In this episode commemorating Women’s History Month, Christian F. Nunes, President of NOW, and author/historian Lorissa Rinehart explain how history, activism and assurance can be disruptive forces for change, from their own perspective.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Welcome. I'm Eric Fleming, host of A Moment with Erik Fleming, the podcast of our time.
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00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 i hope you enjoy this episode as well,
00:01:11 --> 00:01:16 the following program is hosted by the nbg podcast network.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:56 Music.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:01 Hello, and welcome to another moment with Erik Fleming. I am your host, Erik Fleming.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:09 And so this episode is going to be the last episode in March.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 And March is Women's History Month.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:20 And so we're going to close it out with program that,
00:02:21 --> 00:02:27 you know, most of my programs are not dedicated to particular months or holidays or whatever,
00:02:27 --> 00:02:34 and I have been very fortunate that I have had a lot of positive role models
00:02:34 --> 00:02:39 as far as women leaders and activists in the community.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:47 So I don't necessarily dedicate things, but the way that it worked out this week,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:57 I have two women that I think epitomizes what this year, 2025,
00:02:57 --> 00:03:02 Women's History Month is about, the significance of it.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:08 So I hope that you enjoy these two guests. I think you will.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:14 And well, as a matter of fact, I know you will. I know you'll enjoy them and
00:03:14 --> 00:03:22 will be enlightened by their thoughts and their insight into where we are.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:29 So we got that going on. And then, of course, we still are trying to get 20
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 subscribers on Patreon.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:41 Please go to patreon.com slash amomentwitherikfleming and go ahead and subscribe.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:46 I would greatly appreciate that. But, you know, and even if we don't get to
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 20, if we get close, that'd be great.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:56 But I want to get to 20. I think that that would really help sustain the
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 podcast and keep it where...
00:04:01 --> 00:04:09 I don't have to worry about corporate sponsorships or just any kind of sponsorship at all.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:14 Just constantly trying to bring you the best guests possible and to have the
00:04:14 --> 00:04:19 best podcast available to talk about what's going on in this country.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:26 And, you know, I should sound a little more enthused about that.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:33 But I'm not, you know, I'm not a great salesperson when it comes to those kind
00:04:33 --> 00:04:37 of things. But if you're listening to the podcast and you really like what's
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 going on, then subscribe. It's only a dollar.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 And it'll go really, really a long way.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:52 The more subscribers I have, the more guarantee that we will be able to keep
00:04:52 --> 00:04:56 this podcast going for as long as need be. Right.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:06 Nothing lasts forever. But in these times, we really need to make sure that this podcast is going.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:11 All right. So I'm ready to get this show on the road. And as always,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:17 speaking about women, great women, it is time for a moment of news with Grace G.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:26 Music.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:30 Thanks, Eric. A journalist was inadvertently added to a national security chat
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 which detailed the recent military operation that killed a Houthi leader in Yemen.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:40 The U.S. Social Security Administration leader reversed plans to shut down operations
00:05:40 --> 00:05:45 after a judge clarified a ruling limiting Elon Musk's access to citizen records.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:50 Louis DeJoy, the embattled chief executive of the United States Postal Service,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 abruptly resigned. The U.S.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:58 Health and Human Services Department canceled $12 billion in pandemic-era grants
00:05:58 --> 00:06:02 for programs addressing infectious diseases, mental health, and addiction treatment.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:08 Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico surged to 370, surpassing last year's
00:06:08 --> 00:06:12 nationwide total of 285. A U.S.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:17 Judge temporarily halted the deportation of Mexican activist Jeanette Vizguera,
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 who was arrested by ICE agents in Denver.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:25 Guyanese social media activist Melissa Atwell Holder, a critic of her home government,
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 was also detained by ICE in Louisiana.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:35 The Trump administration announced plans to end temporary legal status for 530
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:43 President Trump revoked security clearances for Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:50 Namibia's first female president, Natumbo Nandi Ndwaita, pledged to tackle unemployment
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 during her inauguration ceremony.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:56 Solomon Pena was convicted of orchestrating shootings at Democratic officials'
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 homes after losing a New Mexico legislative race.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:05 Israeli demonstrations intensified over government attempts to oust key officials
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 and the resumption of military bombing in Gaza.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:14 Trump withdrew an executive order targeting law firm Paul Weiss after it pledged
00:07:14 --> 00:07:18 $40 million in free legal work and dropped diversity policies.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:23 Four people were arrested in connection with a shooting at an unauthorized New
00:07:23 --> 00:07:27 Mexico car show that left three dead and 15 injured.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:33 And both boxing legend George Foreman, 76, and the first black Republican Congresswoman,
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 Mia Love, 49, passed away.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:40 I am Grace Gee, and this has been a Moment of News.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:48 Music.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:51 All right. Thank you, Grace, for that Moment of News.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:56 And now, y'all remember at the end of the podcast last week,
00:07:56 --> 00:08:03 I had said I was trying to get something together for that podcast and it didn't work out.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:11 Well, it worked out. So it is my honor to introduce this guest.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 And her name is Christian F. Nunes.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:19 Christian F. Nunes became now president in August 2020.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:24 She was previously appointed vice president by the board in May 2019.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:29 She is the second African-American president in the organization's history,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:34 the youngest person of color, and the youngest president in more than 40 years.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:40 Ms. Nunes is a former now board member and committee chair, as well as a licensed
00:08:40 --> 00:08:45 clinical social worker, consultant, and woman minority business owner.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:50 She is an active community organizer and public speaker, regularly featured
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 at events such as the March for Black Women,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:59 Women's March events, and rallies around the country in support of the Equal
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 Rights Amendment and immigration rights.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 Along with her activism for mental health, Ms.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:12 Nunes has more than 20 years of experience advocating for children's and women's issues. Ms.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:16 Nunes received her BSW degree from Northern Arizona University,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:21 Masters of Science from Columbia University, and Master of Business Administration
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 from the University of Phoenix.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 Ladies and gentlemen, it is truly my distinct honor and privilege to have,
00:09:28 --> 00:09:35 as a guest on this podcast, the President of NOW, Christian F. Nunes.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:46 Music.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:51 Ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct honor and privilege to be talking to
00:09:51 --> 00:09:56 the president of NOW, Christian F. Nunes. Madam President, how are you doing?
00:09:57 --> 00:10:01 I'm doing great today, Eric. How are you doing? I'm really happy to have you on.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 Thank you for inviting me on again. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Because,
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 you know, there's a lot of stuff going on.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:15 And to have somebody of your stature to kind of talk to the listeners from your
00:10:15 --> 00:10:19 perspective, from your organization's perspective, what's going on be very valuable.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:23 So as always, we do the icebreaker part of the program first.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:28 So the first icebreaker is a quote, and I want you to respond to this quote.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:33 We must continue to do the work. We must show up, not give up.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:41 I remind myself of all the work done to get us this far, and we must keep marching
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 forward. What does that quote mean to you?
00:10:43 --> 00:10:48 I mean, I think it really resonates and talks about over-experiencing right
00:10:48 --> 00:10:56 now is that there have been so many people who have been in this fight for justice,
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 equality for a very long time.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:06 And they have paved the way, but they also have relied on their ancestors and
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 the position to make that way for them.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:13 And although I look at it as although we progress, We know that,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:17 you know, movements are kind of like ebbs and blows to me.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:22 And even though we are facing like a place of difficulty right now that we have
00:11:22 --> 00:11:27 to keep pushing forward for that ultimate goal of like equality and justice
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 for everyone, like we cannot stop.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 We have to continue to move forward, even though we're facing adversities,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:35 even though we're feeling like kind of sometimes helpless and hopeless right
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 now, what we're seeing or just overwhelmed.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:42 We still have to push forward because the ultimate goal of what we're trying
00:11:42 --> 00:11:48 to achieve is more important than the little bit of resistance that we're experiencing right now. Yeah.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:56 So my next icebreaker is I want you to give me a number between 1 and 20. 18. 18.
00:11:57 --> 00:12:03 What's one thing we might all agree is important, no matter our differences?
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 I think one thing that we all agree on, no matter our differences,
00:12:07 --> 00:12:12 is like just a right to, you know, have a happy, successful.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:19 Safe, and, you know, I don't want to say prosperous, but just like a fulfilling life.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:24 I think that's something that everyone's working to achieve and everyone can agree on. Okay.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:33 So this might be a personal question, but how are you holding up in the moment?
00:12:33 --> 00:12:40 And the reason why I'm asking this is because you wrote in your sub stack to Empathy Edge recently.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:49 As the days unfold in 2025, I look around and see a growing sense of regret, fear, and exhaustion.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:53 I see it in the eyes of my family, my neighbors, my community.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:58 The air is thick with anxiety as new policies roll out daily,
00:12:58 --> 00:13:04 targeting, erasing, and bullying marginalized communities under false pretenses.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:10 But let's be honest. These actions are not about greatness. They are about regression
00:13:10 --> 00:13:15 and reinstating hierarchies that many have fought to dismantle.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:21 It is the soft bigotry of low expectations being camouflaged into policy and policing.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:28 I feel this deeply. I carry the weight of this hate, but I refuse to surrender.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:33 Yeah, I mean, that is very accurate and very true. I always tell everyone,
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 you know, that my life as a Black woman is,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:42 The experience of racism and sexism has existed throughout as long as I've lived, right?
00:13:42 --> 00:13:48 And I know that I have it easier than my mother had it and my grandmother had it or, you know, etc.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:53 But still, those things still are very much true right now in this world.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:58 And if anything, I feel that there is this sense of people are feeling very
00:13:58 --> 00:14:02 emboldened to be in their racism and their sexism and misogyny.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:09 I feel that when we have an administration who thrives on it,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:18 mocks and bullies, intentionally tries to erase people's identities, it's heavy, right?
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 And I had these conversations with my family all the time about,
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 like, we sit there and we analyze what is going on.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:28 But I also know that this is not the first time in our history or any history
00:14:28 --> 00:14:34 that things like this have happened. And so for me, I've always been committed
00:14:34 --> 00:14:38 to this cause for justice and equality.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 And for me personally, it's bigger than me, right?
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 It's not about Christian effectiveness. It's bigger than me.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 It's about this world as a whole. It's about healing this world.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 It's about justice for this world.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:56 So what helps me get through for me personally is my sense of personal faith, right?
00:14:57 --> 00:15:05 As a Christian not a Christian nationalist a real Christian I want to be clear to say and that.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:12 No matter who thinks they're going to be a king, they are not the king. They are not the king.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:19 And the hatred and all this hatred and all this attempts to hurt,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:25 you know, I don't fear it because that's not who I hold in high reverence.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:30 So I have to continue to moving forth on the path that I feel like is important.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:35 And when you have a sense of spirituality, you have a sense of purpose that's
00:15:35 --> 00:15:39 beyond people, it's easy for you to stay motivated in your fight for equality
00:15:39 --> 00:15:43 and justice because you don't look to that purpose.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 You don't idolize people. You don't reverence people in that way.
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 So for me, I don't reverence person.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:55 So it's very easy for me to say, well, we're seeing this happen again.
00:15:56 --> 00:16:01 We're seeing this occur. But I, for me, reside and know who my personal ultimate
00:16:01 --> 00:16:05 king is in that sense, and who I know has the final say.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:11 So that's how I, Christian effectiveness, guide my life.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:15 And also because of that,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:23 my fight and quest for justice and equality is respecting humanity and every
00:16:23 --> 00:16:28 person and understanding that every person deserves peace,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 deserves to be treated equal, deserves to be valued,
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 deserves to have opportunity, deserves to be safe.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:44 And I will continue that fight. Yeah, yeah, because one of the things you threw
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 out there about revering other people was,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:54 One of the main things that we see is that there are some people in leadership
00:16:54 --> 00:16:58 positions who revere themselves more than anybody else.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:03 Absolutely. And that is really, really causing a lot of damage.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:08 You dove into it, but I'm going to dive into a little more.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:15 It's like we were commanded not to put anybody else or any other gods before God himself.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:21 And, you know, but it seems like the more that we become sophisticated,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:29 the more we become technologically savvy, the more we tend to forget about that that commandment.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:36 And also to Eric, if I could just add, and then when we start revering ourselves
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 as the ultimate person, then there is no sense of accountability, right?
