Native Land PodWelcome home, y’all!
We are back with episode 05 of the Native Land Pod.
In this episode, Tiffany Cross, Andrew Gillum, and Angela Rye tackle immigration, economic mobility, and criminal justice reform. They discuss President Biden's clash with the GOP over a bipartisan immigration bill, Mayor Eric Adams' unique aid approach for migrant families in New York, and key findings from a report on Black economic mobility. Plus, they delve into a Senate bill in Georgia that could worsen inequalities in the criminal justice system.
Plus, Part 2 of Andrew's gripping personal testimony.
We want to hear from you! Send us a video @nativelandpod and we may feature you on the podcast.
Watch full episodes of Native Land Pod here on Youtube.
Thank you to the Native Land Pod team:
Angela Rye as host, executive producer and cofounder of Reasoned Choice Media; Tiffany Cross as host and producer, Andrew Gillum as host and producer, and Gabrielle Collins as executive producer; Loren Mychael and Jabari Davis are our research producers, Baheed Frazier is our engineer, and Nikolas Harter is our editor and producer. A special thanks as well to Chris Morrow and Lenard McKelvey, co-founders of Reasoned Choice Media.
Native Land Pod is a production of iHeart Radio in partnership with Reason Choice Media. What's up, everybody, Welcome home, y'all to the fifth episode of Native Land Pod.
Per se Yes.
Day here the birth day.
I'm forty five, y'all get it good? Thank you good? Can I tell y'all, I didn't know it was middle aged? You're choosing violence?
I give you permission.
I didn't know it was middle aged. I didn't know forty.
Received it really no middle as.
We don't put you in your trump here.
I know forty five is bad. It started out bad, so it's gonna end up good.
You get second chances, third.
You know that is true.
That's true.
Well anyway, Quarius seasons. So thank y'all because this is my birthday gift here being with you all. I'll tell our listeners after this, we're all going to go eat stuff our faces.
Yes, we get there. It depends on if we decide to fill a bust to this pot or not. Okay, can we go along on this pod?
We do. We don't know how to stop talking.
We will have so much interesting things to say that it's a lot happening in the media. Yes, yes, well we think are interesting, Yes, exactly.
The listener may or may not, who knows well.
The numbers say they do. Thank y'all for rolling with us.
As you know on Nata Lampid, we give it to you straight, no chaser, And so I want to let you guys know, we are going.
To be talking about a lot on this episode.
We're going to we had a primary this week, two primaries on Nevada and Nevada.
Forgive me all the folks in Nevada on the West coast, right, let's the a Ryan go never let us this is the West Coast Nevada, Nevada in South Carolina.
So we'll get into that immigration. Every time we talk about immigration, I feel like it's a flood of comments. Yeah, people feel away and people, I will tell you, people have been coming after me like Tiffany, you have no idea what you're talking about, and let me tell you what's happening in Chicago.
And New York.
And I heard y'all.
So we're gonna get into that again today.
In shall we gonna we want to come rod to your city, invite us. We're also going to get into something that we talked about doing on this podcast is talking about some of these state bills that are happening because a lot of people don't pay attention and a lot of these state these laws that are passed to the state legislature become federal law. So we're going to start paying attention to that as well. We're going to y'all know what's happening Sunday. Yes, the NFL, So we're gonna talk about.
That Super Bowl.
Yes, and angel I know you read a really interesting report from Mackenzie.
We're going to get into that.
And I just want to take a moment and thank you guys because of the response to Andrew's testimony last week. Andrew, I know you stay on social media, we all need to, but it was overwhelming. There were so many people just showing you all the love of my brothers. So his testimony was so harrowing and so much. We're going to play the second half of his testimony, so I want you guys to really stick around and listen to that because after going through such turmoil and personal crisis and and surviving that so teers to you. Then the Lord send another challenger away and you survived that, but getting into the trial, I think that is super, super important, So you guys please be sure to stick around for that. So we allowed to get to get into this podcast. Yeah, well, let's get right into it. I think we have to kick it off with the primaries this week, the primary South Carolina and Nevada. So I think why it's important for us to talk about this is these two states have the highest population of people of when it comes to primary state.
So far in the yeah, oh no period.
Yeah, for primary states.
Yeah.
So South Carolina has a large not the largest, but a very large black population, and Nevada has a very large Latino population, black population, indigenous population. Right, big labor community there because of all the casinos. Labor obviously plays an outsize role in politics. So we got to get into it. I will be honest with you guys, I was not paying attention. Well, I wanted to take a break from it all. I wanted to like focus on myself, you know.
Yeah.
Yeah, so I felt a little ease being out of the news. So Angela actually updated me this morning. Angela, please tell me the results of the Nevada Nevada primier.
Well, I will say the Biden heres campaign pushed out some results this morning talking about there were there was a ninety percent of the twenty twenty turnout in this year's primary South Carolina.
No, this is in Nevada, Novada.
Yes, and I think that I'm a little concerned because I know you said, Andrews said, I wouldn't have shown up at all.
Maybe, yeah, but I think that.
You know, we just need to be aware of these numbers, particularly as it relates to people of color. However, I feel like the big news in Nevada is that Nicki Haley opted out of the caucuses and into the primary. She says she didn't compete. Her campaign says she didn't compete. But let me tell you who did compete.
Wait wait, wait, wait wait wait wait, So that the viewers understanding completely, Donald Trump chose the caucuses over the primaries, and therefore was not a name on the ballot.
Yes, okay, okay, yes, So because you can only pick the primary or the caucuses. Yes, so Nicki Haley chose the ballot, she chose the primary, and there was another choice on the ballot that Donald Trump did push. So there was a ghost of Donald Trump on the ballot. It was not any of these candidates. Wait, but do you mean like none of the other candidates are on there.
Or a choice.
There was a choice that said, and I quote, not any of these candidates, Haley.
Any option B is none of y'all.
Do y'all want to know who won?
I have a feeling any of these candidates.
I'm sorry, can you imagine?
So the campaign is trying heard it, but they needed to hear that. Here's the thing, Nikki Haley has to be embarrassed. Her campaign has to be mortified. But they said they putting it all on the line of South Carolina. So, of course South Carolina primaries this weekend were just the Democrats this past weekend.
The Republicans are coming up on the twenty four. So yeah, so we'll see.
Well, as you were saying this, our producer, Nick is a spellar producer. He actually has the winner of the GOP primary caucus on the line.
Please help me welcome.
None of these candidates. Thank you for joining us. About your good feats. I'm sorry about your victory. Give us your remarks on your stellar victory in Nevada. All right, that you heard it here first, folks, we have the GOP winner of the Nevada primary with those really riveting, compelling remarks, I say, all right, can we just I know we got to move on, but I want to talk about South Carolina because some people were taking that and saying, oh, it wasn't a big turnout, and you know, black voters aren't turning out. I get so tired of hearing that that that trope. Did you guys have any thoughts on that or are we done with that?
Well, black voters weren't turning out for the Republican primary, of course not.
But true Republican primary, that's not.
Yet I understand. But my point is is in a non contested presidential election, right, a lot of people don't take time to go out to the polls to just reconfirm what we already know, which is Biden and Harris will be the nominees for Democrats. So to me, I don't think we ought to overread that.
I agree.
Thing I'll tell you guys is our dear sister Latasha Brown, who's been doing work all over the south South Carolina.
