 Good evening, everyone. My name is Greg Greenway. I am not Matt Wetroba. For those of you who know Matt, I'm sorry, but I am his replacement this evening and I hope that I will do a good job because I know he does a great job. So my job is to wake you up and welcome you. So welcome everyone. People will be coming in for the next 15 minutes. So I will continually welcome everyone. So don't be alarmed by repeated welcomes. Yeah, hold on, hold on, keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. I want you to sing it with me. Hold on, hold on, keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. In silence, we're bound in jail. They had no money for it to go their bail. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. In silence, begin to shout. The jail doors opened and they walked out. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. Keep your eyes, got my hands on the gospel plow. I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. Here we go, keep your eyes, stay in that wilderness today too long. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. It was on the day we started to fight. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. The chains that we can stand is the chain of holding hand to hand. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. I can feel it. I can feel you singing with me out there. Getting yourself ready. I think this is one you will know. These are sort of from the 60s movement. We shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the wall. You got it? Now we're going to speed this up but I want to sing it slow so you got it. We shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the water. We shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the water. Now if you feel silly sitting in your room by yourself clapping, snapping your fingers, singing maybe somebody walks in from the other room. Don't worry about it. We shall not, we shall not be moved. We shall not, we shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the water. We shall not be moved. Harmony is great. Singing everybody, we shall not be moved. Singing everybody, we shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the water. We shall not be moved standing up for justice. We shall not be moved standing up for justice. We shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the water. We shall not be moved. Now we ain't, we shall not be moved. We ain't, we shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the water. We shall not be moved. We shall not, we shall not be moved. We shall not, we shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the water. We shall not be moved for like a tree planted by the water. I just saw a note from Gordon Gibson and he and I are singing buddies for one of the most amazing moments in my life. I know in 2015 we were at the Marching in the Ark of Justice, the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Selma Boating Rights Action. And we were on a stage in St. Jude's, a little town inside of Montgomery, and we're all standing on the stage in Reggie Harris, a brilliant man that he is. He saved for that whole weekend. He saved, and this song just went right out of my head. He saved a great song and he will tell me on the chat what exactly it was. And I remember we all stepped forward. His brother's son, Deborah Callan from the Union, and Gordon was there and he didn't step forward with us to sing the song. And I looked at him and said, Gordon, you got to sing with us. And he goes, I'm not a singer. And I said, you are now. And so he stepped forward with us and it was, we shall overcome. And that was 500 people standing in that gymnasium where the people had slept before a concert that night before going into Montgomery the next day in the March. And it was a brilliant, brilliant moment. Thank you so much for that. But it was one of those moments where I felt like I could not sing a wrong note. I was just possessed by the moment and it was all passing through me. I had little to do with it. So, Gordon, we'll get a solo for you sometime, man. This is an old spiritual. There is more love some way. There is more some. I'm gonna keep on till I. That's how it works. And there are three words to plug in. Next is hope. There is more some. There is more. There is more. There is more is some. There is more is more. And with this, will I learn as a child? There's two ways to see the world as it is and the way it could be. Some people say that's just not my problem. Some people do what must be done. Now they see the hole in the fabric that must be sewn. They see the way blockaded and they roll back the stone. They see the day be eyes and they do what must. Some people do, do, do what must be done. Well, they do, they see the day be and they do what must be done. Let's sing it together. Some people do, do, do what must be done. Well, they do, they see the day be on the horizon. And they do what must be done. Now I've seen the toll taken, the tears that were shed. I've seen the journey started and the ripple spread. Still people say, well that's just not my problem. Some people do what must be done. Now they see the hole in the fabric that must be sewn. They see the way blockaded and they roll back the stone. They see the day be on the horizon. And they do what must be done. Here we go. Some people do, do, do what must be done. Well, they do what must be done. They see the day be on the horizon. And they do what must be done. They see the day be on the horizon. And they do what must be done. They see the day be on the horizon. And they do, whoa, it's been a joy singing for you. I can't wait to hear the voices of these young people that have given a gift to give us. So I'd like to turn this over to Matumita, Chakrabarty, it's all yours. Thank you, Greg, for that rousing ending and thanks for your song, for your music. A very warm welcome to everyone joining us this evening. Today we are hosting the third episode of the series, Voting Rights, The Struggle Continues. I'm honored to be part of this program today with all of you. I'll break it up into four pieces. I'll tell you a little bit about Living Legacy Project, a little bit of housekeeping with Zoom webinar, a reading, and then an introduction to our dear Reggie Harris. The Living Legacy Project organizes and leads civil rights pilgrimages to key sites in the American civil rights movement. Some of you have been on the bus with us, so you know we provide opportunities to meet and talk with veterans of the civil rights movement, to learn from them about the courage, resilience, and commitment the foot soldiers of the movement exhibited in the 1950s and 60s, and continue to do so to this day. The Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965, has been systematically dismantled. Today it is only a shell of the original law. In the next few months, as we approach the 2020 presidential