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00:00Now we turn to voting rights and civic power in America today. Joining the Global Black Economic
00:08Forum stage, please welcome our moderator, Rashad Robinson, civil rights leader and author of From
00:17Presence to Power. The president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Nicole
00:24Austin Hillary. Congresswoman from the state of Texas, Jasmine Crockett. And from the state
00:37of New Jersey, U.S. Senator Cory Booker.
00:48Can I just say I'm happy y'all decided to come see us instead of Cardi? Amen! Hallelujah!
00:54How are we doing Essence Fest? How are we doing? I can't hear you. How are we doing Essence Fest?
01:03So, good afternoon. We are going to jump right into a conversation around one of my most favorite,
01:11favorite topics. And that's the topic of power. You know, as the voice of God, as the voice above
01:19mentioned, I've got a book coming out this month that I'm not going to spend any time
01:24talking about it. I'm going to resist that. But I'm going to be talking about it later today
01:29and tomorrow. But if I had to summarize it in one word, it is exactly what this panel is
01:35about. And that is power. You know, one thing about power is how we use it. How we think about
01:47it today
01:47and how we think about it tomorrow. Not just how we think about presence and visibility,
01:54but how we think about the role of moving us forward. What it actually looks like for our people.
01:59So I've spent the last 13 years leading an organization that I recently left that was founded in the
02:07aftermath of a catastrophic event right here in this city, Hurricane Katrina. Black folks were literally
02:13on their roofs begging for the government to do something and left to die. And the thing about
02:19moments like that is that they truly do illustrate power. Our lack of power, what's happening, and the
02:26difference in the through line between what is unfortunate and what is unjust. What is real and what is
02:33not real. And the way in which injustice, behind every injustice, there is someone behind it. There is
02:42someone profiting from it. There are systems that are putting us in harm's way. And so our ability to take
02:49those forces on every single day is the whole ball game. And so we want to have a real conversation
02:55about power
02:56in this moment. So the seats are being withdrawn in Congress, and they're being stolen right under us.
03:04We're watching our rights being rolled back across corporations, across culture, across so many
03:10different factions of how society operates. We're watching a leader being able to say anything they want
03:18about us as well as our African and Caribbean cousins. And what is clear is that so many of the
03:26strategies and the
03:28assumptions that let us walk into this moment will not be the strategies and the assumptions that allow us to
03:35walk out of this moment.
03:37Amen. Amen.
03:39And so the question that I want us to wrestle with today, it isn't whether we're present. We are absolutely
03:46present.
03:47It is whether that presence has become power. And if it hasn't, what are we prepared to do differently?
03:55So I've got three people that I am so proud to have worked with in many different ways. I respect
04:01these three
04:02folks immensely and so much of the work that they do every single day on behalf of our communities.
04:07And I want to jump right into the first question. And we all can answer it in your own way
04:13from your own experiences.
04:15So right now, there are more black people in Congress than ever before.
04:24The CBC is bigger than it has ever been. And there's more black representation across almost every institution that we
04:34can name.
04:35And I do not want to discount that. That is not nothing.
04:38But there was always a theory. The theory was that representation would translate into more power.
04:44That we get more of our people in the room and that we can get more for our people out
04:49of that room.
04:50And a lot of folks are looking around right now and are asking whether or not that is still true.
04:56Whether or not it is translating to durable winds or even basic justice in moments that are incredibly tough for
05:04all of us.
05:06Now, sometimes this conversation goes where a lot of these conversations go, and it goes to Donald Trump.
05:11And for this question, I want to hold off on Donald Trump because we will always have an opponent.
05:16There will always be someone on the other side of what we are facing.
05:21And so I want to talk about us. If in each of your sort of own ways, if sort of
05:30we have less power than we've had in years,
05:33but we have more representation, what are we going to do different?
05:36What does it look like and how do we change our strategies?
05:40And I want to start with you, Senator Booker.
05:42I want to say ladies first, always.
05:45But look, what we need to understand is that it is not an on-off switch.
05:54Power is built for generations. It's built in years.
05:58Look at the tearing down of women's reproductive rights.
06:01That effort did not start overnight.
06:04It was something that they built upon time and time again.
06:08So I'm really proud that we have more representation of African Americans in the Senate than we've ever had.
06:15When I got to the Senate, I was the only black senator in the Democratic caucus, only the fourth black
06:21person ever elected.
06:22And even within my own caucus, I was very upset with a lot of things that I was seeing.
06:27One was that staffs and chief of staffs and legislative directors, there was really no representation the way it should
06:35be.
06:36And just starting to fight battles to see more people in the room when it happens.