I'm not gonna forget about you, brother.
I just say our sister because she's but yes, and Cliff Albright and April I love them.
I will say this.
They said that there was an increase in black voter turnout in South Carolina. So even though the numbers were down, I tell you, did I see an increase in black voter turnout on his ballot count was Dean Phillips.
Well, I thought you was gonna say, Jim Scott.
But you know what, Jim Scott is competing in the Republican primary, competing.
He's still on the ballot.
He's still on the ballot. I think he was. He wasn't. No, he was on the He's on the ballot in Nevada. They can't take you. I don't think they could take you off. We gotta check and none of that.
And not even so he got beat by nobody either not.
Again, yes, okay, yeah, that Mike.
But the thing is the one who's still in the race. Nikki Hayley got beat by one of these kids.
President, none of these candidates.
Might you want to run? None of them?
Right?
Exactly, change your name legally, Nemorda.
I know for your birthday, for your birthday, it's name that's.
An Obama Carter.
All right, everybody, we got a lot more show coming up when we come back after this break. We're going to get into immigration. You guys have a lot to say about immigration. Okay, I'm eager for this next topic because immigration. We've talked about this a few times on the show, and so many of you guys listening way in on this immigration thing. And look, I want to say, I've heard everybody from Chicago and New York say, you don't know, you don't know, you don't know. You guys know where Angela and I are in our girl group, our group chat, and so in our co ed chat. Actually, I think this came up in our co ed chat and we were talking about immigration. And this is how I know we have our finger on the pulse of the community because you guys, your questions are always very consistent with what we talk about. And so I want to kick us off with a viewer question. Who's gonna get us right into this conversation. So let's rode off your question and we'll talk about it on the other side.
Good day, Navy Land. My name is Valentine and I live in Hinesvith, Georgia. My question is what do you think about what fifty cent did over the weekend when he did a tweet me personally, I have a problem with that because if you're gonna tweet something like that. Tweet all the other stuff too, Tweet what the House Republicans doing right now. That's not working with the Democratic Party about making some kind of bill to control the border. He's not education's people. I do believe people like that. The rappers, they're not. They have a platform, but they're not really educating the people like they should.
Then more what you think.
All right, I have a lot of thoughts on this. I'm gonna kick it to y'all. Well, I have a.
Challenging time when first, let me just say, rappers are tax paying citizens and they have a right to weigh in on everything. So I really don't appreciate this, not from the viewer, but sometimes from society. There's this attitude of shut up and dribble, you know, stick to sports, stick to music. And these people probably pay more taxes than some of the people suggesting these things.
So he has a right to weigh in. Fair fair enough.
But I think the bigger point that I would say for people who hear these kind of remarks because somebody read a paper for the first time in six months, they're not an expert on something. Because someone is doing kind of this like hashtag news following. They're not an expert. This is one person's opinion, and so when you hear this, I would invite everybody fine the solid resource yourself because fifty doesn't work on immigration issues at all. But I think the bigger issue that this gets into. I think that what the viewer is trying to suggest is there are other issues happening. One of the conversations we were having is in the black community. Are there are some members of the black community who are being anti immigrants or is it a fight over resources?
Yeah, Tiff, I agree with you that any tax paying citizen, anyone that is watching what's happening in this country has a right to appine on it. Even young folks who don't aren't working, or are elders who may not be working, they have a right to appine on what's happening. I think the challenge is that when we think about the haves and the have nots, oftentimes folks who look like us find ourselves on the have not side like most other people of color, right, And I think that the concern I have is the haves get to escape with you know, blemish free, like there's nothing on them about this and that is what is troubling to me.
So fifty cent. He actually didn't just have an opinion.
He raised a question, Eric Adams, tell me what's going on with these cards?
So, well, les's we should say what the cards are.
Yes, so there is a pilot program in place in New York and yes, and it's also family. Yes, And it is a card that is essentially like Snap Benefits but for migrant community members. Why there were thousands of meals being thrown away every day because folks are like, I don't want this nasty food, like I want something else. So these cards can be used at the local bodega and grocery store so that they can cook the things that they actually want to eat. Now, folks looking at this can say, well, what about us? We actually have SNAP Benefits for low income under resource families all throughout the country through federal programming. But this particular program also works with a black owned business that I can't remember the name of right now, but I do want to play Eric Adams sound in response to this.
I responding to fifty fifty cent, Oh yeah, let's let's let's hear that.
This was a small policy shift that we're doing on a pilot project with five hundred people. If this is successful, we're going to expand it even more so that we can bring down we got to bring down the course twenty percent. We want to bring down a course, and their team are doing their job.
So I told.
Fifty to hit me up.
I would love to explain it to him so that he can go out and do another tweet of saying, you know what, Eric is just a smart manager, and now we understand why he was elected by the people of this city of New York.
I love it. Wow, so asked Ari Melburn Tips former colleague, my former corleague as well, to explain what happened.
He's become a rapper whisper. But also we.
Think that we can we can give you a run for your money on that, Ari, And so to this end, we hope that now it is clearer to fifty cent you know what is going on, not just to him, but he was bold enough to ask the question. A lot of people with these questions all over the country about where is mine?
Yeah, well, I think that's kind of the thing Andrew right, Like, so, I I do look at our comments, even the comments left on Native lamppod on one, thank you everybody for following Native Lampod on all of your platforms at Native Lampod. But a lot of those comments are actually to meet anti immigrant. So I think there are two conversations. One is what about us, which I think is always Angela's point, because Angela, you know, you.
Were quick to say, hey, no, no, no, no no.
These are people who are also suffering, who are saying we you know, it looks like some people are leapfrogging over us, and we need our resources too. Then there's another bucket of people who are saying, I don't want these people here. They are replacing the black population. They're gonna outnumber us, you know, by a certain year, we're going to be the minorities. And they already the Latino population already eclipses the black population in terms of eligible voters, not registered voters, but eligible voters. And there are people who feel a way about that. That to me is anti immigrant. And that is also very similar to what certain pockets of the white population feel about people of color becoming the dominant population in twenty forty four. I don't like to hear us talk like that.
You know what, I think, so real quick on this one. Eric Adams did mention in his response that this is cheaper. He said, we have a goal of the twenty percent. We want to cut the budget on this about twenty percent. But it is cheaper than what they are spending right now. Here in America, we don't tend to just let people languish on the street hungry without having some shelter available for them to get food. If there isn't permanent overnight housing for folks of.
It, they can't because actually mayors, as you know, would be liable for it.
You have to have a solution.
Of course, every well the community would demand one. They'd say, we're tied of these folks laying out on the street.
Absolutely, they're saying, you're putting these people in our neighborhood, you're closing down.
So there is an expectation that we will tend to the problem one way or another. And what Mayor Adams is saying, he didn't have the luxury of being a derelict on this. These are issues that are confronting his city, his community, his constituents, and he wants to address somebody wants to do it, and frankly, a more cost effective and cost efficient way. That's what they are piloting. And the way I used to think about it when I was a mayor was you're gonna pay one way or another. You can pay the smart way in advance, so you can wait and take it up on the back end. And then you're dealing with incarceration rates, and you're dealing with arrests, and you're dealing with police dividing their time between dealing with homeless folks versus real crimes that are taking place in communities. So these are the kinds of decisions that are being made, and we should not pretend that some portion of money wouldn't be going this way anyway. He's only trying to say, let's do it, and let's do it in a cost efficient and effective way that also happens to feed people that.