00:17:39 --> 00:17:44 And I think that's what we're seeing happen is the accountability that needs
00:17:44 --> 00:17:48 to exist in this world is lost in a lot of ways.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:52 Because when you think you're the top, you're the best, you're the highest.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:56 When you think we can go beyond human in a lot of ways,
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 then where is the accountability that makes us have these checks and balances
00:18:00 --> 00:18:05 to make sure that we're still operating on an ethos that's helpful and toward
00:18:05 --> 00:18:10 humanity and geared toward respecting people or respecting lives?
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 It gets lost, you know?
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 That's exactly right. And that's a good way to sum that up.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:25 So talk to me, Madam President, about the significance of Women's History Month in the year 2025.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:31 Why is it important this year as compared to any other year we've dealt with?
00:18:32 --> 00:18:39 Wow. So it is extremely important that we continue to recognize Women's History
00:18:39 --> 00:18:43 Month, regardless of any attempt to try to take it off a calendar.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:52 It still exists because the contributions that women have made to this world and globally,
00:18:53 --> 00:19:00 From intervention to leadership to caregiving to parenting to world peace,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:02 you know, to health care.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:06 I mean, it's just so many different areas. Women have been extremely important
00:19:06 --> 00:19:14 in creating a world for all, for helping us show us what it means to be involved
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 in movements for equality,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:20 for what it means to advance, for what it means to balance.
00:19:20 --> 00:19:27 And, you know, I think women are the prime poster child for multitasking.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:32 You know, being able to balance family life, being able to balance career,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:36 being able to deal with opposition and discrimination at the same time,
00:19:36 --> 00:19:41 but still pushing forward and not giving up on their hopes and their goals and their dreams.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:48 And we just finished experiencing our very first ever, ever in U.S.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:53 History, vice president that was a woman and a woman of color,
00:19:53 --> 00:19:58 which I think for many of us never thought we would see that day. Well, we saw it.
00:19:58 --> 00:20:02 So it just reminds us that anything is possible for women.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:05 And I think right now in 2025, although
00:20:05 --> 00:20:11 we're feeling so much pressure and so many of our rights under attack and so
00:20:11 --> 00:20:18 much just misogyny that's existing and toxic masculinity and white patriarchy's
00:20:18 --> 00:20:23 permissiveness existing that has direct attacks on women's livelihood and personal autonomy.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:31 I think recognizing the strengths and accomplishments of women in 2025 reminds
00:20:31 --> 00:20:35 us that when we're committed to this,
00:20:35 --> 00:20:40 that we are capable of achieving everything we need to achieve.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:44 And we're capable of getting past any adversities. Because in the past,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:50 our ancestors and women in our past histories have gone through many adversities
00:20:50 --> 00:20:54 and many of this oppression. but they fought and they stayed committed to it.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 And because of them, we were at the place where we are today.
00:20:57 --> 00:21:03 I'm at a place to be able to be an African-American national president of a
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 national organization, right?
00:21:06 --> 00:21:09 Which many people didn't have that opportunity to do.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:15 I mean, we're still a very small percentage of, you know, women in executive C-suite leadership.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:20 So celebrating Wednesday, Wednesday month, this month is extremely important
00:21:20 --> 00:21:24 just to remind us of our capabilities and remind us that we all get past this.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:28 And just remind us of what everything women have contributed to this world.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:31 I think it's so important that we celebrate that, if all things,
00:21:31 --> 00:21:36 even though we're experiencing a place of adversity right now,
00:21:37 --> 00:21:42 celebrating the competition reminds us that women are capable and women will continue to succeed.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:49 Yeah. All right. So last month, you, along with other partner organizations,
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 announced the launch of the Disrupt Now campaign.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:57 Talk to the listeners about it and where the campaign stands right now.
00:21:57 --> 00:22:03 Sure. So the big part of the Surup Now campaign actually came from our response
00:22:03 --> 00:22:10 to the 2024 election and Project 2025 as well.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:17 And just kind of seeing what was, you know, the plan to roll out on the attacks
00:22:17 --> 00:22:24 of, you know, DEI, which includes women, on our families, on everyone.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:30 Just looking at, you know, the states who have been passing these horrendous
00:22:30 --> 00:22:37 abortion bans where they're trying to charge femicide and homicide charges against people, you know,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:40 taking and acting into their own personal autonomy.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:46 And so we felt that was really important that we go into this year with a very strong approach.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:55 Response to the misogynistic propaganda that we have been witnessing and the
00:22:55 --> 00:23:02 importance of increasing feminist education about why we have to vote and be
00:23:02 --> 00:23:07 educated on issues that not just affect women,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 but because they trickle down and affect families,
00:23:09 --> 00:23:11 because they trickle down and affect their neighbors.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:16 So we felt it was really important that in this campaign that we really focused
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 on educating communities,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:22 because we felt like a lot of things that happened in the election was misinformation
00:23:22 --> 00:23:27 and disinformation was so prevalent, people didn't really understand how issues impacted them.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:31 So Disrupt Now was formed to, you know,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:36 be our response and challenge the disinformation, misinformation that we're
00:23:36 --> 00:23:40 seeing, and particularly the misogyny propaganda, but also increased education
00:23:40 --> 00:23:44 awareness about the importance of issues like health care, reproductive health care,
00:23:44 --> 00:23:48 about economic justice, about safety for women and ending violence against women,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:54 and how all of those intersect and intertwine with everyday issues that are impacting us daily.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:58 And then the armed people training, so how they can be, you know,
00:23:59 --> 00:24:04 authentic and activists on the ground in their states to speak up and advocate
00:24:04 --> 00:24:08 for women's issues and women's right issues.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 And I would say women and children because they go hand in hand.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:15 So that's how the campaign got started. The campaign involves different parts.
00:24:16 --> 00:24:19 There is a part where we are working and we have a partnership with the campaign
00:24:19 --> 00:24:27 school at Yale to train activists who are either interested in running for office,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 because a big part of what needs to happen is,
00:24:29 --> 00:24:35 you know, flipping these seats in 2025 and 2026 so that we can get that control over.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:40 And have a Congress that envisions the family and envisions progression.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:45 So we're partnering with them to provide this training. And then the other part
00:24:45 --> 00:24:50 is that we're doing town halls, virtual in states,
00:24:50 --> 00:24:54 where we're going to work to just really train and educate and have conversations
00:24:54 --> 00:25:01 with those people and stakeholders and activists about what's happening and
00:25:01 --> 00:25:05 how we respond to it in a way that is...
00:25:06 --> 00:25:10 You know, courts nonviolent with strong, truthful,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:17 purposeful response of how we can mobilize activists and organizers to be able
00:25:17 --> 00:25:24 to work against, you know, the anti-woman attacks that we're seeing happen.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:31 And the third, you know, we are just also just working and put lots of information
00:25:31 --> 00:25:35 on social media and to make sure it's accessible to social media for people
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 who may not have access to actually go,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:41 we're giving them opportunities of things they can do online to be activists
00:25:41 --> 00:25:44 and go into their advocate roles. Yeah.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:51 Have you been getting, you know, I've been watching some of the town hall meetings with people.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:56 You know, dealing with their congressional leaders.
00:25:56 --> 00:26:02 Have you experienced some of that frustration or concern in the town halls that
00:26:02 --> 00:26:05 you've been having and trying to get people activated?
00:26:05 --> 00:26:11 So we actually have our first virtual town hall happening in April,
00:26:11 --> 00:26:15 April 16th, and it's a Western Region town hall.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:19 So this will be our experience to see what response. But I honestly,
00:26:19 --> 00:26:23 if I'm going to speak honestly, I feel that everyone's so fired up,
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 right? They're upset about what's happening and they want to do something.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:29 And there are so many different events happening.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:34 There's so many different rallies, marches, protests, things happening.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:40 And I think it's great. But I also believe that we have to have multi-strategy
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 issues to address this problem.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:47 And so one of our ways, that's why our campaign is multi-strategy campaign.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:54 And I would like to see how we also put the same effort into things like electing
00:26:54 --> 00:26:58 new people into office, you know, calling our Congress members.
00:26:58 --> 00:27:04 I think people are frustrated because what they expected from their Congress
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 members is not taking place.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:09 They feel like they're not getting the access they need. And,
00:27:09 --> 00:27:14 you know, on the members of Congress side, I'm assuming they are overwhelmed
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 by the amount of calls that they're getting.
00:27:17 --> 00:27:20 And there's things they can and cannot do. And sometimes we don't understand that.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:25 Even as a leading organization, sometimes supporters and members don't fully
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 understand what's in your hands, right?
00:27:27 --> 00:27:31 So I think one thing we all can do is continue to increase our communication
00:27:31 --> 00:27:34 and education about things.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:38 I think the town halls are great. I think that for people showing up at these
00:27:38 --> 00:27:41 town halls is fabulous. It's wonderful. Yeah.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:46 And I also think that we can continue to show other ways that we can tap into
00:27:46 --> 00:27:51 strategies that can help do this and that people feel empowered in the process
00:27:51 --> 00:27:56 of what they can do in their states, their regions, you know, and things like that.
00:27:56 --> 00:28:02 So I think it's a good thing, but I think that also we need to not stop there
00:28:02 --> 00:28:08 and just having rallies in town halls where we have to tap into how do we hold
00:28:08 --> 00:28:13 these elected officials accountable for not standing for their constituents,
00:28:13 --> 00:28:23 for not stepping up and voting in favor of protecting our country or placing
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 their values in the right thing.
00:28:24 --> 00:28:29 How do we move away from people and having constituents who are more concerned
00:28:29 --> 00:28:31 about their billions and their
00:28:31 --> 00:28:34 money than they are concerned about the welfare of their constituents?
00:28:35 --> 00:28:38 And the way we do that is we replace them. We have to get them out of office.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:46 We have to elect different people who value family, who value support,
00:28:46 --> 00:28:51 who value, you You know, America having relationships.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:59 Domestic and global relationships that help strengthen our country,
00:28:59 --> 00:29:06 that help us be united and supporting and not separate ourselves out as if we
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 feel like we're better than everybody else.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:10 That never works, never will work. No matter how hard people try,
00:29:11 --> 00:29:13 we are all interdependent on each other.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 And we need to see more elected officials just to support that,
00:29:16 --> 00:29:22 of how we have allies, how we work on building allies, then creating separation and division.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:29 And that's what we're seeing. So I am hopeful about the outcome of the town halls.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:34 At the same time, I need us to also tap into holding people accountable,
00:29:34 --> 00:29:38 getting them out of office, organizing around that as well. Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:39 --> 00:29:45 So just to kind of follow up on that, so one of the issues, you're younger than
00:29:45 --> 00:29:50 me, so one of the issues that has come up is generational change.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:57 Do you think that there's a need to change, not just based off of actions,
00:29:57 --> 00:30:00 but also from a generational standpoint?
00:30:00 --> 00:30:05 Because, you know, there's some people that are like, yeah, these people are
00:30:05 --> 00:30:09 supposed to be on our side, but, you know. Because, you know,
00:30:09 --> 00:30:11 a lot of people said that about President Biden.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:16 It was like a good guy, but he was he was too old.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:21 And and, you know, they're propping up AOC, for example, and,
00:30:21 --> 00:30:26 you know, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost. You know, those are names that are
00:30:26 --> 00:30:30 coming up now saying, why don't we lift them up?
00:30:30 --> 00:30:37 What's your take as far as, you know, trying to recruit women to be in the process?
00:30:38 --> 00:30:42 I know you're not deliberately saying, OK, you're too old and all this stuff.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:49 But what are you seeing as far as like people being interested in jumping into the political fray?
00:30:50 --> 00:30:54 Well, I think there has to be more effort to bring in young generational leaders,
00:30:54 --> 00:30:57 right? And the movement has to be intergenerational.
00:30:58 --> 00:31:02 It has to, because being intergenerational, you have a mix of new ideas.
