00:00I'm Tanya Christian, news and politics editor at Essence Magazine.
00:04Recently, I, along with news and politics director Ayesha Callahan,
00:07sat down with a number of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
00:11Beto O'Rourke is a former Texas congressman.
00:14In 2018, he ran for the U.S. Senate and was endorsed by Beyonce.
00:20What message do you want to send to black women voters?
00:23I want black women in this country to know that they matter.
00:26They matter in so many ways, including the fact that they have produced every single major victory
00:31for almost every single Democratic election in the history of this country.
00:36And so, not just those who are in positions of public trust,
00:39but the great policies that often follow are attributed to black women who stood up to be counted,
00:45to lead, to bring others into our democracy.
00:47And it's critical at this moment that they are not taken for granted
00:51and that we deliver on the policies that they're telling me matter most to their lives.
00:56Equal pay for equal work, access to capital to grow the small businesses that they're running
01:01or to start small businesses in the first place, affordability of higher education,
01:06the ability to make their own decisions about their own body
01:09and have access to the health care that makes that possible,
01:12and a voice in this great democracy to ensure that they're being heard not just during campaigns
01:19and at election time, but as the policies are developed, literally a seat at the table
01:24to make sure that we design those policies so that everyone in this country is benefited at the end of the day.
01:30That's what I want to do as president, and I will follow the lead and the inspiration and the guidance
01:35that black women have provided to me in Texas and now all across this country.
01:40Which three issues do you think are most important as we head into the 2020 election?
01:46I think having an economy that works for everyone,
01:49meaning that you don't have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet,
01:53that you can take time off to spend with your family without risking losing your job,
01:59that health care is something that you can depend on and not a function of luck or privilege or circumstance,
02:06that you're paid fairly for the work that you provide,
02:09that you can join a union to use the leverage of the value that you bring to that workplace
02:14to get better wages and working conditions, that's got to be first and foremost,
02:19everybody's ability to take care of themselves and their families.
02:22Health care, meaning not just primary health care and prescription health care,
02:27but mental health care and every woman's ability to make their own decisions about their own body.
02:32And then last, but perhaps most importantly, confronting climate change before is too late.
02:38Climate change that is disproportionately devastating communities of color right now.
02:43We need to look no further than New Orleans where we are today to see the devastation in neighborhoods
02:49and communities and lives.
02:51We need to make sure that investments are made to make these communities more resilient
02:55and as our economy transitions to renewable energy, that those high-value, high-skill, high-wage jobs
03:02are available to those who've borne the brunt of climate change so far.
03:06So if we can make progress and deliver on those three issues, this country is going to be much stronger for it.
03:13And can you speak to how your proposed plans speak specifically to underserved communities of color?
03:19To use climate change as an example, we know that one of the best predictors of your proximity to a polluter
03:28or to the front lines of climate change is your ethnicity or your income.
03:34So these lower income, very often communities of color, are literally on the front lines of climate change today.
03:41That means that they will be first in line in my administration for pre-disaster mitigation grants,
03:46ensuring that they are resilient and protected before the next storm or flood or fire,
03:52meaning that we invest in the skills and the training and the certification
03:56to take those jobs that we are going to create when we free ourselves from a dependence on fossil fuels
04:01and fully embrace renewable energy.
04:04It means that we're talking not just about climate change, but climate justice,
04:08and we're listening to those leaders in those communities who can come up with the solutions
04:13to the challenges that we face right now, whether it's climate change or education or health care
04:19or criminal justice.
04:20I want to make sure that communities of color are helping to lead the conversation in this country right now.
04:26The policies will be stronger for them, and they will serve all of America, not just some of America.
04:31What are of top priority in the first 90 days?
04:35What would you change?
04:37Let's make sure that we end the worst practices of the current administration.
04:41So no more kids in cages on the border, no more families separated,
04:47no more criminal prosecution of asylum seekers and refugees doing what any human being would do
04:53in the same set of conditions under the same circumstances.
04:56Let's make sure that we take action on climate on day one.
05:00No more drilling on federal lands or off of the United States coast here in the Gulf or on the Atlantic or the Pacific.
05:08Let's make sure that we invest in communities so they're resilient against the next climate disasters
05:13that are sure to come.
05:15Let's protect pre-existing conditions and ensure that there are no lifetime caps on medical coverage.
05:20So families across America, especially those with medically sensitive or complex children,
05:26do not have to fear losing insurance or health care for their kids.
05:30And let's make sure immediately that the federal government is procuring services and goods from small businesses
05:38and particular small businesses owned by women and people of color.
05:43It's a great driver for this economy and it ensures that we repair the imbalance that we see in America
05:48where there's 10 times the wealth in white America today than there is in black America.
05:53All of these are actions that we can take on day one and throughout the course of our administration
05:58and would love to lead on these issues with the people of this country.
06:02Well, thank you.
06:03Thank you very much. Appreciate the opportunity.
06:05Yeah.
06:05Thanks to all the candidates for taking the time to speak with us.
06:09Stay tuned to Essence's platforms for our next exclusive interview.
06:13I'm Tanya Christian and thank you for watching.
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