06:40And as a result of that, I've seen everything from sickle cell funding going up, HBCU funding going up, maternal
06:47mortality becoming a more central issue than a sideline issue.
06:51And so what we have to start doing is understanding that this is not a one-time game, and if
06:56we don't get what we want, we get frustrated.
06:58We've got to continue to organize and mobilize to build that power.
07:03And the second thing I want to say, because we see it, there are black people that are Republicans that
07:07have come in and out.
07:08A black face doesn't guarantee you black power or black advancement.
07:13What I want to do is hold everyone accountable to build the kind of power that no matter who the
07:18senator is from a particular state, from every race,
07:22is that black people are having their agenda represented in Washington.
07:26This is about work, this is about building, this is about continuing and being unyielding and unstoppable.
07:32Is there anything about the strategies, though, that we have employed in the past that we should be changing or
07:38evaluating as we move forward?
07:40Again, I don't want to, you've got two of the most women I respect the most.
07:44I just want to say this.
07:46My grandfather was a Republican.
07:48Most blacks during the 1920s and 30s were Republican.
07:52My grandfather didn't become a Democrat because he liked the party or definitely didn't like the jackass.
07:58But what he became for is because the Democratic Party was going to stand up for the issues that he
08:04and his Detroit community cared about.
08:06He was from Monroe, Louisiana, moved up to Detroit, became a Democrat.
08:11And my grandfather said the reason why we became Democrats because it was the party of civil rights, labor rights,
08:17women's rights, environmental issues, and the like.
08:20But he wasn't blindly loyal.
08:23My family talks to me to this day that the Democratic Party has been too feckless in terms of getting
08:29things done when we hold power.
08:31We need a renewal of the Democratic Party.
08:34We need a new Democratic Party and a new deal for America because a lot of folk in my community
08:40is the only senator that lives in a black and brown community, working class at the poverty line.
08:45What people say to me all the time is, okay, I see the things that you've been doing, but we're
08:49still not seeing the change that we need.
08:51And I'm telling people right now, the Democratic Party needs its own comeuppance, and we need to have a renewal
08:57of our party and a new generation of leaders.
09:00And that's why I'm excited to sit next to these two women on the couch because they really represent the
09:06best of who we are, but more importantly, who we must be in the coming years.
09:11A new generation of leaders. Congresswoman Crockett. Congresswoman Crockett.
09:23I love y'all back.
09:25So if you were reading my face, then y'all know I was making all the faces for a lot
09:30of reasons.
09:31Number one, yes, we do have the largest Congressional Black Caucus that we've ever had.
09:37That number is a total of 62 out of 535 seats across the House and the Senate.
09:44That is 62. Right now, as many of you probably know, they started in Texas with this redistricting nonsense and
09:52specifically went after black representation.
09:55Texas has more African Americans than any other state, yet somehow we are only going to have, going back to
10:02Congress, three African Americans.
10:04Our delegation tended to have approximately five. Each congressional district is approximately 766,000 people.
10:14They have decided in a state like Texas that our voices would be valued at one fifth of the strength
10:21of our Anglo brothers and sisters.
10:23So, yes, is there more progress to be made? Absolutely. Because I was only the 55th black woman to ever
10:30swear into the United States House in the first place.
10:34There's a lot that we have not gotten done. The problem is that when it comes to some folk, they
10:40say we've done too much.
10:42And then other folks say we haven't done enough. And the reality is that two things can both be true.
10:49And that's exactly what we're dealing with. I like what the senator had to say, though, about the party, because
10:56right now, when you look at how people feel about the Democratic Party and the Republican Party,
11:01no one seems to be happy with either side. But unfortunately, none of us can afford to ever sit it
11:08out.
11:09So the question is, how transactional do black folk want to be? Because there's actually a really good documentary, and
11:19it's on Barbara Jordan.
11:20And I was actually down here at Essence, and I was asked to participate in this, and it's called The
11:26Inquisitor.
11:27And if you don't know anything about Barbara Jordan, please read up on her, because she is that girl, or
11:33she was that girl.
11:35Listen, Barbara Jordan, for all my sorors in the room, they already know.
11:40She was the first black woman to be elected to the Congress from the state of Texas.
11:44She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. And just like her, I serve on judiciary.
11:50She served on judiciary when it came down to getting rid of a corrupt president.
11:54At that time, he was the most corrupt that we thought this country would ever see.
11:58But right now, Nixon is in his grave saying, hold my beer.
12:02Well, anyway, nevertheless, but the point is, black women specifically have been on the front lines of every movement.
12:11The question is, what are black women getting in return?
