S5E7: From Conflict Zones to Colorado: A Candidate's Journey w/Rep Junie Joseph

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Junie Joseph: How can we live in a community

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Junie Joseph: where we say that we care about

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Junie Joseph: environmental protection and environmental sustainability, yet we

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Junie Joseph: don't have affordable housing or enough to

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Junie Joseph: ensure that all working class people can

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Junie Joseph: live here? There is a disconnect. We

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Junie Joseph: have to live our values. And at

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Junie Joseph: the state capitol, I intend to work

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Junie Joseph: on that, and I will continue to

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Junie Joseph: work on that.

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Courthney Russell Jr: Welcome, fam. This is Courtney Russell, junior,

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Courthney Russell Jr: and I'm here with my co host,

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Courthney Russell Jr: Emily Brocker.

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Emily Braucher: Welcome to Humanize.

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Courthney Russell Jr: We are two Americans with totally different

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Courthney Russell Jr: backgrounds and life experiences.

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Emily Braucher: We're coming together on this podcast to

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Emily Braucher: dive right at the heart of the

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Emily Braucher: three things that shut down tough conversations

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Emily Braucher: about race, culture, power, and ego.

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Courthney Russell Jr: The stories you are about to hear

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Courthney Russell Jr: are meant to humanize those deeply involved

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Courthney Russell Jr: in social justice. Welcome to the work,

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Courthney Russell Jr: y'all. Let's get it.

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Emily Braucher: On this episode of Human Eyes, Courtney

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Emily Braucher: and I got to sit down with

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Emily Braucher: Representative Junie Joseph, a Colorado representative for

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Emily Braucher: the 10th district of Boulder, Colorado. She

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Emily Braucher: was born in Haiti, originally immigrated to

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Emily Braucher: the US when she was 14. Since

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Emily Braucher: then, she has earned a Bachelor of

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Emily Braucher: Arts degree in political science from the

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Emily Braucher: University of Florida and a Master of

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Emily Braucher: Arts and applied human rights from the

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Emily Braucher: University of York. She went to CU

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Emily Braucher: Boulder's law school and ran for Boulder

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Emily Braucher: City county as a first time candidate.

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Emily Braucher: She won after spending years on city

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Emily Braucher: council, she earned her Juris doctorate from

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Emily Braucher: CU Boulder, and then she started her

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Emily Braucher: own family law firm, at which point

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Emily Braucher: she ran Colorado House District ten and

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Emily Braucher: won. So she just finished her first

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Emily Braucher: legislative term, and during that tenure in

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Emily Braucher: the House, she passed bills on tenant

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Emily Braucher: rights, child welfare, education, criminal justice, and

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Emily Braucher: environmental conservation. This episode was really interesting

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Emily Braucher: because she explained to us how her

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Emily Braucher: life experience, her time in Europe and

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Emily Braucher: Africa, has informed her ability to be

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Emily Braucher: effective at the state legislature and just

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Emily Braucher: kind of showed us the approaches and

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Emily Braucher: the how to and the understanding of

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Emily Braucher: systems that feed into her current stances

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Emily Braucher: and what she is hoping to do

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Emily Braucher: in her next term if she is

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Emily Braucher: reelected. So tune in here for an

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Emily Braucher: intimate conversation conversation with Junie Joseph.

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Courthney Russell Jr: Hey, hey, hey, family. What's going on?

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Courthney Russell Jr: It's the humanized podcast. I know you

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Courthney Russell Jr: guys have missed us so much, but

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Courthney Russell Jr: we back at it. We back in

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Courthney Russell Jr: the studio, and we are getting ready

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Courthney Russell Jr: to do some work with a representative

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Courthney Russell Jr: in Colorado. We're so happy that she's

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Courthney Russell Jr: here. She's able to parse some wisdom,

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Courthney Russell Jr: wisdom upon us, and also we can

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Courthney Russell Jr: just discuss this thing that we do

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Courthney Russell Jr: so well. So I appreciate you guys

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Courthney Russell Jr: for being patient, and let's get back

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Courthney Russell Jr: to this work. What's going on, Emily.

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Emily Braucher: All right. Representative Junie Joseph. Welcome to

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Emily Braucher: humanize.

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Junie Joseph: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be

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Junie Joseph: here with you.

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Emily Braucher: We're psyched to have you here. It's

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Emily Braucher: an exciting time. It's during the primaries.

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Emily Braucher: Our current moment in time for folks

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Emily Braucher: who are listening later is the primaries

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Emily Braucher: here in Colorado. So Joey Junie is

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Emily Braucher: running to be reelected. Yes.

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Junie Joseph: Yes. That's right.

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Emily Braucher: Very, very exciting. We're psyched to bring

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Emily Braucher: you in today and just kind of

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Emily Braucher: have a conversation, get to know you

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Emily Braucher: better, understand what you have dealt with

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Emily Braucher: over the last few years, and to

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Emily Braucher: hear more about just. I'm just curious

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Emily Braucher: to learn more about your background and

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Emily Braucher: everything. So exciting. But I want to

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Emily Braucher: start off with a question. I'm curious

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Emily Braucher: about a question that you asked. So

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Emily Braucher: I was reading the Boulder weekly, and

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Emily Braucher: it wrapped up with what question would

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Emily Braucher: you ask a fellow candidate on the

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Emily Braucher: ballot? And the question was, who? This

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Emily Braucher: is what you wrote. Who do you

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Emily Braucher: believe won the rap battle between Kendrick

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Emily Braucher: Lamar and Drake? And why? And I'm

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Emily Braucher: curious. Cause it was like, you know,

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Emily Braucher: there's a lot of amazing things that

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Emily Braucher: you wrote in there. And I was

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Emily Braucher: like, oh, that's a different question. Tell

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Emily Braucher: me why you asked that question. Tell

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Emily Braucher: me your thoughts on that. Who won?

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Junie Joseph: Yeah, no, I mean, the thing is,

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Junie Joseph: I asked that question because, as you

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Junie Joseph: know, I'm running in a primary for

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Junie Joseph: reelection, and it's very intense. It's a

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Junie Joseph: lot of work, a lot of negativity,

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Junie Joseph: as well. And I wanted to bring

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Junie Joseph: some levity into the work and talk

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Junie Joseph: a little bit more about pop culture,

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Junie Joseph: because sometimes, as elected officials, we are

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Junie Joseph: not on top of pop culture. We

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Junie Joseph: are not sure what's going on out

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Junie Joseph: there. And young people care about these

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Junie Joseph: type of things. So asking that question

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Junie Joseph: was to bring a little bit of

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Junie Joseph: levity into the whole situation. You know,

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Junie Joseph: just instead of asking her questions that,

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Junie Joseph: you know, that she will give a

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Junie Joseph: political answer to. I just wanted to

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Junie Joseph: have a little bit of fun.

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Emily Braucher: Yeah. Get a little bit of the

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Emily Braucher: personal piece. Yeah. I imagine being in

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Emily Braucher: the political world, it's kind of. It's

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Emily Braucher: nuts. Who do you think? Wonderful and

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Emily Braucher: why?

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Junie Joseph: Yeah, that is a great question. A

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Junie Joseph: couple of people have asked me the

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Junie Joseph: same thing, and I think Kendrick Lamar,

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Junie Joseph: one, I think when you really look

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Junie Joseph: at his record as an artist and

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Junie Joseph: the accolades that he's received, although you

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Junie Joseph: would think that the other rapper is

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Junie Joseph: more mainstream. But the idea is that

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Junie Joseph: rap is not just music. It's art.

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Junie Joseph: It's an art form. It's a form

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Junie Joseph: of expression for black and brown people.

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Junie Joseph: And I think Kendrick Lamar expresses himself

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Junie Joseph: in a way that resonates not just

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Junie Joseph: for now. It resonated in the past.

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Junie Joseph: It resonates today and probably will resonate

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Junie Joseph: in the future, even when the other

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Junie Joseph: rappers history will be gone. But Kendrick

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Junie Joseph: Lamar is a part of history. It's

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Junie Joseph: part of our fabric that is very,

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Junie Joseph: very different. It's not just music for

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Junie Joseph: the sake of music.

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Courthney Russell Jr: Yes.

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Emily Braucher: Yeah.

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Courthney Russell Jr: Yes. I agree 100%. I think that

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Courthney Russell Jr: Kendrick is just for me, I always

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Courthney Russell Jr: said he's like the prince of hip

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Courthney Russell Jr: hop, you know, because he can do

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Courthney Russell Jr: so many things well. It's not like

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Courthney Russell Jr: he does it okay. He does it

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Courthney Russell Jr: well. I mean, the first one to

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Courthney Russell Jr: get a Pulitzer Prize, like, that's phenomenal,

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Courthney Russell Jr: you know, I mean, he's into fashion.

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Courthney Russell Jr: I mean, like, his just how he

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Courthney Russell Jr: creates an album is like a body

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Courthney Russell Jr: of work. It's like art, you know?

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Courthney Russell Jr: And so just everything is. Last few

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Courthney Russell Jr: albums, damn, pimper Butterfly, and then Mister

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Courthney Russell Jr: Morales, they were all artistic pieces that

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Courthney Russell Jr: spoke to our culture in such a

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Courthney Russell Jr: way that, like, rappers like a biggie

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Courthney Russell Jr: or Pac would do, you know? And

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Courthney Russell Jr: so it's. It's a. It's a great

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Courthney Russell Jr: thing to have hip hop coming back.

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Courthney Russell Jr: And I don't even honestly know why

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Courthney Russell Jr: Drake did that to himself. Like, that's

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Courthney Russell Jr: like me playing Jordan in his pride,

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Courthney Russell Jr: talking about, let's go to work, you

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Courthney Russell Jr: know, like, bro, I do. Jordan's like,

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Courthney Russell Jr: I do this, you know, like, what

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Courthney Russell Jr: are you talking about? So I don't

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Courthney Russell Jr: know why he thought that was okay.

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Emily Braucher: Yeah. Tony, before we start talking about

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Emily Braucher: some of the different issues that are

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Emily Braucher: really important to you, I would love

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Emily Braucher: to hear just more of your story,

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Emily Braucher: you know, what brought you here from

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Emily Braucher: Haiti, like, where you landed when you

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Emily Braucher: came from Haiti and. Yeah, just like

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Emily Braucher: you're growing up in Colorado and. Just

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Emily Braucher: tell me your story.

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Junie Joseph: Yeah, yeah. Thank you for asking. I

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Junie Joseph: was born in Haiti, and I moved

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Junie Joseph: to the US with my family when

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Junie Joseph: I was about 14 years old. And

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Junie Joseph: my first move was to Miami. I

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Junie Joseph: remember on the ride from the airport

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Junie Joseph: to my aunt's house, and we passed

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Junie Joseph: the University of Miami. It was really

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Junie Joseph: interesting even, you know, because as a

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Junie Joseph: child, you're in a brand new country

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Junie Joseph: and you're just seeing people coming out

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Junie Joseph: of university. I think a class just

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Junie Joseph: let out, and I saw that and

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Junie Joseph: I was like, wow.

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Emily Braucher: Yeah.

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Junie Joseph: So that was really interesting. And after

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Junie Joseph: that, we moved to Orlando, and I've

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Junie Joseph: lived in Orlando until about 2012, and

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Junie Joseph: I went to middle school in Florida

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Junie Joseph: and high school as well. And then

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Junie Joseph: I graduated, and then I went to

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Junie Joseph: the University of Florida and to study

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Junie Joseph: political science, and I ended up studying

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Junie Joseph: abroad for a year. I went to

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Junie Joseph: the University of Leicester, which it's in

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Junie Joseph: the Midlands in England, and it's spelled

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Junie Joseph: Leicester, but it's Lester.

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Emily Braucher: Okay, Lester.

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Junie Joseph: Yeah, it's Lester. It's a very, very

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Junie Joseph: beautiful, quaint small town. It's a really,

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Junie Joseph: really nice university, actually, my understanding, they

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Junie Joseph: founded DNA. So it was a really

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Junie Joseph: interesting experience when I was there, and

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Junie Joseph: I spent a year there. I studied

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Junie Joseph: archaeology. I have a minor in anthropology.

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Junie Joseph: So when I went there, yeah, I

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Junie Joseph: studied archaeology. I really enjoyed it. And

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Junie Joseph: then I always wanted to go to

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Junie Joseph: law school. That's just part something that

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Junie Joseph: I've always wanted to do since I

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Junie Joseph: was a child.

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Emily Braucher: What was driving you to do that?

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Junie Joseph: Like, what was, do you want to

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Junie Joseph: do law?

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Emily Braucher: Yeah.

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Junie Joseph: For me, I think I wanted to

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Junie Joseph: be a lawyer because I felt that

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Junie Joseph: lawyers are problem solvers. And, yeah, part

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Junie Joseph: of the reason why I wanted to

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Junie Joseph: be a lawyer is because, you know,

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Junie Joseph: growing up in Haiti, I saw so

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Junie Joseph: much suffering as a child, and I

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Junie Joseph: thought I needed to help solve that

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Junie Joseph: problem. And I've always, you know, I've

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Junie Joseph: heard that lawyers or people who are

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Junie Joseph: problem solvers, and they have this sense

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Junie Joseph: of justice, setting aside other things that

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Junie Joseph: people know about lawyers and the political

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Junie Joseph: field.

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Junie Joseph: But I wanted to do law. I

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Junie Joseph: wanted to do law to make a

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Junie Joseph: difference in people's lives. And. And then

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Junie Joseph: after graduating from. From the University of

253
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Junie Joseph: Florida, I thought I couldn't do it

254
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Junie Joseph: because I didn't have the funds, the

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Junie Joseph: money to do it. My parents are

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Junie Joseph: very working class people, and I ended

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Junie Joseph: up getting a master's. I got a

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Junie Joseph: full ride to go to a university

259
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Junie Joseph: in England to get my master's in

260
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Junie Joseph: human rights.

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Junie Joseph: And. Yeah, and I end up in

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Junie Joseph: England. And I think, too, I was

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Junie Joseph: very intentional with my master's studies. I

264
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Junie Joseph: knew that I wanted to do human

265
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Junie Joseph: rights work, so I went there with

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Junie Joseph: the sole purpose and intent to do

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Junie Joseph: human rights work, and I knew how

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Junie Joseph: I wanted to move my career, if

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Junie Joseph: that makes sense. I mean, it wasn't

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Junie Joseph: much of a career. And I still,

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Junie Joseph: like, I'm fairly young, so careers, when

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Junie Joseph: you think of careers, you think of

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Junie Joseph: 2030 years. You don't think of 510

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Junie Joseph: years. But I went to England to

275
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Junie Joseph: study for my masters, and then I

276
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Junie Joseph: ended up doing an internship with the

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Junie Joseph: UN because I knew that's the field

278
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Junie Joseph: I wanted to go into.

279
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Junie Joseph: I had done some work in South

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Junie Joseph: Africa on indigenous people's rights, and I

281
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Junie Joseph: ended up going to Geneva to work

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Junie Joseph: as an intern under the Human Rights

283
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Junie Joseph: Council. And it was a really fun,

284
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Junie Joseph: great experience. I loved it. It was

285
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Junie Joseph: lovely. I really loved it. But I

286
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Junie Joseph: knew I'm very much. I don't know

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Junie Joseph: if it's because of where I was

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Junie Joseph: born and also there's personality involved as

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Junie Joseph: part of that, that I felt that

290
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Junie Joseph: I wanted to be in the field.

291
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Junie Joseph: I didn't like the sanitized version of

292
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Junie Joseph: being at the UN in Geneva, you

293
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Junie Joseph: know, going to work, having coffees throughout

294
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Junie Joseph: the day and spending time talking to

295
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Junie Joseph: your friends and theorizing about human rights.

296
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Junie Joseph: I believe human rights is on the

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Junie Joseph: ground with the people. So I applied

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Junie Joseph: to work in Africa and I ended

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Junie Joseph: up working for the UN in Central

300
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Junie Joseph: African Republic.

301
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Junie Joseph: And I was there for one year.

302
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Junie Joseph: And while I was there, I really

303
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Junie Joseph: loved that. I love the idea. I

304
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Junie Joseph: am a hands on kind of guy.

305
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Junie Joseph: I've always liked the idea of being

306
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Junie Joseph: closest to the people and it's on

307
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Junie Joseph: the ground. And I was doing that

308
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Junie Joseph: work. I was part of my work

309
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Junie Joseph: included as a human right rights officer.

310
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Junie Joseph: I was writing report, drafting report.

311
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Junie Joseph: And also part of my work was.

312
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Junie Joseph: I can't think of a better word

313
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Junie Joseph: in my head right now. It's registering

314
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Junie Joseph: human rights violations. So as human rights

315
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Junie Joseph: violations were taking place, I was recording

316
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Junie Joseph: them. And we were recording them because

317
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Junie Joseph: the idea is maybe in a few

318
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Junie Joseph: years, if the ICC decides to take

319
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Junie Joseph: on a case, they will be able

320
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Junie Joseph: to look back into the record and

321
00:13:28,722 --> 00:13:30,794
Junie Joseph: see this person's in their list of

322
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Junie Joseph: crimes. Because, again, the country was a

323
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Junie Joseph: country in civil war or civil conflict,

324
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Junie Joseph: and there were a lot of atrocities

325
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Junie Joseph: and crimes taking place with no accountability.

326
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Junie Joseph: And these armed groups really believe that

327
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Junie Joseph: they can do just about whatever they

328
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Junie Joseph: wanted to do. But I was there,

329
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Junie Joseph: and I think the UN was there

330
00:13:51,152 --> 00:13:51,496
Junie Joseph: as well.

331
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Junie Joseph: I mean, I can't speak for the

332
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Junie Joseph: UN, but we were there with the

333
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Junie Joseph: idea that eventually, at some point, justice

334
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Junie Joseph: will be served and these people will

335
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Junie Joseph: be called to account for their crimes.

