Alabama Black Union Workers Discouraged To Unionize + Morehouse College Silent Protest + More

Published May 23, 2024, 11:28 AM

Join Tezlyn Figaro, Jade Harriell and Michele Watley discuss this weeks trending topics in politics.

Don't want to answer your question real.

Let's just keep it real. Straight Shot with No Chaser, I'm gonna get a little bit rough. I'm here for it. Those who really believe in the American process, all of us straight Shot No Chase with your girl testing figure out on The Black Effect podcast networding What's time? Everybody who's just testing figure The host of straight Shot No Chaser. You can find me on The Black Effect. The Black Effect is on iHeart Radio. You can get the podcasts anywhere you listen to your podcast Spotify, Apple or the iHeart app or anywhere else. Make sure you bring a friend. It does make a difference when you, guys subscribe to the podcast. I appreciate you. We're going on four years next month, it will be four years. Podcast business not easy, guys. You see, everybody got one. So I want to thank you so much just for riding with me. We have done very well and a lot of markets and a lot of times I don't think people are listening, but people actually be listening. I'd be listening looking at the numbers and people come up and say, oh yeah, I see your podcast. So make sure you subscribing. Also shout out to everyone at least reviews on Apple that helps as well. Joining me today, I have my co host Jada rel and Michelle Willie joining me again, helping me flush through all this important content. Guys, trying to make sure we stay on top of everything as best as we can. And so we're going to take you through a couple of different stories today to kind of let you know what's going on. Wish I could cover them all, but we just can't cover it all. So we try to pick and choose a couple of ones that we think you will find helpful. And we're going to get started right away. I know Michelle wants to talk to us quickly about some union bussing in Alabama, So walk us through that, Michelle.

Yeah. Over the last week, a vote was held with union or with autoworkers in Alabama at Mercedes Plans at Alabama to vote whether or not to join the United Auto Workers union and unionize, which comes on the heels of a recent vote with auto workers and the Tennessee who voted to indeed join the at An autoworkers union, but in Alabama, unfortunately, the vote that was held between May thirteenth to seventeenth was essentially found that the members of the Autoworkers voted against joining Autoworkers Union. The vote was held with two thousand and forty five voting in favor of forming the union in two thousand, six hundred forty two voting against a significant amount of resources is, according to report, suspense by entities, encouraging, persuading, pushing, however you want to put that auto workers to vote against joining the union, including very public statements by political and government officials. Mayor Kivy in Alabama, for instance, was on Twitter and other social platforms verbally going against the desire to join the union, encouraging workers to not vote to join the union, stating that it would create job loss another six different things. Governors and surrounding states also publicly came out against autoworkers joining the Autoworkers Union the United Autoworkers Union. And this is important because the workforce in Alabama and the autoworkers of the predominantly black workforce. Traditionally, historically, the unions have been the pathway to creating the black middle class, and in this situation in Alabama is different, in particular because autoworkers in Alabama are paid significantly less than auto workers in other parts of the United States because they are located in the South. A number of international and national corporations have moved their plants to the South because of the lower cost of wages and lower costs of living, they're able to get away with paying lower costs to their workers, thus saving corporations money and increasing their revenues. This ends up hurting black people who work for these different corporations because as they're not able to come together and organize for the wages that are do them, but also impacting their ability to build generational wealth or create a thriving middle class. And examples of this the history have been essentially Detroit. We think about the black middle class in Detroit and the black method that is Detroit. You know, Detroit has a black population of I think now eighty eight percent black peoples, one of the largest, if not the largest metropolitan areas for black people. A lot of the jobs in that area were autowork of jobs. When you think about the black middle class that was built in Wichita, Kansas, that was built on the backs of jobs with airline crews and airline craft builders. Again union working, union jobs that led to the creation of a black middle class, and so the opportunity for black workers in Alabama to unionize, demand the wages that they deserve and build a middle class in Alabama has essentially and stripped, not only because of the vote, but because of pressure from politicians and the Mercedes plant pressuring workers to vote against the union, so much so that workers complained that they were told to come to meetings in which there was no information about what the meeting was about, but the meetings were mandatory, and that they had to sit through an entire meeting only to find out the meeting was information about why they shouldn't unionize in the harms that come along with being unionized. And so there's an investigation of complaints given to the National Labor Relations Board that they're investigating about what went on with the anti union tactics and union campaign busting that happened in Alabama, something that also didn't happen in Tennessee. But they're investigating those allegations as well as investigations in Germany, where Mercedes is headquartered and located, to see what happened. It should be noted that this is a plant that makes parts for Mercedes for the maybox, the line of mayback cars that are you know, six figure vehicles where workers are being paid anywhere between ten to fifteen percent less than their coount parts across the US to make cars that bring in revenue you know of billions of dollars, and so I thought it was just important to bring this up. As you know, I'm a former union carpenter, and I know firsthand the importance of being able to organize and the tract to generational wealth, or even just being able to create a living for yourself that doesn't require college degree and a time where college degrees are six figures are substantive loanless to be able to pay for it. Non traditional jobs and une jobs in particular warehouse jobs, trade jobs provide an opportunity to create you know, black wealth and middle class that may not be readily available in the same look.

