Dr. J'Tia Hart speaks on the importance of voting during the 'Paint The Polls Black' group chat.
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00:00Dr. Hart.
00:01You said it perfectly.
00:02You said my name perfectly, you know, Black Girl Energy, I love the pronunciation.
00:15So, yes, I was a contestant on Survivor, and I am so excited to be here.
00:23I love the energy.
00:24We got people who are, you know, solving the world's problem by getting their education,
00:29and we had so much energy from Kenny Burns, I'm still looking to beat him, always.
00:35So, I am the Tiger Kenny, I see you.
00:40Uh-oh, that's a challenge.
00:43It is.
00:44That's a challenge, that's a challenge.
00:46Look, Dr. Hart, so many people know you from Survivor, and I'm not going to say the word
00:52again.
00:53Can you tell us what you remember the most from appearing on that television series?
00:59So, I have a standout memory from that, and it's really about how perception is reality.
01:05How you're portrayed on the show, you know, it's a lot of characters on the show, and
01:10they really boil you down to one, you know, character.
01:15And even though I have all these things going on with myself, I'm a nuclear engineer, I,
01:23you know, have a vibrant family life, and they boil me down to...
01:27A fair shoe collection.
01:28We see the shoe, that's what...
01:30A fair shoe collection, let me just say.
01:34Look, it's highlighted, you see, it's in light here.
01:38I've been working on it.
01:40I love it.
01:41So, yeah, they will boil you down to something that's, you know, entertaining, and a lot
01:49of times what they show is your reality.
01:52Whatever they perceive you as becomes your reality on reality TV.
01:58So, for my standout moment, I may have gotten a little upset, you know, during my time on
02:04the show, and, you know, somebody I felt like wasn't very nice to me, so I decided I wasn't
02:09going to be very nice to them, and that is what I'm known for.
02:12So, somebody said that they were hungry on my tribe, and then said that they were going
02:17to vote me out.
02:18So, I decided to take their food and dump it in the rice.
02:21So, I was like, if I'm not going to be here and I can't eat, you can't eat either.
02:25So, you know, and then that was the one moment of me that went viral, and so now everybody
02:32knows that side of me.
02:33That's not the only side, but that's the side it comes through, and that translates into,
02:39you know, what we see on reality TV.
02:41On reality TV, we actually even have a candidate who was largely shaped by what they portrayed
02:50on reality TV, even though that may not be that actual perception, reality of them, that
02:58is the perception that is out there, and they've made it all the way to the White House and
03:04maybe even back on that.
03:07Hold that thought for a second, because many people don't know that you're a nuclear engineer.
03:15Can you talk a little bit about your day job and what you do?
03:19Absolutely.
03:20So, I'm a nuclear engineer.
03:22I was raised in Miami in a big Black family.
03:25I'm the youngest of 10 kids.
03:27I had no idea that that is where I was going to end up in life.
03:32I say it happened to me by accident, but I always loved math and science, and I had the
03:38opportunity to go into a Navy ROTC and go on a submarine, which I found out was powered
03:46by nuclear, and I was like, I don't know who's in charge, but this is what I want to do.
03:50This is what I want to be in charge of.
03:53I tried to join the Navy.
03:55At the time, they didn't let women on submarines, so I said, okay, well, I will go to graduate
04:00school and become your boss, and I got a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering, and I went into
04:07research and development, and now I do development and specifically focus on national security.
04:15So, if you are thinking about, like, the conflict in Ukraine and helping to secure their
04:21energy, their nuclear power plant in Ukraine from Russian forces, which decided to camp
04:28out at the nuclear power plant just to strike terror and the fear in hearts, we do things like
04:35help them to secure their energy supply and make sure their cybersecurity networks are okay.
04:41That's a big deal.
04:43And I got into this because I kept following the things that I could do to make a better
04:47world as an engineer.
04:50Impressive.
04:52So, you've been doing this work for how long now?
04:56Oh, you want me to tell you how long I've been working on it?
05:00We'll skip that.
05:02I'm just kidding.
05:04I've been in this industry over 20 years.
05:06It's fine.
05:08That's just a joke.
