20XXtheMagazine - Political Issue 2020

OCTOBER 2020

We sit down with Zuhuri Beauty Discover 5 tips for weight loss!

Election 2020

Congressman Jim Clyburn addresses today’s political climate More interviews with Senator Zellnor Myrie & SC State Rep Kambrell Garvin

Create Your Own Path with Marie-Kriz Beltraz

NAIDA RUTHERFORD

Add History Maker to Her Many Hats 20XXtheMagazine.com | 1

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MEET NAIDA RUTHERFORD

Jim Clyburn The Congressman discusses the current climate

Richland County’s future medical coroner

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Kambrell Garvin We talk politics with the South Carolina State House Representative

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Senator Myrie Another discussion on today’s politics the New York Senator

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kelli r williams We sit down and talk about how she’s making history

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CONTENTS Beauty & Fashion 12 Beauty Spotlight

We dive deep into Zuhuri Beauty and what they have to offer!

Lifestyle 41 RIF (Reading is Fundamental) Book List Check out our top 15 books by black authors

43 Get Ready Faster

Taylon Moorer gives us tips on how to get ready faster in the mornings

Health & Wealth 38

Fitness Tips Taylon Moorer gives tips on how to stay fit and lose weight

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The Mental Health Tip Kendra Talley talks about destigmatizing mental health in the community

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Create Your Own Path

Marie-Kriz Beltran talks how to make hard decisions

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CEO | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tacara LaStacia VP | CREATIVE DIRECTOR Keya Talley EDITOR Bink Carpenter LIFESTYLE COLUMNIST/BLOGGER Chelsey Blasingame Taylon Moorer HEALTH & WELLNESS COLUMNIST Kendra Talley Marie-Kriz Beltran BRAND AMBASSADOR MoniQue La’Belle

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C O N T R I BU TO R S Taylon Moorer LIFESTYLE COLUMNIST/ BLOGGER Taylon is an experienced entertainment and lifestyle blogger/vlogger. She also curates videos to inspire millennials everywhere.

Chelsea Blassingame LIFESTYLE COLUMNIST/ BLOGGER Chelsea curates videos to help inspire young women everywhere to lead a mentally and physically healthy lifestyle.

Tacara LaStacia CEO | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tacara LaStacia is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications.

20XXtheMagazine is her way of giving back to the culture and inspiring millions of women of color around the world.

Kendra Talley HEALTH & WELLNESS COLUMNIST Kendra obatined her Masters of Science in Community Psychology from Florida A&M University. She’s passionate about normalizing and dicussing mental health in the black community.

Keya Talley VP | CREATIVE DIRECTOR Keya graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications.

She has a passion for all things design and anything creative.

Bink Carpenter EDITOR

Marie-Kriz Beltran HEALTH & WELLNESS COLUMNIST Marie has her Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Colorado Christian University. She enjoys spreading knowledge about the importance of mental health.

Bink has a passion for inspiring other young girls her age to go after what they want in life and to dream big! She also oversees 20XXGirls!

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MoniQue LaBelle BRAND AMBASSADOR MoniQue is a cosmetologist, business owner, model, and brand ambassador. She has a passion for giving back to her community through public speaking engagements as well.

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Photographer: Aaron Smalls Photography

EDITOR’S LETTER

“Vote as if your life depended on it...because it does” I’ve heard this very quote so many times throughout my adult life and even more so in the past few months. As a Black Woman I know that this rings true in this election more than ever. Our very democracy is in jeopardy. The opportunity to exercise the rights afforded to us in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are at risk of being null and void.

As I reflect on the words all of the political candidates I was fortunate to interview for this issue, those of Jaime Harrison ring most true about this election: “It’s not about left or right, it’s about right vs. wrong”.

Now in the words of the great Spike Lee: Do The Right Thing!”

Vote.

Much love,

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Zuhuri Beauty

Tacara LaStacia: We are excited to give a spotlight to the Zuhuri Beauty brand today! Tell us a little about the brand.

Zuhuri Beauty: Exactly. I cater to men, women, teens, babies, and toddlers. We have something for the whole family.

know, babies get a little frustrated and irritated at times, but using it in their hair to massage their scalps.

It’s very light, absorbs into the skin very well. And I’ve done a lot of research, obviously to be a natural skincare formulator, and learned what products work best for babies. You know, when people with a variety of different skin types. I do also have a background in chemistry.

But I don’t use chemicals. However, it’s important to know what goes well with other ingredients to have the most lasting effects.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay. Now are your products, all-natural products?

Tacara LaStacia: It’s safe to say then, that you market to the entire family?

Zuhuri Beauty: Yes, we make all-natural, non-toxic, and affordable skin and hair care products. We do have some specialty products, including our hyaluronic acid serum, and a HA serum. C+ serum that people will assume are chemicals, but they’re not. They’re naturally derived from sugars and L-Ascorbic acid, and things like that which are natural.

Zuhuri Beauty: I can’t say I’ve had campaigns that, for example, have a black family on it or a family on and say we have something for everyone. But what we do in our marketing, for example on Instagram will say I have a C three A hair food serum, that will help grow hair back for women and men. At Zuhuri Beauty, we cater to everyone. We make sure in most of our marketing, 90% of it that we do say we have products for everyone.

Zuhuri Beauty: So, Zuhuri Beauty is actually one of my brands. My business name is Total Glow Enterprises. And it consists of Zuhuri Beauty, EMK essentials for Men as well as Safe baby products, I should say safe, which is for babies and toddlers.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay. Tell me a little about all of your brands then if that’s the case. So, you’re basically in the beauty industry, but you cater to men, women, and babies. Correct?

Tacara LaStacia: Got you. Okay. Tell me a little about the baby line. I’m really interested to know what type of products you have for babies and toddlers.

Zuhuri Beauty: Yeah. So, our baby line is similar to our men’s line. We have been in the process of rebranding. I just had too many things under my Zuhuri Beauty website, so the men stuff got lost, the baby stuff got lost. And so, I totally rebranded the men’s line, gave it its own website, you know, Instagram, all that stuff. But the baby’s line is still under Zuhuri Beauty because right moms are the ones who are buying for their babies. So, what we have launched for the baby line is a baby oil serum, which can be used not just for baby’s body, but also for their hair. Several of our clients have discussed how it helps with diaper rash, dry patches, calming the baby when, you

Tacara LaStacia: Okay, tell me a little about the beauty box, who is the beauty box for?

Zuhuri Beauty: So, the beauty boxes are. I used to do a lot of them.

And it was out of my own frustration that what I wanted to do beauty boxes they had already decided what would be in the box, right. And I wanted a box that I could kind of pick and choose what I wanted.

So, I was courting a couple of companies to put Zuhuri Beauty products in there. And at the time when I started, I didn’t have a big budget, right. So, a lot of them wanted a fee to participate and then they wanted 10,000 skews. And it was not something that was feasible for us at that time. So, also being a business coach and knowing other people who formulated I just started working with

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other formulators who I knew also had good products, right. Some of them made similar products, but I’m not a hater, you know, people can choose what they want, right. So, we got together and started making beauty boxes, which we started doing monthly, then we started doing quarterly.

And now due to COVID, it is definitely a quarterly thing. And people get to pick and choose what they want from Zuhuri Beauty products and our partners. There have been dresses in the boxes, there have been purses, Shea butters from some of my business coaching clients who I want to give an opportunity to showcase their products; not just with my clients, but people who don’t know about us. So, my marketing is very broad when it comes down to promoting the boxes. We do like to give away some of the boxes, because we are about, especially at this time, letting others know that there are people who care about you, we know people are struggling, we know what it’s like to get something, my face is lighting up right now, that may have a smell that lightens up the senses. You get a new dress, you know how you feel when you get a new dress, and it’s an African print, and it’s custom-designed and a purse. But then also getting to say a woman who’s had a dark spot on her face forever, and she’s tried hydrocodone, she’s got all these things from a dermatologist and she finally read the labels like oh my gosh, this stuff could kill me if I put this on me. This could cause my endocrine system to be damaged. This could cause all these other problems. Do I want to do that to get this dark spot removed?

Right? But then she sees a Zuhuri Beauty C+ serums and is like, oh, maybe I’ll try this because I know this won’t hurt me. So, we’re about.... my hands are up.... upholding, uplifting other women and they don’t have to be melanated complexion women all the time. But we do look to serve our queens because we know what it’s like to be one in America and the weight that we carry.

Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely. And I can definitely appreciate that. Now the beauty box itself only contains your products?

Zuhuri Beauty: No, it contains products from our partners. So, for example, and again, it’s not all skincare products from Zuhuri Beauty. So, this latest box had some savory beauty products. It had some EMK essentials products because I want women to be able to share with a man or husband or son. It had a person it from Dope Vibrations. It had a dress by Phantobelfane. It had a bath bomb by Enhanced by Nature. It had a shea butter by Shea-me-now. It had actually some period panties by bamblish.com.

So, I’m partnering with as many people whose energies are aligned with partnering because it’s the right thing to do. Do you get what I’m saying?

Tacara LaStacia: Definitely. Where can our readers obtain one of the beauty boxes or any of your product lines?

really good friend who, she said that to me and we crack up. We’re trying to make some shirts that they Hashtag What’s Next. Don’t steal that, don’t steal that. Because when I started this, it was by faith and you don’t know what’s next and I’ve just learned to be open. I never thought my first time pitching to Walmart, I’d be in Walmart, I never thought I’d be in Macy’s. I never thought I’d be in six, seven black-owned beauty supply stores, I never thought I’d be selling internationally. I’m about to cry. I don’t know what’s next but I know that I’m open to it, do you get what I’m saying? I’ve been doing this a long time and what’s most important to me, sister friend, is making sure I transfer this knowledge I have to younger queens or queens that are my age who are not sure if they’re on the right path. So, I have been blessed, when I think of what’s next. I’ve been blessed to be a mentor, and provide internships to young women in a girls Academy here in Los Angeles. I’m gonna cry. And that’s probably the most.... God has done amazing things but for this woman to find the article that was written about me by US Bank, and then to find me and ask me to be a mentor for her entrepreneur’s Academy for girls is like, amazing. And then for me to be so bold as to say, I want black girls. And for her to acknowledge that and send them to me was powerful. So, the weight of that makes me feel like if I die tomorrow, which I hope I don’t, I would be alright. Because there’s a gap in information sharing and I refuse to be the one to not give information and help us be successful.

Because too many people told me no, or wanted to charge me too much money to help me and those people have a lack mentality and I don’t. The more I give the more I get. So, I’m giving stuff away. Okay. So, them boxes I’m like, take it, take it, take it. Cause I know what God has for me. I know what he got for me and it’s bigger than what’s next. You get what I’m saying?

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. I definitely share that mindset with you. I can relate to that… And it’s a sense of fulfillment, knowing that you’re sharing your God-given gifts with the world.