So so a lot is all the workers. You know, we covered a lot of those stories last year, Jade, any of those strikes last year, I wonder if they played a role with any of it.

Yeah, I don't know.

This is a lot of information, Thank you for that.

I'm not really It is really interesting to see how unions are supported in the North for the you know, overwhelmingly, and not in the South so much. I pretty much, you know, growing up especially, my father was a union guy. He was always a shop store in his craft as a gourmet chef, and before he passed away, he was working full time as a business agent and organizer for the hotel and restaurant union here in DC.

And I grew up in a union household. My brothers are both blue.

Collar workers and also union men, and I just sort of thought that unions were just sort of universal and just universally supported. So I've been learning a lot, you know, in terms of union politics and how that's not you know, that's really not the case, especially in states like Alabama. But yeah, there are a lot of you know, auto companies in different you know industries that are trying to unionize and they're having a hard time. But I've also found, though, y'all, is that some nonprofits that are progressive in liberal uh, they have they have they they have workers that are also trying to unionize. And while these people these organizations are out there fighting for capitalists and they're fighting in the name of equity and DEI all these other things, they are against them.

Yeah, yeah, it hit yeah, it hit different when it hit home. Remember Michelle, when Bernie Sanders employees wanted to unionize and they were like, oh wait a minute.

Hold them.

Oh yeah, I remember very clearly then.

You know, I thought you was big on Yeah, I thought you was big on unions, Bernard. What happened?

Oh yeah, that was something bad for them over there though not so this side that crazy, that's crazy. So of course, so y'all are saying like there was wish back to see. I didn't know that, And that's really surprised me because he goes like on this whole platform that's sort of like pro union.

So you said, y'all saying, it hits different when it hits home.

Different when it off just like it hit different when everybody say everybody should make fifteen dollars an hour. Twenty dollars an hour sounds good to you got to pay somebody fifteen twenty dollars an hour. So you know, again, I'm pro union, but I also understand like other aspects of it as well, like the business side, because I have signed the front of a paycheck for three hundred plus people, so I do know the difference of when you're telling just using Bernie Bernie Samder's campaign. You know, for example, we're running a campaign, we have very little resources in a very short amount of time to get shit done, and it's just not set up in this This is where that progressive that comes bite you in you ass you know this work life balance, this only work forty hours and be off by five and I need nap time, sleep time, mental health time. Plus I want to be paid twenty dollars an hour and all that. That's pretty much a rest to lose the campaign bottom line, because it's just not set up that way. It's just not And because campaigns truly operate in a very capitalism mindset, meaning competitive, very competitive. In order to be at the front, in order to win, you gotta do what everybody else is not willing to do. And so it's been very in and Michelle and I've talked about this over the years. The side no, for those who do know, Michelle and I worked on the Bernie Sanders campaign again in twenty fifteen. So I've watched how these very progressive ideas sound good until it's time for you to adopt it at home. And so yeah, that's where the business size of caside comes. We can't afford to pay canvassors fifteen dollars an hour. You just literally just can't afford it. And so when they did that, now you got less canvassers, less getting out the boat meaning get out the boat means less brochures on people's front door, less door knocks less this Oh, I'm sorry. Everybody got to be off at forty hours becase Michelle needs an app every Saturday and needs her work life bounds. Okay, well that's twenty thousand doors that didn't get knocked on because we got fifty Michell's that all need they work like balance, and if not, they're going to be reporting to the you know. So this is the reality. This is the reality. Well, that's why there's a lot of people who just don't support a lot of these progressive policies, and that might be a whole show, you know, we can do about that, to talk about the pros and cons, because there are some cons. To unionize it it is, there's a lot of pros to it as well, but there's some cons also from the business standpoint, and I would like and those are.

