A conversation with the founder of BlackPact.org, Tara Perry--
After a four-month hiatus due to COVID-19, we were finally able to record a podcast with Tara Perry, founder of BlackPact.org. Tara has been enormously helpful and a trusted friend in navigating the discussion of race in our present society over the last year.
Shortly after the death of Nipsey Hussle in 2019, we reached out to Tara regarding some filming opportunities in oder to learn more about the community that just lost a hearo. The following months were a humbling journey in thinking and talking about race, priviledge, and whiteness that pointed to how entangles those subjects are not just in the United States, but around the world. Unfortunately, we were able to produce an event/concert in celebrating the life of Nipsey Hussle, but an important conversation had begun.
A Political Action Committee or PAC's main focus is to use monied contributions to elect or defeat political individuals, but are capped at $5,000 for indivisuals and $15,000 for any national committee per year. Starting first as a PAC, BlackPact.org's ultimate goal would be to become a Super-PAC- which can give unlimited campaign contributions.
"BLACK PACT is a Political Action Committee (PAC) committed to creating a social contract among Black American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) to be politically, economically and socially responsible for one another's interests as a cultural collective. We make a pact to organize the masses of our people and allies to push a political agenda that not only represent the members of our organization but to work against policies that adversely affect our communities. We are driven by a single goal; to push a political agenda that addresses the specific ills forces into our communities through slavery, the reconstruction era, Jim Crow, redlining and the prison industrial complex. Our decision-making process is informed by comprehensive empirical studies and high-quality data evaluations. We strive to make a positive impact on all of our pursuits."
Tara and I discussed her upbringing and her first dealing with the concept of race, the ADOS (American Descendents of Slaves) movement, running as a write-in candidate for District 8 in Los Angeles, founding BlackPact.org, the history of Jim Crow and redlining, and gentrification's impact on the Black community among other topics. I thank Tara for her time, research, and eclectic mind.
I hope you enjoy the conversation.
--
Timestamps:
-Who were your earliest influences? (02:31)
-When was the first time you learned about race? (04:46)
- What is the ADOS movement and what is its main goal? (11:34)
-Watchmen, Black Wall St., Black Art, Slavery in "the land of the free" (14:31)
- How had your concept of race changed after going to university and coming back to Los Angeles? (20:22)
- The Color of Wealth Report (33:15)
- Tara's experience running for elected office in LA's district 8 (42:19)
- Homelessness, new Rams stadium & failed promise in local jobs, and recommendationsMalcolm impact (50:01)
- Nipsey Hussle and celebrating black culture in the mainstream (59:08)
- Tara moderated a panel called "Resurrecting Malcolm" and the wisdom we can attain from Malcom X in 2020 (01:07:12)
-Eclectic Spacewalk's influences and Tara's reccomendations of others to research (01:16:07)
- What is BlackPact's mission? (01:22:39)
- What can be done about reconciling the harms of slavery? (01:29:51)
- The New Jim Crow & the prison industrial complex (01:33:43)
- What would you say to the World is you were experiencing "The Overview Effect?" (01:43:44)
More on Tara Perry: