The YBF Podcast

Natasha says not enough black people are talking about climate change, so she tapped in the co-writer of the unnecessarily controversial Green New Deal, Yale grad, Rhodes Scholar & Director of Climate Policy at the Roosevelt Institute, Rhiana Gunn Wright, to talk about ALL the things.

Climate Change affects systemic racism, our health, our rent, cancer possibilities based on where we live - basically our everyday lives, and it's not just about cow farts.  There's a reason certain folks don't care about making the environment more livable - because climate change disproportionately negatively affects people of color. 

Rhiana and Natasha talk a little Real Housewives, a little Green New Deal drama, why allergies & asthma won't let us LIVE, why we deserve checks from a climate stimulus and they give the blueprint to everything you need to know about climate policy.

Catch up with Rhiana on Twitter & Instagram!

https://twitter.com/rgunns

https://www.instagram.com/rgunner/

The Collective PAC is everything we need - a candidate incubator and candidate one-stop-support-shop all in one.  When folks say "I don't know any black candidates running for office," they can look no further than The Collective Political Action Committee.

Founder Stephanie James Brown chops it up with Natasha about co-founding this necessary org with her husband back in 2016 to put more black candidates in office on all levels who have respect for people's needs.

From superstars like Cory Booker, Jamie Harrison, Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush to newbies you need to know like Dr. Cameron Webb, Lauren Underwood, and Jamaal Bowden - they've got the run down on who's standing for what and how to donate to their campaigns.  The Collective has doubled their fundraising for these black candidates from last election to now - to the tune of over $12M.  So yeah, it's legit.

They find amazing candidates who aren't necessarily handpicked by the establishment and give them the spotlight they deserve.  Did you know over 90% of District Attorneys are white men?  Yeah, so if you feel certain laws are anti-black, let's elect DA's and state Supreme Court Justices who can change them (Staci Williams for Supreme Court of Texas, Place 7 is one you should know).

You've got less than two days to get your ballots in, so The Collective PAC has the cheat sheet you need. 

Plus, Stephanie dishes on how we, too, could meet our future BAE working and doing our civic duty in politics.  Her & Quentin's Obama-esque love story is one for the books!

READ UP ON THE CANDIDATES & DONATE:

https://collectivepac.org/

https://www.facebook.com/thecollectivepac

https://www.instagram.com/collectivepac/

You could have amazing progressive candidates in your State Legislature, but if Democrats don't have the majority, the ish YOU want passed or protected...isn't going to see the light of day.

Natasha sits down with Ronetta Francis, the Democratic candidate for the Arkansas State Senate, representing District 1, to explain why it's all a numbers game.

Arkansas may be the deep red south, but there's far more progressives than folks think in the state.  So it's imperative that Dems simply have the numbers to influence policy, and the majority to actually get it pushed through.  It's only a red state as long as you allow Republicans to vote in their candidates more than you vote in yours.  If we want to protect Roe v. Wade now that the Supreme Court will likely get rid of it, vote in STATE legislators like Ronetta Francis who will make laws to STILL protect it in Arkansas.

What else does Arkansas need?  What we ALL need.  Rent relief, gender wage gap closure, black unemployment gap closed, greener environment, and how all of these things affect health and wellness - one of her top priorities for a state whose incumbent state Senator says "It's not the government's job to solve problems."

The employment attorney and senior Ethics and Compliance executive with decades of experience explains why women - esp. black women - are the cheat code to getting ish done in politics. (Hint: We think about EVERYTHING and EVERYONE, not just ourselves, to create the best policies.)

SHARE HER PAGE & SPREAD THE WORD.  VOTE BY NOVEMBER 3rd!

https://ronettafrancis.org/

https://www.facebook.com/RonettaForArkansas

We love a potential history making moment, especially when it's a black woman on the forefront who is about to do so. She's even got President Obama's endorsement!

Texas is a notoriously red state, and this election, it's now officially a battleground state with the potential to go blue for the first time in over 40 years in the Presidential election AND the State Legislature!

Meet Keke Williams, the fearless & fab chick who's taking on the establishment in one of the most establishment-loving states in America - Texas. The military vet, wife and mom (and high key YBF fan) is the Democratic candidate for Texas State House, District 54.  And if she wins, she'll become the first black woman military veteran in the Texas State House of Representatives.  This is MAD important, as her district encompasses the largest military base in America - Fort Hood.

Keke and Natasha talk about how she will handle the extremely alarming number of cases of sexual assault and murders of soldiers on military bases, including Fort Hood, what she has already done in the Vanessa Guillen case that garnered national attention, why her non-military & Republican opponent has held the position for so long due to his family's name and pull, why she is the perfect candidate to represent a heavily black & brown and military district, and why Americans with Disabilities are one of her top priorities.  Oh, and she names which "Real Housewives" would make for a perfect running mate if she needed one.

Flipping state congresses blue is one MAJOR way to combat a super conservative Supreme Court & U.S. Senate.  We're giving you the keys to why and how.

DONATE TO KEKE AND/OR SHARE HER CAMPAIGN:

https://kekefortexas.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kekefortexas/

Helena Andrews-Dyer has BEEN slaying this writing game.  She's the Senior Pop Culture reporter for The Washington Post and just released her second book (out today!) Reclaiming Her Time: The Power of Maxine Waters that she co-wrote with pop culture writer R. Eric Thomas.