05:10But I've loved every step of it and did not think that I would be working on issues that show up
05:17in the news all the time, and that's what I'm really grateful for in my career.
05:22And you're on tonight to talk about painting the polls black, mobilizing people, educating people
05:28about the issues that directly affect primarily the black community.
05:32Tell us why this is interesting and important to you.
05:36So, so many facets of my life are involved in this election.
05:41One of the things is about how we can change the perception of African-American and marginalized
05:49groups in the media, which I've been an advocate for.
05:52If you've seen our recent efforts, writing rooms and producing staff and all of those things that came in the
06:03light of the murder of George Floyd and different initiatives, I was involved with that, specifically with
06:09CVS and Survivor.
06:11And also, as a woman of a certain age, I know our guest before was talking about she was on the Gen Z
06:18millennial cusp.
06:20I am on that other cusp, that Gen X millennial, elder millennial, as they say it, cusp.
06:25And so, you know, the face is still 21, but the knees, the knees is hitting 40-some, you know.
06:32So I really care about health care.
06:35And there are a lot of issues that come up for black women about health care disparity.
06:42I am also a breast cancer survivor, so I'm showing off my new testicles here because I just had a
06:49I am a breast cancer survivor one year clear.
06:52So I've been through the ringer and the whole health care system, and there are so many things that we can
07:00do better for women, and especially black women.
07:03I have two children.
07:05That wasn't fun.
07:07Having them babies was not fun.
07:09We have not as good maternal outcomes for black women than my children, than having reproductive rights
07:18for my children and choices for my son.
07:21All of those things.
07:23So I am really at the age where every issue I believe in.
07:27So this is right up my alley.
07:29I can talk to anybody and tell them an issue that they should care about for this election.
07:36I love it.
07:38I want to go back to something that you said earlier that just stuck with me, and it makes me think of the
07:43black experience and then what you just said now.
07:46Earlier you were describing your survivor experience and the Rice incident, but you said, if I can't eat,
07:53you can't eat either.
07:55Yes.
07:57So let me just look at that statement and how far as black folk we have come, and we have watched others
08:06eat, and many times we have watched our communities starve.
08:11So I want to bring that comment right back up to you.
08:15So repeating that back to you, what does it make you think of, even those words that you said, if I can't
08:21eat, as it pertains to this election, you can't eat either?
08:26I really think you all were speaking about the comment about how black women have been so supportive,
08:33and now it's time for you to support black women and women who are doing things.
08:41You know, we are always trying to uplift our communities, and now we need other people in on the fight
08:48to do things that not only benefit the greater good but also benefit us as black women, because a lot of
08:53places, we're not doing the best.
08:56So I do want to highlight that, and I do think you should make it personal.
09:02I do think you should talk to your friends.
09:05You know, you don't have to, you know, be negative.
09:08Be positive.
09:10You know, like you, like me, you're my friend.
09:12Don't you want to see good things for me and my family as well, even though maybe, you know, you have to
09:19take a little bit of L for me to get a huge W?
09:23I mean, I think those sort of things.
09:25You are already up here.
09:27I'm trying, I'm trying.
09:29You know, help me up the rope.
09:31You know, can we do something?
09:33I think it's time, and I don't think it's too much to ask your friends to care about you in the group chat.
09:37I was writing out my group chats, and some I have where a lot of the things the group chat is already
09:44like-minded about.
09:46So, you know, I'm not necessarily going to task myself to talk to people in group chats that are not all
09:51like-minded.
09:53So it might be like my kid's school or athletic club for my kids.
09:57Everybody is not just an echo chamber.
09:59I think it's important to get out there and to talk about issues.
10:03You don't have to talk about specific candidates, but you can talk about issues that maybe you're
10:08like-minded about and really just throw it out there.
10:11I think that the time is now for us to, you know, move out of our comfort zone on some of these issues,
10:19these topics in our group chats and in our personal relationships.
10:23I think even throwing back to you, Alphonso, just talking about that, I think we even have to go
10:30against the stigma to let people know that when we help each other, we all rise, even when we're looking
10:37in the DEI space.
10:39You've talked about this a lot.
