We’re celebrating our third year anniversary at Our Body Politic! We started this journey covering the 2020 election, so let’s continue on that path by covering one of the states that will be key in the next election - Georgia. On this episode of Our Body Politic, host Farai Chideya, speaks with Kendra Davenport Cotton, CEO of the New Georgia Project about mobilizing voters in the peach state. Then Farai speaks with Georgia State Representative Mesha Mainor about her decision to switch parties and become the first Black Republican woman serving in the Georgia Assembly. We round out the show with a report by host Farai Chideya about the efforts by the Burning Man festival to diversify, straight from Burners of color.
Farai Chideya [00:00:06] Hi, folks. We are so glad that you're listening to Our Body Politic. If you haven't yet, remember to follow this podcast on your podcast, your of choice like Apple or Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. And if you have time, please leave us a review. It helps other listeners find us and we read them for your feedback. Here's what one of you had to say. More Black and brown, queer and trans content. I listen to Transpolitics 101 and it was super informative. I didn't realize all the insidious ways the state is trying to control. It runs along the same lines of eugenics. It's another public health and human rights issue, and I appreciate the visibility on this podcast. These episodes have been becoming such an important place for the development of politicization, and I hope you all continue to challenge and push us through this content. Would love an episode around abolitionism. You can also reach out to us on Instagram and X @ourbodypolitic. We're here for you, with you and because of you, so keep letting us know what's on your mind. We'd also love for you to join in financially supporting the show if you're able. You can find out more at ourbodypolitic.com/donate. Thanks for listening.
This is Our Body Politic. I'm Farai Chideya. Happy anniversary to us. It has been three years since we launched our show, and we couldn't have done any of this without you. Thank you so much. We started Our Body Politic covering the last presidential election, and now we're looking towards the next one with voters in a key state, Georgia. The New Georgia project is on a mission to build power and increase civic participation in the Peach State. They need voters where they're at, and nothing proves this more than a 2020 voter mobilization campaign where they urged Georgians to get their booties to the polls.
Booty to the Poll Ad [00:02:00] Not sure which one to vote for. Go to New Georgia Project dot org to learn more about the candidates. It's easy to get your body to the polls. Wait. November 3rd is the last day to vote. So get your body to the polls right now. For voting resources, including downloading your simple ballot, go to getyourbootytothepoll.com
Farai Chideya [00:02:24] And with that rush to the polls, Georgians gave Democrats a slim majority in the U.S. Senate. The New Georgia Project wants everyone to vote. So along with fun campaigns, they hit the streets and go door to door mobilizing. To talk more about mobilizing the vote in Georgia now is Kendra Davenport Cotton, CEO of the New Georgia Project. Kendra, thanks for being here today.
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:02:47] Thank you for having me, Farai. It's a pleasure.
Farai Chideya [00:02:49] So Georgia obviously has made a lot of news in recent years and forever and politically is very much a state where everything is in play. So what does New Georgia Project do?
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:03:03] So New Georgia Project is a massive civic engagement, civic mobilization apparatus. We are pretty much the largest civic engagement entity in the state of Georgia since MLK Day when we launched our voter registration efforts for 2023. I am excited to report that we have hit the 45,000 voter mark in voter registrations in 2023, which is no small feat. Particularly in a state that has automatic voter registration through the DMV. So when you ask what does NGP do? Well, we recognize that not everyone is going to have a car. Not everyone is going to be going to the DMV to get a license. So they're not going to be automatically registered. And we also appreciate the fact that in these United States now, like elections are won on the margins. And so when you talk about whether it's your municipal elections or somebody running for school board, you're talking about people who have decision making authority over our lives that are inking in office by 200 votes, 100 votes, 50 votes in some city council races. And so we know that the 45,000 people that we've been able to put on the rolls in this year alone are going to have an impact in our quest to move our state forward towards a more progressive tomorrow.
Farai Chideya [00:04:26] Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, announced that the office was cleaning up their voter rolls by canceling nearly 200,000 voter registrations. The practice is known as voter purging. It's kind of use it or lose it. So talk to me about voter purges in Georgia and how the New Georgia project views this.
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:04:47] So voter purges, and I want to be very clear, we do understand that people move, that people pass away. And so if we are crystal clear about relegating a purge, if you will, to those two categories, then I don't think there's anyone that's going to have an argument. The concern, Farai, is in that almost 200,000 Georgians that the secretary of state's office identified as needed to have been stricken from the rolls. There were roughly about 2000 Georgians lumped up in there that through our collective efforts. And not just New Georgia project, but the larger ecosystem; calling, texting, trying to alert individuals that this was a possibility. Those folks actually were able to rectify the situation and remain eligible voters. And so it is our contention that if that purge results in even one valid Georgia citizen registered voter, precluding them from having their voice heard, then that is voter suppression, because every vote matters. We recognize that, again, as I said at the outset, this is a game of margins and I think everyone sees that. And so what the strategy is right now by folks who think that we need to retrench instead of expanding our electorate is that they are trying to chip away in very key areas and parts of our state to ensure that in close elections, whatever side they are for is going to prevail.
