Transcript: Episode 1

Speaker 1: (00:01)
Hello and welcome. I am Nicole Cardoza, and this is the Anti-Racism Daily Podcast.

Speaker 1: (00:18)
You know, I am, I'm just so grateful for all of your support over the past couple of weeks with the launch of this podcast. Um, I've been hesitating to share this first episode though. I'll be honest. It feels like such an overwhelming, um, task to put out the first podcast. The first thing that we discuss here, um, because of those set, the precedent, I think for the conversations that we'll have moving forward, um, today's called the action is also something you might have heard before because we are days away from an election. But because we talk about all of the ways to take action, it would be remiss for me not to discuss our call to action this week, which is to vote. You may have been, um, encouraged to vote once or twice over the past few weeks, maybe received a text or a phone call or seen pictures of smiling friends with stickers on their faces on top of their masks.

Speaker 1: (01:16)
Uh, just getting back from the polls. Maybe you've gotten an email or two from a candidate, maybe like maybe you like me have been inundated with calls to vote. You've seen them everywhere at this point. I personally feel like I cannot keep up with texts from friends because they are buried between, um, voter registration call to actions and, uh, calls for support from various senators and presidential candidates. So I also think that if we keep hearing these things, there has to be a reason, right? It must be for many of us, we might feel, feel overwhelmed or, um, frustrated with the fact that we get so many calls to action. But this is really rooted in the fact that our voting system is so inherently inequitable, that we have to do everything that we can to get people out to the vote. It's easy to forget that usually half of Americans don't vote and that almost the majority of people in America are politically disengaged to get involved despite all of the work that we have done to ensure that everybody has a right to a fair vote. Um, there's a lot of people who actively choose not to participate in the upcoming election, and that is no different this year for 2020. I thought it was important to interview some of them. So I've asked a couple of our readers who have responded to our requests in our newsletter or through social media, if they would like to share more.

Speaker 1: (03:04)
First step is a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. So for the purpose of this podcast, we will refer to her as Kay Kay lives in a state where early voting is not available. And so has the opportunity to participate on Tuesday, election day let's meet. Kay. Okay. Well, thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast course, we, um, in this episode have been discussing, um, exercising the right to vote, and you had reached out on my social media feed saying that you had your having voted in election before, and you're not planning on voting now, is that correct? Correct. Okay. And I'd love to hear a little bit more about why, like what, um, what brought you to the decision not to participate in the election this year?

Speaker 2: (04:06)
Um, I feel like for me, um, like politics that just in itself is just intimidating to me. I feel like when people have conversations about politics, I don't can't really hold my own. Um, just because of never really taken the time to learn or to research. Um, so I feel like in order to vote, I feel like you should know who you're going for and reasons why you're voting for them. Um, and I, I don't know, like I had a face actually, like for this election, I have no idea. I mean, I can obviously see what Trump does now and there's things I don't agree with, but I dunno, that's just a good enough reason to vote for Biden just because I don't know what frightens messages, I don't know what he'll bring to the table, so I'm not sure. I don't, I'm not sure if that'd be a good enough reason to vote.

Speaker 1: (05:02)
And do you think just generally speaking, regardless of who you vote for, do you feel that voting will make a difference with what's happening in the world?

Speaker 2: (05:13)
I do think an extent. Um, I feel like no matter what somebody is going to have an issue with something. Um, so I feel like if you pick with one party, Manny, certain things will come out of it, but bad things will also come from it. And I feel like it'd be the same with the other party. So I feel like it is always great to have a voice. Um, I just don't know to what extent it would be heard. I guess I just feel like a lot of people have a lot of issues and care about certain things and I feel like it only gets addressed if there's some sort of violence or something big has to come from it. But I feel like a lot of voices, it shouldn't have to take this. It shouldn't have to come to that sort of extent for people to be heard. I don't think that's fair.

Speaker 1: (06:07)
Mm. What do you think it would take for you to exercise your right to vote this year?

Speaker 2: (06:16)
I feel like I wish the media would be more upfront and I feel like they give a lot of half-truths or half stories about things to try to persuade people to vote in certain ways or give reasons why you shouldn't vote for somebody. But I feel like we, as a people should know the whole truth of everything. And, um, yeah, I finished feeling, it was kind of easier to understand and to follow if you're not good with politics and you haven't really dove into politics before. I mean, for Trump, it's like, I see what Trump's been doing now. I don't agree with a lot of it. Um, I do feel that he's racist. Um, it's like, well, that's a good place to start. Yeah. I feel like there's been a lot of issues in Trump with that, even with the, um, I did watch the debates and even when I watch it's about as far as it's gone, um, I did watch them.

