I’ve been watching politics for quite some time.
Democrat Chris Jones is running against Sarah Huckabee Sanders. His ad is worth a watch
- Thread starter Gemini
- Start date
He's pissed those crackas off
The Tea with April Ryan, ft. Dr. Chris Jones and Derrick Johnson
Thank you Dan Pfeiffer, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Debbie Hupp, Carla Atkinson, Rachel Sipper, and many others for tuning into The Tea with April Ryan featuring Dr. Chris Jones and Derrick Johnson.
contrarian.substack.com
Transcript
right i'm celebrating my freedom caroline levitt the white house press secretary had the white house briefing they were still going on like business as usual two reporters asked are you going to sign a proclamation she says i'm not tracking it i'm like wait a minute the senior official told me gave me all the language i don't
0:20
know what happened along the way or if one side didn't consult with the other side but either way Welcome to Juneteenth 2025. And without further ado, I would like to bring in someone who I am such a fan of. His name is Chris Jones. And this young man is a Democrat. He's got this pack going on. Yeah.
0:45
He's got this pack that's going on in Arkansas. And, you know, this is a man, a Morehouse guy, Morehouse College in HBCU, one of the premier, it's like the Black Ivy League, right? He ran against Sarah Huckabee Sanders. He's into STEM and all of this. He ran against Sarah Huckabee Sanders because he cared about the community.
1:08
He wanted to serve. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, according to Chris Jones and some theories from others who were close to his run, shut down the press so they would not talk to this man. When I was working for another network, we did a profile piece on him and it exploded because people had not heard about him.
1:28
This guy is not finished yet. He is not finished yet. His name is Chris Jones. He's out there doing a lot of things. He's very good friends with Governor Westmore of Maryland. He does a lot. He's got this pack in Arkansas. And he also... has this poll that he's going to talk about prayerfully,
1:51
this poll that it's softening in Arkansas with white people for Donald Trump, believe it or not. So we talked about that this morning and Chris is just amazing. So guys, I want you to send in your questions and comments because we are going to move this thing. And if you are on any side of
2:13
the east coast you're getting thunderstorms it is dark here in maryland because normally i'm on my back porch it's dark and it's thundering and lightning but you know we got this going on so i want you guys to start sending in the chat uh what
2:27
you want to talk about and what you want to hear and what you think about all of this juneteenth activity it's about freedom And my freedom is peace today. And I'm going to give you this. Chris Jones is the Director of Community and Social Innovation at BCT Partners.
2:43
He is the Director of Community and Social Innovation at BCT Partners. But either way, let me give you a little bit before, because we've done a lot of switching up today. And remember, Governor Moore is supposed to be coming on, and we just got it.
2:57
work literally five minutes before he's doing a speech so hopefully he'll come in but if we don't get him today we'll get him another day but Chris Jones is coming up very soon and the president of the NAACP but let me tell you about Juneteenth
3:11
for those of you who don't know this is a real thing Juneteenth is the symbol of what happened in 1865 in Texas. 250,000 people, enslaved Africans, descendants of enslaved Africans. That was the end of really the Africans that had pretty much come into the country, I guess you would say, for enslavement.
3:39
This group did not know that they were free. And it took the Union soldiers, Union troops to come in and say, you were free two years later after the Emancipation Proclamation. And without further ado, I wanna bring in my friend, Chris Jones from Arkansas, Director of Community and Social Innovation at BCT Partners. Hello, Chris.
4:02
There we go, I see you. How you doing? Be you ready, right?
4:08
Look, look, look. I will say I was taking my daughter on driving lessons.
4:17
I've been doing that. We've been doing that here. We've been doing that here. You've got clear skies. It is thundering and lightning all up and down the East Coast. Flooding and everything. It's crazy. So my husband just said, turn off all the non-essential lights. But I said, we got to do this show.
4:32
This show goes on no matter what. It's a must. That's right. So Chris, talk to me. First of all, I call you Mr. Arkansas. You next to Bill Clinton. You're Mr. Arkansas. So talk to me. Talk to me about what you wrote today about Juneteenth, because I thought it was so provocative.
4:49
Our dear friend Tracy Wilkes-Smith sent that to me, and I was like, yes! So talk to me about your piece that you wrote, and what is the significance of Juneteenth?
4:58
Yeah, so let me give you a quick context. I have a really good friend who's in Atlanta, and he's in a historic neighborhood in Atlanta. And one of the things that he does all the time is bring people together on his porch. And they own property in the Gullah Islands as well. Wow. Yeah, it's an amazing couple.
5:18
Gullah, South Carolina, right?
5:20
Yes, yes, exactly. So Dr. Glenn Spencer and his wife and they and they and it's really to convene us. Right. And so I thought about that because I saw him last week. And in addition to that, I remember my time on the vineyard. We've been to Martha's Vineyard. And what's beautiful about that is all the porches.
5:42
Yes.
5:42
And so as I was reflecting on Juneteenth, And the world in which we live in with so much division and otherism and hate, I'm remembering my own grandmother's porch.
5:54
Wow.
5:55
And on West 17th Street in Pine Bluff. And I remember her cooking. I remember sweet tea and my grandfather who drove a truck, my cousins being there. And so what I wrote about today was really about let's remember what it was like to be in community on the front porch And then let's bring that back.
6:17
Because the front porch wasn't about agreeing with everyone, but it was about being in community.