00:31:02 --> 00:31:05 You have a mix of existing experience.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:10 You're able to tap into the assets of everybody to see what they have seen,
00:31:10 --> 00:31:15 what they have witnessed, what they believe is important for us all to do well
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 and have this fair democracy.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:23 So I think it's not about replacing everyone, but it's about guaranteeing that
00:31:23 --> 00:31:25 the movement is intergenerational.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:29 And for women to be a part of that movement is extremely important.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:34 And there has to be effort for intergenerational, multiracial,
00:31:35 --> 00:31:43 multi-ethnic movement, multi, you know, just everything has to be alike.
00:31:43 --> 00:31:48 It needs to be inclusive where we're having representation from different belief
00:31:48 --> 00:31:53 systems, representation from LGBTQIA community as well, representation from
00:31:53 --> 00:31:56 different races, different ethnicities, abilities.
00:31:57 --> 00:32:01 You know, everybody needs to be represented because when we tap into everybody
00:32:01 --> 00:32:08 in this movement, then we're truly looking to move in a position where everyone's represented.
00:32:08 --> 00:32:11 And we're going to be able to create policies based on that.
00:32:11 --> 00:32:16 But if the movement gets stuck and just reelecting the same people over and
00:32:16 --> 00:32:21 over and over and over and again, I think that's not the way to go for regression.
00:32:21 --> 00:32:25 And if we go to a place where we're just saying, let's remove everybody,
00:32:25 --> 00:32:28 even if they've had great impact, that's not the way either.
00:32:28 --> 00:32:36 So I think it has to be a mixture of really putting forth effort to bring in new leaders and.
00:32:36 --> 00:32:41 And also, you know, work with those who have been true to the cause,
00:32:41 --> 00:32:43 who really have demonstrated their
00:32:43 --> 00:32:48 leadership and their commitment to our country and their communities.
00:32:48 --> 00:32:52 So it has to be both. It's not about, you know, I'm Gen X, right?
00:32:53 --> 00:32:55 So I'm not millennial. I'm not Gen Z.
00:32:56 --> 00:33:01 I'm not baby boomer. And I think what we see a lot of, you know,
00:33:01 --> 00:33:03 happening is it's like these polar extremes.
00:33:03 --> 00:33:07 And I think we have to have all of that, right? So I believe in the uplifting
00:33:07 --> 00:33:09 young generation, absolutely.
00:33:09 --> 00:33:13 And I also believe the young generation, you know, actually,
00:33:13 --> 00:33:18 if you think about movements through history, they've always been involved and led in our movements.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:22 So to me, that's nothing new. So I think we have to continue doing that.
00:33:22 --> 00:33:28 But I also feel that we can learn and still benefit from other generations and
00:33:28 --> 00:33:33 other leaders who've been through other movements about how they were successful.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:37 I think that's how we all grow. That's how we all move in the right direction.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:41 So to me, it has to be a mixture, Erik. It has to be this intergenerational movement.
00:33:41 --> 00:33:45 It has to be a multinational, multiracial, multi-ethnic movement.
00:33:45 --> 00:33:50 It has to be an inclusive, intersectional movement for us to really make some changes right now.
00:33:51 --> 00:33:55 We stay how we are, it's going to be a problem. And I also want to push away
00:33:55 --> 00:33:57 from the fact that we have to have a leader.
00:33:57 --> 00:34:01 I know a lot of people feel that we have to have a leader of the movement.
00:34:01 --> 00:34:04 I don't believe that has to be one leader.
00:34:04 --> 00:34:09 I believe we have to be in solidarity. I believe that we have to have different leaders.
00:34:09 --> 00:34:14 We have to have a strong sense of support for people who are able to connect
00:34:14 --> 00:34:16 and reach out to different groups of people.
00:34:17 --> 00:34:20 So I'm of a way from this. I know I hear it a lot. You probably hear it.
00:34:20 --> 00:34:24 But where is our new MLK Jr.? Where is our new?
00:34:24 --> 00:34:30 But why do we have to have one person who is dominating the leadership or who
00:34:30 --> 00:34:34 are the only person to go to, because those people relate to some people, but not to everybody.
00:34:34 --> 00:34:38 But how we make sure that everybody that we need in this movement is being involved
00:34:38 --> 00:34:43 is we have representations of a variety of leaders who are working together with the same cause,
00:34:43 --> 00:34:48 the same message, the same place, to be able to work for the greater good,
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 the greater cause we're trying to do.
00:34:49 --> 00:34:52 Because they're each going to have the impact to be able to reach a community
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 that the other one can't do.
00:34:54 --> 00:34:58 That is, that's amazing to hear.
00:34:59 --> 00:35:01 And the reason why I say that is because
00:35:01 --> 00:35:07 you are you have been given the opportunity to be a national leader.
00:35:08 --> 00:35:12 And to hear somebody in a position like that saying, hey, guys,
00:35:13 --> 00:35:17 you know, don't ever, you know, we don't necessarily need a Pied Piper or a St. Patrick.
00:35:18 --> 00:35:24 We need a community of elders. We need a group of leaders. We need a bunch of people.
00:35:24 --> 00:35:29 And that's really, really not only amazing, but refreshing to hear coming from
00:35:29 --> 00:35:31 somebody that is in a national position.
00:35:32 --> 00:35:36 That's awesome. Yeah. And if I were to say that I couldn't have done the work
00:35:36 --> 00:35:39 that I do without tapping into other leaders, right?
00:35:40 --> 00:35:44 So I have to tap into other leaders for support. We have to come together for
00:35:44 --> 00:35:48 coalition work together to make the difference. Now can't do it alone.
00:35:49 --> 00:35:52 LCCHR can't do it alone. Illegal Men Voters can't do it alone.
00:35:53 --> 00:35:57 NAACP can't do it alone. None of us can do it alone. We all have to tap in together.
00:35:58 --> 00:36:00 We are stronger together than we are apart. Yeah.
00:36:01 --> 00:36:04 And, you know, in a situation like with Dr. King and others,
00:36:04 --> 00:36:08 if you understand the history of the movement and not necessarily you,
00:36:08 --> 00:36:15 but to the listeners, you know, it's just he was elevated within that group of leaders.
00:36:15 --> 00:36:19 He ended up to be the elevated voice, but it wasn't necessarily something he
00:36:19 --> 00:36:26 sought out. But anyway, there was a couple of other things, but I love the way
00:36:26 --> 00:36:28 that this conversation went.
00:36:28 --> 00:36:31 So I want to close out with something positive.
00:36:32 --> 00:36:35 Let's talk about your new project called No Hug Today.
00:36:36 --> 00:36:39 Yes, yes, yes. Oh, thank you for bringing it up.
00:36:40 --> 00:36:46 So for those listeners who don't know, my background started in social work and mental health.
00:36:46 --> 00:36:51 My career started as, well, first a victim advocate, and then I moved to becoming
00:36:51 --> 00:36:53 a therapist, and I started with working with children first,
00:36:53 --> 00:36:57 and then moved to families and adults and things like that. But I'm a trauma therapist background.
00:36:59 --> 00:37:03 And truthfully, it's really being, having a mental health background has really
00:37:03 --> 00:37:06 helped me be really, I feel to be very successful in my work,
00:37:06 --> 00:37:10 and working in the field directly and knowing directly how policies impact people,
00:37:10 --> 00:37:13 I think has helped me be effective as an advocate and national leader.
00:37:13 --> 00:37:16 But it has not, I have not lost that passion.
00:37:17 --> 00:37:20 So one of the, I always wanted to be a children's author.
00:37:20 --> 00:37:24 So I finally just released my first children's storybook designed for younger
00:37:24 --> 00:37:29 kids, because I believe we have to start early with teaching them these things versus waiting late.
00:37:29 --> 00:37:31 And so the book is called No Hug Today.
00:37:32 --> 00:37:37 And it's really kind of mixes the need for helping young children understand
00:37:37 --> 00:37:42 the importance of consent, the importance of personal autonomy and personal boundaries.
00:37:42 --> 00:37:46 So it's a nice storybook and it takes on the journey of a little girl named Olivia.
00:37:47 --> 00:37:52 It applies to boys or girls or any child. And it's her journey of her making
00:37:52 --> 00:37:57 decisions about who she feels comfortable with to give a hug to for the day.
00:37:58 --> 00:38:02 You know, so then she goes on this journey and she decides based on her own
00:38:02 --> 00:38:09 feelings, her own body awareness and thoughts about who she'll give a hug to
00:38:09 --> 00:38:11 today and why she'll do that.
00:38:12 --> 00:38:14 So that's the book, No Hug Today.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:21 And it's so personal to me and it's inspired by my son. I have a five-year-old, actually.
00:38:21 --> 00:38:26 And I always give him the, I always send him the gift right early when he was able to communion.
00:38:26 --> 00:38:28 I would always say, hey, can I have a hug? And he would, you know,
00:38:29 --> 00:38:30 and of course, mommy, most of the time he gives me one.
00:38:31 --> 00:38:33 But sometimes he's on the mood and I would always be like, okay.
00:38:34 --> 00:38:37 And then when he wants to, he comes and gives me one. But I was just really
00:38:37 --> 00:38:41 big on letting him have that autonomy to decide what he feels comfortable with.
00:38:41 --> 00:38:44 And if he is around family members, I'm like, well, he doesn't want to give
00:38:44 --> 00:38:45 a hug. That's just what it is.
00:38:46 --> 00:38:51 But also it helps families understand that we have to start teaching our children
00:38:51 --> 00:38:52 that they have that choice.
00:38:52 --> 00:38:56 Because I know for many of us growing up, it was the thing where you had to
00:38:56 --> 00:39:00 deal with your elders. you didn't have option, whatever date was told you had
00:39:00 --> 00:39:02 to do it, regardless if you feel comfortable or not.
00:39:02 --> 00:39:06 But if we start early teaching our kids that, you know, you have a control of
00:39:06 --> 00:39:09 your body, what makes you feel comfortable is important.
00:39:10 --> 00:39:14 Be respectful, but, you know, it's important. And we start teaching that early.
00:39:14 --> 00:39:17 I think it really, really helps shape them to be feeling empowered,
00:39:18 --> 00:39:23 feeling confident, and also being able to communicate to people they care about
00:39:23 --> 00:39:25 if something doesn't make them feel comfortable.
00:39:25 --> 00:39:29 So no hug today is that little fun journey for a young child.
00:39:30 --> 00:39:35 And there are other ones coming afterward, but this is the first that I've released and I'm super excited.
00:39:35 --> 00:39:39 You can pre-order it right now on Amazon at Barnes and Nobles.
00:39:39 --> 00:39:42 I know a lot of people are not doing Amazon, so Barnes and Nobles.
00:39:42 --> 00:39:46 And then official release date is April 15th. So if you pre-order today,
00:39:46 --> 00:39:48 then the book will get to your house on April 15th.
00:39:49 --> 00:39:54 So how can people reach out to you if they want to be a part of the Disrupt
00:39:54 --> 00:40:00 Now or just, you know, just to communicate with you about other issues?
00:40:00 --> 00:40:02 How can they reach out to you? Sure.
00:40:02 --> 00:40:09 So if you're looking to be a part of Disrupt Now, you can reach out at our website,
00:40:09 --> 00:40:14 www.now.org has all the information for their campaign.
00:40:15 --> 00:40:20 It has a sign-up sheet if you want to be involved, so you can reach out there.
00:40:20 --> 00:40:24 And if you're trying to personally be involved or want to, you can email now,
00:40:25 --> 00:40:29 noww at noww.org to reach out to us and let us know.
00:40:30 --> 00:40:32 And if you want to get communication to me, you can reach out directly to the
00:40:32 --> 00:40:36 email and my admin will forward it to me, and then we'll get you involved.
00:40:37 --> 00:40:45 And if you are interested in more about the book and how future books are coming
00:40:45 --> 00:40:49 out and how I could come do anything regarding the book to your class,
00:40:50 --> 00:40:55 to your therapy group, to any things like that, you can email me at info,
00:40:55 --> 00:41:00 I-N-F-O, at christianfnunes.com.
00:41:00 --> 00:41:06 Well, Christian F. Nunes, there's a saying. And Nunes with an S, not a Z.
