours. Right.
00:31:00
Speaker
personal things such as families and work and those sort of things and so i want to you know honor that but if you are able to do that even if you can't attend write your letter you know write ah yeah so says all of those things go on public record so you know if you can send an email if you can write a letter I also tell people to write an op-ed, right? Think about our local newspapers, right, that need content that are trying to keep the doors open.
00:31:24
Speaker
And then you're putting your thoughts about, you know, what you think about redistricting, what you think about voting rights or health care or whatever your issues that are arising in your community. You know, um so every time, you know, showing up looks a little bit different for everybody based on how our lives are set up.
00:31:39
Speaker
However, the the responsibility that we all have to fight for our democracy is to show up, and it's only as great as we're willing to
Hope in Youth Activism
00:31:46
Speaker
fight for it. Opinion without obligation. We can't do that.
00:31:49
Speaker
We have to take the responsibility what we got to be the next step. Yes. That's right. And build community together so that if you don't know the next step, there's a community of people that can support you in taking the next step. So with everything that we've talked about, we still have to find a way to like keep some type of hope, some type of motivation, some type of inspiration. So in this moment, Jamar, what is giving you hope for the future?
00:32:15
Speaker
Yeah. Well, a couple of things that are giving me hope. Number one, it's the midterms. It gives us an opportunity to decide our decision maker. Right. We don't have to wait two years to vote.
00:32:26
Speaker
You know, Georgia just announced yesterday that they're going into special session with their primaries on Tuesdays. You know, we don't even have to wait until November, right, ah to, you know, make our voices heard. And so that gives me hope that it we can make quick decisions quickly, knowing that we have to do the work to mobilize.
00:32:46
Speaker
The second thing that gives me hope is all the young people who are resisting the madness. I mean, when I look at you know, the pictures and video from, you know, people who showed up in Tennessee and showed up in Alabama at the Capitol, they were young people.
00:33:02
Speaker
And every movement, you know, every social change moment, if you want to call it that, in our country has been led by young people. And so to see our young people get engaged very quickly, um you know, even looking at college graduation, they're like, when you bring a senior speaker, these young folks are holding each other accountable.
00:33:18
Speaker
I want to give a specific example it from South Carolina about, you know, how our young people, I say our young people like I'm old, but you know what mean. We're young people, too. I'm young. I'm still a millennial. That's right. And so, um but, you know, South Carolina State University announced that Lieutenant Governor Pamela Yvette was going to be the keynote speaker for the commencement.
00:33:42
Speaker
Pamela Yvette is a MAGA Republican. You know, she's the lieutenant governor. She's actually pushed through DEI bans and reversals. you know, through the state legislature, particularly the Senate, where she's the president of, and and just really bad policy.
00:33:57
Speaker
And the students, when the board chair and the president announced this Speaker, they said, no, the students are like, we are not having it. We are not attending. And I tell you, the students went to protest. They showed up to the board meeting.
00:34:11
Speaker
They spoke out. They went to the news. They use social media. They use whatever platform, you know, they needed to use. And the school had nothing no choice but to remove her as the speaker. Now, they invited her i love all the way back in December and announced, you know, toward the end of April. You know, usually they announce in the spring who the speaker is.
00:34:29
Speaker
um And so they ended up bringing in some other speakers who are alumni i'm of the university. But yeah I mean, think of going to a historically black college or university and bringing in a keynote speaker that's against DEI.
00:34:42
Speaker
Right. Like, why would you even say yes? And we're teaching students about, know, a new generation and a new world that we have to embrace diversity, build equity and be inclusive.
00:34:53
Speaker
And you bring the least inclusive person as your speaker. But those students use their voices and their skills that they learned at that university to fight against that. And they actually got reversed their own keep ah commencement speakers.
00:35:05
Speaker
So it's it's things like that that give me hope, ah even as daunting as the circumstances may feel and high mistakes may feel. it's It's new people coming into the process, but particularly young people coming in and being those change agents. Right. Because when you think of, you know, Dr. Martin Luther King during the 64 Civil Rights Act and the 65 Voting Rights Act, you think of John Lewis and Jesse Jackson, you know, these people were in their thirty s You know, 20s and 30s. John Lewis was a student. He was the snake, right?
00:35:36
Speaker
but yeah So these weren't, you know, not knocking our mature audiences, right? These weren't 50, 60, 70-year-old people. These were 20 and 30-year-olds. And so that example at South Carolina State is, you know, here...
00:35:49
Speaker
21, 22-year-olds, people who are trying to go into the workforce, trying to build their careers, trying to be contributors to our society and good faith actors in our community, saying, no this is unacceptable and I'm going to do everything in my power to stand up for what is right and for my rights.
00:36:05
Speaker
and so that's what gives me hope right now. And it gives me hope that people, in spite of, are still showing up and showing
Conclusion and Future Plans
00:36:12
Speaker
out. And so I appreciate that. And so it gives me hope to keep going because I know I have comrades and colleagues of people who can work together.
00:36:22
Speaker
ah I love that. That's great. I love that example and South Carolina. And thank you so much for for giving us that that jolt that we needed to to keep the fight alive and to keep hopeful with everything going on Jamar, it has been so amazing talking to you. i really, really, really appreciate you for all of your wisdom and all of your knowledge and all of the ah gems that you shared today.
00:36:50
Speaker
Absolutely. It's always good to be reconnected. And I love how you use social media and digital organizing and comms and your platform to just educate people.
00:37:01
Speaker
And that's half the battle. You know, when we are saying show up, show up, show up and show out, you know, half the battle is what is happening and what is going on. And so I appreciate you having this platform just to teach people at baseline what's happening. And now let's have a community discussion about how we're going to do this thing to together.
00:37:18
Speaker
So I appreciate you. And it's always been a joy to work with you. I know we're going to, y'all, we're going to have some projects together. so y'll Yes, I can't wait. Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much. Of course. Thank you, Brittany.
00:37:32
Speaker
Thank you all so much for watching, listening. Really hope that you got something out of that conversation. Want let you know that I'm going to be off for the next month. So there won't be a new episode in two weeks.
00:37:46
Speaker
The next episode will be out on June 18th. I'm going on vacation. Okay. I'm going on vacation. I'm putting the phone on do not disturb, kind of.
00:37:56
Speaker
And I encourage you to do the same. Take that PTO. These companies don't care about you. Take that PTO. Get out of town. I know flights are expensive. Save as much as you can. i was out i was about to say fly spirit. Oh, God.
00:38:10
Speaker
Fly frontier? who Take that PTO if you can, wherever you can go, wherever you can afford to go, go there because this is a vital part of self-care and those companies don't care about you.
00:38:24
Speaker
So take that damn vacation. I will be on vacation. I will be sharing some things from the trip. So I'm excited about that. Keep an eye on my social media.
00:38:35
Speaker
Please follow me if you don't. I'm at Brittany Geneva on all of the things. And I'll also be back um in early June with some Love Island content with my girl Misha, who was on the last episode. So we're going to be doing some separate things, talking about Love Island. The new season starts on June 2nd.
00:38:56
Speaker
We're obsessed. I'm obsessed, completely unashamed of how obsessed I am. And so I have to take some time to talk about that separate from the podcast. so be on the lookout for that as well on my socials. And I will be back. The podcast will be back.
00:39:09
Speaker
June 18th.