Farai Chideya [00:06:26] And so do these voter purges, as they're called, affect people of color differently in terms of frequency?
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:06:33] Yes. But here in Georgia, I want to make sure people understand. When Raphael Warnock ascended to the Senate, our state legislature passed a piece of legislation called SB 202. What SB 202 allowed for? Is that any John Q Public and I'm talking to anybody off the street can go to their local board of election and assert that large swaths of individuals are not valid voters. We had this happen in Forsyth County, Georgia, where we had one citizen come in and challenge the eligibility for 13,000 Georgians. And so when that occurs, the onus is not on that citizen to prove that those individuals should not be on the rolls. No. Instead, it is incumbent upon the individuals who have been challenged to prove that they should remain on the rolls. And that's pretty scary.
Farai Chideya [00:07:27] Yeah. Let's broaden the lens on Georgia. The 2020 presidential election is still in the news in Georgia and nationally with the criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 Georgia election results. You wrote a piece for The Grio where you said, quote, Trump's indictment in Fulton County is a form of retribution for Black voters. What did you mean by that?
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:07:55] Donald Trump really thought that he could take advantage of the climate in a southern state like Georgia. We all know that down south. And I am not casting aspersions because I am southern born and bred, originally from Arkansas. People know that down south we've had to fight for the rights that we have a little more vociferously than folks in other regions of our country. I'm trying to be magnanimous here. And so with that, and when Donald Trump made that phone call.
Donald Trump [00:08:28] We had him counted very painstakingly, 18,000 voters having to do with the Ruby Freemen. That's she's a vote scammer, a professional vote scammer and hustler.
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:08:42] When he, by name, cast aspersions towards two election workers. Ms. Moss and Ms. Freemen who were just working and trying to do their jobs and serve their communities. But when he tried to make them out to be liars and cheats and conniving, it was so wrong when he unleashed, if you will, a mob on those two private citizens. He used the bully pulpit of the presidency to bully two Black women who were election workers. So when I say that that is retribution, that's what I mean, because he has to be held to account so that others don't repeat what he tried to orchestrate in January of 2021. In that article or at I don't know if it was in an interview, I also said it was treason and I meant that. That was treasonous behavior. We should not be desensitized to that. We had this man on tape directing a duly elected secretary of state of a sovereign state, because federalism still exists in this country to find votes that would have overturned an election. He tried to orchestrate fake electors that would have come in and essentially overthrown the will of the people here in Georgia and granted him Georgia's electoral votes. That cannot be allowed to stand. And I applaud D.A. Willis for taking those charges before a grand jury. But I want to make sure that folks understand it was not D.A. Willis that decided that there was enough to bring this to trial. It was a jury of former President Trump's peers.
Farai Chideya [00:10:33] So we've been getting deep into the weeds of electoral politics and partisan politics. But New Georgia Project is an independent, nonpartisan organization. How do you frame your work in that context?
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:10:47] So I want to be clear. So I'm a former political scientist. I'm a proud dropout. And so what we do is we educate. Now, Kendra Cotton can have her own personal views and her own personal political slant. But what we are trying to get folks out here to do is just connect with an issue of the heart. We aren't shilling for a political party because we don't care what letter is behind your name. If you are not delivering on the policies that our community want to see put into practice, then you can catch this smoke too. And that gets us in trouble with both Democrats and Republicans.
It matters not. The point is that we are trying to move our state into a more progressive future, period. And so we do that with our organizing campaigns. We talk about issues like the environment. We talk about reproductive justice issues. We talk about childcare. We have a campaign that is targeted towards Black males. We have a campaign that is targeted towards young Georgians, age 18 to 35. When we say we're trying to meet people where they are, that's what we're doing. And we are never telling them how to vote. What we are trying to teach folks how to do is: You take the issue that you really care deeply about. Like for me, it's health care for lots of reasons. And so if healthcare is the preeminent issue to me, when I walk up into a voting booth, I don't have to be enamored with either of the individuals that are on that ballot. Right? What I have to do is make an adult decision, a rational decision as to who is going to be better on my heart issue than the other. And that's what it's all about. And those are the kinds of conversations that we are having when we're knocking on doors, when we're talking to folks, when we go to register folks, we're not asking them what their political leanings are. We could care less. We're trying to expand the electorate. It is up to these candidates to make the case. But we are trying to teach people how to be informed voters.
Farai Chideya [00:12:50] What do you say to people who and and obviously there are many who are like, look, I voted for a while, but my neighborhood looks the same. There's the same amount of trash. Things cost more than they used to. What's the point?
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:13:03] So for individuals that are disaffected and trust me, I get it. Now, if you want to say what do we say very flippantly, very flippantly, we might say, well, listen, you may not do politics, but politics damn sure is going to do you. And so that usually gets folks’ attention. Right? But we also encourage people to stand up and play a more active role in their civic life. Why not you? Why can't you stand up and make a change in your neighborhood? Why can't you run for, you know, the county commission or city council or mayor or school board or wagon, whatever office that has a direct connection to the issue of the heart that matters to you? Because I think too often, particularly in progressive circles, we have been so caught up with folks having ten, 11, 12 letters behind their name as if that's going to qualify them to run for office, when in fact, we need individuals who are not self-aggrandizing, who are not in it simply for the ego, simply to level up to the next office because they're trying to advance their political careers. Like, we need regular people to run. And so that's what I would encourage folks to do. But then again, I would take the time to have a heartfelt conversation and really talk with individuals about how voting can really change their lives for the better.