Zuhuri Beauty: Absolutely. And connecting with people who like us that have that same energy is important to me. Some people just want to ride your wave because they see you own a wave. And you have to kind of weed those people out and see what their real motivation is. And I politely get people off my wave, you know, I’m saying, I’m not here for that. How can you add value to me? And I’m not just talking money. What can you teach me?

How can we connect and make things happen together? So yeah.

Tacara LaStacia: I can absolutely agree with it. Well, I look forward to whatever is to come. I believe that it will be great. I look forward to sharing your brand with our readers. And actually, at some point, partnering with you and being a part of your vision in some sort of way, however, we can make that happen. I’m looking forward to that.

Zuhuri Beauty: Absolutely. No, absolutely. I’m very excited that even though we had a couple challenges with getting on a call and all those things. It’s great that we have been able to connect. We’re here and it’s meant to be and I look forward to partnering with you also in the near future and in any way, in any capacity that comes.

Zuhuri Beauty: www.zuhuribeauty.com. So, what I do is, when we’re doing a box, I put the box on the website and the product category, but I also put it on our front page, I’ll announce it on Instagram and Facebook and do you know some sort of promotion on it? And our partners will also put it on their pages. So, I will be doing one for the holidays. I’m just figuring out what that’s going to be. I really would like it to be a black Friday box. So, I’m debating now what’s going to be in it. COVID has caused all sorts of challenges with the supply chain. So, it’s like if I can get everything I need by the end of October then I will be good for Black Friday box which I want to include our organic adaptogen tea with a little tea kettle because it feels good to drink tea.

Right? And why not drink tea that’s good for you? So, that’s under my Glow Girl Wellness brand, which is something else that I do.

Tacara LaStacia: Awesome! What’s next for the brand?

Zuhuri Beauty: Oh, my goodness. It’s funny you say that because I have a

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AIDA RUTHERFORD A WOMAN WHO WEARS MANY HATS

“No matter what title I have, I’m a servant.

And that’s the title that I give to people when they ask me what I do. I am a humble servant. I will always say that because it is what I’m meant to do.”

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Naida Rutherford: It says recording.

Tacara LaStacia: I am here today with Naida Rutherford. I can say mother, I can say medical professional but now we’re going to add to that the title of history maker. Tell us a little bit about how you made history here in South Carolina.

Naida Rutherford: Well, no matter what title I have, I’m a servant. And that’s the title that I give to people when they ask me what I do. I am a humble servant. I will always say that because it is what I’m meant to do.

I did make history though, in that we ran in the Democratic primary and I say we because we all ran. Thirty-something thousand people showed up to vote and place their vote for me. So, we ran a campaign that put me on the ballot in November. By doing so, I’m the first person of color, female, and the first medical professional, first nurse practitioner to ever be on the ballot to run for Richland County Coroner in the 173 years that the office has been established.

Tacara LaStacia: Well, that is awesome…and to further deepen that, you beat a 20-year incumbent. Tell me what it was like the moment you found out, you actually did just that.

do exemplify humility like that’s different, but it’s refreshing. So, I for one appreciate that. I want to say thank you for that. Now, when do you officially take your post?

Naida Rutherford: So, the exact date I’m not quite sure of, I think that I get that information after November, but I believe it’s in January.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay. Speaking of the November election, we will see you on the ballot again, correct? But you will not have an opponent?

Naida Rutherford: Yes, you will. So, I will be on the ballot. Naida Rutherford will be on the ballot in the position for coroner. So, we still need people to cast their votes.

Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely. Let’s switch gears a little bit. In the role of coroner, and I guess it’s not too far of a switch. Can you explain the coroner’s job for those of us who don’t really know what the coroner does, other than tells a reason for death or gives us the cause of death?

Naida Rutherford: So, what most people know the coroner’s office to do is to notify the next of kin when a death has occurred. That’s how most people know the coroner’s office. But it can be so much more Naida Rutherford: Well, I went to sleep. I had a case the next morning. than that, which is what my goal is when I take office in January. The I had a really long procedure scheduled for a main purpose of the coroner’s office is to help patient the day after the election, I had to be there determine the cause and the manner of death. at 7:30 am. And so, I went to work, but I woke up The cause of death being the medical reason “Go out and vote November 3rd, Naida to 405 text messages saying congratulations, why someone died. To give you an example, let’s Rutherford for Richland County Corner” congratulations. And so, that was pretty cool. But say you have atherosclerosis, which is, you got I’ll say I didn’t even have a chance to process it. all this stuff in your arteries and veins but you Honestly, it’s been a few weeks now, the election get shot. What actually caused you to die? Was was on June 9th, so we’re coming up on a month of that. And I think now is it the hemorrhagic shock or was it the fact that you hit atherosclerosis? when it has kind of just hit me that, you made history, whether you want to Determining what was the actual cause of death is very important. acknowledge it or not like you made history and it’s pretty cool. Because because it helps families, it helps for statistical reasons, it helps to impact in my mind, I’m still like that kid that’s poor, that’s in foster care, that doesn’t community health initiatives. You could be in a car accident, and you have anything, that’s how I think of myself sometimes. And so, when big could have cancer but did you die from blunt force trauma to the head things like this happen, it’s incredible. It’s incredible. or did you die from the cancer? Even if you were on your deathbed with the cancer, what was the actual cause of death? It wasn’t the fact that Tacara LaStacia: I’m guessing that speaks to your humility in saying that you hit stage four cancer that would be an underlying health condition. you’re a servant because you have humble beginnings.

Maybe the fact that your body was immunocompromised may have exacerbated your injuries or exacerbated the state that you were in, but Naida Rutherford: I have very humble beginnings. I think no matter it wasn’t the actual cause of death. The coroner’s office is supposed to where you go in life if you don’t maintain that humility, you will fail. I say this ask those hard questions that help to determine what the actual cause all the time, ego is a lot of successful people’s downfall, they get just too of death is, and the medical examiner and the pathologists that work cocky. I don’t ever want to be that way. Every day I want to work to earn the in those departments are very important in helping to determine that. voters vote, every day I want to work for those thirty-something thousand Now, that manner of death can be accidental, it can be natural, it can be people, and for the 20 something thousand that also didn’t vote for me. I’m undetermined, it can be homicide, it can be suicide. their servant and that’s how I want to be, that’s how I will work. I will show up in that capacity with a humble spirit because I don’t know everything The coroner’s office is supposed to be able to provide investigative and I’m going to need the community to support me and to help me when findings for deaths that are suspicious. There are a number of reasons I need help. why a death could be considered suspicious. For example, if someone goes into a hospital, and they die within 24 hours, what happened? If Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely. That’s very much appreciated being on someone is found down at their home, and they don’t have any other the political side. It’s not too often that you come across a politician who underlying health conditions, but they’re just dead but there’s no obvious displays humility. cause of death, like a knife or a gun or what have you or pill bottles. So, then inquest needs to be done, or an autopsy needs to be done so that Naida Rutherford: Please don’t call me a politician. you can help to determine the manner of death. Because if you find someone who’s.... maybe they were doing heroin with their friends, but Tacara LaStacia: Okay. Why is that? their friends cleaned up all the evidence of the heroin and this person is just found down. Well, now we have to go and do toxicology and we have Naida Rutherford: Such a negative connotation that’s associated with to do an autopsy to actually see how the manner of death in which that that. person passed away. So, it’s a big job.

Tacara LaStacia: That’s my point, though, to come across someone who does hold an elected position we’ll say that, and to see that you

Tacara LaStacia: Very much so. Sounds that way..and it sounds like you can’t have a weak stomach as I do to be in that position.

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Naida Rutherford: No, no.

Tacara LaStacia: Again, I commend you.

Naida Rutherford: I have a pretty strong stomach. Thank you.

Tacara LaStacia: Now, being that you are a nurse practitioner, you’re on the front lines right now, with the COVID crisis, can you express the importance of staying safe and what it is that we can do? Maybe there’s something that just as a whole, you see that we’re not doing properly or we should be doing more of. What advice can you give as a medical professional?

Naida Rutherford: Stay home, stay home. Only go to places that you absolutely need to go to. It’s a difference in saying well, we want to go out to have dinner or things like that, sure, no problem restaurants are abiding by those laws. If there’s a restaurant that you visit, that’s not abiding by those laws, then you probably don’t need to eat there because that means that they’re not valuing you as a customer. They’re not valuing themselves either. So, I would tell people stay home as much as possible, limit your social interactions as much as possible. Wash your hands, alcohol-based hand rub is great in terms of getting rid of bacteria and viruses on the hands. Soap and water is great, but you need antibacterial soap. It’s not the same thing. If you can use an antiseptic soap that’s even better. So, look for antiseptic soaps, and just frequently washing your hands helps to prevent that as well. Wear your mask when you’re out in public. I cannot stress that enough. Wear your mask, because it’s not necessarily for you.

What if you’re positive and you don’t have symptoms and you run into someone who is immunocompromised and they’re wearing their mask, but you cough in their direction or what have you. So, you’re now putting a whole community at risk. I just tell people, just try to think about it like glitter.

If you work with glitter, even when you try sweep it up remnants of the glitter remain right? No matter how...... you find glitter a year or two later, right? If we could think about the coronavirus like glitter, I think we would all have a better understanding of what that looks like for us and say, okay, I need to be even more diligent about washing my hands, taking a shower, as soon as I get home not wearing my shoes in the house, cleaning my cell phone, cleaning my keys, and just being very diligent with those things.

community are not as prevalent. And we’d love to have our community understand that if you’re in a trauma or crisis, and you need blood, not enough of us are donating. I think that’s very important. You want those life-saving measures if it were your child, if it were you, your spouse, a loved one. So, why wouldn’t we donate to that versus just taking from the system?

Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely. I appreciate you saying that. Once again, give everybody the spiel on why they need to go out in November and still vote.

Naida Rutherford: Right. So, what we did in June was we won the Democratic primary election which means that I beat out...... there were no Republican candidates, there was only a Democratic candidate. So, I want to go on to the next round, which is November 3, 2020. We need you to go out and vote, my name will still be on the ballot for Richland County Coroner. And while we have made history, it’s not sealed and signed yet.

So, we still need you to go out and vote November 3rd, Naida Rutherford for Richland County Corner. And if you’d like to donate or volunteer, you can go to www.rutherfordforcoroner.com.

Tacara LaStacia: Now, I’ll tell you I was out earlier grocery shopping, and I was amazed by the number of people walking around without masks.

Naida Rutherford: People don’t care.

Tacara LaStacia: Mind-boggling to me. With that being said, do you and, of course, I know you can’t give a definite answer, none of us can---But do you foresee the numbers decreasing anytime soon?

