WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500 Hey y 'all, welcome to Questions You Didn't Ask. 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:07.179 Did you know that this very spot could be showcasing 00:00:07.179 --> 00:00:10.320 your business or event? Whether it's an audio 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:14.460 ad on our podcast, or a visual ad on our new 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:18.100 YouTube station, or even both, we've got the 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.620 space for you. Nyesha Frey Consulting is reaching 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:24.420 a growing audience of over a thousand leaders 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:27.839 who are passionate about health equity, social 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:32.070 justice, and civil rights activism. These are 00:00:32.070 --> 00:00:35.329 professionals just like you working across higher 00:00:35.329 --> 00:00:40.409 education, research, healthcare, nonprofit, government, 00:00:40.590 --> 00:00:44.030 and even public health sectors. If you're ready 00:00:44.030 --> 00:00:46.630 to get your message in front of a dedicated and 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:52.469 engaged audience, send me an email at naishafrayconsultingllc 00:00:52.469 --> 00:00:57.149 at gmail .com. Let's talk about how we can help 00:00:57.149 --> 00:00:59.710 you connect with the people who need to hear 00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:02.829 about your services and products that advance 00:01:02.829 --> 00:01:06.969 health equity and wellness. Don't miss out. Get 00:01:06.969 --> 00:01:09.269 in the mix and let's make an impact together. 00:01:19.450 --> 00:01:22.510 Welcome back to Questions You Didn't Ask with 00:01:22.510 --> 00:01:25.810 me, Nyesha Frey, and my guest, Julissa Soto, 00:01:25.969 --> 00:01:30.060 as we continue the series. Ready or not, the 00:01:30.060 --> 00:01:32.900 real talk Black and Latino communities need. 00:01:33.219 --> 00:01:35.640 Let's pick up where we left off. One thing that's 00:01:35.640 --> 00:01:39.000 interesting to me is that after the first election, 00:01:39.219 --> 00:01:42.400 well, I should say after this election, right, 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:47.340 2024 and the 2016 election, a lot of people, 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.359 Black people in particular, started getting or 00:01:50.359 --> 00:01:53.579 renewing their passports and started traveling 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:56.439 more. Specifically, Black people looking for 00:01:56.439 --> 00:01:59.120 safer spaces to live where they could be their 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:03.659 full selves with less racism, less stress, discrimination, 00:02:04.019 --> 00:02:06.519 oppression, things of that sort. You know, we're 00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:09.900 all looking for the Shangri -La, right? Many 00:02:09.900 --> 00:02:14.979 African -American travel influencers recommend 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:19.099 places like Mexico and other parts of Central 00:02:19.099 --> 00:02:23.780 and Latin America. as places for us to move or 00:02:23.780 --> 00:02:27.199 at least vacation for safety and other creature 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:31.060 comforts for survival and wellness so help me 00:02:31.060 --> 00:02:33.979 and my audience understand what's going on in 00:02:33.979 --> 00:02:37.300 mexico and any other parts of latin america you 00:02:37.300 --> 00:02:40.620 feel comfortable sharing that has the citizens 00:02:40.620 --> 00:02:43.460 of those countries moving here it seems like 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:46.919 we're going in opposite directions yeah you know 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:51.360 i I am, this is kind of interesting because I 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:54.599 have my retired home by the beach in Rosarito, 00:02:54.659 --> 00:02:59.080 Mexico, by Tijuana, by the border. It's between 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:04.599 San Isidro and San Diego. And all of my neighbors 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:07.759 happen to be white or black, but not Mexican. 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:11.680 not Mexican. So it's kind of interesting that 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:15.580 when I go visit my country, then I see the white 00:03:15.580 --> 00:03:19.139 folks in African Americans, you know, in Mexico, 00:03:19.180 --> 00:03:22.860 and I get super excited. But let's just be real. 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:26.300 If you're not in your country, it's always going 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:29.159 to exist that discrimination, right? Now it's 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:31.520 the Mexicans discriminating against the white 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:35.669 folks. And the blacks. And then, you know, when 00:03:35.669 --> 00:03:38.229 we're here, the same thing happens to us. This 00:03:38.229 --> 00:03:40.770 is not our country. Right. So we just need to 00:03:40.770 --> 00:03:45.110 accept and, you know, who we are and where we're 00:03:45.110 --> 00:03:48.430 going. Right. But I honestly feel that if you're 00:03:48.430 --> 00:03:51.729 talking about discrimination against black, blacks 00:03:51.729 --> 00:03:54.729 suffer more discrimination in their own country. 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:57.759 than other countries. Even though it's some type 00:03:57.759 --> 00:04:00.060 of discrimination between Latinos and Black, 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:07.080 I feel that still Latinos are less obvious with 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:11.219 their racism than the white folks. And the only 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:13.539 reason I say that is because this is your country. 00:04:14.110 --> 00:04:16.370 And you get discriminated in your own country. 