What Does Systemic Change Look Like #2: Xavier Brown & Assemblyman Kevin McCarty Talk Politics

California Groundbreakers

We're doing a specific group of podcasts in July -- conversations focused on what systemic change looks like, particularly here in California, in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Each conversation has two people: a young leader who has galvanized others by speaking out and leading demonstration and campaigns, and a "veteran" activist/ decision makers who has been working on race equity and justice issues for decades. For this podcast, we're looking at some proposed laws on racial justice and equality that the state legislature will be voting on, and also that California residents will be voting on in the November ballot. Talking about them are a 19-year-old college student who helped to get 15,000 people protesting on the streets of Oakland last month about police brutality, and a state politician who proposed some of these new laws and is getting them in front of the state legislature and on the election ballot for votes. SPEAKERS * Xavier Brown, Oakland native and UCLA student (in photo above) * Kevin McCarty, California Assemblymember representing the 7th District, which includes the city of Sacramento PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY * 0 to 3:40 min - What's the purpose for doing these podcasts * 3:40 min - How Xavier Brown helped get 15,000 people out on the streets of Oakland to protest against police brtuality * 8:10 min - How being biracial made Kevin McCarty see race and racism, and influenced his role in politics * 11:30 min - What is the California Black Legislative Caucus, and what it's working on right now * 14:50 min - Proposed bills about use of force and holding law enforcement officials accountable (Assembly Bill 1506 Deadly Force Accountability Act, and AB 1185 on officer oversight in the Sherriff's Department) * 26:20 min - Affirmative Action on the ballot: good intentions, but is it a good thing to bring back to California (Proposition 16) * 38:30 min - Giving parolees a better chance to thrive in their post-prison world (AB 2342 in the State Legislature and Proposition 17 on the November election ballot) * 43:20 min - Reparations: How should California remedy inequality and discrimination?(AB 3121) * 50:25 min - Ethnic Studies classes in colleges and high schools as a requirement to graduate(AB 1460) * 52 min - Brown and McCarty have some questions for each other SONG CREDIT: "Be the Difference" by Izreal Graham, a.k.a. Sacramento PD Officer Filmore Graham (youtu.be/xaRXwnndydg) PHOTO CREDIT: Alejandro Lazo / The Wall Street Journal