The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Stacey Abrams

Episode Date: October 19, 2022

While campaigning to become the first Black woman governor in United States history, Stacey Abrams linked up with Questlove Supreme in Atlanta, Georgia, for a live QLS taping. Stacey tells Team Supreme what is at stake with this crucial election and why voting early is imperative. Stacey recalls her early days of activism and bringing light to important issues. She also discusses her favorite TV shows and music and how she has overcome challenges with public speaking.See 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. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed, I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, all. wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's

East-West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make, to the players flying under the radar.

This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to understand. miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok

podcast network on TikTok. Questlove Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. Suprema! Suprema Role Call. Surrama! Suprema! Suprema Role Call. Suprema,

Suprema, Subrema, Role Call. Suprema, Sa, Sa, Supremma, Sub prima, Suprema, roll call There's no delaying Yeah Hear what I'm saying

Yeah Abrams in 28 Yeah And I'm not playing Roll call President Supraima Suprauma

Roca Supremea Roca My name is Fonte Yeah And I'm showing love Yeah To Stacey Abrams Yeah

First black woman go Roll call Supraima Supraima Suprima Suprema, SUHSA, SUPRIMA, ROCALL. I'm SUP-SUPSEAN. AND WE ARE THE FRESHESHES

Yeah I'm SUGASTIV. Yeah. And I approve this message. ROCHA. Suprema, SUPRIMA, ROLCOR, Suprema, Rold Call. It's Laia

Yeah. With Stacy A. Yeah. And we're all about to listen Yeah. To what she got to say. Roll call. Hey, Suprima, SUC, SU,

Suprema roll call Suprema Subrama Roll Call My name is Stacy Yeah I tried to win Yeah It didn't happen the first time

Yeah So I'm doing it again Barre's Fis Submara roll call Supremma I need an air horn Supreme a rollo call Suprema

Supraima Supraima Roca Cepraima Supraima Roleca You had a better guess verse than some musicians that we have on you. Like straight up and down. That was, yeah, that was definitely top five actions in the six year of history.

Everyone's like, oh, my name, I don't know what they are. Oh, yes, I am Michael Jackson. Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, we are being given the honor of having a sit down with the human being that I credit for literally holding our. democracy in place. You know, I'm trying not to be hyperbolic or to add extra pressure, but, you know, I'm speaking facts right now. And much like my beloved state of Pennsylvania, Georgia is going to be a fight to the finish. And, you know, for the 2% of you that have your, you know, head in the sand, November 8th is a crucial date for not only Georgia, but for this country and for history.

I feel like it's our due diligence to offer our platform. And yes, like normally this is a platform for musicians and artists of the like or whatever. But I think it's our due diligence to give our guests today the platform. Because I often feel like people who listen to us, often like people who are creatives, they're sometimes very indifferent. Or I hear like, oh, you know, I'm being in the political stuff or whatever. or they just simply feel like maybe the trickled down effect won't affect them that much than it already has.

And I can't stress to you fine folk enough that, yeah, I know there's fatigue and, you know, but we have to fight this good fight. And I'd rather us be fatigued than to be lying on our backs and then wondering what happened months after the fact. And I believe in our guest today because she, is about that action. And, you know, it's like the Wild West out here.

And it's time to get serious. And I want... There it is south. Yeah, I want you people to take time out to really get yourselves familiar. If you aren't already with the person, yes, and I said in my verse, I do believe that, you know, first of all, I believe in her affirmation that, yeah, she is going to win. But, you know, I believe that... President. I'm talking to the future president right now.

Not to put a pressure on you. But um... That'll fix Georgia first. Shoot. Yeah. Let's work on this job. Yes. Yeah.

One step of the time. So, you know, our guest today running for governor. And I just found out, uh, will successfully be the first African-American governor. Ever. We're still dealing with firsts. Female, yeah. Yes. First female black governor in the United States.

And future potus. Let's have it. Ladies and gentlemen, please. Welcome Stacey Abrams to Questlips Supreme. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Hey, Mom, we made it. Yeah, you know, it's weird because, you know, I know that, you know,

living a life in which you're trying to correct history and right wrongs or whatnot. And, you know, I often feel as though like introductions like that do nothing but add more pressure to the person than it already is. But just in general, I want to know for you not how exhausting is it. But just on the every day of knowing that pretty much most of us are looking at you specifically to, you know, at least hold this country in place as the adhesive that we want it to be. Because if it doesn't happen, then a lot is going to change. But, I mean, just for you in general, like, I'll offer you the platform to answer this question. Like, why do you feel that you're qualified to be the person to save us? There is an urgency that I feel every day, in part because of what I know about what the world can be and what I know about what it is.