Helena - who's also author of Bitch is the New Black - and Natasha  chop it up about everything ambitious and successful YBF chicks are going through right now.  Going through and still slaying, too.  They talk about the inspiration behind giving or fave never scared Auntie Congresswoman Maxine Waters ALL her things while we can, marriage (Maxine's and Helena's), what Michelle Obama told Helena about how to have a successful marriage, Meg Thee Stallion, Cardi B., motherhood while being a BOSS and more.  We've included some main points starting around the 30 min mark you need to hear:

What could Kamala Harris could learn from Maxine Waters from the book

How Maxine Waters bursts into meetings on Capitol Hill when men in power "accidentally" forget to invite her

What Auntie Maxine would tell Cardi B and Meg The Stallion about navigating the world

Auntie Maxine's love of hip-hop culture (and yes, she is a true Cali girl who loves her some Tupac). 

Husbands who are super supportive and not intimidated still exist - Helena's and Maxine's husbands are examples

The best marital advice Helena received from Former First Lady Michelle Obama

It's been three hundred years - ok, a long several hundred days - of the 2020 Presidential campaign.  And the rhetoric hasn't changed amongst some folks. "What will Biden & Harris do for Black people?" "Why are Black men being left out and not catered to like Black women are?" "Trump and Biden are the same." "No one has earned the Black vote."

It's become clear many people simply haven't read the very much in depth Biden-Harris platform on JoeBiden.com. Since many do have time to repeat rhetoric developed by the Trump campaign, Symone D. Sanders, the Biden campaign's Senior Advisor, is offering up the rhetoric that is based in fact.  She's breaking down the points YOU NEED TO KNOW about the Build Back Better plan that directly help lack America where Trump's Platinum Plan remains vague and unreliable.

You can no longer say you "don't know how" Biden & Harris will help Black America after listening to this.  Agree or disagree with the plan, but at least KNOW the plan.

Vote early.  Vote NOW.  Election DEADLINE is Nov. 3rd.  Election DAY is now. 

Visit TheYBF.com for all entertainment news and more from YBF POLITICS!

Natasha chops it up with Emerge President A'shanti Gholar about creating the candidates we NEED, instead of us just accepting the candidates hand picked by party establishments.

Just because you want better candidates that better reflect what you stand for doesn't mean you just don't participate in this election.  But we're all about preparing for the future and the now, too.

Candidate incubators, like Emerge, have been grooming relatable, amazing people in communities - who don't come into this as "politicians" - for high positions in government as well as local positions.  And they've been super successful on the progressive front getting their well prepped candidates elected in droves - like Ayanna Pressley and Lucy McBath.

2020 is on par to have several more EMERGE candidates, now in the hundreds total, on ballots and winning.  It's a whole movement and it's impressive AF.

Follow her on Instagram and Emerge on Insta too.

Can VP nominee Kamala Harris move past her controversial record as Attorney General?  IS it that controversial, really?  Or are we seeing a misinformation and skewed information campaign like 2016 all over again? 

Which specific policies in Joe Biden's plan ACTUALLY help black America - the black business owners, parents and more? We also talk about his plan for free community college and extending that to colleges and universities for some, since we know education is one of the barriers to closing the wealth gap.

How DID Kanye West end up getting on the Presidential ballot in Tennessee? And with the help of a member of one of the Democratic royal families?!

We're breaking it all down with one of the people who has actual power to change things that affect your everyday life - a State Senator.

Since folks seem to sleep on state politicians, we've got yet another example of how THEY are the real MVPs when it comes to the mask mandates, Covid policies for you AND your kids (hello, back-to-school rules!), criminal justice reform in the form of restoring voting rights for ex-felons in the state, saving the voting rights of those arrested for protesting and plenty more.

Watch Natasha chop it up with lawyer, twin and fellow YBF chick, Tennessee State Senator Raumesh Akbari!

Learn more about Sen. Akbari on her Instagram & Twitter!

The deadline for TN residents to register to vote is Oct. 5.  Visit IWillVote.com to do so and to plan how you will vote!

Check out TheYBF.com for all the celebrity and pop culture breaking news, plus our YBF POLITICS vertical!

Will Breonna Taylor's killers ever be brought to justice? Are all of the protests and uprisings making an impact in Louisville? Will the rampant voter suppression be addressed in time for the November 3rd election? When is the next election for a new Kentucky AG? Should collegiate athletes be paid, especially if they're forced to play during these Covid times? How can working parents get help as virtual school is back in session? All is discussed!

It's not everyday you can reunite with college classmates and friends whom you started your career journey with.  Natasha chops it up with her fellow Texas A&M University alum Lyndon Pryor, Chief Engagement Officer of the Louisville Urban League, about EVERYTHING and anything happening in the social justice space right now.  The Urban League is on the forefront of making change, so we want to know exactly what they're doing and how we can all get involved.

After both made it through the tough conservative landscape of TAMU as two of the VERY FEW tough and non-conservative folks in their political science classes, it's the perfect time to bring their expertise full circle and talk about all the things. 

Lyndon holds a Masters Degree in Higher Education Administration and has joined the Louisville Urban League as their Chief Engagement Officer after several years of experience in University student affairs and student development.  He manages the Youth Development and Education Department and the Health Education and Policy Department, in addition to all League communications. So, he has the perfect insight and expertise to speak on what's happening on the ground in Kentucky.

Natasha and Lyndon discuss the Breonna Taylor case, the next steps we should expect (or not expect) from Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and universities in Kentucky (and beyond) and their handling of the Covid crisis when it comes to black student athletes.  It's all a doozy, and there's much to discuss.

We love first hand info from those dealing DIRECTLY with hot button social issues every day, and that's what we're getting.  How do we REALLY get social justice in every aspect that matters?  Let's talk about all that ish!

Natasha's IG correction: @natasharenee

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