Naida Rutherford: With as cavalier as people are being about the virus, no, I don’t see it decreasing. I see it actually increasing. I think that when we get students back who are from different places like New York, and California and all those, like hotspots, Florida is now a hotspot. So, I think we have people who are anxious to travel, they’ve been locked up in the house, they want to go someplace, they want to get out and they’re just not being safe. They think that because they’re not in their hotspot of Florida, or where have you, that they’re safe. And I think that’s the scary thing is that we’re not safe, we all need to be diligent because the virus isn’t going away. I just sent everyone from my store home, I have a thrift boutique downtown, and I just said, I want everyone to go get tests. Don’t come back until everyone has tests. And no one’s symptomatic, like, no one has anything but you know, they’ve been dealing with the public, we’ve been taking donations and I’m like, you know what, let’s just go get tests.

Let’s do that.

Naida Rutherford: I feel like donations in the African American

Tacara LaStacia: So, this is my favorite hat thus far.

Naida: This hat.

Tacara LaStacia: That hat is giving me life. I keep saying, when my hair gets a little longer, I’m gonna start wearing hats. That would be my first. I love it.

Naida: Thank you.

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Tacara LaStacia: I love it. So, which version of you are we getting in this look?

Naida: Gosh, I would probably say my serious and stylish side. In everything I do I try to do it with some style. So, it doesn’t matter where I am, I always try to dress up, present my best self. But this is more of like a business casual look for me.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay Naida: So, you see my chucks have made another appearance.

Tacara LaStacia: We see that chucks again with a three-piece suit.

Naida: A three-piece suit. Yes. That I bought for $2. No joke. I’ve had this suit for probably two years and I didn’t try it on until today.

Tacara LaStacia: Oh my Gosh!

Naida: I never put it on. But I thought it was so like... it’s just like a funky cool suit. Look how wide the legs are like this is fun.

Tacara LaStacia: It really is. And I’m loving the vest. That’s my favorite part of the whole suit.

Naida: Thank you. I feel like vests are so underrated in today’s fashion.

Tacara LaStacia: Yes. I love a good vest.

Naida: I like a good vest. I do.

Tacara LaStacia: But $3 Naida: $2 Tacara LaStacia: $2 Naida: Yes, ma’am.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay. See, I’m not really in tune with the whole thrifting thing. I’m trying to get there mentally because I would love to keep money in my pocket. So, where would someone find a three-piece suit for $2?

Naida: Well, that is what I call sourcing. Even though I bought this suit for $2, the time that it took me to find this suit to make sure it’s clean, to repair anything. I wouldn’t sell the suit for $2, but at the Now and Then store located at 607 Lady Street, downtown Columbia formerly styled by Naida, we would be able to help you find things. We get so many amazing donations. You can buy stuff for $5. So, it’s a pretty cool place. You could come right there to 607 Lady Street and find a fabulous suit, darling.

Tacara LaStacia: I love the plug and the name change!

Naida: The name change. Yes. So, with me going into office, I wanted to brand styled by Naida differently after I realized that it could be bigger. I think that we can be more of a global company if we do some different branding and marketing. Styled by Naida is not very catchy. The people who are local know me, but people outside of Colombia don’t. “Styled by who?” they think I’m a hairstylist. I wanted to do something that was a little bit more reminiscent of that kind of mix of modern and vintage and retro vibes. I felt like “The Now and Then Store” would definitely do that. Then my partner in crime, as I like to say, Yoma Edwin is a former classmate of mine and he stepped in to do all of these things with me and that’s been really cool. He has such a brain for branding. I said, take it over darling, take it on.

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Because I can come up with content, I can do different things, but he can do it on a much bigger scale.

probably the dreams of so many that look like us a couple of months ago and became a doer more so history maker talk about that.

Tacara LaStacia: Naida tell me about this outfit.

Naida: So, obviously it is not lost on me that I won this election or that I won the Democratic primary but that is not the legacy. The legacy is what will I do once I’m there? And will I live up to the hype?

And that’s my number one focus. So, for every single voter who placed their vote for me, for those that didn’t place their vote for me, will I actually accomplish the things that I said I would accomplish, and will they see fit to bring me back and that’s the ultimate success for me. Reelection. So, every day is campaign day from now until the next election is campaign day and so we’re doing.

Naida: So, I love to support female-owned businesses, I love to support black business. And this outfit....so, these are some dirty chokes that I’ve had for years. I think a friend of mine gave them to me during a closet cleanout and I’ve just worn them a lot as you can tell. This skirt is something I’ve probably found on clearance. I love the bright color of it. I like the length of it. I think there’s something beautiful about not showing too much sometimes.

And this skirt has that, you know, kind of ankle lane, but very flattering. But my sweatshirt is really important to me. It’s designed and manufactured by a young lady in DC. Her name is Deanna Dorsey. And she’s a black female entrepreneur and she’s been featured in all these different magazines, and they sent me a sweatshirt during my campaign. I met her fiancé maybe it’s her husband now but either way, I met him he was like, oh my God, you would love her. Like you guys gotta follow each other. So, I’ve never actually met her. But she started with these shirts, and it says dreamer and that’s crossed out, and then it’s the word doer. And I think it is such a representation of my life. I don’t sit around and think about ideas, I make things happen. So, if the thought is there, then it’s going to be done. And that’s how I operate. So, this shirt, I say this to people all the time, it’s fine to dream, daydream but unless you’re doing then you’re not actively participating in your life. And so, as an active participant, as the main character in my story, I don’t dream, I do.

Tacara LaStacia: So, I’m sure you surpassed

“

Tacara LaStacia: I love it. This hat, this is very different, vastly different from the first hat.

Naida: Much like my life.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay, talk about this.

Naida: These are my Parisian dreams. This little sequel of array just something I wear when I want to feel like I’m chic and beautiful but I may have a little something to do that day. So, this is one of the hats that I would probably put on to do that. This little [inaudible at 3:17] beret. But it kind of went with the whole city chic look that I was going for.

Tacara LaStacia: I love it even with the chucks you’re still giving chic1 Naida: Listen they’re filthy but I love it. I think it adds character to the whole fit.

Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely.

So, obviously it is not lost on me that I won this election or that I won the Democratic primary but that is not the legacy. The legacy is what will I do once I’m there? And will I live up to the hype?

And that’s my number one focus.

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Naida: Whether I’m serving the homeless, I’d like to look a certain way.

That’s really important to me. Some people may say it’s vain, but I think about it like this, if I were sick or if I were serving someone, or someone was serving me, how would I feel if they look disheveled? Or they’re standing over me and their clothes are wrinkled? “You didn’t care enough about yourself, what makes me think that you’re going to pay attention to me?”

You didn’t give yourself that courtesy. So, I’ve always been really, really big on that, like, show up how you want someone to show up for you. If you’re sick, do you want to look up in your hospital bed and see someone that looks like they’re tired and rundown? I don’t want to see that.

Tacara LaStacia: Right.

Naida: …and, smile at them. It doesn’t mean that you sit there somber, it’s just like, listen, this is a tough time, it is. How can we make it better? There’s your smile moment. You know, because people won’t ever remember what you said, they will remember how you made them feel…Maya Angelo said that and that is a quote I live by.

Tacara LaStacia: Not at all.

Naida: I want to see someone who looks like they’re vibrant and ready to start the day no matter how bad the diagnosis is, or whatever. I was once told on a job evaluation that I was too bubbly, and I was like, I have to convince people every day that the holes they have in their bodies are going to be healed…every day. They are sad. Why wouldn’t I be bubbly?

Tacara LaStacia: Right. To think that that’s where we are in society is sad though …to where bubbly is a negative.

Naida: Well, so you have to think about it, a man gave me this evaluation and he said people will take you more seriously if you weren’t so bubbly all the time. I said, so let me get this straight, these four degrees that I have, have nothing to do with the fact that I can actually do my job…but me being bubbly is the issue here? I think the real issue here is that I’m confident, I’m black, I’m young and you have an issue with that. Not me.

Tacara LaStacia: And the fact that you’re a woman.

Naida: Talk about it.

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. Naida: But yeah, I had a huge issue with the white HR manager. She used to always say [about me] “she’s so talkative, she’s so this and that.” I’m like, again I’m telling somebody who has a hole in them this big [makes circle with hand], like, “oh, well I think we may be able to heal it”. I could give him the same message without the bubbly and it’s not gonna go over well…but when I walk in and say, “Hey, oh, my God, we closed in a whole centimeter today! That’s amazing!” I give these people hope.

Tacara LaStacia: Right. Delivery is so important. But you just said something big when you said you have to give them hope. So, as a hope giver, I think I want a little bubble behind that.

Naida: I want a little bubble behind mine too, that makes me feel like things are gonna be okay. We have the serious conversations when they need to be had, like it’s okay to say to me, ooh, it’s not looking good for your home team but here’s some things that we’re going to try. I can rock with that all day long. I think it’s about being culturally sensitive too. So, you learn in medicine that you never take hope away from African Americans. It’s always God’s plan, God’s will, whatever, in the healing part of it. Then if they do reach death, you know, it’s your loved one has died. I’m really sorry that you’re having to go through this. How can we make the transition easier?

That’s a different conversation than they passed away. Passed away from what? Like, what do you mean passed away? They passed by something.

Like you gotta use very clear language. So, it’s different when someone’s trying to say, “oh, you know, God has other plans and you never know what’s gonna happen”, but not when someone has reached that final point. You have to be a little more clear. I think it’s crazy that you want to deliver bad news to people, you want people to be, I don’t know.... [nonchalant] I don’t want to tell somebody that there loved one is dead it and not have some empathy and compassion behind it.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay, so, tell me about this look. What’s the inspiration behind this one?

Naida: There is none So, what’s really interesting is that I never think that when I’m getting dressed, I just get dressed on how I feel. I think that’s why photoshoots are hard for me because it’s not a true reflection of how I feel that day. It’s more like, I think this would look nice on camera..and I do better with that with other people than I do myself.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay, I get it. Tell me about the outfit you chose to wear first.

Naida: This is like, I bought this for 50 cent [Duster]. I think this is a donation [Dress]. My friend gave me these boots. I had this hat from a really long time. I didn’t buy anything to wear today. I literally just went to my closet.

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. So, your entire outfit costs what?

Tacara LaStacia: Total cost to you I should say.

Naida: Total cost to me, 50 cent.

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. Naida: That’s what I do.

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Tacara LaStacia: That’s gonna be hard for the readers to believe.

Naida: I know but I shop like that; everything I wear comes from a thrift store.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay.

Naida: I don’t wear things that don’t come from thrift stores. I want to show people that you can find the beauty in it, you know. My friend gave me these boots, she used to own a shoe store. I have fabulous shoes from her store. That’s probably the only thing I don’t wear that’s 100% thrifted... but everything else I wear comes from the thrift store.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay, before we get started with the shoe, you said this was your favorite hat or one of your favorite hats.

Naida: Yes, I love hats.

Tacara LaStacia: Talk about this hat.