6:22
Being in community and conversation.
6:25
And conversation, exactly. I learned so much on the front porch. So that's what the piece was about. A link between the front porch and Juneteenth and our call to come together. And let me get real nerdy for half a second. In addition to being a physicist, I'm also a sociologist. I told you he was STEM.
6:44
I told you he was STEM. And in sociology, there's something called a third space. It's not home. It's not work. It's in between. It's that third space, like a coffee shop, a church, where you gather, a barbershop, a beauty shop, beauty salon, where you gather and you grow together. Well, the front porch is like a third space.
7:09
And I think it's the best third space because it's connected. What I said in the piece was it's connected to the soul of the household. And it points out to the spirit of the street.
7:21
Oh, the soul of the household that points to the spirit of the street. And the street is where we march, where we transport to get to food.
7:32
Yes.
7:33
Soul feeding to everything. Come on now. I caught it. I caught it, Chris. I caught it. Everybody, I want you to call your friends, tell them to join this conversation. Because if you don't know what Juneteenth is, you'll find out today. And also, we're going to be talking about so many issues right now that's today.
7:51
Some real issues. So guys, please tune in. Get your friends. Tell them April's having tea and she wants you to join in. Come on now. That's right. We're with Chris Jones. So Chris, this morning I was on The Contrarian with Katie Fang. and the great Jen Rubin, and we started talking about Juneteenth.
8:11
And I said it was about freedom in 1865. In 2025, we're still looking for first-class citizenship and freedom. There is something wrong with that picture. After 250 years of the enslavement of Africans in this nation, prospering off of free labor, They were free, but we weren't. Still not free. After all these rights, after the marches,
8:45
after Bloody Sunday, after Montgomery bus boycott, and all that happened.
8:51
The Lane Massacre, Tulsa Massacre, Greenwood.
8:55
All of that. We are still not free as Black people. And our brothers and sisters and cousins, Latinas and Latinas, are not free either. No due process. What do you say to that? We have lost the laws that we got just before I was born in the 60s. What do you say to that?
9:16
We still are not free and we're still searching for freedom in this nation.
9:20
In this nation, exactly. Look, America has yet to deal with its original sin. And And look, we know from scripture the wages of sin is death. Oh, yes. So unless and until we deal with the original sin of slavery, of enslaving humans in the most brutal, grotesque, and violent form of slavery that humanity has ever seen,
9:50
there will always be a barrier to us progressing. And by us, I mean the collective country. Now, I do think that us Black folks have a strong sense of what has happened and where we need to go. And I feel like Black folks are using all the wisdom of the ancestors, all the technology of the now,
10:15
and applying a strategic lens that I haven't seen in my lifetime or read about in previous lifetimes. I think we're on the verge of something. but we're also sitting out of a lot of these protests. And that's what I say, exactly. Okay. That's part of the strategy. We tied.
10:31
We said, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. But it's strategic though. We've had the hose, the sting of the water hose on us, that fire truck water hose, the bite of the dog tear our flesh. We tied.
10:48
We are tied. Now, I will say this. collectively we're tired some of us need to sit out and that's good some of us need to lift our voices more like you're doing and that's good some of us need to be in the political space like i'm doing and that's good so so we each play a role in
11:10
this collective sit out that we're doing and it and for some it may not look like we're sitting out but we're a part of we're all a part of this play that's going on
11:19
So we are talking about African-American freedom. There is a collective of blackness in this nation, but descendants of Africans in America, African-Americans, and a lot of people don't understand that. And we talk about the lack of freedoms, the anti-DEIs and the anti-wokeness. But then look at our brothers and sisters and cousins over...
11:45
who are just trying to go to work. And you and I talked this morning, and Chris and I talked quite a bit, and I am such a fan of Chris.
11:56
And the feeling is mutual.
11:57
Thank you. I just think Chris is amazing, and I can expect more. Even Michael Steele, Republican, former head of the Republican National Committee, said, this man is getting ready to do something big. And I got a feeling he is. Don't tell anybody. But I think he's getting ready to do something big.
12:11
So stand by, because Sarah Huckabee was scared of him. Now, you know. So anyway, moving on. But if we're talking about our freedoms, since enslavement, we never had due process. We were killed, strange food hanging from a tree, lynched by sheriffs who wore masks and goods,
12:31
right?
12:33
We were chased down by dogs trying to escape the plantations, right? All of this has happened since day one. No due process for us. Now we're seeing the same thing. No due process. Martha's Vineyard, the place that you and I frequent, we saw the migrant workers running into the woods.
12:52
Yep.
12:52
Like slavery.
12:54
Yeah.
12:55
Trying to run from ICE, DEA, and FBI. I understand that they are in Arkansas. Sarah Huckabee, Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee's Arkansas. Tell me about what's going on there.
13:07
Look, they are coming in Arkansas and particularly in Northwest Arkansas because that's our, that's sort of the largest population of Hispanic, the largest population of Hispanics in Arkansas is in Northwest Arkansas. That's where your Walmart is, Tyson Foods.
13:26
Wait a minute, the headquarters of Walmart, right?
13:28
The global headquarters of Walmart.
13:30
Oh, yes, okay.
13:31
Yes, yes. And what's interesting is, You mentioned Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She is actually fighting to build a 3,000-bed prison in the dead geographic center of our largest Hispanic population. So now you superimpose that, put that together with these ICE raids that are trying to detain folks, where they're going to send them to prisons.
