 Welcome to Sister Power. Today's Sister Power is to empower our viewers to make more informed decisions about your right and power to vote. Today, I'm just so excited to have a special guest with us. We have Sequoia Carl Brown, president and founder of Each Group Express. And we're going to have conversations today about voting. We're going to have conversations about Black athletes. We're going to have fun. Today, it's about Tea for Two. Welcome, Sequoia. Welcome, Queen Aloha to everyone out there. And we're going to stir it up a little bit. Stir our tea up. Okay, let's start with congratulation to Elisa Garza. Yes. Yeah. A Black Lives Matter movement serving as a Dow Chair at UH Minoa. Yes. I had the pleasure of meeting Elisa Garza. We were together at the African American Film Festival and you have a picture there. So we want to welcome her. We can't wait for her to come to the island. I can't wait either. It's a long time, long overdue. I know she was here before, but she's been gone too long and we need her right now. Especially right now. It was going on right now. Yeah. Very much so. Sequoia, you and I were talking about, you know, athletes have often been major voices with equality and social justice and many have long used their platform to raise awareness to various causes. Anyone particularly you want to chat about, Sequoia? Well, I am so excited about Miss Naomi Osaka and her winning, her games and protesting with her mask of the names, each match, the names of our victims of police brutality and bringing that awareness forward. And I'm so happy that she was supported in that endeavor. But that's not always the case, as we know, with like Colin Kaepernick and others. So I was really, really proud of her and she won on top of it. So that, you know, brought that power of our ancestors and everyone together for her to make that issue known. Yeah, well, seven matches, seven names on seven masks. That's right. Naomi Osaka wins the U.S. Open or a different match for each of her matches in this year's tournament. Each carried the name of a Black American who was the victim of violence in attempt to highlight racial justice. And I thought for a 22-year-old that was just so courageous, very courageous. Yes. Very powerful, very powerful. And I was also, I don't think we have a photo of her, but I was also very proud of the work done by Gwen Berry of the Pan Am Games. She put her fist up just like our brothers, Tommy Smith and John Curtis in the 1968 Mexico City Games. And she was lost her sponsorship, though, for lifting her fist and being empowered. She's from Ferguson, you know, so she was feeling as she just felt something in her spirit moved and she wanted to make a statement. But she lost her sponsorship because of that. But now, the color of change, colorofchange.org, has put out a petition to help support her and to ask the sponsors of the Olympic Games to support her despite what has happened. And we're hoping that will come forward. Companies like Nike, Kellogg, P&G. So let's hope that they will do, you know, put their money where their mouth is. I mean, they're putting up all these slogans about Black Lives Matter and all. Let's see if they're going to put some skin in the game this time. And also, I was very, I have it here. I was just very happy about the Tennessee Tyson star football player, Dary Henry. He, someone designed a suit for him with all of the Black Lives Matter victims. How bold and brave was that? Yes. And I mean, we make our statements where and when we can. And I know a lot of times our athletes are bound by certain contracts or social norms, where they have this pressure to not speak out. But what these franchises are forgetting is that after our Black athletes and Brown athletes take off their uniforms, they are regular everyday citizens in the police. They don't care. They just see Melanin and shoot first and maybe ask questions later. So I mean, they have a valid point to stand up and say what they want to say and speak truth to power. Yeah. Well, you know, we're, if there's 47 days remaining for this most important election. So let's jump right into the election is coming up. And now that our founding voting rights leaders have passed, who has picked up the torch, Sequoia? We have a couple. First comes to mind for me is Ms. Stacey Abrams from Georgia. Right. And so she went through that fiasco of being cheated out of her opportunity for the governorship. But since then, she has launched a campaign called Fair Fight 2020. And it's all about fighting against legislation that opposes election reform. And she's not only working for the state of Georgia, but the whole, all of the United States. And she is up against special interests and vendors for a place before the voters. So if you look her up in her work at fairfight.com, you will be led to understand what your vote is all about, how powerful it is, and how you can fight to keep it and maintain it. Yeah, you know, I love the speech that Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic National Convention. And these are her words. If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can