Some of the cons that that these organizations would bring up I don't particularly you know, take naps, So just to clarify that show, but just to clarify that, but I think some of the differences that we see between what you've just named on the campaign side and perhaps where workers.

Are wait, man, let's pause it. Let's not just kip hover it because I don't want to.

Be but you but you do.

You doro a certain amount of time on Saturday to so my apologies, Michelle needs a certain dedicated time to wash your hair, but continue, A'm.

Natural, it takes work. However, however, we are talking about the black autoworkers in Alabama who are not being paid enough to take care of basic needs. When you look at the fact that you know, inflation has led to groceries increasing, basic groceries increasing by twenty five percent, or the fact that childcare monthly now exceeds the costs of mortgages and rent, and you've got this international company that's making you know, six figure vehicles and not paying their workers are living wage and not giving them the opportunity to organize for that, I think we're talking about something that is slightly different. And what we have seen is that when workers are allowed to unionize. It benefits black people in black workers in particular because the workforce that is made up of tradesmen, UPS workers and the life are predominantly black.

So besides that, though we don't have a voice in anything, so using complain about it, it ain't even about a photomy black. It benefits us because union gives you voice, so you going into your supervisors office and saying, hey, y I don't like something and such, off real, get your insanity and pack your shit and never come back. So the likelihood of us being able to speak up if anything, the union does that because it allows you to anonymously make suggestions, It allows a representative to speak on the collective. You know it just besides it just being majority. I don't want to take away from your point, but I also want to add to it that it's because it gives you somewhat of a protection allegedly you know, being able to have a voice at all. But there's still cons to it as well. But yes, and also because in real.

Life, yes, right, your voice and the razors that the UPS workers recently got to thirty dollars an hour, that was because of organizing and speaking up and So the razors and the benefits that they were able to advocate for in Tennessee was because of union workers. And let's be clear, there are a number cons As a former union worker, I know all too well what it means to be a black person, a young black person, a young black woman in the unions. It ain't all peachy king. It ain't all green on you know, the grass and greener on the other side. But the ability to organize and have a voice that advocate for, you know, whether it be wages, benefits and all the other things that are needed, especially nowadays again when childcare costs are more expensive than your mortgage.

But yeah, I mean it's always needed. It's always been needed way back in the day before, not nowadays. We actually have more options now than we did back Remember when they were organizing unions, they were meeting like in secret, you know, just to have a right to work, you know what I mean. So unions have always been important, is what I'm saying. I do feel I'm not taking away from that. But when black people couldn't even sit at the lunch cat like we this's always been important for us because we've just never had voice. Nowadays, old days, New Days in the future days, we've always not had voys. So union I think has been really important with that.

It has been, and so you know, hopefully we'll see the un w continue to organize in the South and start to see a cultural shift away from right to work legislation and policies, but to allow people to organize so that they can advocate, you know, for the benefits and wages that they need.

I'm always the way, even if it's some cause, it's always good to be able to speak up and have a voice, So I'm always with that.

Yeah, I hope we do visit this at length later so I can talk about some of these teachers unions and a lot of.

That's another way they discouraged them from being a part of it.

Yeah, but a lot of teachers and school leaders who are part of unions. It's really it has been hard for me and my work as an anti racism trainer and consultant to hold a lot of people accountable for doing races and equitable things against our children and them not like really getting immediate consequences or being fired, et cetera, because there was a level of union protection.

So yeah, it's a certain to revisit that, because that's that's a perry like you mean, he's not a pro union person. I mean there are some other size of that is what when it comes to teachers, and there's a lot of teachers that don't like their money getting taken out their check for something they don't have representation on it all too. So we can, you know, we can come back and unpack unions, but good and bad, you know, because again there are a lot of especially teachers not having voice, but a lot of them say that's a scam too. So you know, let's let's let's circle back in and dig in and dig into that. To that, let's walk through speaking of teaching and students, walkers through Jay, what happened in Morehouse. You know, I was attending the funeral for Erwin Fordson in Atlanta, uh this past weekend. I'll talk about that in a second, but I was talking to turning out Lee Jackson. We were just talking about this is before the Moorhouse happened, and just you know, kind of wondering what they were going to do. You know, there's been a lot of conversation. You've seen a lot of the White Institute US. You know, protests about what's going on, you know with the Palestinians and be very vocal, and so we were all talking about what we thought they were going to do and not do what happened on the reality though, Jaye absolutely so.

