>> CROSSLEY: WELCOME TO BASIC BLACK.

SOME OF YOU ARE JOINING US ON OUR BROADCAST AND OTHERS OF YOU ARE JOINING US ON OUR DIGITAL PLATFORMS.

I'M CALLIE CROSSLEY, HOST OF, UNDER THE RADAR, 89.7.

TONIGHT: NEW LEADERS.

THE NEW LEADERS ARE THOUGHT TO BE THE MOST DIVERSE OF ANY CLASS OF LAWMAKERS ELECTED TO THE MASSACHUSETTS STATEHOUSE.

THEY MAY BE NEWLY ELECTED BUT THEY ARE WELL-KNOWN FACES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR; COMMUNITIES FACING SOME OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PROBLEMS IN THE STATE, FROM LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO DISCRIMINATORY HEATH CARE.

THEY CAME IN ON A WAVE OF YOUNG PEOPLE'S ENERGY AND VOTES.

AND THEY SAY THEY ARE EAGER TO TACKLE THE TOUGH ISSUES.

WILL THIS NEXT GENERATION OF LOCAL POLITICAL LEADERS BE ABLE TO BREAK BARRIERS THEIR PREDECESSORS COULD NOT?

JOINING US THIS EVENING: STATE REPRESENTATIVE JUDITH GARCIA, OF SUFFOLK COUNTY'S 11TH DISTRICT COMPRISING CHELSEA AND PARTS OF EVERETT.

STATE REP. CHRISTOPHER WORRELL, REPRESENTING SUFFOLK COUNTY'S 5TH DISTRICT, WHICH COMPRISES PARTS OF BOSTON'S ROXBURY AND DORCHESTER NEIGHBORHOODS.

AND STATE REP. SAM MONTAÑO, OF SUFFOLK COUNTY'S 15TH DISTRICT, WHICH MAKES UP A MAJORITY OF JAMAICA PLAIN, PARTS OF ROXBURY, AND THE BACK OF THE HILL SECTION OF MISSION HILL.

WELCOME TO YOU ALL.

>> THANK YOU.

FOR HAVING US.

>> Crossley: WELL, AS I SAID, YOU ALL ARE NOT UNKNOWN IN YOUR COMMUNITIES, BUT, I THINK YOU MAY BE UNKNOWN TO THE LARGER CONTEXT OF YOURS TONIGHT.

SO LET'S GET A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT ALL OF YOU OUT THERE.

FIRST OF ALL, I'LL START WITH YOU, CHRISTOPHER, BECAUSE YOU REPLACED LIZ MIRANDA, BECAUSE PEOPLE MAY THINK OF THAT AS HER DISTRICT AND IT'S YOURS NOW,.

>> IT IS.

>> Crossley: AND YOU ARE PART OF A NEW POLITICAL DYNASTY?

>> THAT THE WHAT THEY SAY.

MY BROTHER IS DISTRICT FOUR CITY COUNCILLOR BRIAN MORELL.

WE'RE JUST EXCITED TO BE HERE AND WE HAVE A BIG FAMILY IN THE DISTRICT, AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS COMMUNITY WORK FOR A LONG TIME.

>> Crossley: TELL US ABOUT THE COMMUNITY WORK YOU WERE DOING BEFORE.

>> SO THE COMMUNITY WORK WE HAVE BEEN DOING BEFORE -- WHEN THERE WAS A PANDEMIC, WE MADE SURE THAT OUR PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE ON OUR STREET, THE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF BOSTON WERE -- THEY HAD THE NECESSITIES TO HAVE THE COVID VACCINES.

SO WE DID POP-UP SHOTS WHERE WE STUCK ORE 500 RESIDENTS WITH THE COVID VACCINE AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAD THE EDUCATION, MAKING SURE IT CAME FROM PEOPLE THAT THEY TRUST, AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A BIG IMMIGRATION POPULATION IN OUR DISTRICT.

SO WE DIDN'T WANT THEM TO FEEL LIKE THERE WAS -- >> Crossley: AIRPLANE OVERLOOKED.

>> -- EXACTLY, OR IN THAT CASE IS ICE GOING TO GET US.

NO, COME IN, GET YOUR COVID VACCINATION, GET FREE MASKS, HAND SANITIZER.

