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00:00Two young leaders who are using their platforms to educate voters, Lene Vinay, who is a three-time
00:07NAACP Image Award nominee, a BET culture class of 2024, a social media phenom, and the founder
00:15of the Good People Project. We also have Joshua Joseph, who is a political content creator,
00:21and his viral videos have helped to educate the next generation of change makers. Joshua is also
00:27a part of the Good People Project. For the record, Lene is returning to us. She joined us a few
00:33weeks ago on Paint the Polls, and she's joining us again. So thank you so much, Lene, Vinay,
00:40for joining us. Joshua, thank you for joining us as well. Absolutely. Thank you guys for having us.
00:46Thank you for having us. How are you all doing? Good, good. Excited for tomorrow. We're feeling good.
00:52Yeah. Nervous. Nervous? I love the anxiety. I know I'm the only one with the anxiety.
01:00I don't know. I feel something in me. I wanted to get up here and do my little, you know,
01:04hee hee ha ha. I'm scared, but I have a lot of faith. I have a lot of faith in the work that
01:10we've been doing to get people the information. I'm sorry, there are sirens coming down my street.
01:15I don't know if you can hear them. But the work that we've been doing to get the people
01:19information, you know, myself and JJ, we do this for a living. You know, we've been doing this,
01:24you know, before VP Harris was at the top of the ticket, before a lot of the world events took place
01:31that got people galvanized in a different way and moved in a different way. But the way that it seems
01:37like almost every resource in the community has geared itself up to protect this type of ticket
01:44candidate and protect the information surrounding and protect community and making sure that they
01:49have all the tools that they need to make informed decisions. That makes me excited. That makes me
01:54hopeful. That makes me faithful. So I am my, my butterflies are going, but I feel so grounded in
02:03this moment. It feels like history is about to be made for sure. Well, Lene, let's, let's,
02:07let's dig into that a little bit more. You have a phenomenal initiative called the Good People
02:12Project. Talk to folks about what that project is, why you started it and what you hope to achieve.
02:19For sure. So before VP Harris was at the top of the ticket and when the attacks on Gaza were really
02:29moving people in the ways that they should have, like people who are interested in the,
02:34in freedom for black folks and freedom for everybody, it caused a lot of conversation and
02:40necessary conversation. And what I started to see a lot of was people wishing to divest from this
02:45election season completely. And that scared me because in this era, we've not yet been able to
02:53collectively come together and organize strategically and exercise our vote in a manner fully and
02:59completely to get the results that we need. And hearing Hill Harper and Ryan and all the guys
03:04talking earlier, it makes so much sense. One, yes, we have, we've had someone who's had a year and a half
03:09campaign versus someone who has a 90 day campaign. But also we have a lot of people who are disappointed
03:15with being sold hope, disappointed with the, the make America great, whatever, obviously,
03:22and just not feeling like their vote matters at all. But in reality, we've not really been voting
03:27as extensively as we need to vote to make sure the things that we're hearing people talk about and
03:33promise us when it comes to election season and all the things that they're giving to different
03:37communities. We're not making sure there are people in the room to make sure that stuff trickles down
03:41from the top. And so what I felt like we needed more of was education. And so the Good People
03:45Project, someone else has that name, but it is my project. And I've developed two organizations,
03:50one being the Good People Collective, which is the C3. That's all about education. It is civics class
03:55because we need civics class. Because if I hear another time what VP here is hasn't already done,
04:01she's been the vice president. People do not know what a vice president does. And it's no shame.