00:04:16.490 --> 00:04:19.389 So how does people expect not to be discriminated 00:04:19.389 --> 00:04:22.029 in a country that it's not theirs, right? And 00:04:22.029 --> 00:04:25.329 this is, I'm talking about Julissa Soto, 27 years 00:04:25.329 --> 00:04:27.389 of experience as an immigrant here in United 00:04:27.389 --> 00:04:30.310 States, going back and forth between my country 00:04:30.310 --> 00:04:32.269 and so forth. But it's interesting that you asked 00:04:32.269 --> 00:04:35.569 me that because my neighbor happened to be black 00:04:35.569 --> 00:04:40.709 and she owns three condominiums back home. And 00:04:40.709 --> 00:04:43.470 she's living the good life in my country, which. 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:47.959 I admire her. And I say to her, you know, when 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:50.379 I come back home, we're going to be best friends 00:04:50.379 --> 00:04:52.939 because we're both part of the American system, 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:57.899 you know. But it is interesting to me that they're 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:01.180 recommending you or the influencers are recommending 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:04.699 to go to those countries because even right now, 00:05:04.699 --> 00:05:07.959 with all the immigration coming to United States, 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:11.350 the Venezuelans. It's a huge fight now between 00:05:11.350 --> 00:05:13.370 the Mexicans and the Venezuelans because the 00:05:13.370 --> 00:05:17.629 Venezuelans are arriving with asylee. They're 00:05:17.629 --> 00:05:21.350 arriving legal. And some of us have been waiting 00:05:21.350 --> 00:05:24.930 here in line for 20, 30 years to be documented 00:05:24.930 --> 00:05:28.569 in the United States. But the president or past 00:05:28.569 --> 00:05:32.629 president opened borders and let everybody come 00:05:32.629 --> 00:05:36.430 in. And I certainly. You know, I don't want to 00:05:36.430 --> 00:05:39.029 sound racist against my own community, but I 00:05:39.029 --> 00:05:42.209 certainly believe that you need to pay your dues. 00:05:42.910 --> 00:05:46.529 They're coming here demanding services, demanding 00:05:46.529 --> 00:05:50.329 A, B, C, and D. And I'm like, hold on. It took 00:05:50.329 --> 00:05:54.430 me 12 years and something and $30 ,000 approximately 00:05:54.430 --> 00:05:56.970 to become a U .S. citizen. And you're coming 00:05:56.970 --> 00:06:00.769 here legally and asking, not even asking, demanding 00:06:00.769 --> 00:06:06.089 services, housing. welfare, TANF, you know, cash, 00:06:06.290 --> 00:06:09.750 food stamps, and Medicaid. And I'm like, how 00:06:09.750 --> 00:06:16.089 did that happen? Yeah, it's interesting to me 00:06:16.089 --> 00:06:20.329 how we wind up in a situation where those who 00:06:20.329 --> 00:06:24.769 are marginalized or minoritized are fighting 00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:30.029 for the scraps, right? And we are constantly 00:06:30.029 --> 00:06:32.889 trying to figure out you know, well, what do 00:06:32.889 --> 00:06:35.470 you have and how did you get it? And, you know, 00:06:35.470 --> 00:06:38.209 well, it took me, I was oppressed this way. And, 00:06:38.230 --> 00:06:41.410 you know, we get into these conversations when 00:06:41.410 --> 00:06:48.029 the bigger issue is sometimes overlooked, which 00:06:48.029 --> 00:06:53.470 is what we're all striving for is equity, justice, 00:06:53.769 --> 00:06:59.189 dignity, respect, human rights, civil rights. 00:06:59.930 --> 00:07:05.069 And those things are experienced in this country, 00:07:05.149 --> 00:07:10.029 but not by black people as a whole and not by 00:07:10.029 --> 00:07:12.550 Latinos, whether they're Mexican, Venezuelan, 00:07:12.550 --> 00:07:16.230 Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, what have you. 00:07:16.430 --> 00:07:18.410 Now, we might have a different conversation about 00:07:18.410 --> 00:07:23.470 Cubans, but they're still. Remember, the Cubans 00:07:23.470 --> 00:07:25.889 were the highest voters now for this new election. 00:07:26.170 --> 00:07:29.230 So, yeah, we need to have a conversation about. 00:07:29.989 --> 00:07:33.230 The Latinos and the better Latinos, quote unquote. 00:07:33.889 --> 00:07:36.310 Right, right, right. So there's levels to everything. 00:07:36.490 --> 00:07:38.829 And that's one thing that I learned, you know, 00:07:38.829 --> 00:07:42.069 especially being a student at an HBCU, a large 00:07:42.069 --> 00:07:45.970 HBCU, Florida A &M University, is that I learned 00:07:45.970 --> 00:07:49.509 about the diversity of Black people, different 00:07:49.509 --> 00:07:50.889 types of Black people, whether you're talking 00:07:50.889 --> 00:07:53.470 about in this country or in the diaspora. And 00:07:53.470 --> 00:07:56.329 then it got deeper in terms of my understanding 00:07:56.329 --> 00:07:59.189 of the diaspora when I moved to New York. And 00:07:59.189 --> 00:08:01.889 then it got further deep when I actually had 00:08:01.889 --> 00:08:04.709 the chance to visit different parts of Africa. 00:08:05.069 --> 00:08:09.110 So we know that we have similarities and we know 00:08:09.110 --> 00:08:11.170 that we have differences and we know that there's 00:08:11.170 --> 00:08:14.490 tension. But the idea is that we're all fighting 00:08:14.490 --> 00:08:20.850 for these rights and promises that it seems like 00:08:20.850 --> 00:08:23.230 only white people are benefiting from and affluent 00:08:23.230 --> 00:08:27.730 white people, to be precise. As we're thinking 00:08:27.730 --> 00:08:30.970 about, you know, how different people are coming 00:08:30.970 --> 00:08:34.070 here, some people had to wait, other people are 00:08:34.070 --> 00:08:38.190 making demands and things of that sort. I want 00:08:38.190 --> 00:08:40.429 you to drill down on that a little bit because 00:08:40.429 --> 00:08:44.450 some of us who either work in social services 00:08:44.450 --> 00:08:48.230 and or receive things like WIC, food stamps, 00:08:48.409 --> 00:08:50.850 Medicaid, all the other things that you mentioned. 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:54.840 I mean, is it safe to share how so many people 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:57.299 in line with us are what looks like and we're 00:08:57.299 --> 00:09:00.120 confronting our assumptions? They look like newly 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:03.820 immigrated people. You know, how are they also 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:06.139 in line with and receiving what looks like the 00:09:06.139 --> 00:09:09.940 same resources as U .S. citizens? I mean, is 00:09:09.940 --> 00:09:13.240 it safe to discuss if these are loopholes or 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:16.919 if these are legal pathways? You know, I'm not 00:09:16.919 --> 00:09:20.000 trying to out anybody. no no no no and you know 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:23.080 what um what i love about this interview is that 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.769 we're being real Because whatever you're talking 00:09:25.769 --> 00:09:28.289 about, whatever I'm talking about, I bet with 00:09:28.289 --> 00:09:30.450 you that is thousands of people out there, but 00:09:30.450 --> 00:09:33.190 they don't want to speak like you and I, because 00:09:33.190 --> 00:09:35.570 they think that we're going to get into a fight. 