Also use a black owned business. And to this point, you were brought up in ti immigrant sentiment. If we did get a question about the border, there's a contingency that's still saying build that wall, Like, meanwhile, what wall, Let's roll that question.
Good morning, family.
This is big cousin Will Almighty from Saint Louis, Missouri, and my question is with all the talk of the border, securing the border, closing the border, border, remain me open. Why is it America? Don't solve the real problem, the reason people are running and escaping their lands to come to America. I believe that will solve the problem.
Right, Okay? Can I just birthday?
I love this, big cousin, Will, Almighty school day.
I just want to I want to know what side of you are. You don't get to decide.
I guess I gotta be doing color complex. We're trying to bring the black and brown community together here, you're trying to separate this.
Here.
High five you too?
Okay, Wow, Wow, anyway, wow, big cousin Will. I love this question because we kind of got into this last week because a lot of these policies come from the United States meddling in Central America. But you worked on the hill, so I really want to hear your perspective on this.
I know we were going along.
So this is my very brief synapsis synopsis. What I would tell you is that right now, just like we talked about last week, Joe Biden has introduced a set of border principles, told the the gop led Republican a House to get a bill to him. The Senate is agreed on set bill, then the Republican said, actually, we just want to vote on standalone aid for Israel and what have you. Meanwhile, there's still no solve for this. So yes, there a border bill needs to be done. Yes, we need a more humane immigration system. Yes, we need to ensure that the immigration system accounts for Dreamers. This bill right now doesn't even account for Dreamers.
That folks.
Yes, those are folks who were born here to parents who were undocumented, but they're treated like they're not citizens. We have to find our humanity in this process. I'm not saying that black folks should bear the brunt of that. I'm saying that when you get mad at a migrant family trying to figure out how to make ends meet, trying to escape, as this man just said, big will on my teeth.
Becausin will by the ways, yeah, as he just said, like they're escaping something.
And sometimes, as you said last week, those conditions are those that we created for those neighboring countries.
I just say what I said a couple of weeks ago on this, which is we keep fighting the wrong enemy. I get that people are upset when they see new communities arrive in their communities and seemingly or in practicality or reality to take jobs that might otherwise be available to them. But we've still got job shortages all across the country and jobs that Americans currently are not willing to fill. They're thus creating the need for a lot more folks to come in. But the point being, the economic policies domestically and internationally of this country, but of the world, is largely what is driving what is happening around immigration policies. If we were truly trying to solve the problem, you would go after the employers who are employing folks who are undocumented and then paying them off the role, off the script.
Because they benefit from that benefit from it.
And I was saying, we don't talk about that, but that's.
Where that's where the line of division is. Folks, don't let us squabble amongst all of us who are just trying to live, survive, and maybe one day thrive. This is a fight between that have everything right versus folks who are just trying to make a life in a living for themselves. So much of this is misplaced, but we're allowed to do that because that's exactly how this debate is supposed to go. That's how it's gone for all of time in this country, which is you've put people who are all in need against one another while the folks who have it all are sitting there watching the drama play out.
That's you've coined it perfectly. I know we're running along.
I just want to get one more question, and if we can, we want to make sure you guys feel like you're part of the conversation and we'd love getting all your viewer questions, so please be sure to keep submitting your viewer questions. We will always take time on Native Lampod to answer them. But I just want to get one more question in on this if we can.
Hello, Native Pod.
My name is Selene. I'm a Bronx girl in Baltimore. I have a question I was wondering. I know Angela had mentioned about, you know, steps being made for a comprehensive black agenda, and I wonder what does that look like in practice. I have friends from all over the world, and I am clear that the interests of some Black Americans and the interests of some people who identify as black but come from across the diaspora. I feel like we have a different vested interest in this country. I feel like Black Americans have allowed all other immigrants to enter to start their journey in our country as human That was the price we paid, you know, in blood, sweat and tears. But I feel like some of that gets yeah, Okay, it's done. Has that sentiment.
Thank you for that question, Charlene. First of all, I want to say, welcome home to your poots were in the background.
He has some they too.
I love that question exactly, and I'll kick that to you because this this speaks directly to our girl, Alicia Garza, who's one of the three founders of Black Lives Matter, who runs Futures Pack, who did do a comprehensive black agenda that we try to lift up as much as possible.
Yeah, Black Futures Lab, Black Futures.
Lab, and you're calling back to the future action fun.
Thank you and love you.
She announced she just got a new job the public. Can we talk about this, okay?
Alicia Garza is now at j m B.
Right, Well, we're gonna have to figure that out. Okay.
I think that she got a new job.
Y'all don't know the job you just.
We've been talking about, I got.
I gotta.
Go where she her whole focus will be on building better infrastructure and funneling funds to grassroots organizations.
Thunder A thunder appreciate.
Exactly.
All right, But Charlene's question, I think is a legitimate one. What do y'all have on that?
Yeah, well, she's right, she said, black folks have been I don't know, she didn't use the word eager, but have welcomed communities who have immigrated into this country seamlessly and have treated them as human and humane from jomp And she's right about that. And the sacrifice in service that black folks have made to this country, she basically said, is baked into the pie. Folks are like, yeah, yeah, that happened, but it was a long time ago, and she's right to acknowledge that, Yeah it happened. But the legacy, right, it's tentacles live on today. Our willingness to hold up the country, to hold it accountable to its truth. It doesn't ever seem to disappear. What surprises you, Tiffany about comments from black folks sounding anti immigrant is that's not how we sound. That isn't who we have been, and I don't think it's who we are. I don't think it's who we are, to be truthful about it. I think it's the penetration of other people's conversations.
Right, thank you, depending on who.
We are and trying to reshape our character, are our morals who we are as a people.
Weaponizing communities of color or.
Sure, and it's to their benefit and not ours. So I'm not going down that road. But I appreciated the depth of what was in that question and I completely relate.
I want to switch gears a little bit to the portion of her conversation that talks about a black agenda. There was a recent report from the Mackenzie Institute for Black Economic Mobility, the state of Black Residents, the relevance of place to racial equity and outcomes. And in this report, what I think is the most fascinating thing is that there is a solution, and that's why.
I'm bringing it up around a Black agenda.
There's a solution for a one point seven trillion to a two point four trillion dollar affordable housing plan over two decades that would help close a racial wealth gap, particularly around housing and access to housing. That if we do not implement this one point seven to two point four trillion dollar plan, it will take us more than three hundred and twenty years to close that gaps. And we've already been here doing that. And I think that that's the first flag. I think that if we are not very clear that it is only going to be economics, it's only going to be dollars and cents that fix the very significant problems that we have in this country. We just got to do it. So a few things from this report. They talk about an urban periphery, which is essentially the suburbs. Black outcome scores are just sixty four percent of white outcome scores, so there's still a significant gap there.
But what does that mean, like in wealth specifically.
Around housing, Like it's housing, it is safety, it is access to food, all of these things. They have a like a whole little table, a handy dandy chart that I make sure that y'all get to see. But it talks about everything from the standard of living, the job like well being, livelihood.
In these communities. What that looks like.