I grew up with five brothers and sisters. My parents were working poor, but they took us out to volunteer because my dad's succinct way of saying it was having nothing is not an excuse for doing nothing. But what that grounded in me and what my mother who would say, no matter how little we have, there's someone with less, your job. is to serve that person is that it's not just about material. It is about it's about advocacy. It's about efficacy. It's about access. And when you've seen people who should have had, but were denied, if there is any degree of empathy in you, you feel compelled to do something. Well, for me, it's a systemic issue. I grew up in Mississippi. I came of age in Georgia. I've lived in Texas. I went to the north, but it was cold. I came back. But, where in the north? So I was born in Wisconsin. I barely remember that. Oh, yeah. I remember cheese curds and cold.

And then I went to law school in Connecticut, so I went to Yale. And in both places, there are challenges everywhere, but in the South, we've been gaslighted into believing these are permanent issues. And I know it's not so. I know that the South not only has something to say, but we can demonstrate a capacity that we have been fooled into believing isn't our right. And as someone who's gotten people to listen sometimes, I'm really good at asking people to do things.

I'm pretty good at organizing stuff. My responsibility is to keep pushing until I can't push any further. And so, yeah, I appreciate the plowdits. I see myself more as an avatar for all the other people who are trying to do this work but don't get the access I've gotten. I'm louder than a lot of people and I'm more relentless than many because I don't know how not to do this.

I don't know how you sit still when you see the issues before us. And I know that democracy is how, I mean, you use the right word. It's the adhesive, but it's also the toolkit. And so for me, this part has to be done. And if not me, then, you know, who? Okay, so I'm one of those people

who's definitely guilty of, you know, I'll watch MSNBC or something shake my head and like somebody had I do something like if anything I think in the last three years I was the king of man I was somebody with da-da-da-da-da-da and then I find that I'm the person that's called to do that

for you what was the pivotal moment like back when you were at Yale and I'm the root of- Spellman right, but Spelman before that yeah right okay well I mean back when you were in college where what were your lofty goals in life? Are you imagining

that some 15, 16 years later that you'll be in the position that you are now? Or were you just like, okay, I'm going to be a lawyer or da-da-da-da-da? Or... I had like 27 majors in college. I was physics and philosophy with a minor in theater. It turns out I liked Star Trek but not differential calculus.

And when you can't stay awake in epistemology, it's probably not the thing to do when there are only four people in the classroom. I like acting, but not enough to make it my life's work. And so I flitted through a bunch of other things. But what was the through line for me was activism. The pivotal moment for me when I realized that it wasn't just an inherited property from my parents, it was part of my DNA when the Rodney King decision came down. In 1992, I was a freshman at Spellman. I organized students to protest. They locked down our campus. I was at the AUC. And if you know Atlanta, they locked down I-20. So you could not get

off of the interstate and come to our unit to the university center says spellman morehouse clark Atlanta Morris brown ITC and morris school of medicine and then they tear gassed us they tear gassed the entire area and this was under a black mayor and this is spelman and more house too so that's even deeper like wow but the the schools were juxtaposed next to some of the oldest housing developments in the nation and so the issue was we weren't you know elite students and poor communities we were all black and we were all basically accused of the same anger and the problem was the protests were real because the pain was real and so I helped organize students actually got into an argument with then mayor Maynard jackson he won the argument but because you couldn't argue and I was like my

cleanest t-shirt you're my nicest jeans but he still won but he later hired me to work in the newly created office of youth services okay let me ask something um because you know I did not go to college, like I immediately got a record deal and had a career. I always wanted to know when we protest on a college campus, like what's the goal, especially when like the issue is 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles. Like, how does that trickle to? So two things. One, what Rodney Kings with a verdict was evocative of was the lack of justice from police. And that was happening in Atlanta. That was happening in Georgia. And part of it was where poverty exists, where racism exists. exist, you are going to find police misconduct. And there was also the larger issue of simply

the evidence of our eyes being denied. Those things, while Rodney King was emblematic of it, he was, but he was only one example. He was the first example that got caught on tape. But people had those experiences everywhere, and that's why it was so inflammatory. The protests I organized, we started this moment. We marched from the AUC all the way to City Hall. So to your point, I didn't go to a college. We're protesting at the college made a lot of sense because we all pretty much agreed. The most effective protests leave the safe spaces and go into the public spaces.