WE ALSO GAVE OUT FOOD AS WELL, AND WE DO AN ANNUAL TURKEY DRIVE THROUGHOUT OUR DISTRICT AS WELL.

>> GREAT.

SAM, YOU REPLACED NICCA EL GUARDO IN YOUR DISTRICT AND, AGAIN, VERY FAMILIAR TO YOUR COMMUNITY.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK -- WOMEN'S SHELTER, ALSO WORKING IN OTHER COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS.

>> YEAH, MY DISTRICT IS HALF OF WHAT IT WAS, SO IT'S A NICE GOOD PART OF J.P. P., MISSION HILL AND ROXBURY.

I CAME TO BOSTON FROMMARK CONK MIDDLE SCHOOL IN WORCESTER.

IT WAS THIGHS TO COME TO BOSTON IN THE SAME CULTURE OF HISPANICS.

I WORKED AT A SHELTER.

THAT WAS WHERE I GOT TO UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMICS OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WHAT IS SOUTH BOSTON AND TORE CHERTS, EAST BOSTON -- DORCHESTER, EAST BOSTON.

IN EAST BOSTON YOU HAD TO HAVE A CHILD AND BE A WOMAN TO LIVE THERE.

ETH AMAZING TO SEE HOW THE COMMUNITIES AND HOUSING AND VOUCHER SYSTEMS AND SHELTER SYSTEM WERE NOT WORKING FOR THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS.

THAT'S HOW I TURNED THIS INTO COMMUNITY DEVELOPED AND ORGANIZATIONING INSTEAD OF BAND AIDS AND TRYING TO FIND PEOPLE HOUSING WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE COMMUNITY ISSUES THEY WERE COMING UP AGAINST.

>> Crossley: YOU TWO ARE NEWBIES IN TERMS OF ELECT OFFICE IN POLITICS, BUT YOU'RE NOT, JUDITH.

YOU WERE ELECTED TO THE CHELSEA CITY COUNCIL, AND YOU'RE KNOWN IN A DIFFERENT WAY TO YOUR CONSTITUENCY.

TELL US ABOUT BEING ON THE COUNCIL AND SOME OF THE WORK YOU DID ON THE COUNCIL AND WHY YOU EVEN WANTED TO BE ON THE COUNCIL.

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I HAVE HAD THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO REPRESENT THE HEART OF CHELSEA FOR ABOUT SEVEN YEARSERS AND WHEN I WAS 23 YEARS OLD, I RETURNED FROM COLLEGE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT RAISED ME.

I'M A TIEWRGT OF CHELSEA.

I'M THE PROUD DAUGHTER OF A SINGLE MOTHER WHO TO THIS VERY DAY IS AN ESSENTIAL WORKER IN CHELSEA.

WHEN I CAME BACK TO MY COMMUNITY, THERE WAS A TOTAL LACK OF REPRESENTATION IN OUR MUSICIAN CAL GOVERNMENTS, THE COMMUNITY PREDOMINANTLY LATINO, OVER 70% OF OUR COMMUNITY IS LATINO AND WE HAD ZERO REPRESENTATION IN THE COUNCIL.

SO I DECIDED TO RUN WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LATINO AND WE FLIPPED THE POWER SCHEME AT THE TIME BECOMING MAJORITY-MINORITY COUNCIL, AND I HAVE BEEN BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THE LOCAL LEVEL, MAKING WAVES, MAKING SURE WE ARE GIVEN AND PROVIDED THE SERVICES OUR COMMUNITY SO NEED, AND YOU CANNOT PASS THAT IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND AND HAVE LIVED EXPERIENCE.

I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT AND 32 YEARS LATER REPRESENT THE FIRST WOMAN IN CHELSEA IN A SINGLE SET AND EVERETT, SITH A GREAT HONOR.

>> Crossley: SAM, I WANTED TO POINT OUT IN YOUR DISTRICT AS WELL, JUDITH, IS THERE WAS REDISTRICTING SO A LOT OF THE DISTRICT HAVE SHIFTED.

THERE WERE TWO DISTRICTS SPLIT IN CHELSEA AND NOW THEY'RE UNITED, AND YOU SAID THIS IS VERY CORPORATE FOR REPRESENTATION FOR CHELSEA.

ABSOLUTELY.

CHELSEA HAS BEEN A COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN CLAMORING POLITICAL CLOUT, AND WE WERE DIVIDED.