So sixty four percent to white folks, there's it says that less than zero point one percent of the black population lives in a county close to parody point one percent. So these numbers are astounding. There are things that we almost get heartened to them. When when we were talking about this as we planned for the podcast, one of the things that Tiff said to me that struck me but it's so true, is Okay, we're used to this, though, like, what's the what's the new data here?
What's the point? Because we know we're behind.
But what I like about this is they also gave a plan for what would close those gaps. And I think that there are things that the Hill needs to be considering. Mike Johnson can't do nothing else, maybe you can figure out a reparation plan for black.
Republican speaker at a house. By the way, we'll see how.
Hold up breath. That the truth is is that the the the agenda to solve some of the things that have always been present. We always know what they are because they're the same agenda that solves these problems for white folks, which is why they don't exist largely problem in white communities. Absolutely. And by the way, you know, a shout out to the book The Some of Us, which Heavin McGee uh wrote, But she talks about all of these ideas, whether it be a free uh education, whether it is the g I Bill of Rights. All of those initiatives as they came along were widely popular with what constituency, the overwhelming majority of white folks in the majority. Where did it change? It changed after the Civil Rights Act when those same programs would be allowed and extended to black folks as well. That is when we began to lose the majority of support in this country.
It is gover green, gun rights, evergreen, but it.
Is also the reason why these disparities are existing in the way that they are. If the government did nothing else, just making sure that home ownership was more accessible to more of us would be would be a great step in the right direction, because for most people who own homes, it is your one beautiful apple of security. You can borrow against it and then pay yourself back and not pay taxes on it. You can use it as leverage. Should your household run into a crisis and you need something as an emergency, you can lose that as collateral. If you're starting a business. The abilities that you get through home ownership are manifold in this society, and it shouldn't confuse any of us why it is that so many black folks don't have that same opportunity and access.
Just a point of clarification, because I don't know if I said it.
This report isn't just dealing with home ownership though, it's affordable housing period like even rent.
Yeah, even rent is talking about that disparity. It's crazy.
And a lot of those protections during COVID that had a moratory on on evictions and foreclosures have since expired.
So housing security in our community has gotten even.
Worse as the rise of inflation, which is not specific to any political party, and crime increase, all of that. But I have questions about this because I do wonder is home ownership the only path to wealth?
It is not. I was just trying to give some of the example.
Yeah, no, I got it of what you get through that on.
The on the rental piece. So almost every state has affordable housing trust funds, and almost every one of them don't live up to the guarantee of those affordable housing trusts. In Florida, we have it. It is baking with money that the Republican legislature borrows against to pay for its other priorities. It's flush, but they won't build a housing that the money is intended to be built. And that is a true statement for state after eight after state, it doesn't get more secure for most people.
That's why you have to look at these state legislators. Who runs the state legislator and know the difference between that and the federal government, and then you'll start to see where some of these democratic policies do benefit you, but maybe your state legislature doesn't.
Right now, Michael Harriet live building.
We so we are literally live recording our podcast, and we were told that Michael Harriet, New York Times best selling author of Black af History was in the building recording breakfast Club, and so we were like, oh, he should come by and while we're recording our podcast, Michael Harriet, Ladies and gentlemen, what's going on?
What's going Welcome.
Our favorite.
I guess.
I'm crashing like my podcast. I don't even have guests either, So roll through.
This is the benefit of being in person.
Welcome y'all. Just blowing up the internet right now, y'all like four episodes in and everybody like talking about this new podcast.
What do we need to know? What is our community? To know we're at the top of Black History Month. What would you leave?
Yeah for Black History Month, I give us a black bet Yeah.
Oh that again one of my people who listen to me. No, I believe South Carolina is the capital of Black America. Everything that you know about black people and think about black people, and think about black people in America came through South Carolina first from the Montgomery Boys Bus boycott wouldn't exist without South Carolina. The laws against governing the enslaved were formatted for all of the states because of a rebellion in South Carolina. So it all everything datespected except what is it?
Almost what seventy percent of us can trace.
Our Yeah the largest largest Yeah.
Right, Like everybody came through South Carolina. All your relatives, ancestors came through South Carolina.
Wow, I knew, I knew.
We could just see Michael say, give us a black history head, be like, here's a black.
A F history the book. Yet I'm Michael Harriet Black a F History. The book is.
Amazing, amazing, It's soondents to read, like I read a little bit every day. It's so I don't want to finish it. For people, it really does like carry you through history in a different way. And the interesting thing about it, Michael, you were not Your mind was not co opted by a school system that taught you a different history. So when you hear this stuff, you're like, what, that's not true. This fantasy of America y'all think exists, that's not the real history of it.
You can get it.
I'm not gonna give away the books, so I read it, but you talk about cannibalism and how this country was founded.
Read the book. That's all I'm gonna say. That is you came.
Back, so you don't have to go home, but MI go Harriet, everybody, thank.
You, Michael, Harriet.
This next bill that we want to tell you guys about, So it's a bill out of Georgia that is run by a Republican state legislature and this new this is a new system that could potentially make it difficult for people of low income to get bail. You guys, i'm sure have heard all about the challenges around bill reform. So we want to get into that because we think that's important. But before we do, we want you to know what's actually in the bill. So take a listen to this and we will get more into it. On the other side, SB.
Sixty three was a harmful bill that was going to, as you said, include at least thirty offenses where judges would be required to set bail, and then at the last minute it included severe restrictions on charitable bail payments. It tops charitable bail payments at three per year for individuals, corporations, nonprofits, churches, as well as charitable bail organizations like US and so at a time when the justice system is overburdened jails are overcrowded, to not only ensure that more people will be subjected to bail and likely unaffordable cash bail, to also take away the lifeline that charitable bail funds and other charitable bail payments offer to lowcome individuals is particularly concerning for Georgians across the state. As I said before, there's a two tiered system of justice in any cash bail system, and that's a system where people with money can be released and people without money can't. And so it has nothing to do with public safety ultimately. Right if you and I are arrested and charged with the same crime, but I have the money in my bank account to get out and you don't. That's what's going to determine pre trial liberty, not.
Whether or not you or I pose a risk to the public.
All right, So this bail bill, I have to say discipline. I want to frame this for our viewers and our listeners. Eighty percent of people in jail right now have not been convicted of a crime. Yes, unbelievable, unbelievable. More than ninety five percent of crime is not violent. And for the number of incarcerated people for pre trial cash bill has increased four hundred and thirty three percent from nineteen seventy nineteen seventy to twenty fifteen. And that Khalif Browder, who we all sadly tragically know, took his life after this child, this teenager was put in rikers with adult prisoners, and he talked about his harrowing journey there, not knowing when violence was going to attack. When they see us Ava du Verney's brilliant piece of work that was on Netflix. We have to do something because this disproportionately impacts the black community.
Everybody but the black community.
And this is the thing. They did do something.
Atlanta in twenty eighteen ban cash bill requirements and Georgia is basically saying, like we know that this was a bipartisan solution under Governor Nathan Dial, we see some of the progress, We're gonna reject all of that and go backwards just to penalize the entities like Color of Change, for example, our good our good brother Rashad Robinson runs Color of Change, and they've engaged in programs to help get people out for holidays, for Mother's Day, for Father's Day. This bill is now on its way to Brian Kemp's desk, and I want to challenge him. There are members of our community you've said that he's a good guy. I haven't seen it on voter suppression. I want to see what he does as it relates to to Bell reform. I'm just saying that that has been the talking point. So all you brothers and sisters and family members.