election, we can expect a significant increase in attempts to disenfranchise voters, especially voters of color, and especially because of the extraordinary circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is up to all of us to assure that every single person who is eligible and wants to vote can cast an uncontested ballot in this election. That's why the Living Legacy Project is offering this monthly online series called Voting Rights, The Struggle Continues. We're taking the opportunity to do what we couldn't do on a regular Living Legacy pilgrimage, which is to bring veterans of the movement, as well as the young activists that you meet today to each of you from the convenience of your homes all across the United States and further afield. We're so glad that each of you is here for the third of our six events. Now a few tips about using the Zoom webinar. To connect with other attendees, please use chat. You can turn on chat by clicking the chat button on your screen. If you want everyone to see your comments, choose all panelists and attendees from the dropdown at the top of the chat panel. Please feel free to share resources and links related to voting rights in the chat. We'll share them with everyone by email after the program. And if you find chat to be distracting, feel free to turn it off. If you have a question for our panelists, please click the Q&A button on your screen and enter your question there. We'll be sharing your questions with the panelists toward the end of our conversation. Another thing, at the end of tonight's program, we will move to a Zoom meeting for an open discussion. The link to the Zoom meeting was sent to you when you registered in the original mail, as well as the reminder email you may have received today. This link will also be posted in the chat, and all you need to do is click on that link. Now for the reading. As we bid our goodbyes to John Lewis and think about his incredible courage in the midst of the struggle for civil rights and social justice, I recalled Romina Thakur, Tagore's prayer in vocation during the Indian independence struggle to move from the British rule to manifesting a vision of a non-stratified society living free from fear and ignorance. I will share that with you now. The poem source is the Gitanjali, and it was poem number 35. Where the mind is without fear. Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high. Where knowledge is free. Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls. Where words come out from the depth of truth. Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection. Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit. Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action. Into that heaven of freedom my father let my country awake. Now it's my great honor and privilege to introduce you to today's panel interviewer and program moderator, my friend and yours Reggie Harris. Reggie is a current Woodrow Wilson scholar in the independent college lecture program. He also serves as co-president and director of music for the Living Legacy Project, leads civil rights pilgrimages through the South and hosts seminars on voting and human rights to educate and inspire participation and reform. Reggie has garnered international acclaim as a singer, songwriter, storyteller and cultural ambassador. He's recognized worldwide for his ability to inspire hope and create opportunities for building community and positive change. For 40 plus years Reggie has been inspiring many, including me, since we first met at the Clearwater Festival in the 1980s. He embodies the spirit of his mentors and friends, Pete Seeger and Dr. Bernice Johnson-Rillian as he blends themes of life and hope in his songs. While I could spend hours talking about Reggie, we are gathered this evening to explore voting rights. So please go to ReggieHarrisMusic.com to learn more about all the many ways Reggie contributes to creating a more just society. Please give a warm welcome to Reggie Harris. Take it away, Reggie. Well, thank you, Mademita. And thank you all who have gathered here tonight and joined us for this third edition of the Voting Rights of Struggle Continues. I'm in a little bit of a different role tonight and I'd like to thank my friend Greg Greenway for singing so beautifully and for leading us in song. I promised Greg that I would not sing tonight. He had to roll us all his. I'm here tonight to moderate this discussion, largely because I've met all of these young people and I really have been so impressed by them, even the ones that I've met only briefly. And I wanted to have an opportunity tonight to share them with you and to talk to them about voting rights and about the issues that are facing us. Over the last three months, we have had an extraordinary experience of hearing panelists who have come to us, really amazing activists and amazing examples of leadership. And tonight, this will be no different. In order to honor the wide range of involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and particularly around voting rights, we asked these four young people to come tonight. And I say young people. It was interesting in our last panel, last month, Erika Bennett, one of our panelists, said that she was really inspired when she looked around and saw the youth who were working and she is 26 years old. So I will say that I am equally impressed by the four young people that we have with us tonight. And when I was reading their resumes and their accomplishments, I had to stop and wonder just for a moment what I was doing at their age. Well, we don't really need to go there. They have done some amazing things at their young ages. And I will not keep saying young because they are worldly wise in so many various ways. So, Mara Mita has done a really wonderful job of setting us up. And so I will remind you that if you have questions you can put them in the Q&A. And we'll spend a few minutes. As we begin our discussion, I'll ask some questions and our guests will respond. I've told them that I really would like them to, whenever they feel the need to, to respond to each other. So we will do that and we'll just feel this conversation out. They have many things to share. I will say, well, actually, I will keep my intros brief tonight because we don't have a lot of time. And so with that in mind, I'm going to introduce you now to our four guests, our four panelists for the evening. They are Latrice Johnson, Ahmad H. Jackson, Tariana Bailey, and Marquise S. Hunt. And I welcome you all and thank you so much for coming to share this time with us. I'm pleased to see each of them again. The three from Tougaloo actually came to speak to our students when we did a pilgrimage this last January with Nazareth and Alvernia Colleges. And I will say at that time that they impressed not only our students but all of our staff. It seems unbelievable that this was only