336
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Junie Joseph: So we were there to document crimes

337
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Junie Joseph: and also educate community members on human

338
00:14:07,582 --> 00:14:10,870
Junie Joseph: rights and humanitarian law. So that was

339
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Junie Joseph: part of my work. A lot of

340
00:14:12,854 --> 00:14:17,630
Junie Joseph: teaching, having conversation with armed groups, mediations

341
00:14:17,822 --> 00:14:21,526
Junie Joseph: and, yeah, it was really fun. I

342
00:14:21,550 --> 00:14:24,222
Junie Joseph: was in as an office, the human

343
00:14:24,278 --> 00:14:26,606
Junie Joseph: rights office. We were doing there was

344
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Junie Joseph: what they call an internally displaced camp.

345
00:14:29,134 --> 00:14:30,902
Junie Joseph: And there were like 75,000 people in

346
00:14:30,918 --> 00:14:32,302
Junie Joseph: that camp. They were just people who

347
00:14:32,318 --> 00:14:36,962
Junie Joseph: were fleeing human rights atrocities. And they

348
00:14:36,978 --> 00:14:39,626
Junie Joseph: were all grouped. And our job was

349
00:14:39,650 --> 00:14:43,050
Junie Joseph: to go in there, help them and

350
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Junie Joseph: help them navigate their own society, their

351
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Junie Joseph: own culture, and also teaching them about

352
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Junie Joseph: human rights, which they already have. Most

353
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Junie Joseph: people know what human rights are, you

354
00:14:53,578 --> 00:14:54,802
Junie Joseph: know, because I feel like it's important

355
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Junie Joseph: to say that, because everyone knows that

356
00:14:57,114 --> 00:15:00,130
Junie Joseph: it's important. Self preservation requires that we

357
00:15:00,162 --> 00:15:02,194
Junie Joseph: protect other people as well. So everybody

358
00:15:02,234 --> 00:15:04,250
Junie Joseph: knows the idea of human rights, but

359
00:15:04,282 --> 00:15:05,866
Junie Joseph: sometimes they need to be reminded. So

360
00:15:05,890 --> 00:15:07,170
Junie Joseph: I think it's important to say that

361
00:15:07,202 --> 00:15:08,664
Junie Joseph: because when you work in other people's

362
00:15:08,704 --> 00:15:10,672
Junie Joseph: country, as westerners, we go, oh, we're

363
00:15:10,688 --> 00:15:12,304
Junie Joseph: going to teach them human rights. Well,

364
00:15:12,344 --> 00:15:14,444
Junie Joseph: everybody knows what is human rights.

365
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Courthney Russell Jr: Wow.

366
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Emily Braucher: Yeah, you're speaking my language. I worked

367
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Emily Braucher: in international development for a while, too,

368
00:15:20,568 --> 00:15:23,056
Emily Braucher: and there's. I think that clause is

369
00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:27,684
Emily Braucher: very important. Yeah, yeah. So from there.

370
00:15:28,104 --> 00:15:31,144
Junie Joseph: Yes. And after leaving in Central African

371
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Junie Joseph: Republic, it was very dangerous when I

372
00:15:33,376 --> 00:15:34,776
Junie Joseph: was living there, by the way. People

373
00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:36,840
Junie Joseph: were like, what are you doing here?

374
00:15:37,032 --> 00:15:38,968
Junie Joseph: My mom was like, what is going

375
00:15:39,016 --> 00:15:40,886
Junie Joseph: on? You and why are you there?

376
00:15:40,950 --> 00:15:44,622
Junie Joseph: Come back. And then, well, I think

377
00:15:44,758 --> 00:15:46,062
Junie Joseph: one of the reasons why I moved

378
00:15:46,078 --> 00:15:47,662
Junie Joseph: to Boulder was because I wanted to

379
00:15:47,678 --> 00:15:48,790
Junie Joseph: go to law school.

380
00:15:48,982 --> 00:15:50,638
Junie Joseph: I still want to do human rights.

381
00:15:50,686 --> 00:15:51,806
Junie Joseph: And I feel like the work that

382
00:15:51,830 --> 00:15:53,430
Junie Joseph: I do at the state capitol, I

383
00:15:53,462 --> 00:15:55,206
Junie Joseph: try to really do it in a

384
00:15:55,230 --> 00:15:58,926
Junie Joseph: way that almost as if, I mean,

385
00:15:58,950 --> 00:15:59,742
Junie Joseph: I don't want to say I'm a

386
00:15:59,758 --> 00:16:01,702
Junie Joseph: human rights agent, but I really do

387
00:16:01,718 --> 00:16:02,870
Junie Joseph: it in a way that kind of

388
00:16:02,902 --> 00:16:07,686
Junie Joseph: capture my life experience, my education, and

389
00:16:07,710 --> 00:16:09,214
Junie Joseph: what I have learned through the UN

390
00:16:09,294 --> 00:16:11,062
Junie Joseph: system. That's why I mentioned to you

391
00:16:11,078 --> 00:16:13,084
Junie Joseph: that I'm not an activist. I do

392
00:16:13,124 --> 00:16:15,564
Junie Joseph: advocacy because there are different roles for

393
00:16:15,604 --> 00:16:17,556
Junie Joseph: all of us. And you have to

394
00:16:17,580 --> 00:16:19,036
Junie Joseph: know where you sit within the structure

395
00:16:19,060 --> 00:16:21,732
Junie Joseph: and within the system. And the idea

396
00:16:21,788 --> 00:16:23,676
Junie Joseph: for me is that I am doing

397
00:16:23,740 --> 00:16:27,868
Junie Joseph: human rights advocacy, social justice work, but

398
00:16:27,916 --> 00:16:29,716
Junie Joseph: I'm an advocate, not an activist. And

399
00:16:29,740 --> 00:16:32,404
Junie Joseph: because those are two different roles. And

400
00:16:32,524 --> 00:16:35,700
Junie Joseph: when I was in Africa working, there

401
00:16:35,732 --> 00:16:37,748
Junie Joseph: were times I felt my life worse.

402
00:16:37,836 --> 00:16:43,416
Junie Joseph: Endangerment. I've had, you know, I've had

403
00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,616
Junie Joseph: different situation happens where I thought I

404
00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:47,488
Junie Joseph: needed to come back. And not only

405
00:16:47,536 --> 00:16:49,312
Junie Joseph: that, I think part of the conversation

406
00:16:49,368 --> 00:16:51,552
Junie Joseph: that I was having with myself, I

407
00:16:51,568 --> 00:16:53,232
Junie Joseph: was educated enough to do the work,

408
00:16:53,288 --> 00:16:54,520
Junie Joseph: and I knew that I was fully

409
00:16:54,552 --> 00:16:55,192
Junie Joseph: aware of that.

410
00:16:55,248 --> 00:16:56,656
Junie Joseph: And I think the challenge for me

411
00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:58,608
Junie Joseph: was I wanted to go to law

412
00:16:58,656 --> 00:16:59,920
Junie Joseph: school. I wanted to go to law

413
00:16:59,952 --> 00:17:04,264
Junie Joseph: school because I felt that the idea

414
00:17:04,304 --> 00:17:07,060
Junie Joseph: of human rights as it stands or

415
00:17:07,092 --> 00:17:09,844
Junie Joseph: as I understood it, required that I

416
00:17:09,884 --> 00:17:15,876
Junie Joseph: understand thoroughly beyond just the foundation of

417
00:17:15,900 --> 00:17:18,420
Junie Joseph: what human rights are or humanitarian law.

418
00:17:18,492 --> 00:17:20,180
Junie Joseph: I think the biggest one was humanitarian

419
00:17:20,212 --> 00:17:21,564
Junie Joseph: law. Human rights. I got it because

420
00:17:21,604 --> 00:17:23,304
Junie Joseph: I had a master's in human rights

421
00:17:23,644 --> 00:17:25,700
Junie Joseph: and I had done work in the

422
00:17:25,732 --> 00:17:27,868
Junie Joseph: field, I knew how to do it.

423
00:17:27,916 --> 00:17:31,132
Junie Joseph: But humanitarian law is different because humanitarian

424
00:17:31,188 --> 00:17:34,062
Junie Joseph: law is the law of conflict, how

425
00:17:34,238 --> 00:17:36,886
Junie Joseph: parties should behave in time of conflict.

426
00:17:37,070 --> 00:17:38,910
Junie Joseph: I had some understanding of that even

427
00:17:38,942 --> 00:17:43,726
Junie Joseph: with my masters. And again, I was

428
00:17:43,750 --> 00:17:44,862
Junie Joseph: on the ground, so I knew how

429
00:17:44,878 --> 00:17:45,966
Junie Joseph: to do the work. But it was

430
00:17:45,990 --> 00:17:49,174
Junie Joseph: still a bit complicated for me because

431
00:17:49,334 --> 00:17:51,470
Junie Joseph: again, I didn't have the legal background

432
00:17:51,542 --> 00:17:54,758
Junie Joseph: because as you know, as an American,

433
00:17:54,846 --> 00:17:57,030
Junie Joseph: the rule of law is the pillar

434
00:17:57,062 --> 00:17:58,030
Junie Joseph: of our society.

435
00:17:58,102 --> 00:18:00,014
Junie Joseph: I would say in a way that

436
00:18:00,134 --> 00:18:01,342
Junie Joseph: if you go to court and you

437
00:18:01,358 --> 00:18:05,126
Junie Joseph: said, judge, you should side with me

438
00:18:05,230 --> 00:18:07,998
Junie Joseph: just because, well, that's not a good

439
00:18:08,046 --> 00:18:10,550
Junie Joseph: argument. You have to put it in

440
00:18:10,582 --> 00:18:13,126
Junie Joseph: legal terms. You have to know what

441
00:18:13,150 --> 00:18:15,878
Junie Joseph: your rights are before you ask them.

442
00:18:15,966 --> 00:18:17,942
Junie Joseph: Right. And I felt that as I

443
00:18:17,958 --> 00:18:19,726
Junie Joseph: was doing the work, I was missing

444
00:18:19,790 --> 00:18:21,422
Junie Joseph: certain element of the work. So I

445
00:18:21,438 --> 00:18:22,510
Junie Joseph: said I needed to go to law

446
00:18:22,542 --> 00:18:24,182
Junie Joseph: school so that I could be a

447
00:18:24,358 --> 00:18:26,992
Junie Joseph: better advocate for people.

448
00:18:27,168 --> 00:18:29,264
Junie Joseph: So I came to Boulder to study

449
00:18:29,424 --> 00:18:31,376
Junie Joseph: law. But I think as part of

450
00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:33,880
Junie Joseph: it, too, I remember when I was

451
00:18:33,912 --> 00:18:35,864
Junie Joseph: living in Africa, I made a promise

452
00:18:35,904 --> 00:18:39,584
Junie Joseph: to myself. I am deeply spiritual, I

453
00:18:39,624 --> 00:18:42,720
Junie Joseph: am a Christian. And I did make

454
00:18:42,752 --> 00:18:44,968
Junie Joseph: that promise as I was living there

455
00:18:45,016 --> 00:18:49,896
Junie Joseph: to God, that if I came out

456
00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:54,548
Junie Joseph: of that situation and I come back

457
00:18:54,596 --> 00:18:57,100
Junie Joseph: to the US, I will still continue

458
00:18:57,172 --> 00:18:58,084
Junie Joseph: to do the work.

459
00:18:58,204 --> 00:18:59,636
Junie Joseph: I will continue to do the work

460
00:18:59,660 --> 00:19:02,692
Junie Joseph: of helping people. And, you know, there

461
00:19:02,708 --> 00:19:04,264
Junie Joseph: were a lot of things that happen

462
00:19:04,884 --> 00:19:07,836
Junie Joseph: in Central African Republic that I felt

463
00:19:07,860 --> 00:19:10,916
Junie Joseph: that I needed to leave behind. But

464
00:19:10,940 --> 00:19:12,956
Junie Joseph: I still felt like, I understand the

465
00:19:12,980 --> 00:19:14,724
Junie Joseph: idea when people say they have victim

466
00:19:14,764 --> 00:19:19,628
Junie Joseph: remorse or survival remorse, whereas you feel

467
00:19:19,676 --> 00:19:23,084
Junie Joseph: like, wow. I felt that how as

468
00:19:23,124 --> 00:19:25,012
Junie Joseph: someone who really want to do this

469
00:19:25,068 --> 00:19:28,916
Junie Joseph: work, that there were 75,000 people that

470
00:19:28,940 --> 00:19:30,300
Junie Joseph: I was serving and I was just

471
00:19:30,332 --> 00:19:32,004
Junie Joseph: going to leave them behind to go

472
00:19:32,044 --> 00:19:33,940
Junie Joseph: back to the US, to this beautiful

473
00:19:34,012 --> 00:19:37,036
Junie Joseph: life and just leave these people behind

474
00:19:37,140 --> 00:19:38,704
Junie Joseph: to suffer on their own.

475
00:19:39,004 --> 00:19:41,024
Junie Joseph: I had a hard time with that.

476
00:19:42,204 --> 00:19:44,044
Junie Joseph: And I knew there were colleagues as

477
00:19:44,084 --> 00:19:47,068
Junie Joseph: well in the system that was fighting

478
00:19:47,116 --> 00:19:50,234
Junie Joseph: with everything that they have, colleagues that

479
00:19:50,274 --> 00:19:52,538
Junie Joseph: died when I was there, there were

480
00:19:52,586 --> 00:19:57,946
Junie Joseph: colleagues who were. One colleague was. Something

481
00:19:58,010 --> 00:20:01,854
Junie Joseph: happened, she got really, really hurt physically

482
00:20:02,714 --> 00:20:05,634
Junie Joseph: during one of the conflicts. So I

483
00:20:05,674 --> 00:20:07,194
Junie Joseph: felt that I was leaving all these

484
00:20:07,234 --> 00:20:11,114
Junie Joseph: people behind who had similar values to

485
00:20:11,154 --> 00:20:12,514
Junie Joseph: mine, if that makes sense.

486
00:20:12,554 --> 00:20:14,754
Junie Joseph: So in essence, I did feel guilty

487
00:20:14,834 --> 00:20:17,530
Junie Joseph: about leaving. So I made the promise

488
00:20:17,562 --> 00:20:18,770
Junie Joseph: that if I come back, I would

489
00:20:18,802 --> 00:20:20,746
Junie Joseph: continue to do the work. So when

490
00:20:20,770 --> 00:20:23,752
Junie Joseph: I moved here to Boulder, I didn't

491
00:20:23,808 --> 00:20:25,344
Junie Joseph: come to Boulder with the idea of

492
00:20:25,384 --> 00:20:27,792
Junie Joseph: running for council. I came to Boulder

493
00:20:27,848 --> 00:20:30,168
Junie Joseph: to law school and I knew I

494
00:20:30,176 --> 00:20:31,616
Junie Joseph: was going to do the work in

495
00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,536
Junie Joseph: some way, shape, or form. And I

496
00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:36,624
Junie Joseph: did really get involved right away. I

497
00:20:36,664 --> 00:20:41,872
Junie Joseph: started helping at the soup kitchen at

498
00:20:41,888 --> 00:20:43,592
Junie Joseph: the homeless shelter. I was one of

499
00:20:43,608 --> 00:20:45,544
Junie Joseph: the cooks. I was doing work there.

500
00:20:45,704 --> 00:20:49,600
Junie Joseph: I got involved in the community corrections

501
00:20:49,672 --> 00:20:52,844
Junie Joseph: board. I got involved with the Health

502
00:20:52,884 --> 00:20:57,548
Junie Joseph: and Human Services department citizens panel review

503
00:20:57,676 --> 00:20:59,636
Junie Joseph: with the idea that I want to

504
00:20:59,660 --> 00:21:01,204
Junie Joseph: do more. I want to do more

505
00:21:01,244 --> 00:21:03,464
Junie Joseph: work. I want to help marginalize people.

506
00:21:04,284 --> 00:21:05,916
Junie Joseph: But I end up running for city

507
00:21:05,980 --> 00:21:08,108
Junie Joseph: council because when I moved to Boulder,

508
00:21:08,156 --> 00:21:09,932
Junie Joseph: there was a housing situation or a

509
00:21:09,948 --> 00:21:11,900
Junie Joseph: housing issue, which we still have.

510
00:21:12,012 --> 00:21:14,796
Junie Joseph: Boulder is pretty wealthy, and then you

511
00:21:14,820 --> 00:21:17,276
Junie Joseph: have everyone else living on the margins.

512
00:21:17,460 --> 00:21:18,780
Junie Joseph: And to me, that was a bit

513
00:21:18,812 --> 00:21:22,332
Junie Joseph: problematic. And what I wanted to do,

514
00:21:22,468 --> 00:21:24,972
Junie Joseph: again, that was an opportunity for me

515
00:21:24,988 --> 00:21:27,148
Junie Joseph: to rise up to the occasion and

516
00:21:27,196 --> 00:21:29,780
Junie Joseph: stand up on the promises that I

517
00:21:29,812 --> 00:21:31,596
Junie Joseph: made, that I would continue to do

518
00:21:31,740 --> 00:21:34,084
Junie Joseph: the work and to give voice to

519
00:21:34,124 --> 00:21:37,500
Junie Joseph: people who are not part of the

520
00:21:37,532 --> 00:21:39,796
Junie Joseph: conversation or people who are marginalized.

521
00:21:39,860 --> 00:21:41,812
Junie Joseph: Because, yes, there is a difference between

522
00:21:41,908 --> 00:21:43,980
Junie Joseph: people in central African Republic who are

523
00:21:44,012 --> 00:21:47,180
Junie Joseph: dying due to a civil conflict because

524
00:21:47,252 --> 00:21:50,548
Junie Joseph: their country lacked the political and legal

525
00:21:50,596 --> 00:21:52,954
Junie Joseph: structures to protect them. But in this

526
00:21:52,994 --> 00:21:55,418
Junie Joseph: country here, we have something similar where

527
00:21:55,546 --> 00:21:57,394
Junie Joseph: you have people who are not protected

528
00:21:57,474 --> 00:22:00,450
Junie Joseph: because of their economic position and community.

