- 3 weeks ago
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🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Without further ado, I don't want to keep us waiting.
00:07You've already been waiting long enough.
00:09Let's please give a warm welcome to Madam Vice President Kamala Harris.
00:20Wow.
00:21I mean, so you guys, I really got lucky.
00:24I got the opportunity to sit with the Madam VP.
00:27Yes!
00:29I love you.
00:34I got an opportunity when I did Lightyear.
00:37Madam Vice President held a big event in her home
00:40where children got to come and watch and play
00:42and also meet astronauts from NASA.
00:44We got to talk about all the great things that you're doing with NASA.
00:47And I got a chance to sit and talk with her
00:49and really kind of get to know her in a really casual way,
00:52which I feel really lucky to have gotten that chance.
00:55But there was something I wanted to ask you.
00:57You know, we have something in common.
00:59I didn't get to say it then.
01:00But you know, I've been memed a couple of times.
01:02But you are part of my favorite meme with...
01:05We did it, Joe!
01:07And so I have to ask you.
01:10Obviously, the excitement of the election hitting you in that moment.
01:14What were you thinking when you saw how that just went so viral?
01:17Well, first of all, it is so good to be with you, Kiki.
01:21Oh!
01:22It is so good.
01:23And hello, Essence Baz!
01:26We're back!
01:28We are back!
01:30It was, you know, that day...
01:32Well, so you'll remember, the election happened,
01:36but it took a while for it to be declared.
01:38Right.
01:39And so my husband and I were staying in Delaware
01:43so we could be near the vice president-elect.
01:47I mean, president-elect at the time.
01:50And I work out every morning.
01:53And so he and I worked out together.
01:56And we were then going back to the house,
01:58and he was like, I'm gonna walk a little bit more and cool down.
02:02And so he started to walk.
02:04I went up to the house, and I went upstairs to go take a shower.
02:08Yeah.
02:09I'm gonna give you all kinds of information you weren't expecting.
02:11And so I turned on the shower because it was cold.
02:14Remember, it was winter.
02:15And so I turned on the shower so the water could heat up.
02:18And I got a text.
02:21And it said they declared the race.
02:23Woo!
02:24I ran downstairs.
02:26I didn't even turn off the shower.
02:27Ah!
02:28Water bill high!
02:29I ran downstairs.
02:31And I come out the house.
02:33Doug, Doug!
02:34I'm trying to find my husband.
02:35He's down the hallway, or down the pathway, and he's got his earbuds in.
02:41So I'm there saying, they call the race, and I'm waving at him.
02:46And he's just waving back because he's listening to music.
02:49He's just waving back.
02:52And then he came up, and then the president called.
02:56Joe Biden called.
02:58And so that meme is from my husband standing there videotaping me having the call with the president.
03:05Oh, we did it, Joe.
03:07That's what that was.
03:08We did it.
03:09You're the president of America.
03:11I mean, that's just my favorite clip.
03:13But I also have to ask you, right, because I think I have some unrealistic expectations on how it actually is to work in the White House, right?
03:20I think a lot of my peers and I, we often talk about it.
03:22In our minds, we think it's like, okay, something comes in, and you're like, this is what we're going to do, you know?
03:27But how is it really on a day-to-day?
03:29You know, are you and the president sitting down and strategizing?
03:32Are you emailing?
03:33What is the process of actually trying to get things done and working there?
03:37Well, like I said, I work out every morning.
03:40I'll just give you kind of a day in the life.
03:42I work out every morning, and I start my day reading the presidential daily brief.
03:47We call it the PDB for short.
03:49Yeah.
03:50Which is classified information generated by our intelligence community about hot spots around the world and threats to our national security.
03:59So I read that every morning, and my office in the West Wing is, I don't know how many feet, not very far, you know, a minute to get from my office to the Oval Office.
04:12And so, often, when I arrive at the West Wing, I'll walk down to the Oval Office, and the president and I will have a meeting with the heads of our intelligence community,
04:25including, often, the Secretary of Defense will be there, the Secretary of State will be there, the director of the CIA will be there, and we will talk about the threats to our nation and the priorities that we face.
04:39And so that is often how the day will start.
04:41And then there will be a series.
04:43Heavy day to start.
04:44Well, yeah, there's a lot of decisions to be made.
04:47And then the day will proceed.
04:50I'll tell you one of my favorite days recently was the day that I went over to the Capitol.
04:59You see, as the vice president, I'm also the president of the Senate.
05:03And right now in the United States Senate, we have a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans.
