{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/sx6445jx43/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Nantasha Williams Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis interview was conducted one year before Nantasha Williams won the 2021 New York City Council election to represent District 27, which encompasses southeast Queens.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWilliams speaks about attending dance school while growing up in Queens as well as her longtime interest in civil rights, social justice, and civic engagement. Williams explains how her educational and career path led her to politics and details her unsuccessful attempt running for a vacant New York State Assembly seat in 2016. Williams describes her subsequent role in organizing the Women's March on Washington, D.C. (2017) and her work starting the organizations New York City Black Women's Political Club (2019) and The Nationhood (2020). Additionally, Williams reflects on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd on her life and work.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/41026"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2020-08-07 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Nantasha Williams (Interviewee)","Syreeta Gates (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview conducted as part of the Queens Memory COVID-19 Project."]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1988-2020 (temporal)","Queens, NY; Albany, NY; Virginia (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis interview was conducted one year before Nantasha Williams won the 2021 New York City Council election to represent District 27, which encompasses southeast Queens.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWilliams speaks about attending dance school while growing up in Queens as well as her longtime interest in civil rights, social justice, and civic engagement. Williams explains how her educational and career path led her to politics and details her unsuccessful attempt running for a vacant New York State Assembly seat in 2016. Williams describes her subsequent role in organizing the Women's March on Washington, D.C. (2017) and her work starting the organizations New York City Black Women's Political Club (2019) and The Nationhood (2020). Additionally, Williams reflects on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd on her life and work.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/208/729/small/IMG_7036_%281%29_aviary.jpeg?1695829147","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - Williams-Nan.m4a"]},"duration":1336.128,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/208/729/small/IMG_7036_%281%29_aviary.jpeg?1695829147","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/208/729/original/Williams-Nan.m4a?1695828828","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mp3","duration":1336.128,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: So thank you so much for saying yes. First and foremost, can you say and spell your name for me please?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1.0,11.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Yes. Hello. I am Nantasha Williams. N-A-N-T-A-S-H-A W-I-L-L-I-A-M-S","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=11.0,23.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Amazing. and can-- because we need permission to use this audio. Can you say, I first name, last name consent the Queens Public Library to use this content?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=23.0,35.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Yes, I Nantasha Williams consent the Queens Public Library to use this content.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=35.0,41.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great. Tell me about, describe yourself and then share a little bit about how your family got to Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=41.0,47.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: All right. So a little bit about me, born and raised in Queens. I've always wanted to help people in some way. Never really knew how I would do that. I also wanted to live like this luxurious lifestyle, so trying to fit both of those things into one led me to believe-- I wanted to be a lawyer, but after going to undergrad decided that, grad school was more my speed and not law school. So I went to grad school. I'm currently in a PhD program, which I don't talk about because I don't want nobody to hold me accountable, but nonetheless here we are.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=47.0,89.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: [cross talk] That's a wrap for you now, but continue.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=89.0,93.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: [laughs] But all in all, doing these things to just build my own expertise so that I can be better equipped to find solutions to problems that we're facing in society. I feel like I'm a problem solver. So working with the nonprofit industry is sort of where I started. Then I started working for the New York State Legislature, which is within governance and government. Then I decided to run for office myself-- woo crazy idea. And then after that, after I lost I worked with the Women's March. Tamika Mallory is one of my wonderful femme-tors. And I was in between jobs after running for office and saw that she was posting something about a march and I was like, Oh, Hey, do you need help? Which I have typically done to her all the time. And she was like yeah, I need so much help. Can you meet me like now? And so, because of that one, hey, do you need help? Lead me to pretty much running the operations and essentially being like Chief of Staff. So she was kind of like, kind of head of all of the moving pieces. And so working directly with her to ensure that the Women's March was the success that it was in 2017. Now I recently started this initiative organization called The Nationhood seeking [unclear] unified black voices. I also recently started this political club, Black Women's Political Club, and then in my nine to five, I'm working for the JFK Redevelopment Program, managing community affairs and external relations. Just looking to ensure that our community, the local community of Southeast Queens, Southwest Queens, the Rockaways, parts of Nassau County benefits from the billion dollar project that is happening and underway at JFK airport.