529
00:22:00,642 --> 00:22:02,682
Junie Joseph: And that is not fair. Yes, that's

530
00:22:02,698 --> 00:22:03,970
Junie Joseph: not the same thing, because you have

531
00:22:04,002 --> 00:22:06,514
Junie Joseph: one that is much, much more dire.

532
00:22:06,674 --> 00:22:08,354
Junie Joseph: But again, it's still the same thing,

533
00:22:08,394 --> 00:22:10,242
Junie Joseph: because if you cannot feed yourself or

534
00:22:10,258 --> 00:22:12,334
Junie Joseph: you cannot find a place to stay,

535
00:22:12,714 --> 00:22:15,906
Junie Joseph: you're still unstable. And instability, whether here

536
00:22:15,930 --> 00:22:18,050
Junie Joseph: in the United States or abroad, is

537
00:22:18,082 --> 00:22:21,586
Junie Joseph: still stability. So for me, that's why

538
00:22:21,610 --> 00:22:23,682
Junie Joseph: I got involved on city council and

539
00:22:23,698 --> 00:22:25,762
Junie Joseph: I ran and I did not expect

540
00:22:25,818 --> 00:22:27,426
Junie Joseph: to win. I didn't think I could

541
00:22:27,450 --> 00:22:29,586
Junie Joseph: win because I had only lived in

542
00:22:29,610 --> 00:22:31,266
Junie Joseph: Boulder for one year when I ran

543
00:22:31,290 --> 00:22:33,378
Junie Joseph: for city council. So it was just

544
00:22:33,426 --> 00:22:36,370
Junie Joseph: out of the norm. But I ran.

545
00:22:36,442 --> 00:22:38,690
Junie Joseph: But I ran with conviction. I ran

546
00:22:38,722 --> 00:22:41,138
Junie Joseph: with conviction and I believed in every

547
00:22:41,186 --> 00:22:43,338
Junie Joseph: word that I said. And on city

548
00:22:43,386 --> 00:22:47,194
Junie Joseph: council, I legislate in that manner. But

549
00:22:47,274 --> 00:22:49,010
Junie Joseph: nonetheless, I didn't know. I didn't expect

550
00:22:49,082 --> 00:22:51,770
Junie Joseph: to win, but I believed in it.

551
00:22:51,922 --> 00:22:54,258
Junie Joseph: And then three years into my city

552
00:22:54,306 --> 00:22:55,922
Junie Joseph: council term, I had a four year

553
00:22:55,938 --> 00:22:58,114
Junie Joseph: term, and I got elected with pretty

554
00:22:58,154 --> 00:22:59,634
Junie Joseph: high numbers, by the way, when I

555
00:22:59,674 --> 00:23:01,650
Junie Joseph: got elected as a city council member.

556
00:23:01,762 --> 00:23:03,154
Junie Joseph: But I think it speaks to the

557
00:23:03,194 --> 00:23:06,762
Junie Joseph: idea that we all want the same

558
00:23:06,818 --> 00:23:09,898
Junie Joseph: thing. We all aspire for a world

559
00:23:09,946 --> 00:23:12,146
Junie Joseph: that is better. And I think that's

560
00:23:12,170 --> 00:23:14,542
Junie Joseph: why people in Boulder elected me. I

561
00:23:14,558 --> 00:23:15,902
Junie Joseph: had one lady. I sat down with

562
00:23:15,918 --> 00:23:16,966
Junie Joseph: her. She said, you're not going to

563
00:23:16,990 --> 00:23:20,190
Junie Joseph: win. You black people in Boulder, there's

564
00:23:20,222 --> 00:23:22,206
Junie Joseph: no black people here in Boulder. So

565
00:23:22,270 --> 00:23:24,286
Junie Joseph: you're not going to win. And I

566
00:23:24,310 --> 00:23:26,630
Junie Joseph: thought, okay, I didn't know what to

567
00:23:26,662 --> 00:23:28,846
Junie Joseph: say. And she was pretty prominent in

568
00:23:28,870 --> 00:23:29,674
Junie Joseph: the community.

569
00:23:30,214 --> 00:23:31,638
Courthney Russell Jr: All right, thank you.

570
00:23:31,806 --> 00:23:34,462
Junie Joseph: So I just looked at her like,

571
00:23:34,638 --> 00:23:35,766
Junie Joseph: okay. I didn't know what to say

572
00:23:35,790 --> 00:23:37,190
Junie Joseph: because that's not what I expected from

573
00:23:37,222 --> 00:23:38,862
Junie Joseph: her, because I came to ask her

574
00:23:38,878 --> 00:23:40,438
Junie Joseph: for help, and she said, you flat

575
00:23:40,486 --> 00:23:42,200
Junie Joseph: out you're not going to win. You're

576
00:23:42,232 --> 00:23:47,200
Junie Joseph: black. So the thing is, the idea

577
00:23:47,232 --> 00:23:48,760
Junie Joseph: is that most people in the community

578
00:23:48,872 --> 00:23:50,872
Junie Joseph: did not agree with her because at

579
00:23:50,888 --> 00:23:52,000
Junie Joseph: the end of the day, it's not

580
00:23:52,032 --> 00:23:54,280
Junie Joseph: what I look on the outside. It's

581
00:23:54,312 --> 00:23:57,904
Junie Joseph: not what I sound like. It's. Is

582
00:23:57,944 --> 00:24:01,016
Junie Joseph: this person's vision for our community something

583
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:04,744
Junie Joseph: that we believe in? And is whatever

584
00:24:04,784 --> 00:24:07,864
Junie Joseph: she's saying, she's saying it with conviction,

585
00:24:08,024 --> 00:24:10,184
Junie Joseph: and we can see that she will

586
00:24:10,224 --> 00:24:11,456
Junie Joseph: stand on those values. And I think

587
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,174
Junie Joseph: that's why people elected me. People knew

588
00:24:14,214 --> 00:24:16,326
Junie Joseph: as well that I was new, that

589
00:24:16,350 --> 00:24:18,514
Junie Joseph: I did not have 30 years experience.

590
00:24:19,014 --> 00:24:20,230
Junie Joseph: But the thing is, too, I think

591
00:24:20,262 --> 00:24:23,154
Junie Joseph: people were looking for something else because

592
00:24:24,214 --> 00:24:26,230
Junie Joseph: what's been going on for 30 years

593
00:24:26,262 --> 00:24:28,462
Junie Joseph: has not worked because people were still

594
00:24:28,518 --> 00:24:31,262
Junie Joseph: without housing. Or it has worked in

595
00:24:31,278 --> 00:24:34,726
Junie Joseph: a way, because everything is intentional as

596
00:24:34,750 --> 00:24:38,142
Junie Joseph: well in government housing, or lack of,

597
00:24:38,198 --> 00:24:40,878
Junie Joseph: or lack thereof is intentional. It's through

598
00:24:40,926 --> 00:24:43,532
Junie Joseph: policies. That's why the community looks the

599
00:24:43,548 --> 00:24:45,372
Junie Joseph: way it looks. And I think people

600
00:24:45,428 --> 00:24:47,236
Junie Joseph: in the community want to change. There

601
00:24:47,260 --> 00:24:48,820
Junie Joseph: were some who wanted change. They voted

602
00:24:48,852 --> 00:24:51,540
Junie Joseph: for me, and there were, of course,

603
00:24:51,572 --> 00:24:53,116
Junie Joseph: there were people who probably voted for

604
00:24:53,140 --> 00:24:55,236
Junie Joseph: me regardless of whether they believed that

605
00:24:55,260 --> 00:24:57,604
Junie Joseph: I would stand on those values. And

606
00:24:57,644 --> 00:24:59,996
Junie Joseph: then three years later, I ran for

607
00:25:00,020 --> 00:25:03,332
Junie Joseph: the state house. I promised the people

608
00:25:03,388 --> 00:25:04,252
Junie Joseph: that I was going to go to

609
00:25:04,268 --> 00:25:05,452
Junie Joseph: the Capitol, and I was going to

610
00:25:05,468 --> 00:25:08,060
Junie Joseph: fight. I was going to advocate for

611
00:25:08,172 --> 00:25:10,084
Junie Joseph: housing. I was going to advocate for

612
00:25:10,124 --> 00:25:14,010
Junie Joseph: environmental sustainability, criminal justice, education, and LBTQ,

613
00:25:14,042 --> 00:25:17,346
Junie Joseph: plus rights and women's issues. So all

614
00:25:17,370 --> 00:25:20,042
Junie Joseph: these things were things that I fought

615
00:25:20,098 --> 00:25:23,322
Junie Joseph: for at the state capitol. And I

616
00:25:23,338 --> 00:25:25,970
Junie Joseph: think I was, you know, it's hard

617
00:25:26,002 --> 00:25:28,714
Junie Joseph: to say that I was successful at.

618
00:25:28,874 --> 00:25:31,882
Junie Joseph: I think I have made small changes.

619
00:25:31,978 --> 00:25:35,242
Junie Joseph: Hopefully that will lead to bigger changes,

620
00:25:35,378 --> 00:25:38,578
Junie Joseph: because the job is so big and

621
00:25:38,626 --> 00:25:42,242
Junie Joseph: you make small changes, but it's. It's

622
00:25:42,298 --> 00:25:45,056
Junie Joseph: so. It's so. The waves are so

623
00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:48,096
Junie Joseph: little. It seems like a lot. It's

624
00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:52,712
Junie Joseph: very incremental. It's not big, cataclysmic changes,

625
00:25:52,768 --> 00:25:54,256
Junie Joseph: really, if you think about it. But

626
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:55,432
Junie Joseph: I was able to do a lot

627
00:25:55,448 --> 00:25:57,456
Junie Joseph: of work. I passed 36 bills in

628
00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,680
Junie Joseph: my first term, and usually we get

629
00:26:00,712 --> 00:26:02,404
Junie Joseph: five bills per session.

630
00:26:03,064 --> 00:26:03,568
Emily Braucher: Oh, wow.

631
00:26:03,616 --> 00:26:05,024
Junie Joseph: Yeah. So I did a lot of

632
00:26:05,064 --> 00:26:08,960
Junie Joseph: work but there's still a lot, a

633
00:26:08,992 --> 00:26:11,026
Junie Joseph: lot of work to be done and

634
00:26:11,050 --> 00:26:15,778
Junie Joseph: the housing space and homelessness or relieving

635
00:26:15,906 --> 00:26:18,746
Junie Joseph: homelessness. So it's just so much. There's

636
00:26:18,770 --> 00:26:21,394
Junie Joseph: just so much that has been done

637
00:26:21,554 --> 00:26:23,354
Junie Joseph: to keep us where we are that

638
00:26:23,434 --> 00:26:24,570
Junie Joseph: we have to do a lot of

639
00:26:24,602 --> 00:26:27,874
Junie Joseph: work. It takes us, if you think

640
00:26:27,914 --> 00:26:30,650
Junie Joseph: about it, 400, 500 years to get

641
00:26:30,682 --> 00:26:33,538
Junie Joseph: to here, and we still have challenges.

642
00:26:33,586 --> 00:26:35,434
Junie Joseph: It's probably going to take another 500

643
00:26:35,514 --> 00:26:38,078
Junie Joseph: years to get to a place where

644
00:26:38,266 --> 00:26:42,150
Junie Joseph: we feel like, you know, everyone's rights

645
00:26:42,222 --> 00:26:45,214
Junie Joseph: are protected, but we have to strive

646
00:26:45,374 --> 00:26:47,710
Junie Joseph: each day, each session, and each year

647
00:26:47,742 --> 00:26:49,342
Junie Joseph: to make a difference. And then there

648
00:26:49,358 --> 00:26:50,354
Junie Joseph: are term limits.

649
00:26:50,654 --> 00:26:54,646
Emily Braucher: Wow, what a road. Incredible, incredible amount

650
00:26:54,670 --> 00:26:57,286
Emily Braucher: of experience. We're going to get back

651
00:26:57,310 --> 00:26:59,062
Emily Braucher: to the episode in just a moment,

652
00:26:59,118 --> 00:27:00,574
Emily Braucher: but we wanted to give a quick

653
00:27:00,614 --> 00:27:03,542
Emily Braucher: shout out to our supporters on Patreon,

654
00:27:03,638 --> 00:27:05,406
Emily Braucher: as well as our supporters who have

655
00:27:05,430 --> 00:27:08,084
Emily Braucher: bought our merchandise from our website. Our

656
00:27:08,124 --> 00:27:12,084
Emily Braucher: podcast is principally sustained and propelled by

657
00:27:12,204 --> 00:27:14,436
Emily Braucher: listeners like you, and we wanted to

658
00:27:14,460 --> 00:27:16,228
Emily Braucher: make sure you knew how to get

659
00:27:16,276 --> 00:27:18,332
Emily Braucher: on that train. So to support us

660
00:27:18,348 --> 00:27:20,428
Emily Braucher: on Patreon, please go to the Patreon

661
00:27:20,556 --> 00:27:23,172
Emily Braucher: page and look up the Human Eyes

662
00:27:23,228 --> 00:27:26,652
Emily Braucher: podcast. There we have some exclusive content

663
00:27:26,748 --> 00:27:28,876
Emily Braucher: that we haven't released to the wider

664
00:27:28,940 --> 00:27:30,996
Emily Braucher: public, as well as ways to engage

665
00:27:31,140 --> 00:27:33,288
Emily Braucher: with the community. And if you want

666
00:27:33,296 --> 00:27:34,752
Emily Braucher: to check out some of the humanized

667
00:27:34,808 --> 00:27:37,896
Emily Braucher: merch, the t shirts, sweatshirts, mugs and

668
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:41,776
Emily Braucher: different things, go to our website, thehumanizedpodcast.com,

669
00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,248
Emily Braucher: and select shop at the top. And

670
00:27:45,296 --> 00:27:47,360
Emily Braucher: all of that support that we receive

671
00:27:47,392 --> 00:27:50,192
Emily Braucher: financially goes directly to our amazing editing

672
00:27:50,288 --> 00:27:52,448
Emily Braucher: team and making sure we're bringing you

673
00:27:52,456 --> 00:27:54,944
Emily Braucher: the highest quality content you can get.

674
00:27:55,024 --> 00:27:57,088
Emily Braucher: Thank you. And let's go back to

675
00:27:57,096 --> 00:28:00,500
Emily Braucher: the episode. Courtney, what's coming to mind

676
00:28:00,532 --> 00:28:01,492
Emily Braucher: for you when you listen to all

677
00:28:01,508 --> 00:28:02,064
Emily Braucher: that?

678
00:28:02,884 --> 00:28:05,316
Courthney Russell Jr: I need more. Like, it's so inspirational

679
00:28:05,420 --> 00:28:09,772
Courthney Russell Jr: to hear, especially women who are so

680
00:28:09,868 --> 00:28:12,004
Courthney Russell Jr: passionate about it, because you hear things

681
00:28:12,044 --> 00:28:13,924
Courthney Russell Jr: like, women are so sensitive, they couldn't

682
00:28:13,964 --> 00:28:16,116
Courthney Russell Jr: be powerful leaders in government. And to

683
00:28:16,140 --> 00:28:18,092
Courthney Russell Jr: see one, I've just met you, and

684
00:28:18,108 --> 00:28:20,692
Courthney Russell Jr: I feel the passion that you exude

685
00:28:20,828 --> 00:28:22,984
Courthney Russell Jr: and to know that you passed 36

686
00:28:24,204 --> 00:28:28,660
Courthney Russell Jr: legislative things is amazing. Something that resonated

687
00:28:28,692 --> 00:28:31,620
Courthney Russell Jr: with me. What you said was so

688
00:28:31,652 --> 00:28:34,572
Courthney Russell Jr: many things, but, like, the selfishness of

689
00:28:34,708 --> 00:28:37,996
Courthney Russell Jr: self preservation by helping others, you know,

690
00:28:38,020 --> 00:28:39,996
Courthney Russell Jr: like, people think, like, when you get

691
00:28:40,020 --> 00:28:43,556
Courthney Russell Jr: into this work, everything is altruistic and

692
00:28:43,580 --> 00:28:46,460
Courthney Russell Jr: everything is. It's really, if you're in

693
00:28:46,492 --> 00:28:48,916
Courthney Russell Jr: poverty and I'm not, that makes me

694
00:28:49,020 --> 00:28:53,180
Courthney Russell Jr: more. More vulnerable to attack. However, if

695
00:28:53,212 --> 00:28:55,228
Courthney Russell Jr: I make both of us rich, you

696
00:28:55,236 --> 00:28:56,228
Courthney Russell Jr: don't got to rob me because you

697
00:28:56,236 --> 00:28:57,686
Courthney Russell Jr: got what you need. You know, and

698
00:28:57,710 --> 00:29:00,718
Courthney Russell Jr: so I think that's where I stand

699
00:29:00,766 --> 00:29:04,486
Courthney Russell Jr: with activism, because the assumption is, as

700
00:29:04,510 --> 00:29:06,326
Courthney Russell Jr: a doctor, as an activist, as a

701
00:29:06,350 --> 00:29:08,182
Courthney Russell Jr: photographer, everything I do is for the

702
00:29:08,198 --> 00:29:11,262
Courthney Russell Jr: people. Everything I do is for me

703
00:29:11,398 --> 00:29:16,046
Courthney Russell Jr: out of wanting everyone to see a

704
00:29:16,070 --> 00:29:18,142
Courthney Russell Jr: better life. Because I can remember I'm

705
00:29:18,158 --> 00:29:22,570
Courthney Russell Jr: an immigrant coming and being here and

706
00:29:22,742 --> 00:29:26,474
Courthney Russell Jr: always wondering, why not us? Why can't

707
00:29:26,514 --> 00:29:29,242
Courthney Russell Jr: we just eat and know that we're

708
00:29:29,258 --> 00:29:31,642
Courthney Russell Jr: gonna eat tomorrow morning? Why is every

709
00:29:31,698 --> 00:29:33,066
Courthney Russell Jr: day hard? You know what I mean?