05:08So it is often the case that I go to break the tie.
05:12So I'll go up to the Capitol.
05:14But this day I went up to the Capitol because there was a vote occurring on who would be the next justice on the United States Supreme Court.
05:27We know.
05:28And, you know, I was very, very actively involved in that process of choosing her.
05:35And so I went to the Senate so I could preside when she was then voted on to be the next Supreme Court justice.
05:46Yes.
05:47And, of course, I am talking about Ketanji Brown Jackson.
05:51Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
05:55Oh, my gosh.
05:56And it was so special, Kiki, because, you know, I got there and then it was taking a while for the vote to happen.
06:03And then two of my friends and colleagues when I was in the Senate, Raphael Warnock, Senator Warnock from Georgia.
06:13Let's get him reelected, please.
06:17And Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey.
06:22And so the two of them walked up when I was in the chair because there was a pause.
06:27And I had just finished on my stationery writing a note to my goddaughter, Helena, who's actually here with me today, to talk to her about as a, you know, 17-year-old young black woman what this day would mean for her in her life.
06:44And I wrote her a note, and I had some extra stationery, and so when the two of them came up, I said, well, you all need to write a note to somebody, too.
06:51So I handed them my stationery, and then each of them also wrote a note to someone in their life about the meaning, the historic meaning of that day.
07:02I don't know if everybody, you know, experiences like that, but it's awesome to hear you talk about it, not just in a logistical sense, but also an emotional sense, you know, because I think it's important that we know that it's human, you know, to humanize the people that are working in government, and to know that at least with you, Madam VP, that there's heart going into it as well.
07:22Speaking about the Senate and things you've done, one of the most important jobs you did in the Senate was holding Trump officials and nominees accountable as a member of the Judiciary Committee, excuse me, but most notably when now Justice Kavanaugh struggled to identify any laws that give the government power to make decisions about the male body, which brings me to what just happened last week, you know, where he and five other justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
07:50I mean, I know personally for me, that just seems ridiculous, and it really puts me in an apathetic space to feel like, well, if you can come back and change things that are already settled, what is going to happen next?
08:02So I have to ask you, where were you when you heard the news, and I mean, what do we do now? How do you feel, you know?
08:11This is a serious matter.
08:14Yeah.
08:20And it requires all of us to speak up, to speak out, and to be active.
08:27So I was on my way to Aurora, Illinois, to meet with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, who is an outstanding member of Congress, because she and I, over the years, when I was in the Senate and now as Vice President,
08:45have been working on the issue of maternal mortality, and in particular, black maternal mortality.
08:51Yes.
08:52And we've been working on this issue for a very important reason, which is, in the United States, black women are three times more likely to die in connection with childbirth.
09:02Native women are twice as likely to die, rural women, one and a half likely, more times likely to die.
09:11And understand that among all so-called developed nations, we are the worst on this issue.
09:19So it has been a longstanding area of focus for me to focus on women's health and safety and well-being, and I've been able to then, as Vice President, bring this issue to the stage of the White House to talk about what we need to do to protect and to ensure that women have the resources they need.
09:40So, for example, we've been able to encourage states to extend Medicaid coverage postpartum from two months to 12 months, because a woman needs support beyond two months when she has just given birth to a human being.
09:59We deserve these things.
09:59We have dealt with the fact that there is racial bias in the health care delivery system, and so what we need to do when we recognize that a black woman walking into a clinic or a doctor's office or an emergency room is less likely to be taken seriously.
10:15So this is the work we've been doing.
10:17We've been looking at it in the context of the unique stressors that women face, and in particular, black women face, and what that does to have effects on their health and well-being.
10:29So, Lauren Underwood and I have been doing this work.
10:32I was flying from D.C. to Aurora, Illinois, to meet her in her district to announce more work that we are doing on maternal health.
10:41And wouldn't you know, on the course of that trip, the Supreme Court, with the Dobbs decision, for the first time in the history of our nation,
10:53took a constitutional right that had been recognized and took it from the women of America, took a constitutional right.
11:04And what is so outrageous about this on every level is, one, it is the taking of a right that was given and guaranteed and something that we took for granted to be settled law.
11:17So what that means, then, in terms of what else might be vulnerable that we otherwise thought was settled law, including issues like contraception, including issues like same-sex marriage,
11:29including the intimate decisions that people should be able to make about what I call heart and home without government interference.
11:38What essentially has happened is the statement has been made that the government has a right to come in your home and tell you as a woman and as a family what you should do with your body.