WE HAVE OUR PRESENTATION AT TIMES OF HAVING TWO ELECTED OFFICIALS.

WITH CHELSEA, WE NEEDED ONE PERSON TO REPRESENT THE WHOLE CITY AND OPEN THE AVENUE AND THE PATHWAY FOR A PERSON OF COLOR TO RUN FOR THE SEAT, AND THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE.

BUT NOW, THANKS TO THE LEADERSHIP OF SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES LEADERSHIP AT THE STATE HOUSE, ESPECIALLY REPRESENTATIVE MIKE MORAN, WHO LED THE REDISTRICTING ALONG WITH OTHER ORGANIZERS AND COALITIONS, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE A VOICE TO THESE COMMUNITIES THAT NEED IT SO MUCH AND THAT ARE FACING MANY CHALLENGES.

>> Crossley: DID YOUR DISTRICT SHIFT A LITTLE BIT, CHRISTOPHER?

>> YES, IT DID.

AGAIN, TO MAKE REPRESENTATIVE JULIUS' SEAT, THEY HAD TO TAKE OUT LIZ MOLIA'S SEAT TO RETIRE, SO I MOVED TO SEIBER STREET, HUMBLE, SHIFTED AND THAT OPENED UP THE SPACE FOR JUDITH'S SEAT TO OPEN UP AND UNITE THOSE TWO COMMUNITIES.

>> Crossley: SAM, AS YOU SAID, YOUR DISTRICT SHIFTED WITH THE REDISTRICTING AS WELL.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES YOU GUYS FACE.

YOU'RE COMING IN STRONG.

YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY.

THOSE FOLKS PUT YOU IN AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY REALLY HAVE A HAND ON YOU, THEY KNOW YOU, BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN IN THOSE STREETS, IN THOSE ROOMS DOING THE WORK, AND THEY KNOW IT, BUT, GOOD GRIEF, THERE'S HARD STUFF.

HOUSING AT THE TOP, AMPLIFIED LATINX PUT OUT THE FIRST STATEWIDE POLL TALKING ABOUT HOW LATINOS ARE -- WELL, NOT SERVICED IN THE STATE, AND THE MAIN ISSUES CONCERNING THEM AND HOUSING IS AT THE TOP.

SO I'LL LET YOU START, SAM, WITH WHAT'S YOUR FOLKS.

I KNOW YOU CAN'T BE ALL THINGS TO EVERYBODY, BUT HOW HAVE YOU DECIDED YOU'RE GOING TO CONCENTRATE IS THIS.

>> I ACTUALLY COME FROM AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING BACKGROUND.

I WAS DOING ORGANIZATIONING AND ADVOCACY SIX YEARS.

HOUSING IS MY NUMBER ONE FOCUS.

I HAVE A RENT STABILIZATION BILL, WE HAVE A BILL WORKING TOWARD ALLOWING FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN CRIMINALLY JUSTICE INVOLVED TO ACCESS PREFERENCES TO GET HOUSING.

ONE OF THE WAYS TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM RECIDIVISM IS TO PROVIDE A SAFE HOUSE THEY CAN AFFORD, AND LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO DEVELOP HOUSING MORE QUICKLY AND THROUGH THE PIPELINE.

SO HOUSING, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, A LITTLE BIT OF THAT WORK RELATED TO TRANSIT, AND MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE APEWS, THAT'S A REALLY PERSONAL TOPIC TO HE AND SOMETHING THAT WILL IMPACT THE COMMUNITY AS WELL, IN WHAT WAYS CAN WE PRO-DEMOCRACY STABILIZATION FOR FOLKS LOOKING TO ENTER RECOVERY PROGRAMS AND PROVIDE RESOURCES, MAKING IT LOOK LIKE A HUB MODEL, A WRAP-AROUND MODEL, FOR FOLKS ABLE TO ENTER RECORE AND NOT JUST BE IN THERE FIVE DAYS, A MONTH, UNDERSTANDING THAT IT TAKES A YEAR OR MORE FOR YOUR BRAIN TO RESET OR MORE AND TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FETE THE LIFE SKILLS, AND THE MORE FOLKS ABLE TO ACCESS THAT THROUGH HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTS, THE STRONGER COMMUNITY WE CAN HAVE AND A MORE DIVERSE AND ECONOMICALLY STABLE COMMUNITY WE CAN HAVE.