and they will. And if we don't make a change in this election, if we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have to vote for Joe Biden. Like our lives depend on it. What's your take from that? Our lives do depend on voting on November 3rd. They do. I mean, our 15 right, right amendment, both rights have been compromised in many ways, with all these deal Jim Crow 2.0 kind of tactics of voter suppression, be it confusing voters about their ballots, closing polling stations, you know, things like that, even for our prisoners who are recently been released and making them pay equivalent to a poll tax, you know, pay restitution before they can even get the ballot. So it's very important to know what your rights are, how to vote, how to register. Make sure that if you get one where it's a right in ballot, take a picture of that signature, because there will be post people there working who will challenge that. And there are those who are working against us who are trying to put very hateful people in our polling places to say, oh, no, this isn't you. This isn't the same signature that I see. You know, sometimes we change our signatures, right? Sometimes I'm bubble, sometimes I'm very, you know, fancy, but take a photo of the signature that you send in and keep that in practice and make sure it's the same signature. In terms of who to vote for, yes, we're back to the lesser of the two evils, I know. I think what we have to do this time, we have to tell Biden, if it's down to just those two, we can't just give our vote away and he not give us something for it this time. The Democrats have taken the black community program way too long. So we're going to have to do, well, what have you done for me lately? And you better stick to it. And we can't wait for him to get in and then do it because he'll be like, oh yeah, whatever I'm in now, what are you going to do? We have to make him commit before. So that's what's crucial. And also, it can't be just about the executive branch. It has to be down ticket. We have to put candidates in there that are more progressive. We got to fill, you know, we got to clean our house. We got to get our judiciary. We've got to get, you know, everything, judges, the benches are being packed with very, very wicked kind of people who are up against us and want to suppress us even more. And McConnell is so busy with that, you know, he doesn't care anything about anything else but packing the board and the benches. So we need to think about down ticket, not just who's in the White House, but who can we put in the other seats so that we can balance and check him. Yeah, you know, I'm glad you bring up an excellent point. I like what filmmaker, Ava DuGrenay recently had something to say regarding Paris Green, Joe Biden's Vice President running made for the 2020 presidential election. And she said, there is no debate anymore. And that's true. There's no debate right now. We're 47 days out because what she didn't do is abandon citizens in a pandemic with babies from their mother's arms at the border, send federal troops to terrorize protesters, manufacture new ways to suppress Black and Brown votes, and it goes on and on. So vote them in and then let's hold them accountable. And it's just real important for us to get to the polls. Now, Hawaii voters can also vote before election day. The early voting period runs from Tuesday, October 20, 2020 to Monday, November 2, 2020. But dates and hours may vary based on where you live. So let's talk about the Black agenda. If we have this opportunity, well, will we have the opportunity, because I believe is going to win. We don't have any of any choice. What would you like to see on the table, Sequoia? Well, I'd like him to come to terms with his crime bill legislation, which has led to all of these uprisings, right? I think Biden needs to really atone for that and get on board with, you know, a lot of people don't like the term defund the police. And it doesn't literally mean that. It means to just redistribute the funding to other programs that will help support at-risk communities and not have us living in a police state, particularly nations of color, and our indigenous brothers and sisters. So if we were to get him to atone, acknowledge, and really see and hear us the way we deserve to be heard and to work with his VP, Ms. Harris, to actually to get these policies moving, you know, and really be genuine about it this time that we are united for, so we're not divided anymore. And I think the people are seeing that we're all more connected and alike than unlike the Southern strategy tactics are just archaic and they do not work in a new progressive world, modern world. And yeah, I think that's the best thing we need to do. I think if he just comes forward and is straight with us about his role in the places that we are, I think that we can move forward to be a better nation. I like that. I enjoyed that. And I hope someone is listening that has listened to this and they can take our list, take two, the Biden and Harris committee. So what strategies, Sequoia, must we take to protect our 15th amendment