More House students turned their backs and some of them even walked out of graduation as Joe Biden gave the keynote speech and graduation and Morehouse over the weekend and also he was given an honorary degree.

So YEP.

President Biden in Atlanta delivered the commitment addressed at Morehouse on the nineteenth and during the event, several students they actually staged this pro Palestinian protest, but it was really a silent protest. There were actual students, right, students, actual students that turned their backs, and some of them actually walked out. And the protesting students cited Biden's out ongoing policy decisions in Israel's war on Gaza as their reasons were the demonstration and before Biden's addressed the Moorhouse Valedictorian this year, DiAngelo Fletcher gave a speech calling for an immediate and permanent cease fire in the Godza strips.

Fletcher's speech received applause.

From the crowd and even from Joe Biden himself or President Biden himself, who shook the valedictorian Fletcher's hand. Fletcher valedictorian highlighted the loss of civilian life in Godsden and called for the release of all hostages. President Joe Biden then told students in his speech quote, I support peaceful, nonviolent protests. Your voices should be heard, and I promise I hear them.

Yeah, it was peaceful. It will yeah, will getting ready be like it was like it? That's what the conversation saying on I said, I don't think they're gonna do like you've been seeing at Columbia and you know all of that. I think a statement was made. I don't know how many students, if it was, if it was a lot or not. I haven't seen any of the photos.

Have you.

Was it a lot I saw?

There weren't not as many of his others. Nobody ripped up the diploma that I saw like at some other schools. But I would say like a handful of students either had their back turn, but even few are actually walked out of the ceremony. And just so we're clear, President Joe Biden did tell the students aside from a supporting peaceful protest, he said that he is working around the clock for an immediate ceasefire. After more House announced that they were going to have President Biden as the commencement speaker and a recipient of an honorary degree, a lot of backlash arose from current students and some alumni, and one alum, doctor Marlon Milner, who was class of nineteen ninety five, representing the Atlanta University Center Students for Justice in Palestine, penned an open letter to more House faculty urging him, urging them not to allow President Biden to come, given the degree of Biden's participation in the war in Gaza, and said that he was morally complicit. So either way, more House is like, you know what, We're still going to have him. They still gave him an honorary degree. Not everyone was pleased, but it was peaceful. They did not turn up, as we've seen write students do across the country.

Yeah, I didn't think that was going to turn up. I mean, I'm being honest with you, I'm surprised. You know, again, this conversation on what's happening with Gaza. I just I'm just being honest. I've seen a lot of white students involved. I haven't really seen a lot of this at our HBCUs. So this shows that, you know, there is some conversation or momentum you know about it at least you know at Morehouse, even though you know it was just a handful. But like you said, Jay, they proceeded on anyway, We're giving him the the degree.

Yeah, yeah, does that make him a morehouse man? Now? Is more a morehouse man?

And you know what, it was ridiculous because has so many honorary degrees, Like what does he need a you know, an underground with honor a degree from Morehouse for you know, he's not a black man.

But you know what, whatever, I don't.

They just passed him out now at this point.

Yeah, they do.

They go to all the speakers. And you know the fact that he stated that he supports you know, not violent peaceful protests.

People.

Peaceful protest is an oxymoron in itself. You know, what does it mean to have a peaceful protest? Protest? And you know, in this very definition then civil disobedience and disruption.

But the whole graduation.

Oh no, no, wait, because the president made it clear that he's faced with the choice of disruptive graduates and shut down the graduation. He said basically, yeah, I'm gonna graduate. I'm gonna shut the sold this whole thing down so the.

People would have happened there after he penned the crime vill right after. He was anti bussing, he was anti integrating schools. He claimed that he didn't want his daughters or his children going.

Oh, you know, because I mean, this is more the kids. The students ain't making a decision. This is so this is about you know, again, they support Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and Democrat leadership. That's that. They're not talking about what happened in nineteen ninety four. That's just five of us talking about that. They're done talking about that. Jay, they done moved on.

They didn't talk about the crime Dell that.

Yeah, they I'm talking about.

We're not talking about that.