So we made sure that March went past the housing projects, went past the liquor stores all the way down to City Hall. That's how I ended up getting into the tete-a-tete with the mayor. But to your point, there are some campuses where protest on campus is effective because if you're at Harvard, you're talking about. about billions of dollars in economic influence. If you're an AUC, the numeric, the monetary effect is smaller, but the salutary effect is bigger because you have people who may have been conditioned to think that they were the exceptions to the rule who have to remind themselves that they are part of the same fabric that people don't ask you, they don't investigate, did you go to Spelman? Why are you in the AUC? Why are you in Southwest Atlanta? They just see someone who looks like something they've been taught

to be afraid of or taught to disregard. And this is true for a lot of different communities of color. It's true based on your economic situation. And where protests comes in is protest moves beyond the space that you inhabit and it tells the rest of the world, you've got to pay attention. It's a bullhorn. Exactly. So do you consider that moment your first footprint in political action?

It was. My parents will tell you because my mom and dad were in grad school here in, uh, in Georgia, they didn't move back to Mississippi yet. And I gave out my phone number to tell people during the protest, I'm like, if you want to join us, I didn't think through the fact that I was giving my parents home number out. Oh, wow. Yeah.

You didn't do to Mike Jones. No. And they pointed that out to me later on as the phone started to ring. But for me, it was. It was both in a moment of empowerment, but a moment of ownership. that I wanted to be a voice for people who didn't know they deserve to be in that march. They didn't know that they deserve to have better. And who'd been lulled into thinking that because you had leadership that looked like you,

that they shared all of the same issues that you shared. And that's just never true. That notion of monolithic power is just not real. And so even within spaces, I mean, Maynard Jackson's extraordinary mayor, but in this issue, when it came to youth poverty, he had not done what I thought needed to be done. And so my job was to push that. And so for me, it was, it was a moment of reckoning.

Did I actually believe the things I was saying when I was safely on campus? And turns out, yes, I did. At the time, were you, like, student body president or, like, I don't know what the president's system is for college. I used to be president in my ninth grade class, but I mean, like, for you. So I wasn't then. I eventually did. I was, at that point, I was just an annoying freshman in college. And you were a freshman?

I was my freshman year. So how did you, like, isn't it hard for a freshman to get the respect and the... I was relentless. And weren't people, like, afraid of being suspended or kicked off campus? Yes. So one thing that happened, part of, I kind of short-cutted the story, but it was a few phases. When they were tear-gassing the campus, this is before social media, this is before cell phones, and this is when you only had the television stations, the broadcast stations.

So I organized students in my dorm to call all the broadcast stations. They were lying, saying that we were running amok. I'm like, no, we are angry and protesting, both on the campus and out in the community, but this isn't a riot. And they were miscommunicating what was happening. So I had a bunch of friends call all the stations and flood the stations. And the stations got wise to us and said, well, who's calling? And so I said, just tell them you're me.

So you're like 75 Stacey Abrams is calling. And that amplified my voice, again, didn't think through the consequences when they sent the police to come and get me to take me to this event. I wasn't being arrested, but I was invited to the simulcast because all of the, the television stations in Atlanta came together because this was a crisis. And so the mayor was there and I was invited as one of the students to be there. And so that sort of that lifted my platform

a bit more than I expected. Can I ask? I'm so curious just on, as a student, as we're in this Spelman moment, I'm curious, did you, what your full experience was in college? Was it all work and no play and activism or, but at a pivotal time in Atlanta, period.

Like, Olymp, post-Olympics, maybe. So I was Right before the Olympics. Right before, okay. So right before the Olympics. So can you talk about like what kind of student you were in that way? Like, did you have fun? Socialized.

I was a nerd and I'm an introvert. So I heard this. That's why I was surprised at first in a year. You went all out and started the process. Well, I was, that was. You could be on course left supreme. Right. A bunch of nerds and introverts.

