SiriusXM Urban View host Lurie Daniel Favors welcomed MomsRising’s Beatriz Beckford back to the show with a laugh and a warning about the current state of the country.
Beckford described an “onslaught of news,” calling it “an onslaught of bad news,” and said the “lack of reaction that we’re seeing from our elected leaders is shocking and stunning,” highlighting the millions families at risk of losing health coverage.
“People are going to lose their access to health care because the ACA subsidies have not been continued,” she said, adding, “We have a looming government shutdown.”
Beckford also tied policy decisions to public safety, saying the Trump administration “rescinded an executive order that dismantled the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database.” She called it “our only way to track” whether officers with “problematic behaviors” moved between agencies “without accountability.” Now, she said, “that’s gone.”
Daniel Favors then connected the dots to budgets and priorities.
“We paying for that,” she said, echoing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s argument that cuts to services are being redirected. “Our health care that we no longer have is paying for that. The SNAP benefits we no longer have is paying for ICE.”
Both women said communities cannot normalize what is happening.
“We can’t let our elected leaders just allow these sort of things to continue to roll through like they’re norm,” Beckford explained. “They’re not.” She called for pressure campaigns and public engagement. “They cannot remain silent,” she said. “It is our civic duty to perform justice.”
For listeners who feel wary about street protests, Beckford urged other forms of action. “It doesn’t mean be outside,” she said. “There are mutual aid networks that you can plug into.” She named resources: “Websites like ICE Out,” “red card,” and “momsrising.org.”
Daniel Favors asked what sustains resistance and Beckford quickly responded: “In times of crisis, curiosity.” She added, “Curiosity, connection, good trouble, because that trumps terrorism.”
Catch the Lurie Daniel Favors Show live on Sirius XM’s Urban View Channel 126, Monday – Friday, 10 AM EST. The Lurie Breaks it Down Podcast is available on all podcasting networks.