in January as we have experienced so much change in the world. So tonight we're going to talk about some of that change. And we're going to talk about what they are doing in their lives to affect a greater change in this larger landscape of opportunity. So let's start with Latrice Johnson. Latrice is a graduate, a 2020 graduate of Tougaloo College, which is located in Jackson, Mississippi. And first, Latrice, let me congratulate you on your accomplishment. She graduated with a degree in English and a minor in pre-law. And while at Tougaloo, Latrice served as a Vote for Everywhere Ambassador and as a campus team leader for the Andrew Goodman Foundation. That organization honors the legacy of, of course, that civil rights pioneer and martyr. Latrice also worked with the civil rights veterans of Mississippi and she worked in a host of other capacities as well. All this while getting her degree with honors. So thank you, Latrice, for joining us tonight. And I would like to ask you, what or who was the spark that lit your fuse and passion for voting in civil rights? Thank you, Mr. Harris. So what actually inspired me? I've always been passionate about civil rights and all things black history. And my decision to attend Tougaloo College in Mississippi was basically based on the history of the institution and it being known as the cradle of the civil rights movement. And so the main person who really got me actively involved in both realms was Dr. Daphne Chamberlain, who was currently the system provokes now. She was my freshman year. She was my honors history professor. And we only met a few times for the class, but in those few times she brought in a local activist to register students to vote. And for me, coming from Oklahoma City, first year in college, that kind of amazed me to see that. I had never heard of people coming in registering students to vote on campus. I don't know that was in my mindset as a young hopeful 18 year old freshman on a college campus. And so, yeah. So after that, she kind of saw how passionate I was about voting rights and civil rights. And she kind of afforded me many opportunities after that. I participated in a mini-exchange program based on civil rights with Brown University students and faculty. Thus, that led to my volunteer work and intern work with the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, which I continued for all four years while attending Tougaloo. So I kind of kept that relationship going. And she, Dr. Daphne Chamberlain, again, recommended me for the Andrew Gillan Foundation. And that's kind of what got me involved in voting rights. And I'm sure that she really saw how engaged I was on campus. Even though she wasn't on campus, I was pretty active with the Pre-Law Society. And with the 2016 election, we were on the roll getting things out. And I'm pretty sure she heard of me because I was so active. So that's kind of what got me actively involved. So your reputation reached her very quickly. Yes. Wonderful. Well, I believe that she may actually even be joining us tonight. So I'm sure she's proud to see her protege moving forward. Thank you. Thanks so much for being here with us tonight. Ahmad H. Jackson, a 2019 graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. And Ahmad graduated with a degree in legal studies and a minor in anthropology. And at Nazareth, Ahmad worked with rebuilding projects in Nicaragua, traveled to concentration camps with Holocaust survivors. And he's presently now working towards his goal of one day becoming a judge. And I have no doubt that he's going to make it. Ahmad actually was one of the members of the first delegation of Nazareth College that operated. We have a co-sponsorship with Nazareth College and also now with Alvernia College. And Ahmad was one of our campus leaders who led that first trip. And my memory of Ahmad is that every day as I led the bus and singing and taught them the songs of the civil rights movement, at some point Ahmad would come up to my seat and he would say, hey Reggie, you got a minute? And I would say yes. And he would play me some amazing video or some song of some conscious rapper that either tied into what I was talking about or expanded my knowledge a little bit of what is going on in the world. So Ahmad is still sending you those videos as the weeks go on. So Ahmad, thank you so much for joining us tonight. And would you tell us what was your spark of inspiration? Thank you for having me. So I know that when I was really young, being from Harlem that was my first experience of being aware of my existence and just the different cultures that surround us in the community, especially like specifically with African-Americans. But it expanded on Caribbean culture and just seeing the different varieties of what it meant to me black. And my father would always send me a book and he would tell me to read it, make sure that I understand my history because even though I wasn't being exposed to it in school that it was out there. And it was my duty and my obligation to continue my education. Well Marvel, well thank you for your father. And thank you for, you know, Harlem USA. I'm going to ask you later to share a little bit about the pilgrimage that you went on but thank you so much for joining us tonight. Tariana Barely, a rising fourth year student at Tougaloo this year, a biology and pre-med major. And you are currently the president of the NAACP chapter on campus, a former global leadership academy researcher. And you've traveled to Seoul, South Korea to work with labor unions and social justice organizations and are presently working towards a career in music. So Tariana, thank you so much for joining us tonight. Who or what was your spark of passion? Thank you so much Mr. Harris and greetings to all. Just a little background, I will say, growing up in a single parent household in the small Mississippi Delta in Greenville, Mississippi, I grew up in an LSES, low socioeconomic status school where I was not exposed as a young child or even in high school about, you know, my surroundings, who I was, you know, racism and even the civil rights movement. But I say all of that to say, once I attended Tougaloo College and became aware of all the rich history around me and becoming a part of these number of organizations like the NAACP and having people like Latrice mentioned Dr. Chamberlain see things in you that you probably don't even see in yourself. It was people like that and joining organizations like that and being in an environment like Tougaloo College that really sparked my interest in the civil rights movement and voting. And I recently became the president of the NAACP, something that I never imagined. That's not something, you know, the 14 or 15-year-old Tariana would have imagined. But and people like Erika, like you mentioned, who was on the previous call, I was an intern at her office with Mississippi