THAT THE WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO WORK ON IN J.P. >> OKAY.

REMARKABLY, YOUR LIST LOOKS A LOT LIKE SAM'S LIST.

HOUSING IS AT THE TOP.

I WANT YOU TO TELL ME ABOUT THE SECTION EIGHT PROPOSAL YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT OR WHAT YOUR ISSUES ARE AROUND THAT, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE GUN CONTROL AND ENVIRONMENT ON YOUR LIST.

>> YES.

>> Crossley: TELL ME FIRST ACT SECTION 8 HOUSING.

>> HOW SECTION 8 PAYS INTO A LANDLORD, WE'RE LOOKING ON HOW SECTION 8 WITH PAY INTO SOMEONE'S MORTGAGES.

GROWING UP, MY GRANDPARENTS CAME FROM JAY PAY CAY, BOUGHT A TWO-STORY HOUSE ON ELEVENTH STREET, SENT FOR MY AUNTS AND UNCLES.

MY MOM STARTED WORKING AT THE HOSPITAL, MY FATHER IN THE CAFETERIA, CALLED CAFETERIA LOVE, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF MY GRANDPARENTS' TWO-FAMILY, NOT PAYING MARKET RENT, HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO ONE DAY BUY THEIR OWN.

THEY BOUGHT ON HEUGHAN STREET, TWO FAMILY.

I MET MY WIFE IN CHURCH.

WE MOVED INTO THAT FIRST FLOOR HOUSE, MY PASSPORTS HOUSE, NOT PAYING MARKET RENT BUT HAVING AN UNDERSTANDING ONE DAY YOU WILL BUY YOUR OWN.

THREE YEARS AGO WE BOUGHT OUR OWN ON NORMANDY STREET, PASSING GENERATIONAL WEALTH.

THOSE HOUSES ARE STILL IN THE FAMILY AND WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO OWN IN OUR COMMUNITY.

ONE THING WE WANT TO DO, KNOWING A VAST MAJORITY OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE ON SECTION 8, IS HOW TO MAKE THE SECTION 8 VOUCHER WORK FOR OUR MORTGAGES.

ALSO WE HAVE GUN CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE.

I REPRESENT THE MOST PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE COMMONWEALTH, AND OUR STREETS ARE STRICKEN WITH GUN VIOLENCE.

WE BREATHE SOME OF THE WORST AIR IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WHEN I DRIVE TO THE STATE HOUSE 10, 15 MINUTES AWAY, THEY BREATHE SOME OF THE BEST AIR IN MASSACHUSETTS, AND A LIFE EXPECTSY OF 30 YEARS BETWEEN THE TWO.

SO WE'RE JUST FIGHTING FOR QUALITY OF LIFE, GUN VIOLENCE AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO A GREAT JOB.

>> Crossley: OKAY.

JUDITH, YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO REPEAT ON SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU PUSHED FORTH AS A CITY COUNCILLOR.

>> YEAH.

>> Crossley: YOU KNOW, HOUSING, FOR CERTAIN AT THE TOP OF THE -- YOU ALREADY WERE INSTRUMENTAL WITH THE WAGE THEFT LAW, MAKING SURE THAT STOPPED, BECAUSE 80% OF YOUR POPULATION ARE ESSENTIAL WORKERS.

SO IN SOME WAYS THE REST OF THE STATE BENEFITED OFF THE BACKS OF THE PEOPLE LIVING IN YOUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY KEPT EVERYTHING GOING DURING THE PENG AND WE KNOW THAT NOW, I THINK THE REST OF US CAN UNDERSTAND THAT IN REAL WAYS.

SO HOW WILL YOU FOCUS?

BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT A LOT ON YOUR PLATE.

WHAT WILL BE YOUR ESSENTIAL FOCUSES IN THE STATE HOUSE NOW.

>> THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.

I REPRESENT TWO GATEWAY COMMUNITY, EVERETT AND CHELSEA.

THESE ARE COMMUNITIES THAT DEAL WITH EVERY CHALLENGE YOU THINK OF, ENVIRONMENTAL J.T.

COMMUNITIES, DEALING WITH TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, DEALING WITH HOUSING.