00:41:06 --> 00:41:09 Right. Yeah. Yeah. Please make that make that distinction.
00:41:10 --> 00:41:16 But there's there's a saying that goes, you know, we're in a time like this. Right.
00:41:17 --> 00:41:25 And I and I believe other people will join me in in the fact that we are grateful
00:41:25 --> 00:41:28 that there is somebody out there
00:41:28 --> 00:41:33 like you that has accepted the mantle of leadership in a time like this.
00:41:34 --> 00:41:41 It is it is always an honor for me to converse with you and and to keep up with what you're doing,
00:41:42 --> 00:41:48 i i encourage people to read the empathy edge on substack uh because i've i've
00:41:48 --> 00:41:53 interviewed numbers of social workers on on this podcast and they always remind
00:41:53 --> 00:41:55 me that y'all run the world,
00:41:57 --> 00:42:02 i'm a true blue social worker i'll have to tell you well i mean you know and
00:42:02 --> 00:42:05 i i have no argument against that at all.
00:42:05 --> 00:42:08 But I'm really, really grateful to have you on the podcast.
00:42:08 --> 00:42:14 And I'm really grateful that you are in this leadership position in a time like
00:42:14 --> 00:42:15 this. So thank you so much.
00:42:16 --> 00:42:19 Yeah. And Eric, I thank you for your platform. And I thank you for your podcast
00:42:19 --> 00:42:24 to bring people on to talk about these important issues and then supporting
00:42:24 --> 00:42:26 my leadership. I appreciate that as well.
00:42:26 --> 00:42:30 So thank you. And anyway, we can continue to work together or to move this,
00:42:31 --> 00:42:34 to bend this arc to the right direction, you know, please feel free to reach out.
00:42:35 --> 00:42:39 Yes, ma'am. Thank you. All right, guys, and we're going to catch y'all on the other side. Thank you.
00:42:40 --> 00:42:58 Music.
00:42:58 --> 00:43:05 All right. And we are back. And so now it is time for my next guest, Lorissa Rinehart.
00:43:06 --> 00:43:12 Lorissa Rinehart is an engaging author and public speaker whose work explores
00:43:12 --> 00:43:17 the powerful intersections of women's history, politics, peace and war.
00:43:17 --> 00:43:22 Her debut book, First to the Front, The Untold Story of Dickie Chappelle,
00:43:23 --> 00:43:28 trailblazing female war correspondent, garnered rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal.
00:43:28 --> 00:43:32 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, and more.
00:43:32 --> 00:43:37 Her upcoming second book, Winning the Earthquake, How Jeanette Rankin Defied
00:43:37 --> 00:43:42 All Odds to Become America's First Congresswoman, is set for release by St.
00:43:42 --> 00:43:44 Martin's Press in November 2025.
00:43:45 --> 00:43:49 Through her weekly newsletter and podcast, The Female Body Politic,
00:43:49 --> 00:43:55 Lorissa offers insightful analysis of contemporary events drawing on 250 years
00:43:55 --> 00:43:58 of women's engagement in American politics.
00:43:58 --> 00:44:04 A dynamic TEDx speaker, Lorissa has delivered thought-provoking talks at prestigious
00:44:04 --> 00:44:10 venues, such as the National Press Club, Friends of the National World War II Memorial,
00:44:11 --> 00:44:15 the Women's National Press Club, and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
00:44:16 --> 00:44:20 Her expertise has been featured on prominent podcasts and radio shows,
00:44:20 --> 00:44:24 including Tell Me Everything, Cold War Conversations, Writers Talking,
00:44:25 --> 00:44:27 and Her Story on the Rocks.
00:44:28 --> 00:44:31 Lorissa is proudly represented by Lowenstein Associates.
00:44:31 --> 00:44:36 Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to have as a guest
00:44:36 --> 00:44:39 on this podcast, Lorissa Rinehart.
00:44:42 --> 00:44:52 Music.
00:44:52 --> 00:44:55 Lorissa Rinehart. How you doing, ma'am? You doing good?
00:44:56 --> 00:45:03 I am doing very well. It's a beautiful day where I am, and I'm so glad to be on your podcast.
00:45:03 --> 00:45:05 Well, I am honored to have you on.
00:45:06 --> 00:45:12 You have been kind of stirring some things up over the last couple of years,
00:45:12 --> 00:45:15 and especially the timing.
00:45:16 --> 00:45:21 I usually don't have themed podcast,
00:45:21 --> 00:45:24 not lest the guests line up that way, but the way it's looking,
00:45:24 --> 00:45:29 this is going to be a great way to close out Women's History Month and no better
00:45:29 --> 00:45:34 way than I have a soft spot for historians. I love historians.
00:45:34 --> 00:45:39 I love teachers, but I really love historians because I think if you don't understand
00:45:39 --> 00:45:42 history, you can't go forward.
00:45:42 --> 00:45:46 You can't understand why things are happening the way they're happening.
00:45:46 --> 00:45:52 You've got to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. So I commend you for doing that kind of work.
00:45:53 --> 00:45:58 So let's go ahead and get started. I do a couple of icebreakers to kind of get the show going.
00:45:58 --> 00:46:04 So my first icebreaker is connected to a quote. And so this is the quote that I'm going to give you.
00:46:05 --> 00:46:10 One day, I want to look at Congress, boardrooms, and history books,
00:46:10 --> 00:46:15 and not have to count the women because there are just as many men.
00:46:15 --> 00:46:17 What does that quote mean to you?
00:46:18 --> 00:46:23 That quote means gender parity, that women deserve to be an equal number of
00:46:23 --> 00:46:30 decision makers as men, and that our voice is equally as important to the voices of men.
00:46:30 --> 00:46:39 And it's not about one gender dominating over another.
00:46:39 --> 00:46:49 It's about creating a conversation where everyone is welcome and everyone is valued.
00:46:49 --> 00:46:54 And I think this really goes to, and I know this is a bit tangential,
00:46:54 --> 00:46:59 but in our current political climate, you know, DEI, diversity,
00:46:59 --> 00:47:01 equity, and inclusion is so vilified.
00:47:02 --> 00:47:07 But we know from personal experience, from just looking at the world,
00:47:07 --> 00:47:13 that when we have diversity, we are stronger, better, and smarter.
00:47:13 --> 00:47:19 And that's true in every single different scenario, whether that's in your business,
00:47:19 --> 00:47:23 in your school, in your family, in your church, in your community.
00:47:23 --> 00:47:28 The more diversity, the more equity, and the more inclusion we have, the better we are.
00:47:28 --> 00:47:32 And that's the founding principle also of the United States of America.
00:47:32 --> 00:47:40 So when we talk about having women in the room, we talk about having a fair and equal society.
00:47:41 --> 00:47:49 And that is very much my mission and purpose in life is to help build that dream. Yeah.
00:47:50 --> 00:47:54 And, you know, I make the argument all the time that America is special because
00:47:54 --> 00:48:01 we're the only nation that has every country in the world represented in its population.
00:48:01 --> 00:48:06 And, you know, diversity is is so important.
00:48:06 --> 00:48:11 And when people understand that diversity is a strength, we'll we'll we'll keep moving forward.
00:48:12 --> 00:48:17 All right, so my next icebreaker is I need you to pick a number between 1 and 20.
00:48:18 --> 00:48:22 17. Okay. Which is a very popular number, by the way.
00:48:23 --> 00:48:28 What's something about people who see the world differently than you that you've come to appreciate?
00:48:29 --> 00:48:38 I love it when someone makes me say I've never thought about it in that way.
00:48:38 --> 00:48:46 Because even if I don't agree with their point of view, it helps me understand
00:48:46 --> 00:48:50 my own thought process and my own conclusions better.
00:48:51 --> 00:48:56 And so I actively seek out folks that I can have productive,
00:48:56 --> 00:49:01 respectful, civil conversations with, but who disagree with me,
00:49:01 --> 00:49:03 even on fundamental things.
00:49:03 --> 00:49:09 So that's what I love about folks who see things differently than I do Yeah,
00:49:09 --> 00:49:15 yeah, same with me I love to have conversations In this day and age, it's kind of hard to do,
00:49:16 --> 00:49:21 But when I get a chance to do it, I really love that All right,
00:49:21 --> 00:49:23 so you have written two books.
00:49:24 --> 00:49:29 One highlighting the life of Dickie Chappelle and one, and a new one,
00:49:29 --> 00:49:33 highlighting the life of Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin.
00:49:34 --> 00:49:38 Which woman do you identify with the most and why?
00:49:38 --> 00:49:43 I have to say I identify with both of them equally in a lot of ways.
00:49:43 --> 00:49:50 And it's been very interesting how my own life experiences have allowed me to write these books.
00:49:50 --> 00:49:56 Now, as a biographer, I try to remain objective and bring a critical eye to
00:49:56 --> 00:49:58 my subjects, and I think I did that.
00:49:58 --> 00:50:04 But with Dickie Chappelle, she was a combat photojournalist.
00:50:05 --> 00:50:11 And she spent a lot of time working in what I call the crater pit of peace,
00:50:11 --> 00:50:12 right? What happens after the war?
00:50:13 --> 00:50:17 As a younger person, I spent a lot of time working in nonprofits,
00:50:17 --> 00:50:24 trying to eliminate child labor and working on disarmament and peace issues.
00:50:24 --> 00:50:31 And so that really informed my understanding of war and inequity that she really
00:50:31 --> 00:50:33 was steeped in. And then with Jeanette,
00:50:34 --> 00:50:38 again, before I sort of became a historian, I worked in politics.
00:50:38 --> 00:50:44 And so I had this deeper understanding of the world she operated in.
00:50:44 --> 00:50:51 So both women very much encompass elements of my own life experience and also
00:50:51 --> 00:50:53 aspects of my personality.
00:50:53 --> 00:51:01 They were both incredibly fiery women, unafraid, unapologetic for being who they were.
00:51:02 --> 00:51:10 And those are rather aspirational qualities for me. But I really have a place
00:51:10 --> 00:51:16 of deep appreciation for both Jeanette and Dickey.
00:51:16 --> 00:51:22 Yeah, and both of them were pioneers in what they did. You know, Ms.
00:51:22 --> 00:51:28 Chappelle was, you know, a pioneer as far as being a war correspondent, period.
00:51:29 --> 00:51:35 And Ms. Rankin, of course, was the first woman ever elected to Congress.
00:51:36 --> 00:51:39 And and she has a she has a very unique
00:51:39 --> 00:51:42 distinction is that the two
00:51:42 --> 00:51:45 times she served in congress she had to vote
00:51:45 --> 00:51:50 on whether the united states was going to enter a world war and she voted against
00:51:50 --> 00:51:55 it both times and i one of the things i liked about her story was that when
00:51:55 --> 00:52:00 they asked her what would her legacy be you know and she said well i know most
00:52:00 --> 00:52:04 people are going to say i voted you know i I voted against war twice,
00:52:04 --> 00:52:10 but I want people to remember that I am the only woman to ever vote for women
00:52:10 --> 00:52:11 to have the right to vote.
00:52:11 --> 00:52:17 And I think that's that's so profound. So in that sense, do you feel that you're
00:52:17 --> 00:52:22 pioneering in anything or do you do you have that pioneer spirit?
00:52:22 --> 00:52:27 And and what barrier do you think that we need to break next? Yeah.
00:52:28 --> 00:52:31 So to answer your question, I want to go back to one of the first things that
00:52:31 --> 00:52:38 you said, which is if we don't understand history, we can't understand why things
00:52:38 --> 00:52:40 are happening the way that they are.
00:52:40 --> 00:52:44 I want to add to that and say if we don't understand history,
00:52:44 --> 00:52:47 we can't understand how things could be.
00:52:48 --> 00:52:52 And so much of history is unwritten.
00:52:52 --> 00:52:57 That's true for women's history, Black history, LGBTQ hit plus history.
00:52:57 --> 00:53:05 These histories of fortitude and perseverance and courage and changing the world
00:53:05 --> 00:53:09 have been buried and almost erased.
00:53:09 --> 00:53:15 And when we don't know these histories, when we are denied our tradition of
00:53:15 --> 00:53:21 power, our power is taken away from us. And so I am a woman's historian.