Are you brothers who has ab a good guy?
Brothers and sisters and siblings who say that you know this is someone who is a decent man.
I want to see if he's decent when it comes to ball reform.
Part of this is it doesn't make sense other I mean, the reason why put it back into its proper category which is economic. Let's not forget right where where the bottom line is. Always follow the money, who gets advanced by this economically, who gets depressed hurt by it economically? And I think we'll find, you know where the interest in this whole thing lie. But but for the taxpayer, if we're just talking to the person who has to pay for this system, it doesn't make sense for us to have to pay to incarcerate, for taxpayers to have to pay to incarcerate people who are nonviolent, who are there on nonviolent offenses waiting for a court date or a trial to be set. Thank god, in my case when I had an indictment, I didn't have to serve any you know, to go directly out and there was no bail set and my situation, because there was, it was a non violent accusation, thankfully proven not true.
Well, can I just say really quickly right there, please stick around to the end of the podcast because you were going to get talk about that. Yeah, I'll the trial and what what he goes to it is a I mean, this testimony Andrew was amazing.
So what with us, and I hope fewer to nobody else has to experience those kinds of things. But in this situation, you've got people there who as who are as innocent as I am, as you are, as any of the three of us or any of our listeners may be, who are sitting inside four walls experiencing all the consequences that come from that. And eventually we may determine whether or not they deserve to be there. But nobody's gonna pay them recompense they don't get, you know, no one's gonna pay their attorneys bills. They get nothing. Lots of devastated and the taxpayer has been on the hook for it. We've been paying out a pocket for it. And it just public policy wise, economically for us the taxpayers, it doesn't make any sense.
It's just as egregious as you can't get people water at the polls. There's a thing with Georgia, I said, this is as egregious this is. You all are trying to peek lize folks who are trying to stand in the gap for the least of these.
Again, this is a battle of the haves and the have nots.
You gotta choose your side, and black folks, I would challenge you, you don't have the ability to stand on the side of the halves because everybody else in your families that have none.
Right, how about that?
That is such a good point.
Like when we even as an individual in the family, when you make it, you don't make it with a trust fund. You make it with a payroll because you got to reach back. Because you know, little Jeff, Jeff want to go to proms, so he ain't got money for a rental car.
Let's ask cousin tiv Let's ask cousin Angela. Let's ask uncle Andrew.
You know, so we are all in the forty five percent tax bracket. We give our check to the government and middle aged I would like to have a reparations text speaking of black I.
Agree with that. Can I guess say really quickly before we get off this topic. I'm so happy that you brought up the point about people calling Governor Brian Kemp a good guy. Please look into this man's background. He is the face of voter suppression. And so when you lend your platform rappers, I'm not even gonna name no names. When you lend your platform to these people and stand on a stage with them, you essentially are endorsing what they're doing that might not be your owen, but they will use your likeness, your image, and they will say, look at it, I got this one about this one standing with me. And if you're showing up and not challenging them on like these kind of policies, it's a big deal. Bell reform is an issue all across the country. I because we were talking about bear reforming, you shout out a rapper. I'm not going to go without naming killing Mike who is but he's a brother to me.
I'm gonna say something that you might not like him.
To have this the win that he had this week at the Grammys, congrats to sweep in his categories and to be arrested yes agree or an assault that did not occur. I think that he can now stand right in the center of this as an advocate for what we're talking about, based on the policy recommendations that he has himself, based on how much he stands ten toes down for our community. I know that we'll be able to count on Mike to tell Governor Kemp to do the right thing. And I and I also just want to acknowledge his son was on the list forgetting I believe a kidney transplant and they were able to go for with that, so best to.
And we can.
We can politically disagree with these people, but I don't think he disagrees on this, Oh no, But I just mean with him.
I've had political disagree with him, our sister Joy we did the show with him before we had disagreements.
But my point is he's still our brother. I don't know he's still brother.
We can disagree as family loves out in the world we are united, but when we have family talk welcome home, y'all, we might disagree. So definitely, congrats on the Grammys. Definitely completely disrespected at the Grammys, being arrested for an assault right after he won those things.
But I do think I hope that that reminds him, not that he needed that reminder because of his friends, friends in his community to challenge Governor Kimny.
He has him on speed out.
Not just all of us have an experience that is extremely true in our community, which is we can be a ten yeah off of our merit and what we've earned and the hard work we put in. And when they decide to come for you, yea, they decide, not you decide to aggress, they come for you. Yeah, and they mean to take you out.
Yeah, it's really sad to see.
So just pay attention to these policies, guys. You know, of course, you know the First Step Act, the federal policy that tried to check a very punishing criminal justice system for our community. It's called the First Step Act because there needs to be a second Act and a third Act and the fourth Act. So we'll definitely be talking about that. I know, police brutality is something that's really close to all of us, but Angela, you've been wanting to talk about that for a while, So next week I think we should probably get into that.
That would be a good conversation.
All Right, we're gonna take a really quick commercial break, but come back with us because on the other side of this break, we're going to talk about the Super Bowl. I'll leave you with this teasing question. Did you guys know that Travis Kelsey invented the fade? Yeah, exactly, I've been rock exactly. All right, y'all, don't go anywhere. We'll be right back after this break. All right, Welcome back, everybody. If you follow me for a while, you know I am an expert when it comes to all things Sports, And so we are going to talk about the Super Bowl.
Now, I know the.
Audience knows who's playing in the Super Bowl. But for those people who embarrassingly have no idea who are the.
Teams playing in the Super Bowl? Tell us, well, I don't want to hog the bikes show.
I want to be that Micael.
That would be the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco forty nine ers and just some people who don't know, embarrassingly, which team does Travis Kelcey play for?
Damn you don't know that.
She wants you to chance, right, I'm trying to give you.
I'm gonna let you guess. You got a fifty to fifty shot.
I will say he doesn't play for Kansas City because.
Okay, okay, well who does Mahomes play for Kansas City?
So Travis Kelcey and Mahomes are the same.
You know how many people, well our residents sports expert is checked out for the day.
Ladies and did not know they were on the same team.
Well, here's here's who we do know is on the team. Taylor Swift. Let me talk about that.
Yes, so Travis Invade and Taylor Taylor.
Brother.
Yes he is he didn't.
It's so nice of you to use brothers did faith. Let's rote that Travis Chelsea sound where he defends himself to tips slander slanderss.
It's absolutely ridiculous.
And to do it, and to do it on February first, to throw me to the walls like that, that was messed up.
Man. I don't want anything to do with that one.
Man.
I got a good fade if you need it, though.
It's a two on top of a nice hide.
The men fame the taper in the back, but I didn't invent that, I just asked for it.
I love his awareness.
Yeah, I like that, that awareness from from brother right. No, he's in the back national from the black women. He kicked the way you met Taylor.
Awareness.
But the number two, the number two, The number two is.
I do, But why don't you tell them.
You can get waves waves?
He's the number two. So it's not totally off the head, but it ain't totally on it either.
All I know is he said, y'all did not try to drag me this here. Black History shout out to him, very clear about this. But yeah, I think what's so fascinating about Travis Kelsey is I ain't paying no attention to him before this Taylor Swift stuff came out, and.