12:14And so, yes, we need to understand that all skin folk ain't kin folk.
12:19And it's not just them necessarily being Republicans.
12:22And so, it's not good enough for you to show up and do everything that you can in your community
12:27to make sure that you get the vote out.
12:29And then you go ahead and you say, you know what, but now I have to focus on keeping this
12:33roof over my head and making sure that my child goes to school.
12:37Unfortunately, you got to keep a check on folk.
12:39You got to make sure that they're actually bringing resources home.
12:43If they're not telling you what they're doing, you need to be asking the questions.
12:47Because at the end of the day, we work for you.
12:50In my office, we send out emails every week letting my constituents know exactly what I'm doing.
12:57We just got $25 million for transportation just this week for my district.
13:02So, I'm just saying, number one, when somebody comes at you and says, oh, you've got to help me because
13:10I'm a Democrat and it's about our democracy.
13:13You ask them, who is our?
13:15Who are you talking about?
13:17What exactly is it that you plan to do for my community?
13:21Do you even know what is happening in my community?
13:24Do you understand that black women specifically are under attack and they have been targeted?
13:29And we have the largest unemployment that we have ever seen before specifically for black women.
13:35Are you willing to stand up and say something and do something about that in this moment?
13:41Because it's not enough that you just go and vote for the person that has a D by their name
13:45and think that everything's going to be fixed.
13:48It is about making sure that they understand that we are partners.
13:51They are not your leader.
13:53We are partners.
13:54And if anything, we follow your lead because we represent you.
13:58And that's what we've got to demand in this moment is real representation.
14:03And when folks are not getting the right answer, what are we telling them to do?
14:08I mean, listen, you vote them out, number one.
14:11I mean, you know, let me just be real clear about a couple of things.
14:15The House, whether it's the state or federal, we are supposed to be closest to the people.
14:20We call it the people's house.
14:22Our elections are more often because we are supposed to keep up with the pulse of what is happening on
14:28the ground.
14:28You know what happens a lot of times, though?
14:30And y'all know it.
14:31Y'all complain about such and such been in office forever, right?
14:35People say that all the time.
14:37But that's the only name they know.
14:39So when they go to vote, they like, well, I got to vote for such and such.
14:42But if you ask them, tell me what they're doing.
14:45And I'm not saying just because you've been elected for a long time you're ineffective.
14:48But I am saying that we get on autopilot a lot.
14:52And we can't afford to get on autopilot.
14:54We got on autopilot and now we are absolutely under attack.
14:59We have to stay vigilant.
15:01They say that freedom must be fought for in every generation.
15:06I am here to tell you that we are in the midst of our generational fight.
15:11This isn't just about what happened back in the civil rights movement.
15:15You need to understand that there is a modern day movement that is taking place.
15:19And that is why they don't want you to know your history.
15:22They don't want you to understand that the greatness runs in your veins.
15:26That is the reason that the most educated demographic in this country is black women.
15:30Because our ancestors bled for it, died for it, were jailed for it.
15:34So I want you to tap in.
15:38Understand that you are great.
15:40Right now I'm going to ask this real quick question and then we're going to move on to Nicole.
15:44Raise your hand.
15:46And I just want you to be real.
15:47This is a real conversation with us.
15:49Raise your hand if in this moment you feel powerless.
15:56Let me tell you something.
15:57Number one, it breaks my heart.
16:00But number two, I already knew the answer.
16:02The question was, were you going to be willing enough to be vulnerable enough to tell me that you feel
16:09powerless?
16:10Let me just pour into you really quickly.
16:13Let me tell you, there is one group of people that they are most afraid of.
16:17And it is you that is sitting here right now.
16:21It is your power.
16:25You see, when we look at what they've done with lines, when we look at the anti-DEI,
16:31when we look at the attacks that are taking place, you are being targeted for a reason.
16:37Because y'all decided that y'all wanted nice things.
16:40Because you somehow understood how to organize.
16:43Because somehow you are the same people that, unfortunately, your ancestors were dragged from their homes.
16:53And so many didn't make the journey across that ocean.
16:57But I can tell you that you are all the roses that grew through the concrete.
17:03They understand your strength.
17:06Don't let them make you feel powerless, especially right now.
17:10That is the only way they win is if you feel powerless.
17:14Once you tap into who you are and whose you are, I promise you, just like somehow we were able
17:22to loosen those shackles,
17:23there are other shackles that you will loosen for future generations if we stick together and don't allow people to
17:30divide us.
17:31All right.
17:34Nicole.
17:38Well, first of all, Rashad, what I was going to say has now changed as I've listened to these.
17:43All right.
17:44They have sparked so many things in me.