14:03
some out of this country, some in this country, but then it becomes the labor. Because for them, it is truly a workforce development program. And that's what's sad. They see it as, we have a labor shortage. Where do we get labor from? Let's put these folks in prison and let's put them to work.
14:22
So what we're seeing is, in some places, there's a coordination with ICE. and an opening of the doors. But in many places, surprisingly, folks are fighting back. The mayor of Fayetteville said, no, we're not doing that. We're not doing that. And we have some really strong immigrant advocates, Irvin Camacho. And that guy,
14:42
if you want to know somebody who's been on the ground, paying for people to get bailed out when they've been imprisoned. So helping people with their legal fees, helping people understand their rights, particularly immigrants. He's on it.
14:57
So you said I-49 yesterday, there were checks, traffic checks, because we're seeing two of them. We're seeing that everywhere, traffic checks, because we were hearing about that from this vein, from this route from D.C. to Baltimore. Right. 29, Colesville. My kids were like, Mommy, don't drive. They're coming home because we hear that they're doing ice rays.
15:19
They're saying it's a sobriety check. So you're having the same thing, huh?
15:23
Same thing. Same thing. Random checks. And like you said, we haven't seen a prevalence yet of the completely covered faces, but it's coming.
15:32
Well, let me tell you this. Oh, my goodness. We've got a lot of people are saying they love you. Chris Jones. We love Chris Jones. And the best people come from Pine Bluff. Him and Rodney Slater.
15:46
Hey, Pine Bluff.
15:47
Wow.
15:48
Crafting Secretary Rodney Slater, former Crafting Secretary Rodney Slater.
15:52
Awesome, awesome mentor of mine.
15:56
Someone also said, time for white people to step up. But you know, white people have been stepping up. The vast majority of those No King Day protests, the Tesla protests, all of these protests lately have been white people and older white people. Older. Yes.
16:13
And let me tell you, we had at least 15 No Kings rallies in Arkansas. There were 200 people in Harrison, Arkansas. Harrison was where the Grand Wizards of the Klan used to live. In Little Rock, we had almost 10,000 people show up for the No Kings rally. And it wasn't us.
16:38
We were in the mix. That's a big deal in that state. And then we also said someone also said, I was told as a woman, I was told as a 73 year old to stay home because they're snatching people off the street if they don't have ID.
16:57
It's happening. It's happening. And this is not unlike what we've seen, like you said, back during slavery. It's not unlike what we saw in Germany under Hitler. It's not unlike what we've seen time and time again across history. And let me tell you this real quick.
17:15
So I wrote a piece about three weeks ago that talked about democracy and oligarchy and how they are closer to than we think in America. And in America, we've always fought. It's been a constant battle for democracy and against the oligarchy. Look at the robber barons in the 1900s.
17:37
The Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Steel Railroad, you name it, they controlled everything. So we're seeing it again now, the billionaires. The difference here is the scale and volume this time, we've never seen 13 billionaires in the cabinet, never.
17:58
Yeah, this billionaire class, there's a certain type of billionaire class that everyone is watching right now that's ruling the world.
18:05
You know what I think? This is just Chris. This is Chris.
18:08
Okay, this is just Chris. Tell me.
18:09
This is Chris. These are not the original billionaires of the family. Like the original, the Sam Waltons of the family, they worked hard. Now, you might not agree with everything they did, but they worked hard, they earned, and they generally wanted to give back. This is the second and third generation that didn't really work hard for anything.
18:32
Look at the president. He's a second, third generation super wealthy. He didn't work hard for his stuff. And so I think their appreciation of what it takes to work and earn is very different than the originators in their family.
18:48
But you know, that is just typical. That's the life theory. The harder you work for something, the more you appreciate it, right? What was that million dollar loan, that little loan that wasn't anything according to Trump that he got from his daddy?
19:04
Right. Give me that. Let's see what I do.
19:07
Give you. Oh, my gosh. Give me that. So listen. All right. Everybody, please tune in. Get your friends. Tell them. This is an important conversation on Juneteenth. This is one of our two Juneteenth conversations, maybe three if the governor gets here. It's history repeating itself with convict leasing.
19:27
With what? Convict leasing.
19:29
Convict leasing.
19:32
It is, but I'll say this. I can't remember who was it that said, history doesn't repeat, it rhymes. History rhymes. And so at times it may feel similar, but they're often subtle differences that are important. Now, I also take that to mean, and this is for as we look forward,
19:57
What I think history, what really happens is a blank space is left.
20:02
Wow.
20:02
And in that blank space, we write what will be. Yes. We can either write the same words, we can write rhyming words, or we can write totally different words. Jack and Jill went up the hill. to catch a pail of water. We can do that.
20:17
Fetch a pail of water.
20:18
Fetch a pail of water. Or we can say, Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of something else, right? Or we can just totally change it. The beauty is we have the power. And I want us to remember on Juneteenth that we have the power to write the next story.
20:34
And it doesn't have to be the same one we had before.
20:37
Are we going to get more prison contracts? And how can the GOP claim to be Christian?
20:44
Hypocrisy. They got no shame. They got no shame. Look, they would flog and beat and lambast Jesus Christ if he walked down the street. Because they don't do red letter. They do red hats, though. They do red hats. Oh, come on now.