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=93.0,204.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: And tell me about how your family got to Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=204.0,212.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Yes. I forgot that question. We got to Queens, my mom was actually, my family is from Virginia. My mom was born in Virginia. She moved to New York when she was about six. She grew up in Harlem and the Bronx, the South Bronx, Webster projects to be exact. But we had some family members, she had an aunt that lived in Queens and when she got pregnant with me her aunt was like, oh hey, like me and my husband own a few houses. You should move to Queens. You about to have a baby, it's like better for her. At the time my mom was still living with her mother in the Bronx. So my mom moved to Queens when she was pregnant with me. So I'm the Queens kid, my mom still claims Harlem and the Bronx. So that's how we got here. My mom, I guess, wanted a better life for me and she moved to Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=212.0,265.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it, and what are like two of your fondest memories of the borough?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=265.0,272.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Ooh, these are such good \"Queens Get The Money\" questions-- Fondest memory of the borough. It's like so many memories I might, is it, am I thinking of a childhood memory or recent adult memory? So I grew up in a dance school so my fondest memories, one of my fondest memories is just growing up in dance school. So Rochdale, my dance school is based in Rochdale. I used to live in Rochdale Village and so just going to dance school every Saturday having our concerts every year at LaGuardia Community College was just like such a norm for, I don't know, the greater part of 15 years of my life. And so I just, that's just such a Queens memory because our side, Southeast Queens is really known for like the dance world. So you have the ESOTA, the Movement of Children, the DeVore. And so just being a Queens dance kid is a thing. Like I was also part of Queens Finest, which is like a hip hop dance group. That was created back when I was in high school. So I would say like, just capturing Queens moment, it's just being a Queens dance kid because that's definitely a thing. My other fondest memory of the borough-- oh my gosh-- I want to talk about summer camp, but I want to say something else too. I don't know.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=272.0,380.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Maybe the recent, let me just be real basic and recent. So I recently put together this Queens Juneteenth March and Rally, and it was super dope because one, we brought together different artists. Queens doesn't really have an Afropunk or the African American festival weekend that they have by BAM or, I'm sorry, the African American festival is in Harlem, or a BAM in Brooklyn and so while this was in protest, it gave the vibe of like a Queens Afropunk, right? Or just a dope event, where you could bring local talent, maybe other talent, talk about real issues, have different vendors there, and just for people to kick back and chill. We have this wonderful park Roy Wilkins Park that often is not utilized in the ways in which it could be. A lot of the contents that they typically have is like the Jerk Fest and other things but we never have like, again, something that will be along the lines of an AfroPunk in Queens. Like a lot of times we have to travel to other boroughs to those things. And so the recent Queens Juneteenth March and Rally that we did definitely have that vibe. And it was just amazing to see how we really come together as a borough and to also see the wonderful talent that we have here. And it just sparked the need to want to do something like that again next year.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=380.0,471.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. Thank you for sharing that. Talk to me a little bit around how you got into politics.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=471.0,478.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Okay. So in undergrad I interned for the Virginia General Assembly. I was a Political Science major African American studies minor, but again, I was in this field because I thought I wanted to go to law school. So when I got this internship working for the state legislature of Virginia, I was like, wait, hold up. Like all of these things that, we're fighting for all of these places that I felt I wanted to insert myself for change for positive change for primarily black people. You know, a lot of that power can happen in government, right? Through legislation, through policy. And so it was an eye opener for me and definitely like sparks my interest in the political fields and the government fields. So when I graduated, I really thought I wanted to go into working for a government agency but when I went to grad school, I needed some coins to help me survive and live in Albany.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=478.0,539.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: So I reached out to a former assembly member, Karim Camara and asked him if he knew of anyone that was hiring. And at the time he was hiring, he was the Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus in Albany, and he was like, actually, my office is hiring. You know, what do you, what are you good at? Like, what are you, what have you been doing? I had helped him when I was in high school when he first went. So he was like, you know what you've been doing for these last four years? And I told him, and he was like okay, how about a communications role? And I was like, great. So I started off working as a Communications Director for the Caucus, and then moved to be Legislative Director, and then eventually Executive Director of the Caucus. And that was honestly simply because I just needed a job, because I was going to grad school, because you could not tell me anything, either I was going to be a executive director of a nonprofit or a program manager, a commissioner of a government agency. I never really thought about the legislative body per se, but again, same sort of \"aha\" moment that I had in Virginia. When I started working for the New York State Legislature, I started to learn more about New York politics, the power that is within the New York State government legislature. And then kind of just been moving and shaking from there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=539.0,620.