04:06I think it's intentional. Our education system doesn't put enough emphasis and clarity around
04:10the way government works. So people can have an accurate understanding as they're going to the
04:14voting booths. On the other side, we have the Good People Party. And that is where we endorse specific
04:19candidates that align with our interests and with our agreements. And if I'm being completely
04:23transparent, studying the Project 2025 gave me the crux of the idea for the framework for the Good
04:30People Party, because what I noted is that no matter what folks on that side may believe,
04:36they know what to do when it's time to vote. They know what to agree on when it's time to get things
04:39done and policy and legislation. And so we have to have things that we agree on. We are such a
04:45community that is divided based upon our individual needs and desires, based on our individual identity
04:49politics, based on whether people feel like other people or other minority groups are getting their
04:55rights before others. We're going to drop a lot of those unnecessary barriers and conflicts in order
05:02to be strategic and be unified. So that's what Good People is about. It's about, one, making sure you have
05:07the information to know what you're talking about and know what you need. And on the other side, it's making
05:13sure you know who is put in place to get you there. So Lene, where can folks find out more about
05:19the party and the work that you're doing? You can find out about more of it on my page. You can find
05:25about it on the We Are GPP page, but we have websites built. We are a brand new organization.
05:31JJ is part of the content creator cohort. It was important for us to pull in the content creators who,
05:36like I said, have been doing this for a living far before any of this, but far before a lot of folks
05:41started paying politically minded content creators to do content because we just thought it was right.
05:47And so we want to reach out to those folks who would do this on a volunteer basis. And that is the type of
05:52people that we have. We have a reach of over 12 million consciously as a part of our cohort. He is in South
05:58Africa doing the good fight and also fighting his sleep. So he could not make it here with us today. But as I
06:04said, we're a brand new organization. So our initiatives are pretty new. We had a really cool
06:10opportunity to do a South Georgia bus tour to go to different HBCUs and engage with Black-owned
06:16businesses and citizens in areas that don't get all the flash and funfair and rallies that come to
06:23the metropolitan areas. And that was a really beautiful thing. So you'll definitely be hearing
06:28more about us because also we're not just here because of a presidential election. We're here to
06:33make sure that you understand that the fight doesn't stop tomorrow.
06:36Thank you. Thank you for that work. And we will ask you to come back in another iteration after
06:42the election. So we can make sure we engage folks because that's the key, right? We want to make
06:47sure that folks understand it's not just about voting for the election. It's about what do you do
06:52and the work that you're doing definitely ties into that. So, but I know Evelyn has a few questions.
06:57I did, you mentioned that, you know, the bus tour and the young people that you were reaching out
07:03to. What has been, if you've talked to anyone that's had voter apathy, what have you heard among
07:12young people? And was there anything that you said that could have swayed, that did sway them at all?
07:19JJ, I'll start with you and then go back to Lene.
07:20Right. Um, yeah, it's been, it's been a very interesting election cycle for me because this
07:26is the first time I'm ever getting to vote. Uh, even though I've been making political content
07:29on the internet since I was like 16, 15. Um, so it's been feeling like a lot of trying to advocate
07:36for different stuff. But the thing is you oftentimes don't get to see the direct impact that it has on
07:41like people around you. Um, like I'll get a lot of like messages and I understand that a lot of people
07:46like watch my content and they value it, but it's a different thing when you get to like speak to people
07:50like, uh, who I went to school with, who I grew up with and, and have a direct influence on whether
07:55or not they're going to vote. I know I currently live with two of my closest friends who have also
07:59never voted, um, mainly because we just became of age to do so, but also because they didn't really
08:03feel invested in politics and they got invested through me and through like the stuff that I'll
08:09talk about. So that obviously means a lot, but a lot of the big broader conversation that I see,
08:14especially with my generation when it comes to voter apathy is like acknowledging that the scope
08:20of our issues is very massive and that there's blame on all types of different sides where it's, um,
08:27it's not like one side of our duopoly in the United States is all good. And the other side is bad. It's a lot
08:32more nuanced than that. The conversation is a lot more nuanced. So I feel like a lot of people, especially
08:37when it comes to what's happening in Gaza and, and other like crises around the world, a lot of people,
08:42especially my generation are very eager to be like, okay, we're not going to participate in this
08:47because I think it's a benefit of my generation that we sent, we tend to be very like ambitious
08:53and bullish in the stuff that we want to change and the systems that we want to break down to,
08:57to restructure them and change them. But there also needs to be a strategic lens that we come about
