Where Taking Action Can Take Us ✊🏾 (10/8/20)
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Description
In today’s episode: 👩🏽💼 Get to know history-making Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris ✊🏿 Find out ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement with civil rights leader Alicia Garza 📣 Hear from a 16-year-old youth activist using his voice and making an impact in his community of San Francisco.
Links
👀 Watch this cartoon about why so many people are still protesting about racism: BrainPOP's Black Lives Matter video on YouTube
👩🏽💼 See this video of Kamala Harris’ speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention
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🌅 Go social! Get visual! The Ten News on Instagram
Transcript
Bethany Van Delft: [00:00:00] Hey there, I'm Bethany Van Delft, and this is The Ten News. The show where in the time it takes to make a big sign supporting a cause you believe in, we find out what's up in the world. In today's episode, we'll get to know democratic Vice Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, find out ways we can all support the movement for black lives, and hear from a young activist making a difference in his community. Today's The Ten News is about where taking action can take us all. Okay, let's get into the Ten.
Countdown voice: [00:00:37] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,five, four three, two, one.
Bethany Van Delft: [00:00:46] This year's presidential election made history before anyone even cast a vote. When Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, picked Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.
Joe Biden: [00:00:56] 'My fellow Americans, let me introduce to [00:01:00] you for the first time to your next Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris."
Bethany Van Delft: [00:01:07] Making her the first woman of color to be nominated for Vice President.
Kamala Harris: [00:01:11] " That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me, women and men who believed so fiercely in the promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all."
Bethany Van Delft: [00:01:26] Our correspondent, Pamela Kirkland has more about the women behind this important milestone.
Pamela Kirkland: [00:01:33] Kamala Debbie Harris was born in Oakland, California, just outside San Francisco. Her dad is a Jamaican American economist. She and her younger sister, Maya were raised by her mother, who moved to the U S from India to be a cancer researcher.
[00:01:50] Even as a kid, Kamala was making history. When she was in the first grade, the town where she lived had voted to desegregate schools. Back in the [00:02:00] 1960s and earlier, black kids and white kids went to school in different parts of town. This was during segregation in a time known as the Jim Crow era. When race separated classrooms, neighborhoods, and even where you could eat. Kamala's class was bused from her neighborhood across town to a white school to end the racist policy that had been in place.
[00:02:26] She went to college at Howard University in Washington, DC, and became a lawyer after graduation. She spent most of her career working in public service and blazed trails for women of color. Before she was the first Black woman and first Asian American to be picked as a Vice Presidential running mate of a major political party, she was making history in California. Her political rise began when she became the first Black woman to be elected District Attorney. That's a lawyer who represents the [00:03:00] state in local criminal cases. And then the first woman to be California's Attorney General, that's the highest ranking prosecutor and law enforcement officer in the state.
[00:03:13] In 2016, she became the first ever South Asian American Senator. With a life and career full of firsts, she often talks about something her mom used to tell her as a girl. You may be the first, but make sure you're not the last. Here she is speaking at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Kamala Harris: [00:03:34] "I keep thinking about that 25 year old Indian woman, all of five feet tall who gave birth to me at Kaiser hospital in Oakland, California. On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now and speaking these words: I accept your nomination for Vice President [00:04:00] of the United States of America."
Pamela Kirkland: [00:04:03] Her historic nomination was just the one beginning of Kamala Harris's campaign. Last night, voters watched her debate current Vice President Mike Pence, and they'll hear a lot more from her before going to the polls on November 3rd.
Bethany Van Delft: [00:04:37] Black lives matter. It's a truth. And it's also a slogan for a worldwide movement toward racial equality. Let's go to our correspondent, Bridget Todd, to learn more.
Bridget Todd: [00:04:49] Thanks, Bethany. People are fighting for equality and justice for all people. People like Breonna Taylor, a black woman who lived in Louisville, Kentucky, who was killed by police in [00:05:00] March.
[00:05:00] Just a few weeks ago, a group of people in court decided the police who killed her would not face criminal charges. Nobody wants to think they can be hurt or killed and nothing will be done about it. And there are activists just like you trying to fight for change. This summer, eight year old Nolan Davis led a Black Lives Matter protest in his town of Kirkwood, Missouri.
[00:05:22] Alicia Garza co-founded Black Lives Matter, and here's her advice and how you can get involved.
Alicia Garza: [00:05:28] Hey, I'm Alicia Garza. I'm one of the co-creators of the Black Lives Matter global network. And I now run an organization called the Black Futures Lab and we work to make black communities powerful in politics. Here's some things you can do if you want to get involved in the movement. First, you can make sure that all of your neighbors know that you support Black Lives Matter. Make a sign, make your voice heard, let people know where you stand at this moment in history.
[00:05:59] Number two, [00:06:00] you can get together with your friends and you can think of other ways to make sure that everywhere you are, that black lives matter. Maybe you want to do a bake sale and you want to raise resources for an organization in your community that is fighting to make sure that black lives matter.
