S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. MLK day is just around the corner. We'll look at where the Civil rights movement stands today and tell you about one of the biggest local celebrations. This is Midday Edition , connecting our communities through conversation. MLK Day is Monday. People all over the country will honor Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. S legacy , but few in years past have centered those celebrations on where Doctor King left off in the civil rights movement prior to his assassination. Before we dive into our first interview , there is no better person to hear from than Doctor Martin Luther King Jr himself. Here's a clip from his 1967 interview with NBC news.
S2: What is it about the Negro ? I mean , every other group that came as an immigrant somehow , not easily , but somehow got around it.
S3: Uh , that is one thing that other immigrant groups have had to face. The other thing is that the color became a stigma. American society made the Negroes color a stigma. America freed the slaves in 19 I mean , 1863 , through the Emancipation Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln , but gave the slaves no land or nothing in reality , and as a matter of fact , to to get started on at the same time , America was giving away millions of acres of land in the West and the Midwest , which meant that there was a willingness to give the white peasants from Europe an economic base. And yet it refused to give its black peasants from Africa , who came here involuntarily in chains and had worked free for 244 years in a kind of economic base. And so emancipation for the Negro was really freedom to hunger. It was freedom to the winds and rains of heaven. It was freedom without food to eat or land to cultivate , and therefore it was freedom and famine at the same time. And when white Americans tell the Negro to lift himself by his own bootstraps , they don't they don't look over the legacy of slavery and segregation. I believe we ought to do all we can and seek to lift ourselves by our bootstraps. But it's a cruel just to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps , and many Negroes , by the thousands and millions , have been left bootless as a result of all of these years of oppression , and as a result of a society that deliberately made his color a stigma and something worthless and degrading.
S1: Just 11 months after that interview , Doctor King was assassinated. But his words about economic justice live on , especially here in California , where reparations will be debated by legislators this year. Tanisha Hollins has been working in issues of reparations and economic justice in the Bay area for years. She's the executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice , co-founder of San Francisco Black Wall Street , and vice chair of the San Francisco African Americans Reparations Advisory Committee. Tanisha , welcome to Midday Edition.
S4: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: So glad you're here. So as we heard in the intro , you know , much of the current phase of the civil rights movement sits where it left off when Doctor King was assassinated. And that is about issues of economic justice and even the labor movement.
S4: We have not seen the type of economic justice that's necessary to level the playing field so that everyone actually has access to what they call the American dream to buy a home to , you know , stabilize their lives , to leave a legacy for their families. And that is especially true for black people and people who come from marginalized communities. We still see the impacts of Jim Crow segregation and racialized policies , and even race neutral policies that directly impacted our community's ability to stabilize economically. Today , the impact is still happening.
S1:
S4: Everyone should have the right to dignity and be able to feel sees the American dream. And I think that he had that vision not just for black Americans , but for all Americans. The issue of poverty is a real one. The issue of capitalism and structural racism are real , and they have had real impacts on. People's quality of life and their ability to mobilize for themselves and for their next generations. And we see that still happening. So I think the dream was to , again , level the playing field so that so many more people would have access to basic human rights and be able to stabilize their lives and their families and , you know , see a future that everyone can be proud of.
S1: You know , when we think of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr , you know , we can think of his call for a radical transfer of wealth and power , for example.
S4: They have sanitized so much of his legacy and his message to us. But that radical transfer of wealth also comes with a radical transfer of power that allows people , agency to be able to mobilize and protect their communities , their families and their legacies. And that is what the call to action is right now , in this moment , in the work that we have been doing in San Francisco around reparations , it is about a radical approach , a radical transformation to what we see happening right now to repair the harm done to our community , specifically to black San Francisco. And that is imperative , because if we do not invest in the community that is most marginalized , least resourced and most oppressed , then we see bad outcomes for everyone. Or to reverse that , if we double down on our investment and repair the harm done to black people and to our economic mobility , we see everyone else improve , we see outcomes for everyone improve. And that is a radical transformation , is a radical action.
S1: And there were a lot of recommendations made from the taskforce about reparations.
S4: The types of schools that our families , our children had to select from , and the quality of education they receive , the quality of the care of our health , our access to healthcare. All of those things were very intentionally affected , impacted. And so if we are to take a direct approach to addressing those things , we're repairing harm. We are healing our communities , and we are looking at generations of folks being able to pull forward and be able to close some of those gaps that we see right now.
S1: I want to talk about another focus of your advocacy , and that's investing in vulnerable communities.