Farai Chideya [00:14:33] Now, you also have a research wing. You've done work of policy desires of Georgia voters. What are you finding?
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:14:43] So I'll tell you this and I use this little anecdote often because it makes the point. So when the Dobbs decision came down last summer, we were out in the field and so we were talking to individuals about it. And what we found, Farai, is that let me tell you something, for Black and brown folks down south, using the word abortion is a nonstarter, right? So Black and brown folks, though, when you talk to them about bodily autonomy, when you talk to them about reproductive justice, they're all on board with that. But they don't want to hear nothing you got to say about abortion. And so that's what we learned when we were out in the field surveying folks. And so let me tell you how that informed our work. We had canvassers out the doors already talking to people when we got that data back from our field research. We did a complete 180. We readjusted our scripts, then we then sent our canvasing corps back out to begin to have these very important conversations. And then that's when we saw that Black and brown folks are very good on reproductive justice issues. It just can't be framed under that umbrella of abortion. And so we try to meet people where they are using the words that are going to get them to say, hey, yes, that's what I want, or I agree with you on that issue.
Farai Chideya [00:16:02] Yeah, definitely. There's a long tradition of Black Democratic voters being more socially conservative than a lot of white Democratic voters. And we're also speaking with Mesha Mainor, who's the Georgia state representative who switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. But how do you effectively do that bridging work to make sure that you can get people to vote who may not see a place? For them in the political environment as it stands today, like some people who are socially conservative, Black voters who don't feel like either party is exactly what they want.
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:16:32] So I do not have all the answers to that question. So let me concede that point right out the gate. This is labor intensive work. And so what we do, Farai, through conversations, through organizing across the state in the eight offices that we have open, we're talking with folks and we're trying to determine why they may feel that there's no place for them in our current political environment. We're also trying to educate people because a minute ago we were a little in the weeds on some of these electoral issues. But what I have noticed through conversation and in hearing feedback from our staff is there are a lot of folks out here that simply do not understand the basic tenets and principles of federalism. And so when they say government, they're lumping all levels of government together. And so what we have a duty to do in a place like Georgia is when someone says, well, oh my goodness, the current administration hasn't done anything for me. They're not passing that in my life is the same…whatever. Well, instead of just conceding that point or walking away frustrated. No, we need to pull on that thread because we have an obligation to say, Well, let me correct you on that. There's lots of things being passed federally. It's just that you live in a ruby red state where all of your constitutional offices are held by conservative leaders. Both chambers of your state legislature are held by conservatives, and they are being obstructive to the policies that our federal administration are passing because they politically do not want to give them a win. And so when you begin to educate people about that, so is it really… is your ire really focused on the federal administration? Are you pissed off at your state government?
Farai Chideya [00:18:16] Mm hmm. Yeah. Well, before we wrap up here, what brings you joy about doing this work? You obviously are passionate and engaged and bring a lot of energy to what you're doing. So what gives you joy?
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:18:28] I've always loved the government and infrastructure, and I know that's a geek. But again, like I said, I'm a PHd drop out in political science. I'm an OG student council president. I am that type. So, like, you know, my I have three children who are 22, 18 and 16, and they are going to be living in the world. And so I truly live by the tenet “to whom much is given, much is required,” and I want the world that they live in to be better than the one that I have come up in. And so that's what gives me energy and joy. And I really, really do want more people to stand up and make their voices heard, because I think the more of us that are engaged and involved in this process, we cannot be ignored. That is power and we just need to take ownership of that.
Farai Chideya [00:19:15] Kendra Davenport Cotton, CEO of the New Georgia Project. Thanks for joining us today.
Kendra Davenport Cotton [00:19:21] Thank you.
Farai Chideya [00:19:25] Mesha Mainor was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2020. Since her election, she's been hard at work representing the 56th District, which includes parts of Atlanta and is overwhelmingly blue. But in July, she made a historic announcement.
Mesha Mainor [00:19:40] We have been on a journey together for two terms and we've had some wins. But there is a better path and we can do so much more. That is why today I am announcing that I am joining the Republican Party.
Farai Chideya [00:19:57] By switching parties. Mesha Mainor is now the first Black Republican woman to ever serve in the Georgia General Assembly and she joins me now. Representative Mainor, thanks for being here.
Mesha Mainor [00:20:08] Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Farai Chideya [00:20:11] So let's start with your values, because it sounds to me from reading what you said, that this was a decision about how you see your values operating in the world. So regardless of what you call them, you know, blue values, red values, what are Misha's values?