They ain't talk about none of that. Like you said, their answer is it was the Republicans. So that's that. And again it was in a lot of ways, but girl, they passed that. We just had a place now where it just is what it is, y'all. Just keep me posted. I hate to be so cynical, but that's just where it is. Like, that's just where we shot. Yeah, the straight shot. Yeah, that's just where it is. They're not talking about that like that that's over with. They talking about like they said, they wouln't visit missed their whole graduation up on what's going on with Gaza. They stood up so they could say they stood up, and they set their ass right back down. You know what I'm saying, Like, that's just the reality.

Sounds like the plan moving on.

Moving I stood up for three minutes and that okay, y'all feel good, Okay, then now set your ass back down so we can go on to the hemmler uh passed us on so reading that and they went on, I mean, that's just what it is. I think when you said, what's the point of it, I mean it's I guess it's better than nothing, you know. But the end of the day, they weren't is a tear up. No, uh, one's a burn themselves outside of the things the fire Homer shutting down the whole graduation where I finally get to walk across the stage my family get to see me maybe the first generation you know, college graduate walk across the.

Stage because you know, Big Mama wouldn't having it if you, like I said, I'm.

Being honest, and it's not. I don't think black people. I know black people are empathetic on what's going on overseas, no question about it. We're the most empathetic, sympathetic you name it, we give a damn about it. But at the end of the day, i'm black people. I'm sorry, they're just not taught. A lot of the black celebrities are talking about gods in Palestine Palestine twenty four seven, but I just don't see the students and I just don't see black people talking about this on a daily basis. If I sat down at your kid, at your table and said, what are the five things that concern you about your future right now? Asking a black person right now, if you just said the top three things, I'm sorry, foreign affairs in anyway, ten, top ten would not be on the list. My thing is, I got a dollar to graduate next year. What's my number one concern?

Michelle making sure she can pay You can pay for her to go to college?

Correct, So you know that so you know that. So if I asked you that, if I was able to ask you that, and they'll tell you, I must talk about it enough for you to know that. That's my Jada graduation next year? What am I constantly talking about? How am I gonna make sure she can afford to go to college? How I'm gonna make sure she can pay out of state fees, How I'm gonna make sure she's gonna be able to try auvertuere lead? Second thing, how am I gonna make sure that I have income so next year she can have a great senior year. I got Texas right now, people trying to figure out how they're gonna pay for prom dress and prim feeds and prom thiss and and senior feeds and this and that. That's the reality. What's up with my unemployment? I mean, what's up with my retirement? As being self employed? Am I gonna even have a retirement when it's trying to retire? What's gonna happen with health care? Michelle? You just had health We had health things with pay for that out of pocket. That's what I'm talking about, y'all. And that ain't against nothing. Nothing going on in forum fairs. I'm gonna tell you that's just not the top thing. Top three things, you know, that's that's going on. And to me, most Black Americans life, if I already asked Jay, Jay was going on more than likely. Top three things, You're gonna say something you gotta do with your mother in health care and making sure she's straight and making sure she got what she need. Why Because those are the things I hear you talk about.

Inflation, groceries because every time you talk to them on my way back and forth to the store, because I catch all the selves.

So yes, harmony and inflation very important.

Yeah.

So again, rent prices are out of the room again. Childcare is a cost of rent. You know, there are so many more pressing issues. And it's not like you said that these things get ignored and they're not that important. There're just issues right here in front of me. And if you know we're being straight shot, President Biden's words ring empty. He told the students that they would be heard that he was supportive of non violent protests, and then a couple of days later, when the i CC, the International Criminal Court, sought to get warrants to arrest that in Yahoo and the leaders of hamas Biden you know, said it was outrageous. It was outright against it. So we're again more double volunteering.

Man, Biden, if you don't stop lyne in volunteering lot. That's my word. By the way, I gave it to Charlotte maabe To used it a lot today on the Rips Club. You staked about the volunteer line like I couldn't have the volunteer line. A miracle's gonna ride what it is with y'all period, whether it's Biden, Trump, whoever. They rhyme with Israel, fight the fight though, people on fighting and fighting matters in charge. But he riding with his he ain't hearing shit them students talking about because if you heard it, what's up with the college death? So that's right, like I said, yeah, I'm just calling it is what it is. So yeah, they stood up. Good for them round class. Y'all stood up, and y'all say right back down, And again nothing wrong with standing up, keep on standing up. We gotta stand up. I'm never against I'm all about unions, like we talked about, all about having voice, all about organizing, all about standing up. I'm all about all of that. But at the end of the day, I'm just speaking to the reality. This is the reality. And so Jay, when you say, why would they want them that, because ain't nobody talking to the crime bill right now? They talking about Trump versus Biden, period, and they see Trump as a scarier enemy than Biden, and that's just what it is. But that is true, by the way, Yeah, yeah, but Biden is a more house Nando. So yeah, so now you go around on the gap congratulations as a morehouse fan.