17:46First of all, Rashad, you all, Rashad and I have been getting into trouble, good trouble together for a long
17:50time.
17:51A long time.
17:52My husband calls us part of the civil rights mafia.
17:54And that's a good mafia.
17:56Yes.
17:56Let me tell you all a couple things that really underscore what you heard from the senator and our congresswoman.
18:02Number one, I am proud and privileged to serve as the president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
18:09We are celebrating 50 years this year.
18:13Yes.
18:1450 years.
18:14And we were started, when you talk about power, and you heard Senator Booker talk about how power, we have
18:22to invest in it and it grows and it doesn't just start overnight.
18:2550 years ago, those original members of the Congressional Black Caucus said, we need a foundation that does three things.
18:33Number one, we need to invest in our own future talent and leadership.
18:38Because when young black students are coming to Washington and they want opportunities, they are not getting them.
18:43Because their mothers and fathers don't know senators and congresspeople.
18:46They can't necessarily afford to pay their rent so they can work for free.
18:51They said, we need a foundation, a mechanism that will level the playing field.
18:55That's what we do.
18:56We put more black interns on Capitol Hill than any other organization in this country.
19:02Every summer.
19:04Every spring.
19:05Go visit the website.
19:07So your children can be paid to work in DC.
19:09We provide scholarships for our students, for undergraduate, for law school, for medical school, and we provide fellowships.
19:18And here's why this is important.
19:20And here's why this is about power.
19:22If we are not creating the pipeline for the next generation of leaders, we are ceding our power.
19:30Yeah.
19:30We are ceding our power.
19:33We have to ensure that our young people have opportunities, that they have doors open to them.
19:40Because that's how we're going to see the next Senator Booker.
19:42That's how we're going to see the next Representative Crockett.
19:46We have to invest in them.
19:47So when we talk about power, it is a multi-pronged strategy.
19:52There is not one answer up here.
19:54It is what Senator Booker said.
19:56It is what Congresswoman Crockett said.
19:58It is what I am saying.
19:59We have to understand that the strategy is going to require all of us and it's going to require different
20:05variables.
20:06And here's the other thing you need to understand is this.
20:09Our power, our power exists in each and every one of us.
20:15You do not have to have some fancy title like President and CEO or Senator in order to be powerful.
20:21Please understand that.
20:23Each and every one of you, the communities where you sit, the churches where you are, the sororities, including Alpha
20:32Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
20:37The clubs that you belong to.
20:39That is where power is built.
20:42You all have to be strategizing, figuring out how we're going to take over the world.
20:47Don't just wait for the folks on these stages to tell you how to do that.
20:51We are looking to you.
20:53That is how we are going to do it.
20:55Mobilizing and strategizing and everyone understanding that they have individual power, owning it and leaning into it.
21:03Because that's not what is expected of us.
21:05What is expected is that we are all looking for one leader, a messiah.
21:09That is not how this is going to work.
21:11They can keep thinking that's what we are going to do, but we know better.
21:14And we have a different strategy.
21:16The strategy for power, amassing it and wielding it, lies within each and every one of us and investing in
21:23that next generation of leaders.
21:27Yes, thank you.
21:28So, kind of using a TV show analogy, you know, in this current moment with the state of corporate power,
21:37even some of the recent rulings from the Supreme Court, it can feel like so many candidates, especially black candidates,
21:44can keep getting cast as sort of the best friend, the sidekick, rather than the star of their own show.
21:53Particularly black candidates are often times asked to show up for everyone else, on everyone else's issues and stories, especially
22:02corporations and billionaires, big tech companies with data centers coming into our communities, and often times not getting anything in
22:12return.
22:12These folks are sometimes taking our vote for granted.
22:15I think about big tech, I think about APAC, I think about many of these organizations which are singularly focused
22:22on issues, and then say nothing when our votes are being stripped away, when our rights are being stripped away,
22:29when we are being put in harm's way.
22:30I remember 2020, and the huge number of corporations who made statements that they reneged on.
22:38Nicole, you probably got checks from folks that you probably haven't heard from since then.
22:43And sort of this dichotomy between presence and power I think is incredibly important in this moment.
22:49Sort of, what do we do in this situation where we do have an APAC showing up in districts, where
22:57we do have big tech showing up in these districts, and they're influencing these districts, do we take the money
23:03or do we not?
23:04What do we demand from them in this moment and what not? And how do we think about whether or
23:10not the line has moved, the floor has been raised, the ceiling has been raised?
23:16And I feel like these are issues that are very much in the air as we're watching this primary season.