710
00:29:33,090 --> 00:29:34,722
Courthney Russell Jr: Like, every. I gotta think, okay, we

711
00:29:34,738 --> 00:29:35,946
Courthney Russell Jr: gotta go here. We may not eat

712
00:29:35,970 --> 00:29:37,362
Courthney Russell Jr: tonight, we may not have lights, we

713
00:29:37,378 --> 00:29:39,386
Courthney Russell Jr: may not have everything we need, but

714
00:29:39,410 --> 00:29:41,210
Courthney Russell Jr: we're all together. At least, like, that

715
00:29:41,242 --> 00:29:44,506
Courthney Russell Jr: at least infuriated me, you know? And

716
00:29:44,530 --> 00:29:49,594
Courthney Russell Jr: so I always push myself and just

717
00:29:49,634 --> 00:29:51,162
Courthney Russell Jr: to not do that. And then when

718
00:29:51,178 --> 00:29:52,930
Courthney Russell Jr: I start to learn more, you start

719
00:29:52,962 --> 00:29:55,208
Courthney Russell Jr: to see that, like you said, the

720
00:29:55,256 --> 00:29:56,816
Courthney Russell Jr: systems are doing exactly what it's supposed

721
00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:59,240
Courthney Russell Jr: to do. Nothing is unintentional. You know,

722
00:29:59,272 --> 00:30:00,984
Courthney Russell Jr: it furious me that it does take

723
00:30:01,024 --> 00:30:03,680
Courthney Russell Jr: 400 years to do something that should

724
00:30:03,712 --> 00:30:05,968
Courthney Russell Jr: make sense. Why does it take so

725
00:30:06,016 --> 00:30:08,264
Courthney Russell Jr: long for everyone to have housing or

726
00:30:08,304 --> 00:30:12,808
Courthney Russell Jr: education that's equitable, or healthcare, or all

727
00:30:12,816 --> 00:30:13,912
Courthney Russell Jr: of these other systems that are put

728
00:30:13,928 --> 00:30:16,160
Courthney Russell Jr: in place to keep us in a

729
00:30:16,192 --> 00:30:20,040
Courthney Russell Jr: certain class, you know? And so, like,

730
00:30:20,232 --> 00:30:22,608
Courthney Russell Jr: it's really inspiring, but it's also, like,

731
00:30:22,656 --> 00:30:25,508
Courthney Russell Jr: it goes to my forefront and says,

732
00:30:25,676 --> 00:30:28,180
Courthney Russell Jr: you know, this is infuriating. 500 more

733
00:30:28,252 --> 00:30:31,460
Courthney Russell Jr: years to get something that if I

734
00:30:31,492 --> 00:30:36,524
Courthney Russell Jr: was white, I could get tomorrow. Like

735
00:30:36,564 --> 00:30:38,508
Courthney Russell Jr: that. To me, I like to break

736
00:30:38,556 --> 00:30:41,516
Courthney Russell Jr: things down to diminuscule things. Like, what

737
00:30:41,540 --> 00:30:43,436
Courthney Russell Jr: are we really trying to say? That's

738
00:30:43,460 --> 00:30:45,396
Courthney Russell Jr: how I live. And sometimes it's like,

739
00:30:45,500 --> 00:30:47,708
Courthney Russell Jr: okay. And I understand. That's probably why

740
00:30:47,716 --> 00:30:50,268
Courthney Russell Jr: I can never be a politician, because,

741
00:30:50,316 --> 00:30:51,972
Courthney Russell Jr: I don't know, like, it'll be rough.

742
00:30:52,028 --> 00:30:53,572
Courthney Russell Jr: It'll be rough on me. But, like,

743
00:30:53,628 --> 00:30:56,392
Courthney Russell Jr: why is it that I am dictated

744
00:30:56,448 --> 00:30:58,544
Courthney Russell Jr: by where I live, what my skin

745
00:30:58,584 --> 00:31:02,704
Courthney Russell Jr: color is, where I'm from, to breathe

746
00:31:02,744 --> 00:31:05,928
Courthney Russell Jr: clean air, to not have to not

747
00:31:05,976 --> 00:31:08,160
Courthney Russell Jr: drink lead in my water. Like, to

748
00:31:08,192 --> 00:31:09,672
Courthney Russell Jr: get educated in a way that I

749
00:31:09,688 --> 00:31:11,976
Courthney Russell Jr: can have a family that can go

750
00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,068
Courthney Russell Jr: on vacation or. You know what I

751
00:31:14,068 --> 00:31:15,992
Courthney Russell Jr: mean? Like, why is it that if

752
00:31:16,088 --> 00:31:18,552
Courthney Russell Jr: I, where I'm from, can dictate if

753
00:31:18,568 --> 00:31:20,496
Courthney Russell Jr: a police officer pulls me over, that

754
00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:21,800
Courthney Russell Jr: could be the last time I breathe

755
00:31:21,832 --> 00:31:24,952
Courthney Russell Jr: air? That's a weird reality to live

756
00:31:24,968 --> 00:31:27,106
Courthney Russell Jr: in, you know? And so, like, to

757
00:31:27,130 --> 00:31:30,690
Courthney Russell Jr: hear you speak just about the amazing

758
00:31:30,722 --> 00:31:32,770
Courthney Russell Jr: work you did is hopeful and inspiring

759
00:31:32,802 --> 00:31:35,234
Courthney Russell Jr: to me. And I really, really appreciate

760
00:31:35,274 --> 00:31:36,722
Courthney Russell Jr: all the work you're doing in the

761
00:31:36,738 --> 00:31:37,294
Courthney Russell Jr: community.

762
00:31:40,194 --> 00:31:44,482
Emily Braucher: I'm curious to learn. I mean, you

763
00:31:44,498 --> 00:31:48,762
Emily Braucher: have worked in extremely different places, like,

764
00:31:48,858 --> 00:31:50,834
Emily Braucher: I don't even know how to say,

765
00:31:50,874 --> 00:31:56,836
Emily Braucher: like, from the car to Boulder, that

766
00:31:56,860 --> 00:32:01,740
Emily Braucher: is quite a transition. How do you

767
00:32:01,772 --> 00:32:04,344
Emily Braucher: see your experience in human rights and

768
00:32:04,844 --> 00:32:07,844
Emily Braucher: with the UN and in the field

769
00:32:08,004 --> 00:32:12,772
Emily Braucher: translating into working in legislative bodies? Where

770
00:32:12,788 --> 00:32:14,172
Emily Braucher: do you see that kind of percolating

771
00:32:14,228 --> 00:32:16,308
Emily Braucher: up and giving you a different view

772
00:32:16,356 --> 00:32:17,264
Emily Braucher: and edge?

773
00:32:18,344 --> 00:32:21,288
Junie Joseph: Yeah. Thank you for that. So I

774
00:32:21,296 --> 00:32:23,064
Junie Joseph: think part of that question is twofold,

775
00:32:23,104 --> 00:32:24,592
Junie Joseph: and I hope I remember everything that

776
00:32:24,608 --> 00:32:26,696
Junie Joseph: I want to say. I think I

777
00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:29,088
Junie Joseph: mentioned to you earlier, the UN has

778
00:32:29,136 --> 00:32:30,792
Junie Joseph: really taught me, because I remember when

779
00:32:30,808 --> 00:32:32,680
Junie Joseph: I first started in the UN system,

780
00:32:32,792 --> 00:32:35,832
Junie Joseph: I was a big activist. I was

781
00:32:35,888 --> 00:32:37,816
Junie Joseph: ready to change things, and I was

782
00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:41,536
Junie Joseph: ready to just turn the system upside

783
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:43,968
Junie Joseph: down in order to make changes. And

784
00:32:44,016 --> 00:32:45,768
Junie Joseph: as someone with a lot of empathy,

785
00:32:45,816 --> 00:32:48,232
Junie Joseph: I was ready to go. And as

786
00:32:48,248 --> 00:32:50,070
Junie Joseph: soon as I got in, I realized

787
00:32:50,142 --> 00:32:51,726
Junie Joseph: that you have to be a little

788
00:32:51,750 --> 00:32:53,550
Junie Joseph: bit more measured if you want change.

789
00:32:53,702 --> 00:32:55,110
Junie Joseph: And I think it goes back to

790
00:32:55,142 --> 00:32:58,518
Junie Joseph: something that Courtney said. I know it's

791
00:32:58,566 --> 00:33:00,510
Junie Joseph: infuriating. We need change, and we need

792
00:33:00,542 --> 00:33:02,806
Junie Joseph: change today. We will not survive as

793
00:33:02,830 --> 00:33:05,078
Junie Joseph: a species if we continue the way

794
00:33:05,126 --> 00:33:08,182
Junie Joseph: we are continuing. We need equity. We

795
00:33:08,198 --> 00:33:10,246
Junie Joseph: need everyone at the table. We need

796
00:33:10,270 --> 00:33:13,926
Junie Joseph: to find the solutions together. And bringing

797
00:33:13,990 --> 00:33:16,246
Junie Joseph: everyone at the table also require that

798
00:33:16,270 --> 00:33:18,430
Junie Joseph: we bring businesses to the table. It

799
00:33:18,462 --> 00:33:21,480
Junie Joseph: requires to bring these, because those people

800
00:33:21,592 --> 00:33:24,720
Junie Joseph: who, regardless of where we are situated,

801
00:33:24,792 --> 00:33:26,792
Junie Joseph: we believe are the cause of a

802
00:33:26,808 --> 00:33:28,736
Junie Joseph: lot of human rights violations, we have

803
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:30,416
Junie Joseph: to bring them to the table. That's

804
00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:32,920
Junie Joseph: the infuriating part, because when I was

805
00:33:32,952 --> 00:33:35,872
Junie Joseph: working in the car, and I remember

806
00:33:35,968 --> 00:33:38,312
Junie Joseph: there were mediations we were doing. I

807
00:33:38,328 --> 00:33:41,608
Junie Joseph: was working on. We brought the families

808
00:33:41,776 --> 00:33:44,360
Junie Joseph: and the person who committed the crime,

809
00:33:44,432 --> 00:33:47,064
Junie Joseph: the murders of the families, to the

810
00:33:47,104 --> 00:33:50,016
Junie Joseph: same room to have conversation. Because at

811
00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:51,016
Junie Joseph: the end of the day, there is

812
00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:54,118
Junie Joseph: no real function, government structure or legal

813
00:33:54,166 --> 00:33:56,350
Junie Joseph: process. So how do you live in

814
00:33:56,382 --> 00:33:58,774
Junie Joseph: communities together? So we had to bring

815
00:33:58,814 --> 00:34:01,318
Junie Joseph: them together to their room and have

816
00:34:01,366 --> 00:34:04,270
Junie Joseph: conversation and for everyone to air out

817
00:34:04,302 --> 00:34:06,998
Junie Joseph: the grievances and also to explain and

818
00:34:07,046 --> 00:34:09,598
Junie Joseph: express the importance of human rights, even

819
00:34:09,646 --> 00:34:11,686
Junie Joseph: in a civil conflict. That was part

820
00:34:11,710 --> 00:34:14,910
Junie Joseph: of the conversation. So here in Boulder,

821
00:34:15,062 --> 00:34:17,494
Junie Joseph: at the state legislature, when I have

822
00:34:17,534 --> 00:34:20,524
Junie Joseph: bills that are not in the interest

823
00:34:20,644 --> 00:34:23,988
Junie Joseph: of the apartment association or the oil

824
00:34:24,036 --> 00:34:26,196
Junie Joseph: and gas industry, I have to bring

825
00:34:26,220 --> 00:34:27,756
Junie Joseph: them to the table and I have

826
00:34:27,780 --> 00:34:30,116
Junie Joseph: to explain to them, hey, I'm writing

827
00:34:30,180 --> 00:34:32,700
Junie Joseph: this bill. I'm working with community. I

828
00:34:32,732 --> 00:34:34,916
Junie Joseph: know you don't like it, and I

829
00:34:34,940 --> 00:34:36,196
Junie Joseph: understand that. And I know you all

830
00:34:36,220 --> 00:34:38,164
Junie Joseph: fight me tooth and nail to kill

831
00:34:38,204 --> 00:34:39,756
Junie Joseph: this bill, but I'm going to fight

832
00:34:39,820 --> 00:34:41,220
Junie Joseph: really, really hard to get it to

833
00:34:41,252 --> 00:34:43,316
Junie Joseph: the governor's desk. And I'm going to

834
00:34:43,340 --> 00:34:44,996
Junie Joseph: make sure as well that he signs

835
00:34:45,020 --> 00:34:46,916
Junie Joseph: it. So I know that we are

836
00:34:46,940 --> 00:34:48,532
Junie Joseph: in conflict, me and you, when it

837
00:34:48,548 --> 00:34:51,730
Junie Joseph: comes to values, but I see respect

838
00:34:51,802 --> 00:34:53,354
Junie Joseph: the fact that you are where you

839
00:34:53,394 --> 00:34:55,722
Junie Joseph: are and I am where I am.

840
00:34:55,858 --> 00:34:58,946
Junie Joseph: And I'm willing to make certain concessions

841
00:34:59,010 --> 00:35:00,898
Junie Joseph: as well to get my bail to.

842
00:35:01,066 --> 00:35:03,274
Junie Joseph: To the governor's desk because I understand

843
00:35:03,354 --> 00:35:05,642
Junie Joseph: the process, I understand the system. And

844
00:35:05,658 --> 00:35:07,026
Junie Joseph: the city council has taught me that

845
00:35:07,050 --> 00:35:09,442
Junie Joseph: as well. The importance of always be

846
00:35:09,458 --> 00:35:11,458
Junie Joseph: in the room, even when you disagree,

847
00:35:11,506 --> 00:35:13,866
Junie Joseph: because you're going to learn things that

848
00:35:13,890 --> 00:35:15,626
Junie Joseph: is going to help you. That's why

849
00:35:15,650 --> 00:35:17,018
Junie Joseph: you're in the room. You're not in

850
00:35:17,026 --> 00:35:18,922
Junie Joseph: the room because you agree with them.

851
00:35:19,058 --> 00:35:20,860
Junie Joseph: I don't agree with oil and gas.

852
00:35:21,002 --> 00:35:24,216
Junie Joseph: I don't agree with landlord policies, but

853
00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:25,344
Junie Joseph: I'm going to be in the room

854
00:35:25,424 --> 00:35:28,480
Junie Joseph: because whatever you saying is going to

855
00:35:28,552 --> 00:35:31,120
Junie Joseph: help me to get the answer that

856
00:35:31,152 --> 00:35:33,024
Junie Joseph: I need or to know how to

857
00:35:33,064 --> 00:35:35,136
Junie Joseph: navigate around you in the system that

858
00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:38,584
Junie Joseph: you created for many, many years. Right.

859
00:35:38,704 --> 00:35:41,616
Junie Joseph: I'm only about 30 something, right? So

860
00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:43,204
Junie Joseph: I only know so much.

861
00:35:45,064 --> 00:35:46,616
Emily Braucher: You have done so much. You know

862
00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:48,784
Emily Braucher: a lot. Oh, my goodness.

863
00:35:48,904 --> 00:35:50,124
Courthney Russell Jr: That's amazing.

864
00:35:51,064 --> 00:35:52,360
Junie Joseph: You thought I was gonna say my

865
00:35:52,392 --> 00:35:54,568
Junie Joseph: age, right? No. Yeah, almost.

866
00:35:54,696 --> 00:35:56,924
Emily Braucher: Almost. The big reveal.

867
00:35:57,984 --> 00:35:59,296
Courthney Russell Jr: We thought we caught you slipping.

868
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:01,896
Emily Braucher: We thought we caught you slipping just

869
00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:03,164
Emily Braucher: on human eyes.

870
00:36:04,544 --> 00:36:06,872
Junie Joseph: Yeah. So, yeah, I think the UN

871
00:36:06,968 --> 00:36:08,408
Junie Joseph: system has taught me a lot about

872
00:36:08,456 --> 00:36:12,232
Junie Joseph: people. It taught me endurance. I remember

873
00:36:12,288 --> 00:36:16,596
Junie Joseph: one time, or more than once, my

874
00:36:16,620 --> 00:36:17,996
Junie Joseph: life was in danger. I've been in

875
00:36:18,020 --> 00:36:20,564
Junie Joseph: situation where, you know, I had someone

876
00:36:20,724 --> 00:36:22,460
Junie Joseph: pull a gun because he was like,

877
00:36:22,532 --> 00:36:23,876
Junie Joseph: you're gonna give me this, you're gonna

878
00:36:23,900 --> 00:36:25,604
Junie Joseph: give me that, or you're gonna do

879
00:36:25,644 --> 00:36:27,940
Junie Joseph: this. And, you know, and then you

880
00:36:27,972 --> 00:36:30,140
Junie Joseph: work in the field. You just have

881
00:36:30,172 --> 00:36:31,932
Junie Joseph: to learn to work with these people

882
00:36:32,028 --> 00:36:33,316
Junie Joseph: and show them that you do not

883
00:36:33,340 --> 00:36:35,788
Junie Joseph: fear their weapon. You there to work.

884
00:36:35,916 --> 00:36:38,372
Junie Joseph: You're there to serve them. And I

885
00:36:38,388 --> 00:36:40,788
Junie Joseph: think, you know, being at the state

886
00:36:40,836 --> 00:36:43,076
Junie Joseph: capitol, I don't necessarily just take no.

887
00:36:43,140 --> 00:36:44,564
Junie Joseph: When it comes to my bills, I'm

888
00:36:44,604 --> 00:36:46,300
Junie Joseph: going to find ways to get this

889
00:36:46,332 --> 00:36:48,946
Junie Joseph: bill passed. You tell me know, okay,

890
00:36:49,010 --> 00:36:50,058
Junie Joseph: I'm going to talk to the next

891
00:36:50,106 --> 00:36:51,906
Junie Joseph: person and I'm going to navigate around

892
00:36:51,970 --> 00:36:53,234
Junie Joseph: you in order to get my bills

893
00:36:53,274 --> 00:36:54,802
Junie Joseph: passed. And we're able to.

894
00:36:54,858 --> 00:36:55,282
Emily Braucher: Wow.