Naida: So, this hat is extra. What’s not to love? It’s thin, it has like this little, you know, like, whatever this material is, it’s straws. Very, very fine. You can tell it’s a well-made hat. I kind of crushed it a little bit so it kinda lost shape or something right here, but it has this beautiful feather. it has pearls, it has rhinestones. It’s extra like me.

Tacara LaStacia: Extra like you? I was gonna ask how the hat makes you feel but...

Naida: Oh yeah, definitely. Anytime I wear a hat I feel like I’m in charge. I don’t know what it is. I’ve always loved hats though.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay, we know you’re a woman that wears many hats.

Naida: A whole lot of them.

Tacara LaStacia: What is this hat indicative of your life?

Naida: This is stylish side. This is my I’m stepping out, I’m here to make a statement.... because no matter who you are, what you wear tells a story before you open your mouth. So, if you go out in sweat pants every day, what does that say? You know and what it says to different people may be different. Somebody may think you’re just coming from the gym. Someone else may think that you’re just comfortable wearing sweat pants. The truth is, is that if that’s not your job to wear sweatpants every day, if your first thought when you see someone is oh my God, I know I look a mess, then that’s not who you really are. You need to dress for who you really are.

Naida: So, this is my stylish hat.

Tacara LaStacia: All right, hat number one.

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Tacara LaStacia: In this particular look, you took your hat off.

What is that indicative of in your everyday life, or your life as a whole? When does the hat come off?

Naida: It doesn’t because there’s always something that I’m doing. I would say that I’m probably most comfortable in my role as a servant. There’s nothing that I really do a lot of like, I don’t go to lunch. And people think that’s so odd that I don’t have lunch with people. I think it’s not a very productive use of time. I believe that if we’re going to meet then let’s have the meeting about what we’re supposed to have it about. We can eat and have a meeting. But I don’t have a lot of space in my life for frivolous things. So, me getting dressed is my fun part of my day and then I go into very serious work. And I put those hats on. Do what I’m supposed to do, you know? So, no matter what it is, I adjust and pivot accordingly. I read a lot but then I’m a student, you know so yeah, my hats are always on. In some way. I think the most free I feel is when I’m with my children and we’re just sitting and talking and relaxing. For the most part, I’m always working so it’s just kind of who I am. I’ve learned to accept that as I’ve gotten older. Before I felt like I wasn’t living, I felt like I was just always working. So, I take the time to do selfcare things now; but even in that, I’m serving myself.

Tacara LaStacia: Always the servant.

Naida: Always the servant and I’m okay with it.

For more inspiring words from Naida follow her on IG @NaidaRutherford.

Please vote in the 2020 elections and if you’re in Richland County vote in Naida Rutherford for medical coroner.

Every vote counts.

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New York Senator

Zellnor Myrie 20XXtheMagazine.com | 22

Tacara LaStacia: Hey, this is Tacara LaStacia with 2020 the magazine and I am fortunate to be sitting here today with New York Senator Zellnor Myrie.

Did I say that correctly?

Senator Zellnor Myrie: You got it right.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay. Thank you for being with me today. Senator Myrie.

How are you?

Senator Zellnor Myrie: I’m good. I’m good. Good to be here.

Tacara LaStacia: Thank you. As I told you beforehand, we’re doing a special political issue to where I just wanted to have conversations with black politicians, and of course, when I saw you in the headlines and saw you on social media, the first thing that made me want to sit down with you is the fact that you’re a young black politician. Then, of course, your being in the news for being a part of what was hoped to be a peaceful protest that turned otherwise. So, let’s start there. Let’s talk about how.... I don’t know for you but for me, I never would have thought that in the year 2020 we as the culture, I would say, would have to literally be out here in the streets, beating the pavement and protesting to really affirm our rights in this country. So, can you talk about that day in May, when you were out there peacefully protesting in New York City streets?

Senator Zellnor Myrie: Yeah, you know, a part of what the tragedy of racism in this country is that it is in the soil and the DNA. And so, it’s not something that is easily extricated. You can treat the soil, you can try to kill the weeds but if it is deep and ingrained, unless you uproot it, and really confront it, we’re going to keep having the same plants grow from those racist roots. And so, what we saw this summer, I think is really an example of people starting to awaken to that fact. And for many people who like to believe that we were in a post-racial society, that Obama solved racism, that we no longer had to confront these issues, seeing one person brutalized after another with the sanction of the government, I think it was one too, too many. And so, you know, I went out, I’m born and raised in my district, where I represent many neighborhoods in central Brooklyn. And I went out as a black man who has grown up, I’ve been black longer than I’ve been a state senator. But also, as the state senator, to be a peacemaker, I have to work with law enforcement in my capacity as an elected official.

I know many of the higher-ups and I knew that temperatures were going to be high. This was about two days after George Floyd was murdered, or at least two days after it came to public light. And so, I went down to try and make peace. I let law enforcement know, I’m coming, I’ll be here. And I had a bright neon shirt with my name emblazoned on the back with my title.

And even with all of that, I was still pepper-sprayed and put in handcuffs.

Because it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that I was the state senator, it didn’t matter that I have three degrees, it didn’t matter that I had been there to be peaceful. In that moment, what mattered was that I was a black man in this country. What I tried to do after that experience because many of us have had those types of interactions, those of us who were fortunate enough to survive them. And we all react differently. And I saw my role as an elected official to see how I could use that pain for some form of progress.

And a couple of weeks after it happened almost about 12 days, I was back up in the Capitol passing police disciplinary reform, and a whole host of other laws that would help us start to get at this issue. So, while it was very unfortunate, I think it brought attention because everyone said, well, we know State Senator Myrie wasn’t acting crazy and this could happen to him. So, there must be some sort of problem now. It shouldn’t take that. But we try to use that to help us to get the win.

Tacara LaStacia: Tell me about the moments that led up to you being placed in handcuffs and being pepper-sprayed.

Senator Zellnor Myrie: So, we were following orders. I was there with my colleague and the assembly member, Diana Richardson. And we were trying to.... the cops were advancing on us and telling us to move back and

we were of course complying with that order. And I, in fact, just trying to get other folks, other protesters to move back as well. And so, I’m holding my hands out, my back is faced to the line of cops. So, you got cops that are in essentially riot gear. And then in front of them are cops with bicycles, using them barricades to push us back. So, I got hit in my back, my shoulders, my legs, with the wheels of the bike, as they’re telling us to move back pushing me back. And so, I’m turning around and I’m like, I’m listening to what you guys are doing what is happening? Why are you guys doing this. And as I turned around, I hear someone shout, get him. And that’s when I saw the pepper spray leave the canister and it hit my eyes. And then about three or four officers surrounded me. And they said cuff him, cuff him, cuff him cuff him. That’s when I was put in handcuffs. I’m crying, you know, the picture that I tweeted, I’m crying out in pain now, I’ve never felt pain like that in my life. I’ve never been pepper-sprayed, handcuffed until I became a state senator and I was protesting police brutality and which is wild. And so, I get handcuffed and I’m crying out, I need help, I need help, my eyes hurt, my eyes hurt. And the officers are being not really responsive. And it wasn’t until about 15, 20 minutes later until someone recognized who I was in the police department that the big dog came over and said, take him out of the handcuffs. And then I got medical attention.

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. So, you only received medical attention at that point because someone recognized you.

Senator Zellnor Myrie: That’s right. That’s right.

Tacara LaStacia: There was an article in the New York City and State and one of the things that you were quoted as saying was, “I have all of the things that you” quote-unquote “want to avoid trouble and have a bunch of degrees for which I’m paying dearly”, which I can relate to that.

Senator Zellnor Myrie: Come on now.

Tacara LaStacia: “I have a pretty good pedigree by way of my profession, as a state senator. I have no criminal records, I went to peacefully protest, regardless of all of those things, I was still subject to unjust treatment by the NYPD.” Has the department as a whole issued an apology to you?

Senator Zellnor Myrie: So, I didn’t get a department-wide apology. I got apologies from individuals in the department of who felt what happened was wrong. I got a call from the Mayor of the City of New York expressing his sorrow that this had taken place. But the truth is, is that while it’s unfortunate that this happened to me, and I’m carrying that trauma going forward, my biggest worry was that if this is how they treat me, I hope the world sees that so many more people are treated like this, that don’t have my title, or my platform. And this happens every single day, even in that instant, while I was in pain and while I was in handcuffs, you know, there came a point where I was like, okay, someone will recognize who I am, and then everyone’s going to scramble to try to rectify. But there were people on the line waiting to be processed, people who were peacefully protesting like I was, who didn’t have that title. So, it was a weird moment of privilege for me, even within this brutality that I had as an elected official to be able to step out and not be processed and not go to jail. And so, many people do not have that. And they’re not afforded that privilege. And that’s the real injustice. That’s what I was hoping that we could point people to.

Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely. So where do.... not only do you go from here but where can we as young African Americans go from here? If this could happen to a senator who was being peaceful, who was complying, of course, it can happen to anybody else. But how can you use your voice to then turn around and say to some of the other young African Americans, that it’s still okay to use your voice, it’s still okay to protest. And this could very well happen. How are you going to convince them of that?

Senator Zellnor Myrie: It’s a tough, tough...... so I remember being back in the district and back on the block and some of the dudes coming up to me

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like yow Z, we what happened to you and that’s crazy. And sort of lamenting that this is the treatment that they get all the time. And I remember telling folks like, yet really, really messed up but the only way that we can begin to change that dynamic is to continue to hold people accountable. And that includes holding people like me accountable. So, if you’re a young person, and you are rightfully enraged by the brutality that you see and the structural racism that you see, there are a couple of ways for you to come at that one, of course, is you can continue to go out and protest. And that I think, has its place. And we saw some immediate action from that.

But I also think there are things on the policy front, that it’s important for our young folks to be engaged on. And look, you don’t have to be an expert on anything. You have people that work for you. I work for the people in my district. Your representatives in the state legislature, in the city council, in the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Senate, they all work for you. You contact them and say I want to see what you’re going to do about ending structural racism in our system. What do you propose? What have you been behind? What are you fighting for? Because it’s going to take many angles to get at this, going back to the earlier portion of our conversation, because this is a structural and historical problem. There isn’t one solution, and it really means that we’re all going to have to use whatever talents you have to attack. And maybe you don’t want to go to protest, maybe you don’t want to call your elected official, but you are a very good artist, in whatever art that is, that can be drawing or music or spoken word. Use that platform to, to speak your mind and call to action some of your peers. And so, I think this is.... you read about this in the history books, you read about the civil rights movement, you’re like, wow, what would I have done had I lived during that time? And we’re living it right now. You’re in it right now. You have the opportunity to make a difference.

Tacara LaStacia: I love it. Now tell me, what are some of your platforms?

Correct me if I’m wrong, aren’t you up for re-election?

Senator Zellnor Myrie: I am. So, I got elected in November of 2018 to my first term. And so, I’m up for reelection this November, I was going to say voting has already started. And so that’s ongoing. But the last day to cast the vote is November 3, which also happens to be my birthday.