10:41When we look at studies and numbers and talk about what happens when you have DEI in work spaces, how
10:48not only your money goes up, but it also affects the bottom line of companies even more.
10:53That was such a powerful statement that you said earlier.
10:55It takes me to every space that we've been talking about on Paint the Post Black.
11:00Yeah, no, it's an interesting, and Dr. Hart, I'm sure you know what's happening in this country right
11:05now.
11:07We have a very well-funded minority of folks who are challenging the concept of diversity, equity,
11:13and inclusion in this country.
11:15And they're essentially saying that by providing resources and support to racial minorities, that
11:24constitutes discrimination.
11:26And my retort to them is, why isn't anyone asking about why 90% of the folks in C-suite happen to be
11:35men?
11:37The answer can't be that Black people aren't qualified.
11:40The answer can't be that Black and brown people haven't applied.
11:43The answer can't be that Black and brown people haven't worked hard.
11:47So we are hearing in the public discourse and in media about the attacks on D&I, and I want folks to
11:56really rethink the narrative here, and it's about we're actually seeking equity.
12:01We're seeking an opportunity that has been historically denied, and it's all based on fear.
12:07Because the concept is, if you allow me an opportunity to succeed, that takes something away from
12:13you.
12:15When the data clearly shows that when you open up the aperture, if you will, and you allow more and
12:21more people to participate, we all eat.
12:24Nobody gets to starve.
12:26I totally agree.
12:28And we are offering resources and support to some people and not others.
12:32So it's not, I mean, why can't we spread the resources and support?
12:37Because the other people are also getting resources and support, but nobody likes to talk about
12:43that.
12:45It's only when we give things to people who look like us that now we want to talk about how the
12:51resources and support are spread out.
12:54I say this at my job.
12:56You know, if there is a somebody who has a posting and they're white and everybody is white, a
13:03lot of times an eye is not batted or it seems like the norm, I'll say.
13:08So don't bat an eye when I have a posting and all the people are black, because, I mean, what's
13:14the problem?
13:16You know, we use our networks.
13:19I don't think, you know, that's something that we talk about a lot.
13:22We can spread out the resources and support.
13:24We can have targeted.
13:26We're always going to hire the best candidate, but we can also help people and develop them just
13:32like other people who help people who look like them.
13:35We can help people who look like us.
13:37And because we are not represented at the level, we do need to have a targeted resources that
13:45go to them to develop those capabilities, because that's the same way the other people got to the
13:51place that they are.
13:53Somebody used their resources, whether it's because they knew them or lived down the street or
13:58had a buddy who went to college or they went to the same college.
14:02It's all networks.
14:04So we should be able, and I think it makes more diversity of thought in teams are shown to be
14:12more successful, and that's something that we do need to put resources toward across the board,
14:17whether it's a job, whether it's government, whether it's education.
14:20I strongly believe in that.
14:22Now, last week we talked about, because this issue comes up in so many different circles, but we
14:28talked about the battleground states.
14:30And we sort of had this conversation again tonight, identifying the seven battleground states.
14:37And there's the chart again, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and
14:44North Carolina.
14:46And these are the states where the populace is politically divided, right?
14:51There isn't a clear consensus as to who they're really supporting.
14:55And we showed the data again that highlighted that former President Trump is leading in four of
15:03those seven states.
15:05I want to ask you first whether you live in one of those battleground states, and if not, whether
15:11you know people who live in those battleground states and whether you're having conversations with
15:17them about this election.
15:19Well, Alphonso, I already have a to-do list from our conversation.
15:23I do not live in a battleground state, but first of all, I went and dug up my voter registration, so
15:30I got the receipts here.
15:33And I live in Illinois, and so I actually do know people in Wisconsin, and I know quite a few
15:39people in Michigan.
15:41So I am going to text them tonight to make sure that I talk to them individually and also give
15:47them some tasking to reach out to five people they know.
15:51And so we can grow the chain.
15:53I also know a lot of people in Atlanta.
15:56Like, I think every Black person knows somebody in Atlanta, right?
16:00It's a rule.
16:02You got to know somebody from Atlanta.
