The Questlove Show - QLS: A Conversation with Adrianne Shropshire of BPAC

Episode Date: September 13, 2024

In a special bonus episode of Questlove Supreme, Laiya St. Clair has an important conversation with Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of the Black Progressive Action Coalition (BPAC). BPAC is an independent progressive coalition of individuals and organizations committed to empowering Black communities through civic engagement, community mobilization and campaigns that turn issues into policies that change people’s lives. Listen as Laiya and Adrianne discuss the importance of having a plan in place to ensure your vote counts and dispel the myths about early voting. Whether voting in-person, by mail, or early voting in states that allow it, make sure your voice is heard. For more information and resources, visit www.bpacdemocracytoolkit.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clivert Show on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Okay. I'm going to downplay this and say I'm a little excited to have some good old political talk in this good old political season with somebody who knows what they're talking about and is excited to get people out and vote. Ladies and gentlemen, voters and voters introducing Adrian Shopshire, the executive director of B-PAC. Hi, Adrienne, how are you doing? I am doing well, thank you. Are you like the rest of us?

We're a little more excited than maybe we were in, let's say, early August. Yes, well, if I could quote Michelle Obama at the DNC, hope is making a comeback. So, yes, it is. And let's talk about you and your place in this process. Let's talk about B-PACs, because I like to have conversations, too, on a very basic level so everybody understands the language. So B-PAC, Black Progressives, correct?

Black Progressive Action Coalition. Action Coalition. And you guys are a PAC, correct, in the formal sense of the word PAC? So there are two different organizations that work together. So BPAC is our nonpartisan entity. We make sure that people do the education with folks to make sure that they understand how to vote, where to vote, understand the issues. We talk about what's at stake with folks.

Black PAC is the actual PAC. And so that work is much more partisan. We're talking about candidates. We're making sure that people, you know, understand not just what's at stake, but how dangerous some candidates might be versus others. Yeah, I was just thinking to myself, okay, so I'm going to try to make this really an easy conversation for you to stay nonpartisan. However, this election kind of makes it a little hard, but I'm sure you understand that as well. I do. I do.

So let's talk about a voting plan. What is it, what should it look like in the season? Well, so we know that the last few elections that we have had in this country have been chaos, both leading into them and in 2020 coming out, right? And so what we always encourage people to do is to, like, you make a plan for doing anything else, that you put a plan together for how you're going to get your vote cast and then figure out if there's something you need to do to make sure that your vote actually gets counted if you end up in that category. So what we say to people, particularly right now, because election laws have been

changing in states, right? We know there's been a lot of attempts to suppress the vote and particularly suppress the black vote. And we know that right now in states across the country, there's lots of shenanigans going on where people are actually kicking us off the rolls. So some folks are, you know, going on randomly to just check and make sure that their voter registration status is still intact. and finding out that they've been removed from the roles. Okay, so let's start there. Yes. How do we make sure that our registration is intact?

And is that state by state or is that a general answer? It is state by state, but B-PAC has a toolkit. It's B-Pack Democracy Toolkit.com. That's B-As-N-Boy, P as and Paul, A-C, B-Pack Democracy Toolkit.com. And you can go there and it will guide you. through some steps to be able to check your status. So you can check your registration status. You can get registered if you need to.

So these are all the steps when you're building a plan. Check your registration status. Make sure you're registered. Register if you need to register. Find out where you're polling place is. Decide if you want to vote if you are allowed. If you want to vote by mail or get an absentee ballot, then apply for that absentee ballot so you make sure that it comes to your house.

we encourage people to vote by mail or vote by absentee if it's available to them because it just gets voting out of the way, right? Okay, so can I just say to you, I was just having this conversation with a girlfriend because we were talking about early voting. We were like, girl, we should really go vote early. But we're a little, what's the word, worried, conspiracy theory-esque. And somehow in our minds, we think that actually showing up on the day to the machine will make it more efficient than sending in the mail and maybe it'll get lost or, you know,

just because of the last few years and what we've been told, can you make us more comfortable with that action? So your ballot is going to get counted, whether you send it in the mail or whether you show up an early vote in person or you show up on election day. And you can track your ballot, right? So you can track your ballot and make sure that it got there, right? In most states, you should be getting sent a notification saying that they got your ballot. But if you didn't, you can follow up with them and make sure that your ballot got to them or make arrangements, right? If they didn't get it, make arrangements to make sure that your vote is cast. I know a lot of people, I mean, for our community. Yeah, I didn't even know about this.