Speaker 2: (07:19)
Um, and I feel like, especially in the first one, he didn't really deny it, which was an issue for me. Um, so I feel like if I were to choose now, I would pick byte in just for that reason. Um, just from seeing what Trump's been doing since he's been in office, um, inverse with the debates and everything else. I just, he's not, I'm not a biggest, the biggest fan of Trump. Um, so I would pick it, but at the same time, I, I don't know if just picking Biden's the, is the less of two evils, just because I don't know what Biden has to offer. I don't know what his message is. I don't know. I don't, I don't know anything about him, but I feel like he would be a little, like, hopefully different than Trump and how Trump's been running things. So for me, I feel like I would need to before Tuesday, take the time to do the research and see what Biden has to offer. See what his message is, um, to see if he would be the best vote.

Speaker 1: (08:29)
[inaudible] are you okay with a racist president? Not at

Speaker 2: (08:33)
All. Nobody's

Speaker 1: (08:36)
Okay. So do you need to know anything more to not vote for Trump?

Speaker 2: (08:44)
Not really. I don't feel like he's done much since he's been in office.

Speaker 1: (08:50)
Well, considering that, you know, there may be other people on the, but realistically one of two people are going to win. Um, so if you are making a decision in between Trump and Biden, does it feel clear enough now that Biden would be your choice

Speaker 2: (09:10)
If I had to pick right now? Yes. Just because I feel like he couldn't be any worse than Trump, but at the same time, in order for me to feel good about my vote, like about my vote, I would, I would want to make sure I know what he's going to provide.

Speaker 1: (09:30)
Well, it sounds like your next step. I mean, aside from the, the, the, the fact that, you know, you don't want a racist to run your, your country. I mean, I would put it this way. What would convince you to vote for Trump? Nothing.

Speaker 2: (09:46)
Okay. That's why I like, as a, that's why I felt like, especially if I wasn't registered, I wouldn't feel too badly about not voting because I wouldn't be voting for Trump. No, there was no place where I would want to vote for Trump.

Speaker 1: (10:02)
Right. But, you know, not participating in the election would make it more likely that he wins again. So even though you're not casting a ballot, you are voting for him in a way,

Speaker 2: (10:22)
I guess, in a way, if you look at it that way.

Speaker 3: (10:26)
[inaudible]

Speaker 1: (10:31)
Yeah. So, uh, we chatted Kay. And I chatted after we stopped recording to make sure that Kay knew that they were registered to vote where their polling location is and made space in time to vote on Tuesday. Um, so K if you're listening, I hope that means that you've taken the action and a couple of things I want to know about our conversation and the conversation that you just listened to. Um, one thing I think is interesting is that K is relatively young and hadn't participated in the election before. And didn't seem to feel the urgency to get in an involved, which is unusual for people like Kay, um, and their demographic because young people right now seem to be incredibly incentivized to vote. Footers ages 18 to 29 are voting in record numbers right now over 7 million young people have already voted early or through absentee ballot in the 2020 elections, according to the center for information and research on civic, learning and engagement at Tufts university.

Speaker 1: (11:45)
And yet, uh, Kay is not one of them. And so how can we continue to instill the importance of voter participation in the youth that are in our lives? Not just the ones that they can take action right now. Um, but certainly those that are coming up, how can you involve the children you may have in your household with the importance and the urgency about getting involved? Something else I noticed was how K felt that the media was biased, which goes into a broader conversation. That's been, um, percolating for the past four years. Wonder why about media bias and about fake news and that we can't believe what we read. And so that's another form of voter suppression. In my opinion, is when we have people in political leadership in particular telling us that we can't believe what we read. And so it sounded as if K was insinuating that taking the time to learn about what was happening would be, um, an effective use of time. Um, because she did note that she needs to research. Um, she needs to do the research. She just hasn't yet. And also doesn't trust what she may read. So how can we make sure that we are connected to, uh, media outlets that we believe in, but also in our encouraging media literacy into the people and the friends that we have around us,

Speaker 3: (13:24)
Something

Speaker 1: (13:24)
Ellis that was became clear with how Kay was positioning her response to voting, uh, is the notion of self exceptionalism. The idea that her vote needed to be a decision that she made and couldn't follow what other people were telling her to do. And that's a natural, uh, perspective in some opinion, because this election is particularly divided. A lot of the voter turnout initiatives are

Speaker 3: (13:53)
Politically, you know, or, or are

Speaker 1: (13:55)
Partisan. Um, so, you know, there's a reason why Barack Obama is calling people on the phone. Um, and he's certainly not calling them to vote for Trump, but America is rooted in this concept of self exceptionalism where it is me over we, and that I, as an individual need to have the opportunity to assert myself and make my own decision instead of relying on the people around me. And that gets really dangerous when we get into politics, because when people feel like they can't believe the news and they can't, they don't want to be making a decision on behalf of the people around them. It is oftentimes just as easy for them to dive in and make a decision of course, on their own. But what's more likely is that notch is choosing not to be

Speaker 3: (14:44)
Part of it at all.

