0:05

Hey, this is Annie and Samantha. I could

0:07

be Stefan never told you a production of Ihart Radio.

0:18

And today, y'all, we are coming back

0:20

on with a friend of the show. I

0:22

think one of the first friends that I made

0:25

thanks to the show through the podcast.

0:28

I fangirled really hard. I think I was

0:30

so giddy when you came on

0:33

that everybody was like, is she okay? Because

0:35

I was so excited to have you on.

0:37

And actually it was one of our last

0:40

interviews that we did in that

0:42

studio because the pandemic had happened,

0:45

we quickly wanted to shut down.

0:48

But with all of this, yes, I'm building it up. We

0:50

are here today with Representative

0:53

Park Canon of Georgia

0:56

House District fifty eight. Welcome

0:59

back, Thank you.

1:00

I am still legislatively yours.

1:04

I am still the youngest Democrat

1:06

elected to the House in Georgia

1:09

and now I am the secretary

1:12

of the Caucus.

1:13

Yes, you have done so much, and if

1:15

you can't tell, I'm still fangirling because

1:17

I have watched you continue

1:20

to grow doing so much

1:22

for our community specifically and being

1:24

our voices, and very excited that

1:27

you are continuing in this track

1:30

with our interests in mind,

1:32

and I really feel like you're one of

1:34

the hopes that we have when

1:37

it comes to politics, because

1:39

it's been disappointing. Let's be honest,

1:43

you know, I think we came back with a

1:45

lot of heartbreak in the

1:47

last four years, a lot of also, you know,

1:50

restoration of faith as well. But you are

1:52

one of the few that I'll still keep watching and

1:54

have not been disappointed by. So

1:57

thank you.

1:58

Okay, Honestly, I feel like there

2:00

are some lesbian fore mothers and

2:03

some queer folks out here holding me accountable,

2:06

and so the work is definitely of

2:09

our office, but also I think

2:11

of a lot of the people who

2:13

feel like things are broken now.

2:17

And of course you have given some of the things

2:19

that you've been doing and you're still doing, and

2:21

we have to put behind your title, you know, advocate.

2:24

Of course style icons still

2:26

are because you're killing it well.

2:28

As I'm watching you on Instagram, I'm like, I

2:30

need silent advice from her reproductive

2:33

justice advocate in Doulah. And you've

2:36

been fighting so hard with that. You're an author,

2:38

Hello, yes you are, and

2:41

yeah, you've done so much and we're so excited

2:44

to have you back on And

2:47

with that, how have you been.

2:50

How are you doing?

2:51

It's been interesting.

2:53

I now have two therapists

2:56

and my team

2:59

at the Capital has grown to

3:02

make sure that we've got everything

3:04

covered, and ultimately

3:07

I've started ballroom dancing.

3:09

Cool.

3:10

Yes, your girl did a chat shot

3:12

competition, and I'm

3:14

not going to get too much into it because

3:16

it was for charity. But

3:20

I got the highest points in the competition

3:22

but walked away with no

3:24

trophy because

3:27

they had a sudden dance off in

3:29

a totally different genre and

3:32

I was just giving basic and they needed extra.

3:34

So the moral of the story is

3:37

I'm fine, but I'm

3:39

still missing that trophy.

3:43

God, come on, we need to see clips

3:45

of those because I have questions.

3:47

I will email it to you immediately.

3:49

It's on my Instagram and your

3:51

girl is still going to therapy

3:53

over it.

3:56

Too.

3:56

I would too. But that's still amazing that you went and

3:58

competed because for me, things like that, I'm like, no,

4:01

thank you. I would be on the sideline eating popcorn

4:03

watching you do it.

4:05

No, I really have to move a lot of the

4:07

stuff that happens at the Capitol out of my

4:09

body.

4:10

Yeah, And so I.

4:11

Go to the sauna and I go to

4:13

stretch class and physical therapy

4:16

and just try to

4:18

use some different herbs

4:21

in my baptob you know, just really

4:23

trying to get the white supremacy off

4:25

of me.

4:26

Yeah. Oh, and in the

4:28

state of Georgia, I can't imagine. But

4:31

with all that, you have been obviously very very

4:33

busy being on the front lines

4:35

in Georgia politics. You've been on

4:38

the front pages of news all

4:40

over the country, all of the nation, fighting

4:42

for your people in your community. Again,

4:45

that's a whole lot of responsibility being

4:47

placed onto your shoulders.

4:50

I cannot imagine, and I'm thinking I

4:52

don't think you hit enough baths, enough

4:55

of those to be able to completely

4:57

relax. But again, like

5:00

guys said, just watching you doing

5:02

the work that you're doing, still

5:04

fighting especially what feels like

5:06

an uphill battle constantly has

5:09

been so it's

5:13

not just encouraging. There's so many words

5:15

that I don't have enough of because

5:17

we know, again after

5:20

being disappointed, this is the

5:22

moments where I'm like, yeah, I know I'm significantly

5:24

older than you, but you're doing all

5:26

of this work, and I know it has to be from

5:30

people like you, unfortunately, because

5:33

you're the ones who really really push

5:35

it forward.

5:36

And I love that.

5:37

We're super future minded in my office,

5:40

to the point where we're thinking

5:42

past the wars that we're in. We're thinking

5:44

past the brutality that

5:46

we're seeing and past the mortality

5:48

experiences, really into a

5:51

world that is infinite

5:53

with opportunity. So I

5:56

think that this last session, I

5:59

went in thinking how can I serve

6:01

members even when they don't know they're being served,

6:04

and how can I rest a little

6:06

bit more. So I've been calling

6:08

myself internally the sedentary

6:11

secretary because

6:14

I've been trying to sit down and

6:16

do the work more because

6:18

people would always say, like there

6:20

goes part Candon, like her feet are going fast

6:23

as down a hallway, and

6:25

I enjoyed like the click clack. But I've

6:27

also realized being sedentary,

6:30

being settled, helping people

6:32

see the power in, you

6:34

know, being organized. So I've

6:37

been enjoying the sedentary secretary role

6:39

a little bit this year.