21:05
So, and then someone said, asked, are we going to get more prison contracts? I mean, the privatization, that is where the money is. Think about this.
21:13
That's it.
21:15
This is where the money is. It's a business. Guys, it's a business.
21:19
It's it. It's isn't about reform, rehabilitation, recidivism. No, it is money. Look at Mississippi. Mississippi tried to pass a bill that said, if you were an immigrant and you get arrested, and the feds don't pick you up within 24 hours, you could be imprisoned for life. Right.
21:44
So when you combine that with Sarah building a 3,000 bed prison, when we're already understaffed across the state, and so why not staff up the prisons that we have now? We already got way too many people in. And let me add one other thing. She also passed a law. that said, no longer can you get time off.
22:06
You get a sentence, you have to serve your entire sentence.
22:10
That ain't Christian? What if Alice Johnson, the president's parole person says, I want that person to get off in Arkansas? Is she gonna step in and say no?
22:22
Well, if it's from her dear leader, she ain't gonna do nothing.
22:26
Well, her dear leader made her beg real hard to get some- Look, look, look. When y'all were hurting, but that's a whole nother story.
22:32
Yeah. Mm, mm, mm.
22:35
I know. Guys, I want you to know this, and we got more from the chat. If we allow all this to keep happening, we will all be good Germans. Ooh, that was deep. That was deep.
22:47
Yeah, that's real.
22:48
If you don't know the reference, please look it up.
22:50
Ooh, that's real.
22:52
White Christian nationalism has bastardized Christianity.
22:55
Yeah. And as an ordained minister, I 100% agree with that. And those of us of faith, of any faith, but particularly of Christian faith, have to stand up and call it out.
23:05
Jesus. So let me say this, guys. Arkansas, I don't want people to take Arkansas as a joke. We had a former president by the name of Bill Clinton come up there. Little Rock, Little Rock Nine. That was pivotal in education. The integration of a high school. And some of them are still alive, like Ernie Green, dear Frank.
23:31
You know, Mike Huckabee is now the ambassador of Israel, the former governor of Arkansas, who's the father of the current governor.
23:44
He got some good knee pads, but I'm going to leave that alone. Let it go. Let me add one to Arkansas. Let me add one. Anybody who likes Ebony and Jet? John Johnson, Arkansas City, baby. Arkansas State. Anybody who understands the movement that happened when we really began to unpack our history with roots,
24:09
Alex Haley and George Haley, they spent time growing up in Arkansas. If you like the poetic words of Maya Angelou, come on now, Stamps, Arkansas.
24:18
Okay, see, guys, Arkansas, there's greatness that comes out of Arkansas. But since you're talking about Alex Haley and Roots, just down the road a bit, 45 minutes from here, in a place, a little town called Annapolis, Maryland, Kunta Kinte came on the ship and was right there. And there's an Alex Haley statue.
24:37
Mm-hmm.
24:38
Because that's where Kuta Quinte got off the ship, came from the Middle Passage. That's right. Sold into slavery. That's right. This is that Juneteenth message. So as I'm building up Arkansas and you're building up Arkansas, you are a threat to the Republican Party. You definitely were a threat to Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
24:57
And people need to know who you are. I want you to tell us a little bit about yourself. A kid from Pine Bluff who goes to Morehouse and then to MIT. And then becoming this powerhouse that made Sarah Huckabee Sanders afraid of you. Because I believe your trajectory is higher. You don't have to say nothing.
25:15
Well, no, as a journalist, you can say something on that if you want.
25:20
I love it. I love it. Look, the main thing I'm going to say is, the first thing I'm going to say is, none of this in my life happens without God. None of it. And my role has been to live out who he created me to be.
25:34
Second thing I'll say is I don't get where I am in these last two decades without my amazing, beautiful wife, who's a rock star. And she is an Air Force veteran, emergency medicine physician. She's a state medical director for disaster preparedness. She teaches an exercise class. She is an awesome person. And all of that is to say,
25:53
and I'm bringing that up for one, I believe we have to have faith and community in order to progress. Faith and community. And I started there. My life started in Pine Bluff, two ministers as my parents, Faith, and we had a deep family commitment. My family's been in Arkansas for over 200 years.
26:12
We know in South Arkansas how to be in community with each other. And all of that, look, inspired by people. I was inspired by Martin Luther King to go to Morehouse. I was inspired by Ron McNair to want to go to MIT. Ron McNair, astronaut. Ron McNair, the astronaut Ron McNair.
26:29
That's right.
26:30
That's right. You know, put some respect on that. And I watched his life and I was moved by it. And look, it wasn't easy because, look, in high school and in college, I worked at Foot Locker. I was on the front line working the foot lot because I needed to make money to make those final ends meet,
26:50
even though I had a full scholarship.
26:52
You were an average young man going through school. That's it. I was working at a telemarketing place like a block from my house.
26:59
That's it. We had to work.
27:01
We had to work.
27:02
And those experiences helped us see the world in a way that wasn't slanted or tainted, that was grounded and always staying grounded. But my love for Arkansas brought me back here. I love the place. I think the people are amazing. I was given so much and I want to give so much back.
27:18
And you're right about, you know, that girl.
27:25
By the name of, well, by the title of governor.
27:28
By the title of governor.
27:29
By the title of governor named Tara Huckabee Sanders.
