WICHOWSKY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> Frederica: AS TO THE
EVERS/JOHNSON VOTERS IN
WISCONSIN, A KEY PART OF THE
JOHNSON PLAYBOOK WERE ATTACK
ADDS AGAINST BARNES CALLING HIM
"DIFFERENT" AND "DANGEROUS," ARE
THEY TIPPING TO THE INCUMBENT
SENATOR?
WHO PEOPLE WHO WORK TO GET OUT
THE VOTE FOR BARNES REGARD THE
MESSAGES, ESPECIALLY IN
MILWAUKEE VILIFIED FOR CRIME.
WE TALK WITH ANGELA LANG,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BLACK
LEADERS ORGANIZING FOR
COMMUNITIES, AND THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> Frederica: HOW DO YOU
REGARD THOSE ATTACK ADS AGAINST
BARNES?
>> THEY WERE TERRIBLE.
THEY WERE VILE.
THEY WERE REALLY HARD TO WATCH.
I THINK FOR -- I KNOW ME
PERSONALLY AND OTHER FOLKS, IF
WE CAN TALK TO OUR OWN
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR THIS WAY,
HOW DO THE REST FEEL ABOUT THE
BLACK COMMUNITY AND OTHERS HE
SHOULD HAVE BEEN COURTING
INSTEAD OF VILIFYING, IT WAS
HORRIBLE AND TERRIFYING AND HARD
TO WATCH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
ENCOURAGING TO SEE BARNES REMAIN
GRACEFUL IN HANDLING THAT AND
NOT STOOP TO THEIR LEVEL.
>> Frederica: WHAT'S THE
RESPONSE TO THE LEVEL THAT
BARNES DID NOT DO ENOUGH TO
DEFEND AGAINST THEM?
>> I THINK IT'S COMPLICATED.
I THINK ON ONE HAND, ANYTHING HE
PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DONE WOULD
HAVE BEEN SEEN AS WEAPONIZED AND
FURTHER SEEN AS THE ANGRY BLACK
MAN AND THAT'S WHY YOU SAW HIM
MAKING PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY
SANDWICHES.
HIS HUMANITY WAS STRIPPED
BECAUSE OF THE ADS, AND BEING A
BLACK PERSON, ESPECIALLY RUNNING
A STATEWIDE -- FOR STATEWIDE
OFFICE, YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
TO NOT FURTHER FAN THOSE FLAMES,
AND PEOPLE ASK, WOULD I HAVE
PERSONALLY DONE SOMETHING
DIFFERENT?
ABSOLUTELY!
THAT'S WHY I'M NOT THE
CANDIDATE.
I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT FOR, I
THINK, MOST OF US TO HANDLE IT
IN THE WAY HE DID WITH SUCH
GRACE.
>> Frederica: DO YOU THINK
THOSE WHO VOTED FOR EVERS AND
NOT FOR BARNES WERE FRIGHTENED
AS DESIGNED BY THAT MESSAGING?
>> I'M VERY CURIOUS TO HAVE
CONVERSATIONS WITH THOSE VOTERS
TO SEE IF PEOPLE FOCUS GROUPED
THEM OR WHAT HAVE YOU, AND
ULTIMATELY, I CAN'T THINK OF ANY
OTHER REASON FOR THE VOTERS TO
EXIST OTHER THAN RACISM AND FEAR
MONGERING, AND I THINK THAT'S
REALLY SAD AND REALLY TRAGIC
THAT SOME PEOPLE CAN'T GET PAST
THEIR OWN RACISM, BUT WE HAVE
ALL OF THE CHALLENGES ON THE
LINE AND UNDERSTANDING HOW RON
JOHNSON IS VERY HARMFUL TO THE
COMMUNITIES AND FOR WHATEVER
REASON, THAT SEEMED TO TAKE A
BACKSEAT IN TERMS OF RACISM FOR
THE FOLKS.
>> Frederica: HOW DOES THAT
SPEAK TO THE RACIAL POLARIZATION
IN WISCONSIN?
>> I THINK IT SHOWS WE HAVE A
LOT OF WORK TO CONTINUE TO DO.
I KNOW IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS
SINCE THE MURDERS OF TAYLOR AND
FLOYD, THERE'S MORE
CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING, AND
CONVERSATIONS NEED TO CONTINUE.
I THINK WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF A
RACIAL RECKONING THAT WE HAVE TO
CONTINUE TO DIG INTO, AND I
THINK IT'S GOING TO BE AWHILE
BEFORE THIS COMMUNITY AND STATE
AND COUNTRY AS A WHOLE COMES
TOGETHER AND ACTUALLY SAYS WE
DEMAND BETTER AND ALL
COMMUNITIES DESERVE TO THRIVE
AND HAVE DIGNITY AND NOT HAVE
THIS RACIST RHETORIC, BUT I
THINK IT STARTS BY CONTINUING TO
HAVE CONVERSATIONS.
>> Frederica: YOU SAID
"FOLLOWING THE BARNES DEFEAT
THAT, QUOTE, PROGRESSIVES THAT
DECIDED THE ELECTABILITY WHISPER
CAMPAIGN IN THE PRIMARY, YOU ALL
ARE PARTLY TO BLAME, "WHAT'S
THAT ABOUT?
>> YEAH.
I THINK WE SAW, YOU KNOW, I
WON'T MENTION THE CAMPAIGNS, BUT
WE SAW CAMPAIGNS IN THE PRIMARY
KIND OF AMPLIFY THE DOG WHISTLE
POLITICS, CALLING HIM EXTREME
GIVEN HIS ENDORSEMENTS OR
TALKING ABOUT THE TAX RECORD.
THINGS THAT REPUBLICANS WOULD
TALK ABOUT, BUT THESE WERE HIS
OPPONENTS AND CHALLENGERS IN THE
PRIMARY, AND I THINK BY HAVING
DOG WHISTLES, AND KIND OF GOING
UNCHECKED IN SOME CASES, REALLY
PROVIDED AN OPENING FOR THE
REPUBLICANS TO HAVE THEIR VILE
MESSAGES AS WELL IN THE GENERAL
ELECTION.
>> Frederica: THERE WAS A
DECREASE IN VOTER TURNOUT IN
MILWAUKEE COUNTY WHICH SAW
SOMETHING LIKE 47,000 A FEWER
VOTES THAN IN 2018 IN THE U.S.
SENATE RACE.
NOT FOR LACK OF EFFORT.
WE KNOW.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
>> YEAH.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE STILL GOING TO
BE DIGGING INTO THE NUMBERS AND
FIGURING OUT WHAT HAPPENED, BUT
WE ALSO KNOW, TOO, THAT WE'RE
GETTING REPORTS THAT HUNDREDS OF
PEOPLE JUST EVEN IN SOME POLLING
PLACES WERE TURNED AWAY DUE TO
HAVING THE WRONG POLLING
LOCATION BECAUSE OF
REDISTRICTING, AND THEIR POLLING
PLACE MOVED.
DID THE PEOPLE TURNED AWAY ABLE
TO GET TO THE CORRECT POLLING
PLACE TO VOTE?
WE HEARD REPORTS OF THAT, AND,
YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HEARD SOME
REPORTS OF PEOPLE HAVING
CHILDCARE ISSUES BECAUSE MDS WAS
CLOSED, NOT SAYING THAT'S ALL OF
THE REASONS, BUT I THINK WE HAVE
TO LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE THINGS
THAT ARE NOT NORMALLY TALKED
ABOUT TO REALLY KIND OF PUT THE
PIECES TOGETHER OF A PUZZLE OF
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, BUT IT
GOES TO SHOW THERE'S MORE WORK
TO DO FOR THE SPRING ELECTIONS
NEXT YEAR.
>> Frederica: BRIEFLY, LOOKING
AHEAD TO THE NEXT STATEWIDE
RACE, RACE FOR SUPREME COURT.
WHY IS THAT ELECTION IN YOUR
SIGHTS?
>> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR
SEVERAL REASONS.
OUR TEAM FEELS VERY STRONGLY
THAT, ONE, WE COULD FLIP THE
IDEOLOGY OF THE COURT AWAY FROM
THE CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY.
THE COURT IMPACTS THINGS LIKE
BALLOT DROP BOXES AND VOTING ON
ELECTION DAY AND THINGS LIKE
THAT, AND IT IS ALSO AN
OPPORTUNITY, WE HAVE MADE AN
ENDORSEMENT TO ELECT OUR FIRST
BLACK JUSTICE IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN, AND EVERETT MITCHELL.
WE ARE EXCITED TO BE A PART OF
HISTORY AND UNDERSTAND, TOO,
WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR THE REST OF
THE STATE IF WE ARE ABLE TO FLIP
THAT SEAT.
>> Frederica: ANGELA LANG,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.