Now I'm not the only one paying attention.
They're talking about how the ratings have significantly increased with demos who are our Taylor Swift fans. And also Kansas City had higher viewership ratings of the Grammys. So yeah, there's actually some there's some reciproiity.
Theah okay, My.
Beef with all of this is because the media has taken this and said Travis Kelsey. Everybody talking about Travis Kelsey's haircut, as though black folks wasn't rocking his haircut in the eighties.
They said, can we have the Travis Kelsey?
Even before that, but that's when I remember the phase, and then the swags are when they were like, oh, let's talk about this Taylor Swift swag surf dance, trying to get us at Swags.
I loved you.
I just have to say, it's a worse indictment of the people asking the question.
That he speaking.
Can we yes, can we talk about this the other thing on the media. So Jim Trotter shout out to you. He has always held the line and listen when you are the only we know. It can be challenging the whole the line, so shout out to people who hold the line anyway. Jim Trotter held the line a few years ago in the press conference with Rogers.
Last year, answered asking it everything I think it was?
Was it?
Yeah?
I thought he got okay, maybe dismissed.
Yes, okay, Jim.
Trotter, shout out to you. But I do also want to shout out that he set a legacy because this year Darren Smith, our host of a radio show at k l KC radio station, in Trotter's absence, pose this question.
Take a listen.
So look, I know I'm out of Kansas City. I've had dreams of maybe you're working for the NFL network one day. But I'm sorry, but I said, I'm out of Kansas City. So I've had dreams that work for the NFL network one day. But be that as it may. I know that you don't run the NFL media newsroom, but you do run the NFL, and they answer to you along with the ticket two owners. After this press conference, the NFL Media newsroom still employees zero black managers, zero black copy editors, zero full time black employees. On the news desk, and you're only full time black employee. Larry Campbell passed away over the weekend. Now, mister Trotter, Jim Trotter is not here, you know, for whatever reason, over the last years, have asked you why that is the case and for leave that have with the sixty percent African Americans have played to play the game. And I know that you're a man of conscious. How does knowing this sit well with you? You know? And after two years of being asked this question, why has it not been any change or any highers in that area?
Well, I disagree completely, there hasn't been any change. I'm happy to get your data and share it with our people and make sure that we get an answer for you. I don't have all the data. I will tell you that the first time ever, fifty one percent of our employees across the league, across the network, across all of our media platforms, not including players, are either people of color or women, first time ever. So progress is being made, and there are areas where we still need to work and we need still need to improve, whether it's offensive assistance or maybe people in our media news group. We will continue to do that and make it significant progress as we have.
Shout out to Darren's men, my brother, we salute you the way he asked, I know if you're a man of conscious. Jim Trotter isn't here for whatever reason. We heard everything he said.
And everything he didn't.
Yeah, so shout out to him. But that is my biggest issue, and honestly, I'm sorry. Roger Goodell's answer was kind of bullshit to me. I I wish that he would have acknowledged. Listen, I know we do a horrible job at this and I'm fighting every day. He's beholden to these billionaire owners, a lot of whom you know, donate to Republican causes and campaigns. So I have my opinions about that. But it leads me to this question to you guys, should we be watching the NFL.
I'm definitely gonna watch the super Bowl.
It was hard because I'm a big NFL fan, as you know.
I can tell I thinking Travis Kelsey and Patrick Mahomes play for for a different team. But but I know you probably will watch. I'm a watch usher, But I think I think that this is the point. Roger Goodell doesn't sound any different than most fortune one thousand CEOs. He doesn't sound any different than most medium sized businesses. He doesn't sound any different from folks who are cabinet secretaries. And this Biden administration certainly doesn't sound any different from Trump administration officials.
Why am I saying that this.
Isn't the We can't put all of white supremacy at the foot feet of Roger Goodell, but we can certainly put some of it. They have made some changes, but what they do Andrew and you said, this is the conflation of black and women or black Asian, you know, Latino and women, Black Native American, Latino and Asian and women. And there's always like if we can put everybody in this same bucket, just like they did with the Permative Action policy, then somehow it'll look better. But you're denying the fact that white women are most often married to white men. So that means the very white supermacist culture that we're supposed to be trying to get rid of is continuing to benefit, even from the programs that are there to help us. So yes, there do need to be real answers here, and know this was not a good one, and he should have been prepared because He's been asked this for several years.
I also want to say, in the area of press media, who is talking, who is speaking for you, speaking for your players and movement, It matters to have diverse press and communications rooms. Different people hear things differently and experience life differently. One of my biggest frustrations when I ran for governor was that the entirety of the press corps political press corps in our state was white and white male majority. Right, So, if you're talking about my race, my lived experience, what kind of policies we've accomplished that make me ready for this office, and you're not willing to get into the weeds and what my record was or the experiences that I come from. You can't dare translate who I am to your reading public. You can't do it. You can try, but you're going to miss the mark almost every time. So his question was really specific. Didn't answer the specificity of that question. He answered writ large, and in answering writ large, you do what Angela has already talked about, which as you pull in every number that can potentially make you look better. Now let's delve deeper. He says, sixty percent of your players are black.
I think it's close to seventy.
Well, he said, I'm just going from what the.
Question, But I do you think the data is what?
As I look that it may be so simply represent us at the rate that we represent you.
That's it.
I love that.
That's it. That's it, full stop.
Yeah, okay in all these industries, yes, start first, you're watching the NFL.
Yes, I'm watching halftime.
Because do y'all want to say, real quickly, what's what y'all want to hear us?
You perform so everything?
My favorite ib A group baby.
Well he actually references our our group chat in one of his songs, what do you say? He says, I keep a dollar worth of dimes.
Shout out.
A couple of on that one around here? You get a dime?
All right?
I am what I've ignored, Andrew Rude.
I love, I love hearing from the viewers.
So I if we have time, I know we got a lot of your questions in off the top, but how do we feel about taking a few more of your questions?
Yes?
Okay, good, good, good? All right?
Who we got?
What was good? Native Lampard, I'm Larry and I'm from Dallas. But I did want to know whether or not you guys are going to talk about inside of trading. I mean, tens of millions of dollars have been made obviously with public knowledge. You know, lawmakers outperform the stock market fifteen percent a year on average. Maybe somebody wanted to bring that up.
Thank you Larry for that question. We love, We love your love, brother, Thank you for weighing in. I want to kick this to Angelo because you just for those who don't know, if you haven't followed Angela's career, she's not just a beauty, but she was the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus for some years, but also worked in a few offices before you had that position.
So what say you?
Yeah, I would just take this from the political standpoint first, It is definitely illegal for any member of Congress, any elected official, to engage in insider trading, as it is for everyone. But there are also ethics rules that require you to disclose stocks where you have investments, etc.
I believe in a couple of years back, there was yeah.
In New York Times, they had a report on the ninety seven members of Congress who reported trading in committees where these particular companies were a part of their jurisdiction. So I think it still is problematic. If I'm being honest with Larry, I would say on a scale of one to ten, this issue of importance to me is about a point zero zero zero three, just because I have.
Other things that I'm concerned about right now.
But I do want to flag that it is an issue that politicians have to be aware of and have to disclose on their ethics reports every year.