6:40

Ooh, the power being organized. That's a statement

6:42

that I don't I don't understand. I

6:47

need it, but I don't understand it. Yeah,

6:52

And as the secretary, I know you

6:55

know, and the world knows that

6:57

a lot is happening right now in Georgia.

7:00

We are a pretty big focal point for a lot

7:02

of things, and one of the

7:04

big things, of course, has to

7:06

do with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and

7:08

in before then, even before then, conservatives

7:11

in Georgia have been working to

7:13

completely dismantle abortion rights. We

7:16

know that it's been a thing. They've been doing this

7:19

and now have had the chance to run with that, unfortunately,

7:23

and they have places that six week ban in

7:26

full fact, and we know that access has

7:28

been severely limited,

7:30

even though there's more support for abortion

7:33

access than not like publicly,

7:36

but hey, who want Why

7:38

do we care what the people want?

7:39

Right?

7:39

What are some things we may not know about the law that

7:42

just that was passed.

7:43

Yeah, so the law makes it ambiguous

7:46

on to who can drive into hov

7:48

lane, because how does a

7:50

police officer decide who's pregnant or

7:52

not? And when do you decide

7:55

that the pregnancy is viable

7:57

enough to get out of a ticket. It also

8:00

makes it so that the process of child

8:02

support can be started while

8:04

someone is in the womb, And it

8:07

also makes it so that different

8:09

health care facilities are

8:12

criminalized ultimately for

8:14

their role in dealing with miscarriages.

8:17

So it's a pretty.

8:18

Intense reality that we have here

8:20

in Georgia, which is why I'm proud

8:22

of organizations like ARC Southeast

8:25

and the Feminist Women's Health Center that

8:28

still provide access to abortion inside

8:31

the state and also help

8:33

you travel or get childcare

8:36

or hotel care if you have to go outside

8:38

of the state. And legislatively,

8:42

we've been passing bills to say, if you're going

8:44

to make it so that people have to remain pregnant

8:46

and carry to term, then you're going

8:49

to need to change some systemic issues.

8:52

So this year we were able to create

8:54

a new Commission on basically

8:57

Maternal Equity

8:59

and Excellence, and so it

9:01

will convene fourteen different stakeholders

9:05

who are not just obgi ns,

9:07

but who are system administrators

9:09

and pelvic floor specialists

9:12

and chiropractors who can

9:14

say what's wrong with George's healthcare

9:16

system. As well as we've

9:18

put some more money in the budget for

9:21

our review committee, which

9:23

when someone passes away in childbirth,

9:26

there's this review committee that figures

9:28

out how it happened. And

9:31

that review committee has been so key.

9:35

Because it has proven that.

9:37

Eighty nine percent of the births

9:39

that ended fatally in Georgia

9:42

were preventable.

9:44

So when things are preventable.

9:48

That means that we should start compensating

9:51

people. So just yesterday I

9:53

put in a bill

9:56

that would create a survivor's

9:58

fund for families of those who

10:00

pass away in childbirth right.

10:02

Yeah, and as in fact, that was something I was going

10:04

to bring up because you've been sponsoring or

10:06

introducing bills since

10:09

the new policies have happened with the overturning

10:11

of Roe v. Wade, trying

10:13

to lessen the restrictions

10:15

or at least help those who are most affected

10:17

by those bills like HB one,

10:20

I know, the Georgia pro Birth Accountability

10:23

Act, which was amazing, Like you have some

10:25

of the best I feel like, comebacks

10:29

to, like the most

10:31

archaic and all awful

10:34

bills or policies that have happened. You just come

10:36

back with like, Okay, well let's talk about this instead.

10:38

And I love that because you do this in politics,

10:41

you do this in policy form, and

10:43

I'm like, damn, I don't know if people realize

10:45

how artful this really

10:48

is, and we don't talk about it enough. But bills

10:50

like this, which is something try

10:52

to hold people accountable for irresponsible

10:55

bills that target pregnant people

10:57

but don't want to actually help or give a sense

11:00

after birth or in case

11:02

of death. So you

11:05

kind of already talked about it, but can you elaborate

11:07

more on why these bills are important, why

11:09

we need to keep talking about it, and actually we need to make

11:11

it public for sure.

11:14

So, for example, a mama

11:16

who is on Medicaid in Georgia

11:18

right now gets to have

11:20

health insurance simply because that person

11:23

is pregnant, but as soon as the pregnancy

11:25

is over, they can be kicked off

11:27

of Medicaid. So we expanded

11:29

Medicaid for mama's only

11:32

postpartum in Georgia, and

11:34

that gives folks up to one year, which

11:36

covers that postpartum

11:39

possible mortality period. But

11:41

what we've seen is that not

11:44

only are people barely

11:46

surviving that one year, but

11:49

they're having a lot of other complications

11:52

and issues that could

11:54

be viewed from other

11:56

medical perspectives if

11:58

the system was paying attention.

12:01

So, for example, we put

12:04

a bill together this.

