Crooked Coffee: Ms. Livvy Against The Machine

Into the Mix

Ben & Jerry's and Vox Creative

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.3 • 537 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2024

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Voters in Coffee County, Georgia have another name for this place: Crooked Coffee, where elections officials have waged war on voters of color for decades. So residents weren't shocked when their tiny community made national headlines following the January 6th attack on the Capitol, after members of the GOP there allegedly allowed Trump associates to copy software and other sensitive digital elections materials in the days following the 2020 election. It was the latest chapter in the long story of so-called voter fraud in this small, majority-Black county – and Olivia Coley Pearson is tired. Ms. Livvy, as she’s known in the community, is the descendant of a local voting rights hero, and she’s committed her life to furthering her mother’s legacy of fighting back against intimidation and suppression of voters of color, even as those attacks grow more personal. We’re headed to Georgia to meet Ms. Livvy in action, and to learn how she fought back against bogus voter fraud charges. Learn more at benjerry.com/vote and get involved with Black Voters Matter here.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Into the Mix, a Ben and Jerry's podcast about joy and justice, produced with Vox Creative.
0:07.8	I'm Ashley C. Ford.
0:10.4	It's early Tuesday morning in the city of Douglas Coffee County, Georgia.
0:15.4	Population, a little less than 12,000 people.
0:19.7	A vast, low-swung building with green tin roofs sits in the
0:23.6	shadow of a white water tower. This is the Douglas Central Square complex, the town square. By the
0:31.3	parking lots, the smoke and smell of barbecue waft over the atmosphere. People set up tents and stakes in the ground with red,
0:39.7	white, and blue signs saying, vote such and such for sheriff and vote for who and which
0:45.4	for district judge. Drivers honk for their favorite candidates as they pass by on the way
0:52.0	to cast their votes. Today is Georgia's primary Tuesday.
0:57.0	How are y'all this morning? Just to the side of the larger crowd of political supporters
1:02.1	and barbecues, nice to meet you. I'm Olivia, so, well, I was going to say how you knew it with me.
1:08.8	I'm the black woman standing up here, and you've seen my picture on.
1:12.8	Miss Olivia Coli Pearson is wearing a black and white dashiki that reads,
1:17.9	I matter, you matter, black voters matter.
1:21.8	Trying to encourage people of the importance.
1:24.5	She introduces our team to other volunteers.
1:27.8	This Mr. Perry. Hello. This is Mr. Perry.
1:29.5	Hello.
1:30.3	This is Isaiah.
1:31.2	Hey, what's up? All right.
1:33.4	It's Isaiah. And this is Ms. Catherine.
	...

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