895
00:36:55,378 --> 00:36:56,642
Junie Joseph: Yeah. And I was able to do

896
00:36:56,658 --> 00:36:58,018
Junie Joseph: a lot of work because of.

897
00:36:58,026 --> 00:37:01,498
Emily Braucher: That's powerful. That's. That is super powerful.

898
00:37:01,586 --> 00:37:03,786
Emily Braucher: Just thinking about that, those tools that

899
00:37:03,810 --> 00:37:06,234
Emily Braucher: you've learned and you're like, hey, now,

900
00:37:06,274 --> 00:37:07,426
Emily Braucher: I don't have a gun pulled on

901
00:37:07,450 --> 00:37:09,426
Emily Braucher: me. So that, you know, like, that

902
00:37:09,570 --> 00:37:11,170
Emily Braucher: what you just said, I can work

903
00:37:11,202 --> 00:37:15,774
Emily Braucher: with that. Keep going. Like, that's amazing

904
00:37:16,594 --> 00:37:18,906
Emily Braucher: about working with that. There was something

905
00:37:19,010 --> 00:37:25,530
Emily Braucher: in another Boulder weekly question, which the

906
00:37:25,562 --> 00:37:27,642
Emily Braucher: main question was, how does jedi so,

907
00:37:27,698 --> 00:37:30,554
Emily Braucher: justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion factor into

908
00:37:30,594 --> 00:37:32,866
Emily Braucher: your policymaking? And in your answer, you

909
00:37:32,890 --> 00:37:34,690
Emily Braucher: said, it's not enough to invite diverse

910
00:37:34,722 --> 00:37:37,610
Emily Braucher: people to observe our legislative process, nor

911
00:37:37,682 --> 00:37:39,234
Emily Braucher: is it sufficient to ask them to

912
00:37:39,274 --> 00:37:41,490
Emily Braucher: wait their turn or gain more experience

913
00:37:41,602 --> 00:37:46,206
Emily Braucher: before they can affect change. I would

914
00:37:46,230 --> 00:37:49,214
Emily Braucher: love to hear more like, that. Must

915
00:37:49,254 --> 00:37:52,222
Emily Braucher: be based on something. Was that your

916
00:37:52,318 --> 00:37:55,430
Emily Braucher: experience? Is that the other representative's experience

917
00:37:55,582 --> 00:37:57,070
Emily Braucher: and. Yeah. Can you just say more

918
00:37:57,102 --> 00:37:57,614
Emily Braucher: about that?

919
00:37:57,694 --> 00:38:01,262
Junie Joseph: Yeah. So governance is also about power.

920
00:38:01,438 --> 00:38:04,878
Junie Joseph: It's about maintaining. It's about economic wealth

921
00:38:04,926 --> 00:38:06,926
Junie Joseph: as well. Right. And we know this

922
00:38:06,950 --> 00:38:09,662
Junie Joseph: is a country where economic is also

923
00:38:09,718 --> 00:38:11,542
Junie Joseph: legal in a way. If you understand

924
00:38:11,638 --> 00:38:14,446
Junie Joseph: Jim Crow, if you understand the history

925
00:38:14,510 --> 00:38:16,804
Junie Joseph: of black people in this country, you

926
00:38:16,844 --> 00:38:19,404
Junie Joseph: know that everything that black people went

927
00:38:19,444 --> 00:38:22,244
Junie Joseph: through was legalized within our structure.

928
00:38:22,364 --> 00:38:22,796
Courthney Russell Jr: Yes.

929
00:38:22,860 --> 00:38:24,116
Emily Braucher: Can you just say more about that

930
00:38:24,140 --> 00:38:26,108
Emily Braucher: and break it down in case people

931
00:38:26,156 --> 00:38:27,868
Emily Braucher: need a reminder? Yeah.

932
00:38:27,956 --> 00:38:29,612
Junie Joseph: Well, and when you think about it,

933
00:38:29,708 --> 00:38:32,060
Junie Joseph: right. Black people were not allowed to

934
00:38:32,092 --> 00:38:35,316
Junie Joseph: read during slavery. During Jim Crow, there

935
00:38:35,340 --> 00:38:36,516
Junie Joseph: were a lot of laws that were

936
00:38:36,540 --> 00:38:39,204
Junie Joseph: in place for there were no mingling

937
00:38:39,284 --> 00:38:41,956
Junie Joseph: of the races, as they put it

938
00:38:41,980 --> 00:38:44,940
Junie Joseph: back then. It was very intentional. Education

939
00:38:45,092 --> 00:38:48,626
Junie Joseph: segregated and black schools. Even today, we

940
00:38:48,650 --> 00:38:50,146
Junie Joseph: still have a lot of segregation, but

941
00:38:50,170 --> 00:38:52,826
Junie Joseph: it was segregated. And black people. There

942
00:38:52,850 --> 00:38:55,234
Junie Joseph: was redlining. There's a lot of. And

943
00:38:55,274 --> 00:38:57,474
Junie Joseph: it was legal. It was within our

944
00:38:57,514 --> 00:39:01,098
Junie Joseph: laws. You know, marriage. It was within

945
00:39:01,146 --> 00:39:02,810
Junie Joseph: our laws. And the idea was that

946
00:39:02,842 --> 00:39:04,626
Junie Joseph: we need to keep these people separated,

947
00:39:04,690 --> 00:39:07,442
Junie Joseph: because I think the people back then

948
00:39:07,498 --> 00:39:10,490
Junie Joseph: knew if there were more integration and

949
00:39:10,522 --> 00:39:12,770
Junie Joseph: more engagement, people would see each other's

950
00:39:12,802 --> 00:39:15,710
Junie Joseph: humanity. And not only that, we would

951
00:39:15,842 --> 00:39:19,230
Junie Joseph: progress together. And part of it was

952
00:39:19,262 --> 00:39:24,126
Junie Joseph: very economic because, again, we can always

953
00:39:24,270 --> 00:39:26,974
Junie Joseph: broad brush things and say it was

954
00:39:27,014 --> 00:39:29,030
Junie Joseph: all white people. We know there were

955
00:39:29,062 --> 00:39:31,502
Junie Joseph: white people who were working class white

956
00:39:31,558 --> 00:39:34,430
Junie Joseph: people. Imagine in a community, in a

957
00:39:34,462 --> 00:39:37,934
Junie Joseph: society where blacks and whites were able

958
00:39:38,014 --> 00:39:41,918
Junie Joseph: to engage together, I think the fear

959
00:39:41,966 --> 00:39:44,714
Junie Joseph: was because the wealthier white people were

960
00:39:44,754 --> 00:39:47,002
Junie Joseph: afraid if black people and white people

961
00:39:47,058 --> 00:39:48,322
Junie Joseph: get together, they would be able to

962
00:39:48,338 --> 00:39:49,250
Junie Joseph: make changes.

963
00:39:49,402 --> 00:39:51,274
Emily Braucher: So they would realize the system was

964
00:39:51,314 --> 00:39:52,106
Emily Braucher: really rigged against.

965
00:39:52,170 --> 00:39:52,418
Junie Joseph: Yes.

966
00:39:52,466 --> 00:39:54,174
Courthney Russell Jr: Oh, yes, definitely.

967
00:39:55,754 --> 00:39:57,770
Junie Joseph: So the idea is that you wanted

968
00:39:57,802 --> 00:40:00,850
Junie Joseph: to keep them segregated, separated. You wanted

969
00:40:00,882 --> 00:40:03,130
Junie Joseph: to keep the working class segregated. So

970
00:40:03,162 --> 00:40:04,522
Junie Joseph: the idea. We know there's a lot

971
00:40:04,538 --> 00:40:07,322
Junie Joseph: of power in politics. There's a lot

972
00:40:07,338 --> 00:40:10,510
Junie Joseph: of power within the system. And we

973
00:40:10,542 --> 00:40:14,622
Junie Joseph: have about, I believe, seven black legislators

974
00:40:14,718 --> 00:40:17,638
Junie Joseph: at the state Capitol here in Colorado

975
00:40:17,766 --> 00:40:19,182
Junie Joseph: who are in the House, and I

976
00:40:19,198 --> 00:40:20,630
Junie Joseph: think we have three or four in

977
00:40:20,662 --> 00:40:23,166
Junie Joseph: the Senate. So we're about eleven out

978
00:40:23,190 --> 00:40:25,734
Junie Joseph: of 100, which is about 10%. But

979
00:40:25,774 --> 00:40:27,486
Junie Joseph: even as a black woman, I do

980
00:40:27,510 --> 00:40:29,998
Junie Joseph: not just represent black people. I represent

981
00:40:30,086 --> 00:40:32,674
Junie Joseph: Boulder. I represent Boulder as a community.

982
00:40:33,014 --> 00:40:35,394
Junie Joseph: And I legislate with that in mind.

983
00:40:36,254 --> 00:40:38,510
Junie Joseph: So what I meant when I said

984
00:40:38,542 --> 00:40:40,278
Junie Joseph: that we can't just invite black people

985
00:40:40,326 --> 00:40:42,838
Junie Joseph: to the table and just wait their

986
00:40:42,886 --> 00:40:45,078
Junie Joseph: turn. The idea is that we need

987
00:40:45,126 --> 00:40:46,886
Junie Joseph: black people within the system and in

988
00:40:46,910 --> 00:40:48,606
Junie Joseph: the process. Because if you look at

989
00:40:48,630 --> 00:40:52,254
Junie Joseph: my legislation, the majority of my legislations

990
00:40:52,334 --> 00:40:53,862
Junie Joseph: that I pass, even though I have

991
00:40:53,878 --> 00:40:55,990
Junie Joseph: a primary today, and I understand exactly

992
00:40:56,022 --> 00:40:58,206
Junie Joseph: why I have this primary, part of

993
00:40:58,230 --> 00:41:03,182
Junie Joseph: it is it's classism and all the

994
00:41:03,198 --> 00:41:06,162
Junie Joseph: other isms involved. And I don't want

995
00:41:06,178 --> 00:41:08,346
Junie Joseph: to go too much into that, you

996
00:41:08,370 --> 00:41:10,898
Junie Joseph: know, because I. I think people will

997
00:41:10,946 --> 00:41:13,106
Junie Joseph: just read my record and vote for

998
00:41:13,130 --> 00:41:14,842
Junie Joseph: me. But I think part of it

999
00:41:14,858 --> 00:41:17,122
Junie Joseph: is there's a lot of classism involved

1000
00:41:17,258 --> 00:41:19,466
Junie Joseph: because I'm doing more than just what

1001
00:41:19,490 --> 00:41:23,818
Junie Joseph: is required to help the wealthy. A

1002
00:41:23,826 --> 00:41:25,266
Junie Joseph: lot of my bills that are. That

1003
00:41:25,290 --> 00:41:27,538
Junie Joseph: I passed are to protect, to give

1004
00:41:27,586 --> 00:41:29,602
Junie Joseph: more to the wealthy. And I do

1005
00:41:29,658 --> 00:41:32,190
Junie Joseph: some work to help all working class

1006
00:41:32,302 --> 00:41:36,406
Junie Joseph: people. And that in itself is uncomfortable

1007
00:41:36,510 --> 00:41:39,286
Junie Joseph: for some reason. But the idea is

1008
00:41:39,310 --> 00:41:41,734
Junie Joseph: that we need people of color and

1009
00:41:41,774 --> 00:41:44,310
Junie Joseph: working class people within the system. Why?

1010
00:41:44,382 --> 00:41:46,774
Junie Joseph: Because they will be able to advocate

1011
00:41:46,934 --> 00:41:50,182
Junie Joseph: for working people. The thing is, we

1012
00:41:50,198 --> 00:41:53,154
Junie Joseph: are where we are today because the

1013
00:41:53,614 --> 00:41:57,606
Junie Joseph: corporate class doesn't have the interest of

1014
00:41:57,630 --> 00:41:59,838
Junie Joseph: the working class. We know that. We've

1015
00:41:59,886 --> 00:42:02,274
Junie Joseph: seen it throughout history. They have not.

1016
00:42:02,644 --> 00:42:04,660
Junie Joseph: So when you have black and brown

1017
00:42:04,732 --> 00:42:07,544
Junie Joseph: people and working people within the system,

1018
00:42:07,964 --> 00:42:10,824
Junie Joseph: they will try to maintain the job,

1019
00:42:11,164 --> 00:42:12,820
Junie Joseph: and they will do a little bit

1020
00:42:12,892 --> 00:42:15,276
Junie Joseph: extra to make sure that they take

1021
00:42:15,340 --> 00:42:18,172
Junie Joseph: care of those people who are often

1022
00:42:18,268 --> 00:42:21,684
Junie Joseph: not part of the political conversation. Because

1023
00:42:21,764 --> 00:42:23,244
Junie Joseph: I know if I don't do the

1024
00:42:23,284 --> 00:42:26,940
Junie Joseph: work of the wealthy class in Boulder,

1025
00:42:27,092 --> 00:42:28,444
Junie Joseph: I will not be in office for

1026
00:42:28,484 --> 00:42:31,304
Junie Joseph: long. They will take me out. And

1027
00:42:31,344 --> 00:42:33,112
Junie Joseph: that's part of the conversation. That's why

1028
00:42:33,128 --> 00:42:34,424
Junie Joseph: they're trying to take me out now.

1029
00:42:34,464 --> 00:42:35,816
Junie Joseph: Because part of the work that I

1030
00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:38,656
Junie Joseph: do is a little uncomfortable. Because I

1031
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:41,880
Junie Joseph: do work to protect renters and I

1032
00:42:41,912 --> 00:42:43,496
Junie Joseph: enjoy it. To me, that's part of

1033
00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:45,296
Junie Joseph: the work. That's the equity that I.

1034
00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:47,616
Junie Joseph: That we talk about. That's the inclusion.

1035
00:42:47,720 --> 00:42:49,152
Junie Joseph: How can we live in a community

1036
00:42:49,248 --> 00:42:50,984
Junie Joseph: where we say that we care about

1037
00:42:51,064 --> 00:42:55,776
Junie Joseph: environmental protection and environmental sustainability, yet we

1038
00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:58,472
Junie Joseph: don't have affordable housing or enough to

1039
00:42:58,608 --> 00:43:00,888
Junie Joseph: ensure that all working class people can

1040
00:43:00,936 --> 00:43:03,520
Junie Joseph: live here? There is a disconnect. We

1041
00:43:03,552 --> 00:43:06,616
Junie Joseph: have to live our values. And at

1042
00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:08,416
Junie Joseph: the state capitol, I intend to work

1043
00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:09,816
Junie Joseph: on that, and I will continue to

1044
00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:11,880
Junie Joseph: work on that. And that's where we

1045
00:43:11,912 --> 00:43:12,484
Junie Joseph: are.

1046
00:43:14,664 --> 00:43:16,840
Emily Braucher: Is it unusual that you're being challenged

1047
00:43:16,872 --> 00:43:18,704
Emily Braucher: right now in this primary? Is it?

1048
00:43:18,744 --> 00:43:20,040
Emily Braucher: I don't know the context of what's

1049
00:43:20,072 --> 00:43:20,632
Emily Braucher: happening there.

1050
00:43:20,688 --> 00:43:23,640
Junie Joseph: Yeah, that's my understanding. That's what I

1051
00:43:23,672 --> 00:43:27,264
Junie Joseph: hear. That there has not been many

1052
00:43:27,304 --> 00:43:29,888
Junie Joseph: primaries in Boulder, and that's the first

1053
00:43:29,976 --> 00:43:32,448
Junie Joseph: for a sitting legislator. And there was

1054
00:43:32,496 --> 00:43:35,248
Junie Joseph: another woman of color who was primarily

1055
00:43:35,296 --> 00:43:37,216
Junie Joseph: because of, for some reason, she was

1056
00:43:37,240 --> 00:43:40,124
Junie Joseph: an asian woman and a different seat.

1057
00:43:40,504 --> 00:43:44,000
Junie Joseph: She was primaried and she lost a

1058
00:43:44,032 --> 00:43:46,792
Junie Joseph: job. But that's not something that usually

1059
00:43:46,848 --> 00:43:48,672
Junie Joseph: happen. And I know the person before

1060
00:43:48,728 --> 00:43:50,896
Junie Joseph: me was not primaried, but I do

1061
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:53,320
Junie Joseph: have this primary, and I take on

1062
00:43:53,352 --> 00:43:56,266
Junie Joseph: challenges, so I do intend to. You

1063
00:43:56,290 --> 00:43:59,602
Junie Joseph: know, I think the people will, you

1064
00:43:59,618 --> 00:44:01,226
Junie Joseph: know, they'll look at my record and

1065
00:44:01,250 --> 00:44:02,410
Junie Joseph: know that I've done a good job

1066
00:44:02,442 --> 00:44:03,254
Junie Joseph: for them.

1067
00:44:03,914 --> 00:44:05,690
Courthney Russell Jr: Yeah. Can I ask a question? You

1068
00:44:05,722 --> 00:44:07,810
Courthney Russell Jr: said there's a difference between. I think

1069
00:44:07,842 --> 00:44:08,802
Courthney Russell Jr: I know what you meant, but I

1070
00:44:08,818 --> 00:44:10,978
Courthney Russell Jr: just want to expound on it a

1071
00:44:10,986 --> 00:44:13,586
Courthney Russell Jr: little bit between activism and being an

1072
00:44:13,610 --> 00:44:17,054
Courthney Russell Jr: activist. I mean, advocate. Could you explain

1073
00:44:17,514 --> 00:44:18,694
Courthney Russell Jr: that for me?