12:05

Year that says, why

12:07

wait for the six week ob

12:10

visit to ask the mama

12:13

how her mental health is. Why

12:15

don't we just have that happen at

12:17

the newborn visit, which happens within

12:20

one week of birth and

12:23

these bills are so important for medicaid

12:25

mamas because they're

12:28

expecting that the system is going

12:30

to set off an alarm and

12:32

say, hey, it's time for you to come

12:34

in for this visit. Hey it's time for you to check

12:36

in about birth control, and

12:39

the systems are not. The

12:41

OB's are not talking to the pediatricians,

12:44

who are not talking to the labor and delivery nurses,

12:47

who aren't talking to the doulas. So

12:50

that's why it's so important that we put together this

12:52

commission where everyone can finally

12:54

talk to each other and get out of silos. And

12:57

on top of that, with

12:59

the Survivor's Fund. We've

13:02

been hit with naysayers who will say,

13:06

well, there is

13:08

an anti gratuities clause in

13:11

the state of Georgia, which means that same

13:14

way that legislators can't get free tickets

13:16

to things, that residents

13:19

of Georgia can't just receive

13:21

free government money and free

13:23

government you know items.

13:26

And so some naysayers have.

13:28

Said, well, what does the state have to do with

13:31

a mama who passes away in childbirth's

13:34

child going to kindergarten?

13:37

And our response is.

13:38

Everything, how

13:41

can we make it possible that

13:44

this is not something that

13:47

you can talk down on, but that

13:50

you can publicize. And

13:52

so the way that we're seeing this is if

13:55

that review committee deems

13:57

a death as preventable, that pros

14:00

takes one year, so it's at least

14:02

a year after the mortality,

14:06

and then the family could apply

14:08

and by that point, you know, some

14:11

of the grieving, some of the trauma, some of the family

14:13

issues might have resolved

14:16

a little bit, so that now you can make

14:18

a plan for that child's

14:20

life and the guardian or whoever

14:22

it's going to be. And we're hopeful

14:25

that what we'll see is that people

14:28

who have almost passed

14:30

away, which we call morbidity,

14:32

maternal morbidity or a

14:35

near miss, that will start

14:37

to catch some of their experiences

14:39

too, as they start to reach

14:41

out to the committee to share what's

14:43

going on with them.

14:45

Yeah,

14:55

one of the things that we're seeing with

14:58

all of these walls or

15:00

legislations that are being proposed that are very

15:02

anti abortion, anti reproductive rights

15:06

is fear, I think, in confusion, just

15:08

mass confusion. So technically

15:12

abortion is still legal here and

15:14

you've already talked about some things still legal

15:16

here in Georgia. I mean, what do the listeners

15:20

need to know when it comes to Georgia, and

15:22

that.

15:23

Here in Georgia, if you take a

15:25

pregnancy test and

15:27

you see that you're pregnant, you're

15:29

going to need to follow up and find how

15:32

many weeks pregnant you are because

15:34

that determines your access

15:37

to care. There are

15:39

some clinics that are able to provide

15:41

abortion pills to you if

15:44

when you receive your ultrasound, if

15:46

it says that you're less than six weeks gestation,

15:50

and if you are over six

15:52

weeks and it is

15:54

not an extreme case

15:57

of incest or

16:00

rate that you have reported

16:03

to the police and have a report for,

16:05

then you will have to go out of state

16:08

to North Carolina and

16:10

receive services there, which they

16:13

go a little bit further than we do, but

16:16

they also don't go as far as

16:18

the next state, which would be

16:20

Virginia. So right now

16:23

we are seeing a lot of families

16:25

leave Georgia and head straight for Virginia

16:28

without checking how far

16:31

along they are, just to make sure

16:33

that they can get the best care.

16:35

Right, which is upsetting, Like, there's

16:37

so many conversations that need to be had

16:40

with these kind of restrictions.

16:42

But yes, but they act like the

16:45

fact of the matter is it is still technically

16:47

legal six weeks and of course with

16:50

the mini guidelines, that's just like

16:52

we're like I can't even I

16:54

get so angry. I can't even talk, like I'm just I'm

16:56

just fumbling through the requirements

16:58

that they have set up for

17:01

access and it is almost

17:03

impossible. It's kind of that same level of like they're

17:06

hoping that you'll go to a pregnancy center and

17:09

like being tricked into

17:11

all of that. So I'm not even gonna

17:13

go into all that because I don't. I

17:15

will flip things. I will throw things apart

17:18

right now, Like I just want to throw things. So I'm gonna calm

17:20

down. But like there's so many things that need to

17:22

be had, but that things like the organizations that you

17:24

were talking about arec who I love. They

17:26

are probably one of my favorite organizations. Really do so

17:28

much, but make sure that they are fighting

17:31

for reproductive rights in general, Like they're not

17:33

just working to help their clients, are helping

17:36

trying to help those in this

17:38

area.

17:38

Which yeah,

17:41

they're in the Amplify Coalition,

17:44

which is a collaborative of different

17:46

nonprofits to amplify issues

17:49

of reproductive justice. So the

17:51

Amplify folks have been down at

17:53

the Capitol.

17:54

They have been doing great work.

17:56

And I'm super grateful too that we

17:58

get to have different converss, like about

18:01

trans folks, about queer communities,

18:04

about how COP City impacts

18:06

queer folks, and Amplify is

18:08

really leading on those issues.

18:10

Yeah, and there's some big stuff I

18:12

didn't even I haven't even tried to bring up

18:14

cop City because I'm like, oh, that's

18:16

another I bring it up in like

18:18

sarcastic tone because it's just still so

18:21

bleak being in Georgia and knowing

18:23

what is happening here already, and you're like, well,

18:26

what with the people who I thought

18:28

I could trust in this city council? Really

18:31

turned up disappointing,

18:33

as I said, But like this is when I'm talking about

18:35

the amount of disappointment that I've seen within

18:37

our government who I thought would do what was

18:39

for the best interest, and the fact

18:41

that it's very like this

18:44

is getting shorter again. You're still on

18:46

my list, Thank you so much more. Yeah, okay,

18:49

yeah, but you know,

18:51

and on top of that, and in this conversation,

18:54

we have to talk about the voter suppression stuff

18:56

that has been happening and sat in the South

18:58

and in Georgia as well, and the continued

19:01

use of trickery and

19:04

all the things that's happening here. And Georgia has

19:06

become a swing state. We know this and

19:08

when it comes to elections, and we've become a

19:10

focal point for many when it

19:12

comes to the results in elections and government.