Speaker 1: (14:47)
When we vote, we're not making an individual decision. We need to be thinking about how our vote influence and impacts more than just ourselves. So even in the act of voting itself, you see this deeply rooted individualism that can really set the whole notion of democracy off. Speaking of our democracy, there are also people that are choosing not to vote this year because they don't want to take part in it. They don't want to take part in a legacy of violence and discrimination, particularly against communities of color and feel that their vote won't do enough to change that system. So we spoke with another reader who also asked to be anonymous. Uh, we will refer to her as M um, to share a little bit more about why she will not be voting this year.

Speaker 1: (15:52)
Thank you so much for joining the podcast today. Thank you for having me. I'm very honored. How are you, I'm showing up this election, or maybe not showing up this election? So after much consideration, it seemed very apparent to me that continuing to participate in this voting system as we label it democracy, um, it seemed like it just wasn't right, especially at this very moment, given, you know, I wouldn't want to say necessarily the outbreak of black lives matter because that's been around for awhile. Um, but it was more heightened at this point. And there was just so much more attention given to folks, um, on the side of, you know, being oppressed. So I just really felt in myself that there was just a need for a change. And although I'm not participating, it just felt like, you know, the answer in changing, what's going on lies in revolting.

Speaker 1: (16:56)
Hmm. You know, past the point of, of supporting what democracy looks like, right. And the thing is, how are we going to vote for two, you know, one or another white man or another white man, like our oppressors are not going to be our saviors. That's been tried and true for, you know, since the election of this country, we can't, you know, the answer doesn't lie in voting. If the oppressors are the people that we're going to be voting for, the people that are a part of the government are the oppressors as well. We see things in, you know, these illusions that have been fed to us at work for me and other people who are, uh, black indigenous or people of color, we come from, you know, typically low income communities, what are labeled as the battery in, you know, for Latin X people, the ghetto for, you know, typically associated with black folk that live in the low income area.

Speaker 1: (17:59)
Then we have these separations with Chinatown in Korea town and like all kinds of things. And then white people get the suburbs. And it's like, people don't realize that that's segregation, it still exists in housing areas and still exist in separating ourselves from cultures and things like that. So overthrowing the system involves unification. In my opinion, you know, they've set up all these barriers again with this segregation that we're meaning not seeing. Um, so obviously as it was back in the day with, you know, this is for blacks, for whites and the, you know, the, the way that they marginalized us. Um, but the answer lies in overthrowing the system and in being stronger together, you know, the reason they've kept us divided in so many different ways throughout our lives, uh, in terms of, you know, by POC, you know, they done that so that we don't realize that being United, we can be calm more powerful than the oppressors.

Speaker 1: (19:05)
Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. I think that that's a narrative that oftentimes gets lost in voter activation or getting out the vote. It's just how complicit democracy has a whole has been in the marginalization and the violence and oppression, people of color really. I mean, you know, we have so many options. It doesn't necessarily have to come down to the conclusiveness of just seeing two names on the ballot and then just pouring one works. So I feel like maybe if there's more education on the right, in part, if revolution doesn't happen or complete overthrowing, it doesn't occur in, you know, in approximate time from now, I think making it more parent of how voting works and how the system needs to be changed somehow some way. But I mean completely because if we continue again with this complicitness, nothing's really going to happen.

Speaker 1: (20:12)
So unlike our conversation with Kay, when I was chatting with em, she noticed that she's not currently in the United States. And so, um, doesn't have the capacity to vote. So I didn't have a conversation trying to encourage her to do so, but here's what I would say. I also believe in abolition. I also recognize the fallacies of our current democratic system, particularly for those most marginalized. And I know our next step to creating that future lies in voting because we need to show up at the polls, not just to vote somebody out of office, but to protect this democracy, to protect the opportunity, to have other parties that can represent us on the ballot when it comes to 2022 and the midterms we need to you start here because if we do not show up at the polls, we won't have a democracy to depend on before you condemn somebody for it, choosing not to participate in this democracy, check yourself.