It’s the worst birthday, particularly this year, to have. I think we’re going to be rightly focused on some existential things here in the country. But yeah, I am running again. And I’m running on my record, what we have fought for in the Senate, we’ve passed historic regulations around rent, and affordable housing. That was something that was an impetus for me to run. I live in a rent-stabilized apartment, grew up in a rent-stabilized apartment. We’ve been able to drive down evictions, 40%, because of that law that we changed, and so we’re going to continue to fight on that front.

I did a lot in the election space. I’m chair of the Elections Committee in the New York State Senate. And so, early voting, which starts here in New York, at least October 24th, that was the first bill that I passed. It was the first bill that the Senate passed. And we’ve done a lot of reforms on that front to make it as easy as possible. So, I’m going to continue to push for that.

I’ve done a lot around the criminal legal system. I was intimately involved in what we did for bail reform, what we did around speedy trial and discovery laws, what we did around police reform, but there’s a lot more for us to do, and that I look forward to pushing. And so, I’m really excited about what we get to do the next term, because we’ve shown and I’ve sponsored 20 bills that have become the law. And I’m very grateful to have been able to do that in my first two years in the Senate. So, I look forward to doing more of that in the next year.

Tacara LaStacia: That is awesome. Let’s talk about the presidential election this year. I’ve posed this question to all of my political interviewees: What I’ve heard probably more than anything, especially on social media and in a lot of the local campaigns is it’s important that you vote; you have to vote this year as if your life depended on it. I know for so many of us that is just words. It’s just words. A lot of people don’t get the true importance of this presidential election.

Can you speak to that and just what would be your pitch to young voters and new voters to get them out for this election this year?

Senator Zellnor Myrie: So, it’s interesting because every election year, you hear that refrain.

People say this is the most consequential election. This is the most historic. This election coming up in November without hyperbole, without gas in it without any of that, this is the most consequential election of our lifetimes for a number of reasons.

We’ve had differences in policies that make it up to our presidential platform, and that is debated and, and that we have serious differences over. What we generally don’t have differences over is the legitimacy of the democratic process. We don’t have deep differences over the rules of the game. And what we’re seeing in this election is one side that believes in democracy, even if that democracy the outcome is such that your person doesn’t win. And another side, who says this entire democratic process, voting, absentee voting, early voting, all of that is illegitimate and rigged until you cannot trust the outcome. That is not something we have seen at a presidential level in our lifetimes at all. And someone who attacks the very foundation of the democracy is not.... this is not just like any other election, and it’s why it’s important that people participate in numbers like we’ve never seen. And the early voting numbers suggest that, that is beginning to happen, 10 million Americans have already voted, which is much, much higher than what we’ve seen in 2016. But that’s why it’s so important to engage on the policy stuff is clear. And I don’t want to get too partisan here. But it’s very clear, if you’re a young person, why it’s important for you to engage. The future of the planet is at stake, your student loans are at stake. Whether or not you can afford a home is at stake. Whether or not we will have a criminal legal system that encourages the mass incarceration of people that look like me is at stake. Those things to me appear to be clear to our young folks. But the structural damage that will be inflicted, if you do not engage, cannot be overstated. So, that’s why it’s important for you to get involved.

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“It’s not about left or right, it’s about right vs. wrong”.

- Jaime Harrison, Candidate for US Senator

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MAKING HISTORY

with

KELLI R. WILLIAMS She will be the youngest, as well as the first black, not only African American, but African American woman to hold this seat when she wins after November 3rd.

By: Tacara La’Stacia Tacara LaStacia: I am here today with Kelly R. Williams, who is a history maker that we’re featuring in this our special political edition. How are you doing today Kelly?

Kelli R Williams: I’m doing well. How are you doing?

Tacara LaStacia: Very well. So, tell our readers exactly how you’re making history in this year’s election.

Kelli R Williams: So, yes, I am Kelly R. Williams, and I am the candidate from Mullins City Council District #5. I will be the youngest, as well as the first black, not only African American, but African American woman to hold this seat when I win after November 3rd.

Tacara LaStacia: I love that.

Kelli R Williams: Yes. Tacara LaStacia: Now, how old are you exactly?

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Kelli R Williams: I am 29 years old.

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. 29. How did you get started in politics?

Kelli R Williams: Well, I tell people it’s crazy. You have to be very, very careful what you put into the atmosphere. And God also is very, very comical at times, too. I graduated Mullins High school in 2009 with the aspirations of being a Political Analyst. I went to college, Coastal Carolina University, started working and as my major stuff like that, and absolutely hated it. I was like, this is not for me, I cannot see the rest of my life doing this. So, talk with my parents, end up switching my major to Business Administration. And I’m graduating got my business degree and then in 2016, I actually moved back home to Mullins. Kind of got a little bit discouraged, because what I left back in 2009, was the same things. It was no change, no progress, no anything. So, I started getting involved in the local city council meetings and just attending you know, seeing what was going on. I am a taxpayer now and stuff like that.

Tacara LaStacia: Right.

Kelli R Williams: And I got a little bit more involved when I just noticed that nothing was happening and the people was just not motivated. So, I started my nonprofit in 2016, when I got back home. And I started becoming more of a community organizer, and a community activist and just really doing a lot of philanthropy work. And I just got more and more involved in just making change, positive change happen in my hometown. And now oh, my goodness, now what five years later, four or five years later, I am now running for city council. So, as I say, God is funny at how he works because I hated politics.

Tacara LaStacia: Right.

Kelli R Williams: When I went there initially to become a Political Analyst, and everything with a political science major, and now I’m in politics.

Tacara LaStacia: Funny thing about that, I was a poli-sci major in college for three years… then I made the not so smart decision my junior year to switch my major to journalism. And here I am today interviewing a politician.

Kelli R Williams: Funny, right?

Tacara LaStacia: Very. Tell me a little bit about your platform.

Kelli R Williams: So, our platform is simple. Creating more jobs and enhancing our current small businesses that we have are currently in our small town, clean communities is really just cleaning up my district. It’s really getting our district back to where it is looking.... cause is one side of town is really nice and our side of town look like this trash. And it’s really just being a catalyst and a voice for change. There’s a lot of people in my hometown because of the simple fact they’re either (A) still in the traditional mindset and is used to what has been happening in the same cycle, or (B) they want change, they want progressive and new ideas, but they’re just really scared in really activating and this doing as such. So, I want to be that person to say, you know what, I got you. You come to me, let me be the voice because I’m already considered the militant, radical, young person who’s just trying to change everything in Mullins. So, guess what, I’m gonna be just that. Those are my three top platform issues.

Tacara LaStacia: I love it. I love it. Now, what would you say to first-time voters or even other young people who just don’t see the value in their vote?

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Kelli R Williams: Number one, your vote does matter. People think that voting is just voting for people like me to take leadership and to run for office and putting a new person, a new face, or the same person back into the seat. It’s a little bit deeper than that. A lot of people don’t realize that you’re not only voting for a candidate, but sometimes you’re voting for new laws and new changes that’s happening in your local.... not just from a national or a state level, but from a local level. So, for example, you may have, I know it was like four years ago, we had a Penny tax. We was voting for local politicians but also it was a new amendment that was on the voter to ballot for, a penny tax. And guess what, after a lot of people did not show up to vote, taxes was increased. Why have my taxes been increased? Guess what it was on that ballot. And that’s what education comes into play. A lot of people are just not educated. And that’s another thing too, I have a platform called “dirty politics”, I know it sounds weird, “dirty politics”, but it’s actually just to really educate the people. I host town halls, I do live videos, I put a lot of information out there just to tell people it’s just not about, we voting for the President, voting for the Mayor, voting for City Council, Governor, something like that, but we also are voting for other things that have direct effect on us in our communities, in our towns; from taxes to our road and infrastructure, to our schools, to amendments and stuff, and laws they’re trying to pass. Because they know we not gonna go vote so they gonna go and just go ahead and simply just throw a new law out there. And they’re going to because they know we not gonna go vote for it. And we get [inaudible at 6:59], after this vote and after election is over, it’s already done. So, I want people just to know, look past the officials and the politicians and actually look at things that your vote really does matter in making the bigger decisions on what we can really vote for and have a voice at the end of the day on what I let the officials actually make your final vote for.

Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely. tell everybody where they can follow you, how they can support your campaign, and where to look out for more voter education from you.

Kelli R Williams: Yes. So, I am on Facebook, Kelly R Williams for Mullins City Council District #5 on Facebook. I have my website www. krwforacouncil.com. You can also donate on that website as well too. And you can also follow my dirty politics page on Facebook as well too, and get some information. But every single week, I do a crushing it Wednesday, where I really just educate the folks. And it’s my dirty politics page. And I tell people as well to learn for yourself. Don’t listen to me, open up a book, go and meet with your local city council or senators or congressmen, their offices are wide open, and really learn about what they do. But also get involved in your local city council meetings and county council meetings and stuff and just really educate yourself on what you are voting for. And I guarantee you will find out you’re voting for something that’s so much more bigger than what you think you voting for.

Tacara LaStacia: I love it. Good stuff. Thank you so much for sitting down with us today Kelli Kelli R Williams: Yes, thank you. Thank you for having me.

Tacara LaStacia: Looking forward to bringing you back and seeing what you’re doing in that new position because we’re gonna go ahead and claim it.

Kelli R Williams: Oh, yeah, November 3rd, I got it. And I also on November 3rd I need everybody to just simply go out and vote.

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A conversation with Congressman Jim Clyburn By: Tacara La’Stacia Photo below by Sean Rayford

Tacara LaStacia: I am so fortunate, so gracious to be sitting here today with one of our--- I’ll say hometown heroes, The Majority Whip, the Honorable Congressman Jim Clyburn. How are you doing today Congressman Clyburn?

Congressman Jim Clyburn: I’m fine. Thank you so much for having me.

Tacara LaStacia: Thank you. So, I want to jump right into that title majority whip. Can you explain what that means?

Congressman Jim Clyburn: Yeah. Well, you know our system of government we get from England. And of course, England a favorite sport there is fox hunting. And there’s no fox hunting, it is always riders on horseback in their towns, that are running through the woods, chasing the foxes. And so, in order every now and then, one of the hounds would get out of line. And so, the people on horseback are called footprints and they get that because they all have whips. They use these whips to snap at the hounds to keep them in line. And they call peppermints. And so, when the government was set up, you’ve got the leaders various offices, they decided that they

needed somebody as a part of the leadership that would keep everybody in line. And so, that person would just shorten the name to fit. So, in every party, you got the party leader and then you got the whip. And so, that’s where the name comes from. So, it’s my job to get the votes. Whenever the leader puts an issue on the floor. Now, the Speaker of the House runs the whole house but the leader, the Democratic leader, decides when the issue should come to the floor. And the whip job is to make sure you get the 2018 votes that are necessary to take care of the day. So, I have stay in close contact with all the members, you get to know all the members as well as you possibly can. You get to know their likes and their dislikes; you learn stuff about their districts. And so, a lot of times, I might go to a member and I’ll say look, we need your vote on this but there’s one thing in this bill that I think you need to pay close attention to because it could have some impact on your congressional district. So, it takes getting to know your members, get to know their districts, because you don’t want to ask a member to vote for something and they vote for it because of the great difficulty back home. So, that’s my job. So, that’s the whip’s job.