votes. And my freshman year I got to travel to Seoul and then my sophomore year I got to travel to a cargona so getting the exposure and really just going out on a leap of faith to really spark my interest in the civil rights movement in history. Wonderful. Well, thank you. We're so happy to have you with us tonight. And last but certainly not least, Marquis S. Hunt, also a senior at Tougaloo this year. And Marquis actually has the distinction of being the very first first year student at Tougaloo to hold the position of president of the NAACP. Congratulations for that accomplishment. You're majoring in mass communications with a emphasis on public relations and journalism. Marquis also has worked with the I Am an Immigrant campaign to celebrate the contributions of immigrants. He has served with March on Mississippi, dealing with an organizing campaign at the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi, where they were using fear and intimidation tactics. And also he worked to address that issue with employers all across Mississippi. And I know from meeting Marquis in January that he enters a room and lights it up. So Marquis, thank you so much for joining us tonight. And what will you share with us about your spark of inspiration? First of all, I'm going to say good evening and thank you for having me. One of the things that sparked my, wouldn't necessarily say inspiration, but a call to be duty bound to what is happening in our country is in 2015, a young 18-year-old boy by the name of William Chapman, the second, was shopping in a local Walmart in my city. And of course we had just before that had the killings of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. And the report ended up coming out on the news that William Chapman was shot and killed in the head and in the chest by a police officer for reportedly stealing the candy bar in our local Walmart. So of course we've heard that narrative so many times about young black people, men and women who are accused of stealing, but yet the items that they are accused of stealing are never to be found. And so I found it's my ability to be present with the family of William Chapman and the organizations at the NAACP that were doing work on the ground at that time to really be vocal, but not only just protesting which is one of the things that we've been seeing a lot lately, but also connecting the dots between the protest and the advocacy piece and making sure that we were holding elected officials accountable, that they were out there and they were registered to vote and encouraging them to go to the polls because of course with the number of names that we can call about those who have been killed due to police violence, I think that it's our responsibility with just that alone to make sure that we are showing up to the polls and exercise in our right to vote. And so of course that led me to be able to be engaged in so many other projects which I'm blessed to have had the opportunity to do but also recognizing that the work didn't stop in 2015 and it doesn't stop today. And so like Latrice and Tariana said having individuals like Dr. Chamberlain who we literally first step onto the campus not knowing anyone recognizing I would say the gift that we all had when it came to leadership but also making sure that she recognized what impact we wanted to make on the world and so that's pretty much it in a nutshell. Well that's a great nutshell. I want to follow that up. We have come a long way since January and the world has changed in so many ways particularly our nation has changed. Some of the things that you mentioned and the pandemic and other issues the pulling down of statues and symbols. I'm going to ask you what it is that you are seeing in this time what has changed about what you're doing or whether you feel a call to now knowing that we are in this new landscape of possibility? Well one I say I'm optimistic about what the future of our country will look like but two one of the things that I have said before and I have to share this with many other people is that as a black man in America I hate it here and I hate it here because of the systematic legacy that white people have somewhat born and bred when it comes to oppression, systematic racism and so many different other things that we are yet enduring and so when we think about the contributions that John Lewis, C.T. Vivian, Martin Luther King, Mega Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer and so many phenomenal regular day people recognize what it was their responsibility to do to make sure that the next generation didn't have to deal with the issues of theirs I think that one of the things that I'm sure all of us can agree on is that there has been a unspoken and really unspoken blueprint about what it is that we are supposed to be doing and that we follow and so when we talk about the torch being passed to the next generation I think those who have come before us have done a phenomenal job doing that but like you said and have alluded to that times are changing and so when you look at the issues about removing the statues and changing the names of schools named after Confederate soldiers when we think about the implications that these visual representations have on communities especially communities that are filled with black and brown folks it's important to make sure that we know that history and I know I saw in the chat earlier about making sure that folks are telling the truth in our history books and we see that there has been a of course an effort to continue to make sure that the history and the truth of America is not really told and the education of America and so one of those those stories that I can go back to is the story of Emmett Till whose birthday was just this past Saturday he would have been 79 years old if he hadn't been killed and kidnapped from his uncle's home in money, Mississippi but to know that there are stories about so many different stories about what happened to Emmett Till and then so many pieces that are being left out about what actually happened to Emmett Till and it's not for if it had not been for me attending to Luke and going to Mississippi and being able to meet family members of Emmett Till who were still alive and hearing the stories of people who were there then we kind of wouldn't know the truth and so I think it's important for the older generation to make sure that they continue to tell the stories so that we can have an appreciation of the struggle because I think it'll be vain for us to believe that the struggle begins with us because we see some issues happening in our time and fail to recognize that the struggle has been here and the contributions that many folks have done to try and rid it. Thank you, thank you. Latrice could you follow that up? So yes I agree with everything that Marquis has said and stated and myself thinking of what's