19:15

And even after both Kemp and

19:18

Raethisberger confirmed that there were no fraud

19:21

or illegal doings in twenty twenty, they

19:24

still use that fear mongering to

19:26

make it harder for marginalized folks

19:29

to vote. And they did

19:31

this nicklely and deceptively by signing

19:33

the Election Integrity Act of twenty twenty

19:35

one, which I feel like is a slap in the face in general,

19:38

like that's such a lie. That is not that

19:41

is not what's happening.

19:42

That was their talking point for that year,

19:45

integrity, and we really

19:48

read through it and helped them understand

19:50

that it was really just human rights

19:53

violations.

19:54

So right, right,

19:57

and you you actually

20:00

decided to take action on that. But before

20:03

we get into that, can you talk about why acts

20:05

like these are harmful for voters

20:08

and do not put integrity into anything.

20:11

Yeah, when you revamp the entire voting

20:13

code, However, you don't get input

20:15

from First Amendment organizations,

20:18

voting rights groups, nor the

20:20

offices at the local departments

20:23

that are going to effectuate the elections,

20:25

you know that there is no integrity to it.

20:28

We have seen that in the

20:31

recent elections, people

20:33

have continued to show up to early

20:35

vote more than they have shown up

20:37

on election day. And that's been great because

20:40

then it gives you an opportunity to vote

20:42

in different places at different times.

20:45

But also we have seen some voter

20:48

confusion as to what

20:51

district they're in because since I talked

20:53

to y'all last we've gone through two

20:55

cycles of redistricting, whereas

20:58

we only should have had zero.

21:00

So we

21:02

had to.

21:03

Come in in a special session re

21:05

draw maps. Then they went to court,

21:08

and then the court had to decide if they

21:10

complied with the Voting Rights Act. And

21:13

although we, along with ACLU

21:16

and a number of other organizations argue

21:18

that they did not comply with the Voting

21:20

Rights Act, the

21:22

Court's ruled in the favor of our

21:25

opponents and said that the maps could go

21:27

into effect. And so simply

21:29

just helping people know what district they're

21:31

in right now has been important

21:34

due to these voter issues

21:37

and changes over the past few years.

21:40

Yeah, and of course, as Georgia residents

21:43

and voters, we want to thank you because

21:45

not only did you take action against something

21:48

that was so harmful to us, but you helped

21:50

bring attention to the

21:52

n ethical practices and policies like these.

21:54

No matter what, they did not come out looking good.

21:57

There was nothing about this that was like, oh, yeah, they're

21:59

doing great hiding it. But while

22:01

you were going through this, you were a

22:03

store, you were going on the front page

22:06

news everywhere. I remember seeing it going,

22:08

yeah, that's my girl right there, that's my friend. I

22:11

was like, yeah, if there were, But what was

22:13

going through your mind when all this came about when

22:16

you were going at the door, Like, if you want to talk about

22:18

it, you don't have going to detailed I know you've talked

22:20

about it many times, but having to

22:22

stand at the door trying to get their attention to be

22:24

like, this is not the way this works,

22:27

and then having to try to like

22:29

just have an adult conversation is what it's like.

22:32

This week is the three year anniversary

22:34

of my unlawful arrest at the Georgia

22:36

State Capitol, and the reflections

22:39

that I have on it are twofold

22:42

one that I am actively

22:44

suing the State of Georgia right now in

22:47

order for them to understand that

22:49

they violated my rights

22:51

and there is compensation

22:55

as well as changes

22:57

that need to happen so this does not affect

23:00

another legislator. And secondly,

23:03

that the world is watching, the world

23:05

has seen these same officers

23:08

arrest other elected officials in

23:11

their capacity, that the world

23:13

has seen them pass voter

23:15

challenge laws in front of plantation

23:18

photos, that the world has seen

23:21

them continue to evade

23:24

responsibility for interfering

23:27

with elections in Fulton County.

23:29

So as I reflect on it, I'm.

23:31

So proud that Fannie

23:34

Willis was recently

23:36

elected the district attorney when

23:39

my unlawful arrest happened,

23:41

and she was able to drop the charges, and

23:44

today we have been standing with her. I

23:47

am now the Fulton County Chair and

23:49

so as Fulton County elected

23:51

officials, we have been supporting

23:54

her through this.

23:55

Time in which they have been trying

23:58

to put her on trial. But

24:01

they should.

24:02

Be terrified because

24:05

they have awoken so

24:08

many other people, Like in

24:10

my experience, they woke

24:13

so many people who thought that voter

24:15

challenges were of the past, and

24:18

in her case, they

24:20

have awakened many individuals

24:23

who can see how masogyny

24:26

plays into elected leadership

24:28

and how at the same time she

24:31

has been phenomenal with her

24:33

pursuit of justice for all of Georgia

24:36

and the nation. So I'm

24:38

feeling kind of excited

24:41

that this is where we are and that

24:43

the eyes are still on Fulton County

24:45

voters, right, I.

24:47

Will say, Like watching the TikTok videos

24:49

of the different testimonials

24:52

and all that testifying happening, I'm like,

24:54

Okay, I am a millennial genexer.

24:56

So when this phrase stand on business

24:59

came out, I was like, what now, I get it,

25:01

Like watching her, like, oh, that's

25:03

what that means. Like those are the

25:05

moments and you doing what you did, like

25:08

standing there and making sure that people

25:10

will understood we're watching you. You can't

25:12

hide this. We're not gonna let you hide

25:14

this. Like both of those moments are like

25:16

I get that, I get that phrase.