I'm so, yeah. Voting is a community action. We like to take collective action and demonstrate our political power. That's what voting is for us. And so election day becomes really important. It is a singular community action. And so I think that's why a lot of people like to vote. on election day.

That's true. That's important. But what we know is that a few things. One is that your vote's going to get counted, right? Whether or not you do it on election day or you do it during early vote or you do it by mail. And again, we can track it. The other is that we know on election day, there's a lot of challenges in states. There was a lot of craziness at the ballot box, whether it was, you know, mysteriously, you know,

the charging cords from voting machines disappearing in Georgia, right? Whether it is, you know. Things are happening right now as we speak. I was just watching the news. Like things are happening to disrupt our vote right now. Lines are long and you end up an hour long. So what we've suggested people is avoid all of that. If you can get your vote as early, avoid the lines.

We also know that there are proud boys showing up at polling sites, trying to intimidate and threaten people, right? And so for our community, it's not only important to get our ballots, our votes in, as soon as we can, if we have the option. But it's also a safety issue, right? Like, let's just get, let's just cast our votes. And let's go with our elders, maybe. And maybe you accompany your elders and folks.

That's right. To your first point, getting a plan in place is, is a good idea. Make sure, register to vote. Make check your voting status and then decide how you're going to vote in person, buy mail, absentee ballot. Decide what you're going to do and stick to that plan. And then you can track, then you'll be able to track your ballot. But there's also, of course, all of the election protection folks that are out there if you decide to go on election day, right?

There's a number of organizations that can help make sure that your ballot is counted. I'm sure there will really be out too this year. That's right. Yes, absolutely. I wanted to ask you some questions, some basic questions, too, about some concerns that others may have when it comes to their loved ones in different situations when it comes to voting. I know these are some of my concerns as well. if you can just give us a tip for these different kinds of situations. Like, for instance, do you have a tip for returning citizens or convicted felons who are now released?

Is there something that they should know about voting? So folks really need to check with their boards of the rules in their states because they are different. And so whether it's you yourself, you're a returning citizen or you have a loved one who's a returning citizen, make sure you check what the rules are in your state because we don't want anyone getting in trouble, right, for doing something they thought they had the right to do. And frankly, let's just talk about why folks who do their time don't have a right to vote once that part. So there's a, you know, like we can think about, you know, what we need in terms of, in terms of a federal law, right? Certainly we know that states, you know. I believe I live in a state that allows such.

things. I try to live in a politically correct state now. There's only a couple of states that just don't allow it. But folks need to check the rules because we don't, we wouldn't, we don't want people getting in trouble, but we also want people who have the right, who do have, and to know that they, and to know that they have the right and to be able to cast their ballot. Let me ask you about another group of people who are experiencing this for the first time. Parents who are sending their 18 year olds off to college, can we talk about them? Because I would like to know, was there something that they should have been doing before they left, or is there something that they should be telling them now?

Like, can you give me some words about? Well, I mean, I think there's two categories, I think, for 18-year-olds. One, either you are an 18-year-old who already registered, right? You were excited if you turn 18, you registered to vote. There are 18-year-olds who have not yet registered and are about to go off to school. So I know that when we sent our daughter away to school, when we took her, you know, for whatever that move-in week, we, they have the big, you know, on the yard,

student organizations out, you know, trying to recruit people to the organizations also had voter registration stations. And so we looked for, when we took her, we looked for the voter registration station and we got her registered right then. I like that y'all look for it. Okay. The first two days, right, that we were there. So if you're sending your child away, your 18-year-old who was not registered, Make sure that when they get on campus, there will be lots of campus organizations registering folks to vote.

They should look for those organizations and they should get themselves registered where they're going to school. If they're already registered and they're going to stay registered in their home state, then they're probably going to need to get an absentee ballot. And so they need to figure out how they do that so that they can still make sure that they vote at home. Thank you for that. Or they can re-register.

If they want it, they're already registered, if you're in California and you go to Spelman, you can... Yeah, you better register in Georgia. You were... Listen. You can re-register when we get to Atlanta. Adrian, that's actually some good advice. It's like, you sent your kids to one of these battleground states.

You better just, you know, let them register. You got your ballot in that battleground state, yeah. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations.

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford

and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Another group, X-Pats, can we talk about how soon they should be looking into getting their paperwork together to make sure, well, number one, I guess, checking their registration. and making sure they're correct. But then they need a voting plan.