00:09:35.669 --> 00:09:37.970 We're going to be confrontational. Oh, my God, 00:09:38.029 --> 00:09:39.990 we're offending each other. No, let's just be 00:09:39.990 --> 00:09:42.490 real. Let's just be real. You're an African -American 00:09:42.490 --> 00:09:45.389 woman and I'm a Latino woman. And this conversation 00:09:45.389 --> 00:09:48.309 should happen all the time because we're both 00:09:48.309 --> 00:09:51.289 have questions. Right. And then when we don't 00:09:51.289 --> 00:09:55.200 ask, we're just assuming. You know, the people 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:57.940 that you see maybe in line getting supplementary 00:09:57.940 --> 00:10:00.980 nutrition assistance or TANF, you know, they 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:04.179 might be the refugees. Like I said to you, the 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:06.740 new arrivals, the Venezuelans, they come with 00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:10.139 a different status, but they're not people from 00:10:10.139 --> 00:10:12.879 other countries where we can apply for benefits. 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:17.960 And then when we fix our papers, right, we have 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:23.669 to have 40 qualified quarters of work. You know, 00:10:23.669 --> 00:10:26.950 so that's the Mexicans and others. But if you 00:10:26.950 --> 00:10:31.389 come here as an asylum or refugee, the system 00:10:31.389 --> 00:10:34.029 changed. That's why you also see Africans from 00:10:34.029 --> 00:10:36.629 Africa applying for benefits, right? And you're 00:10:36.629 --> 00:10:39.049 like, how in the hell? They're applying and they 00:10:39.049 --> 00:10:42.429 just arrived. How did that happen, right? So 00:10:42.429 --> 00:10:45.179 it's different status. I came here undocumented, 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:48.840 so I never qualified. And I can guarantee you 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:51.500 that the majority of Latinos who happen to be 00:10:51.500 --> 00:10:54.679 Mexican come here undocumented so we can receive 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:57.840 those benefits. And, you know, of course, sometimes 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:01.039 people think, oh, my God, they assume, right, 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:03.480 that we're all Mexicans because we kind of look 00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:05.830 alike. You know, people said, that's rude, Pulisa. 00:11:05.970 --> 00:11:08.570 And I said, no, we do look alike. Most of us, 00:11:08.570 --> 00:11:10.870 we're five feet. We're five feet, but there's 00:11:10.870 --> 00:11:13.269 little people and we all look alike. Like, don't 00:11:13.269 --> 00:11:15.769 tell me that we don't think about, when I see 00:11:15.769 --> 00:11:18.309 the Asian community, right? I don't know how 00:11:18.309 --> 00:11:21.610 to distinguish who's Chinese, who's Japanese. 00:11:21.669 --> 00:11:24.110 And then they tell me, look at their eyes. And 00:11:24.110 --> 00:11:27.149 I'm like, for me, they all look alike. And I'm 00:11:27.149 --> 00:11:30.289 not trying to be offensive. No, you're not, because 00:11:30.289 --> 00:11:32.990 this is one of the things that came up when and 00:11:32.990 --> 00:11:35.149 I'm just going to be very transparent, like I 00:11:35.149 --> 00:11:37.669 like I have been the whole conversation. Yes. 00:11:37.730 --> 00:11:40.070 When Janet Jackson came out and tried to say, 00:11:40.149 --> 00:11:41.990 oh, well, they say she's black. I don't know 00:11:41.990 --> 00:11:45.350 if she's black. Talk about Kamala. I know that 00:11:45.350 --> 00:11:50.909 Kamala's father is from Jamaica and I know that 00:11:50.909 --> 00:11:55.250 her mother is from India. But the way that she 00:11:55.250 --> 00:11:58.190 presents is like a light skinned black girl from 00:11:58.190 --> 00:12:00.970 Detroit, even though she grew up in California. 00:12:02.029 --> 00:12:05.370 You know, a part of my experience, you know, 00:12:05.370 --> 00:12:09.210 in regard to we all look alike, is that when 00:12:09.210 --> 00:12:12.330 I went to Africa in particular, and even when 00:12:12.330 --> 00:12:17.809 I first moved to East Harlem, I was comforted 00:12:17.809 --> 00:12:21.929 by the fact that I recognized myself and my family. 00:12:22.509 --> 00:12:26.029 in these African people or these Afro -Latino 00:12:26.029 --> 00:12:28.009 people and these Dominican people. I say, y 'all 00:12:28.009 --> 00:12:31.450 look like us. Like, I can't really tell until 00:12:31.450 --> 00:12:33.649 you open your mouth, until you open your mouth. 00:12:33.730 --> 00:12:36.789 And so that's when, you know, when we start talking 00:12:36.789 --> 00:12:40.610 about racism and folks want to then get into 00:12:40.610 --> 00:12:44.470 nationalism as it relates in this country, the 00:12:44.470 --> 00:12:47.009 way that white people see you is they see you're 00:12:47.009 --> 00:12:51.809 Black. You know, you can you can open your mouth 00:12:51.809 --> 00:12:54.809 and make a distinction. You know, oh, well, my 00:12:54.809 --> 00:12:57.629 father is Jamaican. My mother's Indian. And that's 00:12:57.629 --> 00:13:01.389 why my texture is this way. And my hair, my complexion 00:13:01.389 --> 00:13:03.350 is this way and blah, blah. You can explain it. 00:13:03.610 --> 00:13:07.330 But at the end of the day. When I was growing 00:13:07.330 --> 00:13:10.570 up, especially in the 80s and the 90s in the 00:13:10.570 --> 00:13:12.470 South and North Carolina, you needed to make 00:13:12.470 --> 00:13:14.090 a distinction. You're either black or you're 00:13:14.090 --> 00:13:18.210 white. You know, it didn't matter. So when you 00:13:18.210 --> 00:13:21.909 say we look alike, it's because we have similar 00:13:21.909 --> 00:13:28.250 ancestry. Yes. And so we share very similar features, 00:13:28.490 --> 00:13:31.750 whether it's height, complexion, hair texture, 00:13:32.049 --> 00:13:37.029 bone structure, what have you. You know, we do 00:13:37.029 --> 00:13:39.769 in a lot of ways look alike. Now, when people 00:13:39.769 --> 00:13:43.789 take it too far and they're using that as a reason 00:13:43.789 --> 00:13:48.110 to put you down. As a people, that's something 00:13:48.110 --> 00:13:51.149 else. And we all know the difference. We know 00:13:51.149 --> 00:13:53.649 the difference when someone is like, I remember 00:13:53.649 --> 00:13:55.850 one of my clients when I was a substance abuse 00:13:55.850 --> 00:13:59.090 counselor, he was a Dominican. And he came to 00:13:59.090 --> 00:14:01.610 me and he was like, your complexion is so beautiful. 