1074
00:44:19,674 --> 00:44:24,874
Junie Joseph: Yes. So. So when you're an activist,

1075
00:44:25,614 --> 00:44:28,390
Junie Joseph: you stand on your position, and I'm

1076
00:44:28,422 --> 00:44:31,318
Junie Joseph: not giving you the dictionary definition of

1077
00:44:31,366 --> 00:44:34,942
Junie Joseph: activism and advocacy. Right. But I'm explaining

1078
00:44:34,998 --> 00:44:37,606
Junie Joseph: a process. As I mentioned to you,

1079
00:44:37,630 --> 00:44:39,702
Junie Joseph: when I was much younger, I thought,

1080
00:44:39,838 --> 00:44:41,982
Junie Joseph: I'm an activist. I'm an activist when

1081
00:44:41,998 --> 00:44:43,958
Junie Joseph: it comes to rights, to human rights,

1082
00:44:44,006 --> 00:44:48,940
Junie Joseph: to protecting human rights and ensuring equality,

1083
00:44:49,012 --> 00:44:53,292
Junie Joseph: injustice. And when you're an activist, a

1084
00:44:53,308 --> 00:44:56,324
Junie Joseph: good activist, you need to be outside.

1085
00:44:56,444 --> 00:44:58,004
Junie Joseph: That's why when we have. We have

1086
00:44:58,044 --> 00:45:00,268
Junie Joseph: systems. If you play. I played soccer

1087
00:45:00,396 --> 00:45:03,604
Junie Joseph: when I was in high school. Everyone

1088
00:45:03,724 --> 00:45:08,124
Junie Joseph: has a position. You're forward, a defense

1089
00:45:08,244 --> 00:45:10,812
Junie Joseph: or an offense. You're a goalie. You

1090
00:45:10,828 --> 00:45:13,116
Junie Joseph: have the captain and you have the

1091
00:45:13,140 --> 00:45:16,234
Junie Joseph: coach. Everyone has to play their parts.

1092
00:45:16,974 --> 00:45:19,814
Junie Joseph: Everyone cannot play the same role. You

1093
00:45:19,854 --> 00:45:23,526
Junie Joseph: cannot be an activist and a legislator.

1094
00:45:23,710 --> 00:45:25,518
Junie Joseph: You're not going to get anything done,

1095
00:45:25,686 --> 00:45:28,674
Junie Joseph: because when you're an activist, your job

1096
00:45:29,334 --> 00:45:34,398
Junie Joseph: is not to necessarily acquiesce. It's not

1097
00:45:34,446 --> 00:45:37,110
Junie Joseph: to find middle ground. Your job is

1098
00:45:37,142 --> 00:45:39,798
Junie Joseph: to fight to the death or just

1099
00:45:39,846 --> 00:45:42,360
Junie Joseph: to fight tooth and nail for what

1100
00:45:42,392 --> 00:45:45,336
Junie Joseph: you want. And sometimes it's not about

1101
00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:47,880
Junie Joseph: legislating when you're an activist. When you're

1102
00:45:47,912 --> 00:45:50,376
Junie Joseph: an activist, it's about truth. You want

1103
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:52,328
Junie Joseph: to make sure you let your truth

1104
00:45:52,376 --> 00:45:57,168
Junie Joseph: heard, regardless of. Regardless of how that

1105
00:45:57,256 --> 00:45:59,624
Junie Joseph: make the other person feels as a

1106
00:45:59,664 --> 00:46:03,360
Junie Joseph: legislator. For instance, I passed a renter's

1107
00:46:03,392 --> 00:46:06,256
Junie Joseph: protection bill. And I remember as part

1108
00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:09,120
Junie Joseph: of the conversation, I was getting frustrated

1109
00:46:09,192 --> 00:46:14,194
Junie Joseph: because. Because the other group wanted more,

1110
00:46:15,414 --> 00:46:17,110
Junie Joseph: and I know why. They wanted more.

1111
00:46:17,222 --> 00:46:18,566
Junie Joseph: They wanted me to take more out

1112
00:46:18,590 --> 00:46:21,206
Junie Joseph: of the bill. And I have another

1113
00:46:21,270 --> 00:46:23,754
Junie Joseph: group that wanted more in the bill.

1114
00:46:24,334 --> 00:46:25,806
Junie Joseph: And I knew I had to find

1115
00:46:25,870 --> 00:46:27,454
Junie Joseph: a sweet spot in order to pass

1116
00:46:27,494 --> 00:46:29,878
Junie Joseph: this bill, and I knew I didn't

1117
00:46:29,926 --> 00:46:32,114
Junie Joseph: want to just let the bill die

1118
00:46:32,494 --> 00:46:36,118
Junie Joseph: based on this grand idea that I

1119
00:46:36,166 --> 00:46:38,878
Junie Joseph: have when it comes to renters protection,

1120
00:46:39,046 --> 00:46:41,350
Junie Joseph: because I knew 10% is more than

1121
00:46:41,382 --> 00:46:45,120
Junie Joseph: zero. An activist doesn't understand that. An

1122
00:46:45,152 --> 00:46:47,724
Junie Joseph: activist wants to go to full 100%,

1123
00:46:48,304 --> 00:46:50,536
Junie Joseph: and if I go for 100%, the

1124
00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:54,016
Junie Joseph: bill is going to die. Even if

1125
00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:56,040
Junie Joseph: it gets to the governor's desk, it's

1126
00:46:56,072 --> 00:46:58,464
Junie Joseph: going to die. So. And I knew

1127
00:46:58,504 --> 00:47:00,816
Junie Joseph: that in the House, I can. I

1128
00:47:00,840 --> 00:47:03,376
Junie Joseph: control the bill. In the senate, I

1129
00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:04,656
Junie Joseph: do not control the bill, because I'm

1130
00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:06,952
Junie Joseph: not a senator. I'm a representative. I

1131
00:47:06,968 --> 00:47:08,400
Junie Joseph: can't fight for the bill the same

1132
00:47:08,432 --> 00:47:09,448
Junie Joseph: way that I fight for it in

1133
00:47:09,456 --> 00:47:10,712
Junie Joseph: the House. I can't fight for it

1134
00:47:10,728 --> 00:47:12,542
Junie Joseph: in the senate, it. And when it

1135
00:47:12,558 --> 00:47:14,766
Junie Joseph: gets to the governor's desk, and if

1136
00:47:14,790 --> 00:47:16,870
Junie Joseph: I put too much stuff in it

1137
00:47:17,062 --> 00:47:19,150
Junie Joseph: that I put the governor in a

1138
00:47:19,182 --> 00:47:21,246
Junie Joseph: situation where he can't sign it, then

1139
00:47:21,270 --> 00:47:22,558
Junie Joseph: what do we have? We have nothing.

1140
00:47:22,606 --> 00:47:24,678
Junie Joseph: We have zero. So I'd rather pass

1141
00:47:24,726 --> 00:47:26,342
Junie Joseph: 10% and come back and do another

1142
00:47:26,398 --> 00:47:28,790
Junie Joseph: 10%. And I have eight years. Between.

1143
00:47:28,982 --> 00:47:31,006
Junie Joseph: Between now and eight years, I can

1144
00:47:31,030 --> 00:47:33,486
Junie Joseph: get to 80%. But if every time

1145
00:47:33,550 --> 00:47:35,694
Junie Joseph: I come, I stand on my own

1146
00:47:35,734 --> 00:47:38,670
Junie Joseph: personal judgment about this perfect world that

1147
00:47:38,702 --> 00:47:41,366
Junie Joseph: I believe that we deserve, which I

1148
00:47:41,390 --> 00:47:43,736
Junie Joseph: believe in. But I can't legislate like

1149
00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:44,896
Junie Joseph: that, because I have work to do,

1150
00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:46,600
Junie Joseph: and I only have eight years. An

1151
00:47:46,632 --> 00:47:49,576
Junie Joseph: activist doesn't have term limits, but legislating

1152
00:47:49,640 --> 00:47:50,924
Junie Joseph: does have term limits.

1153
00:47:51,544 --> 00:47:53,512
Courthney Russell Jr: Wow. You just. Yeah, you just did

1154
00:47:53,528 --> 00:47:56,392
Courthney Russell Jr: a master class real quick on activism

1155
00:47:56,448 --> 00:48:00,404
Courthney Russell Jr: and advocacy. Work. Like, that was dope.

1156
00:48:01,544 --> 00:48:03,576
Courthney Russell Jr: You just confirmed in my mind that

1157
00:48:03,600 --> 00:48:05,648
Courthney Russell Jr: I am definitely not an advocate of

1158
00:48:05,656 --> 00:48:06,604
Courthney Russell Jr: a legislature.

1159
00:48:08,144 --> 00:48:09,564
Emily Braucher: He's the 100%.

1160
00:48:10,424 --> 00:48:12,096
Courthney Russell Jr: I can't see any other way. You

1161
00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:16,860
Courthney Russell Jr: know, like, wow, that's. Wow. Thank you.

1162
00:48:17,012 --> 00:48:17,964
Courthney Russell Jr: Appreciate it.

1163
00:48:18,084 --> 00:48:19,716
Junie Joseph: But can I add to, as part

1164
00:48:19,740 --> 00:48:22,540
Junie Joseph: of that conversation, this work that I

1165
00:48:22,572 --> 00:48:24,804
Junie Joseph: do, I cannot do it without the

1166
00:48:24,844 --> 00:48:28,184
Junie Joseph: activists. I have not been able to

1167
00:48:28,764 --> 00:48:31,492
Junie Joseph: pass. So there are different bills. There

1168
00:48:31,508 --> 00:48:34,452
Junie Joseph: are bills that are by lobbyists, and

1169
00:48:34,468 --> 00:48:37,412
Junie Joseph: they're by corporations. They've done the work,

1170
00:48:37,468 --> 00:48:39,748
Junie Joseph: they've done the research. They already have

1171
00:48:39,796 --> 00:48:42,164
Junie Joseph: everything lay out, and it's a red

1172
00:48:42,204 --> 00:48:44,516
Junie Joseph: carpet straight to the governor's desk. There

1173
00:48:44,540 --> 00:48:47,092
Junie Joseph: are those bills, but the bills. When

1174
00:48:47,108 --> 00:48:49,276
Junie Joseph: it comes to working people, you need

1175
00:48:49,300 --> 00:48:51,948
Junie Joseph: your activists. I need them. I remember

1176
00:48:51,996 --> 00:48:54,220
Junie Joseph: just recently, one of my bills, I

1177
00:48:54,252 --> 00:48:55,812
Junie Joseph: called one of my activist friends and

1178
00:48:55,828 --> 00:48:57,556
Junie Joseph: I said, hey, I need your help.

1179
00:48:57,700 --> 00:48:59,824
Junie Joseph: I need you to call this senator

1180
00:49:00,364 --> 00:49:05,484
Junie Joseph: and everyone on this list who are

1181
00:49:05,524 --> 00:49:07,972
Junie Joseph: senators on this committee, I need you

1182
00:49:07,988 --> 00:49:10,036
Junie Joseph: to have these conversations with them. And

1183
00:49:10,060 --> 00:49:12,084
Junie Joseph: can you please call your organization and

1184
00:49:12,124 --> 00:49:15,606
Junie Joseph: have them reach out to these senators?

1185
00:49:15,700 --> 00:49:18,786
Junie Joseph: Because as a representative in the House,

1186
00:49:18,850 --> 00:49:20,586
Junie Joseph: I've already gotten the bill through the

1187
00:49:20,610 --> 00:49:23,490
Junie Joseph: process, and I can't do anymore. Now,

1188
00:49:23,522 --> 00:49:24,842
Junie Joseph: they need to hear from you on

1189
00:49:24,858 --> 00:49:26,858
Junie Joseph: the outside. You need to do that

1190
00:49:26,906 --> 00:49:29,226
Junie Joseph: advocacy to show the importance of this

1191
00:49:29,250 --> 00:49:31,042
Junie Joseph: bill to community members, because you're on

1192
00:49:31,058 --> 00:49:35,010
Junie Joseph: the ground. Because sometimes there are times

1193
00:49:35,082 --> 00:49:38,922
Junie Joseph: that, whether it's legislators or some community

1194
00:49:39,018 --> 00:49:40,730
Junie Joseph: members, when they see our bills, they

1195
00:49:40,762 --> 00:49:42,786
Junie Joseph: think, oh, Junie's just working on a

1196
00:49:42,810 --> 00:49:45,584
Junie Joseph: silo. She has some boardwear just come

1197
00:49:45,624 --> 00:49:47,704
Junie Joseph: up with this bill, and no one

1198
00:49:47,744 --> 00:49:50,080
Junie Joseph: really wants this bill. And sometimes that's

1199
00:49:50,112 --> 00:49:52,480
Junie Joseph: effective as well, because when certain groups

1200
00:49:52,512 --> 00:49:54,176
Junie Joseph: want to kill your bill, they'll say,

1201
00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:56,168
Junie Joseph: yeah, that's just this legislator. They just

1202
00:49:56,216 --> 00:49:58,608
Junie Joseph: want to run something that's their own

1203
00:49:58,656 --> 00:50:01,672
Junie Joseph: personal pet project. So that's when my

1204
00:50:01,848 --> 00:50:06,336
Junie Joseph: activists, they can activate the community in

1205
00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:09,160
Junie Joseph: order to get people to the Capitol

1206
00:50:09,312 --> 00:50:11,384
Junie Joseph: to do the advocacy work that we

1207
00:50:11,424 --> 00:50:13,640
Junie Joseph: need on that particular bill. So it's

1208
00:50:13,712 --> 00:50:16,512
Junie Joseph: much, much more complicated for me as

1209
00:50:16,528 --> 00:50:18,422
Junie Joseph: a legendary, and I need to work

1210
00:50:18,478 --> 00:50:20,902
Junie Joseph: with my activists in order to get

1211
00:50:20,918 --> 00:50:23,086
Junie Joseph: the job done. So it's really a

1212
00:50:23,110 --> 00:50:26,974
Junie Joseph: multi pronged process, and it requires both

1213
00:50:27,014 --> 00:50:29,470
Junie Joseph: people in the building and people outside

1214
00:50:29,542 --> 00:50:31,846
Junie Joseph: of the building. And you'll hear, and

1215
00:50:31,870 --> 00:50:33,150
Junie Joseph: that's another thing, too, I wanted to

1216
00:50:33,182 --> 00:50:36,230
Junie Joseph: mention, as someone who work in government,

1217
00:50:36,422 --> 00:50:39,286
Junie Joseph: who are a legislator, and it's really

1218
00:50:39,350 --> 00:50:41,366
Junie Joseph: strange when I hear other legislators who

1219
00:50:41,390 --> 00:50:44,614
Junie Joseph: say, I want to tear down the

1220
00:50:44,654 --> 00:50:47,200
Junie Joseph: system, and I'm thinking, well, you inside,

1221
00:50:47,382 --> 00:50:49,300
Junie Joseph: and you not going to be able

1222
00:50:49,332 --> 00:50:50,820
Junie Joseph: to do that, because you have to

1223
00:50:50,852 --> 00:50:52,620
Junie Joseph: work within the system in order to

1224
00:50:52,652 --> 00:50:54,964
Junie Joseph: change it. And that require you to

1225
00:50:55,004 --> 00:50:57,340
Junie Joseph: be a little bit more measured, and

1226
00:50:57,492 --> 00:50:59,500
Junie Joseph: you have to think, you have to

1227
00:50:59,532 --> 00:51:02,700
Junie Joseph: strategize. But the activists, when they say,

1228
00:51:02,732 --> 00:51:04,424
Junie Joseph: I'm here to tear down the building,

1229
00:51:06,644 --> 00:51:09,628
Junie Joseph: that's just the activists. That's them putting

1230
00:51:09,676 --> 00:51:11,180
Junie Joseph: pressure on us to do the work

1231
00:51:11,212 --> 00:51:13,132
Junie Joseph: from the inside. So we need both

1232
00:51:13,188 --> 00:51:14,892
Junie Joseph: people on the inside and people on

1233
00:51:14,908 --> 00:51:16,300
Junie Joseph: the outside in order to put the

1234
00:51:16,332 --> 00:51:19,384
Junie Joseph: right pressure in order to make changes.

1235
00:51:22,234 --> 00:51:26,770
Courthney Russell Jr: Wow. I mean, being passionate about healthcare

1236
00:51:26,802 --> 00:51:30,346
Courthney Russell Jr: and being in that system, I, you

1237
00:51:30,370 --> 00:51:32,386
Courthney Russell Jr: see, I consider myself to be more

1238
00:51:32,410 --> 00:51:34,850
Courthney Russell Jr: of an abolitionist, not a reformer, because

1239
00:51:34,922 --> 00:51:38,122
Courthney Russell Jr: the system was already was created with

1240
00:51:38,218 --> 00:51:40,586
Courthney Russell Jr: black and brown people inherently at a

1241
00:51:40,610 --> 00:51:43,698
Courthney Russell Jr: disadvantage. And so to reform that system,

1242
00:51:43,866 --> 00:51:46,802
Courthney Russell Jr: like we're always going to be in

1243
00:51:46,818 --> 00:51:48,874
Courthney Russell Jr: the deficit, you know, a new system

1244
00:51:48,914 --> 00:51:51,954
Courthney Russell Jr: like, just, like policing and, like, law

1245
00:51:51,994 --> 00:51:55,170
Courthney Russell Jr: enforcement, it was created to catch slaves,

1246
00:51:55,282 --> 00:51:57,298
Courthney Russell Jr: you know? And so, how do we

1247
00:51:57,466 --> 00:52:02,154
Courthney Russell Jr: reform a slave catching system? I think

1248
00:52:02,234 --> 00:52:03,290
Courthney Russell Jr: the only way to do that is

1249
00:52:03,322 --> 00:52:06,818
Courthney Russell Jr: to abolish that. However, I'm not saying,

1250
00:52:06,866 --> 00:52:08,290
Courthney Russell Jr: like, get rid of police officers. I'm

1251
00:52:08,322 --> 00:52:11,442
Courthney Russell Jr: saying the system. The law enforcement system

1252
00:52:11,498 --> 00:52:14,612
Courthney Russell Jr: has to be changed and not reformed.