Speaker 1: (21:29)
What have you learned about this country that makes you feel like this democracy protects you? What false notions have been taught to you about our history that make you feel like this country always has had the needs and the liberties of all people at its core since day one, according to Politico, the average chronic non-voter is a married non-religious white women between the ages of 56 and 73, who works full-time that makes less than $50,000 a year. So when we talk to people like M and K, we're actually talking about a very small percentage or a much smaller percentage of non-voters. Then most people that don't show up to the polls. So if you feel that voter representation is important, let's start with the friends and the family around us, especially if you identify as white. And let's also look at those who have come before us, if you are in your thirties, like me to make sure that we are pushing people who might not be voting, not because of some systemic disillusionment, but simply because they feel like they don't have to.

Speaker 1: (22:55)
So if we are to take on the weight and responsibility of voting, we need to carry that all the way through the election, regardless of who wins this year, this election season is going to be chaotic. And it's likely that the people most harmed in the process will be those most vulnerable in your community. So let's consider how we show up after the election to be a part of our voting plan. If you're listening to this right now, I want you to carve out some time after you finished this podcast to create a safety checklist for you and your community around the election. First off, connect with the leaders in your community, your coworkers, your family, and your loved ones to discuss how they feel about what come, what will come from this alone.

Speaker 1: (23:50)
Gotcha. Real on what the immediate threats may look like for the people around you and not just the people around you that you spend a lot of time with the people in your community that could use more advocacy and more yeah. Support that boundaries at work at home, wherever you have the capacity to, to practice some self-care. So you can be resourced to resource your community, um, as the weeks unfold as the following days unfold, if you don't feel like you could have capacity with some heavy doses of self care, and what showing up looks like to you as retreat reading, then I hear that I'll never get, take away your right to exercise yourself care. But if you feel like that you have, or you can have capacity, let's get organized now to be clear on how you can help first and foremost, reconnect with the local community mutual aid networks that you have, those that are providing food shelter and other immediate needs and set aside any resources that you can to donate.

Speaker 1: (25:01)
Now that may look like offering rides to, and from the polls, walking people to and from the polls, it may look like helping to defend houses or neighborhoods, but make sure that you have those numbers on hand, that you're getting those alerts. And that you're clear on what you can do. Now. Also have the information for local bail funds on hand. It's very likely that there will be protests in major cities, um, and even maybe in whatever city that you live in community that you live in. So have the information for local bail funds on hand so that you can help support protestors if they are arrested. In addition, a lot of protest organizers will have ways for you to donate, um, food safety items, PPE for people that will be on the ground. Also be sure that you have the names and numbers of alternatives to the police.

Speaker 1: (26:01)
If you or anybody around you feels like you need some type of community intervention to support. The last thing that we need to do is integrate more law enforcement in an heightened state, both the heightened state of the election and the heightened state of where we are with our relationship to law enforcement and see how you can help others set boundaries to, for their own self care and for how they can show up. If you, for example, run a small business, can you give time off to your employees, not just on the day of the election, but the days that follow, can you make it clear that individuals in your organization have the opportunity to take self care days if they need it as things unfold? I think it is a very privileged perspective to believe that the day of the election is the day that we need to focus on. I think that the transfer of power period, that we will experience over the next three months paired with the rising, uh, COVID-19 cases, people staying in doors and more people traveling for the holidays is all going to create a very uncertain environment that at minimum can add a lot of stress and anxiety and concern to so many of us.

Speaker 4: (27:25)
And look, I

Speaker 1: (27:25)
Don't sit here and say all of these things to spark a fear or to help drive the uncertainty that I'm discussing. I actually think it's the opposite. I think the more that we can be collectively aware of the threats to our safety and security, the more likely that we can be resourced on how to move forward. Our website anti-racism daily.com/podcast includes links to resources for preparing for the upcoming election and other ways for you to take action. And there's one thing to take away from today's podcast on voting. It's this, we need to show up at the polls, like our lives depend on it. And if you're not showing up for your life, because you don't feel that threatened show up for somebody else's show up for the people that feel like they are so safe, that they don't have to show up, show up for the people that feel so overwhelmed by what's happening, that their voices don't matter.

Speaker 1: (28:39)
Show up for the people that have actively chosen not to participate, because they feel like we need something more than democracy for us to be equal. So if you're waiting for somebody to tell you to vote, let it be me, let it be this podcast. Let it be right now that you've already voted. Thank you. If you have your plan to vote, then thank you double down on making that election safety plan for you and your community and take care of yourself. Take care of each other. We will all make it through. This is the anti-racism daily podcast. My name is Nicole Cardoza. I'm so grateful that you joined us here today to learn more about the anti-racism daily and our podcast, head to anti-racism daily.com/podcast. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review, which helps our work be able to be seen and heard despite the fact that the algorithm usually doesn't work in the favor of anti-racism content.

Speaker 5: (29:49)
Take care. [inaudible].