25:19

I'm here now, Yes,

25:21

we stand for Fanie. Yes.

25:23

And I'm telling you what the

25:27

level of professionalism that

25:29

she has like this is the I feel like

25:31

a battle of competence versus

25:34

ignorance, Like the difference of like,

25:36

yeah, this is what this looks like, Yeah,

25:39

I like it. Thank you for representing

25:41

Georgia in such a way for Fulton County.

25:43

Right, but oh, I hadn't

25:45

realized that you are a chair for Fulton County.

25:48

You're very busy.

25:49

Yeah, you're very busy.

25:53

Well again, thank you for being

25:55

here. Okay, speaking

25:57

of we are back into

26:00

presidential election season again. Feels

26:02

like we never left. But they're

26:05

very similar scenarios that

26:07

we've seen before. But what

26:09

are some things that we should all be paying

26:11

attention to right now? What are some key

26:13

factors we may need to know.

26:15

So the reason why we vote

26:17

in the March primary is

26:20

to designate our party so

26:22

that in the May primary

26:25

that candidates like myself can

26:28

reach out to their voters. And

26:31

right now it's so important because we've

26:33

had all these redistrictings.

26:36

So as much as people have

26:38

been like, I'm not interested in voting

26:40

for either candidate, that's

26:42

fine.

26:43

I hear you.

26:45

The progressivism has not been there, and

26:49

we would regress otherwise. But

26:53

this is a system of participation.

26:56

It does not award people who

26:59

do not participate. So I

27:01

am pushing for voter participation as

27:04

a process. I

27:06

want you to know what district

27:09

you were in last election and which

27:11

one you're in this time. I want you to

27:13

know what was your polling place and

27:15

what is it now, because even my polling place

27:18

change this election, and

27:21

I'm the elected official, so I know

27:23

that for other people the

27:26

process of receiving a notice

27:28

in the mail and saying this says

27:31

my polling place has changed?

27:32

Do I believe it? Is this real? Is this not?

27:35

There is going to take more

27:38

voter touches from myself

27:41

the candidate, to help people

27:43

feel like, Okay, yeah, this is real. I've gotten

27:45

a notice in the mail. Park Cannon's

27:47

office has told me on letterhead,

27:50

and then I also received a campaign literature

27:52

from her. But if you don't participate,

27:55

you literally don't get put on the super

27:58

voter's list. So you drop

28:00

from being a person who has voted

28:03

in three of the four previous

28:05

elections to two of

28:07

the four previous elections. And

28:10

it wasn't because of

28:12

anything other than your unwillingness to vote

28:14

for a specific candidate to which

28:17

you could write in. So we've

28:19

been talking a lot about folks, you

28:22

know, needing to understand

28:24

the point of the primaries is

28:26

really to help us figure out

28:29

what is our database and so all

28:31

the data folks out there, all the people who

28:33

are good at Excel spreadsheets, all

28:35

the people who do real estate and

28:38

who do generating leads, you

28:40

understand why having data

28:43

that is accurate is important. Secondly,

28:48

the issues that hit the

28:50

federal level really

28:53

come to pass at the state level. So

28:56

when we're talking about issues of

28:59

immigration, as

29:02

much as it is the

29:04

federal government's purview

29:07

to determine policies

29:09

related to how they treat people migrating,

29:12

how they fund the resources

29:15

for them, and how they deal with criminalities,

29:19

it comes to bear with a

29:22

local sheriff

29:25

deputy pulling someone over.

29:28

And so we need.

29:30

To be clear that when we

29:32

vote for the federal elections,

29:35

we are enabling or disabling

29:38

local actors to

29:40

do what needs to be done to not

29:42

violate people's human rights. And my

29:45

concern right now is that

29:47

people feel like this is us showing

29:51

our loyalty to federal

29:53

actors, when really this

29:56

is us being the first line of

29:58

defense for our lofe local people

30:00

to be okay. And so

30:03

our office can't wait to get out

30:05

of session.

30:06

We finish on the twenty

30:08

eighth, and we are going.

30:10

To be knocking people's doors hosting events,

30:13

having rallies not

30:15

for candidates but for.

30:17

Cause, right, which

30:19

I've seen you've been doing during

30:21

the middle sessions as well.

30:24

I know you've been doing those things. And

30:28

I think, yeah, that important message of like how

30:30

how it does affect what's

30:33

going on in a local level, and we have

30:35

to be careful and watch it, like all of these

30:37

things interact together, and

30:39

it does affect us all as we've continued

30:41

to see things that have happened on a federal

30:43

level in the Supreme Court has absolutely

30:46

drastically affected all of us,

30:48

even though it's supposed to be with that whole intent

30:50

of being state rights

30:52

bs. But you know, that's a whole different

30:54

conversation, which is what the concern is. Which is

30:56

that conversation, Because

30:59

yeah, I'm definitely one of the I'm like, I don't like my options,

31:02

but I'm gonna go with the lesser equal,

31:05

and I know it's important that I have to stick to that

31:07

because when we were laxed

31:09

for a second, and I don't think I was that laxed to begin

31:12

like I say this, and that I voted and I was concerned,

31:14

and I remember people being like, it's not that big of a deal.

31:17

When Trump came through, it's not that big of a deal,

31:19

and we saw like it's been a wreck. It's been

31:21

a wreck. Uh.

31:23

My legislative life has

31:25

been starkly

31:27

different throughout the three presidencies

31:29

I've served under Obama,

31:32

Trump and Biden. And

31:35

what I can say is that if

31:37

you're not concerned

31:39

with supporting a federal candidate,

31:43

think about the impact that

31:46

either of those presidencies would have

31:48

on Queer local elected

31:50

officials like myself who are defending

31:53

against these issues. Like just

31:56

scale back and think about

31:59

how it empowered folks

32:01

like us who are on the ground and who

32:03

know our community as well, so

32:06

that it feels less

32:09

icky.