IT'S A CRIES, AND THE LEVEL OF URGENCY THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS HUGE.

AND, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THINK OF THIS, WITH THIS REPRESENTATION THAT WE'RE NOW BRINGING TO THE STATE HOUSE, IT COMES WITH A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY.

AND, IN MY CASE NOW, I AM REALLY FOCUSING ON THREE THINGS, AND ONE IS, YES, HOUSING IS AT THE VERY TOP, BUT, TWO, I LOOK AT OUR STATE, AND WE HAVE BEEN LEADER OF HEALTH TORE THE NATION -- FOR THE NATION, YET HEALTHCARE REMAINS INEQUITABLE, RIGHT.

AND I THINK IF WE HAD THE SHARED RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMITMENT THAT WE DID IN 2006, WE NEED TO CONTINUE WITH THAT SHARED RESPONSIBILITY TODAY AFTER THIS PANDEMIC, WHERE WE KNOW BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES WERE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED, WE NEED THE SHARED RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CENTER OF OUR HECK IS EQUITY.

I CAN TELL YOU THAT, DURING COVID, I SAW AND I HEARD MY COMMUNITY SUFFER IN WAYS THAT OTHER CITIES OF THIS COMMONWEALTH DID NOT.

CHELSEA BECAME THE EPICENTER OF THIS PANDEMIC, AND, TO THIS DAY, WE'RE STILL STRUGGLING, THERE ARE STILL LINES IN MY COMMUNITY THAT ARE FACING FOOD INSECURITY.

GLADYS VEGA, A DEAR AND BELOVED ACTIVIST IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

>> Crossley: POWERFUL.

INCREDIBLY POWERFUL, I STILL REMEMBER HER SHARING STORIES OF GOING TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH PEOPLE FROM CHELSEA WHO WERE TURNED AWAY AND SENT HOME TO DIE, AND WE CANNOT CONTINUE LIKE THIS.

SO THAT'S WHY, RIGHT NOW, ONE OF MY BIGGEST PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT I AM SHARING AND HAVE THE HUGE HONOR TO CO-SPONSOR WITH REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS AND SENATOR LIZ MIRANDA IS PUSHING EQUITY AT THE CENTER AND FOREFRONT OF OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

SO THOSE ARE TWO AREAS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ME ALONG WITH YOUTH DEVELOPMENT.

IT'S NO SECRET THAT MY CAMPAIGN AND SUCCESS HAVE BEEN THANKS TO THE ENERGY OF COMMITMENT OF YOUTH MEMBERS AND I THINK WE NEED TO INVEST IN THAT NEXT GENERATION OF LEADER.

>> IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF YOU EVEN ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL AS WE'VE SEEN THE MIDTERMS WERE TURNED BECAUSE OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S ENERGY AND INTEREST.

SO THEY'RE A POWER HOUSE NOW.

THE COHORTS OF I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH GENERATION IS BIGGER THAN BABY BOOMERS, FINALLY, SOME WOULD SAY.

SO THERE'S A DIFFERENT LENS.

YOU'RE ALL POST-SIGHT GENERATION.

YOU'RE ALSO COMING INTO A VERY INTERESTING SITUATION -- MASSACHUSETTS IS PROMINENTLY DEMOCRATIC IN THE STATE HOUSE AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A HONG TIME, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH IS ALSO DEMOCRATIC.

SO HOW WILL YOU MEASURE SUCCESS BECAUSE NOBODY WANT TO HEAR THAT YOU DID NOT HAVE THE POWER TO GET TOGETHER AND MAKE SOME OF THESE CHANGES?

DO YOU CONSIDER THAT A BENEFIT OR ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT MAYBE HAVING TO FIGHT UPHILL BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKETH GOING TO BE EASIER?

SAM.

>> WELL, DEMOCRATS ARE DIVERSE AS LATINOS.

THERE'S NOT ONE WAY TO BE LATINO OR DEMOCRATIC.

THERE'S NOT A SET OF VALUES THAT ARE CENTRAL TO IDENTIFYING AS A DEMOCRAT.

YOU CAN IDENTIFY AS A DEMOCRAT HOWEVER YOU WANT.