09:03that from. And it's been trying to convey that to people, especially in my generation that has been
09:08like pretty difficult, but I feel like I've been making decent inroads and acknowledging that like,
09:12yes, the Democrats are not the best for the job that we have to do, especially to, uh, to undo a lot
09:19of the systemic like oppression and barriers and stuff that have built, that have been built throughout
09:23the founding of America. But also we have to acknowledge that when there's a critical threat
09:28that will put everything on the back burner, uh, just to be able to, you know, like survive
09:32from a day to day, that critical threat being a Donald Trump or a further decline into fascism,
09:37that is something that we need to also be able to adjust to. And it's not like it's, it's like even,
09:44but you know, one side is really bad. It's like, no, we have to actually sit down and discuss these
09:48policy initiatives. What has been accomplished? What can be accomplished? And I think that conversation
09:54has led to a lot of younger people getting more invested, uh, again, and, uh, turning out for this
10:00election. At least I hope, I think their early numbers look pretty good, but like, uh, especially
10:05given how much work needs to be done after this election, I feel like a lot of younger people
10:10are focused on that. Um, and, uh, hopefully they, they, a lot of us understand that there is also
10:16steps to that process. And this step, at least in my opinion, has to be getting out there and voting
10:20them all. Uh, yeah. Uh, do you want my answer as well? Yes. Yes. Yeah. So JJ didn't get to go on
10:28the bus tour with us. Um, but what I witnessed one is a lot of kids that showed up on our stops
10:35in the bus store were politically engaged and invested. They wanted to be there. And what was
10:40exciting though, was them asking questions about how do I get my classmates that don't care to care.
10:46And we went through an entire exercise. I used to be a high school teacher. And so I talked to them
10:51about backwards design. I think one thing, young people and people who don't feel represented by
10:56government or feel like government doesn't affect their everyday life. The thing that they have in
11:01common is that they're focused on just their personal life, their everyday sustainability.
11:07And they may not understand that that's directly connected to their voting power, but it is. And so
11:12one thing I encouraged them to do was to lead with what matters and ask questions. Um, you know,
11:18no one knows, no one cares what you know until they know that you care. And I feel like that is one of
11:22the best ways to reach people. And it might take longer. It might involve more conversation, but it's
11:27almost like the way religion is taught. It's almost like the way black history has been taught, which is
11:32the reason why I've dedicated myself and my storytelling to bringing people in and engaging people
11:37because it feels stuffy. It feels so far removed. But if we're leading with things like
11:42if you got $10 million today, how would you give back to your hood? Then we get to know what they
11:48care about. Then we get to know what things like touch them emotionally and like have certain trigger
11:52points that bring out things that they feel invested in. Um, what else did I share with them? Like
11:57determining who they feel like is their community, determining what it is exactly that they are
12:03focused on career wise and how things might be connected to permits or how certain plans from,
12:09um, particular candidates may invest in their goals for their future. So leading with these things,
12:16then trailing it back to a conversation around voting is usually typically successful. Um, I did meet
12:22other young people that might not have been in college, but just might be young in adulthood. And what I
12:26saw from them, those who were not interested in voting, what they said is once again, they do not feel
12:33like voting really impacts their personal life. And one person previously incarcerated said he
12:37didn't even know if he could vote. And more than anything, they felt like their vote would not
12:41matter. And one thing that I keep impressing upon people that give me that sentiment, I'm not even
12:46going to tell them that they should vote. I mean, most of these folks aren't registered, but what I do say
12:51to them, for you to be incarcerated and not know if you can vote is on purpose for you to feel for you
12:58as a black person, if you want it to be able to vote in this particular area that we're in to have
13:04this, this, this, and this be in the way of your voting voter suppression. These all, all of these
13:09things should be indicators that your vote is actually powerful, that your vote actually does
13:13matter, that there would not be so much in the way of your vote if it would not be impactful, if you
13:18would wield it in service to yourself. And so I think a lot of people are encouraging people who don't
13:23want to vote to vote for your children, vote for your future, vote for people who can't vote. We
13:29have to make the vote personal. And that is going to be one of the only ways to motivate people in
13:33the beginning. But once people get into the work, then they can start voting for community, but we
13:37have to bring them in with the personal. So let's, let's talk about that a little bit more in terms of
13:42getting into the personal. Let's just assume you have some young people or some older folks who
13:48haven't really paid a lot of attention during this, right? They didn't watch the debates.