11:52Oh, my gosh.
11:53And the point has to be this.
11:57We have to recognize we're a nation that was founded on certain principles that are grounded in the concept of freedom and liberty.
12:06We also know that we've had a history in this country of government trying to claim ownership over human bodies.
12:13Exactly.
12:15Yes, that is right.
12:16And we had supposedly evolved from that time and that way of thinking.
12:21So this is very problematic on so many levels.
12:25The impact that it is going to have on women without means, what it will mean for, you know, somebody who has financial means,
12:34this is really probably not going to have much of an effect on them.
12:37But imagine that the facts are the majority of women who get an abortion, the majority are mothers.
12:44So if she has to leave her state to go for the reproductive health care she needs, we're looking at the fact that if she works, which she probably does, she's going to lose time from work, potentially without leave, without paid leave.
12:59She's going to have to figure out what to do with her kids and the cost of the child care, at least for overnight, not to mention bus fare or train fare or airfare and a hotel room.
13:13All to make one of the most intimate decisions that she should have a right to make without government interference, that she should have a right to make with her pastor or her priest or her rabbi and her family, but not getting permission from the government.
13:29And it's, I mean, it's so, it's, it's awesome to hear you say these things.
13:35I knew, I, I, in my heart, I knew that you, that you would feel this way, but I just wonder then what, what we can do, you know, what does, you know what I mean?
13:43On one hand, I'm looking at you and I know that, yeah, there has been evolution, that things have changed.
13:47We talk about our justice.
13:48You know, we talk about eight years or however so ago when we had Obama in office and we see that things are somewhat different, but then now there's all this delay response to what we've experienced.
13:59You know, these four years prior and I just, you know, how do we move beyond the apathy that this gives us?
14:07What are we now then, what, what can, what can our move be?
14:10So first I'll say this, you know, I, I did an analysis trying to look at the states that are attacking a woman's right to choose and the states that are attacking voting rights.
14:23And there is an interesting intersection.
14:26At least 11 states are doing both at the same time.
14:30No surprise there, right guys?
14:31No surprise there.
14:33When we look at this issue, I think we have to, one, remember the words of Coretta Scott King, who I'll paraphrase, but she famously said,
14:43the fight for civil rights, which is the fight for freedom, the fight for liberty, the fight for justice, the fight for civil rights must be fought and won with each generation.
14:56And, and when she said that, I think we know that, one, she was saying that the very nature of these fights is that whatever we gain, they will not necessarily be permanent.
15:11Therein lies the strength when we, when we achieve the rights with the fragility of those rights, meaning if we are not vigilant to, to secure and to fight for them, we can't take it for granted.
15:22So there is that piece of it, but I think the second point she was making is, because it is the nature of it that you have to be vigilant, don't be overwhelmed.
15:33Right.
15:34Don't be, don't be overwhelmed to the point that we are disheartened and we think that we can't do anything about it.
15:41It's the nature of it that these gains will not be permanent.
15:45So we must be vigilant and we must, remember, we're always going to have to fight to maintain these rights.
15:51And it's, it's such a good point because I think we do get caught up in thinking when there are great feats that have been accomplished that, oh, now it's done or, you know, we're surprised when it happens again.
16:00But when I look at the generations before me and what they had to deal with, I mean, even when we go back to slavery, if they found a way to keep moving, I better find a way to keep moving.
16:09You know what I'm saying?
16:10Because I mean, hey, I don't know what it's like to be in a field.
16:14That's right.
16:14You know what I'm saying?
16:15I want to go quickly to, you mentioned some of the things you've been doing and we were talking about all the things that the administration has accomplished when we were, you know, back when we were at your home in D.C.
16:26You mentioned some great things about removing lead pipes also, which is a huge issue.
16:31You touched on a lot of things, but I just want to take a moment to speak to you guys about some of the things that specifically have been done.
16:36The executive order to promote access to voter registration and voting where President Biden directed government resources to provide information about elections and increase access to voter registration opportunities, protecting black Americans' access to housing by combating housing discrimination, where President Biden directed the administration to address racial discrimination in the housing market, reducing...
17:00Oh, go ahead.
17:01And let me add to that.
17:02So on the housing piece, it includes this piece.
17:06What we know is that for generations, housing appraisers, the people who come in and tell you the value of your house, we have been tracking the racial bias in those assessments such that we have examples of a black family getting an appraisal that was far lower than they knew the value of their house was.
17:27So then they have friends who were a white family and would have the white family come in and put up their family pictures and then get the house appraised and it appraised for much higher, right?