SO THERE ARE FOLKS LIKE ME WHO ARE MORE PROGRESSIVE WHO WANT TO PUSH REFORM IN A WAY THAT REALLY GETS TO THE ROOT OF EQUITY AND DO IT IN A FAST WAY AND DISRUPTS THE POWER CYCLE, WHO HAS HELD POWER AND WEALTH.

ONLY, YOU HAVE TO FIND A MIDDLE GROUND AND THAT THE PART OF BEING IN THE LEGISLATURE, THERE'S 159 OTHER REPS. YOU'RE TRYING TO MOVE TOGETHER BUT SOME FOLKS ARE WANTING TO MOVE SLOWER THAN YOU.

ETH TRULY ABOUT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND HOW YOU CAN FIND A PLACE TO GET WHERE EVERYONE WILL MOVE.

IT IS FRUSTRATING TO THE COMMUNITY TO BE LIKE WHY WE HAVE DEMOCRATIC-LED GOVERNMENT, WHY ARE WE TAKING SO LONG TO FEED THESE REFORMS THAT PEOPLE SO DESPERATELY NEED, IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE DIVERSE.

>> Crossley: DO YOU AGREE?

YES.

YES, I AGREE, BUT ONE THING THAT I'M TRYING TO PUSH ALONGSIDE MY BROTHER IS BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT.

YOU KNOW, WHEN WE PUSH THE BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, YOU KNOW, SINCE WE HAVE A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR, EVERYTHING'S ROLLING IN THE WAY, NOW IT'S TIME, WE NEED TO GET A PUSH FOR OUR BLACK, WHAT WE NEED.

WE NEED MORE HOUSING, WE NEED HOUSING OWNERSHIP, WE NEED ECONOMIC WITHIN MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES, AND THE LIST CONTINUES.

SO I'M TAKING THE WAVE OF THIS TOP HEAVY DEMOCRATIC LEAD AND MAKING SURE MY PEOPLE IN THE FIFTY SUFFOLK AND BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE ARE TAKEN CARE OF.

>> Crossley: I WANT TO POINT OUT JUST INTERESTINGLY, YOU AND YOUR BROTHER ARE GOING TO HAVE A JOINT OFFICE TOGETHER.

>> YES.

>> Crossley: YOU ARE COALESCING ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL AS WELL.

>> AND BRINGING RESOURCES TO THE COMMUNITY.

>> Crossley: I'M POINTING OUT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR YOU, THAT'S EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND ACROSS CITY COUNCIL.

>> YEAH.

>> Crossley: THEY'LL BE LOOKING FOR YOU.

JUDITH, WHAT SAY YOU ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC POWER BASE AND WHAT COMMUNITY FOLKS WILL BE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF SUCCESSES THAT SAM HAD SAID PERHAPS TO GREATER EXPECTATION BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN THE PARTY AS WELL?

>> WE'RE IN WEEK THREE OF THE JOB AND NEWCOMERS -- (LAUGHTER) IT'S REALLY WEEK THREE OF THE JOB AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT THAT OUT BECAUSE MASSACHUSETTS AND THE NEW GOVERNMENT NOW MADE HISTORY, AN WE'RE DIVERSIFYING OUR LEGISLATURE, AND I THINK THAT'S EXCITING AND I THINK IT CREATES ROOM FOR OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND REALLY BRING NEW IDEA, RIGHT?

WE CAN'T FORGET THAT WE JUST SELECTED ALL WOMEN.

FI'WOMEN ARE IN POWER IN STATEWIDE OFFICE AND I THINK WE ALL BRING DIFFERENT IDEAS.

FOR ME, MY FOCUS IS CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS AT THE HOUSE LEVEL BUT ALSO SEEING WHAT OTHER LEADER WILL PROPOSE SO WE CAN WORK TOGETHER.

AND WE CAN'T FORGET THE POWER OF ORGANIZING AND THE COALITIONS BUILT OUTSIDE THE STATE HOUSE THAT CAN HELP US MOVE AND ADVANCE POLICY FORWARD.

>> Crossley: YOUNG PEOPLE, THEY'VE HELPED YOU TO GET INTO OFFICE, WE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT DATABASE, BUT YOU ALL ARE YOUNG.

NO SHAME TO PEOPLE WHO CAME BEFORE, BUT HOW TO YOU SEE YOUR LENS IMPACTING HOW YOU WILL MANAGE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND FOCUS ON WHAT YOU THINK IS IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF MOVING FORWARD ON LEGISLATION?