[00:06:19] Maybe you want to ask your teacher to do a lesson plan on what the Black Lives Matter movement is really about and why it matters. Maybe you even want to ask your parents to talk to you about what's going on with this movement and how your family can get involved. The next thing that I think you can do to get involved in this movement is to stay committed.
[00:06:44] Here's the thing, right now we're all talking about Black Lives Matter, but in a few months, will we be? You can help us make sure that we are. We don't want to let any of our attention get diverted because we have a long way to go to make sure that [00:07:00] black lives really matter. So help us out. Help us make sure that we can still keep moving forward, and the only way that's going to happen is if you lend your voice.
Bethany Van Delft: [00:07:19] Young people all over the country are taking action and standing up for the causes they believe in, which is pretty amazing. Our correspondent Ryan Nerz spoke with Ewan Barker-Plummer, a 16 year old activist making an impact in his community.
Ryan Nerz: [00:07:35] It's been an unsettling time for America, with protests raging across the country. So you can make the case that there is no better moment to become an activist for positive change. And there is no age requirement for becoming an activist. On that note, I can't think of a better activism role model than this kid.
Ewan Baker-Plummer: [00:07:53] Ewan Barker-Plummer, I live here in San Francisco. Um, I'm a youth activist and organizer here in [00:08:00] SF politics, just working to make sure that youth voices are heard.
Ryan Nerz: [00:08:03] Ewan has had a unique upbringing, the son of two professors in the liberal city of San Francisco. He came out as gay at 11 years old.
Ewan Baker-Plummer: [00:08:11] So it was a very simple conversation of me saying, you know, I think I'm gay. That's who I am. And they just said, okay.
Ryan Nerz: [00:08:19] That same year Ewan's mom took him to a phone bank for Hillary Clinton, where volunteers were making calls in support of her presidential campaign. He says he fell in love with politics immediately.
Ewan Baker-Plummer: [00:08:29] I got involved in local politics. Uh, recently I've worked on a few different campaigns and I've just been, you know, making sure that we prepare our city for a better future.
Ryan Nerz: [00:08:43] He's been outspoken on the housing shortage and housing affordability problems in San Francisco.
Ewan Baker-Plummer: [00:08:48] I try and make the youth voice, which is who's going to be directly impacted by the choices that we make regarding housing. So, you know, I'm in favor of [00:09:00] building housing for our last everywhere.
Ryan Nerz: [00:09:02] It wasn't long before you and became an activist for LGBTQ causes.
Ewan Baker-Plummer: [00:09:07] I was born, you know, before I even gay marriage was legalized, which to me is shocking, because think about the fact that, you know, there are people around me who were in loving, committed relationships that weren't allowed to get married. So I wanted to make sure that queer youth voices were heard. I wanted to make sure that we could continue to celebrate. And so I've been trying to do that while I do political activism in San Francisco.
Ryan Nerz: [00:09:33] These days Ewan has turned his attention beyond the scope of Northern California to national events like the recent protests.
Ewan Baker-Plummer: [00:09:40] I think most recently we can see from the George Floyd protests, which aren't even really about Gorge Floyd anymore. They're about all of the systemic injustices, our Black and Brown communities face in this country now .
Ryan Nerz: [00:09:54] Ewan Barker-Plummer thinks the kids his age should get involved. And the time to get involved is [00:10:00] now. I'll end his story with his own inspiring message.
Ewan Baker-Plummer: [00:10:04] No matter what it is you're standing out for it could be the smallest thing from making sure that your local school is funded properly or could the biggest thing to making sure that we have gun control on a national level to protect kids, just make sure that you are using your voice. This is the generation of change. We are the generation that's standing up.
Bethany Van Delft: [00:10:25] Thanks again Ryan. I always like to give a snap salute to my good friends. So this is for you Ewan.
[00:10:35] Speaking of snapping your fingers, it's time for our random fact of the day. You know, the sound you make when you snap, it turns out it's not your fingers making that sound. It's actually your middle finger hitting your palm. It's true. Give it a try.
[00:10:59] Time's up. [00:11:00] That's the end of The Ten for today. You can catch new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Ten News is a co- production of Small, But Mighty Media in collaboration with Next Chapter Podcasts distributed by iHeart Radio. The Ten News writing team is led by Editorial Director, Tracey Crooks with contributions from Pamela Kirkland, Bridget Todd and Ryan Nerz.
[00:11:22] The creative producer is Jenner Pascua. Marketing is led by Jacob Bronstein with social media and web support by Bryn Jura and Adam Pharr. Editing and sound design by Edgar Comey and Greg Cortez under the production direction of Jeremiah Tittle. Executive Producer Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan round out the team.
[00:11:45] If you have any questions about the show, a story idea, or a fun fact you want to share, email us at hello@thetennews.Com. I'm Bethany Van Delft. And thanks for listening to The Ten. Now [00:12:00] go stand up for something that matters to you!