Tacara LaStacia: Now, if you can break it down for us who aren’t really heavy on the political scene, I can say the breakdown between the House and the Senate, specifically as it pertains to now, what we’re looking at with the new appointment of the next supreme court justice. How does that break down, take place and I know I’ve heard the Senate has more of the republican presence than the house. But what does that mean for us the voters who are down here outside of the house? What does that mean?

Congressman Jim Clyburn: What it means is simply this, the house got no role in this. Our constitution provides, when it comes to the courts,

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and most especially in this instance, the Supreme Court, the President nominates, the Senate confirms. That means if the President said I want this person sitting on the Supreme Court, the Senate then has to take that person, go through the process of vetting that person, [inaudible at 0:4:46] hearings and let people come to testify for or against that person. And so, the house does not play a role in that at all. The Senate then votes. And if you get 51 votes in the Senate, then you get the appointment. My job is not affected by that. And my job can’t affect that.

Tacara LaStacia: Okay. So, now when you speak of the Senate, as we’ve been hearing over the past couple weeks, the Senate at this point is predominantly Republican. That comes down to local elections. Can you speak to the importance of getting out and voting in local elections not just the big elections, like the presidential?

Congressman Jim Clyburn: You know, I say to folks a lot, no president ever came to your school board meeting. Would you consider your school to be important to your child? I think so.

Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely.

Tacara LaStacia: Right.

Congressman Jim Clyburn: So, it seems to me that when people tell me they only vote in presidential elections, they really need to have their heads examined. Because if you got a school board race and you got children in the schools, you ought to take a hand in deciding who sits on that school board. The same thing as City Councils and County Councils, state legislators. Right now, state legislators decide where congressional district lines are drawn. It’s a funny process. I sit in the Congress but the state legislature over there, that house and the Senate, State House and Senate, they decide where the lines are, what my district will look at. So, every one of these offices are important; and so, people should really pay close attention to what’s happening around that and see what impact these offices are going to have on their everyday lives. So, it’s very important to get involved in these elections, irrespective of what.... who may be or may not be the president.

Congressman Jim Clyburn: If you can bring an end to reconstruction by one vote, usher in Jim Crow laws by one vote, that tells you the power of one vote. So, we have to look at this election, in my opinion as being an election that is a referendum on this democracy that we live in. You got a guy sitting in the White House who refuses, I’m telling you right now but it wasn’t just now, he did this four years ago, I think people laughed four years ago, when he said, “this election, the only way I can lose this election is if it’s rigged” And they asked him, “will you accept the results?” He said, “only if I win.” That’s what he said four years ago.

Tacara LaStacia: One last thing before I let you go and I’ve asked this question of all of the politicians that I’ve been fortunate to interview for this special issue. I know we hear it time after time with every election. You need to vote, you need to vote, this vote is important.

We’ve heard so much over the past few months that we need to get out and vote. We many black people, we need to get out and vote as if our lives depended on it. Can you speak to that statement and the importance of just voting in this election itself, whether it’s focusing on a presidential candidate or even here in South Carolina we have a big Senate race? Can you just speak to especially our young people, the importance of getting out and actually voting in this election?

Congressman Jim Clyburn: Absolutely. This election like every other election is very, very important. But unlike every other election, this election is more consequential than most. Now, I have been saying and I really feel strongly that this is the most consequential president’s election since 1860. Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. The consequences of his election were the Emancipation Proclamations.

There were two of them. One that freed slaves in the District of Columbia, it became effective in 1862. The other one, it freed slaves in the former slave states, that became effective in January 1, 1863. And that ushered in a period known as.... before Jim Crow, for some reason that period, right after that is called the period of reconstruction. And doing reconstruction on the last 12 years Reconstruction came to an in 1877. And reconstruction came to an end as I said in 1877 and reconstruction came to an end by one vote. One vote put Rutherford B. Hayes in office and he brought an end to reconstruction and that led to Jim Crow. The Jim Crow era lasted from 1877 to 1954. It came into being by one vote. So, I would say to folks, that tells you what the consequences are that could flow from one vote.

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. Congressman Jim Clyburn: Now he said that he’s refused to say that he would leave office if he loses the election. That’s what happens in countries with dictators. And so, we have to ask ourselves; why is it that all these reporters, these talking heads in the monitors are now, referring to this guy, as Mussolini? Back in February 19, of 2018. I called Trump Mussolini back then and a lot of people give me a hard time for saying that. But I’ve studied history all my life. I used to teach history and I can tell you right now, this guy thinks he’s Mussolini and that is what his plans. He doesn’t plan to leave office, not peaceful. And the Constitution is silent on what to do If anybody loses the election and not leave office, we don’t know how the Constitution kicked in. So, we could be listed as a real definitive election, we might have a real constitutional crisis in this country, which could lead to an end to this democracy.

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. Congressman Jim Clyburn: It’s a possibility and I can tell you, there are all kinds of scenarios. People in strange places now sitting down plowing through books, plowing through the Constitution, lawyers geared up because a lot of people fear that we will have a constitutional crisis in this country after November 3.

Tacara LaStacia: Wow. That is definitely something that we should all have in the forefront of our minds. That should be enough to motivate everyone to go out to vote. This conversation with you is priceless. I appreciate you, and your time. I appreciate what you continue to do for the state of South Carolina and for us, for the culture as a whole. Like I said, you’re definitely one of our hometown heroes and I just pray that you have continued longevity. We need you there in the White House and we appreciate all that you’re doing for us.

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A sit down with South Carolina’s State House Representative

Kambrell Garvin By: Tacara La’Stacia

Tacara LaStacia: I’m continuing our discussion with politicians across the country and I am fortunate to be here today with South Carolina’s State House Representative Kambrell Garvin. How are you doing today?

Kambrell Garvin: Awesome, I’m so glad and happy to be on with you today.

Tacara LaStacia: Thank you. I appreciate you sitting down with me.

Now, let’s jump right in. We’ve heard so many times throughout this election season that we should vote as if our life depends on it. Tell me what that statement means for you and can you just give a little insight on what that means for young voters in particular?

Kambrell Garvin: Certainly, a great question. So, we oftentimes hear that every election is the most important or the most consequential election every four years. We heard that in 2016 when it was Hillary vs. Trump. We heard that in 2012 when it was Obama vs. Romney. We heard that again in 2008, McCain vs. Obama and we heard that again in 04 when it was Kerry vs. Bush. We heard that in 2000, It was Gore vs. Gush. And so, I could go on, and on and on. But I simply say that to say that this election is really probably the most consequential given that we have individual in the White House who has shown no sense of respect for the institutions of the presidency. Who has shown very little care concern about the well-being of everyday Americans, and somebody who has really prided themselves on being a showman and who has showed that it’s about him and not about us. We saw that just the other day when he left the White House. He came back from Walter Reed Medical Center, and he staged this grandiose photo op to show the world that he was back up and he sends a tweet out a few moments later that said, “COVID-19 is not so bad, I feel better than I did 20 years ago.” But the thing about that is that this individual is somebody who is getting the best medical care in the world, the best medical care and you’re sending a message that COVID is not bad, when in fact it is.

I was at a funeral just this past weekend for a high school classmate, you may have heard she and her mother both passed away from COVID-19; the Bannister family. And I spoke at that funeral when I talked about how the fact that she was going far too soon. And so, we have over 200,000 Americans and over 3000 South Carolinians who have died as a result of COVID-19 and we have a president that’s telling us that COVID isn’t so bad when he’s getting state of the art treatment and care. So, I say that to simply say, as young adults, we oftentimes feel that our votes don’t matter but so many people had that attitude in 2016 and we saw where that got us. Hillary Clinton, as you probably are aware, won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes in 2016. But that little thing called the electoral college is what gave Donald Trump the presidency. Three states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 30,000 voters in those three states decided this election and I think that just underscores the fact that we’ve got to take this thing seriously. While third party candidates are good for certain things, I will just implore folks... I know that Biden wasn’t the top choice for so many young people but I think that we’ve got to get out there, we’ve got to vote truly like our life depends on it because health care is what is on the ballot, justice is on the ballot, education is on the ballot. A few days after the November election, the US Supreme Court will be taken up the Affordable Care Act and that could overturn health care, decent health care for so many Americans. I was fortunate to be able to stay on my parent’s insurance until I was 26 years of age, and I was in law school at the time, and I really benefited from being able to be on my mom’s insurance and I couldn’t imagine us going back to a preObamacare. I couldn’t imagine going back to a pre-Obamacare where if you have a preexisting condition you no longer are being covered by an insurer or your insurer can deny you coverage. So, we have got to take this thing seriously, and again, we got to vote like our life depends on it.

Tacara LaStacia: Absolutely. One of the things that you mentioned that I really wanted to touch on; after the last presidential election,

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there was a lot of conversation about millennials being unhappy with Hillary as the choice to go against Donald Trump. And you said just now Biden may not have been the choice for a lot of young people but can you speak to what it means or what it looks like when there’s no voter turnout if your candidate was not the selected choice?

vote. I’ve been voting since I’m 18 years old, and honestly before that.... and what I mean by that my mother would take me to the polls when she voted.

And so, from an early age, I learned the importance and the value of our vote and we’ve got to take it seriously. We’ve got to, again, vote like our life depends on it, because it does. It does.