00:14:01.950 --> 00:14:05.129 And you look, you know, he was being all, you 00:14:05.129 --> 00:14:07.850 know, flowery and romantic, like, you know, Latino 00:14:07.850 --> 00:14:10.350 and Dominican people are. And he was like, but 00:14:10.350 --> 00:14:13.950 you remind me of one of my aunties. And so that 00:14:13.950 --> 00:14:16.899 was a point of connection. And even though he 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:19.820 was a light -skinned Dominican brother, he saw 00:14:19.820 --> 00:14:23.559 me and he could connect and relate to me because 00:14:23.559 --> 00:14:26.059 I reminded him of one of his aunts. Now, I'm 00:14:26.059 --> 00:14:30.279 from, you know, North Carolina. I have never 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:32.799 been to the Dominican Republic, but my ancestors 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:38.200 have. So, you know, we sit, we go in these lines, 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:40.860 we service these people, you know, we go to these 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:42.980 community outreach events and what have you. 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:47.399 And we see people and we say, what might be perceived 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:50.799 as a derogatory term. You know, I notice among 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:52.960 Black people, they call all Latinos Mexicans, 00:14:53.019 --> 00:14:55.519 especially if they live in the Southeast. Oh, 00:14:55.620 --> 00:14:59.059 yeah. I have heard that all the time. And it 00:14:59.059 --> 00:15:02.019 does not bother me. I just smile because the 00:15:02.019 --> 00:15:04.980 same thing happens to me when I see the Black 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:09.200 community. For me, you're Black. So, and believe 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:12.480 it or not, I see a lot of similarities in you 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.720 guys. And sometimes I get confused too. So I'm 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:20.679 like, okay, I see that they look alike too. And 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:26.100 somebody might say, no, or even my own husband 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:29.379 who happened to be black, a black man from Austin, 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:33.399 Texas. I said, you look kind of like LeBron James. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:36.240 And he tell me. I don't look nothing like him. 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:41.039 I'm like, well, in my eyes, you do. You know, 00:15:41.080 --> 00:15:44.759 like, and then when he go to Mexico with me. 00:15:45.340 --> 00:15:49.299 Yeah, when he go to Mexico with me, people, you 00:15:49.299 --> 00:15:52.700 know, people look at him and they're like, does 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:56.500 he know LeBron James? And I said, see, what did 00:15:56.500 --> 00:15:59.879 I say to you? And he's like, and the same thing 00:15:59.879 --> 00:16:03.740 goes to you guys. You all look alike to me. And 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:07.000 that's okay to say it that way. I don't think 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:09.679 we're being racist and I don't think we're discriminating 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:12.860 by saying that we look alike because we do. And 00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:17.340 everybody calls Latinos Mexicans. And that's 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:20.860 the funny part. You know, for me, it's like, 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:22.720 well, the Mexicans over there and I'm like, no, 00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:26.100 they're Colombians. And then they're like, oh. 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:29.299 And because those are your people, you can look 00:16:29.299 --> 00:16:32.760 at them and tell the difference. Yes. Exactly. 00:16:32.760 --> 00:16:35.519 And just by when they're talking to, I'm like, 00:16:35.580 --> 00:16:39.100 oh my goodness. Yes, we speak so different. Even 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:42.779 in Mexico, in Colorado, the majority of the Mexicans 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:45.860 are from the North. I was born in the South. 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:49.519 Even we discriminate against the North and the 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:52.830 South among Mexicans. The North people think 00:16:52.830 --> 00:16:54.750 that they're more advanced because they're closer 00:16:54.750 --> 00:16:57.570 to the border. And, oh, my God, they're more 00:16:57.570 --> 00:17:00.250 advanced. And then they talk about me, who is 00:17:00.250 --> 00:17:02.690 from the South. They say that people from the 00:17:02.690 --> 00:17:06.769 South, like me, were more close -minded. Because 00:17:06.769 --> 00:17:09.829 we're South of Mexico. You're more traditional. 00:17:10.049 --> 00:17:15.049 More traditional. So even among us, that exists, 00:17:15.210 --> 00:17:18.569 you know? If you're enjoying the show as much 00:17:18.569 --> 00:17:21.539 as we love creating it. Consider showing your 00:17:21.539 --> 00:17:26.539 support by buying us a cup of coffee. Visit buymeacoffee 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:33.019 .com slash Nyesha Frey O. That's buymeacoffee 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:39.940 .com forward slash Nyesha Frey O. All one word. 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:44.720 Each cup is just $5 and every single one helps 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:47.859 us continue to produce, develop, and sustain 00:17:47.859 --> 00:17:51.089 the high quality content. you've come to expect 00:17:51.089 --> 00:17:54.529 from questions you didn't ask thank you for your 00:17:54.529 --> 00:17:56.950 continued support and let's keep the conversation 00:17:56.950 --> 00:18:00.089 going right and i remember one thing that you 00:18:00.089 --> 00:18:02.509 said when we got a chance to meet the first time 00:18:02.509 --> 00:18:06.130 in person which was that a lot of people confuse 00:18:06.130 --> 00:18:09.930 you and think that you're puerto rican yes most 00:18:09.930 --> 00:18:12.390 of the time you know why they say that right 00:18:12.390 --> 00:18:14.490 because let me tell you let me explain to you 00:18:14.490 --> 00:18:18.549 why because Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 00:18:18.569 --> 00:18:21.470 I'm pretty. Yes, I'm pretty. No, but I know they 00:18:21.470 --> 00:18:23.269 don't say it because I'm pretty, my friend. They 00:18:23.269 --> 00:18:26.529 say it because I speak up and I speak out. And 00:18:26.529 --> 00:18:29.109 usually Puerto Rican women are super strong and 00:18:29.109 --> 00:18:32.410 they're outspoken. Mexican women are known by 00:18:32.410 --> 00:18:36.109 being humble, abused by their men, having 20 00:18:36.109 --> 00:18:39.670 ,000 kids, cleaning and cooking. So when they 00:18:39.670 --> 00:18:41.789 see a woman like me saying, I don't cook, I don't 00:18:41.789 --> 00:18:44.289 clean. No, no, no. And I'm going to speak for 00:18:44.289 --> 00:18:45.950 my rights. They're like, are you Puerto Rican? 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:51.619 And I'm like, I don't know if I should take that 00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:56.299 as a compliment or offensive. And even my mother 00:18:56.299 --> 00:18:59.339 -in -law, who happened to be black, she even 00:18:59.339 --> 00:19:02.920 told me, I thought when she met me, I thought 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:07.839 the Mexicans were more humble. So these are comments 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.539 that we make against each other that we must 00:19:10.539 --> 00:19:13.380 feel like, I was confused when she made that 00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:17.890 comment. Like saying, So that's what you have 00:19:17.890 --> 00:19:21.970 heard about Mexicans only? And then my husband's 00:19:21.970 --> 00:19:24.789 friends, guess what they say when they know that 00:19:24.789 --> 00:19:27.690 he's married to a Mexican? I bet she cooks really 00:19:27.690 --> 00:19:31.589 good. And I'm like, I don't know how to cook. 00:19:32.849 --> 00:19:35.269 And I'm Mexican. I was born and raised in Mexico, 00:19:35.410 --> 00:19:38.289 you know? So see all the assumptions that we 00:19:38.289 --> 00:19:41.670 make about people? And now that we start talking, 00:19:41.829 --> 00:19:44.049 like this is going to be a pretty cool podcast 00:19:44.049 --> 00:19:47.069 because... The Blacks and Latinos need to hear 00:19:47.069 --> 00:19:48.869 this conversation that we're having in here. 00:19:48.970 --> 00:19:50.609 Because I bet they're going to relate to this. 00:19:51.349 --> 00:19:55.309 Right. So now I'm going to get a little deeper. 00:19:55.750 --> 00:19:58.750 And I know you can go there with me. You've been 00:19:58.750 --> 00:20:01.250 getting a little deeper the whole conversation, 00:20:01.490 --> 00:20:06.730 mi amiga. So more deeper than that? I am. I'm 00:20:06.730 --> 00:20:12.680 going there. So one reason why. I've observed, 00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:16.480 many African -American people feel some resentment 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:20.440 towards Latinos. And I must admit, I've struggled 00:20:20.440 --> 00:20:25.299 with this myself, is that when we look around, 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:29.160 we see how rapidly it appears that the Latino 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:32.799 community has been able to acquire major assets 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:36.720 and influence in the U .S. economy over African 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.859 -American people. What I mean by this is that 00:20:39.859 --> 00:20:42.519 particularly in North Carolina, my hometown of 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:47.019 Raleigh, within 10 years, Latino immigrants have 00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:49.640 been able to build banks, shopping centers, and 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.460 other lucrative companies that African -American 00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:55.920 people have been shut out of by the white power 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:59.079 structures in America and in North Carolina specifically. 00:21:00.269 --> 00:21:03.450 So many Latinos look at their progress and it 00:21:03.450 --> 00:21:06.490 kind of reinforces their prejudice against African 00:21:06.490 --> 00:21:09.390 -American people as being lazy or not being go 00:21:09.390 --> 00:21:12.609 getters or not being smart or what have you. 00:21:12.930 --> 00:21:16.950 And so many of them, in fact, do not hire African 00:21:16.950 --> 00:21:20.369 -American people. And as we're looking towards, 00:21:20.369 --> 00:21:24.970 you know, health equity and all of that includes 00:21:24.970 --> 00:21:29.269 economic justice. How do we address this privilege 00:21:29.269 --> 00:21:32.509 imparted to Latinos over African -American people? 00:21:34.230 --> 00:21:36.650 You know, that is interesting that you say that 00:21:36.650 --> 00:21:42.150 now that you're talking about that. Yeah. And 00:21:42.150 --> 00:21:46.150 and as the Latinos, we look at the Asians. Look 00:21:46.150 --> 00:21:49.009 how fast they built and they built just by doing 00:21:49.009 --> 00:21:53.910 nails most of the time, you know. So we have 00:21:53.910 --> 00:21:57.230 to think about. cheap labor, right? Mexicans, 00:21:57.329 --> 00:22:00.190 or I'm going to say Latinos, because it's including 00:22:00.190 --> 00:22:02.710 everyone, right? So I'm going to be inclusive. 