Yeah. You mentioned Star Trek. So that was the. Well, next generation was out. Next generation. You're a Picard girl. Picard, Jane. Look, I do the whole universe.

Wait, time out. The card is everything. Like, I, you know. Mr. Gadda. John Luke. Yes. John Luke. Who is Jean Luke?

Every day, I find out of some new by this person I'm new for 30 plus years. But go ahead. Even though she's still 19. That's right. Go ahead. So I, this is probably the best example. When I became student body president, part of your job is to make sure that they're social activities. I got two of my best friends.

I created a position called the social activity coordinator, so I wouldn't have to go to parties. So you would have to go to parties. So you would. wouldn't have to go. Yeah. So they would set up the parties. They would, I would come at the beginning to say hi, and I would come at the end to make sure nobody stole anything.

Otherwise, I was back in my dorm. So you would that go to everybody was trying to get to go out. And you were like, I have meaningful things to do. I never went on spring break. What? Well, why would you pay money to go sit in somebody else's hotel? I mean, like, I was, I had a dorm. I could read anywhere.

Don't be making sense up in here. I like, okay. So you said something, and I think, you know, I just, you know, I try to pull as much personal inspiration information from our guests that come on this show. But I'll ask you. Yes, sir. Because I feel like the one small task that I'm holding myself back from actually crossing the line to where you are, despite the fact that I'm hosting my own podcast and do other things,

how do you get over the fear of speaking? because I've seen you speak before. You know, for an introvert, you project well. Thank you. I guess it's the acting help. So, yeah, I grew up in the church, so we had to do, you know, Easter programs, Mancipation Proclamation programs. Never liked any of it.

I'm not afraid of speaking. Oh, you had to read the sister, sister berthos having a cookie house. All of the stuff. You name it, we did it. My fear isn't public speaking. I'm reticent about being around lots of people. So when I was in high school, I joined the debate team. I had a psychosomatic case of laryngitis.

Because it occurred to me that I couldn't be, I wouldn't be debating by myself that other people would see me do it. And suddenly my voice didn't work and went to see the nurse. And she's like, there's nothing wrong with you. I'm glad you said psychosomatic. Yeah. And that's when I also learned what psychosomani. Right. What psychomania looked like. Artists often do that.

And that's often an issue on the show. Like when people self-sabotage their progress or whatever. Well, I had to get over it because I was going to fail the class if I didn't actually have to speak. But the way I get past it is that it's not about me. It's about what they need to hear. It's about what people need to know. I can get past the – you can't sublimate it, but you can work around it. And I think you do that.

You do that. You find yourself in public space as speaking. You give yourself a script. You give yourself an objective. And for me, the objective is change. It's getting people the things they need. And if my discomfort gets them to what they need, then I'm willing to do it. It is never fun.

I have never, I don't enjoy it, but I'm good at it. And the consequences of inaction to me are worse than the consequences of action. And so for me, the cost-benefit analysis is, you know, Stacey stopped having a laryngitis and go ahead and do your job. 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.

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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends.

I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no.

I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone?

I'm Ego Vodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Farrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot.

I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up-and-coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your, head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit.

If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Okay, speaking of inaction, and let's cut to the chase here. November 8th is coming up. Yes. And, you know, I know specifically my specific demographic, which is black men. 50-year-old. And, yeah, 19. First of all, I'm very shocked at the statistics that we, I mean, I'm not, I'm shocked and I'm not shocked because I know that we're the first to complain about something.

And really the last, you know, to really want to do the groundwork. if you will. So, you know, I'm finding out that black men vote the least or probably feel the least represented or, you know, and I knew I got many uncles and cousins and friends that ain't not going to happen and they ain't run for us or they're the feds or they're the ops or whatever. So for you, what you're facing in Georgia, that will subsequently affect because, you know, if Kemp does remain in power, then I know that laws are going to be implemented. I'm already pissed about this whole, like, we can't give water to people or aid to people. So just in general, like use this platform to explain to us what is at stake?