Kambrell Garvin: Absolutely. So, so you said a second ago, Biden was not Tacara LaStacia: Now talk a little about your actual position and my first choice. Kamala Harris was not my first choice. I was actually a local elections because I think they tend to fall by the wayside little bit further left. I supported Elizabeth Warren primarily because of her sometimes. We tend to think that they aren’t as important but the proposals as it related to student loan forgiveness and being a millennial local elections are what lead to who’s in the White House. and being somebody that has, let me see well over $200,000, actually to be precise, $237,000 worth of student loan debt. That’s a law degree, a Kambrell Garvin: I’m so glad you said that because you’re absolutely right. master’s, and bachelor’s, I certainly understand the toll that.... the crippling When I used to go to community meetings pre COVID, every month I toll that having student loan debt.... it can have on millennials. It can impact would have about 10 meetings or so to attend and those meetings would us from being able to buy that new house, it can stop us from being able have about 15-20 local folks at them. Neighborhood associations who had to buy that car. So, I think it’s really important that we talk about and issues in their community, it could have been drainage issues where water address the student loan crisis in our country today because whereas wasn’t flowing properly into the drainage pipes, or ditches were flooding our parents’ generation or grandparent’s generation had upward mobility when it rained, or the quality of water, or trash pick-up or litter. Those sorts in their homes and were able to build wealth that way. So many Millennials of local issues, so when I would go to these community meetings and when are being forced to rent, and not ever build that generational wealth, and I would hear these sorts of concerns, I would say about 99% of the issues if we can’t build generational wealth that we can never ever get ahead in that I heard were local related issues. They weren’t national, they weren’t this country. But to your question, which basically asks; what I tell young state, they were local matters and so, that’s why it’s so important that we people about the importance of their vote? In my first race two years ago... know what’s happening with our Richland county council or your local city I tell the story often; I took on a 20-year political incumbent. I started off council because those are the issues that most impact your life. Before with no money. I started off with very little name recognition and I started being elected to the State House, oftentimes we think of the Presidency, off with just a desire, and a burning desire to want to serve, and to give or the Governor, or the State Senators and Representatives having all back, and to make my community and the world a little bit better for my this prestige or influence. And don’t get me wrong, these are great jobs having been here. And so, we got out there, but these jobs take a little bit longer to make stuff ran on a really hard, really tough race and happen. But those things that affect your bread and “I’ve changed my slogan to fighting the butter issues, your day to day life, are happening at worked really hard. Knocked on a lot of doors, met a whole lot of voters and at the end of the the local level. And so, oftentimes we have very low good fight.” day, during the original process, during the voter participation in these local elections because original election, the incumbent had seven people aren’t thinking about them, people are busy in votes more than I did. Seven! their day to day lives but these are the things that matter. Let’s talk about roads, oftentimes those are local issues. I don’t know what side of town And so, I tell folks as often that had that been the end of the process, had we you live on but if you’re out in northeast Columbia then you know that not had a runoff system in South Carolina where somebody has to have traffic is a huge concern. That’s the county council issue. It went back to 51% of the vote then that would have been the end of it. He just wouldn’t our local Penny tax that was approved back I want to say 2012. And so, have given votes, and I would have had to go home and lick my wounds those things matter. If you pay taxes in Richmond County... I pay taxes, car and maybe try again next time. But fortunately, nobody got 50+1 and we taxes, and boy I tell you, they are high, and so, those are local issues. But had to go into a runoff. When we got into that runoff it ended up being 70% you’re paying for schools, you’re paying for roads, you’re paying for the for me and 30% for the incumbent. But I shared that to simply say that quality of life that we enjoy here in town. But if you want your voice heard, every vote counts. Never underestimate the value of your vote. I know get involved locally. we oftentimes hear that our ancestors had to sacrifice and oftentimes from my experience, millennials.... that kind of goes in one ear and out the Tacara LaStacia: Love it, love it. What are some of your platforms other when we hear that because it’s not our reality. But to be quite frank that you’re reintroducing in this election being that you’re seeking with you I do want to go back to that. Somebody literally bled and died for re-election? us to have the right to vote. John Lou was talking about getting into good trouble. His good trouble was marching on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and Kambrell Garvin: I am, thank you for excellent question. So, I ran two literally being nearly killed for the opportunity to participate in the process. years ago on a platform; straight talk and integrity, and while that’s still If it was easy, if we weren’t a threat, if our voting was not a threat to so very important to me and it’s still a pillar of my campaign, I’ve changed many people’s agendas, they wouldn’t make it so hard. We saw just a few my slogan to fighting the good fight. And I changed it to that because days ago, where the South Carolina Republican Party, the GOP, the good when I got elected, there were 44 Democrats to about 79 republicans in old party, decided that they wanted to go to the US Supreme Court, and the house. So, we are in the minority. We have wonderful ideas, we have they actually went to the Fourth Circuit, Circuit Court, and then the case wonderful policy positions, we have things that will better improve the life went to the Supreme Court. Where they were opposed to allowing voters of South Carolinians but because we don’t have the numbers, because in South Carolina, in the middle of a pandemic to be able to sign their ballot our districts have been gerrymandered and for those that don’t know without having a witness. what that means; that means that the lines have been cut to pack voters of color together or to pack conservative republican voters together, to Now, I don’t know about your family but I have elderly relatives that are pack democratic or liberal voters together. Because the lines have been deathly afraid to be around somebody in the middle of this COVID-19 cut in such a way that limits the power of our vote. It makes it more difficult pandemic. Afraid! And to limit in my opinion, to limit voter participation for us to ever gain traction or influence in our general assembly. And let and to make access to the ballot harder, they went all the way to the US me just give your listeners a brief history lesson on this. Democrats used Supreme Court to say that had to have a witness requirement. And that to control legislators throughout the south pre the 1990s. What then just shows and that underscores the importance and the power of our happened is that during the Clinton administration, they started pushing

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for majority-minority districts because it was important and I get it. It’s important that African Americans who make up a very large percentage of the state also have representation at the state level. So, while our numbers of black elected officials increased in positions of power, the power that those black elected officials had decreased because they no longer have the numbers and there was a flip in the Republican Party in the Democratic Party.

And so, in the past 20 or so years, we’ve been in the minority. We’re almost like the children of Israel, we’re out in the wilderness and so, we have great ideas but oftentimes it’s hard to make those great ideas a reality.

Let me give you an example because you asked about policy; Medicaid expansion. I want to say South Carolina is one of 13 states in the United States that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act for our citizens in South Carolina. If COVID-19 has not done anything, it has exposed the glaring disparities in health care between communities of color and others. Black folks are far more likely to die as a result of contract and COVID-19 than their white counterparts. Another stat for you; black women are far more likely to die in childbirth than white women. And so, I share both of those things to say that I have a bill would expand Medicaid in South Carolina and provide access to our citizens. Guess what? That bill sat in committee for the past two years, can’t even get a hearing on it from the chairman. Another bill that I have is a bill that would expand.... that would deal with implicit biases and child labor or dealing with maternal mortality. And there’s a bill that would require health care providers when they go and take their usual angle certifications or courses, to actually take a class in implicit biases. Believe it or not.... and several of my doctor friends who I worked with on that bill informed me that they have never had to take a class on implicit biases. If anybody knows anything about implicit bias, you know that it’s something that we don’t even realize that we think about our certain group of people.

So, for instance, if a black woman who’s in labor is telling you that something hurts, the doctor may say, “you know what, I don’t believe you or the pain isn’t what you say it is.” I’ve heard countless stories, whether it be in childbirth or whether it be regular medical checkups, where people are telling their physician how they feel about a situation and they don’t believe them. And so, that’s why it’s so important that we take implicit biases head-on. I have a bill that would require the Department of Corrections, to inform those who have been incarcerated or in are preparing to be released from jail about how they can restore their voting rights. Something so simple and so fundamental because people don’t think that once they’ve been arrested, once they complete their parole, they don’t realize that they have the right to vote. When I proposed that bill, I was trying to get some bipartisan support on it. And I went up to one of our Republican colleagues in the house and I said, hey, this is what this bill does, and I explained it to her just like I explained it to you, and your listeners today and she said, “well, you know, what, that might cost too much.” Having to print a sheet of paper to inform somebody have their voting rights! That’s the mindset of so many people and it’s unfortunate.

And so, we must continue to fight the good fight. I think our fight is right. I think our fight is just. I think that we will awesomely be on the right side of history on these fights. And I oftentimes encourage, my constituents and my colleagues that we can’t get discouraged in doing good. We can’t get disillusioned. We can’t adopt the same pessimistic tactics and that sort of thing. We got to keep moving because we have people that are literally depending on us. It’s truly life or death.

or memes that say something to the effect of “I’m not my ancestor, or try me,” Have you seen those sorts of things?

Tacara LaStacia: Yes, yes.

Kambrell Garvin: Those sorts of things bother me because.... yes, our ancestors tolerated and dealt with a lot but let’s put that into perspective.

They were terrorized by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. They were shocked. They were killed. Look at Tulsa Oklahoma, where there was an affluent black community or society within itself. They had doctors, and they had lawyers, and they had schools and they had money, they had wealth. And literally, an incident happened in that community, and the white mob literally came to Tulsa, to that black community. It was called Black Wall Street and they burned it down to the ground. They threw hundreds of bodies into unmarked graves. And so, when people say that we’re not our ancestors, we aren’t dealing with.... the oppression that we’re dealing with is more subliminal. The oppression that we’re dealing with is not as blatant. But just look at what they did. When you just look at a list of all of the achievements of people of color, look at a list of the all of the invitations by people of color in this country. So, I think that we do them a disservice by saying that we’re not them. But I say that to simply say that we’ve got to build off their work and we stand upon their shoulders because they paved the way for us to enjoy the freedoms that we have today. They paved the way for us to drive these BMWs. They paved the way for us to live in these nice neighborhoods with half-million-dollar houses. They paved the way for us to go to these predominantly white institutions. So, we stand on their shoulders and we should never demean their sacrifices because we have quote-unquote arrived. As my mother and grandmother would say “you never forget the bridge that brought you over.” And so, if I can leave your readers and listeners with that statement, never forget that bridge, value that bridge. and as you walk along that bridge make sure you reach back and pave the way to carry that nextgeneration you. Let us not be the first generation to go backwards.

Tacara LaStacia: I want to thank you so much for sitting down with me today. I feel like I’ve been enlightened, I’m sure my readers will as well. One last thing, what would you say to get everyone out to vote?

Kambrell Garvin: You know every election is important. Vote, vote, vote. We stand on the shoulders of so many people who have sacrifice. So many people who were really endured so much. I kind of cringe when I see shirts

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Fitness

Tips By: Taylon Moorer

Watch where you’re getting your information from.

I would be extremely careful following the weight loss advice of girls who have gotten any type of surgery.

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Don’t leave room for arguments around food. , I don’t try to

convince myself to not eat a meal that I know I deserve and will enjoy, it’s lessened my anxiety and now I’m able to go out and

eat and enjoy meals that I can eat without any residual stress or anxiety.

Learn how to walk. I love walking, it’s easier than jogging, it’s fun, and it gets you places. Walking 10,000 steps daily is essential, it gets you moving and it gets you healthy, and it gives you a goal to reach. Walking is less high impact than running, it’s still very healthy, it’s a method of transportation, you don’t need any fancy equipment, and you can walk absolutely anywhere you’d like to walk.

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3

4

Don’t stop eating dessert, healthy it up. It’s healthy to crave foods and you can satiate those cravings by having control over how much you eat and making healthier decisions when it comes to what you decide you want to eat.

5

Learn how to dress for your body shape. Avoid anything oversized, go for fitted outfits. You’ll find that there’s a style, a haircut, certain colors, a makeup style, and a whole range of clothes that all for you wonderfully.

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RIF (READING IS FUNDAMENTAL) | BOOK LIST What’s on our reading list? Check out these top 15 must-read books by black authors that you need on your own list!

SING, UNBURIED, SING

By Jesmyn Ward A searing and profound Southern odyssey by National Book Award– winner Jesmyn Ward. Ward gives us an epochal story, a journey through Mississippi’s past and present that is both an intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle.