Yeah, maybe we should just know more about financial news too. Yeah, a lot of black folks got took on that cryptocurrency market and know that it's changed, so we should this podcast, maybe we'll talk more about that. Said, make it, make it a seven, make it well, do something for us to discuss, because I don't know anything about it. So I'm happy that you were here to answer the question. All right, I think we have time for one more. That was a quick answer, so Nick, give us another question.
Hi, a Native Land podcast. My name is Chris Jones. I have a question pertaining to the black vote. We have many large cities with a large black population, such as Houston, Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, and Miami that are in very conservative states. And my question is, why don't we get our politicians to change to the popular vote, especially in the presidential election instead of the electoral college. And if we did that, I feel like our black vote would actually count more.
What are your thoughts, Well, I just want to make a quick I'm gonna kick to see you, Andrew. But I don't like to term the black vote because we're not a homogeneous voting block, and we have to consider that we are not always talking about federal policy, and when you get to some of those ballot initiatives and state and local politics, our votes can fracture. We don't always feel the same way. So I think he's askeding about black voters. What are you saying?
Yeah, so sometimes those can be converged that our black interest in our black votes or to go along the way. I want to thank you for the question, but in truth, it will require constitutional amendment to change the way in which our president is elected. It is not popular vote in forms the electoral college. The electoral college is then supposed to represent the interests of the popular vote. However, Donald Trump and what led to twenty the revolt by he and his followers was in contradiction of how the electoral college was supposed to initially initially initially work. All that to say, it's going to be pretty hard to change the constitution. So I have another suggestion, which is we can do another great migration. You all recall the Great Migration. My good friend doctor Kinnisher Grant wrote a great book about the Great Migration. But when we fanned out from the South and made our way further north and further west, we lost a lot of density in southern states, where a lot of the overrepresentation of the electoral College towards the Republicans still exists. In fact, it thrives. So if y'all could come on home, welcome home. I'm still in the South. Yeah, y'all want to come back and join us, then there's a way in which to impact the electoral college more holy and see whether or not. If then Republicans or the majority get an appetite to change the electoral.
College, we'll be back to accounting. And and the bars is so funny.
Yeah, yeah, well there, Well Florida, I mean, they essentially tried to reinstitute a poll attacks after amendment for a past Grant was formally incarcerated people to write to vote wells still still exists.
That's right. So anyway, reverse migration. That's my solution.
You know, that's a good point for a lot of state convention.
Imagine if all of us moved to Jackson, Mississippi, the Republican governor, their tate reeves would have some challenges there. He wouldn't exist, they would he wouldn't be were Yeah, that's true.
A lot of the Alabama, Georgia, parts of Florida to receive Yeah, uh uh, I mean you name it all across the South where black folks have significant numbers.
But unfortunately they're not at parody. We're certainly not the majority, and we don't show up that way electorally. Unfortunately.
I love his question because I think the last four or five elections haven't been decided by the popular vote, but the electoral.
College, and separate to the popular vote.
If there were democratic governors, there also wouldn't be these migrant crises in the cities in the in the North Earth either.
Ye, just saying to because we wouldn't be shipping She's saying that because Governor Abbott and Sanda has been shippings off to what they call liberal cities.
Yeah.
So, except, just to make the point clear, Florida didn't actually get it to migrants from Florida. He went to Texas, recruited, Yeah, migrants in Texas, put them on a plane, pay for the plane, sent them to Martha's vineyard, political stunt with people.
So then nobody say, how come they put me on a free plane?
Right, nobody, you didn't take people from Florida.
All right, let's take a really quick break because I want you all to stick around on the other side of this. Andrew, we are going to hear the rest of your testimony.
This is pre tape.
This is what Andrew shared last week, but because it was so dense, we we want to make sure that you hear his entire testimony. So don't go anywhere after. Right after this break, Andrew will talk about what happened after Miami. His next harrowing challenged the trial.
I get a call and I'm at my home office and the very week after this Sunday of Father's Day where I try to be the model of a father you can imagine in this period of time, and the call comes through and it says, this is agent you know such and such and I calling on behalf of the FBI, or of government, federal government, and I need to get with you because we got a what is it called, a sealed grand jury indictment of you on however man accounts, he says, and I'm not remembering all this at the time, and we need to. We need to. We just know where you are so you can surrender yourself. And I'm in my house and I'm standing up because my heart rate is gone up when I hear him introduce himself, and so I'm pacing. And when he says, I have this indictment and we need to I had never experienced a breathless moment that I can recall, and I remember not having oxygen, but because he was doing the talk and I wasn't worried about him hearing me lose my breath because I was determined that he wasn't going to see me weak. So he says what he says, and I say, okay, let me get in touch with my attorney. But I'm at my house. My address. I can give it to you if you let me know when you're ready to write it down. I can surrender myself right now. I just need to make sure everyone's gonna be able to pick up my kids today, because the kids and I need to call my mom so she would be help arch it because she's gonna be overwhelmed to what I call to tell her this. But with every strength that I have, I say, Okay, we'll get it. And then he says, well, you don't need to come come in. We just need to negotiate a time and when you can do it. And da da da dah. Because I've never had this happen before. I think, if you get a thing and they say you gotta go, I'm like, well, I'll put on some comfortable clothes and i'll get down to the I don't know, jail house or wherever. And he says, no, no, no, no, no, call your lawyer. He'll get in touch with us, and so on and so forth. So he was so jubi late to deliver that news to me, and I guess I confused it when I said, Okay, I'll come right in as soon as I can get just want to pick my kids up and I can I can get somebody here to be here for my wife. And I hang up and I make a call to my lawyer. They start doing whatever they do on their side, and then I make the call to r J and I say to Jay, first, Jay, try to stay calm. But I just got a call from I think the FBI or somebody saying that I have to surrender myself for arrest for a federal crime, a grand jury, a sealed grand jury indictment. And she says, what you know, and you can imagine on the other end with what that what that's like. And she immediately comes undone, which was my worry. And I don't want her driving across town, racing here to the house because her safety, her life, was most important to me at the time. And she makes her way home and we all this stuff begins to unfold, and I'm really not at this point letting any of it penetrate, except there are things that must be put in place if I'm going to be away. This needs to say. I start writing on all my accounts. I start this is saying where money and retirement? And oh, I thought, such as I said, this document, but I want to make sure you have everything you need in case. And they said, so we've arranged you're going to surrender tomorrow morning. I don't know eight o'clock nine o'clock, and you'll go first to the FBI offices, surrender to them. They'll take you into custody, take you to the courthouse in their car, and at the courthouse they will surrender you to the US Marshals or the court or something some transition and pass off. Then you'll see the judge. The judge will likely release you on your own recount. There's not a violent crime, but blue collar all this kind of stuff. So they're going through it, but just be prepared. They may purp walk you. I was like, well, what is that? And they described for me that's when the cameras are already assembled and they've got you booked and they walk you through them. And I just lose it on that because I'm saying, well, why do we have to do that is they're not a private way in. Why do we have to, you know, do this walk thing. And they said, well, this is how they beat their chest and show off about what, you know, what they've done, and get to have the images that they want. And I am just you know, devastated by this. And at this point I said, I need to I need to tell my fami. I've ether tell the people