27:33
And look, similar to what happened with second term of Donald Trump, people, one, forgot that And two, were willing to to give a pass, give the benefit of the doubt. They gave her the benefit of that. Oh, she has a name we know. Oh, she's connected to the Republican Party. They gave it.
27:53
But now people are seeing what did we do? That prison I talked about is in a county that voted for her about probably 80 or 90 percent.
28:02
Oh, my God.
28:03
They are mad. They are mad.
28:05
So let's talk about that. That's it's most well, you say it's a large portion of Hispanic. But you told me that you had some poll numbers that showed that the white Republicans who voted for Donald Trump, those numbers are softening.
28:19
They're softening. They're softening. And you really find the softening with the moderates. You know, a good 35 to 40 percent of moderates are like, no, I'm done. I can't do this anymore. So your moderates and some of your even more conservative Republicans. And the issue, what, why?
28:39
The issues that are really ringing them, the instability of the tariffs. Yes. Where you promised to bring egg prices down. The cutting of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. We are an older state. And when you cut Social Security, boom. Now, layer that on top of the fact that Sarah already purged.
29:02
We were the fastest state in purging from Medicaid after COVID. The fastest state. The federal government said, look, you don't have to purge that fast. Slow down. Do it right. They didn't want to slow down. Put the gas on. So you had 500,000 people that got purged. And almost 100,000 kids were purged. No insurance.
29:26
What are they going to do? These are things that have been bubbling up and people are not happy at all about it. I think what our job is not to say, I told you so. You're dumb. You're bad. Why'd you do it? But to say, look, we are here.
29:44
Yeah.
29:45
And let's build a bridge to a better future and let's do it together. Right? Let's acknowledge that we're here, one. And two, let's acknowledge who got us here. Because I think that's also our mistake when we don't put the onus on the fact that it was the Republican supermajority, it's governors like Sarah Sanders,
30:05
and it's President Trump who wants to be a king. That is why we're here. So if that's why we're here, that's what we need to change. And the Congress, they are what I call FEC deficient. They are FEC deficient. fact deficient. Yes. Also known as feckless.
30:29
You are fact deficient. Yes. So listen, everybody, thank you for joining. Keep on coming. Tell your friends because we still have more to come. But here's the deal. I just read something today that I forgot what source, but it was a credible source.
30:44
I'm not going to say the name of the source, but it was a credible source. It said by 2034, Social Security will run out of money. That's like less than 10 years. And I'm like, wow.
30:58
And they're trying to give tax cuts to billionaires?
31:02
And paying a lot of money for a parade that he was bored in. He was sitting there bored.
31:10
Can I tell you, I don't know if this is true or not, but I suspect that every soldier that was marching is there are some of the literally the best soldiers in the world. So they know how to march in lockstep. I think they were doing it out of protest.
31:26
No, but you know what? A lot of these other countries that do this, like France, Russia, they are drilled to do that. They are drilled to come out and step in North Korea. That's not what we do. Our military men and women go understanding the mission. Not anticipating or expecting any kind of flurry.
31:51
All they want is their family to love them and come home to love them. Not this stuff. posed as the anniversary 250th anniversary for the army but that's not again there chris is there anything else you'd like to add because i could talk to you forever
32:09
i just want to say thank you you i adore me some chris jones and like i said guys and he'll tell you um because i was like who is this person running up against i said they said he's black i said black i said oh i think sarah huckabee sanders is trying to shut it down
32:25
And then you and I started talking. And that article I did at that other place that I worked, didn't that article? Oh, it blew up.
32:34
It blew up.
32:35
Because they were shutting all the reports down about you. You are a threat to the system of Arkansas.
32:41
Yeah. Look, we're going to keep doing what God tells us to do. And we're going to keep... I'll have an announcement soon. I'm going to come to you with an announcement. Don't worry. Don't worry.
32:54
Julia, Billy, you hear that? My team, we writing.
32:58
We go get the party going and ain't nobody going to shut us down this time.
33:04
Your mouth to God's ears.
33:06
Look, I will say this. I think, I believe that everyone has a role in writing the history that will be over the next hundred years. Everyone has a role.
33:22
Yes.
33:22
And I believe we're at a time where the fact that they are shredding what I call the social contract, what is called the social contract, the relationship that people have with their society, with their government, the understanding that I don't go outside butt naked. I don't do that. I don't do that. That's the social contract, right? Right.
33:45
But understanding that if I work hard and get an education, I should have a job on the other end. I should be able to take care of my family. Understanding those things. They're ripping it to shreds. A lot of us in this moment will want to lean back and rebuild what was there before. Forget it.
34:07
This is our moment, our opportunity to build something completely new. Like to reimagine what the social relationship should be between each other and among all of us. What's the world we actually want to live in? So I say to us, don't fight to keep systems alive because these folks are tearing them down. Think ahead and say,
34:34
what systems am I going to build that will create the world that we want to live in?
34:40
And one last question. I know you've already told us basically what you'd say to Sarah Huckabee Sanders, but if you had an audience with the president, what would you say to him?
34:49
Oh, my goodness. That's a great question. I think there are a couple things that I would say. One, the minister in me would rise up and say, hear me out. I don't know if you're going to like this or not. But the minister in me would rise up and say,
35:08
Even though I know you don't feel loved, God still loves you. Because I think all of this is coming from the fact that his daddy didn't love him. His mama didn't love him.
