Souphak Kienitz
You're listening to conversations with Chanda, a podcast that unpacks the community's grittiest, most fixing problems, hosted by Chanda Smith Baker.
Chanda Smith Baker
Ruth Richardson, welcome to Conversations with Chanda. I'm so pleased to have you today.
Ruth Richardson
Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here,
Chanda Smith Baker
so as we go into this conversation, and we are in a very important season of our democracy, which is becoming informed as voters making a decision on that ballot, and then moving towards a peaceful transfer of power of position. We will be saying goodbye to our current president and welcoming in a new president. It is quite the season.
Ruth Richardson
Yes, there is a lot going on right now, and just sort of thinking about this season. I'm always thinking about voter registration because it's so incredibly important. It
Chanda Smith Baker
is. Let's talk about that, because in our state, we have been forward leaning, I think, in this respect and that there are many opportunities for people to become registered. You could register day of an election, there should be little to no barrier to casting your ballot. Can you talk about sort of the state of our state relative to voting registration and options for voting?
Ruth Richardson
Yeah, you know, I would say in Minnesota that there has been a lot to break down the barriers to ensure that people can not only register to vote, but also vote in terms of thinking about things like early voting, no excuse early voting, because you used to have to have an excuse for why you could not vote. And I just think that in Minnesota, where we we know the state of sort of voter registration, and looking at voter turnout, we're at the top of the nation in terms of thinking about voter voter turnout, which I think is really critical. But when you look more holistically at the picture, what we know for sure is looking at any recent election, if did not vote, was a candidate, it would win every election by a landslide. And I think that tells a really important story about the importance of voter registration? Yeah,
Chanda Smith Baker
you know when we are casting our vote, hopefully just as thoughtfully on local elections that we are the federal elections. Even though voter registration may not be an issue in our state, it seems to still be an issue across the country, and I know that there is hope that we will finally pass the John Lewis Voting Act, legislation that has been proposed. Can you share a little bit on why, why that's important for us locally to be thinking about what's happening in terms of that issue on a more national perspective, when
Ruth Richardson
I think about the right to vote overall, I can't have that conversation without thinking about what my elders and ancestors went through in Mississippi and Alabama and, you know, within other southern states, and I remember growing up and hearing my mom tell the types of questions that they would be asked when it was time to vote, questions like, how many bubbles are in a bar soap, right? You know, questions that were really designed to pick and choose who would get the right to sort of exercise their their civic duty and their civic obligations. And so when I see the challenges and the roadblocks that are being put in front of people today, I think it's important just to note that these are not new. These are sort of barriers that have been around in many ways before. They may look different now, but the the ultimate goal is the same in terms of making it harder for people to be able to exercise their right to vote. So when I see you know laws being passed that make it illegal to give someone a bottle of water or standing in a long line, or making it illegal to give someone food when they are standing in a long line. It's really about voter suppression under another name, right? It's just not Jim Crow at this point. It's thinking about creating those barriers in different ways, voter ID, for example, and and having to pay, right? It's poll tax, which was meant to be unconstitutional, but we see all of these ways that it's making it not only maybe harder for people to vote, but also the ways that the voter rolls are being purged in many states, and how people are being taken off of the voter rolls and don't necessarily have as easy of access in terms to get back on those voter rolls.
Chanda Smith Baker
And I think I just want to repeat what you said, and hopefully I say it correctly, but you said, if I didn't vote, was on the ballot, it would win every time,
Ruth Richardson
yes, when you look at the numbers in terms of the two candidates versus did not vote, did not vote, wins national elections by a landslide.
Chanda Smith Baker
So can we talk about the do not vote, people.
Ruth Richardson
Let's Okay. Let's do it.
Chanda Smith Baker
So I'm watching social media. I certainly like you. Have been, you know, on this road for a little bit in life, right? And I hear people all the time that say, Well, what has either candidate done for me? Or they're one issue voter, or they're, you know, look, I'm not feeling it on my bottom line. Or this candidate, did this one thing that one day, that long time ago, like, whatever those things are that come up that are not in material. But do you have a case? Because I know I have, I have certainly tried to make the case on why, and I think, I think we're sort of making it as we're talking but what would you say to those folks that are sort of tired of this, this democracy, or whatever it is, they don't want to participate in it with their vote?