Mesha Mainor [00:20:27] First and foremost, starting with education, we have people in society that cannot read or perform simple math that leads them down a path of no future. If you don't have a future that leads you to lots of other paths, which may include some negative run-ins with the law, if you will, so then that leads into poor public safety. The cycle can just go on and on. So I would say first and foremost, education, but also just family values and Christian values that the Constitution, our motto for America, is In God we Trust. And for some reason now, it is taboo to say the word God. And that is really confusing to me that we're taking God out of the picture. And honestly, the Democrat Party, we want to be inclusive to everything except to faith. And that's a big issue for me.
Farai Chideya [00:21:25] So let's dig in on some of these things. Let's talk about SB233. That was some legislation that failed but would have offered parents with kids in low performing schools $6500 towards things like private school tuition. Tell me about where you stood on that and how it separated you from your former party.
Mesha Mainor [00:21:46] Unlike most of the people in the House, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, I actually represent the community that I was born in and also the community that raised me. When I was a little girl the schools were failing. Let's say 40 years later, I'm 48 years now. The schools are still failing and they're actually in worse condition than they were 40 years ago. So my stance was hard. I was not going to tote the party line on this one because first and foremost, I believe that children should have the opportunity to educational freedom. I do not believe in locking a child up in a school or a family into a failing system. I believe in putting people over systems.
Farai Chideya [00:22:35] And tell me also about how your views and values on public safety may not have fit with your identity in the past as a Democrat in your perspective.
Mesha Mainor [00:22:46] Right. You know, what's funny is you're asking me about my values, but my community. I'm going to go back to the school choice. My community is screaming for a choice. I'm just relaying that message to the General Assembly. The Democrats are against my community wanting educational freedom. When it comes to defunding the police. When that bill came out initially, I was campaigning during the whole George Floyd era and during the COVID pandemic. When I was not even in office, I said, This is ridiculous. We do not need to defund the police. I'm a victim of stalking. When I call the police, the police sometimes do not show up. And so my response was, the last thing I'm going to do is give the police the opportunity to say, we did not show up because we don't have the funding. Most of the seniors in my community were reaching out to me, women, Black seniors, saying, we do not want to defund the police. Whatever you do, do not vote to defund the police. People want safe communities. And so it is just unfathomable to me why the Democrats would support defunding the police. And now let's jump forward a few years. Now they're saying they never even said that, which is completely untrue.
Farai Chideya [00:24:07] American politics is such an interesting mix of demographics and psychographics. And I grew up in a working class, middle class Black neighborhood where a lot of people were social conservatives, but most, though not all, were also Democrats. Do you feel like with your values and also with your community's values, that either of the two parties is exactly what you need?
Mesha Mainor [00:24:33] I do not think either party is perfect. I think there are some things that are not right with the Republican Party. There are definitely some things that are not right with the Democrat Party. And so the message I'm sending to my constituents is list your top five priorities because no party is going to be perfect. I'm not even asking them to switch parties. I just want them to see in real time… list what your priorities are. If you say education, public safety, family values, if you list those three things in your top five, you might need to vote for a Republican because those values are at the bottom of the totem pole for Democrats. And I honestly would not have even know that unless I was a policymaker. It wasn't until I started reading the legislation that we were passing that I realized what we were passing as Democrats was detrimental to Black communities, especially underserved Black communities.
Farai Chideya [00:25:35] So what do your constituents think about your choice? Because even if they may agree with you on values and issues, they may or may not agree with you on switching parties. So what do you hear when you talk to your constituents?
Mesha Mainor [00:25:48] From the moment that I announced, my constituents were emailing me, texting me, calling me, saying, you have been here to support the community, we don't care what letter is next to your name, you still have our vote. I was at the Atlanta University Center, which is our HBCUs that are all in my district. When I was up there, overwhelmingly welcome response. Thank you for what you do, Representative Mainor. My constituents know I'm fighting for them.
Farai Chideya [00:26:19] And so what about your former party colleagues within your legislative body? When you talk to people who are members of the Democratic Party, who are other elected officials from other districts? What kind of conversations do you have? I assume some of them were a little tense.
Mesha Mainor [00:26:39] They were tense prior to me switching. So I got into office… 2021 was my first year in office. That year it was the special needs scholarship bill. I'm a physical therapist. I worked in Children's Hospital. I would do anything I possibly could for a child with a disability. They were against that. So from the moment that I walked in, I was fighting policies for people that need services that they were against. So this is not a new thing. I've been fighting my colleagues for three years.
Farai Chideya [00:27:17] And what about the Republican members of your body? What was their response once you switched? Or perhaps as you talk to them, as you were gearing up to switch?
Mesha Mainor [00:27:29] So ironically, the special needs scholarship bill was a Republican bill. Not defunding the police, a Republican bill. So your question, what is the Republican response? They've been helping me since the moment I walked in the door. And the response is, hey, we welcome you. We know you're not going to agree on every single thing that we may want to put up on the table. But we know that you vote for your district and we can respect that.
Farai Chideya [00:28:01] Well, it sounds like you have had some victories on the local level. Let me ask you about the national level. To be honest, many Americans, regardless of their party, have concerns about their party, whether they're Democrats or Republicans. The two major parties. Former President Donald Trump, is running for reelection. He is leading the field in the GOP for the next presidential nominee. Some Republicans have concerns about that… as a relatively new Republican. What's your perspective on the national politics of the party?
