Welcome to All the Smoke, a production of the Black Effect and Our Heart Radio in partnership with Showtime.

Welcome back to another special edition of All the Smoke, State of the Vote. We have special guests today. Coach David Fisdale. Thank you for being here.

That's what happened to me, bro. JB Bickerstaff. The homies. Good to be here. We have a man Ray over here who's a political strategist who's going to kind of keep us on tone and in tune and focused when we touch in on the political realm and the voting realm.

They're great coaches to the world, but they're our homies. Right. There you go. For a long time. We're going to go back. I've been doing Fis for a long time.

I mean, you can feel now all my people, Jalani and all them. So yeah, we got some some long runs. But anyway, how's the COVID been treating you guys? I know you got kids. I know you got one on the way. How's the COVID been for you guys?

You can rest on that too. It's been good. I mean, it shouldn't say good, but interesting. You know, a lot of changes in life, but we were talking before. Low-key blessing. This is the most time I spent with my kids since they've been born.

So a lot of soccer tournaments, packing up the truck. We've been able to find a blessing in it through the hard times. Obviously, we've been through some difficult times with friends and family passing through all that.

But trying to find the bright side of all this, the best way we can to help the kids get through it too.

Yeah, it's been great for us because obviously with the baby on the way, you know, we can fortify the house and get everything situated. And, you know, it's been great just for us in general spending time together because as a coach, you're gone.

It's just and even when you're home, you're half way gone.

So to be this present at this time with my wife and my son on the way, you know, it's been great. But the other part about it and again, like you say, you don't want to put, you know, lipstick on the pig, but at the end of the day, what was going on in our country to be able to focus in on it and put the amount of energy that I can put into it.

That part has been a blessing for me because, you know, when we're in the throes of it, it's just hard to really participate right now. We got the opportunity and the time to really focus our energy on making a real change in the state.

And I would say too, if it wasn't for the pandemic, who knows where if this message would ever been really perceived as it finally was, you know, obviously Jack has been on the front line with it from the beginning.

Like I said, I think it this pandemic forces all to sit down and really look in the mirror and look to see what's going on and and I feel like the what we've known for over 400 years has finally reared his head for enough people to at least have an understanding of this is a real, there's some real issues going on here.

And I think that's been difficult clearly from jump street, I mean, stacks man out clearly given given amplification to what's going on, making sure that he's in the streets making sure that he's in the streets making sure that he's in the streets making sure that he's in the streets.

And I think that's really the key right like voters oppression is a multi million dollar campaign in order to get you to stop your vote.

And I actually think it's having an adverse effect on black men because even black men who are not necessarily thrilled about their choices the cycle was like, you're not going to stop me from voting.

And I think that's the motivating factor specifically for black men in the cycle. And so if you are maybe not in love with what your choices are, I think what you can't do is just let them take your vote for you.

And one of the things that we're seeing is like, and it's sort of painful to watch specifically somebody who's worked in politics and started off in the field working with local organizations to see black men starting to repair it some talking points and kind of given their given their voice away.

And I will say I understand it right like the system is not working. It has not worked. And now you're asking the people who it has not worked for to participate.

And so that's what's tough about messaging in this moment. But to directly answer your question, I mean, I think I think you know, you got another week to go in the election.

I think it's about showing up and talking to people who care. It's not about candidates. It's about what we do post November. And I think that has to be the message. Candidates are just a vehicle to get you where you want to go.

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