1253
00:52:14,748 --> 00:52:18,188
Courthney Russell Jr: And so it's like, while I understand

1254
00:52:18,276 --> 00:52:20,276
Courthney Russell Jr: what you're saying, it's just. Again, it's

1255
00:52:20,300 --> 00:52:23,412
Courthney Russell Jr: infuriating that a system was built on

1256
00:52:23,428 --> 00:52:25,860
Courthney Russell Jr: the backs of black and brown individuals,

1257
00:52:26,012 --> 00:52:28,060
Courthney Russell Jr: and now individuals who are black and

1258
00:52:28,092 --> 00:52:29,692
Courthney Russell Jr: brown are in the White House, are

1259
00:52:29,708 --> 00:52:32,484
Courthney Russell Jr: in Capitol buildings, forced to reform the

1260
00:52:32,524 --> 00:52:35,636
Courthney Russell Jr: system that was never built to address

1261
00:52:35,700 --> 00:52:37,692
Courthney Russell Jr: our needs in the first place. You

1262
00:52:37,708 --> 00:52:39,052
Courthney Russell Jr: know, it's like. It's like, how do

1263
00:52:39,068 --> 00:52:41,200
Courthney Russell Jr: you win that? I'm expected to win

1264
00:52:41,232 --> 00:52:42,992
Courthney Russell Jr: a race with people with. With both

1265
00:52:43,048 --> 00:52:45,112
Courthney Russell Jr: legs, and I don't have any. You

1266
00:52:45,128 --> 00:52:46,360
Courthney Russell Jr: know, like, go out there and run,

1267
00:52:46,392 --> 00:52:49,304
Courthney Russell Jr: Courtney. You can't go. And I'm like,

1268
00:52:49,344 --> 00:52:50,536
Courthney Russell Jr: how am I supposed to run? Give

1269
00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:52,112
Courthney Russell Jr: me some legs, please. You know? And

1270
00:52:52,128 --> 00:52:55,912
Courthney Russell Jr: so it's like, it's. I hear you.

1271
00:52:56,048 --> 00:52:59,084
Courthney Russell Jr: I respect it 100%. Understand. I just.

1272
00:53:00,984 --> 00:53:03,120
Courthney Russell Jr: In my mind, it doesn't make sense

1273
00:53:03,312 --> 00:53:06,408
Courthney Russell Jr: to. To compromise and acquiesce and. And

1274
00:53:06,456 --> 00:53:08,320
Courthney Russell Jr: to do that in a situation that

1275
00:53:08,352 --> 00:53:10,816
Courthney Russell Jr: has no intentions of ever doing it.

1276
00:53:10,840 --> 00:53:13,862
Courthney Russell Jr: This is why people are allowing a

1277
00:53:13,918 --> 00:53:17,334
Courthney Russell Jr: felon to run from the most powerful

1278
00:53:17,374 --> 00:53:20,694
Courthney Russell Jr: position in the country. However, individuals are

1279
00:53:20,734 --> 00:53:22,822
Courthney Russell Jr: felons who can't even vote because they

1280
00:53:22,838 --> 00:53:25,310
Courthney Russell Jr: sold weed. You know, like, that, to

1281
00:53:25,342 --> 00:53:27,742
Courthney Russell Jr: me, is mind boggling. I don't. I

1282
00:53:27,758 --> 00:53:31,502
Courthney Russell Jr: don't. It's so. I feel kind of

1283
00:53:31,638 --> 00:53:34,374
Courthney Russell Jr: ridiculous even thinking, like, how does that

1284
00:53:34,414 --> 00:53:37,102
Courthney Russell Jr: work? What loophole did this country have

1285
00:53:37,158 --> 00:53:39,422
Courthney Russell Jr: where you can run for president to

1286
00:53:39,438 --> 00:53:41,310
Courthney Russell Jr: be convicted of a felony? Where me,

1287
00:53:41,342 --> 00:53:43,246
Courthney Russell Jr: as a black man couldn't have even

1288
00:53:43,270 --> 00:53:44,878
Courthney Russell Jr: gone to medical school if I had

1289
00:53:44,886 --> 00:53:46,754
Courthney Russell Jr: a felony on my. On my record.

1290
00:53:47,374 --> 00:53:49,474
Courthney Russell Jr: Like, that's. That's crazy.

1291
00:53:49,814 --> 00:53:53,422
Junie Joseph: Yeah. Yeah. See, here's the thing I

1292
00:53:53,438 --> 00:53:55,854
Junie Joseph: have to say to you. I love

1293
00:53:55,894 --> 00:53:57,422
Junie Joseph: you. You my brother, and I know

1294
00:53:57,438 --> 00:54:00,966
Junie Joseph: you're fighting for the right reasons. And

1295
00:54:01,110 --> 00:54:02,694
Junie Joseph: when I hear black people who say

1296
00:54:02,734 --> 00:54:04,614
Junie Joseph: they are abolitionists, I know they're fighting

1297
00:54:04,654 --> 00:54:05,230
Junie Joseph: for me, as well.

1298
00:54:05,262 --> 00:54:06,286
Courthney Russell Jr: Well, yes.

1299
00:54:06,350 --> 00:54:07,910
Junie Joseph: And so I don't want to discount

1300
00:54:07,982 --> 00:54:10,006
Junie Joseph: that, and I understand that. But I'm

1301
00:54:10,030 --> 00:54:12,750
Junie Joseph: a reformist, and because part of the

1302
00:54:12,782 --> 00:54:15,566
Junie Joseph: reason why I am is because I

1303
00:54:15,630 --> 00:54:20,926
Junie Joseph: know that because of political, social, and

1304
00:54:20,950 --> 00:54:28,742
Junie Joseph: economic interests, abolitionist values, or process or

1305
00:54:28,798 --> 00:54:31,262
Junie Joseph: systems are impossible. We don't live in

1306
00:54:31,278 --> 00:54:32,606
Junie Joseph: a utopian society.

1307
00:54:32,750 --> 00:54:33,262
Courthney Russell Jr: True.

1308
00:54:33,358 --> 00:54:35,462
Junie Joseph: The wealthy still runs the world and

1309
00:54:35,478 --> 00:54:37,474
Junie Joseph: rule the world, and they are very.

1310
00:54:39,734 --> 00:54:41,430
Junie Joseph: They have more power than you and

1311
00:54:41,462 --> 00:54:46,390
Junie Joseph: I. And they. What's the word? They

1312
00:54:46,422 --> 00:54:48,086
Junie Joseph: have a stick in the system to

1313
00:54:48,110 --> 00:54:50,094
Junie Joseph: make sure that it remains as is.

1314
00:54:50,174 --> 00:54:52,126
Junie Joseph: I think you and I will go

1315
00:54:52,150 --> 00:54:55,110
Junie Joseph: away before the system crumbles. And I

1316
00:54:55,142 --> 00:54:58,246
Junie Joseph: understand that. And to me, because of

1317
00:54:58,270 --> 00:55:00,270
Junie Joseph: that, I'd rather work to try to

1318
00:55:00,302 --> 00:55:02,238
Junie Joseph: change the system. And I understand the

1319
00:55:02,286 --> 00:55:03,750
Junie Joseph: history of this country when it comes

1320
00:55:03,782 --> 00:55:06,636
Junie Joseph: to policing, and I don't discount that.

1321
00:55:06,780 --> 00:55:08,564
Junie Joseph: But the thing is, here's the thing.

1322
00:55:08,604 --> 00:55:10,564
Junie Joseph: Here's what I'm thinking, because I remember

1323
00:55:10,604 --> 00:55:12,740
Junie Joseph: I was watching a documentary on Netflix

1324
00:55:12,852 --> 00:55:15,444
Junie Joseph: about exactly what you mentioned, the history

1325
00:55:15,484 --> 00:55:17,364
Junie Joseph: of policing in America. It's a brand

1326
00:55:17,404 --> 00:55:20,300
Junie Joseph: new documentary that came in 2024. But

1327
00:55:20,332 --> 00:55:22,580
Junie Joseph: other countries have policing as well, right?

1328
00:55:22,652 --> 00:55:24,916
Junie Joseph: There are countries that have policing. And

1329
00:55:24,940 --> 00:55:30,012
Junie Joseph: the thing is, is that policing, when

1330
00:55:30,028 --> 00:55:33,628
Junie Joseph: you think about it, the disproportionate impact

1331
00:55:33,716 --> 00:55:36,364
Junie Joseph: is on black and brown people, right?

1332
00:55:36,484 --> 00:55:38,964
Junie Joseph: And also working class white people as

1333
00:55:39,004 --> 00:55:44,628
Junie Joseph: well. Fairly white. That's true. But how

1334
00:55:44,676 --> 00:55:46,684
Junie Joseph: do we reform the system where people

1335
00:55:46,764 --> 00:55:49,348
Junie Joseph: are equal? Because the thing is, we

1336
00:55:49,396 --> 00:55:52,372
Junie Joseph: do need police. Policing is not going

1337
00:55:52,388 --> 00:55:54,444
Junie Joseph: to go away. So how do we

1338
00:55:54,564 --> 00:55:56,388
Junie Joseph: make sure that the system works for

1339
00:55:56,436 --> 00:55:58,398
Junie Joseph: everyone? And you, you speak to the

1340
00:55:58,446 --> 00:56:02,270
Junie Joseph: hypocrisy of not living our values in

1341
00:56:02,302 --> 00:56:05,174
Junie Joseph: this country, that for hundreds of years,

1342
00:56:05,254 --> 00:56:07,886
Junie Joseph: we've been incarcerating black people. And we

1343
00:56:07,910 --> 00:56:11,686
Junie Joseph: know why we have a system, right?

1344
00:56:11,750 --> 00:56:14,406
Junie Joseph: We have, actually, the prison system is

1345
00:56:14,430 --> 00:56:17,342
Junie Joseph: a corporate system. We need to dismantle

1346
00:56:17,398 --> 00:56:18,966
Junie Joseph: that. It's not that. We need to

1347
00:56:19,030 --> 00:56:21,806
Junie Joseph: do away 100% with prisons, because if

1348
00:56:21,830 --> 00:56:23,994
Junie Joseph: somebody were to kill your family members,

1349
00:56:24,844 --> 00:56:27,004
Junie Joseph: want to sit there and say, oh,

1350
00:56:27,044 --> 00:56:29,300
Junie Joseph: just let this person roam the streets

1351
00:56:29,412 --> 00:56:33,708
Junie Joseph: without any accountability. So prisons or detentions

1352
00:56:33,756 --> 00:56:35,428
Junie Joseph: are necessary so that people can go

1353
00:56:35,476 --> 00:56:37,548
Junie Joseph: and think about what they do. So

1354
00:56:37,596 --> 00:56:40,284
Junie Joseph: that's needed. But what you asking for

1355
00:56:40,324 --> 00:56:44,780
Junie Joseph: is accountability, transparency, and human decency for

1356
00:56:44,852 --> 00:56:46,620
Junie Joseph: all. And that's what we don't have

1357
00:56:46,652 --> 00:56:48,316
Junie Joseph: in this country. So when you bring

1358
00:56:48,380 --> 00:56:52,020
Junie Joseph: abolitionism into the conversation, you put yourself

1359
00:56:52,092 --> 00:56:55,132
Junie Joseph: into a very, very, very extreme side

1360
00:56:55,228 --> 00:56:56,652
Junie Joseph: of a position that I don't think

1361
00:56:56,668 --> 00:56:59,034
Junie Joseph: you, you even have. Because if somebody

1362
00:56:59,074 --> 00:57:01,026
Junie Joseph: killed a family member of yours, you

1363
00:57:01,050 --> 00:57:02,690
Junie Joseph: would want accountability and you would want

1364
00:57:02,722 --> 00:57:04,898
Junie Joseph: justice. So how do we have accountability

1365
00:57:04,986 --> 00:57:06,946
Junie Joseph: and justice when you decide that you're

1366
00:57:06,970 --> 00:57:08,986
Junie Joseph: going to just dismantle the system and

1367
00:57:09,010 --> 00:57:10,610
Junie Joseph: have no system at all? So what

1368
00:57:10,642 --> 00:57:13,154
Junie Joseph: we need to do is reform the

1369
00:57:13,194 --> 00:57:15,202
Junie Joseph: justice system so that everyone can have

1370
00:57:15,218 --> 00:57:16,762
Junie Joseph: a fair stake and a fair chance,

1371
00:57:16,818 --> 00:57:18,546
Junie Joseph: regardless of the color of your skin.

1372
00:57:18,650 --> 00:57:20,346
Junie Joseph: And you're right. Trump should not be

1373
00:57:20,370 --> 00:57:22,530
Junie Joseph: running for president because for hundreds of

1374
00:57:22,562 --> 00:57:25,522
Junie Joseph: years, the prison system was used as

1375
00:57:25,538 --> 00:57:28,210
Junie Joseph: a mechanism to keep black people economically

1376
00:57:28,242 --> 00:57:31,010
Junie Joseph: and politically and socially enslaved. And here

1377
00:57:31,042 --> 00:57:33,642
Junie Joseph: we are in 2024. But that speaks

1378
00:57:33,658 --> 00:57:36,250
Junie Joseph: to the hypocrisy of our own country,

1379
00:57:36,442 --> 00:57:40,738
Junie Joseph: that we use this very system to

1380
00:57:40,786 --> 00:57:45,362
Junie Joseph: enslave black and brown people. Yet another

1381
00:57:45,458 --> 00:57:48,426
Junie Joseph: person who happened to be white went

1382
00:57:48,450 --> 00:57:50,236
Junie Joseph: through the same system, and they come

1383
00:57:50,260 --> 00:57:53,476
Junie Joseph: out whole. So, again, this idea that

1384
00:57:53,500 --> 00:57:54,916
Junie Joseph: they've used for so many years to

1385
00:57:54,940 --> 00:57:56,868
Junie Joseph: say, oh, if you've been to jail,

1386
00:57:56,916 --> 00:57:59,020
Junie Joseph: you're not good enough. Yet here's a

1387
00:57:59,052 --> 00:58:01,740
Junie Joseph: person who has been through the system.

1388
00:58:01,812 --> 00:58:04,484
Junie Joseph: He has a mockshop. He's been convicted,

1389
00:58:04,604 --> 00:58:06,996
Junie Joseph: yet he's still running for president. That's

1390
00:58:07,020 --> 00:58:10,188
Junie Joseph: the hypocrisy that we need to work

1391
00:58:10,236 --> 00:58:12,628
Junie Joseph: to change. But that doesn't mean we

1392
00:58:12,676 --> 00:58:14,084
Junie Joseph: can get rid of the system, because

1393
00:58:14,124 --> 00:58:16,014
Junie Joseph: we don't live in a utopia. Yeah.

1394
00:58:16,434 --> 00:58:19,626
Courthney Russell Jr: And 100%, everything you said is, I

1395
00:58:19,650 --> 00:58:21,690
Courthney Russell Jr: think when I'm an abolitionist, I'm not

1396
00:58:21,722 --> 00:58:24,250
Courthney Russell Jr: saying get rid of the system and

1397
00:58:24,282 --> 00:58:26,522
Courthney Russell Jr: don't have a system. No, I'm not.

1398
00:58:26,578 --> 00:58:27,834
Courthney Russell Jr: I'm not saying that at all. We

1399
00:58:27,874 --> 00:58:29,682
Courthney Russell Jr: definitely need. I'm talking about a system

1400
00:58:29,778 --> 00:58:32,106
Courthney Russell Jr: and not an entity. I'm. I would

1401
00:58:32,130 --> 00:58:34,890
Courthney Russell Jr: never say get. Kill all doctors because

1402
00:58:35,002 --> 00:58:37,586
Courthney Russell Jr: health care is inherently racist. Because I'm

1403
00:58:37,610 --> 00:58:39,058
Courthney Russell Jr: a doctor. Now, that wouldn't make sense.

1404
00:58:39,106 --> 00:58:41,210
Courthney Russell Jr: You know, I wouldn't say get rid

1405
00:58:41,242 --> 00:58:43,486
Courthney Russell Jr: of. Of police, because police are not

1406
00:58:43,510 --> 00:58:45,766
Courthney Russell Jr: the problem. They work in an inherently

1407
00:58:45,830 --> 00:58:48,806
Courthney Russell Jr: racist system. You know, jails is not

1408
00:58:48,830 --> 00:58:51,678
Courthney Russell Jr: the problem. Mass incarceration is a systemic

1409
00:58:51,726 --> 00:58:53,670
Courthney Russell Jr: issue. And so I wouldn't say get

1410
00:58:53,702 --> 00:58:55,390
Courthney Russell Jr: rid of that and just have everybody

1411
00:58:55,422 --> 00:58:57,382
Courthney Russell Jr: that's doing it because I come from

1412
00:58:57,478 --> 00:58:59,142
Courthney Russell Jr: poverty. And so I know if you

1413
00:58:59,158 --> 00:59:00,934
Courthney Russell Jr: said, police no longer go over here,

1414
00:59:01,014 --> 00:59:02,398
Courthney Russell Jr: yo, that's a vacuum that's about to

1415
00:59:02,406 --> 00:59:04,018
Courthney Russell Jr: be filled. Crazy. You know what I

1416
00:59:04,018 --> 00:59:06,582
Courthney Russell Jr: mean? So I'm not living in a

1417
00:59:06,678 --> 00:59:09,358
Courthney Russell Jr: fake world where there should not be

1418
00:59:09,446 --> 00:59:12,254
Courthney Russell Jr: certain things to address certain ills of

1419
00:59:12,294 --> 00:59:14,038
Courthney Russell Jr: humanity. You know, if you're a rapist,

1420
00:59:14,086 --> 00:59:15,742
Courthney Russell Jr: if you're a killer of family, there

1421
00:59:15,758 --> 00:59:17,150
Courthney Russell Jr: are certain situations that we need to

1422
00:59:17,182 --> 00:59:21,074
Courthney Russell Jr: handle in a certain way. However, most

1423
00:59:21,414 --> 00:59:23,278
Courthney Russell Jr: they have to be, because we can't

1424
00:59:23,326 --> 00:59:26,766
Courthney Russell Jr: expect. For me, and I'm speaking for

1425
00:59:26,790 --> 00:59:29,278
Courthney Russell Jr: me, I don't see how to reform

1426
00:59:29,326 --> 00:59:32,742
Courthney Russell Jr: a system that was built with the

1427
00:59:32,798 --> 00:59:36,550
Courthney Russell Jr: salt rationale to make sure that black

1428
00:59:36,582 --> 00:59:38,880
Courthney Russell Jr: and brown people are, in a definition,

1429
00:59:39,062 --> 00:59:42,076
Courthney Russell Jr: eternally. This country was built on that.