Mesha Mainor [00:28:39] I feel like one of the things that I like about the Republican Party is it's a big tent. There are lots of different facets of Republicans. Here in Georgia, there are many different groups of different types of Republicans. I did not have the opportunity to be under multiple tents on the Democrat side. You fall in lockstep or you are cast to the side. I just joined the party, so I have not decided on either candidate because before I was going to be voting for Joe Biden. So whomever the nominee will be for the Republican Party, I will support the majority.
Farai Chideya [00:29:19] Now, of course, Georgia, the state of Georgia is actively filing charges against the president and some of his allies. Does that give you pause about making your declaration that you will support whoever the nominee is?
Mesha Mainor [00:29:34] It doesn't give me pause, because if you were asking this question about a Black man, the world will want him to be innocent until proven guilty. And so I feel like we need to give anybody in the system that same opportunity to prove themselves guilty or not guilty.
Farai Chideya [00:29:54] And when it comes to your political allegiances, do you believe that this switch to the GOP is probably a permanent one, or do you think that you are… You know, I think about what Frederick Douglass said, that there's permanent interests that people have, and it sounds like you have some permanent interest in terms of what you want from education policy, what you want from public safety. Is it more of a case of a permanent alliance with the GOP or a permanent set of interest and you continuing to evaluate which party is best for them?
Mesha Mainor [00:30:28] So I signed affirmation, you know, I pledged allegiance to the GOP. So right now I am aligned with the GOP. My values? If the GOP ever said we do not care about children in failing schools, then we would probably have an issue. If the GOP ever said we no longer care about public safety. We would have an issue.
Farai Chideya [00:30:56] Let me talk about your specific position as a groundbreaker. You're the first Black Republican woman to serve in the Georgia State Assembly. What about support for women of color in politics in Georgia? Do you think that there is enough or the right kind, you know, based on your previous experience as well as your current?
Mesha Mainor [00:31:18] I would say this. I am a physical therapist. I went to Howard University. I'm a single mother of two. I worked with former Congressman John Lewis. I worked with the US assistant Surgeon General Dr. Helene Gayle, who is now the president of Spelman College. I come from a line of professionalism. I come from a line of you don't go to work to play. You go to work to work. And in politics, especially people that are serving underserved communities, I think because underserved communities have low socioeconomic status, have low education status, they are trampling over them for their own benefit. I feel like we have people in office that really could care less about the people that they represent. I do wish that there were more people like me. I'm not saying that I'm perfect, but I am saying that I care, and I wish that more people cared about the people that they represent. And it's not enough Black women in office that actually care about the people they represent. And the moment that they're some in office, I will gladly support them. I'm going to say a topic that may be taboo to say, but it's really interesting how Black people will not support other Black people. I just don't get it. What God has for me is for me, and what God has for you is for you. Which means I don't need to compete with you. There's no competition. What's mine is mine. And what's yours is yours. And so I wish more people had that mentality so we could actually move our communities forward.
Farai Chideya [00:32:59] You know, only 5% of state legislators in the country are Black women. And obviously that's considerably less than it should be based on the population strength. You talk about the ways in which Black people may not always support Black people, but also political structures don't always support Black women. You know, whether it's Black women in business or Black women in education or Black women in politics. What are some of the ways in which more Black women like yourself might be able to get elected office?
Mesha Mainor [00:33:34] I did a town hall the other day, not in my community. It was a faith town hall. Black conservatives, and a woman got up. You know, she was a little nasty. She was upset that I was getting this attention as a Black woman. And I've only been a Republican for 2 seconds. And she talked about how she's run for office. And the GOP has never helped her. And the fact that there's so many other Republicans that are saying they want to help me. And she was offended by that. And my response to her was two things: When I ran for office, no one helped me. When you win a seat, you're winning a seat because you're out there grinding. And the Lord wanted you to have the seat. If you don't win, you either were not grinding or the Lord just has another plan for you. The second thing that I told her is the Republicans are supporting me. I've won two seats for a constituency of 60,000 people. You know, I'm not standing in a place of a newbie out here. I'm standing in the place of won my first seat by 55%, won my second seat by 65%. So they're supporting a candidate, one that they see cares about their community. They know that I put the work in and they know that they want to see the best for the people in my district. And people say, well, why in the world would the GOP want your community to succeed? Okay, I'm going to tell you they want my community to succeed because if my community is working, if my community is educated, that adds to the workforce of Georgia. I'm not saying it's because they just have this near and dear place in their heart for the people on Bankhead Highway. But it is beneficial to everybody if we're educated and we're working.
Farai Chideya [00:35:35] And so do you have concerns that given your strong wins in the past, that you might lose your seat because people have concerns about your new party affiliation?
Mesha Mainor [00:35:46] I do not think that I'm going to lose my seat. I have overwhelming support. I've always had overwhelming support. I have always been the nontraditional candidate. I have always been the candidate that the system does not like. People are tired of the system. And so the people that did not support me before that are a part of the system, they probably won't support me now. And I'm not going to try to win their vote either, because I know they're probably pretty stuck in their ways of they want a system person in and not a people person.