16:04So I am going to reach out to my Atlanta friends, and even I know some people in Augusta, all
16:09my Georgia friends as well.
16:11And if I can remember any Vegas friends, but I think people just visit Vegas.
16:15I don't know if they actually live there.
16:17They come, have a good time, and leave.
16:19They don't want to get in trouble.
16:21They got a Black congressman.
16:23They do.
16:25Then Vegas it is.
16:28So I have a to-do list for me and a to-do list for others, because I do think it's very important
16:34to get that exponential growth.
16:36You know, I'm an engineer.
16:38Exponential growth.
16:40So, you know, you reach out to a couple people, and then they reach out to a few people, and we
16:44grow it.
16:47What do you say to folks who say, look, I don't talk about politics with my friends.
16:51We go out.
16:53We have a good time.
16:55We go to the movies.
16:57We have dinner.
16:59But we don't talk about politics.
17:01What do you say to those folks?
17:03You talk about life.
17:05You talk about your life.
17:07And inherent to your life is going to be politics, because your life, you have to interact.
17:14You have to do these things.
17:16So talk about your life.
17:18Talk about the decisions that you have to make in your life that affect you.
17:22And you can do that with your friends.
17:24You can talk if you have kids.
17:26Education.
17:28Where are they going to school?
17:30Because that is affected by who is elected.
17:32Little-known fact, I used to be a federal employee.
17:34So the person who gets elected president chooses all of the cabinet members, right?
17:38And they're the people who get elected.
17:40So if you got somebody going to the VA, then who you elect as president matters.
17:46Social Security, education, all of those things matter.
17:50Who you elect president.
17:52Department of Energy, whether you're going to be able to get a rebate on your gas or electric car.
17:58All of those things are implemented, you know, by the executive branch, which is picked, the heads are picked.
18:07So it matters.
18:09All of it matters.
18:11Talk about your life.
18:13You don't have to specifically say, but talk about your life and talk about the issues.
18:15You don't have to talk about politics specifically.
18:18I think that's such a great way to come to the conversation.
18:20Especially talking when you just mentioned the agencies.
18:22A lot of people don't know that under the administration, there are about 96 different federal agencies.
18:24So you could be talking about one issue, not realizing you're talking politics at the end of the day.
18:26When you're with your friends, what are some of those issues that you're talking about?
18:28Really, it's a lot about healthcare.
18:36So you could be talking about one issue, not realizing you're talking politics at the end
18:43of the day.
18:44When you're with your friends, what are some of those issues?
18:47You went down the list of issues that were important to you, but for your friends, what
18:51are some of those issues that they're really talking about?
18:54Really, it's a lot about healthcare.
18:58I'll tell you, we're getting at that age where the hot topic right now in one of my group
19:03chats is perimenopause, right?
19:05So talking about health issues, it went straight from fertility to menopause, and we are talking
19:11— shout out to my group chat, Phenomenal Pearls, it's my AKA line sisters, RIP me.
19:18Sorry, I don't know if I'm supposed to do that.
19:23But we talk about, yeah, fertility, and we talk about how those health issues, like,
19:29we want to see some studies being done about women's health and, you know, that next phase
19:36of life.
19:37That's serious, because I be hot-slashing, and ain't no hot-slash medications.
19:41And I'm like, ooh, why hasn't the National Institutes of Health, right after they get
19:46off that COVID vaccine, get on this menopause vaccine?
19:49You know, and these are the kind of issues, I know it seems funny, but yeah, are we talking
19:54about women's health issues?
19:56Are we talking about education standards?
19:59Are we talking about these big things, energy?
20:02I want to be able to, you know, plug in my electricity and have it work.
20:07I also want it to be affordable, you know, so we're talking to a nuclear engineer, I'm
20:13all about nuclear energy.
20:14I talk to anybody who will listen, don't cut off the chat on me just because I said something
20:17about nuclear, because I know it's not the most exciting topic, but everybody wants energy,
20:23and so that's something I'm always bringing up in the group chat.
20:26So there are issues, and all of those issues specifically have a touchpoint in politics.
20:38So Dr. Hart, we are, as you know, referenced earlier, that we're doing a little bit of
20:43a competition.