00:22:03.490 --> 00:22:07.470 Latinos are willing to work for less than African 00:22:07.470 --> 00:22:11.690 Americans. And Latinos, like I haven't had a 00:22:11.690 --> 00:22:14.569 day off in four weeks, Sunday through Sunday 00:22:14.569 --> 00:22:18.410 through Sunday through Sunday. So somehow we 00:22:18.410 --> 00:22:21.529 have a different type of work ethic, if you want 00:22:21.529 --> 00:22:24.460 to call it that way. And of course, the white 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:27.240 folks love that because at the end of the day, 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:30.000 what they're paying me is pennies because look 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:33.140 at all the hours I'm giving to the white folks, 00:22:33.259 --> 00:22:36.640 right? African -American, the blacks are not 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:39.400 willing to do that. If they don't get paid extra 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:41.279 for those extra hours, they're not going to go 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:44.240 for it. They're not thinking maybe, you know 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:47.180 what, I'm going to bust my ass right here for 00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:50.079 a year or two, like we think. And then we're 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:53.960 going to build something, right? No, they don't 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:55.640 think that way. They're thinking we're being 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:58.700 discriminated. This is not fair. This is inequity. 00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:02.559 And I totally get because you guys, your, your 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:05.720 rights are being violated. My rights are being 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:08.799 violated too, but we're willing to take it because 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.000 in our minds, this is not our country. So in 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:13.960 our minds, a lot of us are like, we're going 00:23:13.960 --> 00:23:16.180 to make the money. We're going to do businesses 00:23:16.180 --> 00:23:19.559 in here, but we may go back. Some of us think 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:22.579 that way. And some of us think. Yeah, we're going 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:24.259 to continue with this because then we're going 00:23:24.259 --> 00:23:27.460 to build businesses that we can build more businesses. 00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:31.240 Right. But working Sunday through Sunday. And 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:34.220 that's something that the African -American community 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:37.740 are not willing to do. They're more focused on 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:44.700 that discrimination, unfair pay. And they're 00:23:44.700 --> 00:23:48.319 just not willing to do what we, the immigrants, 00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:52.299 the refugees. And all of us are willing to do 00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:56.240 it, right? So that at the end of the day, like 00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:58.740 you say, the white folks are winning no matter 00:23:58.740 --> 00:24:01.680 what. But we see it this way. But we see it this 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:04.019 way, my friend. That's when white folks are winning. 00:24:04.740 --> 00:24:06.440 And that's what they're thinking. They're winning 00:24:06.440 --> 00:24:08.900 with us. And in our mind is like, you're going 00:24:08.900 --> 00:24:11.579 to win for a little bit. And then when we're 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:15.039 ready, we're going to build our own. And we don't 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:17.720 need you anymore. Or we're going to go back home 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:21.259 with the money we make here. You know, that's 00:24:21.259 --> 00:24:23.299 her mentality. So we're going to work for you 00:24:23.299 --> 00:24:27.480 Sunday through Sunday through Sunday. 60, 70, 00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:32.099 80 hours for the same pay. Now you tell me, you 00:24:32.099 --> 00:24:35.299 as an African -American woman, somebody comes 00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:39.759 to you and me. They offer us $40 for 80 hours. 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:42.440 And you will be like, no, that's pennies. And 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:44.819 I will be like, okay, I'll take it. So they'll 00:24:44.819 --> 00:24:48.880 come with me. You know, that's true. That's true. 00:24:48.940 --> 00:24:53.380 So this is where history and context and cultural 00:24:53.380 --> 00:24:56.039 context comes into play, because, you know, I 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:58.599 cannot argue with anything that you said at all. 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:06.059 What I can do is say that. Our people were brought 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:10.819 here forcefully and enslaved where we work for 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:17.910 free. We're terrorized, traumatized. for centuries 00:25:17.910 --> 00:25:25.170 in this country. So when we say no more, it is 00:25:25.170 --> 00:25:32.089 to honor our ancestors who fought and bled and 00:25:32.089 --> 00:25:37.990 died brutally for us to be able to stand up with 00:25:37.990 --> 00:25:42.730 respect and dignity in this country. So our motivation 00:25:43.690 --> 00:25:46.569 comes from a totally different place. Not that 00:25:46.569 --> 00:25:49.529 anyone is right or wrong. It's just that it comes 00:25:49.529 --> 00:25:53.509 from a totally different place that we have become 00:25:53.509 --> 00:25:58.410 a people in this country who has tried our best 00:25:58.410 --> 00:26:02.809 to fight to make this country better and not 00:26:02.809 --> 00:26:07.329 continue to siphon and extract resources from 00:26:07.329 --> 00:26:11.430 us. We are still fighting for our fair share. 