So you said, how does that happen? And what's at stake? We have a governor who ran his first campaign on rounding people up and pointing weapons at people and saying that he was a politically incorrect conservative. He was a Trump conservative. And then people, because he didn't commit treasonrys and. once in 2020 he didn't commit treason

by, he did what every other governor in American history has done and he certified the election he's been given praise and lionized. But 2018 he did that to you. See, and that's part of the challenge. The memory is short and we are

your last good. Yeah. And so he gets credit. Now what people aren't paying attention to. And this goes to the issue with, so black men have, let's be clear, they vote, but it's the vote share. So vote share is the proportion you have in the population versus the proportion you have in turnout. Black women have the highest vote share. We vote our numbers. The next group is white women. The group after that is white men, then black men. So the issue

is not that black men don't vote. It's that their power in their vote is under, so they fight below their weight class. Yeah. And so the goal that I have is not to say that black men, no one, and no one should suggest that black men don't vote. It's that they don't, they fight below their weight class. And if black men fought their full power, it changes things. But there are legitimate reasons it doesn't happen, especially in Georgia. Georgia had at one point the fourth highest incarceration rate in the nation, and it was predominantly black men. And Georgia, like Florida, nearly permanently disenfranchises black men. And those who aren't permanently disenfranchised are flooded with so much misinformation. They don't know they have the right to vote.

Then you have communities that when you have generational poverty, generational stereotypes, and generational disinvestment, no, government doesn't work. You've seen people who look like you get elected and do nothing. But the reason that often is true is that we tend to elect in Georgia and in the South, we elect black people at the local level. And we, you know, we finally start to make some progress at the federal level. But state government is the intervener that stops many good things from happening. Governors matter. now, right? Stand Your Ground

was signed by a governor. That's why Trayvon's murder went unaventged. The treatment of black women as parasites through the social safety net that happened under a governor in Wisconsin.

Mass incarceration did not start with the 94 crime bill. It started with three strikes or out, which was signed by Governor Pete Wilson in California. Jim Crow never had a single federal law. It was all state governors

in nine southern states. And so we legitimately especially black men legitimately protest the lack of delivery, but we don't understand that the delivery system is the state, not the local government. In the state of Georgia, the governor decides how much money gets spent. The governor sets the budget. The governor signs the laws. In the city of Atlanta in 2003, I helped write the first living wage law for the state of Georgia. The mayor of Atlanta signed that law. By the following January, that law was illegal. in the entire state. They made it illegal for a local government to pass a law for living wages.

On-call scheduling hurts a lot of black men who want to be a part of their family. It hurts a lot of people. But you're on on-call scheduling. You want to be able to plan your day. You have a say, what is that? The Secretary of State, the person currently is Secretary of State as a state legislator passed the law that says that no one can, no local government can require that on-call scheduling actually respect the humanity of a person working. The governor, Brian Kemp, in the midst of COVID, passed a law saying that you couldn't sue your employer for not protecting you from COVID. Didn't do a thing to demand that you get access to PPE, but he did make it impossible for you to file a lawsuit against the, when he reopened the state. When they forced you back to work, they could make you come to work, but they didn't have to protect you when you got there.

That's this governor. So that's why I'm confused then, Stacey. Because most people don't understand. All they know is that, well, he reopened the state. Yeah, 38,000 people are dead. Yeah. I was literally having this conversation because I was like, I want to have a conversation with some young folks that actually live here.

And I was talking to two of the young folks behind the camera. And we were talking about Georgia is a little different in the sense. And they're from what Chicago and Detroit, respectively, and now their residence. But speaking to a, I spoke to Rico Wade yesterday. And I said, I don't understand why the polls say that things are close when y'all was here. Y'all saw not even, I mean, COVID, that's nice. But we saw with the injustice that happened to Stacey in 2018.

And he said to me, he said, yeah, but politicians always cheat. And I was like, yeah, but that was, the whole world watched it. And it was just a matter of fact, like Georgia kind of. I felt like, okay, you know what? This is some Georgia, excuse my language, shit in a way, some South shit where things go a little differently. In the Northeast. You mean terms of moving the goalpost? Yeah, like it couldn't be so blatant.

And we would never have let a man like that only be governor again and re go again. I didn't think he has a chance again. The law he passed that is voter suppression 2.0. Yeah. This law, not only says you can't have water or food, he's outsourced voter purging. 64,000 people have had their voter registrations challenged because he and Brad Rapsenberger put in place a law that says that you can, any person can walk into a county board of elections and say, I don't think that Amir has the right to vote. What? And you have to prove.

that you have the right to vote. They don't have to have any evidence. And it used to be that if it looks fishy, the board of elections could say, this is crazy, we're not going to do this. They now have to process every single challenge. And in Gwinnett County alone, 37,000 voter registrations were challenged.