going on with these modern day lynchings that we are seeing day to day every day on social media seeing them via video footage we have the proof now today in this current present time I'm trying to get myself out of becoming desensitized to these images and to remain active and keep paying attention and keep staying keep in tune being engaged to what's going on because a lot of times we'll see things and it won't always be in Minneapolis it won't always be in New York it won't always be everywhere else sometimes just right down the street from us so it kind of hits home and in that aspect I've begun to think and ask myself questions of how can I contribute why am I contributing and who am I contributing to when I'm doing this work and when I continue to do this work and where I will be doing this work for human rights, voting rights, civil rights all of the above and those are just some questions that I've been asking myself and that's kind of been guiding how I continue how do we progress and I think that's something that's been those are questions that other activists young activists have been using to guide their work on the front lines Thank you, yeah well, just not just young activists let me tell you I'm re-evaluating all the time Ahmad, you know, we talk about images in history some of what you send me all the time are videos that are taking that on can you talk to about some of those images that you've been sending or just address the question in your perspective Well, just to jump right in one of the last songs that I sent you was called How Many Times by an artist named Aaron Allen Kane and it was just the repetitive vocal expression of how many times we have to continue to see these images and experience these traumatic events and that have all of this pain that like I believe Marquise and Latrice and Tariana touched on just the aspect of it eventually you get tired of being here and experiencing these things and just to know that your grandparents, your great-grandparents also experience these traumatic experiences with against with the law with these institutions that are supposed to be here for us and just to know that it's probably going to continue to happen and the only way to combat it is to challenge it and to do what our grandparents did in another format so with music I believe that it's been a way for us to convey our experiences, to convey our trauma without breaking down and just to see the beauty and all of the different genre all of the different cultures and perspectives is something that's going to stick with me forever and that's how I use it as a tool to deal with everything. Thank you, Tariana what do you have to share with us? Just to follow up with what Amad said like to know that these traumatic experiences are a cycle like it's something that's continuing to happen and to know that it's something that has happened hundreds of years ago it's just really sad and with what Latrice said I really took as a young activist like you said it's affecting all activists as a young activist with the whole pandemic and everything that's happening in my personal life I really had to take a moment and I really took a toll on me and I just had to step back and take a moment for myself and I'm really big on mental health and like talking to my therapist and her recommending and suggesting that you pull away from social media unplug and learning that the internet and the news is not to inform you it's only to entertain it's not putting the truth out there and as activists it's not to say I give up this is too much but knowing when you take a step back because we can't fight for someone else if we're not well so I really think that like Amad said this is something that will speak with us for the rest of our lives and to see this happen right before our eyes is really really a lot and I'm just so grateful to be in spaces like this to where we have the opportunity to talk and like we say in the good old delta don't sugarcoat anything I think that you know this is amazing so we're certainly not here to sugarcoat I want to ask you all as young activists and you know as one who came to this because of my experiences growing up but also from traveling around and seeing situations in the world what situations do you find yourselves and what are the challenges that you're seeing in this time that make it difficult for you to do what you feel you need to do I'm thinking about people who may be threatening you or maybe sometimes older more seasoned people who don't maybe who misunderstand or underestimate you Marquise what do you see as you work along with older people or as you encounter situations Can you repeat the question one more time I don't think that was very clear was I I'm going to ask you this are you feeling threatened by the work that you're doing right now and a second part to that do you feel that people are allowing you to show your true self as you work to accomplish your goals one of the things that I'll say is that I'm not necessarily looking for permission from anyone to do what I need to do and do exactly what it is that I know that I've been called to do which is to help my people at the end of the day ultimately that's what it is and as broad of a statement is that might sound there's so many different things that comes under that and so like the trees who has done so much around you know voting rights or Tariana who's done stuff around activism in the NAACP there's so many different intersections working in that deal with black and brown folks in America and so one of the things that I also have to remind the elders and those who come before us and have put and laid down the groundwork for us to kind of follow and continue to do this work is that they once were our age and the reality of it is any movement that you look at in this country and across the world we're led by young people and so we often see how those same young people grew to continue to do other great things in their communities and make a mark on the nation in the world but the reality of it is they had a responsibility to their own communities first and that's exactly what we're doing you know we recognize and have I wouldn't necessarily say that we've always just been woke but also being woke and conscious in recognizing what our responsibility is and one of the things that I've said not too long ago is that you can be woke all day long but if you're not conscious then you're not able to really connect the dots about what's going on and nor are you able to be useful in helping the situations that we're dealing with in our communities whether that be around police brutality whether that be around voting whether that be around healthcare whether that be around discrimination in the workplace the lack of resources to public education the list goes on and on and on and I think we all find ourselves at the crossroads we're not only