35:22
That's the real psychology right there. He's an unloved man. He feels unloved. But God still loves you. Trying to prove he's worthy. Yes, he's trying. He's trying. Maybe I'll try that. Mr. President, do you know you're loved by God?
35:41
By God. You got to be clear. By God.
35:42
By God. Right. Not me, but by God. You love everybody. I love everybody. But do you realize God loves you? What are you talking about, April Ryan? That's the stupidest thing. Yeah.
35:55
But it's real. Now, and I probably would leave it at that.
36:01
Really? Yeah. But you wouldn't complain about Medicare or Medicaid? You wouldn't complain about the migrant issue? You wouldn't complain about Sarah Huckabee and her prison? You wouldn't complain about that stuff?
36:13
No. You know why?
36:14
Why?
36:14
Because his ears shut off.
36:17
That's true.
36:18
Right? And unless you have a trusted relationship with him, even those who have trusted relationships with him, he doesn't listen to.
36:26
That's true.
36:27
So do I join the chorus that is complaining to him? He knows it. He knows it in his heart. He knows he's wrong. He knows people are mad at him. He knows that, again, his parents didn't love him. He knows that he is tearing this country apart. He knows all of that.
36:46
What he doesn't know is that God still loves him and that it's never too late to change.
36:55
Well, Chris Jones, in a brotherly and sisterly way, I want to tell you, I love you. I thank you. You showed up and showed out just on the web. We talked this morning, and we're talking about getting you on. And you're like, well, next week I'm out of the country. I said, oh, I've got to get you.
37:15
We've got to get you. But you know what? God worked it out right on time. Right on time.
37:22
I love you. Love you. Love you.
37:23
I love you more. Chris Jones from Arkansas, Arkansas's finest, who's getting ready to do more. He's going to give me the story in my ear. The tea.
37:33
We're going to give you the tea.
37:35
The tea, because we're going to knock the pot over. So Chris Jones, guys, look for him. He's Director of Community and Social Innovation at BCT Partners. How can they reach you, Chris?
37:48
I'm on social media, Jones4AR.
37:50
And he's on Substack.
37:53
Yeah, I'm on Substack. My Substack is everything is rocket science.
37:58
Says a rocket scientist.
38:01
I think you'll enjoy it because I do tie things back to rocket science. I will say this. I do have one devotional out called Quantum Pearls. I'm finishing up my second devotional. The second one is Finding Spiritual Wisdom. in a STEAM world, science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
38:19
So I take a science concept and I tie it to the Bible and the Bible scriptures.
38:26
Arkansas's finest guys, Chris Jones. Chris, thank you so much. Guys, I'm telling you, this is the Juneteenth special. We've gone longer than we anticipated, but I thank Chris for joining because he gave us, he knocked the pot over. He gave us some tea. He spilled the tea and he's going to spill some more hopefully very soon.
38:44
He said he's given us an exclusive. So guys, here's what I also want you to know. We talked today, we talked today also with Derek Johnson, the president of the NAACP. And you talk about knocking the pot over. He had a lot to say. So guys, take a listen to this and watch. Tell everybody to join in.
39:05
Watch this one. It's an honor now to go to the president of the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In this moment where it's anti-woke and anti-DEI, that name still stands. The longest and the oldest civil rights organization in this nation. We have the president, Derrick Johnson with us.
39:27
Thank you so much for joining us. In this moment, this Juneteenth, I wanna talk to you about a lot of things. There are a lot of things going on. One, the main thing, you made news. I understand there was a press conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, where you're gonna have your convention, your annual convention,
39:47
and a reporter asked, will you invite the president to the United States? And you were clear. Tell us what that response was and why, if you could elaborate a little bit more on why you're not inviting the president to the United States.
40:00
I wouldn't ask the question if we would be extending the invitation. It was clear for us that the answer is no. We are a pro-democracy organization. We believe in the Constitution. We believe in the principle that every citizen should be afforded equal protection under the law. We believe in the rule of law.
40:19
We respect individuals' identity, whether it's cultural, racial, ethnic, gender-based, however. However, we believe that every human being should be treated with dignity and due process should be afforded regardless of one's citizenship status. We believe that our armed forces should be used to defend our nation and not turn in on its citizens.
40:45
And all those things are activities that the NAACP has fought for, is embedded in our mission, is embedded in our history. And if any individual, regardless of the office they hold, is not in support of democracy, is willing to turn the armed forces against its citizens, will use one's identity, such as race, and weaponize it.
41:07
We will not, nor should we ever, give access to our platform for an individual to stand on who lacks any discipline, You don't know what will be said. Therefore, we made a clear decision that there will be no invitation extended to this president.
41:29
President Johnson, you are very clear. You're standing ten toes down. You're very clear on this. But this is juxtaposed to, remember last summer, it just seemed like it was yesterday, when the NABJ, the National Association of Black Journalists, invited him and were hemming and hawing about what they were going to do with then
41:50
Vice President Kamala Harris and they also invited her. Do you see damage done by black organizations or organizations that represent people of color that invite this president to their conventions and even in the past?
42:06
But I don't want to criticize any other organization. I know what this organization's principles are. We're the oldest civil rights organization in this country. We're the largest civil rights organization in this country. We represent individuals across the country. In 47 states, we have active units. And so I'm guided by my members.