23:21And so, as we're thinking about power, I think I want you all to address sort of this moment of
23:27APAC, of big tech, of these industries that are playing such an incredible role.
23:33I'm going to go to you first, Congressman Crockett, and then we can go back around. Yeah.
23:37I think that this has to come down to a candidate and their values.
23:41I don't think that people should be doing things that run contrary to what it is that they stand for.
23:48If a candidate feels as if they align with APAC, then they should take APAC money if they feel like
23:55they align with APAC.
23:56But at the end of the day, when you're trying to win a race, you have to know who it
24:01is that you're trying to represent.
24:03And do the people of that community also align?
24:06I also will tell you that there is a bit of, like, a misconception around some of this.
24:12So I may get a little granular and the senator can help me out.
24:17People think that, you know, an APAC comes in and drops off a bag of $10 million.
24:23And then the candidate gets to put that in his pocket and decide which way.
24:26That's not really how it works. I know that's how it's characterized.
24:31But any super PAC that gets involved, they get involved and they run what's called an independent expenditure.
24:38For us that sit in Congress, we have individual donation caps.
24:42So the most that anybody can actually give us directly to our campaign is $3,500 per leg of our
24:50race.
24:50So when people are like, oh, that person took millions of dollars, a lot of times, depending on who it
24:56is, they've never even had a conversation with the super PAC.
24:59They're not allowed to coordinate.
25:01Now, you talk about the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court just handed down a new decision that is going to
25:08be harmful specifically for Democrats.
25:10I'm going to be honest.
25:11And that decision does allow for a level of coordination that we've never seen before between candidates and, like, the
25:20DCCC, the DNC, and DSCC, these large entities that take in a lot of money.
25:27So I will say this because I can go on and on and on for days.
25:32I've never taken APAC money.
25:36And I will tell you that when I ran for Senate, they were able to get people emotionally aroused by
25:43just claiming I took APAC money.
25:46It was to the extent that I was like, well, maybe APAC should have dropped some dollars because I got
25:50accused of the shit anyway.
25:52And at least I would have had more TV.
25:54I mean, I don't really know.
25:55And so what I will say is that it is important for you to understand who the candidates are, regardless
26:02of what super PACs get involved, don't get involved.
26:05You need to understand who the candidates are.
26:07And honestly, those voters that took the time to actually look at FEC filings, which are required, those voters that
26:16actually cared if they cared to know whether or not I was an APAC candidate, they learned that I wasn't.
26:21But what the right has figured out and what some people that really want to be disruptors, even on the
26:28left, have figured out, let me just say that this person is taking dirty money and then that person will
26:35lose votes because they got somebody else that they want to prop up.
26:37So my deal is a person may say, let's say you have a community that's super black, who knows what
26:46APAC would want with a super black community, but it happens.
26:49Okay.
26:49Your question should be, what is this candidate going to do for me and mine?
26:54Like that has to be your first priority because that person is going to DC to be your voice.
26:59And you have to make sure you hold them accountable as it relates to big tech.
27:03If we're talking about AI and data centers and crypto, you need to understand where that candidate is coming from.
27:11It may be that that candidate is not going to have the money to actually be able to run for
27:16Congress.
27:18How much, let me ask y'all, how many of y'all think it costs about $500,000 to run
27:23for the house?
27:24Raise your hand.
27:27How many of you think it costs about a million dollars?
27:29Raise your hand.
27:31Got a couple.
27:321.5.
27:34All right.
27:34So y'all are getting the point.
27:35It actually costs more than that.
27:37So it costs a lot of money.
27:39And so what happens is a lot of your realist candidates don't have that money.
27:43They can't self fund.
27:45Right.
27:46And frankly, they don't have the infrastructure to get the small dollar donors to actually be able to get the
27:52money.
27:52So some people, they may actually apply for some of these.
27:55But at the end of the day, you've got to know your candidate and know where they stand on your
27:59issues specifically,
28:00because they may be better on your issues than somebody else who doesn't say take APAC money.
28:07But they also may not care anything about police brutality or voting rights or black maternal mortality.
28:15They may not care about anything else.
28:17So what I will say is that black people can never afford to be single issue voters.
28:21And also, we can't afford to allow people to get us so emotionally aroused that we don't do our own
28:28research about the candidates,
28:30as well as whatever outside committees are trying to plan their races if they're trying to plan them.
28:36Nicole?
28:38Nicole?
28:39Is there money that we should walk away from?
28:41Nicole?
28:42Let me say this to you.
28:43The foundation, we have a lot of corporate partners, but let me tell you two key things about them.
28:49What we always ask of our partners is this.