Farai Chideya [00:36:24] Mesha Mainor, Georgia House of Representatives member representing the 56th District. Thank you for joining us today.
Mesha Mainor [00:36:32] Thank you for having me.
Farai Chideya [00:36:35] After our interview with Representative Mainor, we reached out to the Georgia Democratic Party. They responded with a copy of the July statement made by the chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, Congresswoman Nikki McWilliams. The statement reads. Representative Misha Maynor Switch to the GOP is a stinging betrayal of her constituents who elected a Democrat to represent them in the state legislature. House District 56 deserves a representative who will do the job they were elected to do, including fighting for high quality public education. Georgia Democrats look forward to electing a strong Democrat next year in HD 56 who will serve the people, not personal political ambitions. We also reached out to the Georgia Department of Education regarding Representative Mainers comments on low performing schools. They did not reply by the time we published. We'll update you if we hear from them.
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Farai Chideya [00:37:47] You are listening to Our Body Politic. I'm Farai Chideya. In 1986, Burning Man was a small, quirky one night Fyre Festival on Baker Beach in San Francisco. In 1991, it moved to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, a beautiful and severe salt flat, popularly known as the Playa. Only about 250 people watched the man burn that year. And then seven years later, was a major event in Burning Man history. Okay, I'm just kidding. But it was the year I came to the festival for the first time, invited by creative and adventurous friends from the Bay Area. An estimated 15,000 people came that year, and some of them, including me, rode camels in the desert. Yes, the Black Rock Desert. In the intervening years, Burning Man has become a punch line for some and a rite of passage for others. It's an event some people decry as immoral and others uplift as spiritually healing. Somewhere between 75,080 thousand people came to Burning Man in 2022. This summer I went back to Burning Man for the first time in seven years to gather interviews of life on the playa and find out more about the growing community of burners of color, including their creativity, passion and struggle, and how the Burning Man organization supports them. This year, the Struggle bus pulled up to Black Rock City in the form of torrential rains that turned the formerly dry and dusty, hard packed ground into something more like half dry concrete. Tens of thousands of people and their vehicles, including the famous decorated ark cars, were stranded in the mud. President Biden was even briefed on the chaos. A few attendees, like comedian Chris Rock and DJ Diplo, made their escape by trudging through the mud and hitchhiking their way to safety. That wasn't the only news this year. Climate change protesters from the group Seven Circles created a blockade that caused miles of backed up traffic. Freedom News TV captured video of protesters at the scene shortly before members of local law enforcement drove through their blockade and arrested them.
News Clip [00:39:59] Wait for the call. No, the cops are coming right over there right now. Oh we’re not burners? [inaudible yelling]
Farai Chideya [00:40:15] I left Burning Man before the rains because I had a family obligation and wow, was that good timing? So I talked with my camp mate, Sarah Janjua, who stayed through the rain.
Sarah Janjua [00:40:25] The forecast of the rain. The energy definitely started to shift across Playa. There is this sense of nervousness and then, you know, as the rain started happening, everyone's thinking, okay, it's not that bad. It's the desert. How long is the rain really going to last? And then as it persisted, you know, we really… while a lot of people were presented with different challenges, I really found the silver lining in taking the opportunity to turn inward and stay in my camp and get to know my campmates on a much deeper level. And honestly, it was a really, really beautiful part of my burn this year.
Farai Chideya [00:41:05] Sarah and I are part of Liminal Labs. It's one of the many theme camps who commit to producing events and giving back to the Burning Man community. Some theme camps serve food. I personally love doing what I call the tour to breakfast, biking around to get freshly sugar, powdered bananas and breakfast tacos from different camps. I got a facial at the spa across the street from our camp. Costume Cult and other camps give away clothes. Nothing is allowed to be sold except ice to keep your food fresh. Mainly, Burning Man is about spontaneity and emotional connection. About the people you meet as you navigate the most interesting pop up city in the world.
Farai Chideya [00:41:43] So I'm going to describe what you're wearing. You have pink hair with some flowers woven into it, like a fabric flower situation and some little. Horns and pink bikini top, khaki pants and a sleeveless shirt. And why did you come back? Why did you? What appeals to you about the labyrinth?
Ladybug [00:42:06] Just the freedom to express yourself. To be yourself. The way you connect with people. Like we really are who we are here. There's no cover. You are just. It's just you and people. And I love it. I really love it.
Farai Chideya [00:42:19] That was part of my conversation with Ladybug, who I met during one of my tours de breakfast. She's a Black burner from San Bernardino, California, back for her second burn and camping with a group called Black Burners Union. Ladybug, her playa name, of course, says that on her first burn in 2018, she didn't see a lot of diversity.
Ladybug [00:42:40] When I first came, I was in a not a real camp, but the people around us kind of made our own little community. But I didn't see any Black people at all. I did go roller skating one day and I saw two Black people there and that was the whole burn. And it was like, Well, I guess this is it for us.