S4: I think that we often gaslight our communities if they're not experiencing what they're experiencing. We have plenty of data to prove that. We don't see the type of investment for black businesses or potential black homeowners , or folks who are looking for access to capital , even if they've done all of their due diligence to get their financial house in order , so to speak , to be marketable or to , you know , to be eligible for these types of things , racialized discrimination is real. So we have to acknowledge that , and we have to address that. I think we spend so much time as a community trying to justify our need and , you know , communicate our humanity to people that we're looking for opportunities to build because they were legally sanctioned , we were legally sanctioned for being able to participate. So one is just the acknowledgment , which is part of the reparations process is to acknowledge the harm that's been done. But then the other way to do this is to listen directly to community and to create an economic infrastructure that we actually have agency over. And that means the capacity to create banks , the capacity to create medical facilities , the capacity to create businesses and to have investments that we have enough say. So over on how we're able to build out and scale those businesses and to become owners. When you look at the original Black Wall Street or any other thriving community , no matter what the ethnic makeup is , that is what you see. You see people have access to space , access to resources in the agency to do business with each other , to continue building that. Infrastructure that was necessary.
S1: And , you know , MLK day is often co-opted , right ? I mean , you said earlier that Doctor King's words and actions have been sanitized for you.
S4: It was the fact that he was calling so clearly and so consistently , and had moved a nation to align with the vision where racism , inequality , and poverty were wrong and made the moral obligation of everyone to stand up against it , to change it ultimately cost him his life in so many others in the movement. And it's unfortunate that even in this moment , people have to sacrifice being killed politically or economically to stand up and say that everyone deserves. But especially those who are most marginalized , deserve to be able to live in dignity , to have access to resources , and to live the dream , to to purchase and to own and to have agency over their lives. We're still fighting that fight. So as we teach our children that I have a dream speech as we , you know , march down and we talk about unity and solidarity , let's not forget that we are still very much in the fight of our lives for our humanity , especially as black people and marginalized people , and that we are still putting it all on the line to see that dream come true , where people actually do have what they need.
S1: And when you talk about it being a fight for our lives and you talk about Doctor King having lost his life for speaking out clearly on these issues , I can only imagine what doing the work that you do is about and the toll that it takes. Tell me about that. I mean , this is this work isn't easy and it is a marathon. It's not something that you do overnight or check in with once a week. I mean , tell me about that.
S4: Know for those of us who are involved in this work , it is our lives. It is our lives. And there are so many people playing their part in so many ways. And I don't want to , you know , downplay the wins that we have. We've had some very historic wins in the movement for justice and equality just here in California. Through the work that Californians for Safety and Justice has led , we passed a historic piece of legislation , Senate Bill 731 , which automates record expungement for people who are living with old convictions. And there are some qualifications around this. But the ultimate goal is that once people have done their time , that they are done , and that their record is clear so that they have a second chance at life , a second chance of being able to stabilize their lives , get jobs , get housing , get stable , and continue building for themselves. So the work is not in vain. But it does take a toll on me and those of us who are living in it , because it's impossible to not be impacted. And it's it's impossible to listen to the stories of everyday people who , whether they made a mistake at one point in their lives or just happened to be born into an environment or a circumstance where they were already experiencing the symptoms of oppression , that , you know , there's still so much more for us to do. And we see the casualties happening every day. And so it's hard , you know , to be in this work and not feel sometimes overwhelmed by what's in front of us. But I'm encouraged by the fact that , like you said , this is a marathon and we stand on a timeline. This is a moment in time. I am honored in so many that stand next to me , whether it's in Black Wall Street or in the Reparations Advisory Committee , or our survivors and our folks who are living with old convictions , who come up to the Capitol and share their stories. I'm encouraged every day by the hope and resilience of our people and by what we are able to win , big and small , through showing up. And in all of that , we prioritize our healing. This is a process of healing in many ways. You know the truth and reconciliation. Being able to tell our stories and then see things change through law or see them change. We bring more resources back to our community. But it is important for us , you know , to keep ourselves covered. And so for me , it's rest. You know , it's my spiritual health. It's keeping people around me that I love. It's , you know , seeing my children continue to grow and just being reminded , you know , that I stand , you know , at a moment in time on behalf of my ancestors , my family and the people who are around me , and I'm prepared to pass this on to the people who are in front of me to continue.
S1: I've been speaking with Tanisha Hollands , the executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice , co-founder of San Francisco Black Wall Street and vice chair. Of the San Francisco African Americans Reparations Advisory Committee. Tannish , thank you so much for joining us , and thanks for the work you do.
S4: Thank you so much for having me , I appreciate you.