Heard about Gwinnett County. I heard it's a problem, right? No, but this has happened across the state. But this is the same state where because of Brian Kemp's law, SB 202, four different boards of elections, the people who control, where the polling is. If you get your name's there.

They kicked all of the black people off of the board and it is legal in Georgia for them to do so. Brian Kemp did that, but the reality is and this goes just to the larger issue not only black men but of the urgency of this election. If this is what they're willing to do now, imagine

when he is a lame duck governor who can't run for office again when he has... He has nothing to lose. He's got $6 billion. He already took our bodies away from us. and the right to make decisions. He's got $6 billion at his disposal. We have a surplus.

Once you pay every bill, we've got $6 billion sitting there. He has told us his intention is to give this money to the wealthy. And so part of the goal of today, and I appreciate this conversation, is that most people are so legitimately consumed with their lives and with their fears

and with their realities that politics feels like an extra burden. I like to say politics, you may not be into politics, but politics is into you, and it is a stalker. And we have to understand that stalking usually turns into something grave and terrible that you will one day see on lifetime movies. And so we've got to push back. And my job, my interest, my intensity is because I know what the consequences are if we don't do it. But I also know what the possibilities are if we do. We can invest in people. We can restore bodily autonomy.

We can make certain that black men and black people writ large, but black men in particular get reenfranchised and actually have an active role to play in their futures instead of a governor who thinks that restoring mass incarceration is an okay thing to do. For cats like me on the sideline that want to do something. Now last year, you know, I'd raise money, went out on the streets. I mean, even handed out what?

Like I would go to polling places and all those things. what can we do and non-celebrity civilians because we all want to help Georgia. I mean we. I just meant like flesh and blood people. Okay, good. What can we do to help alleviate the situation

that I know is going to be problematic? So number one, feel free to give me money. But here's why. Take all my money. I am running the, so our campaign has the single largest voter engagement apparatus in the state. That means going into the places that most people don't go to get to the voters, most people ignore.

That's what we do. But it takes money because I actually pay every canvasser $20 an hour. We pay a living wage our campuses. Yes. I was doing that for free. In a college town? But when you've got to go to a small place, when you've got to go to Colquitt County or go up to Dade County or you're in Clayton County

and you've got to knock on all these doors in these apartment buildings, this is a job and people need to take. So we need volunteers. But before we get volunteers, I need people who I know can show up to work every single day. So your investment is in that work. Number two, I need volunteers. I need folks to reach out to their communities.

But I also need people to talk about this on social media. The other side is spending a lot of time pretending this doesn't matter. Every negative narrative you hear, they amplify it. They will tell the lie a thousand times until it sounds like the truth. We tell the truth one time and we shut up when no one says amen. I need us to talk about what is at stake and who is that. who these people are, who my opponent is, and who I am. And we may not agree on everything.

But if you look at the totality of my work, I show my work. Yeah. And so think about if you've got to guess who's going to do a better job, the guy who's told you he doesn't care about you or the woman who's shown. You know, yeah. But I need folks to be talking about this. In 18, there was a national conversation. This time it's been a bit more muted because we've been dealing with so many things.

I was going to say, yeah, how do you think the pandemic? And then COVID, how you think that is shifted to people's priorities. The pandemic, COVID, inflation, racial violence. People are tired. And you laid it out very well, Amir. People are exhausted. But pain doesn't care about your exhaustion. Politics doesn't care about your exhaustion.

Our responsibility is to show up anyway because the consequences are going to visit us, whether we invite them or not. Okay. So let me ask you this. As your sister, and it's funny, I do another podcast with two sisters, Jill Scott and Asia. from Kendra Family Soul, and we're always talking about self-care. I need to know, Stacey Abrams.

What is your self-care ritual? Do you do have something daily? What do you do for self so that you can go out and give all this energy to all these people? Because it costs. I watch an inordinate amount of television and I read books. That's fine. When I say I watch a lot of TV, it is a bit absurd. Right now, I'm watching Eureka.

Really? I didn't watch Eureka when it came out before. I love it. So I'm on Season 5 and very sad. I've heard about it. It's really good. I'm waiting for Equalizer to come back because I love Queen Latifah. I watch all of the FBI's.