42:28
My members are the makeup of the black community. They're old, they're young, they're income levels across the board. They're janitors in schools, they're principals and superintendents in the same school. They're high wealth individuals. They're those individuals on fixed income. There are so many of our members who served in the armed forces.
42:44
We are the black community and I am representing the black community when I speak as clear as possible. We should never concede our platform for an individual who is not only anti-black, but they're anti-democracy, they're anti-rule of law, and they're anti all of the history, the mission, and the integrity of the association.
43:08
So we would never capitulate for someone else to venient when we must at all times represent all of who we are at any given moment.
43:19
It'll be interesting this summer because summertime is when a lot of these conventions happen. It'll be interesting this summer to see what all the other conventions do. But moving on, as you say, how you represent the black community from all walks of life, right? Black people are not a monolith. African-Americans are not a monolith.
43:39
But as you are representing black America, Mississippi, is a place that you are focused in on as well. Can you talk to me about that focus? And I understand it deals with Elon Musk, the president's, I don't know if he's his former BFF or his, I don't know, trying to be worked out friend again. We don't know.
43:59
What's going on with this lawsuit?
44:01
But we focus on how entities are setting up their operations in the backyard of the black community. And in Memphis, Tennessee, there is a generation plant to support a data center for XAI. That generation plant was, I understand it was said to Memphis and Shelby County authorities that it would be 15 generators.
44:29
It's been evidence to show there's over 30 generators. Those generators are in violation, in our opinion, of the Clean Air Act, the Federal Clean Air Act. And now there's been an announcement to build additional generators just across the state line in Mississippi, in DeSoto County, Mississippi, will put more pollutants in the black community,
44:50
but also poison the air. Technology has advanced too far. We have standards that have created avenues for us to clean the air, not pollute the air. As this technology grows, there's gonna be more demand. And so it's not just XAI, it's not just Memphis, Tennessee, or DeSoto County, Mississippi.
45:13
It is something we should all be looking at, because as these data centers continue to grow, The power source for those data centers should be something that reduces pollutions, not increase pollutions. And it should not be targeted in or in proximity of the black community.
45:32
What are the health concerns other than I mean, I know it's air pollutants, asthma. Is it is it cancer? What?
45:40
It's all the things that you're talking about, generators that are burning gas. There are other solutions. It costs more, but to protect people's health, to protect our environment, to ensure the longevity of communities, the investment is worth it. There's also a question of whether or not over time it will seep into the clean
46:01
water aquifer that's right below the ground there. All those things are important. And this is not a black thing. This is a quality of life reality that we must look at. We're beginning to see these data centers pop up across the country. The demand for energy is increasing. But there are standards that have been perfected over time.
46:21
And every company should be required to live up and meet those standards. And that's all we're asking for in this case.
46:28
So right now today, six months into this Trump administration, almost six months to the day, right? What are the key issues for you right now that the NAACP is fighting for, for its community?
46:44
The budget, the budget, the budget. Everything goes back to the budget that was passed by the House that's now in the Senate. It would radically redefine the role of government. It would change tax policy, and it would take benefits from people across communities. It's not just a Black thing.
47:01
When you're talking about limiting access to veteran benefits, that's not a Black thing. That's a thing that would impact individuals who was willing to sacrifice their lives to defend this country and protect this country. When you're talking about cutting $800 billion from Medicaid, you're talking about kicking elderly out of nursing homes and preventing access to
47:24
critical healthcare for those who are in need. When you're talking about redistributioning the wealth to the top 1% by taxing the bottom 100%, percentage of the population more. That's a redistribution of wealth for private profits. Public resources should be used to expand quality of life for the public good,
47:49
not to benefit the very few super wealthy individuals who currently control a large segment of our economy.
47:58
So this budget, this 10-year budget, have you tried to reach out to Republicans? Have you tried to reach out to the president? I mean, I know you, the NAACP has constantly had to hear of the presidents or at least talk to presidents. Have you been able to reach out and express your concern to Republicans and or the
48:17
president of the United States?
48:20
But it's our job. This bill is going through Congress. And it is our job to be on Capitol Hill today. It's our job to talk to members of Congress about the impact the budget would have on their constituents. It's also our job to not get distracted by the tubes of race.
48:38
And we're chasing down the dark alley around some new announcement around DEI and stay focused on the main theme. The goal of this administration was to throw so many things against the board to exhaust people, to distract them so they can introduce this piece of legislation, this public policy that would do even more harm than
49:01
I think most people recognize we cannot be distracted by questions around someone's sexual orientation or racial identity or a trans bill. We have to stay focused on the money. It is the money and who gets taxed and who's not taxed and what those tax dollars are spent on,
49:21
the regulatory policies around holding corporations accountable to keep our water clean, the air fresh, that's what's really at stake here. They use tools of othering to distract us or to distort the message when the main thing should always be the main thing, public policy around the budget.
49:42
And you're standing strong with our Hispanic brothers and sisters, our Latino brothers and sisters, Latino, Latino and cousins when it comes to this immigration issue, because it's not just about Brown folks. It's also about black folks. It's about, as you said, the other. Talk to us about how you are standing and what you're doing,
50:02
because I understand a lot of the black state attorney generals in this nation are conferring with one another, talking about the Constitution, leaning on the Constitution. How are you leaning, not just leaning and standing with them, but where are you leaning when it comes to this immigration issue that not only affects brown people, but also black people?
