#TalkRadio – September 26: Elevating Gen Z and Young Millennials to the Forefront of the Fight for a Multiracial Democracy

SPEAKERS:

Bahram Mehretu: 12:00 PM – 12:28 PM ET
TJC Alumni; Bahram Mehretu is an activist and campus organizer. He is one of the founders of the Basic Needs Coalition, a Black Liberation activist, and the former executive director of a social justice oriented 501c3: West Orange Young Dems. His work is focused on addressing basic needs insecurities and providing aid to students who are hungry, have no shelter, and struggle with finances. He hopes to be a lawyer with a focus on movement lawyering: providing legal services and aid to social justice and human rights movements.

Stella McMillan: 12:00 PM – 12:28 PM ET
TJC Alumni; Stella McMillan is a 2L at The University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. She was abandoned at birth and a bilateral congenital amputee (meaning she was born without legs), Stella spent the first few years of her life in an orphanage in Vietnam. She was then adopted and raised on the south side of Chicago. She was on Junior Team USA for wheelchair track and earned 2 silver medals. She played wheelchair basketball for The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, won 3rd place in Nationals, and was nominated 1st Team All-American. Stella is a spring extern for The Illinois Supreme Court for Justice Cunningham and a Summer Associate for Faegre Drinker.

Andres Cubillos: 12:00 PM – 12:28 PM ET
TJC Alumni; Andres Cubillos is a Campus Organizer and Senior at Florida State University. In 2020 Andres and the Student PIRGs team at Florida State University increased FSU’s voter registration rate to 90.3% and youth voter turnout to 76%. Now, Andres works with a variety of organizations on community issues including Students Demand Action, the Student PIRGs, Campus Vote Project,  and the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition.

Gemale A. Black: 12:00 PM – 12:28 PM ET
TJC Alumni; Gemale A. Black was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina. He was born the second son of four on February 16,1989, to George and Linda Black. Gemale is a 2007 graduate of Salisbury High School. He attended Winston Salem State University where he majored in Justice Studies. Gemale lives his life by the notion that Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts. This has been evident in his work. Gemale currently serves as the President of the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP. When elected, Gemale was the youngest president within the state conference of NAACP branches. Gemale has vowed to keep the organization at the forefront of social justice issues in the Salisbury-Rowan community. While in the midst of moments of racial tension in the community, he’s led the charge to not sit silently in the wake of social injustice, but instead, demand wrongs to be righted.

Constance Crockett : 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Constance Crockett is a TJC Alumni and Fellow and a Stay Woke Freedom Rider. She is a Black, LGBT, and  disability advocate. Constance works for the only LGBT group home in the state of Wisconsin, Courage Initiative MKE, and is the founder/president of the Black Woman’s Emancipation; leading the voices of Black women and Black trans women who are silenced in our community, knowing that when they are emancipated we all are liberated

Quincy Robinson: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time
2023 TJC Alumni and Fellow; Senior sociology major student at the University of Louisville

Myles B. Caggins III: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Spokesman for Windsor Group LLC; Myles is a retired U.S. Army colonel and now he is CEO of his own company—Words Warriors LLC, a public relations firm. 

INTRODUCTION:

The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, September 26th, 2023, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, entitled, “Elevating Gen Z and Young Millennials to the Forefront of the Fight for a Multiracial Democracy”, will be live with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. and guests Myles B.Caggins; Bahram Mehretu; Stella McMillan; Andres Cubillos; Constance Crockett; Quincy Robinson; and, Gemale A. Black.

Today’s show will review the recent Gen Z and Millennial Votes Matter Leadership Training, held September 20th – 24th in Washington, D.C. during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference.  Today’s guests are all TJC Alumni who will be discussing their experiences from the Training. This paid training opportunity followed a train-the-trainer model and prepared 50 young people to go into their communities as voting rights advocates. Since 2016, TJC has invested in trainings to enhance the leadership skills of those 18 – 35 years of age. This represented the 15th such training and activation for Gen Z’s and young Millennials. During this September 2023 4-day Training, there was 22 panels from 47 experts, as well as one of the panels being at the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference, a community engagement project in Northern Virginia, a reception, an awards ceremony, and a press conference on “Power on the Line: Alabama’s Defiance of the Supreme Court”.

Myles B. Caggins III will also provide a brief and timely update about the US Department of Agriculture’s Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. This is his second time as a guest on our program this year. The application deadline for the Black Farmers’ Fund was just extended from October 31st, 2023 to January 13th, 2024. 

QUESTIONS:

SEGMENT ONE

• In one minute, describe what our audience should know about your background.
• What was it like to be in Washington, D.C.?
• What was the highlight for you during this Training?

SEGMENT TWO

• What was new that you learned in this Training?
• What, to you, was the most valuable experience from this Training?
• Why do you care so much about democracy?

  Final Questions:

• What do you think is the most important grassroots organizing that you think needs to happen in order to ensure strong voter protection and engagement in November 2023 and 2024?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

SEGMENT THREE

• This segment will open with an 8-minute interview with Myles B. Caggins III, who will a bring timely update about the US Department of Agriculture’s Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. This is his second time as a guest on our program this year. The Black farmers fund, from the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, is being funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Inflation Reduction Act contains an assistance fund for farmers who were discriminated against. This fund has $2.2b to cover 75 million applicants and covers anyone who can provide proof that they were discriminated against by the federal government. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program to January 13, 2024, to give eligible farmers, ranchers and forest landowners more time to apply for assistance. The original deadline was October 31, 2023.
• In addition to the application deadline change, the deadline to request records from USDA’s Farm Service Agency for use in applications has been extended to Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. The application process was designed so that FSA records are not required, though relevant records may be attached to an application as additional evidence if they are available.
• To learn more about the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program or receive assistance in English or Spanish, visit www.22007apply.gov, email info@22007apply.gov or contact the national call center at 1-800-721-0970 from 8 a.m. ET to 8 p.m. PT, every day except federal holidays. If you use sign language to communicate, you can use the 711 relay service to call. You may also email or contact the national call center if you have a disability and need another accommodation. Information about the program, resources, recent office openings and local events across the country is also available through a weekly e-newsletter.]
• Myles, what is the new deadline? 
• Myles, How do people apply?
• What is it that people really need to know about applying for the program, such as the November 3rd deadline for requesting records from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency for use in applications and how applicants should be describing their discrimination and the amounts they need?
• Thank you for all of your hard work, Myles. How do our listeners get in contact with you?
• Quincy and Candance, during our Training, we talked a lot about racial injustice and this USDA program is just a part addressing and recognizing the many forms of discrimination. Since the Houston Training, both of you have been on several other engagements with TJC. How was your experience different being a Team Leader?

SEGMENT FOUR

• As Team Leaders, what did you hear from your Team about their experiences?
• The next Gen Z and Millennial Votes Matter Leadership Training will be held on April 3rd – 7th, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona during the HBCU All-Stars 2024 games. What are your top arguments for why people should attend the next Training?
• The Transformative Justice Coalition is rolling through Kentucky and Ohio November 1st – 8th, 2023. Quincy, tell everyone why the election in Kentucky is so important? (non-partisan)
• Final Questions to guests:
• What do you think is the most important grassroots organizing that you think needs to happen in order to ensure strong voter protection and engagement in November 2023 and 2024?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?