20:47And I think you said that you're going to win.
20:49Did I hear that correctly?
20:50I did.
20:51I brought out my Survivor Challenge buff because I'm still, you know, I'm all about winning.
21:02I love to win, so I'm ready.
21:06Oh my.
21:07Ebony, I will let you take this away.
21:10I'm not fooling her.
21:12You got it.
21:13Can we also give honorable mention to the shirt?
21:18Can we give honorable mention to the shirt?
21:22I'm black, mixable.
21:24I love this shirt.
21:25I don't want you to know I'm blackie, black, black, black.
21:28Any team I'm on, can I call you?
21:31Absolutely.
21:32Absolutely.
21:33Look, I may not be the most athletic, but I got you with the smack talk and the gear.
21:41That's all I need.
21:42That's what we good at.
21:43Okay.
21:44So Dr. Hart.
21:45Dr. Hart.
21:46You know we got this competition.
21:48Well, you clearly know we have this competition going on, right, with our speakers.
21:52And you love competitions, clearly.
21:55We're asking each speaker to text one of their group chat.
22:00And I feel like you've already told your people, but within one minute, they like, what we'll
22:05be doing?
22:06Start the clock.
22:07And within one minute-
22:08I have not, because I don't have that link yet, but I told them, y'all, I put the W-I-D.
22:15What y'all doing?
22:16I did do a W-I-D on them.
22:18You checking them already.
22:19Okay.
22:20Okay.
22:21Well, it just popped up.
22:22So within a minute, we want to see how many people that they can get to register to vote
22:28or to check their registration status.
22:31Are you ready?
22:32You ready?
22:33Were you ready?
22:34You ready for the challenge?
22:35Oh yeah.
22:36I just got to type in the link and be like, go now.
22:41So yes, I am ready.
22:44And I told them, I got to tell them, don't embarrass me.
22:48Okay.
22:49Go.
22:50All right.
22:53And we're going to ask you to let us know how many of your friends were able to, that
23:00you have convinced or encouraged to register to vote and, or to check their registration.
23:06As you know, Kenny Burns communicated with his cohort using his voice message.
23:12That's another way that you can use your group chat.
23:15You don't have to type.
23:16You can communicate with your friends, your family members, your colleagues in a variety
23:20of different ways.
23:21The goal is just to get as many people as possible to register to vote and check the
23:26registration.
23:27So you have about 20 seconds left to communicate to them.
23:30And then we want to see how many people respond to you.
23:33And we will ask you to let us know how many people were registered to vote and how many
23:38people check their registration.
23:39You have about nine seconds left to communicate with them, and then we'll take from your responses.
23:45And you have-
23:46Check the gang face.
23:47Check the gang face.
23:48And you're done.
23:49Sorry, I can't come to the phone right now.
23:50I am texting my group chat so they don't embarrass me here.
23:51Okay.
23:52So I'm on it.
23:53So all right.
23:54Send them to vote.org.
23:55You can send them to vote.org and let us know and we will check the challenge.
24:06All right.
24:08That's my last one.
24:09Don't embarrass me.
24:10All right.
24:11I'm a fan.
24:12I'm a girl fan.
24:13Look.
24:14I got you.
24:15Look, don't make me-
24:16Y'all house and throw out y'all right.
24:17Y'all won't be eating tonight if y'all check these doggone registrations.
24:18Okay?
24:19We need to put you at the polls.
24:20They are saying it.
24:21I haven't had any responses yet.
24:22But I will get back to you.
24:23This has been so much fun.
24:41This has been so much fun.
24:42My kids are in bed and I locked them out of the room.
24:43So this has been fantastic to discuss this issues with you all.
24:47I love, this is like a live group chat.
24:49This is, you know, we have a spicy time in our group chat.
24:52So all my group chats and this is even better to be able to see faces and everything like
24:56that.
24:57So thank you for having me on and for talking about these important issues.
25:03Thank you so much for joining us.
25:04Thank you for participating and thank you for encouraging your group, your group chat
25:09to register to vote and to check their registration.
25:12Thank you, Dr. Hart.
25:13Awesome.