50:20
and people from other countries, Ukraine, Eastern European countries that get these work visas to go over to a lot of these vacation resorts to include maybe Mar-a-Lago or some of the Trump golf courses.
50:38
But I'm standing strong with the Constitution, and the Constitution is very clear that every person, regardless of citizenship status, are entitled to due process rights. And we're going to continue to fight for that. What we are witnessing is individuals being kidnapped and sent to countries. Many countries are not their country of earth.
50:57
We're seeing people being kidnapped under an alleged gang activity and sent to a penal facility in a foreign country. That's kidnapping. And our Constitution speaks to every person are entitled to due process rights. And that's what we're standing clear about. In addition to that, in 2019,
51:22
we filed the lawsuit that went to the Supreme Court ultimately successfully to prevent this president, when he was in office the first time, from doing away with DACA. We filed that because we have members across the African diaspora. This is not just a Latino issue. This is a human rights responsibility that we provide people with due process,
51:45
that if we commit to them, that if they meet a set of certain criteria and go through a process, they will have full consideration of their citizenships. We should not be and federal agencies arresting people who are going through the process. We should not show up to elementary school graduations so that you can capture
52:05
parents and the students are there who are actually naturalized citizens, don't know if they go home, their parents would be at home. It creates a level of chaos that's not consistent with our Constitution, not consistent with a sense of decency on how we govern in this moment.
52:27
And lastly, thank you for joining me on Juneteenth. What are your thoughts about this day? What are your thoughts about this federal holiday that speaks of freedom, even freedom delay, that speaks of freedom And yet we've lost many rights and we're not essentially as free as we used to be. Maybe have we ever really been free?
52:52
Well, the concept of perfecting democracy has always been placed on the shoulders of the African-American community. Even when full application of the Constitution was denied us, it was through the African-American community to push the question of full application of equal protection under the law. Even the notion of Juneteenth,
53:13
it was about a commitment that the system of slavery had come to an end, Individuals in Texas had not been alerted of that fact. And as a result, it was a push to ensure that the commitment that the system of slavery, which was also unconstitutional, must come to an end.
53:37
But for most of Black America, and April, you may know this, the real freedom came at midnight. Or 1863. And we call it watch night at the church. And we did watch night service year after year. Many young people not realizing that watch night service was when slavery actually ended. And we was there.
54:02
Our families, our ancestors were there. And they would watch. And once the clock struck 12, the system had ended. But unfortunately, in Galveston, Texas specifically, but in Texas, they had not been alerted two years later. And so that's why Juneteenth is also significant, because it was at that moment that African-Americans,
54:26
Africans at that time who had become American citizens as a result of the passage of the 13th, then 14th and 15th Amendment, we were true citizens. So we were Africans. Now we're African-Americans. This is our country, more so than anyone else. We built this joint, as my friends say, for free.
54:45
We built this joint for free. I get that. I feel it. I embrace it. I digest that. Sir, let me ask you this. Can you trace back to your roots? Because I've gone to a point on one side of the family. Can you trace back to slavery?
55:05
I can't, well, I can, so yes and no, right? We were privileged in 2019 to take a delegation to Ghana. Yes. Just under 300 people, and we partnered with AfricanAncestry.com. Yes. And so my ancestors come from a village, a tribal village from Nigeria, but then there's a loss of chain of understanding once they left the shores.
55:34
You know, where did they end up? What was their disposition? And how did they make their way to West Tennessee, where my family is from, just north of Memphis? And so there are a lot of gaps. And unfortunately, those gaps leave us at a loss around many things, memories, ancestral understanding, behaviors, medical histories, land ownership, asset ownerships.
56:01
And that's why there's always been a push to repair for the damage that has been done because of those gaps.
56:09
My second great grandfather on my mama's side, I can go back to his name, was Dollar Brown, sold on the auction block in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He married a woman named Laura, L-A-U-R-A-H. And that's my connection to the vice chair of the board. of the NAACP who happens to be married to my blood cousin, Daryl Townes,
56:31
Congressman Ed Townes, former Congressman Ed Townes cousin, I mean, son. Ooh, I'm getting it all mixed up. You know, everybody's cousin, sister, brother, mama, daddy.
56:40
You know, your cousin, one, is proud that y'all are related, and two, she won't let anybody forget it. So here we are.
56:47
And I am proud of her. I am proud of her. And I'm proud of all the work that you do. And standing up, in every moment, good, bad, and indifferent. And we thank you, sir. And thank you for your time today because it's important on this Juneteenth. And for everyone, enjoy Juneteenth.
57:05
Really think about what President Johnson said, the meaning of Juneteenth. It's not just a day off. It's not just to go to the beach or get a sale at a store or online somewhere. It's about the moment, the moments that were missed and a people who are still searching. And like the president, he went on AfricanAncestry.com.
57:29
I found out through AfricanAncestry.com. I'm part of the Mende tribe from Sierra Leone. That Mende tribe is the group that rebelled on the Amistad. So I guess that's where I get it from, sir. I don't know. But for all of you, thank you, President Johnson. And thank you, guys.
57:46
for channeling in today to the contrarian on this Juneteenth. Please subscribe. Don't forget. And thank you for joining in to the Tea with April. We got more tea next week. We knocked the pot over again this week. Take care, guys.
57:59
Peace and power.
FUCK'EM
Similar threads