rights? Well, first off, you should know what the 15th amendment is and know that well, you know, it's, it was the laws that were that were passed during reconstruction period, right, the 13th through 15th amendment. So we were emancipated into 13th, 14th gave us the right, you know, that we were citizens and equal citizens under the law, right. And 15th gave us the right to vote, more so men, but that's a whole other show. But nevertheless, we were allowed to vote, you couldn't abridge according to race or color or what was your, your state of what if you're a slave or not, it didn't matter. So today, those laws are being compromised and gutted with these crazy little Neil Jim Crow kind of tactics, confusing voters, you know, making the information about the ballot kind of challenging it or closing poll polling places, things like that. So if you were to go to vote.org, they tell you how to counter these things, how to work, to learn if you are registered for one, because they're purging as well as another tactic. So check and see if you have been purged from voting and they're doing tactics, particularly on Republican or on GOP states, like if there's a, you know, there's a lot of Latinos who might maybe they want or something, but they're, you know, or Martinez and or African America is the last name of Washington and such and they'll just say, Oh, this is the same person and purge you just based upon your name. And we know all about that's a whole other a T part of the other like T discussion in terms of what's in a name and whether you're hired or not because it sounds too black or whatever, Latino. So check to see if you've been purged because they're doing it just based upon you having a similar name. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So that's a few ways. All right. Well, if you're just joining us, this is sister power and we have a conversations with Sequoia and Sharon, the power of our vote and black athletes. And you know, this is this is this is trying times right now. And we were talking about the black agenda 2020 is a policy agenda created by us for us and rooted in the voices of tens of thousands of black people who works to hold elected officials accountable. That's the word accountable to our communities and make black people powerful in every aspect of our lives. So this is about the economy, which we have, you know, black dollars matter. Yes. Our society, our communities, the legal system, our families, our democracy. I mean, it's just this is something that we must take very serious here is getting out from the getting the getting out to vote. And our stories have power. They do tell me right now. Talk to the people Sequoia. The people are sitting at home right now. You and I are here in Hawaii during this pandemic for a total lockdown. Right now, the numbers are over 197,000 people who have died during the pandemic. What can the people do? We're sitting at home right now due to help us win the election. Well, I mean, it's enough. It's an uphill battle. I the best I can tell you to do is like, we're kind of up against this whole decision like get COVID risk and go out because sometimes mailing in your ballot, depending on what state you live on. And that's being compromised. We're blessed to live in Hawaii. I don't think we have to worry about that. But on the mainland, there are many states that have to choose because either they've been purged or there's confusion about how to do a mailing ballot that they have to like, oh, I have to go and risk getting COVID. So again, try to get that registration in as soon as possible, vote.org, fairfight.com with the Stacey Abrams campaign. And get that vote in. Check to see you're registered. If your state or your polling place seems safe, if you want to go out there and take the risk and get the Rona, I mean, it's just crazy. I mean, who knows? I mean, I know a lot of people are feeling that the corona will compromise the ballot, our election, and there is that potential. But we have to remain steadfast and keep trying. Get out there, educate others through social media, through Zoom meetings, anything. Just to help convince people you have to get out there and vote the best way you can, be it mailing, be it to take that risk to go out there. Hopefully you're in a state, a play, a district that you don't have to have put up too much of a risk. But that's all I got. That's it because we're 47 days out from the election. And people can also, while you're at home, you can also go to votesaveamerica.com. Go there, register. It will prompt you. It's very easy. This is the easiest election that we can deal with. We only have one person to vote in. That's riding with Biden to get him in. So we can get this economy back on track. We can get a whole, get the right vaccine for the American people off of the world. It really affects the world right now. And we don't ever want our congressman, John Lewis, to have fought in vain. And he said, get in good trouble. Necessary trouble. Using voting as a nonviolent tool to win the soul of the country back. What's your take on that? I mean, I know I'm voting. I'm