32:12

Right, that's a good way to say.

32:14

Sorry. I know it gives you the ick, but you got to

32:16

figure out what it really does mean.

32:18

Think about me, Think about me and my shoes and

32:20

my glasses and me being

32:23

bopping around the streets of Atlanta.

32:25

Like, focus on that side.

32:29

Here and before

32:31

we end, because there's still several more things

32:33

that we don't talk about, but we do have to throw it

32:35

back to our last interview with you, when

32:38

we talked about how you got into politics to begin

32:40

with and your advice

32:42

for others who are interested as well.

32:44

And not only did you give us some great advice

32:47

then and listeners, but you've

32:49

actually written a book to

32:51

give a step by step guide and

32:53

insight into running for office

32:56

that's titled The Universal Guide

32:58

to Running for Office State Level,

33:01

which, by the way, I found out the d KABA library.

33:04

I was very I was like, yeah, library

33:06

system and I was able to check it out and read through it,

33:08

so I was like.

33:09

Look at here.

33:12

Honestly, shout out to my friend Michelle

33:14

who has been getting

33:16

my books into library systems

33:19

in different places, and anyone

33:21

who's listening. If you want a copy

33:23

for your local library, just present

33:25

it to them and they should be able

33:27

to put it on the shelf.

33:29

Yeah, and it's great. I was so excited

33:31

to get it. And not only

33:33

do you give straightforward practical

33:36

advice like raising

33:38

funds and campaigning and paperwork

33:40

even and even about like yard signs, like

33:43

you were all in it, but you talk about

33:45

the need for justice inclusion care

33:48

as well. I'm

33:50

gonna quote from the book because you know that's what I like to do.

33:53

Bring the issues of all types of justice

33:55

to the forefront of your campaign, racial,

33:57

economic, transit, healthcare, environmental

34:00

ability, reproductive, criminal, restorative,

34:02

global, and social to start a list of

34:04

some that voters care to hear from you about.

34:07

This is one of the most liberating parts of

34:09

running for office because it truly allows

34:11

many viewpoints and needs to be

34:13

explored and expanded based on your

34:15

actions. And I feel like, even though

34:17

that sounds obvious, I

34:19

don't think we get to truly witness this

34:22

in many politicians, in many people

34:24

in government. So can you

34:26

expand on my practicing?

34:28

I want to say this. I see this as empathy

34:31

essentially and care intersectionality, But

34:33

can you expand onto why it's important to

34:35

have this type of lead in politics and policy.

34:38

When candidates realize that

34:41

people want to vote for more than

34:43

just talking points, but for actual,

34:46

lived experiences and

34:49

opportunities for collaboration, then

34:52

things are better. Because if I walk

34:54

up to someone's porch and

34:57

they've done some renovations, I'm

35:00

excited to talk to them about who

35:02

do they use and how did it work

35:04

and why do they decide this style and

35:07

etc. Versus me just walking

35:09

up, putting the flyer on the door, and walking away.

35:12

If I just leave my flyer, all they

35:14

see are talking points. But if

35:16

I actually try to engage with

35:18

them, try to go to their neighborhood meetings. I

35:21

get to hear about what's going on. And

35:24

maybe for some communities the

35:26

idea of renovating your porch is controversial

35:29

because it needs to fit into a

35:32

artistic.

35:33

Mold of the neighborhood, you know.

35:35

But for other communities it's

35:37

a sign of economic prosperity

35:40

to be able to, like redo your grandmama's

35:42

porch, And so there's some code switching

35:45

of course that takes place as a candidate, and

35:49

really, campaign managers and campaign

35:51

team members are the ones who can help

35:53

you to stay to the ground. Like

35:56

maybe out of a block of ten, you

35:58

knock five doors and your tear em knocks five,

36:01

but at least you have that come together conversation

36:04

where you're like, Okay, what were they

36:06

talking about over there?

36:08

And I'm excited that now

36:10

that we are.

36:13

Experiencing the COVID a

36:15

different way and people are open

36:18

to seeing each other face to face and

36:21

being out in community events, that

36:23

candidates who are running this cycle will

36:25

have the opportunity to be more

36:27

external and to be more long

36:30

winded. But it was just

36:32

a function of the pandemic that I

36:34

feel these past three years, candidates

36:36

have really had to be concise,

36:39

and so I'm hopeful to see more folks reach

36:42

into our groups, reach into the book and

36:44

try to come up with some like savvy slogans

36:47

and interesting campaigns.

36:48

And I've been seeing some of.

36:50

Them around, Like the yard signs are coming out

36:52

now, and people are really starting

36:54

to, I think, pull their identities

36:57

to the front instead of pushing

36:59

them back.

37:00

I love that. I also love that you put your glasses

37:03

that's part of your yard sign.

37:05

Yes, yeah, it was so good tested it

37:08

it said looking out for you, for thinking,

37:11

and so I want more candidates to do things like

37:13

that. Like there's a young elected official

37:16

who just got into the house and

37:19

his last name is Bell. So on

37:21

his yard science he has a bell

37:23

and then like all of his things is like

37:26

wake up, it's time right, or like you

37:28

know, the bell is ringing for justice.

37:30

And so I think that when candidates start

37:33

to get into more creative

37:35

ways of campaigns, that you get people

37:37

to come to you instead of you having

37:40

to go to them.