13:53They haven't read the policy papers. And they are now on the election eve, trying to figure out who
14:00to vote for, whether to vote. What's your message to that person who may be watching this, who may
14:07watch this on YouTube tomorrow, wake up, have an opportunity to go out and vote, but they may not
14:13be deeply steeped on any specific issue, really. What's your message to, to those folks?
14:20I would say this feels heady. And I think people think that we're fear-mongering when we say this,
14:29but I honestly believe that our freedom of expression is at stake. Our cultural expression
14:34is at stake. When I look at the things in the, in Project 2025 that leave up to discretion about what
14:43is moral, what is morally acceptable, what is inappropriate. Talks of like sex education,
14:49queer identity, Black identity. The way we tell stories, where we express ourselves through music,
14:54the ways, and I, and I have, I'm a multi-hyphenate because I have different hands in different pots and
15:00doing different things. But developing TV shows that we like to watch, all these things are at stake
15:05with the threat of a government that wishes to be so deeply entrenched in our, in our personal
15:12autonomy and the way that we creatively express ourselves, that is scary, but it's also very real
15:18and it's on paper. So what I would say to people who feel like this is an election that they don't
15:24have to take part in, I would just say that you're going to have to be sacked with the result,
15:29you know, like you're going to have to, I don't, I don't know what else to say other than that. Like
15:36it's, it's where we're day before the election, our livelihood is at stake. And I don't think people
15:45take it that serious, but countries that were previously democracies and are now authoritarian
15:51are looking at us and say, I remember exactly what that looks like. They're saying that used to be us.
15:58And I think American exceptionalism, American exceptionalism and the ways in which American
16:03government and systems work to silo people off in their own world of problems makes us think that
16:10we can never get there. But that whole saying of a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice
16:16everywhere is true because they will call you lucky for what you're experiencing in comparison to
16:23somebody else. As long as it's not that bad until it gets to be that bad. And we're on the verge of
16:29that bad. If I could like piggyback off of that, I think I try to take it to like a example that does
16:39affect your everyday life or that really could, because a lot of people tend to sit on the sidelines
16:43when they feel like everything's too existential and it doesn't really affect me. And I tell this story
16:47about how I went to Florida and on the way back, I had to go through TSA and I didn't have my full
16:54like plastic ID from my state yet because I had ordered a new one. It was in the mail. And usually
17:00TSA has like a pretty cool, like quick process. But as a result of me not having that, the TSA person
17:07decided that I was going to be sitting like in a room for 20 minutes, getting questioned about every
17:12single like aspect of my background, just to make sure I wasn't a threat to anything. Now take that
17:17same scenario and extrapolate that to now a police or a government that's emboldened that doesn't
17:24respect people's rights or police that has immunity and the government that's looking to mass deport
17:29people. This can also be, the danger can be exacerbated depending on what racial demographic
17:33you're a part of. Now a simple incident of, Hey, I'm waiting for my right ID to come in the mail
17:38can now be like livelihood and life threatening. If the wrong questions are asked, if the wrong
17:44answers are given, or if they suspect you of anything, and you have somebody at the top of
17:48the ticket running for president who wants to engage in mass deportations with those same authorities,
17:53something like that, as little as a traffic stop where you left something at home and everything
17:57can be infinitely more dangerous. Once you add in the added context that the police need to get more
18:03power, we need to do mass deportations and all types of stuff that are involved with that.
18:07So even though right now it looks like you're sitting at home, it's completely fine.
