Alsobrooks took the stage of the DNC and acknowledged an ESSENCE article that inspired her about VP Kamala Harris.
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00:00You used this national moment also to talk about when you first were able to read about
00:05Kamala Harris in Essence Magazine, a 2009 article.
00:09I read a story in Essence Magazine about a district attorney in San Francisco using new
00:18ideas to keep her community safe.
00:21For you to take that to the national stage, there's so many people who are commenting
00:25right now about this not only being a moment for you and so proud of that moment for you,
00:29but also for black voters.
00:31Why was it so key for you to include black media and speak about that moment, particularly
00:38it being in Essence, to share with the audience tonight?
00:41Well, you know what?
00:42It was an authentic inclusion for me because I have read Essence Magazine.
00:46I've grown up with Essence Magazine.
00:49I have just so enjoyed the stories that have been covered.
00:52They've been very informative.
00:54In this case, for example, I did literally learn about Kamala Harris and her book, Smart
01:00on Crime, in Essence Magazine, and it really did inspire me.
01:05I was running for office that year, and as a result of that article, I thought that something
01:10else was possible.
01:11I shared it with my community, what restorative justice was happening in San Francisco, and
01:16the rest has been history.
01:18But Essence Magazine, black journalism, deserves to be centered in the way that it was tonight
01:23because for so many of us, it really has been a source of information and pride and inspiration,
01:29and it was just natural for me to share that because it was so true.
01:35I love Essence Magazine.