00:53:22 --> 00:53:27 And what I try to pioneer is that link to the past, that link to our power,
00:53:28 --> 00:53:32 that link to our tradition of being changemakers.
00:53:33 --> 00:53:37 And that, I'm not saying I'm the first by any means.
00:53:37 --> 00:53:41 There are, of course, thousands of incredible women historians that have come
00:53:41 --> 00:53:47 before me. But we are all working together to break through this wall.
00:53:47 --> 00:53:52 And even though we are facing difficult political times, especially as women,
00:53:53 --> 00:53:58 I also believe that is because we are so close to breaking through to the other side.
00:53:58 --> 00:54:04 I do have that deep and unshakable belief that we are closer than we know.
00:54:04 --> 00:54:12 So that is the area, that is the tradition that I'm trying to pioneer and be a part of.
00:54:13 --> 00:54:18 So, and you kind of answered this question a little bit, but I'm going to go ahead and ask it.
00:54:18 --> 00:54:24 When you asked yourself the question, what can we do to shape a more sustainable,
00:54:24 --> 00:54:28 equitable, and just future? What was your first answer?
00:54:29 --> 00:54:34 That's a great question. You know, my first answer is always building community.
00:54:34 --> 00:54:39 It's always reaching out to the folks around me, being a resource,
00:54:39 --> 00:54:42 being an ally, because that's immediate.
00:54:42 --> 00:54:46 It's not easy, but it's something you can do right now.
00:54:46 --> 00:54:49 And then the second thing that
00:54:49 --> 00:54:53 I try to do is extend that community to
00:54:53 --> 00:54:56 you know folks who are no longer
00:54:56 --> 00:55:01 with us to learn about their legacies their lives their strategies for making
00:55:01 --> 00:55:09 change and bring that into our current moment because it's gonna take all of
00:55:09 --> 00:55:13 us to build that American dream.
00:55:13 --> 00:55:22 And I, like you, I'm not a critic of America, of course,
00:55:22 --> 00:55:27 and many of its policies and so on and so forth, but I am also such a believer
00:55:27 --> 00:55:33 in its promise because we are a nation of nations. We are a nation of the world.
00:55:33 --> 00:55:38 And for that reason, we are sort of the ultimate experiment in democracy.
00:55:39 --> 00:55:49 And if we are going to be successful, we have to be as inclusive as possible
00:55:49 --> 00:55:52 in our lives, our thoughts, our communities.
00:55:53 --> 00:56:00 Yeah. Yeah. I tend to say that I'm not a conformist in a sense,
00:56:00 --> 00:56:07 but the only thing I ask people to conform to is to conform to the idea of inclusivity, right?
00:56:07 --> 00:56:12 If you're going to be an American, I think that's the most important quality
00:56:12 --> 00:56:17 to have, that you respect that this country is diverse.
00:56:18 --> 00:56:23 But getting into that, how do you feel about the current administration's efforts
00:56:23 --> 00:56:30 to remove any vestige of women's history in the military or even outlawing the
00:56:30 --> 00:56:33 word woman in government documents and correspondence?
00:56:34 --> 00:56:40 Well, so first of all, I'm about to publish an essay on this on my sub stack,
00:56:40 --> 00:56:41 the female body politic.
00:56:42 --> 00:56:48 But I don't mean to correct you, but the word woman, singular, is allowed.
00:56:48 --> 00:56:51 The word women, plural, is not
00:56:51 --> 00:56:59 allowed. because it is in our being in community that women have power.
00:56:59 --> 00:57:04 When we are isolated the way that they want us to be, isolated from our history,
00:57:04 --> 00:57:08 from ourselves, from each other, then we are powerless.
00:57:08 --> 00:57:14 So it's very specific why it is woman is allowed to be included, but women is not.
00:57:14 --> 00:57:16 As to how I feel about that.
00:57:18 --> 00:57:26 It's livid is the word that comes to mind first and then fired up.
00:57:27 --> 00:57:35 I am, of course, a historian and this recent purge of images from the Department
00:57:35 --> 00:57:39 of Defense Digital Archive.
00:57:39 --> 00:57:47 If your listeners don't know, they've deleted 26 photos of women,
00:57:47 --> 00:57:53 you know, the Tuskegee Airmen, incredible Black heroes,
00:57:53 --> 00:57:55 LGBTQ plus heroes,
00:57:56 --> 00:58:00 you know, our warriors fighting for liberty and justice and freedom for all.
00:58:00 --> 00:58:02 They have deleted their photographs.
00:58:03 --> 00:58:10 And it is an attempt to, again, erase our tradition and history and heritage
00:58:10 --> 00:58:13 of being warriors in our own freedom.
00:58:13 --> 00:58:20 And we cannot let this happen. We cannot let them divide us and erase us and
00:58:20 --> 00:58:25 make us feel that we are not together in community because, first of all, we are.
00:58:25 --> 00:58:30 And second of all, if we succeed, that is if they succeed, that is exactly how
00:58:30 --> 00:58:36 they are going to implement their ultimate plan of, you know, Project 2025.
00:58:36 --> 00:58:43 And I don't want to, you know, get too alarmist, but white male supremacy.
00:58:44 --> 00:58:48 And we have to stand together all together to to.
00:58:50 --> 00:58:55 Avoid that fight against that and build the America and the government and the
00:58:55 --> 00:58:59 society that benefits us all, not just one small segment.
00:59:00 --> 00:59:05 Yeah. And, you know, that list is changing. So if they took one man out, that's good.
00:59:06 --> 00:59:11 In a sense, they shouldn't have the list at all. But at least if they're making
00:59:11 --> 00:59:14 some changes, because I saw both of them in there in the list I pulled up,
00:59:14 --> 00:59:17 and I was like, so what are we doing?
00:59:17 --> 00:59:23 But anyway, that's, you know, I've got a lot of commentary about all that,
00:59:23 --> 00:59:32 but I agree with you that we can't allow them without a substantial fight to to just erase stuff.
00:59:32 --> 00:59:38 I mean, they've gotten to the point now where the plane that actually dropped
00:59:38 --> 00:59:43 the first atomic bomb is no longer in the archive because the word gay,
00:59:43 --> 00:59:47 the woman's name was Enola Gay. So it's out.
00:59:47 --> 00:59:51 I mean, just the dumb stuff. And then they reversed their position about Jackie
00:59:51 --> 00:59:53 Robinson and the Tuskegee Airmen.
00:59:53 --> 00:59:57 But I'm like, why were we even in that discussion in the first place?
00:59:58 --> 01:00:00 So livid is a good word.
01:00:03 --> 01:00:07 Speaking about your female body, the female body politics substack,
01:00:08 --> 01:00:13 you recently wrote to find a roadmap of resistance and resilience.
01:00:13 --> 01:00:17 We only need to look to the example of Fannie Lou Hamer and the millions of
01:00:17 --> 01:00:22 black women over the course of generations who stood up to American authoritarianism
01:00:22 --> 01:00:29 in myriad ways to build their and all of our freedom brick by brick.
01:00:29 --> 01:00:34 So what lessons can Americans learn from black women specifically to challenge
01:00:34 --> 01:00:37 this new vestige of authoritarianism?
01:00:38 --> 01:00:45 Everything. Everything. I mean, if you want to look at what American authoritarianism
01:00:45 --> 01:00:47 looks like, study the Jim Crow South.
01:00:47 --> 01:00:52 That's what it is. The Nazis took a page out of that book.
01:00:53 --> 01:00:56 They admired the Nazis, the Jim Crow South.
01:00:57 --> 01:01:08 They saw that that was the way to oppress and eliminate, exterminate an entire segment of society.
01:01:08 --> 01:01:16 And black people and black women like Fannie Lou Hamer stood up regardless and
01:01:16 --> 01:01:24 effectively over the course of generations and over the course of lifetimes fought back and won.
01:01:24 --> 01:01:29 And if we're going to do the same they already made the roadmap they already
01:01:29 --> 01:01:33 did it you know we need to adapt it to our own times and there are lessons we
01:01:33 --> 01:01:38 can learn we can learn from their mistakes and failures but they made those
01:01:38 --> 01:01:42 mistakes and failures they had the bravery to do that and they had ultimate success.
01:01:43 --> 01:01:55 And it is, I would say, always the strategy of revolutionaries to study analogous
01:01:55 --> 01:01:58 movements and revolutions in the past.
01:01:58 --> 01:02:04 And the most analogous revolution to our current moment is that of women,
01:02:04 --> 01:02:09 Black women, standing up against white supremacy in the Jim Crow South.
01:02:10 --> 01:02:15 So what lessons can we learn? We can learn resilience, fortitude,
01:02:16 --> 01:02:18 courage, and solidarity.
01:02:19 --> 01:02:22 Yeah, I think solidarity is a key one.
01:02:23 --> 01:02:32 You know, when I, you know, I'm glad that historians are touching on the tension
01:02:32 --> 01:02:36 between Black men and Black women during the movement.
01:02:36 --> 01:02:41 And the reason why I say that is because now you're starting to hear more of
01:02:41 --> 01:02:44 the stories of Fane Lou Hamer and Ella Baker.
01:02:45 --> 01:02:50 I forget Miss Robinson, who I actually had a chance to meet,
01:02:50 --> 01:02:55 who, you know, was was attacked on on Bloody Sunday in Selma.
01:02:56 --> 01:03:03 You know, it's like it was an even and even Coretta Sky King, because,
01:03:03 --> 01:03:10 you know, they were in that that era where it was like the woman was supposed
01:03:10 --> 01:03:14 to be more of the house manager,
01:03:14 --> 01:03:20 more of the supportive partner instead of the one being let out there.
01:03:21 --> 01:03:27 And and one of the things that the reason why I mentioned Coretta Scott King
01:03:27 --> 01:03:32 is because people recognize that she was the one who pushed Dr.
01:03:32 --> 01:03:38 King to take a position against the war because she had taken a position and
01:03:38 --> 01:03:41 she was going to the different meetings and speaking, especially to women's groups.
01:03:43 --> 01:03:47 And basically just kind of said, he just said, you know what?
01:03:47 --> 01:03:50 I got to stand with my wife, right?
01:03:51 --> 01:04:01 And so I think the solidarity piece to me is men and women standing side by side.
01:04:01 --> 01:04:05 And I'm a Christian, so it's like that's the way God intended it.
01:04:05 --> 01:04:09 It was like I tell people all the time that he didn't take a piece of Adam's
01:04:09 --> 01:04:16 spine and created Eve. He took the rib so they could be side by side.
01:04:16 --> 01:04:21 And I think that's very, very important when we talk about,
01:04:22 --> 01:04:27 change and solidarity and making a difference is that we have to understand
01:04:27 --> 01:04:31 that we're partners and not one being in front of the other.
01:04:33 --> 01:04:38 Absolutely. And I also want to say that, you know,
01:04:38 --> 01:04:46 one of the things that Dickie Chappelle really made me think about was the importance
01:04:46 --> 01:04:52 of domestic labor in making change.
01:04:52 --> 01:04:58 So, right, even if these women in the civil rights movement,
01:04:58 --> 01:05:03 Black women, were not out front, that they were supporting, they were,
01:05:03 --> 01:05:04 you know, keeping the home,
01:05:05 --> 01:05:09 making sure the children were fed into school on time, keeping peace in the house,
01:05:10 --> 01:05:14 making sure dinner is on the table, that is important support work and should
01:05:14 --> 01:05:21 be honored and valued as well by both society and historians and needs to be acknowledged.
01:05:22 --> 01:05:27 And Dickey Chappelle really documented this in her work, specifically in her
01:05:27 --> 01:05:31 post-World War II coverage, where, right, the men had died.
01:05:31 --> 01:05:35 So many of the men had died in Europe. She was in Europe. And it was the women
01:05:35 --> 01:05:40 who had to create peace in a war-ravaged landscape.
01:05:40 --> 01:05:45 And their work, their labor, their efforts, their courage, their fortitude was
01:05:45 --> 01:05:53 frankly no less heroic, but is utterly ignored by sort of this view,
01:05:53 --> 01:05:58 this historicization of war and of social change movements.