helping other folks who don't necessarily have to deal with these issues each and every day making sure that there are resources and tools for people to kind of tap into so that we can continue to do this work and make sure that our communities have exactly what it is that they need Terriana you are coming up on a year of as president of the NAACP what are you looking at so honestly I must say with everything that's going on with my school and not knowing like what's next and I'm still working with the students a student just reached out to me yesterday she sent me I mean a list of things that the students could be doing to get engaged so it really makes my soul happy my heart smile when I see that the students have not given up you know we've done Zoom calls we've reached out we've put resources out there you know shaking out of the group me every now and then and be like hey are you okay do you need this or do you need that but I'm really excited it's been a year since I've been the president I'm going like you said I'm going into my last year but I still continue I still want to continue to work with the NAACP at my school and on a state level so we'll see what we have I mean we have a lot of work to do there's a lot to be done there's never not enough to be done and another important thing that that I expressed to the students is there's enough room for everybody there's a place for everybody no matter your major your race or anything there's so much work to be done and there's a place for everybody and there's a place for everyone to work so I'm truly truly excited you know to be to get back in the groove of you know working well there certainly is a lot to be done and Adilatrice you have any graduate wisdom been there done that yes actually so just to piggyback off of what both of them said as far as challenges I experienced those challenges before I even started a petition against the school my freshman year I came in on fire but to that point like Marquis said I've never I'm not one of those type of people that just like oh they told me I can't do it no I'm going to keep going after it I'm going to find a way there's some way that we can get our yes we can get our change we can get our amendment our alteration some type of way and I think that's part of it is just having a mindset of having that optimism that hope and knowing that you can achieve you can get whatever you are striving to work and get for your peers and also as far as just the older generation I think I haven't experienced the too many people too many older activists that have really kind of persuaded me against or dissuaded me from the work if anything they said the same things Marquis has said they were once those us they were once us out there on the front on the front lines and so they've always provided that good advice those tips on how to maneuver how to do this how to strategize and organize and those are the key things in activism and I think that's been the most helpful because usually you'll hear people say oh the older generation doesn't listen and stuff like that and that's true for the most part but usually usually they'll offer something there is some benefit in exchanging ideas and thought processes and thinking with between and amongst generations oh my my I think we've been outed here I think we the older generation less seasoned folks aren't listening enough to y'all well I'm gonna listen up to that I'm not you're back in the world and you're working down in New York New York area and working on your goals what what are you seeing as challenges and your interactions with folks so one thing that I've noticed is that often people that are all groups they tend to as a defense mechanism point their hatred or anger towards other groups that are also oppressed in an attempt to make themselves feel better to not feel like they're the worst so I recognize that with men especially men of color we tend to forget the intersectionality point and how women and LGBTQ plus groups and also other groups that are not African-American groups are impacted by oppression as well so I find it that I'm often having to check my colleagues and something that they said that was homophobic or something that they said is offensive towards women and I think that it's imperative to continue to check and hold each other accountable and it's very frustrating because you can clearly see that you've experienced the same thing so why are you perpetuating what you're condemning and so as I grow older I'm trying to make sure that I'm paying attention to the new perspectives that are coming from the younger generations and just being aware and open to changing dialogue and accepting what's acceptable and not acceptable in tone and language that's not acceptable anymore and I think that it's important for older generations as well to hop on the tree indeed it is indeed it is we are always having to check ourselves and check where we are in process folks are writing in and our time is going quickly so I'm going to jump over to our Q&A and I'm going to open this up to hear the question and you have something you'd like to share I'm just going to offer the questions out from Kim Estelle I'm very disheartened though sadly not surprised by the egregious attempts to disenfranchise voters what concrete acts can we do to reduce this interference one of you speak to that please one thing I will say with all the voter suppression and all that's going on around voting and then voting coming up so soon don't give up going and making sure you're taking the necessary steps and actions that are needed so that your vote counts and it's important to let people know that their vote matters and it was really shocking to me to hear people say oh my vote doesn't matter or this isn't this I do want to say and I'm going to always say no matter what discussion I get on you know don't give up your vote does matter and reach out to somebody there are so many out there that can help you in understanding what you need to do what steps do you need to take so that you are voting and just like with the home I just saw on social media earlier today about voting ahead of time so that your vote reaches you know wherever it needs to be like mailing your voting a week or so ahead of time or two weeks ahead of time so that your vote counts and some people pre-seeds not open and due to the pandemic there's so much going on to try to stop us from voting but I feel like don't use it as a reason or excuse not to vote but as a fire to you know go out and vote so that's what I want to speak on that thank you thank you anyone else want to chime in on that I know one of the things that we have to get used to as as activists and as woke people is that we're not going to always get what we are desiring to get first time out second time out we've been at this for about 179 years so what challenges do you see this is from