28:52We want you around the table, not just because you have the resources, but we want you around the table
28:58if and only if you support who we are,
29:01what we do, and what our mission is and what we are about.
29:03And our mission is about empowering the global black community.
29:08If you are putting your money in the right place to make sure that we are supporting the next generation
29:14of leaders,
29:14to make sure that we are doing research around policies that are going to make black communities better,
29:19if you are putting money into making sure that we can go into Chicago like we did three weeks ago
29:24and have a summit on the south side to talk about health disparities, to talk about economics, to talk about
29:31education,
29:32then yes, I want you around the table with us.
29:35If that is not your agenda, thank you, but you can be somewhere else, okay?
29:40But if your walk and your talk are aligned, I want you with us.
29:45And let me say this.
29:47There are companies who are showing courage in this moment.
29:51There are some companies who are showing, many who are showing courage in this moment.
29:55We know that many of them have been afraid because they have been told don't support diversity,
30:01don't support initiatives that will help underprivileged and underserved communities.
30:06There are so many who have said we are going to continue to stand behind and beside organizations like yours
30:13who do this work
30:14because we believe that is what democracy is really about and we believe that is what this country should look
30:20like.
30:20So just like you know who your friends are and who your enemies are, you have to know them.
30:27You have to know who's going to stick behind you and who's going to stay with you.
30:30And there are funders who are saying, yes, we want to continue to do the right thing.
30:34And they also know that this is cyclical, that in this moment where they stand now is where we're going
30:40to be looking in two years,
30:42in four years to see where do they stand.
30:44And we are going to want those partners who believe in us and believe in our communities.
30:49Senator Booker.
30:50Look, this is perhaps the most important question that there is.
30:53But I want to just say something to an aside.
30:56Anybody that accuses Jasmine Crockett of being owned or controlled by some outside group,
31:02by anybody, she is literally the embodiment of unbought and unbossed.
31:07And I want to say that right now.
31:08So that's outrageous to me.
31:11So I want to really be specific about why this is perhaps one of the most important questions
31:18in any political question you're going to hear right now.
31:21Let me tell you what is happening to our federal government.
31:25We have allowed the normalization of the greatest corruption ever existing at any point in our country's history.
31:34All three branches of government are now thoroughly corrupted by massive concentrated power and wealth.
31:43The Article III branch of government, so-called Supreme Court,
31:47those justices now can take unlimited gifts from billionaires, literally RVs and vacations and tuition,
31:56and they circle around them and they have interests in matters that are before the court.
32:01In New Jersey, that would get a judge arrested and thrown in jail, but we've normalized it.
32:07In my branch of government, you have hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars being poured of corporate cash,
32:14but that's not even the majority of it.
32:17Then you get all of this dark money being spent that has driven up the cost of running for office.
32:23In the Senate, we literally have a Senate where most of the people there represent the top 1% of
32:30the economic burden
32:31because it's so hard for people that don't have money now to actually run for office.
32:37We have senators that trade stocks. It is a corrupt system.
32:41And don't get me started on the executive branch.
32:44You told me not to mention Donald Trump, who made $2 billion in office last year, grifting off of the
32:51office.
32:52We need to break this system of corporate influence and control.
32:58I started with myself 10 years ago and said I will not take corporate PAC money.
33:04Last year when this APAC thing was started and other things, I said I will not take issue-oriented PAC
33:09money as well.
33:11But we need to change the entire system.
33:14I will be rolling out in the coming weeks an omnibus anti-corruption bill that's going to put term limits
33:21on the Supreme Court,
33:22ethics rules on the Supreme Court, stop congresspeople from trading stocks, ending dark money in politics, ending the PAC system,
33:32because that's what they have right now. They can't beat organized people.
33:37Their hope is that you don't organize or mobilize and they are definitely investing a lot of money in stopping
33:45you from voting right now.
33:47That's why a corrupt court is undermining and gutting the Civil Rights Act. Why?
33:53Because it's about power and it's about their money.
33:56When black people vote, we get a greater and bigger democracy.
34:01When they put hurdles in front of you, when they put obstacles in your way, we got to remember where
34:07we came from.
34:08The reason why America has such a robust democracy is because black people, when they tried to stop us from
34:15voting, we found a way to democratize our nation anyway.
34:19We are at a moment of a generational test. We weren't called to march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
34:27We weren't called to do freedom rides. These new generations now who inherited a robust democracy are on our watch
34:34watching it be taken away from us.
34:37The question has got to be, what will we do on our watch?
34:41The Supreme Court and those nine members, that's really only six of them, they may have six votes, but we
34:47have millions of votes.