So everybody, all those categories that you mentioned, all those folks need a voting plan. Okay. So you're living abroad. Yes, you should be checking your registration status. You also need to figure out how to get your absentee ballot so that you can get it in. Right. So everyone can go, again, folks can go to be packed democracy,

toolkit.com and follow the steps to get the information that you need. Oh, all this is there. Yeah. or you can go to the Secretary of State website in your state, right, and find out what the rules are. In North Carolina, ballots go out September 6th. We just need to be getting information out to people because if I get my ballot and I haven't thought through everything, right? If I'm in North Carolina, I have the president. I have a serious governor's race.

I have a state Supreme Court race, right? And I may not know when I get my ballot next week that I know. need to vote for that black lady for Supreme Court, right, that I need to make sure that black man who's running for governor and is completely insane does not win, right? And I need to make sure that I understand, that I am comfortable with my vote for president. I'm glad you mentioned a couple of states because I wanted to ask you about that, like what states you really need to be on alert for these things. When we're thinking about what's really important, if you are in Georgia or you were in North Carolina, these states are critical states. And we got to make

Texas too, right? I think they're trying to get your boy out. Ted Cruz. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Texas, right? Every, all the states are, I mean, I just want to be clear. All the states are important for different reasons. And one of the things that it's important for people to remember is that the presidential matters. There's also a bunch of down ballot races, right?

We got congressional races. We got house races. We got sitting. We're not even talking about the down ballot. Right. I didn't realize they were all on this. Yep. So there is a lot of really important elections happening besides the presidential.

And we need people to pay attention to that. The voting process is just longer. And so we don't have all of the time in the world. So folks really need to get their plan together now because they have access to in some places, right? In some states, they have right now the ability to cast a ballot. So folks need to get a plan together regardless of what sort of where they are and what they are doing. Thank you so much, Adri. I know that you are heavily encouraging people that if they can early vote and if they can, you know, mail in their votes to do so.

However, if some people want to wait until the party day, I'm curious on, does B-PAC have resources for just in case they don't feel safe who they can reach out to before they decide to go out and vote and things of that nature or just organizations that are supporting? So, you know, so one of the things that I would say first is that I understand that. And again, because we, we as a community see voting as a collective act of power. And so I wanted to show up and be there with everybody, right? To get your pictures on the line, right, do all those things. Put it up on social media. I did my part. I get that.

Plus, the stakes of this election are such that however you decide to vote, you need to vote, right? When we think about, you know, what our future looks like as a community. When we think about what is it stake for our children, when we think about what is it for generations yet unborn, the act that we take right now will set in place what is going to be possible for generations down the line. And so this election is so critical that however we decide to cast our ballot, we need to get that ballot cast. What I would say is that for folks that are concerned, you know, we have partners in organizations, in states across the country, right? And we are on the ground, right, in states around the country. So people can certainly reach out

to us. But we also know that there is an election hotline. And the election hotlines will pop up in states around the country so that if you get to a polling place and stuff's not looking right, you can call, right? You can call if you have trouble voting. The election hotline numbers change from year to year. So I'm going to ask that folks just pay attention. We'll have it on our website for sure. Folks can go there and get the number as they start to pop up. But there are resources and there is support and there is help if people are concerned about what's going to be happening at their polling place. I would say that folks, though, should vote early if they can, mail your ballot in. If you have that option, show up to the poll as a last resort. But if people

want to do that, and I get it. You're making perfect sense. You're just changing my voting plan, Adrian. That's all. You're making perfect sense. I just, you know. We tell people and take some water, right? Take some snacks. Because you don't know how to bring some water for somebody else. too. That's right, because we don't know how you got to be on that line, but just get there. Because this election is happening. We say it all the time. Every election is the most important election. In this point forward, every election is the most important election because we're trying to hang on. Yes. You're trying to hang on. Well, thank you so much, Adrian Schropshire. I'm happy I pronounce your name correctly the first time around. I felt good. The executive

director of BPAC doing the work. I wish you and I wish us the best of luck in this election. Thank you so much. Hey, thank y'all for listening to Questlove Supreme. This podcast is hosted by an Afro, a mouth, an engineer, and a man with too many jobs, aka Amir Questlove Thompson, Laia, St. Clair, Steve, Mandel, and Unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers who get paid the big bucks, Amir Questlove, Thompson, Sean G, and Brian Calhoun, asked them for money. Produced by the people who do all the real work, Brittany Benjamin, Jake Payne,

and yes, Flyy is St. Clair. Edited by another person who does the real work, Alex Conroy. And those who approve the real work, produced for IHeart by Noel Brown. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHeart Radio, visit the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the Fourth.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.