SAM?

>> I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE NAVIGATING A GLOBAL WORLD IN THE WAY A LOT OF FOLKS WEREN'T ABLE TO BECAUSE TO HAVE THE INTERNET, BECAUSE OF ACCESS TO RESOURCES, BECAUSE OF THE MORE FOLKS TO THE EXPECTATION IS THAT YOU GO TO A UNIVERSITY AND GET A DEGREE, SO IN THAT SENSE WE ARE COMING ALONG WITH A WIDER EXPOSURE THAN FOLKS BEFORE US.

THERE'S ALSO A SHIFT AND A FOCUS IN REDEFINING AND RESETTING THE TABLE, WHO'S AT THE TABLE AND HOW FOLKS ARE COMING TO THE TABLE.

THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO SHIFT LANGUAGE, THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO EVOLVE.

THE FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THE IMPACT ARE THE FOLKS WHO STAY RELEVANT AND EDUCATE THEMSELVES.

SO FOR US, CLEARLY, WE'VE MADE THE EFFORT TO STAY RELEVANT IN THAT SENSE, TO CONNECT TO THE COMMUNITY, TO MAKE THAT SPACE, AND TO BRING FOLKS WITH US, AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW YOU GET TO THESE SPACES.

BUT I THINK THAT THE ONE OF THE DEFINING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENERATIONS IS WE HAVE ACCESS TO WAYS TO BLOW UP OUR PLATFORMS IN WAYS THAT OTHER FOLKS DIDN'T THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND THROUGH THE INTERNET.

WE HAVE ACCESS TO LEARNING ABOUT FOLKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY'RE SHARING.

IT LOOKS LIKE ALL THESE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN THESE PERSPECTIVES WHICH IS A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE CANNOT GET THE OTHER PERSPECTIVES.

BUT I THINK THAT'S IT, WE'VE BEEN -- WE ARE LIVING IN A GLOBAL WORLD AND IT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT PLACE.

>> Crossley: JUDITH, GO AHEAD.

I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

I THINK WHAT'S WONDERFUL ABOUT THIS GENERATION IS THE LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY THEY'RE PLACING ON US.

THIS IS A NEW GENERATION THAT'S PUSHINGICS IT'S MORE EMPATHETIC AND INVOLVED AND THEY SEE THEIR POWER AND THEY'RE COLLECTIVE.

SO MY CAMPAIGN WAS RUN AND ENGINED BY OVER 22 YOUNG KID AGES BETWEEN 13 AND 22, AND THEY WERE PASSIONATE AND, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD COMPLETE PASSION AND COMMITMENT TO THE MOVEMENT, BUT THEY ARE ALSO NOT AFRAID TO CALL YOU OUT FOR ISSUES THAT MATTER TO THEM, FROM ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE TO MORE OF A PRESENTATION TO TRANSPARENCY, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS PARTICULAR GROUP OF ACTIVISTS EVEN THOR SPECIAL.

>> BIG MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT KARLA HARRIS HAS WRITTEN IN HER BOOK ABOUT LEADERSHIP THAT IN THE OLD DAYS THE BIG BOSS WOULD SAY JUMP, YOU WOULD SAY HOW HI, AND THESE YOUNG PEOPLE SAY "WHY?"

THAT SORT OF SUMS IT UP.

>> RIGHT.

I HAVE A DIFFERENT APPROACH BECAUSE MY COMMUNITY, THE FIFTH SUFFOLK, HAS THE WORST VOTER TURNOUT IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

IF WE HAVE THE WORST VOTER TURNOUT, OUR PEOPLE AREN'T COMING TO THE POLLS.

THE REASON WHY WE GOT THEM TO THE POLLS IS BECAUSE WE GAVE THEM -- I'M CHRIS, I'M THE GUY YOU SEE AT STOP AND SHOP.

I'M THE GUY WE PLAYED B AND BL WITH, I'M THE GUY WHO WILL BE FIGHTING FOR YOU.

HAVE YOUR FAITH IN ME AND I'M BRIG YOU TO AT THAT TABLE, ALL OF US ARE COMING TO THE TABLE.