registered. I'm getting phone calls. Yes. I mean, doing anything you can volunteering to get out there and inform people, educate, empower is very important. Another warrior that has picked up the torch after John Lewis as Reverend Barbara, Dr. Barbara, William Barbara, the poor people's movement, right? And he has the Nemours campaign, mobilizing, organizing, registering and educating people about their vote. And he's particularly targeting low wealth citizens who feel that they've been ignored completely. And they usually can't get out the vote. They have to deal with transportation issues. They can't get off work, things like this. So he is out there, not only within his own state in North Carolina, but throughout the United States, trying to mobilize and get our low wealth working class people together. Because he is picking up also where our ancestor, Dr. Martin Luther King, with the poor people's movement that he started that ultimately got him killed. Because Dr. King knew, as the Reverend Barbara knows, once you get poor, black and brown and white people together, it's over for those powerful classes who are trying to divide and conquer us. Because they know that that's the message is to get rich white people telling poor white people that black and brown people are the enemy. So Dr. King broke that formula and he was murdered for it. And so Reverend Barbara is picking up the torch, they carry that through and his message is coming through. Because more and more people are seeing what we've always been saying, we are the canaries in the coal mine. What happens to us will eventually happen to everyone else. And we see it every day. More and more people are being affected. It's COVID has shown, exposed, brought it all to the light. And we have our warriors like Stacey Abrams and Reverend Barbara out there, you know, shining the light, that beacon nice and bright to bring us all together as a nation. Yeah, we need to vote. And I like what Common says. He's an activist and a singer. He said, if your vote didn't matter so much, they wouldn't try so hard to take it away. That's right. Demanded. In this insane moment, you know, let's just, I want to just briefly talk about, you know, our community, the black community is one of the fastest growing communities in America this decade. So you cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe you have to have courage, raw courage. And this is what John Willis is telling us. People take this serious. We have 47 days left before this election. And I know we're going to come out a winner. I really feel it. I think that people after the George Floyd murder during the pandemic, where we saw the officer put his knee on George Floyd's neck, the world finally has seen what we've always known. You know, can you imagine the camp quarters, camp quarters are not on? I mean, it's happening every moment, all the time. Yes. I mean, this is just like a fraction of what happens on the daily in our nation all around the world with policing. But we're speaking about our nation, our experience. And you know, just they're just gotten so emboldened, they're just, you know, publicly lynching, you know, with the camera on, like, you know, it's, you know, it's just all my every day. You know, it was just evil, absolutely evil. And then I was afraid that we'd be coming to desensitize to this type of violence, because our nation has been socialized to see black bodies as some kind of novelty to be manipulated and toyed with and exploited, you know, and it's disgusting. And I'm glad that more and more people are waking up. And if it wasn't for social media, I guess nothing would have happened as intensely as it had, because even in Martin Luther King's time, if it wasn't for those cameras showing them being hosed down and dogs attacking these children who are out there taking these beatings, there wouldn't have been as much of an up and outcry globally. So it took a minute, a long minute, but so happy that I mean, it's just it's unprecedented in this time with the fire this time kind of playing off of James Baldwin's work, the fire next time. That this time we see more white people out there. It's more multifaceted than ever before. And I think the status quo, the, you know, old guard, they're getting scared. So that's why they're coming down harder on us with all of these tactics and this our intense racist kind of behavior and fear, putting our fear and anxiety into people who actually have more in common with us if they would actually just take the time to see and know us. Yeah, well, you know, in closing, I'm going to leave. Thank you so much for joining us this Sequoia. Thank you so much on behalf of Think Tech and Sister Power. But I want to leave the audience and something that John Lewis said, I have been beaten, my skull fractured and arrested more than 40 times so that each and every person has the right to register and vote. Friends of mine gave their lives. Do your part. Get out there and vote like you've never voted before. On behalf again, Assistant Sister Power and Think Tech of IE, thank you for your time. People, wear your mask Aloha.