S1: Coming up , a conversation about human rights with the keynote speaker of Alliance San Diego's All People Celebration.
S5: It starts with us. It starts with you as an individual.
S1: Welcome back to Kpbs midday Edition , I'm Jade Hindman. This Monday , Alliance San Diego will hold its 36th annual All People celebration in San Diego honoring the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. The keynote speaker for the event this year is Doctor Alisa Warren. Warren is a human rights leader , serving as president of International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies , as well as the executive director of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. And she joins us now. Doctor Warren , thank you so much for joining us today. And welcome to Midday Edition.
S5: Hey , thank you so much for the opportunity to be here with you today.
S1: Glad to have you. So the theme for this year's All People celebration is claiming Dignity.
S5: So we just have to claim that and own that and know that we are simply born with dignity and with with the ability to have those rights just by the virtue of being human , by being born. So we need to claim that , own that , and treat others with that respect. So the theme is absolutely fantastic.
S1:
S5: So I started down the path of working with underserved communities and populations , whether it would be with minority and women owned businesses or whether it's with , uh , procurement and making sure that there's inclusive opportunities and contracting for marginalized groups , and also , uh , really even wrote my dissertation on community involvement and disparities in , in our communities. So I spent about seven years researching and writing on how to have a more inclusive society. Right.
S1: Right. And human rights. It really covers a lot of ground as you just kind of laid out.
S5: You're right. There's so much involved in human rights. A lot of times we'll get phone calls , you know , at our agency that say my human rights have been violated , when really what they mean is they didn't get their unemployment benefits. So it's a little bit different. And but human rights on a larger scale is really an important piece of our day to day living. And it's really a part of the messaging that and the legacy that Doctor Martin Luther King left with the work that he did in civil and human rights in the United States. So to me , uh , it's really time for our country to take it back , to create a culture of human rights , one that is respectful of all people , one that allows people to thrive and to be healthy and to be happy and to be the best person , the best human that they can be. And so I think in some ways , our society has has slipped backwards , and it's time for us to really work together to claim that and to , you know , be the beloved community that , uh , Doctor Martin Luther King aspired to be.
S1: So , you know , I know you're in Missouri , and Missouri has been near the center of much of our nation's reckoning with racism and police brutality in recent years. The killing of Michael Brown by police in 2014 took place in Ferguson. The killing of Anthony Lamar Smith also comes to mind. That happened in Saint Louis , my hometown. The former officer responsible for his killing , Jason Stockley , was ultimately found not guilty of murder , leading to ongoing protests there.
S5: You mentioned the Mike Brown case in the city of Ferguson , which is , you know , a wonderful community. I work I've , I've after that , uh , tragic event happened in Ferguson where Michael Brown was killed by a police officer , uh , there and left on the street in the hot August sun. For hours and hours , I was able to meet and work and partner with some of the local human rights community leaders there in Ferguson to really begin to try and help address some of the racial injustice. Really , while the entire world was watching , there were , you know , people descended on Ferguson from all over the world. The media cameras were everywhere , you know , fires were burning and the community was hurting. And so I had an opportunity to partner with the local human rights commission there in Ferguson. The president of the Human Rights Commission was actually very involved and very engaged in working towards finding unity in the community. And so one of the things that we did was work together as a community to find ways to begin to try to heal some of the relationships we created , what's called Unity Weekend there in Ferguson. And it's still going on , you know , ten years later. But it brings together community leaders and businesses , schools and law enforcement there to begin to heal some of the mistrust and some of the hurt and give people an opportunity to come together. So that happened as a step forward. You know.
S1: After the killing of Mike Brown , Anthony Smith and even George Floyd in 2020 calls for society to simply recognize the humanity of black people have really grown louder.
S5: And even longer , but was never videotaped like that. I think people really had a reckoning to see just what in fact is and can happen. And we began to see folks that maybe would never be outraged about something like that take action and to become involved and to protest and to , you know , you saw people of all ages and demographics and young people , older people , all races , all ages , really coming together to make noise about the fact that this must stop , that , that the use of excessive force by law enforcement just cannot continue to happen. And it did. We did see the humanity of this man in plain sight. And I think it really woke up the consciousness of our country in many ways. And it's still it. And it has unfortunately , this gentleman had to lose his life for it. But it did kind of poke the bear , which is the elephant that we have in our country , which is that of systemic racism and excessive force and violence against black and brown people. And so it has changed the dynamic somewhat. But there's still so much work to do that we just I always continue to say that we need to keep our foot on the gas and continue to have these conversations and to continue to push back and to work on making improvements wherever we can , because , you know , even small incremental change is still change. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And you say that moment poked the bear. And in many ways , it moved the legacy and vision of Reverend Martin Luther King forward.