So that's.

Well, quickly, guys, Before we get out of here, I do want to share some thoughts on aaronin Fortson since we are talking about Atlanta. I went to that funeral on Friday, And again I'm not trying to be cynical, y'all. Y'all know what I've been going through. I'm just telling you like it is. I'm exhausted, you know, And I know I don't have their right to because so many ancestors and so many people have done so much, guys, but we just need I don't know what it is, what's going to happen with needs to have I don't know, but I just know we're in a time where people are so numb, you know, to what's happening with us that I'm just asking God to step in. That's I'm really truly at a lost words, you know when I look at Aaron Forcing and the pain that his mother had, and just to recap guys, that is the twenty threeller Black Air Force airman who was murdered by the police who went to his house shot him six times. He had a gun to a side register by the way, never raised it up, never did any anything at all, shot the man six times. When you want to talk about a pastor that went in and spoke to it as it was, go back and listen to Pastor Jamal Bryant's eulogy. He said, we are not going to sit here and pretend as if he died of cancer or that he died in an accident, and we're gonna call it like it is. And he knew that, knowing knowing that Fox was streaming in live. Fox knew was streamed a live. He knew that, knowing that all those white airmen and those white commanders and lieutenants and everybody that got up talking about how he served his country so great and this and that Pastor Brian called it out. He served, he loved his country more than his country loved him. I mean girl, he called it out, and as an Air Force veteran, I was proud when he went through that constitution. I do solemnly swear to uphold I mean girl, it just gave me chip. He went through the whole constitution, our whole thing, and we swear. And then he went and flipped that and said, well he gonna swear as a Christian man on that that what is before us can be again. Oh girl, I'm telling you Pastor Brown Ruth singing, y'all. He went through and laid it out, made people very uncomfortable, as he should. And that's the type of lead. And that's what I was talking about in the last episode with Bishop Jakes. If you ain't gonna speak on it for what it is, then just be quiet, because in this moment we need leadership. Leadership that's gonna speak up for what it is. There has to be the shock values gone, y'all. The shock value is gone. After we have George Floyd and everybody went through whatever they went through. It's over with. After we got done with COVID, after everybody Okay, so we ain't gonna all die. Everything got back cool, It's back cool. Nobody DEI after program, history books taken out like we are on such a diet, a spiral down, then I already get realize what's going on. And this ain't about Biden. I know Biden's terrible, but Trump is literally telling you what he's going to do, literally telling you what he's going to do. And free press is gonna be one of them that he's coming after. So guys, I just don't know if it's gonna take Trump being re elected to shake it up. I don't know if it's gonna take another Unfortunately, hopefully we don't have another issue like a George Floyd or like. But you would think that this arabin forces even the racist wifeles, which of course we know they're being disingenuous by it, but even they're saying that this is wrong. And I went live several times and put that on my thing, and you can probably look at five or ten comments at best, But meanwhile you got how many people are chiming in on puff And again, it's not taken away from what cast is going through, our domestic violence is going through. It's not taking away any of that. But I just know that when things are linked to entertainment and entertainers, it goes so much more further than the things that we're talking about today, like what's happening with Alabama and autoworkers, Like are these more house students gonna be able to actually pay their bills? What happens when a black man signs up to Service Country and then gets shot down by somebody uniform? What happens when all of these things happen and nobody's talking about it. I don't want to say nobody, but not enough. And it gets exhausting, guys, it really does. And I'm not trying to be cynical. I'm just telling you for what it is. And I want to encourage you, ladies, And thank you so much for joining me with this show. That we are doing this, recording this at night, taking out of our time to talk about things that people just just kind of brush on by. But I do believe it's important. I do believe our work is not in vain. I do believe that these things have to be talked about, even if it feels like just us talking. And I hope you stay encouraged because you do encourage me for sure, because this is just not easy guys, watching that mother cry and mourn all over her son. I'm sick of the shit. I'm sick of seeing us bearing our children. Yes, that also means crime and inner cities. Just tired of it. And I just wish the amount of time and resource and energy that we talk about with everything, all the other stuff we talk about on the Shade Room and all the other stuff we talk about in Hollywood a lot. I just wish all of the time could be dedicated towards this, just a little bit more. That's my plea, my crime. Any thoughts on that, guys before.