17:40So we're dealing with that, too, which is a longstanding issue in terms of what needs to be reformed around just the appraisal system, much less what we need to do to make housing affordable and available to more families.
17:51Yeah, and that's just some of the things.
17:53I mean, from reducing college costs where you guys increased the maximum Pell Grant Award, $400.
17:59I mean, there's so many things here, you guys, that I could go on about.
18:01If you are interested in seeing everything that the administration has done up to date, you can go to whitehouse.gov.
18:07But I want to say this to you, too, Madam VP, because I know you see people are always, you know, in your position, it's a hard job.
18:15You know, as many things as you get done, there's so many other things that people are saying you need to do, you need to do.
18:19You know, and there's a quote that I've always loved from Mother Teresa where she says,
18:23there can be no great things done, only small things with great love, right?
18:28Because there's always going to be something.
18:31So I want to ask you, how in your position do you approach, A, that reality, and B, knowing what tasks to start on first with so much to deal with?
18:45Well, one, we got to multitask, right?
18:49Women are good at that.
18:51And we are good at that.
18:52None of us would be sitting here if we didn't figure that out at some point, right?
18:55So we have to multitask, but we have to look at, you know, what are the most critical issues, right?
19:01So, for example, for me and for the president, one of the biggest issues that has been treated as maybe a small issue is anything that affects children.
19:11You know, sometimes in public policy, I think folks think because they're small people, it's a small issue.
19:15No.
19:16If you impact in a positive way the needs of a child, the entire community benefits for generations.
19:22And so we have been looking at what we need to do, for example, at also supporting children in the context of the family they are being raised, right?
19:32So that grandmother or that auntie or that mother or that father.
19:36So what we have done, for example, is we have instituted a tax cut for child care expenses like medication and school supplies, $8,000 a year tax cut.
19:49Wow.
19:49Now, one Republican voted for it.
19:53We have extended the child tax credit.
19:56And in that, in so doing, in the first year, reduced black child poverty by almost 40 percent.
20:04Cannot get a Republican to help us extend it beyond.
20:07But these are some of the things that we have been doing, understanding the generational impact.
20:13Not to mention the work that we need to do that is about foreign policy.
20:17I have met with, I don't know, probably at least two dozen foreign leaders, prime ministers, presidents.
20:23I just recently convened the Caribbean prime ministers and presidents around what we should do as the United States, seeing them as our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere and giving appropriate support there.
20:35And so we have to multitask, looking at what we need to do domestically, what we need to do to bring down the cost of gas.
20:42Well, right?
20:45Right?
20:46I've seen a meme the other day that said, me Googling online how to make gas at home.
20:50Okay?
20:51Oh, don't do that.
20:53Don't do that.
20:54Please don't do that.
20:58Hilarious.
21:01But it's true.
21:02I mean, there's so many things, but you guys have been working.
21:05And I know some of the stuff is going to be a layover effect, right?
21:08Just like we're seeing layover effect from the last administration.
21:11A lot of the things you guys are doing now are going to be immediate, but some things we're going to see as time goes.
21:15And we appreciate you for putting that work in.
21:17And I want to take it back to something that we talked about also in D.C., where, you know, I knew that you were from the Bay.
21:23But what was interesting to learn was that you grew up around a lot of civil rights leaders because your parents' involvement with the civil rights movement.
21:30And I want to ask you because, like I was saying earlier, you know, in the millennial generation, we've just seen so many people lie to us.
21:36We've seen so many things unfortunate happen, like Roe versus Wade being overturned.
21:40And we take it very personally, where it does tend to bring on this apathy.
21:44But when I do think back to the generations before me, I think about the civil rights movement, I'm like, wow.
21:49They were up against a lot of even more daunting realities, maybe even the ones that we're facing now.
21:55Not to compare, but like you said, there's always a lot going on.
21:59So you being around those kinds of people, what were some of the ways that they were able to reinvigorate themselves?
22:05Or even more so, how did they mobilize, right?
22:08Because I don't want to be that person that just looks at my government and says, oh, what are you doing?
22:13And yes, there's accountability that needs to be had, but I want accountability for myself as well.
22:19I want to know what I can do.
22:20You know what I'm saying?
22:21What can I do to get out there and encourage my peers, encourage myself, and make sure that I'm being an active member in my society?
22:30Well, first and foremost, and I don't need to say it to you, Kiki, because you really do use your voice in such an extraordinary way.
22:39No, you really do.