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it, got it. And what inspired you to run for office, and what is that process like?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=620.0,626.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Uf, gosh. These are such good questions, first of all. 'Cause I have not had time to think about them in any real way. So that too and I'm happy that I started this way. So like back to my childhood, just mindset of like, I want to help people. I think, when you're like two years, not two years old, like five years old, six years old, they ask you like, oh, do you have a person that you admire? They always ask that question and I always used to say Thurgood Marshall. So I always just had this like mindset for social justice, civil rights as a little girl. So kind of more or less having that same mindset that pretty much never, ever left. There was an opportunity, sadly, unfortunately, the woman, former Assemblywoman Barbara Clark had passed away in the seat. And so there was a vacancy, and so I was like, Hey, why not me? Why not run? And yeah, pretty much that was literally it. Like, why not? Why not me? Why not run? And so I just threw my hat in the ring. And the process of running-- well, one, you have to declare that you're gonna run.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=626.0,704.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: So obviously official paperwork needs to be submitted to the State. And it's a little different, depending on what branch of government-- I was running for a state position. You have to raise money. Most importantly, you have to get enough signatures, petition signatures to get on the ballot. So you're technically not a candidate. You technically cannot run for office unless you get a certain amount of signatures that is approved by the Board of Elections for you then to be on the ballot and to officially be a candidate. And then from then it's a sprint, right? Knocking on doors, asking folks for money, shout out to you for donating to me. It's, literally like a battle. It's, being outside day in and day out, pulling up to people on the train, like, yo, what's up, you trying to vote for me or nah? It's, really like working seven days a week and being extremely visible and putting yourself out there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=704.0,765.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it, got it. And let's talk a little bit around COVID. I also want to talk about, you know, the-- so what has COVID allowed to be possible during this like Black Lives Matter moment and share some of the work that you've been doing during this time as well?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=765.0,787.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Sure. So I really don't know what it is, but what I think is people have minimal distractions or less distractions than they would have if COVID wasn't around. Right? So you don't got it ready to, you don't have to go get ready to hang out with your friends. You don't have a date, you're not allowed to go for drinks. It's just so many different things that were eliminated because we were all stuck inside and I think people were forced to watch certain images. People were forced to, reflect and think about what that means for us, me as a black person, to see this type of image on the TV, people are quarantined, people are dying like, and then for someone to get their life snuff out, right before everyone's eyes, it was like a back to back with Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and then George Floyd. And so I think the trifecta was like-whoa, this is crazy! And I just think it allows people to feel it in a different way that they haven't felt it before. And I'll be honest, at the beginning I was very numb. And I think I still might be a little numb. But I was very numb because I feel like I felt that for so long. Right? And so it was like, Whoa, everybody also was feeling this. But I had to realize that, not everybody has that same awareness and that's okay. The biggest and most important thing is that people have that awareness now. And so again, for whatever divine intervention thing that happened in this world, right now, it, to me, forced people to sit, watch, reflect, and like internalize what it means to be black in America, what it means to seriously have discriminatory policies across the board. So not just police brutality, that's why you see in different companies people are saying things and having uprising because it's not just police.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=787.0,915.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: There is a very systematic racism within our society. And so some of the things that I've been doing as I, mentioned I did the Queens Juneteenth March Rally. I started The Nationhood, which was literally birth during quarantine. I am typically the friend that everybody calls to ask who to vote for or-- you know-- what's happening in today's latest political news. And at the same time, a few of my other friends, Tunisia is one of them, she's typically that friend for people as well. And then I have a friend Tahira who this was kind of like her brainchild. She wanted to do something. She's in the entertainment industry though. So for her, she's always trying to figure out how to tie it in. And she feels very passionate about these issues that we're facing as a community, but not necessarily a part of her day to day as a production, aficionado. So we came together to build The Nationhood, which essentially is unifying the black voices. So all of these different organizations, social justice leaders, etc., etc., like we're not trying to reinvent the wheel.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=915.0,979.