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:17.920 You know, it's crazy to know that when African 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:22.319 people who were enslaved, whose families were 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:26.920 destroyed and ripped apart, who were treated 00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:31.980 like animals and livestock, who were bred like 00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:36.660 cattle, when it came time to end that institutionalized 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:42.039 slavery, at least on paper, the American government 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:46.480 gave the white slaveholders reparations for their 00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:52.220 profits lost, and they gave us nothing. So when 00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:57.960 Latino people come here because of a variety 00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:02.059 of different reasons, including being refugees 00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:06.779 from violent places, and seeing this as an alternative, 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:11.079 and making the sacrifices that they make to get 00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:16.759 here, they are not aware of that history. They 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:20.299 just see opportunity. Similar to Asians, you 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:23.880 know, Koreans, all the rest. They just see opportunity. 00:27:24.920 --> 00:27:29.640 And then they also see and hear the stereotypes 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:32.059 about Black people. Oh, they're lazy. They just 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:34.460 don't want to work. They always complain. They 00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:37.230 always using the race card. Right? That's what 00:27:37.230 --> 00:27:39.329 white people tell them. That's what white people 00:27:39.329 --> 00:27:43.410 tell you all. But they don't tell you why. Exactly. 00:27:43.710 --> 00:27:46.369 No, exactly. And I have been learning, you know, 00:27:46.410 --> 00:27:49.930 your history as I go. Because when I arrived 00:27:49.930 --> 00:27:53.009 here, for me, you were an American. When I, you 00:27:53.009 --> 00:27:55.869 know, when I started seeing black is when I came 00:27:55.869 --> 00:27:58.230 to United States. Because when I was in Mexico, 00:27:58.430 --> 00:28:02.329 black or white, you are an American to me. You 00:28:02.329 --> 00:28:05.559 were not a black person. But when I got here 00:28:05.559 --> 00:28:08.779 and I started learning that you are black and 00:28:08.779 --> 00:28:12.900 then American instead of American first, that's 00:28:12.900 --> 00:28:17.519 when I started to. Now, I'm aware of everything 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:22.140 you're saying. And I honor that. But I can never 00:28:22.140 --> 00:28:23.960 replicate the struggle. You know what I mean? 00:28:24.059 --> 00:28:26.059 No. We all have our different struggles. Yeah. 00:28:26.119 --> 00:28:29.319 So I'm happy that you're talking about this because 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:32.700 we're educating communities. And that's true. 00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:35.589 We don't know. We don't know all that history. 00:28:35.829 --> 00:28:38.049 You know, when a Native American approached me 00:28:38.049 --> 00:28:39.789 and said that they were raping, that they were 00:28:39.789 --> 00:28:43.950 all this, and I'm like, my friend, I am ignorant. 00:28:44.529 --> 00:28:49.690 Please educate me on your history. We're all 00:28:49.690 --> 00:28:55.690 trying here to survive and thrive together. So 00:28:55.690 --> 00:28:58.529 it's learning history. And I totally get what 00:28:58.529 --> 00:29:00.990 you what you say that you're like, no, I'm not 00:29:00.990 --> 00:29:04.250 taking 80 hours a week for the same pay. Am I 00:29:04.250 --> 00:29:08.130 going back to slavery or what? Yeah, exactly. 00:29:08.289 --> 00:29:11.369 Or sharecropping or any of that stuff. Yeah. 00:29:11.470 --> 00:29:13.390 And I totally get where you come from. But we 00:29:13.390 --> 00:29:16.410 don't see it that way because we we didn't go 00:29:16.410 --> 00:29:19.970 through that. Right. You know what I mean? I 00:29:19.970 --> 00:29:23.519 do. And I do appreciate. You know, we've said 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:25.900 this all through the conversation. I appreciate 00:29:25.900 --> 00:29:29.799 one. I knew that you would be the person to talk 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:32.440 to. Right. I appreciate us being able to share 00:29:32.440 --> 00:29:37.579 this honestly and openly. And I think I also 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:39.920 appreciate I don't want anybody else to go through. 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:41.619 I think most black people don't want anybody 00:29:41.619 --> 00:29:43.420 else to go through what we went through. That 00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:46.599 is not what we're about. I think one of the things 00:29:46.599 --> 00:29:51.470 that hurts us. Is that people who come here who 00:29:51.470 --> 00:29:53.470 are not white, we're not talking about the French 00:29:53.470 --> 00:29:56.630 people or the white Canadians or, you know, the 00:29:56.630 --> 00:29:58.529 white Australians or anybody else. We're talking 00:29:58.529 --> 00:30:03.049 about non -white people who come here. That they 00:30:03.049 --> 00:30:06.869 unfortunately are ignorant. They don't know. 00:30:06.990 --> 00:30:08.829 That's what I mean by ignorant. I'm not. They 00:30:08.829 --> 00:30:13.789 don't know our history to understand that our 00:30:13.789 --> 00:30:18.240 struggle, our fight, that that tenacity. To say, 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:20.680 we're not doing this for less. We're going to 00:30:20.680 --> 00:30:23.420 call you out on your racism. We're going to stand 00:30:23.420 --> 00:30:27.279 up and fight. Those fights is what made it possible 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:32.339 for people to come here and make a way. Because 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:34.680 before that, it was all for white people. And 00:30:34.680 --> 00:30:37.200 they didn't mind putting that up everywhere all 00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:41.680 the time. But what white people do, and I mean 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:44.259 this especially in terms of the way that our 00:30:44.259 --> 00:30:47.819 institutions and our structures are set up. Is 00:30:47.819 --> 00:30:50.700 that when people come here, even for African 00:30:50.700 --> 00:30:55.859 people who immigrate here, they make sure that 00:30:55.859 --> 00:30:59.160 the narrative is for everyone to look down on 00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:03.000 us. Why? Because if we truly have solidarity 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:05.579 and people truly see our struggle and identify 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:08.079 with our struggle and understand what we're fighting 00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:13.039 for and how if we all work together for the unified 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:17.069 goal, it will displace them. it will shake this 00:31:17.069 --> 00:31:21.269 power structure to its core. It will require 00:31:21.269 --> 00:31:24.329 white people to have to give something up, give 00:31:24.329 --> 00:31:27.630 up some power, give up some privilege, give up 00:31:27.630 --> 00:31:32.829 some prosperity to share, to be collective. And 00:31:32.829 --> 00:31:36.349 so they must put us down and make us look bad 00:31:36.349 --> 00:31:40.990 so that other people won't listen to us. And 00:31:40.990 --> 00:31:43.390 so that other people won't identify with us. 00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:46.519 And so that other people won't walk alongside 00:31:46.519 --> 00:31:52.420 us. And that is why I think, in my opinion, in 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:54.779 my experience, in my professional expertise, 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.700 that Black people oftentimes, African -American 00:31:58.700 --> 00:32:03.319 people oftentimes feel resentment towards non 00:32:03.319 --> 00:32:05.680 -white immigrants in particular. You know, we 00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:07.380 see white people as white people. If you come 00:32:07.380 --> 00:32:10.799 from... Great Britain or, you know, Ireland or 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:12.839 whatever, you know, until you prove yourself 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:17.039 otherwise as an accomplice, an ally or something, 00:32:17.099 --> 00:32:20.420 you know, of relevance to our struggle, we see 00:32:20.420 --> 00:32:23.700 you the same. Yes. Because we know you have the 00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:26.059 same history. Your ancestors came here and raped 00:32:26.059 --> 00:32:28.079 and pillaged and, you know, enslaved people just 00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:30.279 like everybody else. Or you did it in your own 00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:33.339 community. Like in Australia, you did the same 00:32:33.339 --> 00:32:36.400 thing to the indigenous people there. So we already 00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:43.339 know who you are. So that's kind of just my take 00:32:43.339 --> 00:32:47.480 on that. Now, as we wrap up, and this is such 00:32:47.480 --> 00:32:49.759 a rich and beautiful conversation, I'm always 00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:52.200 so happy to talk with you, Lisa. And I just want 00:32:52.200 --> 00:32:55.019 to say thank you so much for bringing all of 00:32:55.019 --> 00:32:58.059 yourself to this conversation and always being 00:32:58.059 --> 00:33:01.200 consistent and a powerful, powerful advocate 00:33:01.200 --> 00:33:04.500 and doer. She's not just a talker. She is a doer. 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:07.859 My last question to you is what would you say 00:33:07.859 --> 00:33:11.259 to someone who feels like their voice doesn't 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:15.740 matter? What would I say to that someone? Well, 00:33:16.039 --> 00:33:20.940 I would say 27 years ago, I thought that my voice 00:33:20.940 --> 00:33:23.700 was never going to matter until I started speaking 00:33:23.700 --> 00:33:27.779 up. And then I started speaking out and I noticed 00:33:27.779 --> 00:33:31.079 that someone was noticing me. No, it was not 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:34.599 overnight. It's going to take you years and years. 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:37.539 And whoever wants to speak up and have a voice 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:39.839 out there, just know that you're going to get 00:33:39.839 --> 00:33:44.279 500 no's before you get one yes. And the people 00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:48.920 are going to help you doubt your own ideas, your 00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:51.519 own way of thinking. They're going to challenge 00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:53.799 it every day because when you're different and 00:33:53.799 --> 00:33:56.789 you think different. they might try to shut that 00:33:56.789 --> 00:34:00.490 voice. So please don't get discouraged. If you 00:34:00.490 --> 00:34:03.150 have new ideas, if you think that you're smart 00:34:03.150 --> 00:34:06.049 and if you think that you can be loud and if 00:34:06.049 --> 00:34:08.309 you think that you have something for us, please 00:34:08.309 --> 00:34:13.969 speak out. Please speak up too. Please reach 00:34:13.969 --> 00:34:16.889 out to me. I would love to know your ideas because 00:34:16.889 --> 00:34:20.050 your voice to me matters and I don't care who 00:34:20.050 --> 00:34:23.340 you are. Whoever is listening to this podcast 00:34:23.340 --> 00:34:26.900 and think that don't have a voice and that their 00:34:26.900 --> 00:34:29.199 voice don't matter, don't matter. Here you're 00:34:29.199 --> 00:34:32.900 talking to somebody who was undocumented, crossed 00:34:32.900 --> 00:34:35.579 the border in the trunk of a car, was abused, 00:34:36.059 --> 00:34:40.159 attempt to kill herself. 27 years later, I'm 00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:42.480 one of the Office of the Health Equity Commissioner. 00:34:42.760 --> 00:34:45.420 I am your commissioner in the state of Colorado. 00:34:45.639 --> 00:34:49.679 So my voice didn't matter. Yes, yes, indeed. 00:34:50.590 --> 00:34:53.690 And what a wonderful testimony to come out on 00:34:53.690 --> 00:34:55.809 the other side and still be fighting the good 00:34:55.809 --> 00:35:00.030 fight. Thank you so much, Julissa. Thank you. 00:35:00.030 --> 00:35:02.670 And thank you for inviting me to your podcast. 00:35:02.730 --> 00:35:05.690 And to everyone out there, please follow me on 00:35:05.690 --> 00:35:08.389 LinkedIn, Julissa Soto. Thank you very much.