18:12Something as minuscule as that can already be exacerbated to levels you can't even imagine
18:17because of a vote choice. And I feel like in as Americans, our best interest should be to never
18:24see it get to that point. We already have a lot of things that we need to work on. And we have a very
18:29clear cut example of somebody who's not willing to fix or help adjust anything in a positive manner
18:34for you or for your family's lives. So it can be very scary very quickly. Like Lene said, a lot of
18:41countries say that we were in that stage too. And now we're all the way on the authoritarian side.
18:46It happens throughout history. It's happened over and over again. And the best thing that we can do
18:52moving forward is not allow history to repeat itself. So when anyone's giving you those signs,
18:56it's a pretty good indicator that whatever you can do is very important. And that vote that you have
19:03is very important. Wow. Well, unfortunately, I had the personal experience of going through that
19:10because I lived in Liberia and we lived under democracy for a very long time. And then on a
19:18fateful day in 1980, it shifted. And there was a dictatorship and there were assassinations and
19:25people were placed into prison and the constitution meant nothing. And so as we think about this election,
19:32and I often tell folks, this is ultimately about democracy and freedom, because if we don't
19:38understand that core concept is fragile and it could be taken away from us at any moment,
19:44all of the other issues we talk about are obviously important from the economy to reproductive justice.
19:49But if you lose the right to be free, none of that really comes into play.
19:55If you lose the ability to exercise your right in a democracy.
20:03And I think there's something that we're dancing around.
20:09The whole idea that it could never happen to us is just untrue and we have evidence.
20:15Yep.
20:15We're seeing what's happening in Congo, what's happening in Haiti when these rival groups take
20:21over power and gangs and violence and women and children becoming the main victims of these
20:31tragedies when countries are just in the throes of war. We've seen groups, nationalist groups
20:40in this country, do crazy things, nuts, that we would never in our days dream of. So imagine
20:50those groups being emboldened by government that calls them good people.
20:57I think like just sitting with that for a while, because we have seen the rollback of so many
21:04rights already, that we didn't think that we would see the rollback in. We talk about even some of the
21:13polls when people go and they vote and they look at that ballot, there are states where we're seeing
21:18slavery on the ballot, where they're going to be talking about involuntary servitude. I really don't
21:25think how close people really realize sometimes on how far we could actually go back.
21:32And the legislation still feels like far away because it's on paper, but we still have examples of violence.
21:40Absolutely.
21:41And it's funny to mention because like when you look at how abortion rights were stripped away,
21:48all it took was the right person, the wrong person winning an election at a very crucial point in the
21:54lives of a couple of Supreme Court justices. And boom, rights are gone. A 50-year established
22:00right is taken away. And now we're in a position where more Supreme Court justices are looking to
22:05step down in the next four to eight years. So we saw when they overturned Roe v. Wade, we had
22:10chatters of maybe we'll look at contraception in the Supreme Court. Maybe we'll look at interracial
22:15marriage. There are things that you don't think would ever be questioned, like really they're going
22:19to bring back some sort of regulation about marrying a different race than you. We have people in this
22:24country who genuinely think that that is something that we should pursue. And if you keep giving them
22:29the keys to power, they will keep telling you exactly who they are. And when it becomes that
22:35your opposition is not able to be present because, oh, the president with newfound immunity can now just
22:41take out people. Yes. It becomes very hard to mount a comeback. Yes. Now, now, now the courts have given
22:50the president immunity.
22:54I think something- They're like, it's like Jenga. It's like a bunch of Jenga blocks. They're like
22:58slowly building the tower up, like right in front of your face. Is it slow?
23:02That train has been moving pretty fast. Exactly. And it's like when it all comes tumbling down,
23:10it will in spectacular fashion. And while you're fine right now, you have to always be fighting and
23:16working to make sure you will be and people around you will be. And that's one of the biggest reasons
23:20why, if you're still guessing, you need to get out there. You need to go. Wow.
23:26We want to give you both, Lene and Joshua, an opportunity to say the last word to folks.