SO WHAT OUR CAMPAIGN DID BEFORE ANNOUNCING IS GET OUR JUNG PEOPLE REGISTERED TO VOTE, KNOCKING ON DOORS, GETTING THEM EXCITED TO VOTE, HAVING -- LETTING THEM KNOW, THEY DO HAVE A VOICE.

WE NEED TO TAKE -- UNITE THIS VOICE AND ASK FOR THINGS WE WANT.

CERTAIN THINGS, WE GET LOOKED OVER BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE JUST LOOK AT THE VOTING RECORDS AND BE LUC THAT COMMUNITY IS NOT ACTIVE.

WE'RE TRYING TO BRING THAT ACTIVENESS INTO OUR COMMUNITY, WE'RE TRYING TO LIFT UP A YOUNG PEOPLE WITH A BIG VOICE, AND THAT'S WHY SOME OF THE INTERNS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TAKEN ON THIS SUMMER, MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE NO POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE OR HISTORY AND BRINGING THEM UNDER THE GOLDEN DOME TO GIVE THEM A NEW LENS ON LIFE, THIS IS HOW A BILL WORKS.

SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK -- I AM A BILL, I AM A BILL.

RIGHT.

.SO WE'RE TRYING TO BRING TOGETHER A COALITION OF BLACK AND BROWN YOUNG PEOPLE TO TAKE THE REINS AND START THEIR POLITICAL CAREER THROUGHOUT THE SEAT AND COMMONWEALTH.

>> Crossley: I WANT TO BRING THE CONVERSATION TO A CLOSE THIS WAY, NOT A POLICY OR POLITICAL QUESTION, BUT A PERSONAL ONE -- WHY, WHY, PERSONALLY, TID YOU -- DID YOU WANT TO TAKE ON THIS WORK, SAM?

POLICE EXPLAIN TO THE REST OF US WHO SAID, I WOULDN'T DO THAT JOB.

YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN A FAMILY THAT HAD NO HOUSING SECURITY, WE MOVED EVERY YEAR.

I THINK I MOVED EVERY YEAR UP UNTIL TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS 13, SO I HAVEN'T STAYED IN A PLACE OVER A YEAR FOR MORE THAN HALF MY LIFE.

AND MY DAD HAS SUBSTANCE ABUSE.

MY MOM IS A LOW-INCOME MOM FOR A LONG TIME.

I WENT TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THEN U.C.L.A.

I'VE HAD THESE QUICK ROUTES, SO FOR ME BEING ABLE TO IMPACT THE SYSTEM THAT CREATED THE SITUATIONS IS ESSENTIAL.

>> Crossley: OKAY.

CHRIS.

>> I'M THE SON OF IMMIGRANTS, MY PARENTS CAME FROM BARBADOS AND JAMAICA.

I'VE SEEN THEM WORK SIX JOBS BETWEEN THE TWO JUST TO PUT A HOUSE OVER MY BROTHER AND SISTER'S HEAD, CLOTHE ON OUR FEET.

I'VE SEEN THE INIQUITIES, LIVED IT EVERY DAY, AND I WANTED TO HAVE AND BE THAT PERSON WHO BROUGHT THE CHANGE TO GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT YOU COULD FEEL AND TOUCH.

>> Crossley: LAST SECOND TO YOU, JUDITH.

>> I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE ABOUT FIXING THE SOCIAL ISSUES THAT IMPACT US ALL.

I AM A PROUD DAUGHTER OF A WOMAN WHO CAME FROM HONDURAS SEEKING THE AMERICAN DREAM.

I THOUGH THE STRUGGLES THEY FACE TO THIS VERY DAY, THE CHRONIC TRAUMA AND STRESS, AND I BELIEVE IN A GOVERNMENT THAT EMPOWERS US ALL AND ADVANCES US TO EQUITY.

>> Crossley: YOU COULD HAVE LEFT THAT TO SOMEBODY ELSE, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO.

>> I THINK I CAN DO IT BEST.

>> Crossley: OKAY.

I HAVE TO SAY TO ALL OF YOU, YOU RUN IN POETRY, GOVERN IN PROSE, SO WE'LL BE WATCHING YOU.

THANK YOU ALL.

THAT'S THE END OF OUR BROADCAST AND THE END OF OUR SHOW.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

NOW STAY WITH US AS WE CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATION ON OUR DIGITAL PLATFORMS, YOU TUBE AND FACEBOOK.

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