37:41

Annie loves a good pun, so she's she's down

37:43

for all those. And

37:52

you, as you were talking, you are currently in election

37:54

season yourself, and

37:57

now you are a pro. You are a pro at this,

37:59

but I'm sure as time has changed, as candidates

38:02

have changed, as federal levels changed, and

38:05

as our societies changed, you've had

38:07

to adapt to it, like

38:09

you talk about the pandemic and COVID

38:11

and having to change in that way. Is there

38:15

or maybe you didn't. I'm assuming this is

38:17

my assumption, But is there anything different

38:19

you're doing this time around than you were

38:21

before.

38:23

This time around, we're working backwards

38:25

from the voter registration deadline

38:27

instead of working backwards from election day,

38:30

So we're thinking about by

38:33

the voter registration deadline,

38:35

people should have these

38:37

three things they're polling place in

38:39

mind, the candidates they're willing

38:41

to vote for, and who it is that they're

38:43

going to turn out, instead

38:45

of waiting until after the voter

38:48

registration deadline, when then you

38:50

might not be able to get some registered or

38:52

you might not be able to change your address.

38:55

So I think that that's going to help us to

38:57

increase our turnout by just

38:59

making sure that folks know where to vote

39:02

and have those decisions made

39:04

sooner.

39:05

Yes. Yes,

39:17

So.

39:17

One thing you did in your book that wasn't

39:19

quite what we expected was

39:21

that you had a whole section of affirmations.

39:24

So can you talk about what made you decide

39:26

to put that in there and why you think

39:28

that is something that is important.

39:31

Yeah, I'm a doula,

39:33

so I'm always helping folks with their emotions.

39:36

And I realized that candidates

39:39

need a doula too, because

39:43

you face the world as

39:45

yourself and then come home and

39:47

take care of your family life, and sometimes

39:50

even the folks closest to you.

39:52

Don't know how to help.

39:55

So placing on paper

39:58

some of your affirmations

40:01

based on the things that you've gone through,

40:03

I found can really help, especially

40:06

when, for example,

40:09

I was trying to figure out like am

40:11

I gonna be ten minutes late to this neighborhood

40:13

meeting or am I going to stop and get

40:15

me a bubble tea?

40:18

One of my affirmations is I'm

40:20

going to get that bubble tea

40:24

because my mouth is now juicier

40:27

and I've got some you know, good

40:29

feelings going on. I

40:32

can kind of come into the meeting and people

40:34

are like.

40:34

Oh, she drinks boba. Yeah she drinks boba. Oh

40:36

what kind of boba? You know?

40:38

And so it helped me to get out of

40:40

just the cookie cutterness of

40:43

campaigns and so I have some really

40:45

interesting affirmations in there that

40:48

are things like related to the bubble tea,

40:50

but then also things that are about

40:53

your aspirations for the world, Like I'm

40:55

so glad that I wrote

40:58

the affirmation we

41:00

can win without war in

41:03

my book back in twenty twenty

41:05

one, because I.

41:08

Still feel that way.

41:10

I still feel like the binary conversations

41:12

that are happening about global justice right

41:14

now.

41:15

We can win this without the war. We really

41:18

can. We got to figure

41:20

it out.

41:21

But letting

41:23

folks write their own affirmations,

41:25

I'm hopeful will bring

41:27

them closer to their communities too, and

41:29

then be like a journal

41:32

that they can look back on in their candidate

41:34

experience and not feel like it's all washed

41:37

over them.

41:37

Yeah. You know, one of the affirmations

41:39

that kind of surprised me when I was ringing through it

41:42

was I will hold myself accountable

41:44

because that's not the typical that's not the typical

41:47

affirmation that you you know, like we might

41:49

joke about, I feel good today, I feel pretty

41:51

all these things. But that was a surprising

41:53

one because I'm like, ah, that's some real talk to yourself,

41:56

Like that's that's an interesting affirmation

41:58

in understanding that you're gonna have to take a minute and

42:01

realize what that actually means. But

42:04

with that, for us who are just trying

42:06

to get through this year and

42:09

hopefully not have a horrible, horrible

42:12

result, can you share a

42:14

good affirmation for us to start with, because

42:16

that's not a typical thing that I do.

42:18

Yes, we are.

42:20

Of the practice that we practice.

42:24

So if we practice

42:26

to not vote,

42:28

we are going to continue to see our access

42:31

to the ballot go away. If

42:34

we practice being

42:36

in positivity with

42:38

our neighbors, like not being

42:41

gentrifiers who call the police

42:43

on black people, then

42:46

we too will probably face

42:48

better circumstances when it comes to

42:51

our policing, our mortality. And

42:55

as legislators, we

42:59

jump out of the legislative session

43:01

into the campaign cycle overnight.

43:04

But for voters, this is going to feel

43:07

like a long time, like just

43:09

from March until November. And

43:11

so what are the practices that

43:14

you can put in to make this chunky,

43:17

to make this soup have some taste,

43:20

to give it a vegetable and a tofu.

43:23

And so I'm hopeful that people

43:25

will be like, oh, you know what, I

43:27

could do a voter registration check on

43:30

my neighbors. I could text

43:32

five people and ask them before the voter registration

43:34

deadline if they're registered. I could

43:36

go to a rally or plan a rally,

43:39

like I could decide to drive some

43:41

people to the polls and then I could vote.

43:44

So hopefully we are you

43:47

know of the practice that we practice

43:50

like it.

43:50

I like that you also added tofu like that's that's

43:52

not difficult, like

43:55

it's a super over here, soa

43:58

and I love having to to all of it. Kimchichi

44:01

k all the tofou play, thank you. Yeah,

44:03

and uh, you've done so much

44:05

and you've kind of already talked about it because

44:08

you were talking about ballobagazing and realizing

44:10

that you need to leave some

44:13

of the darkness

44:15

when it comes to policy being in government

44:18

work behind and let it off of you

44:20

a little bit. But can you tell us some things

44:22

that you are some other of the things, or

44:24

just even go into more detail on

44:27

how you try to relax and pause

44:29

from the chaos of all of this.