01:05:58 --> 01:06:03 So I love that you brought that up because you can't have one without the other.
01:06:05 --> 01:06:09 We need to work together if we're going to really achieve change.
01:06:10 --> 01:06:15 Yeah. All right. So define an ungovernable woman.
01:06:16 --> 01:06:21 Okay, so that's a great question. And, you know, a lot of people are talking
01:06:21 --> 01:06:25 about do not obey, rather, do not obey tyranny in advance.
01:06:26 --> 01:06:31 And it occurred to me that patriarchal
01:06:31 --> 01:06:38 beliefs and systems are designed to make women obey in advance.
01:06:38 --> 01:06:43 We are told to be quiet. We are told We are not as worthy as men.
01:06:43 --> 01:06:45 Our voices are not as important.
01:06:45 --> 01:06:54 And as soon as you can shed those beliefs, you become that much more free and
01:06:54 --> 01:06:57 that much more ungovernable by tyranny.
01:06:58 --> 01:07:04 But I think the most important part of that, and this gets a little self-healthy,
01:07:04 --> 01:07:08 but I think it's actually very important is
01:07:08 --> 01:07:11 to love yourself to
01:07:11 --> 01:07:15 love yourself as you are for who you are and
01:07:15 --> 01:07:20 the way that you are and to practice self-love self-care
01:07:20 --> 01:07:24 and intentional joy because
01:07:24 --> 01:07:27 if you can love yourself then you are never dependent
01:07:27 --> 01:07:31 on any power structure to validate
01:07:31 --> 01:07:47 your worth So to be ungovernable is to be free and to have a sense of infinite self-worth.
01:07:49 --> 01:07:58 Yeah, I agree with that. You know, and I think that when we have these discussions
01:07:58 --> 01:08:01 about surrendering in advance,
01:08:03 --> 01:08:06 I think people just need to remember that they're human beings.
01:08:07 --> 01:08:11 I always, you know, I'm a big nerd, right?
01:08:11 --> 01:08:17 So I'm a sports guy. I love sports, but I'm a big nerd. I've been to comic books
01:08:17 --> 01:08:18 and science fiction and all that stuff.
01:08:19 --> 01:08:25 And I remember there was a scene in the original Avengers where Loki shows up.
01:08:26 --> 01:08:28 I think he's in Germany or one of those countries in Europe,
01:08:29 --> 01:08:35 maybe Austria. and he tells the people that have gathered around him to bow.
01:08:36 --> 01:08:39 And as he's doing that, he says, that is your nature.
01:08:40 --> 01:08:45 That is what you crave to do. You crave basically to be subservient to someone.
01:08:46 --> 01:08:49 And as one man stands up, of course, before Captain America does his thing,
01:08:50 --> 01:08:55 but as one man stands up and says, yeah, I've heard of somebody like you before.
01:08:55 --> 01:09:00 I've dealt with that person in my lifetime and I made a decision there,
01:09:00 --> 01:09:01 I'm not going to bow again.
01:09:02 --> 01:09:07 And, you know, and I think that's kind of the spirit that we have to have.
01:09:07 --> 01:09:13 We have to remember that in our humanity, we were given a charge of dominion.
01:09:14 --> 01:09:19 So when, you know, when we get people that try to get us to be subservient like
01:09:19 --> 01:09:23 that and to bow and, you know, in my in my history, as far as my people,
01:09:24 --> 01:09:26 you know, slavery and all that stuff.
01:09:27 --> 01:09:31 When Kamala Harris stood up and said, we're not going back, we mean that.
01:09:31 --> 01:09:35 Now, she didn't win the election, but that doesn't mean that our attitude has
01:09:35 --> 01:09:38 changed. We're not trying to be subservient.
01:09:38 --> 01:09:43 And I think that just needs to be a general, whether you're talking about gender
01:09:43 --> 01:09:46 issues, whether you're talking about race issues, ethnicity,
01:09:46 --> 01:09:50 I just think that that's a fundamental belief that we have to instill in ourselves,
01:09:50 --> 01:09:55 that we are humans and we shouldn't be subservient.
01:09:55 --> 01:10:01 I think we should submit to authority, meaning respect it, but it doesn't mean
01:10:01 --> 01:10:04 that we should be enslaved by it or oppressed by it.
01:10:04 --> 01:10:07 But maybe I'm getting a little too deep. What do you think?
01:10:07 --> 01:10:11 No, and it's not only that we're humans, we are Americans.
01:10:11 --> 01:10:17 This country was founded on a rejection of tyrannical authority.
01:10:17 --> 01:10:22 And it's one thing to say, okay, I'm going to obey the law, the laws that are
01:10:22 --> 01:10:24 of, for, and by the people. Yes, I'm all for that.
01:10:25 --> 01:10:28 But if you have Crazy King George or the current administration,
01:10:29 --> 01:10:36 those are what we need to rebel against as humans, but as Americans,
01:10:36 --> 01:10:39 and it is our birthright to do so.
01:10:39 --> 01:10:45 And I will be damned if I will sacrifice that, because I am going to stand up
01:10:45 --> 01:10:48 until I cannot stand anymore.
01:10:48 --> 01:10:53 And then I will raise my voice as loud as I can for as long as I can.
01:10:54 --> 01:10:57 And, you know, when...
01:10:58 --> 01:11:03 We do this as individuals or small communities or small groups.
01:11:03 --> 01:11:10 It has, I know, as a historian, it has incredibly powerful ripple effects.
01:11:10 --> 01:11:14 And so if you are the only one in your church, your school,
01:11:15 --> 01:11:24 your workplace, even your family who is standing up and rejecting this new form of tyranny,
01:11:24 --> 01:11:28 and you feel like you're not making a difference, I can assure you that you
01:11:28 --> 01:11:32 are making a huge difference, more than you will know.
01:11:32 --> 01:11:38 And it's fascinating to me as a historian to see these ripple effects traveling
01:11:38 --> 01:11:45 for hundreds of years sometimes to arrive at a moment when they become a wave.
01:11:45 --> 01:11:53 And I really think we're about to see a lot of that, our own voices and standing
01:11:53 --> 01:11:59 up and all these voices of histories coming in history, coming to a culminating point.
01:11:59 --> 01:12:04 So please, if you can, continue, continue your work.
01:12:04 --> 01:12:08 And I'm so grateful to be here with you, Eric, continuing this work.
01:12:08 --> 01:12:11 Well, thank you. I appreciate that. And I appreciate you.
01:12:12 --> 01:12:16 One last thing I wanted to ask you, you've you had Dr.
01:12:17 --> 01:12:25 Nancy Pearson on your podcast, and she's kind of been identified as the evangelist of local elections.
01:12:25 --> 01:12:34 She has advocated that in order to achieve the changes that we want,
01:12:34 --> 01:12:39 that we've got to focus in on getting women, primarily in her case,
01:12:40 --> 01:12:43 but people, good people elected at the local level. Yeah.
01:12:44 --> 01:12:48 As somebody that has studied history and somebody that understands that,
01:12:48 --> 01:12:51 is that a great premise to work from?
01:12:52 --> 01:13:01 Or, you know, do we really need somebody dynamic at the top to kind of stir
01:13:01 --> 01:13:03 the pot and keep things going?
01:13:04 --> 01:13:08 I think we need both. I think it should be a multi-pronged attack.
01:13:08 --> 01:13:12 But the thing about the wonderful thing about engaging with the local government
01:13:12 --> 01:13:15 is you can make real change happen immediately.
01:13:16 --> 01:13:20 That, again, has ripple effects that are national and global.
01:13:20 --> 01:13:26 So let me just give you a stat. A very high turnout for a local election is
01:13:26 --> 01:13:29 15 percent. That's on the high end.
01:13:29 --> 01:13:34 Right. So in most municipalities, and even in places like New York City,
01:13:34 --> 01:13:40 you can sway an election for a city council member or a school board member
01:13:40 --> 01:13:47 or so on and so forth just by engaging and organizing your church, your knitting group,
01:13:47 --> 01:13:52 your reading group, whatever community you're involved in.
01:13:52 --> 01:13:56 If you can activate them and then their networks, you can make real changes.
01:13:56 --> 01:14:01 So you don't like that your school board members are trying to ban books. Guess what?
01:14:02 --> 01:14:08 If you can get 5% more of your community to turn out, you can get yourself or
01:14:08 --> 01:14:09 someone else elected that you agree with.
01:14:10 --> 01:14:15 And the reason I know this is important is because this is exactly what the
01:14:15 --> 01:14:18 GOP did in the 1990s with the Tea Party.
01:14:18 --> 01:14:21 They focused on local media.
01:14:22 --> 01:14:25 Government in order to build the platform that we see today.
01:14:26 --> 01:14:35 And though we do not like the outcome, we can admire their effective and successful strategy.
01:14:35 --> 01:14:40 And so I encourage everybody to listen to the podcast with Dr.
01:14:40 --> 01:14:42 Nancy Pearson or go to her website.
01:14:42 --> 01:14:46 You can just Google her name. And she lays out a lot of really great strategies
01:14:46 --> 01:14:50 for getting involved now with your local community, governments.
01:14:50 --> 01:14:54 And affecting that change you want to see in the world today.
01:14:55 --> 01:14:58 All right. And speaking about the podcast, how can people listen to it?
01:14:58 --> 01:15:02 How can people get in touch with you, buy your books, all that stuff?
01:15:03 --> 01:15:09 So my podcast in Substack is the Female Body Polytech, and that's all on Substack.
01:15:09 --> 01:15:12 You can also listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple.
01:15:12 --> 01:15:18 You can buy my books anywhere books are sold and also through my website,
01:15:18 --> 01:15:20 LarissaReinhardt.com.
01:15:20 --> 01:15:24 So, yes, that is where I'm available. And you can contact me there as well.
01:15:25 --> 01:15:29 All right. So give the name of the books because the one with Congresswoman
01:15:29 --> 01:15:33 Rankin, that hasn't come out yet, right? That's right.
01:15:33 --> 01:15:36 So my first book about Dickie Chappelle is called First to the Front.
01:15:36 --> 01:15:39 And my forthcoming book about
01:15:39 --> 01:15:42 Jeanette Rankin that comes out in November is called Winning
01:15:42 --> 01:15:48 the Earthquake and the reason it's called that is because she said once you
01:15:48 --> 01:15:54 can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake and her devout and lifelong
01:15:54 --> 01:16:01 peace activism I believe was how you could win an earthquake by preventing it in the first place.
01:16:01 --> 01:16:06 Well, Lorissa Rinehart, it's been an honor to have you on the podcast.
01:16:06 --> 01:16:09 I greatly appreciate you taking the time to do this.
01:16:10 --> 01:16:15 I look forward to reconnecting with you when the book comes out.
01:16:15 --> 01:16:23 And like I've told you in private and I make public for any guests,
01:16:23 --> 01:16:28 anytime you want to come back on, you know, you just got a wild hair, you know,
01:16:28 --> 01:16:31 just do that.
01:16:31 --> 01:16:37 Because you have quickly established yourself as a voice in the community.
01:16:37 --> 01:16:41 And I think the niche, you coming in as a historian, really,
01:16:41 --> 01:16:43 really gives some gravitas to that.
01:16:44 --> 01:16:48 So I'm honored that our paths are crossed. I'm honored that you came on the
01:16:48 --> 01:16:49 podcast and I thank you for that.
01:16:50 --> 01:16:55 Well, thank you, Erik. This has just been such a wonderful, fascinating and
01:16:55 --> 01:16:58 thought-provoking conversation. So I'm so grateful to be on.
01:16:58 --> 01:17:01 All right. All right, guys. and we're going to catch y'all on the other side.
01:17:02 --> 01:17:13 Music.
01:17:13 --> 01:17:21 All right, we are back, and so I am really, really glad that Madam President Christian F.
01:17:21 --> 01:17:23 Nunes was able to come on.
01:17:24 --> 01:17:32 I mean, this worked out perfectly, considering I was trying to get her on,
01:17:32 --> 01:17:37 as stated before, last week, and it didn't work out.
01:17:37 --> 01:17:45 But she came on this week, and this really, the way the show lined up was even
01:17:45 --> 01:17:47 better. So thank you, God, for that.