pristine hager what challenges do you see for voting rights in states affected by the supreme court decision or what sound challenges are happening around around where you are right now marquise what's happening sorry I was looking for the unmute button um one of the things that I think is important to note like terriana just mentioned is that voter suppression is very real and is very real amongst black and brown communities and looks so different we saw voter suppression very real in the state of georgia when stacey ablenz was running for governor and you saw in communities where there were enough voting machines but only one outlet for the voter machine to be plugged up to we saw voter suppression in mississippi when mike espi was running against Cindy hi smith and you saw communities across the state where they would go to the polls there's supposed to be two names on the ballot and yet there was only one name listed and so when you look at these type of trends that happen in communities where all of us have access to the data that shows that if you have a certain percentage of this demographic of voters who show up to the polls then the likelihood of you winning is x y and z and so in order for them to eliminate and make sure that the barrier is still standing they work effortlessly and tirelessly to make sure that the levels of systematic oppression continue to raise and that it looks differently and so sometimes we might come and i'm not i know that it'll happen this november which is unfortunate is that there's going to be something different when it looks when it comes to voter suppression and we've already seen the united states postal service talk about making sure that you are mailing your ballots back in at least 14 days before the election because they won't get back in and they won't get counted and so i think we have to make sure that not only are we recognizing what the suppression and the oppression looks like in our communities when it comes to uh following the the governmental system uh that has been given to us to somewhat voice our opinions and also recognizing that our voices are being uh silence but at the same time making sure that we're holding our elected officials accountable who have voted to make sure that the certain institutions and to make sure that the certain you know that they're giving these contracts to certain businesses and companies to carry out these uh responsibilities like transporting the the the ballots to one place to another and then the ballots not being counted they're going missing in travel so there's some different things that we've got to look at thank you latrice you want to follow in yes so sorry i broke in for no no no he was he was frozen so you okay great thing so i was speaking on the issues of college campuses that have polling places um that's something that may be an issue coming into election season so for those colleges that aren't returning to campus what will the students do um how will that work out for them and that's a question for the campus leaders the young people the students to connect with administration their administration as far as that goes and to make sure the word is getting out to the students via the institution website or social media platforms that campus leaders have or campus organizations and i think that's also something that we um as people should consider for those college students like me um who aren't from their from the states that they're attending school so if i'm not from here and we're not coming back to school then what do i do how how much time do i have left to re-register at home or how much time do i have left to send in my ballot um and that's just something else to consider more ways to discount votes uh uh jane park is writing with a uh a question for uh amad jackson uh hello from florida uh would amad would mr jackson be willing to share a short list of favorite songs sometimes and thanks to this great panel uh for all of you for making time to share your time with us amad would you be willing to share some of those songs maybe become a playlist yes i'll make one okay uh we can probably make that happen if um you either send it to me or we can actually uh we'll add them in on the uh the follow-up uh to this series um so okay if you'll be our play master we'll send it out to the people uh from phyllis learner uh i'd like to know if and why why kids don't register to vote in schools and communities are you having that problem on your college campuses tariana most definitely i mean who isn't honestly at this point but i want um a few things like there's been a lot of confusion with like students being from out of state so say you have a student you have students at tougaloo from chicago or students from eneapolis or students from virginia and they're at school and during um election time they're in the state of being there on tougaloo's campus and so getting those students to register you know in the county that they'll be in it's been quite difficult and like latrice said a big issue is going to be students won't be returning in the fall they'll be online and some students will be home in different states so for those students who did change their address over i mean how do we go from there so there's been a lot of issues um a lot of students um feel that their vote doesn't count um i've heard students say it's too complicated i don't have time um some students just aren't aware you'll be surprised how many students how many freshmen come on campus and aren't registered to vote or who are not aware of the importance of voting so it may not be until their junior senior year where we can get a hold to them and really you know explain and instill to them the importance of voting so those are just a few issues that i have personally encounter you know trying to get students to register on campus well uh our time is going away and we're in the lightning round now so a question from susan eichel my question for these inspiring activists when you encounter white people who ask what can i do what do you tell them who's up okay i guess i'll be up because i'm going to do a whole lot um one of the things that's really important is to make sure that you're having serious conversations with your family and friends one of the things that i think a lot of times happens is that when there are certain white people who know what the issues are um that black people are facing that they often are smiling in black folks faces when it comes to agreeing with what the issues are and trying to make it seem as if that they're you know understanding and empathetic and sympathizing to way black communities have faced but yet when they turn their backs uh the conversations that they're having amongst their friends and folks who look just like them are not identical and so i think it's important to make sure that the conversations um are consistent