23:34West Coast, East Coast, Midwest, wherever folks are. Tomorrow is our last chance to have a voice
23:43in this year's election. It's our last chance to have a voice in this year's election. I want to give
23:49you both an opportunity to have a closing message to the folks out there, because you may not have another
23:55opportunity to talk to them before the polls close tomorrow. So Lene, we'll start with you.
24:03So on this bus tour, we partnered with Kendrick Sampson's organization, Build Power. And we just,
24:08as we talked to people, we started having this cute little mantra, we're building power with good
24:14people. And Kendrick talked about voting is not the end-all be-all as far as the answer to revolution and
24:23change, but it is a tool. And it's one of the most powerful tools. And I don't know if I completely,
24:29I do agree with him on his sentiment, but what I will say is, I believe voting
24:35is the premier alternative to us giving our bodies away. Voting is how we fight back.
24:48Honestly and truthfully, I do not want to see us give any more blood
24:53to changing the world and shaping it the way that we need it to be when there's opportunity for us to
24:59learn the system and change the system. And Hill Harper was so correct in that. And I think it was
25:06he that said it. You can say that you don't think any progress has happened before a black woman
25:14to be at the top of the ticket when black women have not had the right to vote for as many years
25:19as everybody else. I don't remember them off the top of my head, but we are steamrolling in progress.
25:25And we are getting opportunities to violently shake the table. And I say this often because
25:32I'm experiencing it personally, but breakthrough should feel like the ground is shaking. It should
25:36feel like the walls are closing in. That is how you know something good is on the other side,
25:40but faith without works is dead. And you have to do your part.
25:45You hear people get super serious about voting because it is that serious. Like you guys said,
25:53this would be the last time we need to talk about. Oh, if I can offer like a final word,
26:00I think for me, I'm sorry, it's lagging for me. So it's kind of like coming back in my headphones. But
26:05I think for me, I would just ask that as a country, we decide once and for all exactly what type of
26:16country we're going to be. And for me, it feels like we're at an inflection point. It feels like
26:24we have a very good chance right now to preserve the frameworks that we need to preserve in order to
26:30set our own battlefield. I'm under no delusion that every answer will be provided by this election.
26:36I'm under no delusion that we're going to solve every issue with this election.
26:41The problem is that if you cannot win in a scenario, if you cannot accomplish everything
26:47you need to, that's no reason to not try at all. If the very minimum is that we get to set the
26:53battlefield for what we need to do and who we're going to be facing later when it comes time to do right
26:58by the people, then you have to do that in every single scenario. And for me, I think it'll mean a
27:07lot if this country can decide definitively in the face of somebody who's threatening to every single
27:17like value that we like to tell ourselves as Americans is good and that was fought for. If we
27:22can decide right now that that area, that far right wing fascism, that descent into madness and
27:30demonizing and scapegoating of our fellow Americans, if we can decide that that's not what we want to do
27:36anymore as a people and that's not what we are for, that provides me a lot of hope that things can
27:43change and things have changed. By no means are we in this scenario where we've had no alteration of how
27:50we view each other. We've gone from stuff like slavery to all of us sitting here discussing what's
27:56going to happen tomorrow. And it wasn't by any like miracle. It was work. It was constant work. And
28:03people did have to bleed, but it was constant work and fighting and letting the cards fall where they
28:09may. And you have to continue to do that every single day because there are people who can't. There are
28:14people who've done it. There are people who can't do it. And there are people who will never get the
28:18opportunity to if we make the wrong decision. So I think whether it's for your family, whether it's for
28:25somebody that you know, whether it's for a random stranger, I think you owe it to them to do your civic
28:30duty tomorrow and let your voice be heard and fight the good fight. Amen. Wow. Thank you both.
28:40Lene Vahee, Joshua Joseph. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for using your platforms to engage, educate
28:51folks all around the country about the importance of voting and making sure that we actually hold on to
28:56our democracy. So thank you both. Thank you. Thank you for having me.
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