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: We're trying to just notice who you are, put you in position for you to be a part of essentially this clearing house of information for folks who are looking to be more civically engaged, socially engaged, politically engaged, they can come to The Nationhood, get reliable data driven, informed information to sort of bolster and strengthen their own involvement in the current happenings, but then beyond and, give them a sense that empowerment of how they could play a role in this current fight. And it doesn't have to just be protesting. We do have a protest section. We put together a toolkit. That's what I should say. We put together a toolkit that outlines various ways that you can sort of take this fight, quote unquote, to various spaces, whether you want to protest, whether you want to take it to work, whether you want to just get to know your elected officials. Because that's a very important piece as well. This toolkit provides a very broad, but informative way to do that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=979.0,1042.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it, got it. And what do you think, what do you think is now possible with that toolkit existing into the, in the world?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1042.0,1051.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Information. One of the things that people ask me, like what are the gaps? I think information is a significant gap. I feel during the Civil Rights Movement, and even though not every single black person cared about voting during the Civil Rights Movement, I think that's a common misconception 'cause we tend to think and look at the people that were fighting for civil rights. But I think during the Civil Rights Movement, to me, there was more direct information, getting people engaged and empowered to be a part of the process within our generation and other generations. I don't always think that education piece hits and lands, right? And so for us, The Nationhood is seeking to do this in terms of information, sharing information in a way that it hits and it lands for people so that they can again use their own power, use their own voice, to speak about the issues that they are passionate about. So we're hoping that this toolkit provides a resource for folks to one, just learn more about how to properly engage and then two, through that knowledge, they themselves speak up and speak out.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1051.0,1125.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. And how have you personally been affected by COVID.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1125.0,1133.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Personally affected? Well, I feel so blessed because, we all have been affected, but personally I don't think I've been personally affected in the ways in which other people have. So I just want to be super gracious and show a lot of gratitude for the fact that I don't feel like I've been as negatively impacted as other people. What I will say is it has challenged me in different ways. It has forced me to really evaluate the ways in which I spend my time and to focus on the things that really matter.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1133.0,1171.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: And is there anything else that you would like to share around the work that you're doing around Queens, around COVID, around any community initiatives?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1171.0,1188.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Yeah, I mean, I think Queens is the best borough in New York City for so many reasons. And I think we have so much talent and I always have conversations about this. I just had a conversation yesterday about that. And I just think as a borough, we just need to come together more and like highlight the talent and, and work to find the talent, so people who are in a position doing amazing things or people of power, we need to do our due diligence to find the talent, to find the people that are doing the things and like bring everybody together. Because often, and I think I mentioned this earlier is, Queens people tend to go other places to do their thing or do other things, but we have so much dope people here. And so I just want us to be highlighted. Us to kind of like be-- we're on the map, but just be even more on the map, because one, there's so many dope people that come out of Queens that are doing amazing things and people not know they come from Queens. And then two, like we have so many different resources here.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1188.0,1249.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Nantasha Williams: Whether it's people, places, or things that are completely untapped. I just want people to recognize that Queens really does get the money and we're lit. So that's one. And then two, just inform people of the work that I'm doing. If you guys want to download the toolkit from The Nationhood, you can go to thenationhood.com. We're on Instagram, The dot Nationhood. The political club that I started, the Black Women's Political Club, again, amazing black women across the city of New York. And the purpose of this club is to build power for black women in New York City. And not just for people that are in politics. I have a lot of friends. Most of my friends are not in politics, but interested and care about community and care about our people, and always looking for ways to plug in and to just learn what the process is. And so this club is for everybody and anyone who just, you just only have to care a little bit. And so super excited to continue to build our membership so if you're interested in the club, interested in our events or becoming a member, you can visit our website. And that is www.nycbwpc.com. So New York City Black Women's Political Clubs dot com. We're on Instagram as NYCBWPC and Facebook as the New York City Black Women's Political Club.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1249.0,1329.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729/transcript/57967/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: You better make all the plugs. That is a wrap. Thank you so much.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107780/file/208729#t=1329.0,1336.128"}]}]}]}