but then too it's important to make sure that resources are being given to amplify the voices of young uh black and brown activists and organizations who are doing work on the ground because a lot of the times you'll find folks who just don't want to go outside and protest they don't want to you know be on the front lines as we call it they don't want to you know uh get on the zoom call and so they try and figure out what are the ways that they can be involved and the reality of it is a lot of folks have to have financial resources in order for the movement to keep on moving um and we've seen that with organizations that we've been a part of or whether that's a small donation of five or ten dollars to large donations over a thousand to where those funds are being used to help continue the movement because young people um are getting burnt out and a lot of the times they're not being paid for the work that they're doing and I'm not saying that we necessarily are looking to get paid but there are content and there are stories that are being told um and by black and brown people and other institutions are stealing the information that they're uh putting out and using it for their own profit and so that's going to be the case you might as well go ahead and pay us for what we what we didn't set up here and talk about Anybody else want to tag in before we close off our audience questions go one thing I realized is that um so there's a big saying that with the MTA when you see something say say something and a lot of times um I feel like white people are more in the position to um take an authoritative role in a situation without there being repercussions so for example I was in um a store and I attempted to return a shirt and they wouldn't allow me to return it even though I had the receipt and everything in the bag so one of my um close friends his mother came downstairs and she was able to return it and she immediately asked to talk to management and address the situation and so with a more um concrete example I would say when you see uh people of color being followed around in stores speak up for them when you see children being um followed by the police and they are clearly not doing anything wrong speak up and um recognizing your position of power and your position to make it make change and addressing that change not only in the moment but um going forward you know we could take this to nine o'clock and we would be here sharing some amazing stuff unfortunately we only have an hour we'd like to honor people's time and commitment to that hour and we honor also your time and commitment for showing up tonight and bringing the goods you all inspire me in such amazing ways your thoughtfulness, your articulation but also with the fact that you are getting your hands dirty and you're getting it done um so thank you so much for joining us tonight I am inviting you into the chat room after the program we'll have some folks who will come in they'll want to engage you a little further so as you are able please join us there for those of you in our audience um the chat um link is in the email that you got and it's also listed in the the chat here tonight um just as a final thought I want to say that as our panelists have said tonight there is much work to be done and it's important so important that we not try to do the perfect thing that is going to solve all these problems we are not going to fix racism homophobia and all that we are not going to fix all of the injustices that are happening in the voting issues around the country however whatever we do fix we can push forward so that's our mission do something and let's do it together I do want to before we close out and we're going to close with Greg Greenway leading us out in song thank you again Greg thank you to our panelists for coming and the marvelous examples that you are of leadership in our country we're going to ask you all to remember to join us on August the 26th it will be our 4th voting rights series program it will be national women's equality day and our special guest for that broadcast will be Michelle Duster author, speaker and educator she is the great granddaughter of IDB Wells Barnett the iconic anti-lynching activists and suffragists we will also have Shavara Oren author and diversity and inclusion practitioner and she is the daughter of civil rights leader Reverend James Bevel and we also will be joined by Andrea Jenkins author, poet and community leader and she is the vice president of the Minneapolis City Council and the first openly trans woman elected to public office in that state so thank you again for joining us for this time I am going out of here inspired and we've got a great song to close out so Greg Greenway lead us on in 1963 John Lewis was 23 years old when he stood on that stage in front of the Lincoln Memorial and when I see you Latrice, Ahmad, Tariana and Marquise, I know where we are going to find our next John Lewis and our next Diane Nash so here is a song from little Troy New York to that stage to his office in the Capitol building John Lewis could have said to himself it's a mighty long way from there to here from where we want to be it's a mighty long way from over yonder it's a mighty long way from there to here we're going to take it oh yes one step at a time so that we can make that walk from there to here here's that works it's a mighty long way from over yonder it's a mighty long way it's a mighty long way from there to here we're going to take it oh yes one step at a time so that we can make that walk from there to here we can't a man see who outside his window it's a whole lifetime from there to here and all those people who gave their sweat and their blood so that he could make that walk from there to here oh it's a mighty long way it's a mighty long way from over yonder from over yonder it's a mighty long way from there to here we're going to take it oh yes one step at a time so that we can make that walk from there to here now every child born is a revolution is a revolution with a song inside some won't hear it oh some hear nothing else they'll sing night and day just to keep that song alive oh it's a mighty long way it's a mighty long way from over yonder from over yonder it's a mighty long way from there to here we're going to take it oh yes one step at a time so that we can make that walk from there to here from there to here now when you've got a dream you got to stand up stand up and shout it shout it loud and clear what's that I'm hearing it's the voice of the young people singing that we will make that walk from there to here oh it's a mighty long way it's a mighty long way from over yonder it's a mighty long way from there to here we're going to take it oh yes one step at a time so that we can make that walk from there to here so that we can make that walk from there to here so we can make that walk from there to here