Farai Chideya [00:43:01] This year, Burning Man created a very loose, multicultural district, a mix of explicit people of color camps, multiracial camps like my own Liminal Labs, as well as all white camps. It definitely allowed for more Black on Black conversations while heading to the porta potties or the local bar. And yes, Black Rock City is full of bars, which, unlike previous years now card. The Burning Man organization's commitment to becoming more diverse in some ways originates with a gentleman we've had on Our Body Politic before, Professor Steven Thrasher, the author of the book The Viral Underclass. Steven, who is a friend, a Burner and a Black man, interviewed Burning Man founder Larry Harvey for The Guardian in 2015. As the headline trumpeted, Harvey said, Black folks don't like to camp as much as white folks, and he was widely trolled. After that, Harvey and the Burning Man organization began putting together working groups on diversity, asking theme camps to have a diversity czar. I was my camps this year, and in 2023 creating the sprawling multicultural district. One of my camp's neighbors was Congee Central, a place where I got the delicious rice porridge on one of my tours de breakfast. It was also an example of how people bring their deepest family stories and cultural backgrounds to the playa like Congee Central camp leader Monie Yip.
Monie Yip [00:44:23] I love food. And then I was just thinking, Oh, congee. And it made me think of my dad of like when he was, you know, during the Khmer Rouge, he would he was one of the victims where he would be out in the fields, you know, working for the dictator and basically like just kind of like a slave to them. So that kind of brought some memories of the country congee, how he would always tell stories like he would be in the fields picking rice, but he would picking picking up the broken rice. So the grains that are falling apart are broken in half. So he would be picking those and putting those aside in his pockets and he would take that home to my mom. Then he had five kids to feed. So in order to stretch the food, he. Would make porridge out of it. Instead of rice, he would make porridge so everyone would have some kind of meal.
Farai Chideya [00:45:18] But sharing her father's congee recipe isn't Monie’s only intergenerational experience at her camp. She also brought along her daughter to show her the bright lights and magic of Burning Man. Though Monie tells me bringing a small child into the Black Rock desert requires a little help from your community.
Monie Yip [00:45:34] When I was parenting alone, I was like, I need to go to porta potties. Like, could you guys keep an eye on her? And everyone's just been really wonderful. And it's literally does take a village to take care of a child. Even at Burning Man.
Farai Chideya [00:45:48] And Monie says the camaraderie that goes along with building that village of friends has been one of the most rewarding parts of her time at Burning Man. When Comedy Central was just in its planning stage on a Zoom call, Moni tells me she was already bonding with neighbors. Over at Mo Better Village, a multicultural camp that's been at the center of creating more inclusive spaces for burners of color.
Monie Yip [00:46:09] It's different this year for me because I've interacted with so many different people from different camps online to create this multi, multi culture neighborhood that people are visiting me like, Hey, is Monie here? And then I'm going to other camps and be like, Hey, is this here and this year? And then it's just like. And that's where I just, like, took me back. I was just like, Wow, I like this actually really feels like the word home. Like you're just walking, like riding your bike in the neighborhood, like looking for your friend.
Farai Chideya [00:46:37] As I took a bike ride of my own, I encountered another highly anticipated part of the festival the exhibitions, installations and performances from Burning Man's vibrant artist community. In recent years, as part of the Burning Man organization's Radical inclusion, Diversity and Equity program is focusing on making its art scene more diverse. And this year, artists like Kyle Mims are answering that call.
Kyle Mims [00:47:00] This is my third year. First came out in 2018 as a version of Super Excited this year, bringing out my first piece of work in the form of the art car allegory here, which is a mexican spirit animal. And this year we're taking the shape of a war. So really excited about that.
Farai Chideya [00:47:18] Kyle says there's still a lot of work to be done to entice culturally and racially diverse folks out into the desert. Burning Man put a high premium on awarding grants to artists of color, and in 2022, a fifth of art grants awarded by Burning Man went to projects led by artists of color. So while he's optimistic about the future, Kyle told me artists at this year's Burning Man used their art to showcase the festival's already increasingly diverse population.
Kyle Mims [00:47:45] There is a very small, very, very small percentage of people of color at the burn, and we're all trying to work and kind of create our pieces to kind of create a bridge to kind of make that happen. It is definitely increasing slowly. I think the stuff that we're trying to do now is just kind of create those safe spaces for folks to kind of kind of come in, recognize that they belong and have a way to interact and kind of share those resources in itself.
Farai Chideya [00:48:10] I also met Zulu Heru, a Black artist who shared his unlikely life path origin story.
Zulu Heru [00:48:16] I'm from Richmond, Virginia. I would say I had a pretty troubled childhood. Single parent, household poverty, very difficult education system from first grade to 12th grade. I went to a different school every single year. I went to rehab twice before I was 20 years old, and I have a long line of homeless homelessness in my family due to my father and his family that caused me to seek discipline, seek mentorship, seek just learning in general. That's why I joined the military. I joined the military when I was 18 years old. Everyone in my family is an artist. Everyone in my immediate family is an artist.
Farai Chideya [00:49:10] So Heru told me more about how he became involved in the burner art scene to showcase his culture while also psychologically centering himself.