We end, Absolutely no, My heart goes out to the airman Fortson's family and just all victims of police violence. And we need to continue pushing the line and organizing for police accountability for sure, that cannot be lost.

And again, Biden is not our great White hope. But Trump did tell you that he will be pushing for immunity for all police officers, regardless of what they do. And if we ain't paying attention to that, I mean, I just don't know what it's gonna take.

Oh, I think Biden, excuse me.

I think.

Trump also said that he would like the deafinalty for anyone who you know, assaults or you know, definitely has conflict with police officers. I do not I'm not condoning or you know, anything a violence of any kind against police officers or anyone. But you know, given police officers immunity to kill and then giving people the harshest penalties for their interactions with police officers is just completely unfounded.

In this day and age. We should not have that.

So we have to get really really serious about even who's coming into office at the local level.

Yep.

Yeah, because Trump supporters, especially at the local level, because a lot of the policies that are being pad that impact how your police departments are governed, how the revenue that's spent and resource is spent. You know, these cop cities that are popping up all over the United States, those decisions and the funding for those cop cities, those decisions are made at the state and local level. And so you know, it's Trump is the front facing very visible faith of you know, what could be this rollback of rights that again hurt black people more than anybody else. And so we've got to be although we are exhausted and exasperated. We still have to be vigilant and pay attention because they're working while were tired. They're working while we tired. They're coming up with a twenty twenty five plan while we tired. We've got you know, sixty cops cities planned all across this nation and predominantly black neighborhoods. And so whatever we can, whatever we can muster up and give to be vigilant, pay attention, and advocate for change, even if it's in our own backyard, we have to make sure we make time for that.

M So what that said, people asking where's Ted, that's where Ted has been. I'm as you know, ladies, I have been really reorganizing my time into what is the most impactful thing that I can do, because just talking about it is not enough for me. So I've been really really engaged in some local stuff here lately, and as that continue to develop, all of you know, make more of that privy to the public. But I got to get involved on the local level again. I have being in national a lot, and moving around a lot, and being in various states is kind of not allowed me to be as involved locally as I want. To be and I have to have that it order for me to stay in this game myself. I have to know I'm making an impact, Like I literally need to work with miss Johnson, like literally, you know, the constituent to know I'm helping her get her grocery with somebody helping her walking groceres across street. You know what I'm saying, Like something that simple, because if not, I'm not seeing just talking at it from a high level and not rolling up my sleeves and getting involved it's making an impact on me, cause I got to know I'm making a difference. If not, I can't. I just can't continue to do this. I just can't. I just cannot just talk about it and not really be involved. So that's what I've been focusing on. Let it be God's divine will wherever he has me land. But that's what I've been really focused on. How can how can we continue doing we're doing that doesn't stop doing the podcast and not gonna stop my national interaction. I'm not going to stop any of the things that I'm doing. But I'm trying to add to and reorganize my time. Where is eighty percent of my time being spent. Is it impactful to literally make a difference somebody's life Working with those babies last weekend on conflict resolution, I could see the impact, I could feel it. I know it made a difference. I have to do more of that with my time. So although I appreciate everybody tap in with me, whether it's the Breakfast Club, Revolt, tap in with Tez, Straight Shot, No Chaser, Fox News, whatever it is I do, I will still be connecting to all of those different things. But right now I'm trying to connect my soul to making sure that I am doing what God has called me to do, and that I am spending the majority of my time doing the will His will, not your will, but His will be done. So thank you so much everybody, and thank you for joining me Michelle and Jade. I appreciate you guys for rocking with me as I continue to try to get get this out. And hey, that's it, guys, make sure you follow me on social media platforms, but also subscribe to the podcast. Michelle Wattley, Jade and Rell again. Have them listen down the description. You want to follow them on Instagram or Twitter, please do, And we're just gonna continue to keep pushing out this content. Thank you so much ladies for joining me, and we'll see y'all next time.

Peace peace.

If you like what you heard on Straight Shot No Chaser, please subscribe and drop a five star review and tell a friend. Straight Shot No Chaser is a production of the Black Effect podcast Network in iHeartRadio on TIZLM figure out, and I like to thank our producer editor mixer Dwayne Crawford and our executive producer Charlotte Magne to God. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.