By Nnedi Okorafor Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

LICCLE BIT

THE LAST BLACK UNICORN

By Tiffany Haddish Placed in the foster care system as a teen, and struggling to read at a basic level in ninth grade, Haddish found that humor and jokes helped her endure. When offered a choice between the Laugh Factory comedy camp or counseling to help recover from issues within the foster system, she chose the former and found her calling. In her first book, Haddish recounts her early life straight through to her powerhouse success both on the comedy circuit and in Hollywood with the 2017 film Girls Trip.

By Alex Wheatle What’s worse than hiding a secret?

Liccle Bit’s about to find out... Venetia King is the hottest girl at school. Too bad Lemar is the second shortest guy in his year. Everyone calls him Liccle Bit, and his two best friends, McKay and Jonah, never tire of telling him he has no chance with girls. Things aren’t much better at home.

Sources: www.goodreads.com

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TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK

By Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin In her first play, the now-classic A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry introduced the lives of ordinary African Americans into our national theatrical repertory. Now, Hansberry tells her own life story in an autobiography that rings with the voice of its creator.

LIFESTYLE

BINTI

RIF (READING IS FUNDAMENTAL) | BOOK LIST

BIG FREEDIA: GOD SAVE THE QUEEN DIVA!

INVISIBLE MAN

By Ralph Ellison First published in 1952 and immediately hailed as a masterpiece, Invisible Man is one of those rare novels that have changed the shape of American literature. For not only does Ralph Ellison’s nightmare journey across the racial divide tell unparalleled truths about the nature of bigotry and its effects on the minds of both victims and perpetrators, it gives us an entirely new model of what a novel can be.

By Big Freedia From the eponymous star of the most popular reality show in Fuse TV’s history, this no-holdsbarred memoir tells the story of a gay, self-proclaimed mama’s boy who exploded onto the formerly underground Bounce music scene—a hip-hop subgenre—and found acceptance, healing, selfexpression, and stardom!

THE POET X

LIFESTYLE

By Elizabeth Acevedo A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

NATIVE SON

By Richard Wright Widely acclaimed as one of the finest books ever written on race and class division in America, this powerful novel reflects the forces of poverty, injustice, and hopelessness that continue to shape our society.

HOMEGOING

By Yaa Gyasi A novel of breathtaking sweep and emotional power that traces three hundred years in Ghana and along the way also becomes a truly great American novel.

BROTHER, I’M DYING

By Edwidge Danticat From the best-selling author of The Dew Breaker, a major work of nonfiction: a powerfully moving family story that centers around the men closest to Danticat’s heart - her father, Mira, and his older brother, Joseph.

ANOTHER COUNTRY

By James Baldwin Another Country is a novel of passions-sexual, racial, political, artistic--depicting men and women, blacks and whites, stripped of their masks of gender and race by love and hatred at the most elemental and sublime.

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GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

By James Baldwin Go Tell It On The Mountain, first published in 1953, is Baldwin’s first major work, a semi-autobiographical novel that has established itself as an American classic.

FIRE BAPTIZED

By Kenya Wright Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.

ECHO

By Alicia Wright Brewster The countdown clock reads ten days until the end of the world. The citizens are organized.

Everyone’s been notified and assigned a duty.

The problem is . . . no one knows for sure how it will end.

LIFESTYLE

How to Get Ready FASTER in the Morning Utilize the night before The night before it is very crucial to minimize your morning to-do’s. So try to shower the night before, lay your clothes out the night before, pack your lunch or snacks the night before… whatever takes you the longest to do in the morning.

Breakfast on the go If you didn’t have time to prepare breakfast the night before or you don’t have anything that doesn’t involve a lengthy cooking time, stash some extra granola bars or fruit in your bag or car to munch on in transit.

Try a more efficient makeup routine. While you’re waiting for your face moisturizer or foundation to set, start doing your hair.

If your hair is wet, keep it in a towel while you do your makeup before you blow dry, it’ll already by significantly drier by the end and cut down your prep time.

Maximize your sleep schedule. Study upon study has stressed the importance of getting enough sleep.

Give your body the full rest it needs so that when you finally wake up, you’re really awake and ready to seize the day.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

THE MENTAL HEALTH TIP: Time to Clean

For some this may come easy and for others it may be a

three weeks) and then the bedroom (once a week or every two

challenge, for some they may take delight in it and others may

weeks) depending on your particular room. If you have downtime

want to avoid it at all costs. What I’m talking about is cleaning, a

at work, once a week you can use this as an opportunity to clean

deep cleaning. When we clean it helps to create a clear space.

off your desk and give it a clean wipe down. Shred those papers

Cleaning is good for our mental health. Can you ever think of a

if they are no longer useful or even create a more effective filing

time when your car, home, or work space became so cluttered

system if they are piling up, (monthly). Maybe every other weekend

it literally was effecting your ability to be productive or even just

for about an hour you can wash your car and toss any empty cups

to think clearly? I know I can. When I’m in a messy space I feel

and fast food wrappers in the trash. They say it takes 21 days to

drained and lazy, I don’t want to do anything at all except just stare form a new habit, so why not let it be a good one? We are the into space. However, as soon as I clean my space I instantly start

inhabitants of this earth and it is our job to keep it clean but in

to feel better. I truly believe that cleanliness is linked to feeling

order for us to do that we must first start with ourselves and with

better in your mind, body and soul. You can start with the small

the property we have been given. So while you clean, I’ll clean too.

things like continually making sure to wash the dishes, do the

HAPPY SPRING CLEANING!!!

laundry, take out the trash every week. Then move to cleaning the bathroom (shower and sink weekly and cleaning the toilet every

Kendra Talley Masters of Science in Community Pyschology For more from Kendra Talley, one of our Health & Wellness columnists , check out 20XXtheMagazine.com

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Create Your Own Path: Making Hard Decisions and Simplifying Its Complexities What Do I Do?!

Many factors come into play when it comes to making a decision

it. Maybe even doing what would make others comfortable and

that impacts your life. And if you have kids, your decision

happy. But that’s okay, that’s just a normal human thing! So how

also affects your children’s lives. So, yes making decisions is

does one make a difficult decision without compromising self and

challenging! There is a battle that happens in your head about

authenticity? Here are three helpful insights:

yourself, your morals, your values, societal norms, culture,

1.Check-in with Yourself

parents, friends, and the people you are in a relationship with (romantic partner, family, close friends, etc.). The thing about life is that there is no manual on how to live, which route to go in any given situation, what to do, and how to do it. You just have to figure out what you believe is best for you and yours. We can get easily caught up in how others view us, what they think, and what they say. Maybe even trying to do it how others have done

Checking in with yourself means paying attention to your wholeness and well-being. Making important decisions are best done with a wise mind. Humans have an emotional mind, which is all about emotions. This is when you make decisions based on emotions, especially when they are running high, which is probably not going to land you in the best situations. Then there is the logical mind, which is all about the reasoning, what makes sense.

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Decisions made solely based on a logical mind may sound like a

do. But making decisions based on what others think just leads

good choice but usually leads to overthinking, eventually anxiety.

to resentment because you dishonor yourself. People you love

Plus, humans make errors in our analysis. So, decisions based on

and care about have their own beliefs about what may be best

logic do not guarantee the best.

for you. Partly, because of what you’ve shared with them during

The wise mind is the balance between the emotional mind and the

difficult times. They may not understand your decisions and may

truth without judgment and staying in the present moment and not

necessary changes to become a better person, to have a better

logical mind. A wise mind exists when emotions are both emotional even judge and insult your character for it. But no matter how ugly the situation may be, know that anyone is capable of making and logical mind together: experiencing and acknowledging the allowing emotions to have control. So, check-in with yourself. Are

relationship, successful career, and a better life overall. As long as

sleeping habits affect the mood, which can lead to reactivity and

Know and understand your reasons behind your decisions. Also,

my emotions too high? Did I get any sleep? Have I eaten well? Am he and/or she acknowledges the wrongdoings and how behaviors I overthinking about what’s next and how? Remember, eating and have impacted the situation but is still willing to change and grow. sensitivity. So, before making a decision, make sure to take care of know that your reasons are valid. Plus, you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone unless you want to. The only person you owe yourself first. an explanation to is YOURSELF! Never mind what others say

2. Know Thyself Personal beliefs are major factors in decision-making. Therefore, knowing your core values are extremely important. Also, know that you can face ethical dilemmas because that’s just a part of being human. We all have done things that we know we shouldn’t have.

We all have put ourselves in situations we did not want to be in and have done things that are against our own beliefs. But that’s okay! Because those mistakes are tools to learn and do better. It may take more than a few tries to get it right and that’s okay too.

No need to beat yourself up because the world and its people are already hard enough on you. Plus, there are valid reasons why people react the way they do. It’s way deeper than what was said and done.

about you. Your character, your beliefs, and your worldview are not based on how you handle situations and what decisions you make, but how well you utilize them to know yourself and better yourself in all aspects of life.

And lastly…

There is no manual book for this thing called life but the great thing about it is that we all have the power to create our own pathways to life. The stories of our hardships are not in vain nor does it negatively impact anyone for as long as we can use them to normalize HUMANITY, to EMPOWER others, and to GROW. It is disheartening how unempathetic and judgmental people are these days. Humanity is supporting a person’s journey, no matter if we

Identify your values, morals, and goals. What are the priorities?

agree with it or not. Humanity is making mistakes. Humanity is not

What matters most? How can I do better? What do I need to

knowing what to do or how to do it. Humanity is falling apart when

change about myself? How did I contribute to the chaos? What is

things get hard. Humanity is wanting to give up and walk away.

necessary in achieving the goals? Also, consider how your next

Humanity is being okay with other people’s decisions when they

action/decision will get you closer to your goals. Know that you

don’t agree with ours. So, it is okay that you find yourself in these

are your own person and are entitled to create your own path and

situations. You are human. Let it be the last time you worry about

how you want to live your life. There will always be people who

what others think of you and make decisions solely on your beliefs,

will criticize you and judge you. So what?! People will do and say

values, and worldview. You are the author of your life and the story

and think what they want regardless. The important thing is being

does not have to end until you are at peace with yourself and your

at peace with who you are, all of who you are. Accept and forgive

decisions. Your story is important because your story is made to

yourself for your mistakes, your own judgment on yourself, and for

have a positive impact on people’s lives.

how you’ve created an ugly image of yourself (or another person) to others.

3. Stand Your Ground Only you know what truly is best for you. And only by making a sole decision one can achieve liberation. Sure, we want to please and impress our parents, best friend, and whoever else you value in your life, and that’s valid! Probably even fear losing some relationships by doing what others do not believe you should

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Marie-Kriz Beltran Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling For more from Marie-Kriz Beltran, one of our Health & Wellness columnists, check out 20XXtheMagazine.com

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