34:50They make a decision, we need to unleash a movement to recapture our democracy and end this corrupt system that's
34:58undermining the power of the people for only the people with wealth.
35:02So, we have one last question, and I want us to sort of get everyone in.
35:09I appreciate that, Senator Booker, because we can't go back, right?
35:12I often times say, there's not a time machine that I want to get in and go back to.
35:17Maybe for clothes and music, but nothing else.
35:22I say that to say that we will always lose in the back rooms if we don't have people lined
35:28up at the front door.
35:29So, you've got people in this room, you've got people on live stream.
35:33What are we asking people? What are we demanding people?
35:36What are we inviting people in to do in this moment that looks different than what we've done in the
35:43past?
35:44That looks different than the marches? That looks different than voting?
35:47Those things need to continue to happen too, but what is the engagement in this moment that looks different and
35:53feels different?
35:54Because this moment that we are in does look different and does feel different.
36:00Go ahead.
36:00I actually, I really do want y'all to go old school.
36:05And hear me out on this.
36:07For instance, you're all sitting here, so obviously, somehow you have a shared interest.
36:13You're at Essence and you came to this panel.
36:15But raise your hand if you actually said hello to the person sitting next to you.
36:21Okay, some of y'all did good.
36:23Some of y'all did good.
36:24If you haven't, holla at the person next to you when we're done.
36:28But my point is this.
36:30We have become disconnected.
36:33We are so, I mean, how many of y'all have been out to dinner and you see people that
36:38are allegedly on a date,
36:39but they both like in their phone?
36:41We are so disconnected.
36:44People used to know their neighbors.
36:45I grew up in St. Louis, my granny used to keep me and my cousins.
36:48And guess what?
36:50Everybody on the street knew who we belonged to.
36:53Because our neighbors communicated.
36:55Most people don't even know their neighbors.
36:57So what I am asking you to do is flex your power within your circle.
37:02Because we are not actually communicating.
37:04I personally believe one of the reasons specifically that our younger people are struggling with mental health crises in this
37:12moment is because there is a lack of connectivity.
37:15Because you will always be a lot more influential than any politician.
37:20And let me tell you why.
37:21Because most people do not believe politicians.
37:25They look at all of us and be like, what you want?
37:28They never think that politicians have a pure heart.
37:32And trust me, plenty of them don't.
37:33So I get you, right?
37:34But the reality is that I need you to engage in conversations where you say, you know what?
37:40I was listening to Congresswoman Crockett and she said, and I'm going to have you all do it, raise your
37:45hands if your health care premiums went up.
37:48You see that?
37:50I don't even know the vast majority of you, but I know your story because it is my job to
37:55know your story.
37:56I know how the policies that they are passing right now are detrimentally harming you.
38:02But you have more in common with the person that is sitting next to you than anybody else.
38:07So it is time to talk about not only your successes, because I know we want to flex about the
38:12things that we're doing that are good.
38:14But we have to talk about our struggles.
38:16And we have to understand that by educating people so that they know your insurance premium went up because of
38:23this big ugly bill.
38:24That's what Congresswoman Crockett had told us.
38:26Did y'all know about this bill?
38:27You have to start to get your civic education on in whatever ways you can.
38:32And the last thing that I will say is that we just did a daggone Love Island confessional video, child.
38:39Lord, that was my way of communicating, okay?
38:43You have to meet people where they are.
38:45So don't wait for us to come to you.
38:48If you know something, share it.
38:50Share it in your group chats.
38:52Make sure that every single week, raise your hand if you got a group chat.
38:56I know y'all got the family group chat.
38:57You got your line, sisters.
38:59You got all these group chats.
39:00And that's the only place we can't infiltrate.
39:02So what I need y'all to do is take one fact.
39:05Did you know that this happened this week?
39:09Did you know that our tax dollars went to this this week?
39:12Did you know that they indicted this person this week?
39:16And don't be sharing nothing that's a lie.
39:18So make sure you Google a couple of times to make sure that you're not sharing misinformation.
39:23But I promise you, they don't want you to be educated for a reason.
39:27And that is exactly why we have to put the honest on ourselves to get the information.
39:33So get the information, but then share it out to everyone that you can.
39:38And start getting to know your neighbors.
39:40Start getting to know your coworkers that you normally don't talk to.
39:44I promise you, when we can come together, they won't be able to look at people and say,
39:49well, the Haitians is eating the cats and the dogs.
39:52They will then say, but I know a Haitian, and they don't eat cats and dogs.
39:56Right?
39:56They won't be able to say that, oh, Congresswoman Crockett is low IQ basically because she black.
40:01Right?
40:02Because, no, I've got this very intelligent black friend of mine.