who I know to be ready for what this is going to look like. And it was actually Angela who pulled together a call and hers was going to be of journalists because her thought was, you tell people news when you know it is imminent and it's coming, rather than waiting for it. And Tiffany, you were on that call. I remember you. I remember your voice very clearly in my ear even now as I think about it, because you were like the injustice. The next morning, I have that evening. I say to my wife r Jay, and I say to my mom who is now here, and some other relatives who have gathered that when I surrender myself, that I don't want them to be there, that I was telling them that tomorrow you cannot come, and everything was gonna be fine. The lawyers told me they'll let me out and I'll be home before the kids get out of school probably, and I said, I'm gonna go by myself. I'll have Sam drop me off. I'll take it from there. When it's all done. Sam's gonna bring me back, you know, bring me back home, and then we'll decide what to say to the kids. And they, of course are like, no, we have to be with you, but they honored my request. And then my pastor speaks up and he says, well, I'm going with you too. And then my friend, who's a school board member but a very close friend, Daryl Jones, says, and I'm going to I'm Yama bear where both of them We're gonna be with you. So the next morning they show up at my house and my attorney, one of the attorneys from Miami, is here, and the pastors here, and we all pray together at the house. And I am trying to be as stoic as I can be, because I want to leave my family with the knowledge that I was fine, that we're gonna beat them, and that God has prepared me for this fight. I know it. I'm gonna beat them. I get in the car, the pastor and I talking and whatnot, and and I'm noticing, you know, I live, you know, probably thirty minutes from that where their headquarters were. And we drove in that morning talking and he was trying to cite Scripture in verse and I was hearing him, but I was playing along. I was not present. I was like, don't cry, keep your face together. You are not going to show weakness. To anybody not today. And we get to their offices. My pastor with me, Darryl comes in with me to the FBA offices. I surrender myself into them. They take some things off of me, and I can't remember. I think it's my license and some other stuff, and I can't have anything on my person. No phones know this. I'm wearing a suit, but I've got to take the belt off and all this other stuff. And so I get right they take me into custody, and I'm thinking, this is where I leave Pastor and Darryl. They've brought me to where I have to whatever. And they said, all right, we're gonna follow you and we're gonna see you at the courthouse. And I said okay, And I'm thinking to myself, I don't know if they're gonna be allowed to I don't know what that looks like. They got me to the courthouse. The thing that I had girded myself up to prepare for was this perk walk. But some people from that call the night before knew that that was a big concern of mine, and somehow, in God's grace and good movement, I was able to be surrendered underground and go up and so on and so forth, which I counted as a really big blessing because I didn't want my parents there and my family there, because I didn't want them to see me every I didn't want to see me in handcuffs and then to have to be surrendered in that, and I know that there will be pictures. I didn't want my kids to see a picture. I didn't want them to see a picture of me like that. And so I knew in the federal court, I knew enough from them prepping me for the press that they couldn't have cameras in the courtroom. They could have some images that they draw, but there were no there was no technology. So I felt like, Okay, I'd be safe once I'm in. Well, there's a holding celle that I go in for several hours and then they come in to get me, and this time they are they are the marshals are are are cuffing me different. Now they have put cuffs around my legs and then there's a big chain that goes up to my waist. That is a big chain and it's cuffed, and then my hands have handcuffs. But then those handcuffs have this this chain going through it and then that's cuffed again, so my movements are very limited my walk and I'm thinking, say, you know, criminal, it's this like there's a lot of stuff. We're just going to the judge and the agent's young girl kind of guys, and I say, well, I guess this is as close as I'll ever get to chat old slavery. They have a hum, but they don't speak any words.
Wow.
That testimony, Andrew, Thank you so much. We love you and you this podcast has been a joy, I think for all of us to do alongside you.
So just simply thank you all for the support. You all held me down, not just on this podcast but all the way through. And thank you all the listeners for your feedback, for your testimonies that you've shared personally and keep choosing to move Yeah, and move.
Well because you said so much, there's still more that you guys did not hear of his testimonies. So, because we think it's so special to us because we love you, but also special to you guys because you guys got to know Andrew over the past couple of decades, we are releasing his third part of his testimony as its own standalone pod because your response.
To your response to it was overwhelming.
So you guys will be able to get that on this coming Monday. Okay, it is that time in the show for call to action. Do I go first or Andrew? Maybe Andrew you should go first.
You a man, You don't know what your call action is?
What is no?
I got my call to action?
Okay you go, Okay, come on, it's my call action, joy Read.
So my called action really is about love.
By the time we come back to you, guys, Valentine's Day would have come and gone. And so when we do all this work, all of us, we are out here hidden pavement, doing grassroots work, doing policy work. And it is nice to have a partner in life. You talk a lot about our day and your testimony, but to have somebody alongside you hold your hand and fall in love. And joy Read explore that aspect of Medgar and Evers. And she has her book drops this week.
It's out, it's out, it's out.
So she did the view with our girl Sonny on Monday. She did tammeron show. So please go out and buy this book. You can get it everywhere books are, So we encourage you to go to your independent bookstores, black owned bookstore. Shout out to Uncle Bobby's in Philly, mark lemont Hills store. You can order it online from independent stores. So that's my call to action. I'm asking Edgar and Meg.
And some love in your life.
Your first.
Love yourself first. That is my lesson this. We love yourself first, all right, Andrew.
Love yourself and go get the book.
Okay, So I'm just going to add on I love yourself, go get the book. And in the spirit of loving Black History Month, we are sitting with living Black history.
What are we doing?
Well, you knocked her out, but guess what we are celebrating Tiffany Cross Week all week.
Yeah.
And so my call to action is for all of you to send our girls some birthday love. Tell her happy birth Tell her.
Just because she is sharing forty five with Donald Trump, she does not have to become Donald Trump. Tell her that her destiny is going to be greater than hers and she will not have ninety one indictments or even one. Tell her that she will not face a civil trial for defamation. Tell her that instead she will live abundantly in all of the goodness.
And loaded we love you.
Tip I wanted to shave Donald Trump in this, but I do want to say. I do want to say that I'm so grateful for your birth I am so grateful to call you sister. I'm so thankful to share this platform with you. I am so glad and grateful that your latter years will be greater than your former years.
And yeah, birthday tip.
This birthday, I'll display quickly, this birthday would not be what it is without our friendship. All of you guys, I will say, are we love everybody?
Our girl group?
Our group chat.
Has held me up so many times, and so I really encouraged people to find you sisters. Who ride for you? Who you ride for Because when I think about love in my life, the most abundant places where I get love is our our group chat. You know, like either, I mean, you can't post a picture without them saying you so fine.
You know, we are always loving to other birthdays.
We give nice gifts to each other, so I feel very loved. I expect to feel a lot more love from you and you when we go eat after this. You have been talking about my gray hair.
Well, pointing out I got grace everywhere.
Yes, well, Andrew hate my headphones. I'm gonna get her some airpos for her birthday.
Birthday, yea, some airpris.
We change the size.
I don't like. I don't like this change. Oh you're saying for the airpis. I agree.
I like that chain. Well anyway, We.
We love you J.
We love you ur J.
Before we end the show, I want to remind everyone to leave us a review and subscribe to Native land Pod. We're available on all platforms and YouTube. New episodes drop every Thursday. You can also follow us on social media. We are Angela Rie, Tiffany Cross, and Andrew Gillum. Welcome home, y'all, Welcome home. There are two hundred and seventy days until election day. Native land Pod is the production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Resent Choice Media. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