01:17:48 --> 01:17:54 And thank you, Madam President, for coming on. And for Lorissa Rinehart,
01:17:55 --> 01:18:04 who 30 minutes is not enough time to pick her brain and to really get her thoughts
01:18:04 --> 01:18:11 out about the importance of women in American society, especially historically.
01:18:11 --> 01:18:23 Luckily, but she is, she is a true believer. She is a true activist and she's
01:18:23 --> 01:18:25 definitely going to be back on the podcast for sure.
01:18:25 --> 01:18:29 At some point in time, we're going to, we're going to make sure that happens.
01:18:30 --> 01:18:37 So, but I'm glad that Lorissa and, and, and Christian Nunes were able to come on and,
01:18:37 --> 01:18:43 and, and, And I think to culminate Women's History Month, I think they did a
01:18:43 --> 01:18:45 spectacular job in doing it.
01:18:47 --> 01:18:57 So I want to close out with, you know, ineptitude will show.
01:18:58 --> 01:19:03 You can mask it as long as you want to. You can put any kind of spin on it.
01:19:05 --> 01:19:11 You know, you can take the shaggy defense of what me, all that, but it's going to show.
01:19:12 --> 01:19:17 As somebody that's a big fan of sports that actually try to play sports in his
01:19:17 --> 01:19:22 life, you know, when you're dealing with a better team or, you know,
01:19:23 --> 01:19:25 when you're not as good as you think you are, it's going to be exposed.
01:19:27 --> 01:19:32 And it may be painful to you and it may be painful for others to watch,
01:19:32 --> 01:19:33 but it's going to happen.
01:19:35 --> 01:19:43 And that's where we are now. You know, I always tell people that folks that
01:19:43 --> 01:19:46 are evil, right, always overplay their hand.
01:19:46 --> 01:19:53 If you read a comic book in your life, you watched an action movie in your life,
01:19:53 --> 01:19:55 that's usually how it goes.
01:19:55 --> 01:19:59 The bad guy overplays their hand.
01:20:01 --> 01:20:05 And the villain always overplays their hand.
01:20:06 --> 01:20:12 Just when they think they have the hero down and out, they overplay their hand
01:20:12 --> 01:20:14 and they get exposed and defeated.
01:20:15 --> 01:20:18 And that's what's happening now, you know.
01:20:19 --> 01:20:21 I don't know who the heroes are yet.
01:20:23 --> 01:20:29 But they're out there and they're working and they're going to emerge when it's all said and done.
01:20:31 --> 01:20:37 But the villains are definitely identifiable and they're overplaying their hand
01:20:37 --> 01:20:41 and they're going to get their comeuppance.
01:20:42 --> 01:20:45 If you don't know who the villains are in this political scenario,
01:20:45 --> 01:20:47 it's the Republicans, plain and simple.
01:20:48 --> 01:20:51 I mean, Elon Musk is straight out of Hollywood.
01:20:52 --> 01:20:58 He's trying to buy a Supreme Court election just like he's taking credit for
01:20:58 --> 01:20:59 buying a presidential election.
01:21:00 --> 01:21:03 In the Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin.
01:21:05 --> 01:21:08 And, you know, I just, I just,
01:21:08 --> 01:21:16 I get it, you know, that there are some people that appeal to the base level
01:21:16 --> 01:21:23 for humans that really, really can hit home with our nature.
01:21:23 --> 01:21:30 But, you know, I'm just hoping that people don't get caught up in the smoke
01:21:30 --> 01:21:36 and mirrors again and just really realize what's happening.
01:21:37 --> 01:21:46 Why would a guy spend $20 million on a Supreme Court race in a state that he doesn't live in? Right.
01:21:46 --> 01:21:48 It's because he's suing that state.
01:21:49 --> 01:21:55 And he wants to have a Supreme Court that's going to rule in his favor.
01:21:55 --> 01:22:00 And he thinks that $20 million or whatever else he spends between now and,
01:22:01 --> 01:22:04 well, I mean, the election is pretty much over.
01:22:04 --> 01:22:11 But, you know, he spent $20 million to try to get a court to rule in his favor.
01:22:13 --> 01:22:17 Now, technically, it's not a guarantee that that will happen.
01:22:18 --> 01:22:21 But considering the track record of what we've seen,
01:22:22 --> 01:22:27 if there's a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court that's conservative or
01:22:27 --> 01:22:31 Republican or whatever title they mag or whatever title they want to use,
01:22:31 --> 01:22:39 then they're going to rule an Elon Musk's favor and they'll find the legal excuses to do that. Right.
01:22:40 --> 01:22:50 But, you know, it is what it is from Elon's mindset, but it doesn't have to be.
01:22:51 --> 01:22:58 So if anybody in Wisconsin is listening to this, do not vote for Elon Musk candidate.
01:22:58 --> 01:23:01 I think I can't remember the woman's name right off.
01:23:02 --> 01:23:10 I know Susan something. So if you go to a ballot and you see Susan, vote for Susan, right?
01:23:10 --> 01:23:14 I mean, people got to send a message.
01:23:15 --> 01:23:18 Those folks that believe that we should be an authoritarian state,
01:23:19 --> 01:23:23 those people that believe that villains should run the world,
01:23:24 --> 01:23:25 then you vote accordingly.
01:23:25 --> 01:23:30 But those of us who believe that America is still worth fighting for,
01:23:31 --> 01:23:34 In Wisconsin, I need you to show it, right?
01:23:34 --> 01:23:37 I need y'all to vote for Susan.
01:23:40 --> 01:23:45 But even more so, we've got to send a message that, you know,
01:23:45 --> 01:23:51 incompetence and deception and all that stuff is not acceptable anymore.
01:23:52 --> 01:23:59 And this recent screw-up by the national security team.
01:24:00 --> 01:24:03 And I want you to understand, this is our national security team.
01:24:03 --> 01:24:05 This is mine. This is yours.
01:24:05 --> 01:24:09 This is everybody in America's national security team. Screwed up.
01:24:11 --> 01:24:18 First of all, you're using an app on your regular phone to conduct business.
01:24:18 --> 01:24:21 I don't care how encrypted the app is.
01:24:22 --> 01:24:27 It was not encrypted by God. It was encrypted by a man or a woman.
01:24:28 --> 01:24:33 Therefore, there's a chink in the armor somewhere, just nobody's been smart enough to find it.
01:24:34 --> 01:24:37 But if, you know, you do do that.
01:24:39 --> 01:24:44 You know, if you make that mistake and do that, then you should be punished for that.
01:24:44 --> 01:24:51 In the political realm, that means you lose your appointment or you lose an election, right?
01:24:52 --> 01:24:59 Some people say that's not fair, but hey, you know, it's all about a standard.
01:25:00 --> 01:25:03 It's all about for once not being hypocritical.
01:25:04 --> 01:25:08 If you thought that it was an atrocity that.
01:25:09 --> 01:25:15 Hillary Clinton, when she was Secretary of State, used a private server to keep
01:25:15 --> 01:25:20 files, even to the point where you were chanting, lock her up.
01:25:20 --> 01:25:27 The very least you can do is to get rid of one of your people, right?
01:25:28 --> 01:25:31 But it's like when other people make a mistake, you highlight that.
01:25:31 --> 01:25:35 But when you make a mistake, you're in denial, right?
01:25:35 --> 01:25:41 And at some point in time, the majority of the people are going to be motivated
01:25:41 --> 01:25:44 enough to say, yeah, we're not going to put up with that.
01:25:47 --> 01:25:52 And, you know, I don't care how racist I am. I don't care how xenophobic I am.
01:25:53 --> 01:26:00 You know, I just don't want incompetent people running things. Right. There's a line.
01:26:02 --> 01:26:11 You know, but, and then to the people who have not voted, the longer that you
01:26:11 --> 01:26:17 sit on the sideline, the more chances incompetent people will remain in office.
01:26:17 --> 01:26:22 And you can change that. All you got to do is vote them out.
01:26:22 --> 01:26:25 When the opportunity comes, send them home.
01:26:26 --> 01:26:29 Five minutes out of your day. Five minutes.
01:26:30 --> 01:26:35 You can send them home. So, you know, I mean, good people have lost elections.
01:26:35 --> 01:26:39 So why shouldn't bad folks? Right?
01:26:40 --> 01:26:41 I mean, I'm just saying.
01:26:43 --> 01:26:48 You know, we have a serious problem in this nation.
01:26:49 --> 01:26:53 And it's going to take a long time to fix it. I'm not here to give you some
01:26:53 --> 01:26:57 kind of magical hope bullet or pill.
01:26:57 --> 01:27:01 You know, but I do want y'all to be aware that there is a problem.
01:27:01 --> 01:27:10 And as long as we live in a society where we try to otherize people instead
01:27:10 --> 01:27:16 of embracing the value of every person, that's where we are.
01:27:18 --> 01:27:26 We just got to educate ourselves. I don't agree with the Department of Education being eradicated.
01:27:27 --> 01:27:34 But at the same time, I don't think that's our only avenue to educate ourselves.
01:27:34 --> 01:27:39 The Department of Education does not control what happens in your house.
01:27:39 --> 01:27:49 You in your home, you in your self-conscious have to decide that I'm not going
01:27:49 --> 01:27:55 to be prejudiced against anybody based on something outside of their character.
01:27:56 --> 01:28:02 Right. If a person is a bad person, disassociate yourself with them. Right.
01:28:03 --> 01:28:08 If a person is not redeemable, whereas in the Christian faith,
01:28:08 --> 01:28:14 we believe everybody is, but there's some people that just won't change no matter
01:28:14 --> 01:28:16 how much knowledge you give them.
01:28:16 --> 01:28:19 Just associate yourself with them. Do not put them in leadership positions.
01:28:19 --> 01:28:21 Do not hang out with them.
01:28:22 --> 01:28:23 Just avoid them.
01:28:26 --> 01:28:29 And just pray that they'll come along.
01:28:30 --> 01:28:36 And, you know, it's just time for us to do better. It really is.
01:28:37 --> 01:28:47 I mean, human beings are going to be weak enough where they want to judge people for the wrong reasons.
01:28:48 --> 01:28:56 So the discipline that we have to have is to elevate our thoughts and our minds
01:28:56 --> 01:28:59 to not doing that, you know?
01:29:00 --> 01:29:05 You know, you see people on the street, you see people at your workplace and
01:29:05 --> 01:29:08 all this stuff, and you kind of get a first impression and all that,
01:29:08 --> 01:29:09 and it's really hard to shake.
01:29:10 --> 01:29:14 But our job is to give people a chance.
01:29:15 --> 01:29:20 Now, when we give them a chance and they prove that we were right in our gut
01:29:20 --> 01:29:21 instinct, then we're not.
01:29:22 --> 01:29:29 Move on, right? You know, we're supposed to forgive, but God is the ultimate forgiver.
01:29:30 --> 01:29:34 So you can forgive somebody, but you don't have to be friends with them.
01:29:35 --> 01:29:41 You don't have to elevate them into leadership positions. You don't have to embrace them.
01:29:42 --> 01:29:46 Just forgive them and keep them moving. Pray for them and keep it moving, right?
01:29:47 --> 01:29:54 So what I'm trying to tell y'all is we can fix this, but we're going to have to go through some pain.
01:29:55 --> 01:29:59 And I guess the best way to describe that would be somebody that's been on drugs.
01:30:00 --> 01:30:06 And when they make that decision to sober up, it's a painful process.
01:30:07 --> 01:30:13 Your body literally goes through a withdrawal period because you're trying to
01:30:13 --> 01:30:16 get that craving for that drug out your system.
01:30:16 --> 01:30:21 And it's going to hurt, and you're going to struggle, and you're going to be weak.
01:30:22 --> 01:30:26 But when you get to the other side, you become a better person for that.
01:30:27 --> 01:30:31 In the Bible, it talks about us being broken.
01:30:32 --> 01:30:36 Paul talks about being reborn, the apostle, right?
01:30:37 --> 01:30:39 And it's not an easy process.