Zulu Heru [00:49:19] Okay, so in 2017, I did a sculpture at a regional burn called Catharsis on the Mall. I showcased a sculpture of mine. I make metal sculptures primarily of African and tribal mask. I had a sculpture displayed at the National Mall, and I was recruited by some burners to go to Burning Man. Simultaneously, I was also becoming an officer in the military, so I thought that it would be helpful for me to go to Burning Man and experience this before I went to such a structured and aggressive environment. So it was basically my way of mental health. Before I went to a harsh environment.
Farai Chideya [00:50:07] Heru also said the Burning Man experience paid dividends for his art, but it also. Led him to dig deeper into his identity in what Burners called the default world, also known as everyday reality.
Zulu Heru [00:50:19] It was the first place I felt sheer bliss and unconditional love from strangers. It was the first place where me as a Black man, I was able to take off my armor and not be defensive in my word. Yeah, it was kind of like a good soul searching space where I got to find out who I was without my baggage and without my trauma.
Farai Chideya [00:50:45] After experiencing the art in camps created by people of color, I thought I had seen all the diversity Burning Man had to offer. But then I met Katie Tahja. Katie helps run disability camp, which operates like any other group at Burning Man. But instead of sharing food or creating art, Katie told me her camp makes the magic of Burning Man's playa accessible to burners with disabilities.
Katie Tahja [00:51:10] Four times a day, we take people out on sunrise, morning, late afternoon, and to see the Playa at night, and especially seeing the Playa at night. I mean, if you've ever been at Disneyland at night, this makes Disneyland at night look like a, you know, poor attraction someplace. You can go out and it's just this kaleidoscope of light and color and people and drones flying and sky and fireworks. And, you know, the Playa at night is is very magic. And it can be very emotional with the with the man burn and particularly with the temple burn. But people come up to our front desk here and go, I wish I'd known your camp existed. I wanted to bring my mother. I wanted to bring my best friend who'd been in a car accident. I had a friend who broke their ankle the week before Burning Man and gave their ticket to somebody else because they didn't think they'd be able to get around the playa. We do all of those things.
Farai Chideya [00:52:13] But for Burning Man, accessibility doesn't just end in the Black Rock Desert.
Iris Yee [00:52:17] My legal default world name is Iris Yee, known by some in Black Rock City as Meow and I'm the head of the regional network program with Burning Man Project.
Farai Chideya [00:52:30] That's Iris Yee. She works with over 250 contacts around the world to make sure that the Burning Man experience isn't just for folks who have the time and resources to make the trek out to the Nevada desert.
Iris Yee [00:52:43] The ignition of the regional network program. And now it's grown from that one event to a series of events that we call official Burning Man, regional events that range from different sizes to either small events of a couple hundred people to multiday events that we call burns that happen in places as far from or as diverse as the Negev Desert in Israel, an event called Midburn to South Africa, to events in Canada, in the forest in a very, very different environment where the virus is not trying to actively kill you do smaller events where people can experience the culture in ways that are meaningful to them.
Farai Chideya [00:53:32] Helping people find their meaning is a core component of Burning Man's mission, whether it's connecting burners to their creative powers or to the natural world. And for Iris, her work connecting people around the world with Burning Man's values stems from a personal place.
Iris Yee [00:53:48] But I find it so, so, so personally meaningful to be able to be part of a group who helps other people realize their dreams or authentic selves. And it's also personally meaningful in other ways. I met my husband through Black Rock City. We met at the French Quarter at the Chinese Speakers Tea Party. Despite my poor Chinese speaking skills. Um, and uh, and his skills are definitely better than mine. He's studied it for a lot longer than I have. And now we have two children who drive us crazy, who have been to Black Rock City. And my three year old is here now. And yeah, life is life is would be very different had Burning Man not been part of it.
Farai Chideya [00:54:42] Thank you to my camp mate, Sarah Janjua of Liminal Labs and all the people on the Playa who spoke with me. See you next year. And a big happy birthday to a friend of the show, Betty Reid Soskin. She retired at 100 years old from her work as a national park ranger and community historian. And now she's turning 102. Enjoy, Betty.
Thanks for listening to Our Body Politic. We're on the air each week and everywhere you listen to podcasts. We'd also like to invite you to sign up for our newsletter, where we share additional insights and resources for the OBP community. Check us out on Instagram and X @OurBodyPolitic and click the link in our bio.
Our Body Politic is produced by Diaspora Farms and Rococo Punch.
I'm host and executive producer Farai Chideya. Nina Spensley and Shanta Covington are also executive producers. Emily J. Daly is our senior producer. Bridget McAllister is our booking producer. Andrea Asuaje and Ann Marie Awad, Natyna Bean, Morgan Givens, Emily Ho and Monica Morales Garcia are our producers. Nicole Pasulka is our fact checker. Our associate producer is David Escobar. Our technical director is Mike Garth with engineering help from Carter Martin.
This program is produced with support from the Luce Foundation, Open Society Foundation, Ford Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Democracy Fund, The Harnisch Foundation, Compton Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, the BMe Community, Katie McGrath & JJ Abrams Family Foundation, The Pop Culture Collaborative, and from generous contributions from listeners like you.