S5: I actually went through the King Center Nonviolence 365 training some years ago and got certified in that and was able to really take a deep dive into his teachings , into his philosophies. And whenever I get a chance to do more reading and reflecting on his work and his messaging that he gave his life for , it recharges me. It makes me know that the work that we're doing , that all of us are doing in this space is very important. We're continuing his legacy , and I think that while there's much work to do , I think right now , Doctor Martin Luther King would be 95 years old. And , uh , I think he would still say that we've got work to do and that we need to continue to make incremental changes where we can , whether it's in business or whether it's , you know , in our schools and , you know , helping our children , whether it's in health care. But there's much , much work to do. And when I think about his philosophy of keeping , you know , it was , you know , made his philosophies were borrowed largely from Gandhi and also his own Christian faith and belief , but that of nonviolence , that of , you know , working with those that are perhaps your enemies. But figuring out where there's that common thread that we can work together to make a change , to make an impact , to make society better for all of us. If we raise the water level , for one , we're raising it for everyone , and that just improves everyone's life. And so I think that just as we celebrate MLK Day on January 15th , it's time to reflect on that even beyond his , you know , in his I Have a Dream speech , one of the quotes , and there's so many King quotes that just give me chills because they're so poignant. But the the quote in his I Have a Dream speech that talks about the need to lift ourselves from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity. And I think , you know , a big part of this is to move forward , to be able to embrace the human dignity that we are all born with and , and work towards getting to that beloved community that he talked about. And we can get there. I feel very confident that we can , and it will just be better for everyone once we figure out how to live together , how to respect one another , how to respect each other's humanity.
S1: And you know , you mentioned all the work that still needs to be done to to get to that place. You are working to create a national human rights institute in the U.S.. Yeah. Tell me , why is it important and what what would that agency do ? Yes.
S5: I'm so glad you asked that , Jade , because that is work that has been going on for a while. But as president of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies , I've been really working hard to try and create more awareness. I've been partnering with wonderful groups like Alliance San Diego. And others around the country to move the needle for the creation of a national human rights institution. And essentially what that is , is that it's an independent national leadership organization. It would be in government that would promote and facilitate human rights implementation or implementation of the treaties that this country signed over 30 years ago. And we've been very good at telling other countries that they should have this national human rights institute. Yet we don't have one in the United States. There's 120 other democratic countries around the world that have NRIs that do the work of bringing human rights home to their country , to their jurisdictions. And yet and still , the United States is not a part of that dialogue. We are essentially the empty chair at the global table of human rights. We do not have that. And I and I think that it's because it's not a priority within , uh , the powers that be at the federal level. And so we're really working hard to try and create interest for the need of this , uh , in Sri , if you call it. And in fact , recently I've been working with a group of colleagues nationwide to kick off a national campaign for Nry to help the United States create awareness , um , and to make a real change in our country. And in fact , we just launched a brand new website , Jade. And it's there's a ton of information out there that you can learn more about it. And it's WW in HRC for USA , and it is just chock full of information about how communities and jurisdictions can be a part of letting our lawmakers know in Washington that this is something that will help move the needle in our country , like our our fellow democratic countries around the world , jurisdictions can even , you know , create a resolution , uh , within their jurisdiction saying that , you know , this is something that we're interested in seeing move forward because it will help implement human rights here at home and help us to address challenges here in the United States.
S1: And we'll have that website for listeners on our website at pbs.org.
S5: It starts with us. It starts with you as an individual. What can you do within your scope of influence to make a change in your community ? And you know , how do you let your light shine ? We all have different gifts and different abilities , uh , large or small. When you put all of those together and we work towards that common goal of human dignity and the beloved community , I think that we would be just surprised at how much we can improve our communities and make this country a better place. It's already a great place , but we can be better , and I think we all have a part to play in that. So if there's anything that people take away , I think that it's it's not up to someone else to make changes. It's up to all of us together , collectively to work together to create opportunities for growth and embrace inclusion and all people and know that all people have humanity and are worthy of respect.
S1: Doctor Elisa Warren is president of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies , and will be the keynote speaker at this year's All Peoples Celebration on Monday. Doctor Warren , it was a pleasure. Thank you so much for being here.
S5: Thank you so much , Jade , it has been a pleasure to talk with you. Hopefully you'll get to come to the event on Monday.
S1: Indeed , indeed. And the 36th annual All People celebration is happening this Monday , January 15th at the Balboa Park Activity Center. For more information or tickets , visit a licensed org.