1430
00:59:42,140 --> 00:59:44,516
Courthney Russell Jr: Right? And so I'm saying we need

1431
00:59:44,540 --> 00:59:46,564
Courthney Russell Jr: to come to the table and create

1432
00:59:46,644 --> 00:59:49,324
Courthney Russell Jr: a system that is equitable, not just

1433
00:59:49,364 --> 00:59:52,148
Courthney Russell Jr: dismantle. Forget about no more police. Yes,

1434
00:59:52,196 --> 00:59:54,436
Courthney Russell Jr: we need police. We need doctors. We

1435
00:59:54,460 --> 00:59:57,068
Courthney Russell Jr: need educators. But all of those systems

1436
00:59:57,236 --> 01:00:00,596
Courthney Russell Jr: were built to create and to make

1437
01:00:00,620 --> 01:00:02,196
Courthney Russell Jr: sure that individuals who are black and

1438
01:00:02,220 --> 01:00:06,240
Courthney Russell Jr: brown and poor are kept in a

1439
01:00:06,272 --> 01:00:08,720
Courthney Russell Jr: way where they will never see what

1440
01:00:08,792 --> 01:00:10,568
Courthney Russell Jr: one percenters, what the well off see.

1441
01:00:10,656 --> 01:00:11,296
Courthney Russell Jr: You know what I mean? What the

1442
01:00:11,320 --> 01:00:14,120
Courthney Russell Jr: fluency that is a systemic issue and

1443
01:00:14,152 --> 01:00:18,384
Courthney Russell Jr: not an entity or the things within

1444
01:00:18,424 --> 01:00:21,004
Courthney Russell Jr: that system issue. That's what I'm saying.

1445
01:00:25,824 --> 01:00:27,352
Emily Braucher: Okay, I'm gonna have to be the

1446
01:00:27,408 --> 01:00:31,432
Emily Braucher: annoying person that says, we do need

1447
01:00:31,448 --> 01:00:32,564
Emily Braucher: to wrap up.

1448
01:00:33,144 --> 01:00:34,016
Courthney Russell Jr: Yeah.

1449
01:00:34,200 --> 01:00:38,182
Emily Braucher: I loved this conversation. What I really

1450
01:00:38,238 --> 01:00:40,382
Emily Braucher: appreciate, I mean, for listeners who want

1451
01:00:40,398 --> 01:00:42,902
Emily Braucher: to know more about your stances and

1452
01:00:42,918 --> 01:00:44,798
Emily Braucher: the particular things that are your priorities

1453
01:00:44,846 --> 01:00:46,046
Emily Braucher: and how you describe them, they can

1454
01:00:46,070 --> 01:00:47,286
Emily Braucher: go to your website, which we can

1455
01:00:47,310 --> 01:00:51,190
Emily Braucher: put in the show notes. But this

1456
01:00:51,222 --> 01:00:53,374
Emily Braucher: was so interesting in terms of illuminating

1457
01:00:53,454 --> 01:00:55,662
Emily Braucher: the how of the whole process, which

1458
01:00:55,718 --> 01:00:56,830
Emily Braucher: to me is kind of like a

1459
01:00:56,862 --> 01:00:59,790
Emily Braucher: mysterious. I don't know what happens after

1460
01:00:59,822 --> 01:01:01,742
Emily Braucher: I vote for someone until I see

1461
01:01:01,758 --> 01:01:05,436
Emily Braucher: a bill. So that's amazing to learn

1462
01:01:05,460 --> 01:01:08,188
Emily Braucher: about your life experiences and how it's

1463
01:01:08,236 --> 01:01:12,100
Emily Braucher: influencing how you're going about things and

1464
01:01:12,132 --> 01:01:13,796
Emily Braucher: getting things done, because I've heard that

1465
01:01:13,820 --> 01:01:16,300
Emily Braucher: you're super effective. And so this is

1466
01:01:16,452 --> 01:01:18,268
Emily Braucher: answering the question, how are you super

1467
01:01:18,316 --> 01:01:23,484
Emily Braucher: effective? So really appreciate that. Jun, do

1468
01:01:23,484 --> 01:01:25,660
Emily Braucher: you have any final thoughts or call

1469
01:01:25,692 --> 01:01:29,028
Emily Braucher: to action or reflections for our listeners

1470
01:01:29,076 --> 01:01:30,824
Emily Braucher: before we sign off?

1471
01:01:31,804 --> 01:01:34,092
Junie Joseph: Well, here's the thought. I just want

1472
01:01:34,108 --> 01:01:36,308
Junie Joseph: to say that I really enjoy this

1473
01:01:36,356 --> 01:01:39,100
Junie Joseph: work. It's been fun serving Boulder for

1474
01:01:39,132 --> 01:01:41,276
Junie Joseph: two years. I served Boulder as a

1475
01:01:41,300 --> 01:01:45,500
Junie Joseph: state representative down there. And, you know,

1476
01:01:45,532 --> 01:01:48,684
Junie Joseph: community members have to vote. That's a

1477
01:01:48,724 --> 01:01:50,716
Junie Joseph: responsibility that they have. And I have

1478
01:01:50,740 --> 01:01:52,452
Junie Joseph: my own obligations as well as a

1479
01:01:52,468 --> 01:01:55,444
Junie Joseph: state legislator. But we have to make

1480
01:01:55,484 --> 01:01:58,310
Junie Joseph: sure that we vote for people who

1481
01:01:58,342 --> 01:02:02,030
Junie Joseph: will represent us fully, and not just

1482
01:02:02,102 --> 01:02:06,950
Junie Joseph: the moneyed class, but everyone. And the

1483
01:02:06,982 --> 01:02:10,670
Junie Joseph: thing is, I do believe that wealthy

1484
01:02:10,702 --> 01:02:13,294
Junie Joseph: people, the corporations, are very, very well

1485
01:02:13,334 --> 01:02:16,334
Junie Joseph: represented at the state capitol. So that

1486
01:02:16,374 --> 01:02:18,758
Junie Joseph: means that we have to send people

1487
01:02:18,846 --> 01:02:21,654
Junie Joseph: to the Capitol who, well, represent the

1488
01:02:21,694 --> 01:02:24,166
Junie Joseph: rest of us as well. No one

1489
01:02:24,190 --> 01:02:26,386
Junie Joseph: will remain elected if they don't serve,

1490
01:02:26,430 --> 01:02:29,414
Junie Joseph: serve in some way, shape or form.

1491
01:02:30,194 --> 01:02:33,810
Junie Joseph: The wealthy and the corporations. That's the

1492
01:02:33,842 --> 01:02:35,874
Junie Joseph: reality of the work that we do.

1493
01:02:35,954 --> 01:02:38,266
Junie Joseph: That's the truth of the work. But

1494
01:02:38,330 --> 01:02:40,466
Junie Joseph: we do need legislators who will do

1495
01:02:40,490 --> 01:02:42,386
Junie Joseph: the extra work and go the extra

1496
01:02:42,450 --> 01:02:44,698
Junie Joseph: mile. And I do that. I do

1497
01:02:44,746 --> 01:02:49,290
Junie Joseph: the extra work of engaging community members

1498
01:02:49,362 --> 01:02:51,266
Junie Joseph: who are not part of the conversation

1499
01:02:51,330 --> 01:02:52,882
Junie Joseph: to make sure that I do something

1500
01:02:52,938 --> 01:02:55,534
Junie Joseph: for them as well. Because that's important.

1501
01:02:56,034 --> 01:02:57,322
Junie Joseph: Because at the end of the day,

1502
01:02:57,378 --> 01:02:59,514
Junie Joseph: if we live in a community where

1503
01:02:59,674 --> 01:03:01,714
Junie Joseph: I believe Doctor King said that before,

1504
01:03:01,874 --> 01:03:05,698
Junie Joseph: injustice anywhere in the community leaves us

1505
01:03:05,866 --> 01:03:08,554
Junie Joseph: less safe. We're not safe if other

1506
01:03:08,594 --> 01:03:11,050
Junie Joseph: people are not safe. So thinking that

1507
01:03:11,122 --> 01:03:12,730
Junie Joseph: you can be as wealthy as you

1508
01:03:12,762 --> 01:03:14,402
Junie Joseph: want to be and lead a carefree

1509
01:03:14,458 --> 01:03:16,882
Junie Joseph: life and a good and decent life,

1510
01:03:17,058 --> 01:03:20,506
Junie Joseph: it's impossible. You will not survive in

1511
01:03:20,530 --> 01:03:23,750
Junie Joseph: this world if other community members are

1512
01:03:23,782 --> 01:03:26,670
Junie Joseph: not safe. You can't be in the

1513
01:03:26,702 --> 01:03:29,838
Junie Joseph: oil and gas industry creating all kind

1514
01:03:29,886 --> 01:03:33,014
Junie Joseph: of havoc in our environment and think

1515
01:03:33,054 --> 01:03:34,470
Junie Joseph: that your children are going to be

1516
01:03:34,502 --> 01:03:36,830
Junie Joseph: safe. We all breathe the same air.

1517
01:03:36,902 --> 01:03:38,954
Junie Joseph: We all live on the same earth.

1518
01:03:39,374 --> 01:03:41,958
Junie Joseph: So you have a responsibility and a

1519
01:03:42,006 --> 01:03:44,542
Junie Joseph: duty to make sure that we leave

1520
01:03:44,598 --> 01:03:47,582
Junie Joseph: this place better for all of us.

1521
01:03:47,718 --> 01:03:49,582
Junie Joseph: And that requires you not to just

1522
01:03:49,638 --> 01:03:53,660
Junie Joseph: constantly think about profit. It's beyond profit

1523
01:03:53,812 --> 01:03:56,108
Junie Joseph: if people in our community are working

1524
01:03:56,196 --> 01:03:58,556
Junie Joseph: three or four jobs in order to

1525
01:03:58,580 --> 01:04:01,252
Junie Joseph: just pay rent and they cannot watch

1526
01:04:01,308 --> 01:04:03,828
Junie Joseph: their kids. That's how we are building

1527
01:04:03,916 --> 01:04:06,364
Junie Joseph: our prison system, because kids have no

1528
01:04:06,404 --> 01:04:09,156
Junie Joseph: parents at home to watch them. So

1529
01:04:09,180 --> 01:04:10,260
Junie Joseph: at the end of the day, we

1530
01:04:10,292 --> 01:04:12,244
Junie Joseph: need more. We need to fund our

1531
01:04:12,284 --> 01:04:15,396
Junie Joseph: schools. We need early childhood education, things

1532
01:04:15,420 --> 01:04:16,940
Junie Joseph: that I'm working on and I have

1533
01:04:16,972 --> 01:04:19,186
Junie Joseph: been working on. We have to make

1534
01:04:19,210 --> 01:04:20,930
Junie Joseph: sure people have a place to go

1535
01:04:21,002 --> 01:04:22,306
Junie Joseph: and a place to stay. We need

1536
01:04:22,330 --> 01:04:24,378
Junie Joseph: to ensure people have access to health

1537
01:04:24,426 --> 01:04:27,978
Junie Joseph: care, because without access to healthcare, people

1538
01:04:28,026 --> 01:04:30,834
Junie Joseph: are getting these big three, four, $5,000

1539
01:04:30,874 --> 01:04:33,298
Junie Joseph: bills because they went through the emergency

1540
01:04:33,386 --> 01:04:35,214
Junie Joseph: room because there's no health care.

1541
01:04:36,194 --> 01:04:37,454
Courthney Russell Jr: Talk about it.

1542
01:04:38,634 --> 01:04:41,334
Junie Joseph: It's so interesting how in a society,

1543
01:04:41,914 --> 01:04:43,754
Junie Joseph: especially here in Boulder, we care about

1544
01:04:43,794 --> 01:04:46,914
Junie Joseph: diversity and equity and inclusion, but we

1545
01:04:46,954 --> 01:04:51,134
Junie Joseph: compartmentalize our views and our values, and

1546
01:04:51,174 --> 01:04:53,390
Junie Joseph: that's not fair and that's not right,

1547
01:04:53,542 --> 01:04:58,510
Junie Joseph: because all the issues are interconnected. Compartmentalizing

1548
01:04:58,542 --> 01:05:00,382
Junie Joseph: the issues. Just make sure that we

1549
01:05:00,438 --> 01:05:02,966
Junie Joseph: remain exactly where we are, stagnant and

1550
01:05:02,990 --> 01:05:06,326
Junie Joseph: people are suffering and what's going on

1551
01:05:06,350 --> 01:05:08,358
Junie Joseph: in other countries. And that's another thing.

1552
01:05:08,406 --> 01:05:10,686
Junie Joseph: I have been to about 30 countries,

1553
01:05:10,790 --> 01:05:13,630
Junie Joseph: I believe, and I have seen very,

1554
01:05:13,702 --> 01:05:16,830
Junie Joseph: very deep suffering. And never question for

1555
01:05:16,862 --> 01:05:18,894
Junie Joseph: a moment that we cannot find ourselves

1556
01:05:18,974 --> 01:05:21,492
Junie Joseph: in similar situations to these countries that

1557
01:05:21,508 --> 01:05:24,460
Junie Joseph: have completely fall apart because of the

1558
01:05:24,492 --> 01:05:27,188
Junie Joseph: fact that they have extremely wealthy and

1559
01:05:27,236 --> 01:05:30,236
Junie Joseph: extremely poor people. We have to find

1560
01:05:30,420 --> 01:05:32,020
Junie Joseph: our middle class and make sure we

1561
01:05:32,052 --> 01:05:33,420
Junie Joseph: continue to build that and make sure

1562
01:05:33,452 --> 01:05:35,764
Junie Joseph: that our working class can have. Can

1563
01:05:35,844 --> 01:05:38,532
Junie Joseph: live in this community. Because if not,

1564
01:05:38,588 --> 01:05:40,580
Junie Joseph: what you have is two different classes,

1565
01:05:40,612 --> 01:05:41,876
Junie Joseph: and they're all looking at each other

1566
01:05:41,900 --> 01:05:43,500
Junie Joseph: and not seeing the humanity in one

1567
01:05:43,532 --> 01:05:45,452
Junie Joseph: another. And that is not cool and

1568
01:05:45,468 --> 01:05:46,564
Junie Joseph: that is not gut.

1569
01:05:46,984 --> 01:05:49,856
Courthney Russell Jr: Wow. Wow. You dropped the mic. You

1570
01:05:49,880 --> 01:05:51,968
Courthney Russell Jr: dropped the mic on that one. Kendrick,

1571
01:05:52,136 --> 01:05:55,120
Courthney Russell Jr: you did that. You did that.

1572
01:05:55,192 --> 01:05:57,144
Emily Braucher: And seeing the humanity as we wrap

1573
01:05:57,184 --> 01:05:59,432
Emily Braucher: up human eyes, which is our. You

1574
01:05:59,448 --> 01:06:01,360
Emily Braucher: know what we're trying to do here,

1575
01:06:01,392 --> 01:06:02,656
Emily Braucher: too. I love it. I love it.

1576
01:06:02,680 --> 01:06:05,304
Emily Braucher: Thank you so much for joining us

1577
01:06:05,344 --> 01:06:07,288
Emily Braucher: today. I feel like I learned so

1578
01:06:07,336 --> 01:06:09,432
Emily Braucher: much about the system and about you

1579
01:06:09,488 --> 01:06:11,364
Emily Braucher: as well. So thank you.

1580
01:06:12,124 --> 01:06:14,036
Junie Joseph: It has been truly a pleasure. I

1581
01:06:14,060 --> 01:06:16,220
Junie Joseph: really enjoy this conversation. We only had

1582
01:06:16,252 --> 01:06:18,020
Junie Joseph: an hour and we just stick around.

1583
01:06:18,092 --> 01:06:19,824
Junie Joseph: I love it. That was fun.

1584
01:06:20,524 --> 01:06:22,900
Emily Braucher: I know, I know. Couldn't stop. Couldn't

1585
01:06:22,932 --> 01:06:23,220
Emily Braucher: stop.

1586
01:06:23,292 --> 01:06:24,584
Courthney Russell Jr: That's what we do.

1587
01:06:27,084 --> 01:06:29,252
Emily Braucher: Awesome. Well, you enjoy the rest of

1588
01:06:29,268 --> 01:06:30,476
Emily Braucher: your day. Thank you so much for

1589
01:06:30,500 --> 01:06:31,380
Emily Braucher: coming on.

1590
01:06:31,572 --> 01:06:32,864
Junie Joseph: Thank you so much.

1591
01:06:35,364 --> 01:06:36,972
Emily Braucher: Thanks for joining us on this episode

1592
01:06:36,988 --> 01:06:38,840
Emily Braucher: of of Human Eyes. Please remember to

1593
01:06:38,872 --> 01:06:40,472
Emily Braucher: like and subscribe to our podcast so

1594
01:06:40,488 --> 01:06:42,224
Emily Braucher: you don't miss an episode. Join us

1595
01:06:42,264 --> 01:06:44,544
Emily Braucher: on Instagram or Facebook to continue this

1596
01:06:44,584 --> 01:06:47,360
Emily Braucher: conversation at the humanized podcast.

1597
01:06:47,512 --> 01:06:48,896
Courthney Russell Jr: Let us know if you want to

1598
01:06:48,920 --> 01:06:50,976
Courthney Russell Jr: learn more about the professional trainings we

1599
01:06:51,000 --> 01:06:53,408
Courthney Russell Jr: offer, and of course, tune in next

1600
01:06:53,456 --> 01:06:55,800
Courthney Russell Jr: time as we continue the work. Thank

1601
01:06:55,832 --> 01:06:56,824
Courthney Russell Jr: you and much love.