40:06So start to reconnect with people.
40:08So I'm going old school on this.
40:10All right.
40:10They're going to give us the hook, but I want to get you in Nicole and Senator Booker, of course.
40:13So, yes.
40:14All right.
40:14I'm a lawyer, so it's hard for me to be quick, but I will be.
40:17All right.
40:17I'm going to give you three things.
40:19Number one, each and every one of you has an expertise, a talent, a gift.
40:24I want you to determine what your talent or your gift is and use it for good.
40:30I don't care what it is.
40:32We all have something we can give to our communities.
40:35And when we use those talents collectively, it will make a powerful impact.
40:40Number two, I want you to make sure that you are being strategic
40:45and determining who in your communities are eligible to vote but are not registered.
40:52Get them registered and get them to the polls.
40:55Now, this is not a general just let's get it.
40:58Let's have a voting, you know, a day where we're just registering people to vote.
41:02I'm talking about with surgical precision.
41:05Find out in your own districts, in your own communities who is eligible, who is not registered,
41:12and get them registered to vote and get them to the polls.
41:15The Calais decision from the Supreme Court, as impactful as it is, you know how it can be overcome?
41:21If we get as many voters who are eligible to come out and vote, we can overcome the shenanigans.
41:29We can overcome the shenanigans.
41:31And number three, I want you all to remember your history and to be courageous.
41:37Do not be afraid in this moment.
41:40Do not be afraid in this moment.
41:42Our history has shown us that we are a resilient people.
41:46We have been bludgeoned, beaten.
41:48We have gone through hell and come back, but yet we are still here.
41:53You all are still here.
41:55You are beautiful.
41:55You are here in this moment.
41:57We are working together.
41:59Hold on to that courage and fear not.
42:02And remember, remember that in this moment where we are celebrating the 250th birthday of this country, it is because
42:11we were and we are.
42:13Yes.
42:17So, I'm a black man who grew up with, I'm here because of phenomenal black women who never gave up
42:26on me, who never ever quit on believing that I could have a better future.
42:32I was sitting in a confirmation hearing for this extraordinary black woman named Ketanji Brown Jackson.
42:40And I literally watched all the forces of darkness coming at her, surrounding her, almost to say that the most
42:48qualified woman ever, qualified person ever to be put up for the Supreme Court, that they were going to try
42:55to stop her, demean her, degrade her before they went on.
42:59And I remember when it got to be my turn to say, ask her my questions.
43:04I told her, sit back, my sister.
43:05I've got no questions for you.
43:07I just want to tell you what I know.
43:09And I'm going to tell it to every black woman that's here right now because I know this from my
43:16own family.
43:18Every one of you is facing a world that is always trying to tell you that you are not enough,
43:25that you are not worthy.
43:28But your ancestry, your DNA, the very fiber of your existence is a testimony to the truth of the matter
43:37that you are worthy, you are capable.
43:40You have within you the spirit of Sojourner Truth.
43:44You have within you the spirit of Fannie Lou Hamer.
43:47You have within you the spirit, all you entrepreneurs, of Madam C.J. Walker.
43:52Your very existence is a testimony that if they try to write you down in history with their bitter, twisted
43:58lies, they try to trot you in that very dust, you will rise.
44:03And I'm sorry to ask this of you, but right now more than ever, this nation needs the women of
44:10our community yet again.
44:12I know you're weary.
44:13I know you're sick and tired of being sick and tired.
44:16But the salvation of our country depends upon your strength and your wisdom and your love.
44:23And so this is our calling.
44:25This is our moment.
44:27The most common way, as Alice Walker says, that people give up their power is not realizing it, realizing they
44:34have it in the first place.
44:35You are powerful.
44:37You are strong.
44:39You are made in the image of God.
44:41And this nation needs your divinity now.
44:44I know the times are tough.
44:46I know it is a hard moment.
44:48But I know also that we shall overcome.
44:52We will not agonize.
44:53We will organize.
44:55We may be weary, but we will get back to work.
44:58And yet again, when this nation is lunging off the path of democracy, we will save this country and get
45:05it back on track and make sure that our tomorrows are better than our yesterdays.
45:11All right.
45:13Essence Fest, please give it up for Senator Cory Booker, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, and Nicole Austin Hillary of the Congressional
45:21Black Caucus.
45:22Thank you all very much.
45:23Let's get out there and let's find our power.
45:28Bye-bye, right at the campgrounds and the green next dagen.
45:29Bye-bye.
45:30Let's go to the Bayley Remote Squad.
45:32Bye-bye.
45:33We'll have to keep watching and go vlog.
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