♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: HAY, EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW."
JOINING ME NOW IS A NURSE, PASTOR, AND ACTIVIST WHO WAS
JUST ELECTED AS MISSOURI'S FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN
CONGRESSWOMAN!
PLEASE WELCOME, CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT CORI BUSH!
CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
THIS IS AMAZING.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR VICTORY.
IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD YOU 10 YEARS AGO THAT YOU WOULD BE ELECTED TO
THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE SAID
TO THEM?
>> I WOULD HAVE ASKED THEM, "ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT
BUSH?" ( LAUGHS )
>> Stephen: WELL, YOUR FATHER WAS IN POLITICS, I UNDERSTAND.
HE WAS AN AULDERMAN, WASN'T HE?
>> HE WAS AN AULDERMAN.
HE WAS A MAYOR.
NOW HE'S AN AULDERMAN AGAIN.
>> Stephen: WELL, DID HE GIVE YOU ANY ADVICE?
>> UH, YOU KNOW, MY FATHER HAS BEEN IN POLITICS A LONG TIME, SO
HE'S GIVEN ME A LOT OF ADVICE.
THE FIRST BIT WAS, "DON'T TAKE CORPORATE MONEY.
WALK IN THE DOORS ONLY ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE."
AND THEN MOST RECENTLY, HE'S BEEN SAYING, "STAY HUMBLE.
KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND."
AND I'M LIKE I WAS JUST SHOPPING AT THE THRIFT STORE.
HOW MUCH MORE GROUNDED CAN I BE?
YOU KNOW, WHAT ELSE-- WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO SEE, YOU KNOW?
BUT HE SAID, "MAKE SURE WHEN YOU COME HOME, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
USED TO SEEING YOU IN T-SHIRTS AND YOUR MOVEMENT SHIRTS, SO WE
WANT TO SEE THAT WHEN YOU COME BACK HOME."
LIKE TODAY, LIKE HO-HO-HO.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS.
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
DID YOU GET YOUR COFFEE?
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
WHAT'S YOUR NAME?
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
>> Stephen: WHAT-- WHAT MADE YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO GO INTO
POLITICS?
BECAUSE I KNOW IT WASN'T SOMETHING YOU HAD IN MIND.
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY NOT.
IT WAS AFTER MICHAEL BROWN WAS MURDERED.
MICHAEL BROWN WAS KILLED IN MY-- IN THIS DISTRICT, IN MISSOURI'S
FIRST DISTRICT, IN ST. LOUIS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS WORKING AS A NURSE AT THE TIME.
I WAS-- I'M CLERGY, YOU KNOW, SO I FELT I COULD GO TO THE STREETS
AND JUST, YOU KNOW, BE A MEDIC AND PRAY WITH PEOPLE.
AND DURING THE PROTESTS.
BUT AS I WAS OUT THERE AND I'M JUST SEEING THE DEVASTATION IN
MY OWN COMMUNITY, I JUST COULDN'T-- YOU KNOW, I COULDN'T
SIT ANY LONGER.
AND SO I JUST HAD TO STEP UP.
I WAS ASKED TO STEP UP BY THE COMMUNITY, AND I DID.
BUT THE THING IS, WHEN I-- WHAT REALLY MADE ME SAY YES WAS THE
IDEA THAT MY OWN SON, WHO WAS 14 AT THE TIME, COULD BE THE NEXT
HASH TAG, THAT MY DAUGHTER TO BE A HASH TAG OH, THAT ANOTHER
LOVED ONE.
AND THAT WAS TOO MUCH TO BEAR, NOT WHEN I KNOW I COULD LEND MY
MOUTH, MY FEET, AND MY HANDS TO IT.
>> Stephen: WHEN YOU WENT DOWN TO WASHINGTON FOR YOUR FIRST
ORIENTATION, YOU-- YOU WORE A BREONNA TAYLOR MASK WHEN YOU
WERE DOWN THERE.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS A REACTION BY SOME OF THE
LEGISLATORS WHO WERE ALREADY THERE TO YOUR MASK, THAT YOU DID
NOT EXPECT.
SHARE WITH THE AUDIENCE WHAT THAT WAS.
>> YES, SO IT WAS THE FIRST DAY OF ORIENTATION.
WE HAD JUST GATHERINGED INTO THE AUDITORIUM.
EVERYBODY WAS WALKING AROUND GREETING ONE ANOTHER SO, WE
DIDN'T KNOW EACH OTHER.
WE WERE WAITING FOR THE FIRST SPEAKER.
AND PEOPLE WERE JUST WALKING UP TO ME SAYING, "HI, BREONNA.
HI, BREONNA."
ONE AFTER THE OTHER AFTER THE OTHER.
AND EACH TIME SOMEBODY CAME TO ME AND SAID-- THE FIRST TIME I
WAS LIKE-- YOU KNOW, I WAS STUNNED.
AND THEN I TOLD THEM WHO BREONNA WAS.
AND EVERY TIME I SAID, "I'M NOT BREONNA TAYLOR.
BREONNA TAYLOR IS THIS PERSON.
BUT I AM BREONNA TAYLOR IN THE WAY THAT I COULD BE NEXT."
AND IT WAS JUST LIKE, "OH, OKAY.
ALL RIGHT, NICE TO MEET YOU."
YOU KNOW, SO BY THE LAST TIME, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE CAME UP TO ME
AND SAID THAT, I WAS SO HURT AND DEVASTATED BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE STRUGGLES OF ALL COMMUNITIES,
EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY
SOMETHING THAT WAS SO BIG AS THE MURDER OF BREONNA TAYLOR AND,
GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS HAPPENED ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY FOR
MONTHS.
AND WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT BLACK PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY
ARE GOING THROUGH.
WHETHER YOU'RE BLACK OR NOT, REGARDLESS OF REPUBLICAN,
DEMOCRAT, CONSTITUTION, LIBERTARIAN, OR NO AFFILIATION,
WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES ARE DEALING WITH
AND WHAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIFE.
LIKE, THIS IS NOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ICE CREAM.
THIS IS LIFE.
>> Stephen: WERE YOU-- WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT GIVEN ALL THE
ATTENTION THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT GARNERED-- I KNOW IT
PREEXISTED-- YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS-- BUT THE
ELEVATION OF THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT AFTER THE DEATH
OF GEORGE FLOYD AND THE DEATH OF BREONNA TAYLOR, AND ALL THE
PROTESTS IN THE SUMMER, THAT THAT MESSAGE DID NOT GET THROUGH
IN THESE INDIVIDUALS' LIVES, THAT THE MATTER DID NOT GET
THROUGH TO THE LEGISLATORS WHO WILL BE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT
PEOPLE'S CIVIL RIGHTS, AND WHETHER THAT'S GUARANTEED BY
LEGISLATION.
>> ABSOLUTELY DISTURBING, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE ARE BLACK
PEOPLE IN THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY
ARE-- THAT THEY ARE REPRESENTING.
THERE ARE BROWN PEOPLE, THERE ARE NATIVE AMERICANS.
THERE ARE DISABLED-- PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENTLY ABLED.
THERE ARE TRANS PEOPLE IN THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY HAVE TO
SERVE, THAT THEY HAVE TO REPRESENT.
AND THIS IS A DAILY-- THIS IS A DAILY CONCERN FOR ALL OF US,
LIKE EVERY SINGLE DAY, I CAN BE BREONNA TAYLOR.
MY DAUGHTER CAN BE BREONNA TAYLOR.
EVERY SINGLE DAY.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
BUT WHEN WE COME BACK, I WILL ASK THE CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT WHAT
HER FIRST LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY WILL BE.
STICK AROUND.
♪♪♪