01:30:41 --> 01:30:46 So if you're trying, if you want to, if you think that, well,
01:30:46 --> 01:30:52 the change, you know, is going to happen and it's going to be automatic.
01:30:52 --> 01:30:58 No, it's it's you're going to suffer because Donald Trump was duly elected,
01:30:58 --> 01:31:01 which means that he's got four years.
01:31:02 --> 01:31:07 Long as he's healthy, as long as nobody does anything egregious to him,
01:31:07 --> 01:31:12 health-wise, he's going to be the president for the next four years.
01:31:12 --> 01:31:17 So that's going to be painful for people. It's going to be painful for people
01:31:17 --> 01:31:19 like me, people in my community.
01:31:20 --> 01:31:22 It's going to be painful for a lot of other communities, right?
01:31:23 --> 01:31:28 And we haven't even been through 100 days, and we already know what the pain's going to be.
01:31:29 --> 01:31:33 I mean, we're not even at the halfway point of the first year,
01:31:34 --> 01:31:36 but we already know how painful it is.
01:31:38 --> 01:31:44 So we're going to endure that. And yeah, there's a midterm election coming and
01:31:44 --> 01:31:51 people will be able to vote at a federal level and make some changes in Congress, but that's 2026.
01:31:52 --> 01:31:56 Still going to go through some pain right now.
01:31:57 --> 01:32:04 So what needs to happen is people need to mitigate that pain.
01:32:04 --> 01:32:08 And you can do that by showing up at these town hall meetings.
01:32:08 --> 01:32:11 You can do that by protesting.
01:32:11 --> 01:32:18 You can do that by educating yourself a little better about why it's important
01:32:18 --> 01:32:23 to vote and why it's important to pay attention to who you're voting for or against.
01:32:24 --> 01:32:30 And pay attention to every election that comes forward, not just the federal.
01:32:30 --> 01:32:35 Pay attention who's on your school board. Pay attention to who's on your city council.
01:32:35 --> 01:32:39 Pay attention who the mayor is. Pay attention who your county officials are.
01:32:39 --> 01:32:45 Pay attention to your state legislators and state senators, right?
01:32:45 --> 01:32:48 Pay attention to all of that. Your governor.
01:32:48 --> 01:32:53 Who is your insurance commissioner? You need to pay attention to all of them
01:32:53 --> 01:32:59 because each one of these people in all these positions, there are some positions
01:32:59 --> 01:33:03 a lot of people don't even know that they vote for, like judges, for example.
01:33:05 --> 01:33:11 You need to pay attention. Again, I am not asking people to be a political junkie.
01:33:11 --> 01:33:14 I'm not asking anybody to just totally immerse themselves.
01:33:15 --> 01:33:21 But as a citizen who is given a responsibility to vote, you need to pay attention
01:33:21 --> 01:33:25 to who's running for these offices. You need to ask them questions.
01:33:26 --> 01:33:30 Or you need to pay attention to the people who are asking them questions.
01:33:30 --> 01:33:35 Right? And listen for their answers or their non-answers.
01:33:36 --> 01:33:40 Most importantly, pay attention to who's accountable and who is not.
01:33:42 --> 01:33:47 Right. I heard somebody else say it, and it's something that I've always believed
01:33:47 --> 01:33:53 in that, you know, an accountable person understands when they've made a mistake.
01:33:54 --> 01:33:58 An accountable person understands when they don't know something.
01:33:58 --> 01:34:03 That's why usually the smart people, successful people have people around them
01:34:03 --> 01:34:09 that one will hold them accountable and two will give them some sound advice
01:34:09 --> 01:34:14 or open their eyes to other options or give them the knowledge in a subject
01:34:14 --> 01:34:15 matter that they're not strong in.
01:34:16 --> 01:34:20 That's how that works. That's how leadership is supposed to work.
01:34:22 --> 01:34:29 You know, being loud and being boisterous and having a whole lot of money is
01:34:29 --> 01:34:34 not a sign of leadership to sign that you're loud and boisterous and you have
01:34:34 --> 01:34:36 a whole lot of money. It's not a leader.
01:34:37 --> 01:34:43 You know, oh, he tells it to us straight. He tells you what you might want to hear.
01:34:44 --> 01:34:49 But it's not the truth and it's not straight, you know?
01:34:49 --> 01:34:54 We're at a point now where politicians feel that they got to cuss each other
01:34:54 --> 01:35:00 out in public, that they got to fight, that we can denigrate other people's
01:35:00 --> 01:35:03 families, all that stuff, you know?
01:35:04 --> 01:35:12 It's just that we're electing human beings that don't have any love or empathy at all.
01:35:13 --> 01:35:19 There was a man who once said, who was an elected leader in a city that I lived in.
01:35:20 --> 01:35:24 He said something to the fact that you have to love, right?
01:35:24 --> 01:35:28 Because if you don't have a love for the people, you can't serve the people.
01:35:29 --> 01:35:37 You know, it's time for us to get serious about this.
01:35:37 --> 01:35:41 It really is. This is not entertainment.
01:35:42 --> 01:35:48 This is life. And people are in positions now that are impacting our lives.
01:35:49 --> 01:35:56 People are making bad decisions that impact our lives, whether it's RFK at Health and Human Services,
01:35:58 --> 01:36:03 Elon Musk with his Doge, Donald Trump and his national security team,
01:36:03 --> 01:36:06 J.D. Vance cussing out world leaders.
01:36:07 --> 01:36:12 This is really, really happening. This is not some soap opera where it's like,
01:36:12 --> 01:36:14 will it be renewed next year? No, no, no.
01:36:15 --> 01:36:19 This is real life. And this is really going to have an impact on millions,
01:36:19 --> 01:36:26 if not billions of people, especially the 330 plus million Americans that live here. Right.
01:36:27 --> 01:36:34 We got to get serious about it. We can no longer take it for granted that other
01:36:34 --> 01:36:39 people are going to do what you and I need to do, right?
01:36:41 --> 01:36:43 So I'm here with this podcast.
01:36:45 --> 01:36:51 And I have been given an opportunity in my life to make decisions to help people.
01:36:52 --> 01:36:53 And I did the best that I could.
01:36:55 --> 01:37:02 And so now I'm at this phase in my life where I'm trying to evangelize through podcast world.
01:37:03 --> 01:37:06 And I'm not saying that you have to do the same thing I'm doing.
01:37:06 --> 01:37:09 I just need you to pay attention to who you're voting for.
01:37:10 --> 01:37:14 Pay attention to what they're really saying. And then vote accordingly.
01:37:15 --> 01:37:20 If, again, you are down with misogyny, you are down with xenophobia,
01:37:20 --> 01:37:25 you are down with racism, that's you. I don't associate with you.
01:37:26 --> 01:37:29 I'm not cool with you. You know?
01:37:30 --> 01:37:34 So you vote for a candidate that appeals to that. But for the rest of us,
01:37:35 --> 01:37:40 which I think is the overwhelming majority of Americans, then we got to vote
01:37:40 --> 01:37:44 for people to keep those folks out of positions.
01:37:45 --> 01:37:50 Right? You know, it's very easy for us to say, oh, man, if we get in there,
01:37:50 --> 01:37:52 we need to put all of them in jail and blah, blah, blah.
01:37:54 --> 01:38:04 All we have to do is get them out of office and don't cater to that kind of thought ever again.
01:38:05 --> 01:38:07 But it's a lot tougher than it sounds.
01:38:08 --> 01:38:12 It's because we have to be disciplined enough and pay attention enough.
01:38:12 --> 01:38:16 Yeah, we got stuff going on in our lives, with our families,
01:38:16 --> 01:38:17 with our job and all that.
01:38:18 --> 01:38:25 We got to sleep eventually, but it's really not that hard to pay attention to
01:38:25 --> 01:38:29 what's going on at your city hall that you pay for,
01:38:29 --> 01:38:34 at your state capitol that you pay for, at your county courthouse that you pay for,
01:38:35 --> 01:38:39 at the White House, at the U.S. Capitol that you pay for.
01:38:40 --> 01:38:43 You bought stock in something, you pay attention to the stock market.
01:38:44 --> 01:38:49 You want to see if that stock rises or falls. If you're in the forex trading,
01:38:49 --> 01:38:51 you're paying attention to the currencies.
01:38:51 --> 01:38:56 Why not pay attention to people that are making decisions on whether any of
01:38:56 --> 01:38:58 that is going to be legal or not?
01:38:59 --> 01:39:04 I'm worried about my kid in school. Then you need to worry about the people
01:39:04 --> 01:39:07 who make decisions of whether that school exists or not.
01:39:08 --> 01:39:12 Oh, and I'm worried about my job and da-da-da-da. Well, you need to pay attention
01:39:12 --> 01:39:16 to the people who determine whether your business exists or not.
01:39:17 --> 01:39:22 Your business may want a small business loan. You don't know that if you're
01:39:22 --> 01:39:26 not in the leadership of that business, but they may need that.
01:39:27 --> 01:39:31 They may want to be publicly traded. There's literally a government agency that
01:39:31 --> 01:39:33 determines whether they can do that or not.
01:39:34 --> 01:39:41 And you elect a people who appoint people or who actually makes the final decision.
01:39:42 --> 01:39:46 You have that power. So you need to pay attention.
01:39:47 --> 01:39:54 If you want speed bumps in your neighborhood, do you look for a genie with a
01:39:54 --> 01:39:57 lamp or do you go down to the city hall and talk to the city council and say,
01:39:58 --> 01:39:59 hey, we need these bumps on our street?
01:40:00 --> 01:40:02 And all those people are elected.
01:40:05 --> 01:40:10 Again, we got to pay attention. People voted for a man to be president because
01:40:10 --> 01:40:12 they were concerned about the price of groceries.
01:40:13 --> 01:40:20 And he has done nothing to address that issue. Nothing. If anything, he's made it worse.
01:40:21 --> 01:40:25 So y'all need to pay attention. And y'all need to send a message.
01:40:27 --> 01:40:34 Is it possible that if you vote for certain people that the other side will
01:40:34 --> 01:40:37 get the message and say, hey, we might need to refocus?
01:40:37 --> 01:40:40 Sure, because that'll be beneficial to everybody.
01:40:41 --> 01:40:45 But I'm of the opinion that these people are not redeemable.
01:40:46 --> 01:40:50 I'm of the opinion that these people have pretty much shown us who they really are.
01:40:51 --> 01:40:58 And we can't give them any more chances. We can't give them any room to breathe.
01:40:58 --> 01:41:01 We can't give them any quarter to hide in.
01:41:01 --> 01:41:06 We can't accept every lie that they throw at us. We got to challenge it.
01:41:07 --> 01:41:12 So next elections, next time you have an election, make sure you vote for people
01:41:12 --> 01:41:19 who really are trying to do their best for all of us, not just a select few.
01:41:20 --> 01:41:23 And in the meantime, raise your voices.
01:41:24 --> 01:41:28 Let them know that you're not happy with the direction that you're going.
01:41:28 --> 01:41:33 So far, so good from what I've seen, but it needs to be more.
01:41:35 --> 01:41:41 And I just, you know, I mean, that's just how I feel right now.
01:41:42 --> 01:41:49 I think that we know better. We should know better. So we should do better.
01:41:50 --> 01:41:54 And you know for every action there's consequences,
01:41:55 --> 01:41:59 so we're dealing with the consequence right now of this administration being
01:41:59 --> 01:42:06 in office but that part is actually redeemable, that part you can fix,
01:42:07 --> 01:42:10 but you gotta vote and you gotta raise your voice,
01:42:11 --> 01:42:19 and you know I mean that's it that's the game And, you know,
01:42:19 --> 01:42:22 ineptitude should never be tolerated.
01:42:23 --> 01:42:28 It shouldn't. It shouldn't be glorified. It shouldn't be bragged about.
01:42:29 --> 01:42:30 It shouldn't be accepted.
01:42:32 --> 01:42:37 So it's time for us to reflect, and it's time for us to reclaim.
01:42:39 --> 01:42:42 And I'm going to do my part to keep evangelizing that.
01:42:44 --> 01:42:49 So, as always, I greatly appreciate y'all listening. And until next time.
01:42:49 --> 01:43:37 Music.
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