22:40You really do.
22:41Thank you so much.
22:41You just, you have the courage to speak out, and you're not concerned about putting your finger in the air to see if it's popular.
22:50You speak truth, and I really appreciate and respect and admire that.
25:08Thank you so much for that.
25:09I could literally sit here and talk to you all day long.
25:15I just want to say thank you to you so much in that for me personally, I want to be able to figure out all the ways I continue to be involved and get better and be more active.
25:25You know, I'm 28, but I thought I would know more by then.
25:28My parents were having four kids by now and I don't know how they got around to it.
25:32So if there's anything that I myself can do or anywhere that I can go, a website or just any place or anyone out there, please let us know.
25:41I will.
25:42I will.
25:43And I think what I'd encourage is, for example, I know that you have a variety of interests, choice being one of them.
25:49Yeah.
25:50So there are a number of organizations that are working on that issue.
25:53And then figure out how you can volunteer there, how you can be an advocate.
25:57Because the advocacy, the marching, the shouting is what brings about a lot of what has happened in terms of people being vocal about how the issue impacts them.
26:08But I'll tell you another, there's something else that's equally important, and that is the power of coalition building.
26:15So, for example, I mentioned earlier that there are in many of the states that are attacking a woman's right to choose, they're also attacking voting rights.
26:24Well, let's think about the fact that historically it's different communities that have worked on those issues.
26:31But we're all under the same roof if it's about understanding how liberties are being attacked, how our democracy is being attacked.
26:39So let's work on the coalition also, which is bringing folks together.
26:43Because there is power in those numbers, and there is power in knowing that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us.
26:52See, the people who are trying to attack our rights are trying to make people feel small and feel alone.
26:58And different.
26:59Because they want you to believe you don't have power and that you're out there by yourself.
27:06And so we're not going to let that happen.
27:10And one of the ways that we won't is to bring everyone together and remember that there is a community of people that is invested in this.
27:19So, don't believe that I'm too small to start.
27:23Don't be afraid to collaborate with others whether they look like me or not.
27:26As long as we believe in the same things, we can get to the common goal.
27:29And know that, hey, age is but a number.
27:31And we can all work together.
27:33Okay, I want to ask you this final question.
27:35And it's going to be maybe a question about a conversation you would have with your younger self that maybe didn't know or maybe did know and have these dreams of one day being the vice president.
27:48What would you say to prepare yourself for this role?
27:52Well, first of all, don't hear no.
28:02Don't hear it can't be done.
28:05Don't hear nobody like you has done this before.
28:08I like to say I eat no for breakfast.
28:11I love when you say that.
28:14I love when you say that.
28:17Surround yourself with a community of people.
28:22It doesn't have to be a big group.
28:24People who love you and who will cheer you on and who will sometimes push you out the door to go and do.
28:34Those people who love you and you trust enough that when you fall down, they'll be there to laugh with you because you fell, but to help pick you up and keep you going.
28:44So choose, especially to the young leaders, I'd say, but to all of us of every generation, choose who is in your life based on loving yourself and requiring that from other people.
29:01It's so important.
29:03And so that's one thing.
29:05I would say the other thing is that to really know that you have so much to bring and you have to look inward, you know, and also have faith, you know, have faith and have faith in whatever it is you believe in that that you were destined to do great things, even when the obstacles are there.
29:29But to believe in yourself and to have faith in yourself, that's so important.
29:34And then finally, just to remember, you're not alone.
29:37I mean, so many of us have had the experience of walking into a room where they're we're the only one who looks like us or has had our life experience.
29:48And so to you, I would say when you walk in these rooms, remember this room for a minute, remember this room and remember when you walk into those rooms that we're walking into that room with you.
30:03We are all in that room with you and we are applauding you and we are expecting you will carry our voice into that room and we are applauding you and we are with you every step of the way.
30:19So shoulders back, chin up and just be yourself, be your marvelous self.
30:26Just be yourself.
30:31Madam Vice President, I just thank you so much.
30:34I'm so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to see you up close in this way and see you speaking.
30:40People just stand for you.
30:42It's an inspiration.
30:43You truly are.
30:44And thank you for your time.
30:46Thank you for being here.
30:47And thank you guys for being a part of the conversation as well.
30:50And Essence.
30:51Obviously.
30:52Take care guys.
30:53Bye bye.
30:54Bye bye.
30:55Bye bye bye.
31:00Bye bye bye.
31:06Bye bye bye.
31:10Bye bye bye.
31:16Bye bye.
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