44:33

Yeah, I learned from the legislator

44:35

who left the seat before me that

44:38

burning out happened

44:42

within a

44:45

system of people, within a group of

44:47

people, and it's not always personal.

44:50

So when I'm seeing other legislators

44:53

be like, I don't want to qualify for reelection. I

44:56

can't deal with this constituent reaching

44:58

out to me about cop city, I don't

45:00

know what to say about issues

45:02

that are global or domestic

45:04

issues, or I don't want to be a surrogate

45:07

for this person. I can

45:09

start to hear the burnout happening

45:11

too, and I can be somewhere,

45:15

maybe further along in my healing process

45:18

to help them along too, And I can

45:20

just ask them like, hey, you do know that

45:22

there's this one organization that will pay for a therapist

45:25

for us, or hey, do you want to come

45:27

with me and work out before session? And

45:29

I'm not solving all the issues that they have,

45:32

but just kind of calming

45:35

the collective burnout in some ways

45:38

is important. And then when people decide

45:40

that they do want to move on, that they are going to run

45:42

for something higher or they're not going to run

45:44

for reelection, like really taking

45:46

the time to not just forget

45:49

them. They've served the state of Georgia

45:51

and there are a number of people who are not going to run

45:53

for reelection who I am

45:55

right now starting to figure out, well,

45:57

what will my friendship look like with them? And

46:00

what are the things that maybe I can learn from them

46:02

in their time here so that I can continue

46:05

forward. So check on your legislators,

46:07

you know what I mean. Like, we

46:10

need y'all to check on us. We need to check on each

46:12

other. We need a lot of

46:14

help.

46:15

Let's go ballroom dancing. No, I'm just kidding.

46:17

I don't want to go Friday nights here

46:20

dance studio.

46:21

It is three okay, it

46:23

is open floor and

46:26

there are instructors there, and

46:28

you just come in, get you a little

46:31

savisa or a little wine

46:34

water, gatorade, whatever you like,

46:37

and then they'll call out like chatcha,

46:40

and then everyone goes to the floor and

46:42

you know the chat scha. You know it's a specific

46:44

step, and so then they'll start calling

46:47

it out one two three cha

46:49

cha cha two three chat chat

46:51

ya, and so you just kind

46:53

of start getting in where you're fitting in. The

46:56

song is over, then they'll call for sasa

46:58

one two three one two three

47:01

one two three one two three,

47:03

and so.

47:04

People kick it in.

47:05

You could you could you gonna make it?

47:07

I'll just say, I feel like I'm getting a lesson. I

47:10

stick with Zoomba. That's the very least

47:12

like I'm gonna do some zoomba. That's that's the level.

47:16

It has elements of it all. So that's excellent.

47:19

I love it. I love it so much. Well,

47:22

thank you, thank you, thank you so much for taking

47:24

the time to be here with us

47:26

today. Hopefully we'll have you back. Hopefully you'll

47:28

be a recurring guest.

47:30

I would love quicker than this though years.

47:35

No, yeah, not every four years. We we should

47:37

shorten that. That gay. But where

47:40

can the good listeners find you?

47:42

Right now?

47:42

I'm at the State Capitol in room

47:45

six o seven, and that

47:47

is where you can come hang

47:49

out in my pink and blue chairs.

47:51

I have a pink desk. The girl

47:54

has signs that support folks

47:56

of all backgrounds and a

47:59

really diverse team. After

48:01

April, we will be at the Lola,

48:03

which is our community

48:06

coworking space. It's a femme owned

48:09

and operated coworking space

48:11

across from Pont City Market, So

48:13

come check us out at the Lola. And

48:15

then heading up to November, we

48:17

will be going across this country

48:20

to try to raise money for Democrats

48:22

in Georgia. We will be at

48:25

the DNC in August in

48:27

Chicago, and all

48:29

times in between we will be on Instagram

48:32

having a good time at Park

48:34

Canon fifty eight.

48:36

Yes, I love it. I love

48:38

it so much, Thank

48:40

you, thank you again, and we'll be we'll

48:43

be in touch about future future

48:45

discussions.

48:46

More things, maybe dancing. I

48:49

want to see eighty bottom dance.

48:51

Yes, I love

48:53

it.

48:53

And we would also love to have y'all a day at the Capitol

48:56

one day, you know, like sometimes we invite

48:58

different media folks and they brought cast live

49:00

from there, or we set up certain

49:02

interviews, or you can just

49:04

come for a tour.

49:05

You know.

49:06

Have you all seen the two headed cow and the two headed

49:08

snake?

49:09

You know, the last time I was at the Capitol, I really

49:11

think it was my eighth grade trip. So it's been

49:14

a hot minute. Like

49:16

I'm not gonna age myself but over

49:19

Yeah, it's been a long time.

49:21

Yeah, we sound it.

49:23

I would love to have y'all come visit me one day

49:25

and thank you again for having me.

49:27

Thank you so much for coming on such

49:29

a joy.

49:30

I love this.

49:31

If you would like to find us listeners, you can.

49:34

Our email is Stephanie Mom steph atiheartmedia

49:36

dot com. You can find us on Twitter at mom Stuff

49:39

Podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok at Stuff when

49:41

they never told you. We have a tea public store, and

49:43

we have a book that you could get wherever you get your books.

49:45

Thanks as always too our super producer

49:47

Christina or executive producer Maya, and your contributor

49:50

Joey. Thank you and thanks to you for

49:52

listening stuff I ever told you. Suspection by Heart Radio.

49:54

For more podcasts from my heart Radio, you can check out the heart

49:56

Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your

49:58

favorite show.