All things you need to know for election night 2020! We hope you voted!! 

The Blank Take: 

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Links to sources: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/threat-voter-subtraction/616746/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/18/texas-voting-restrictions-rights-coronavirus

Emily and Brandon answer the question: "Did quarantine make you a better person?"

The Blank Take:

Anchor Site: https://anchor.fm/theblanktake

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Have you ever wanted a pen pal? Ever talk to someone online? What about a current inmate?  

In Episode 7 of The Blank Take, Brandon and Emily sit down with Jessica Kutz who has recently gained lots of attention on TikTok for sharing her prisoner pen pal experience with others and highlighting the stories of her various inmate friends.  With over 110,000 followers on TikTok, 4.3 million likes, and features in both DailyMail and Vice, Jess is sharing her inmate friends with the world.  Hear us talk about prison education programs, writeaprisoner.com, how to stay safe when choosing to write to inmates,  TikTok, the "unseen" sides to prison life, and more.  

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Follow Jess!

- TikTok: @jess.icak https://www.tiktok.com/@jess.icak

-Instagram: @jess.kutz 

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Write A Prisoner : https://writeaprisoner.com/

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The Blank Take:

Anchor Site: https://anchor.fm/theblanktake

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How can young people mobilize action to contribute to tangible advocacy? Are social media posts enough? What tools can people adopt to cultivate action from others?

Today we here with student organizer Logan Rubenstein to talk about his experience with community involvement. Logan Rubenstein currently works as campaign intern for Joe Kimok’s candidacy for Broward County State Attorney where he leads youth advocacy efforts, event scheduling, and more.  He also acts as Deputy Advocacy Director for Florida’s March for Our Lives chapter while simultaneously acting as a chapter officer for March For Our Lives Parkland. Across all of these roles and responsibilities, Logan has been instrumental and proactive in mobilizing youth voices and community action in order to bring forward lasting change and amplify care around pressing issues, especially those concerned with gun violence prevention and gun control advocacy.

March for Our Lives: https://marchforourlives.com/

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Starting a MFOL Chapter: https://marchforourlives.com/start-a-chapter/

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Not 18 yet? Pledge to Register to Vote: https://www.vote.org/pledge-to-register/

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Logan Rubenstein: https://twitter.com/loganrub_17?s=20

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Join us as we sit down to speak with Broward County State Attorney candidate Joe Kimok and his progressive approach to dismantling systems of mass incarceration and putting an end to relics of the War on Drugs era.  

Cash bail, police brutality, the juvenile justice system, the criminalization of poverty, drug cases, rebuilding community trust, and more.  It is all on the table as we discuss guiding policies behind criminal justice reform.  In a new generation of justice, how do we promote restoration and rehabilitation over punishment and mass incarceration?

Joe Kimok has served as a prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer and has been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, recording artist John Legend, as well as Dream Defenders, Democracy for America, Color of Change, and more.

Learn More About Joe Kimok’s Campaign: https://www.joekimok.com/

https://twitter.com/joekimok?s=20

https://www.instagram.com/joekimok/

Get involved: Students for Joe Kimok: https://www.instagram.com/studentsforkimok/

The Blank Take:

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“Tell Me About Yourself.”

Through a post on Craigslist back in 2014, this small proposal has since paved a powerful six year journey for Helena Dea Bala where she sits down and listens to strangers.  Forging a space that is free of judgement or ridicule, Helena has been entrusted with hundreds of stories from all walks of life.  From veterans, to former addicts, to grieving spouses, and more, these stories create a kaleidoscope view of the human experience, one that is layered with honestly, heartbreak, compassion, regret, loneliness, clarity, confusion, and anonymity.  In this episode, Brandon and Emily interview expert listener and rising author, Helena Dea Bala, to discuss her journey and her brand new book, “Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers.”

Helena's Book: Read through the dynamic collection of confessions from strangers:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Craigslist-Confessional/Helena-Dea-Bala/9781982114961

Craigslist Confessional Website:

More from Helena:

https://twitter.com/helenadeabala?s=20

https://www.instagram.com/helenadeabala/?hl=en

The Blank Take:

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You have no control over who lives, who dies, or who tells your story... so how do we tell the story of our founding fathers and the founding of America without speaking about slavery and the darker parts of American history?  How do we reconcile the past with contemporary ideologies and the progress of our nation?  In this episode, Brandon and Emily dive into "Hamilton: An American Musical" which is trending yet again after being published on Disney+ earlier this week.   Along with Hamilton, this episode delves into conversations about diversity representation, historical accuracy, patriotism in the face of civil unrest, symbolic victories for BLM, and more.  Can critical discussions still happen in the era of cancel-culture? Where do progressive discussions about race and American history lie?  

Follow us on Twitter: @blank_take and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blank-take/id1520428912

Suggestions? Reviews? Episode comments? Sponsorship opportunities? Send us an email: [email protected]

Sources:

Hamilton: An American Musical-  Written and Composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda 

CNN article with mentioned quote: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/05/opinions/hamilton-movie-mixed-messages-black-lives-matter-morales/index.html

In this episode, we dive into a discussion about the class rank system present in many public high schools across the nation and whether the race to the top is ultimately worth it.  

Follow us on Twitter @blank_take and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blank-take/id152042891 )! 

Best In Class by Margaret Talbot: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/06/06/best-in-class 

In our first episode, we dive into the impromptu speech performed by the amazing Dave Chappelle in which he discusses George Floyd and larger the Black Lives Matter movement. This episode is our take on the impact of the BLM movement and how people can maximize their efforts in order to incite change.

Link to 8:46 - Dave Chappelle: 

https://youtu.be/3tR6mKcBbT4

Link to "How to Turn Climate Anxiety Into Action" TedTalk by Renée Lertzman: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/renee_lertzman_how_to_turn_climate_anxiety_into_action?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Using this platform, we also encourage our listeners to support the BLM movement and access critical resources in order to connect to fundraisers, petitions, calling lists, educational tools, and more. Here are some general resource links:

http://www.pb-resources.com/

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Welcome to The Blank Take! 

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