I think they're 27 of them now. Yeah. And watch you on Law & Order, you've got to decide. Well, no. I'm on Law & Order, too. You're on Law & Order? Yeah. The new season's organized crime?

Well, yes. I know they did all three of them on the 22nd, but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. But yes. Do you watch the first Law & Order because I watched... Hey, I was a dead body on that. No, you was on SBU. SVU. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SV is the tight. I watch all of the law. I've watched Law & Order UK. When I say I watch TV, I am not joking. There's a Law & Order UK, yes. And is the sting to have an accent? Yeah. No.

You know what? I'm putting it out there. If you organize an outcast reunion, they will come. Well, I think I'm talking to the person who can make it happen. No, he's talking to you. I'm talking to us. You know what? Someone should get outcast to get together.

You know it's weird? Old boy actually lives five minutes away from me. I'm just saying. That don't have boy in his name. Yeah, the one that doesn't have boy in his name. He goes fishing in Long Island like four days a week. So, yeah, I'll call him. But what are you listening to, Stacey? I'm curious.

My, so I have a 16-year-old niece who now lives with me. Okay. Oh, you get put on. All right. No. So I don't want to tell you what I listen to because everything I say out loud, she cringes at. So, yeah. Most of our musical tastes are frozen from when we were basically between the ages of 10 and 25.

I have expanded my universe since then, but when it comes back to just the core narrative. But I'm curious. So who are you? Who do you? Who do I listen to right now? I just had to do some, I just did a photo shoot, which that sounds so bushy. But anyway, so they play music because, well, it's awkward to do this stuff. And so they play music to relax you.

So it was Tribe Called Quest. It was Whitney. There was New Edition. Yeah. Of course. I also love Van Halen. Okay. And Stone Temple Pilots.

There was some Fiona Apple. Yes. I listened to a broad range. I'm not just pandering. There was some roots. So we... When's the last time you had to go to a show? Like, what was the last time you had time to go to a show?

What was it? Yeah. Well, last night I was at Alicia Keys concert for 14 seconds, so she could say hi. That was a good live y'all did too. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. So one two step, anything by Missy Elliott, just get me high for that.

And I have a deep and abiding commitment to all of the fun songs done by Ludacris. I'm your person. I got you. Listen. From the Chris Love a Lover Days. Look. This is a fun one because it feels like this is a 10-minute episode of Quest Love Supreme, even though I know that we've...

It was longer than a show. Michelle Obama. Yeah, I was about to say, can you come back after you win? I can. That would be so cool. Thank you. No, I really appreciate it.

And, you know, you're an inspiration. For a lot of us on the sideline, that like, hey, someone should do something. Can I give people one more thing to do? Yes, please. I need people to vote early, starting October 17th. We're allowed to vote early? So Georgia has three weeks of early voting.

And the reason I need people to vote as early as they can, early voting, because we know suppression is on its way. We know they're making it hard to get absentee ballots. They're making it hard to know your polling places. They've changed the rules that if you go to the wrong polling place and you're in line for four hours and you get to the end and it's the wrong polling place. They will not accept your ballot. Yes. Yes.

It's called provisional ballot. So the way to overcome voter suppression is not to let it win by staying home. It is by overwhelming the polls with our presence. But we need to show up early. We get there the first week. We get all of the, we know all the problems. We can get as many things out of the way. and so we're really just dealing with the biggest issues,

but with fewer and fewer people as we get close to Election Day. Show up early. If we show out on the week of October 17th, there's no stop in us. There you go. It's happening. We're getting him out, Stacey. I don't even live here. I'm taking a cue from unfinished business in EP&B.

This is the big payback for our guest today. Stacey Abrams. Thank you very much. Thank you. You. You're all right. Stacey Abrams. Future Potus, Stacey.

So heavy. Amir's too heavy. On behalf of, no, you know, I believe in affirmation and putting it out there. On behalf of Sugar Steve, Laia, I'm Pete Bill. You missed another classic. And Fon Tigolo, this is Questlove. And thank you again, Stacey. Thank you for having.

We'll see you next time. Thank you. Much Love Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. For more podcasts from IHart Radio, visit the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clivert 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 Cliford 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same

prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends.

Trust me, babe. On the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East-West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players

flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.