Ruth Richardson
Well, I would say a couple of things. I think the first thing that I would lift up is, if you are not at the table, you'll be on the menu. So it's, it's important to understand the like, how and where decisions are made. And you know, as someone who was in the legislature for a number of years, you know, being in the legislature, I was in the house. There was 134 of us. No one gets to do anything alone within the legislature, right? You've you've got to convince enough people in the house to do something. You have to convince enough people in the Senate to do something, and then you have to make sure it matches, like one word, all the periods, all the commas, like everything has to match up perfectly before it can pass. You know, both bodies in order to go to the governor for consideration. So I think it's also important that people understand how this works and how how civics works when we think about what it takes to get a bill introduced and passed into law, that's a process. It is not easy to get a bill signed, a bill signed into law, and I think people really got need to understand that process. The third thing that I would talk about is, if you have not read or been introduced to some level of project 2025 that is definitely something that you are going to want to take a look at, because in a space where you could move from having democratic elections that are based upon what voters want, that could change things tremendously in terms of thinking about democracy like all democracy sort of being at stake within the context of what we are seeing and what I really think is a nightmare document of project 2025 don't read it at night before you go to bed. It'll give you nightmares. One
Chanda Smith Baker
of those decisions that the President will make will be appointment to the Supreme Court, and there are potentially two seats available, and it is about to your point. It is about whatever you're electing someone into, but more broadly, it is about the decisions that they will make and have command over, right? And so the thing that's really important to me is how we stand globally. Yeah. And our ability to create allegiance with those across the globe and what our standing is, and I do feel like that's a bit at risk in this election.
Ruth Richardson
Yeah, I think when we I mean the Supreme Court is a really great example of the importance of voting, because it determines what the composition of not only what the US Supreme Court is going to look like, but also thinking about our federal courts as well, and recognizing that these are, in fact, lifetime appointments based upon sort of what the makeup of those appointments look like. That's not just a reflection of what's going to happen in the current moment. That's a reflection of what is going to happen over decades and also over generations as well. There are generational impacts as a result of appointments to the bench, and that is tied to your ability to vote.
Chanda Smith Baker
We watched, you know, sort of history unfolding between you know, before our eyes, with President Biden declaring that he would not go further in his candidacy for a second term, and now we have the potential of having Kamala Harris become president as the first woman of color, the first woman in that seat. You've been elected. What is the burden of being the first, because, you know, sometimes it can be you can be overly criticized, right? Or there's expectations that are placed on you when you have proximity to issues that others perhaps do not. And so what are your observations around that? Or what can you offer in terms of her being potentially the first?
Ruth Richardson
Such a good question. And want you to just say it louder for all the people in the back to make sure that they to the the realities of what it means to to be, to be a first and you know, I can think back to the very first election, I successfully ran three campaigns, and back in 2018 The reality was I was running to be a First the first black person to represent my my district at the at the time, and I think it's really important for people to understand that in a space of where we are still having so many firsts, that is a reflection of what's really going on. And so I think it's important to understand that the fact that we are here and have never had a woman president, you know, have never had a woman of color, a black woman, an Asian woman, you know, President, like that, that that speaks to, that speaks to like the environment that we are in. But I also think it's really important for people to understand that for trailblazers, you, you, you don't crack glass ceilings without getting hurt in the process. That's that's the that's the reality of it. And in terms of the the the challenges that you often find yourself in. For me, it was really important for me to get some perspective on that, because the attacks can come from all different places. Most are not really productive. You know, there are always things that we can be thinking about doing, that we can do, that we can do better, but also recognizing that this is not necessarily just about critiques of your record. It can be critiques of you personally, right, nothing to do with, sort of the experience or the record that you are bringing. But it can also be critiques your experience, suggesting that maybe you're not qualified to be within the spaces that you are occupying. And then there are threats right that come in as well, everything from death threats to just sort of really hateful rhetoric that I think is really designed to try to take people off of their game. And so that is, that's all part of being in the public eye and politics and so. So when we think about people who are within those spaces, that's why it's so important to really be tapped in and to understand what is going on and to also be a support. Because when people enter politics and public life, in many ways, they're really putting a target on themselves and oftentimes their families as well, who will also be facing that scrutiny, that hateful rhetoric as well?
Chanda Smith Baker
Yeah, one of the things that is sort of beyond my understanding, although I understand it, but it's beyond my understanding, and it's hard for me to believe in 2024 we are still questioning this, in a way, but one of the critiques that she has faced is essentially, is she black enough or is she brown enough? Which seems so lazy, right? I mean, for lack of better word in terms of critical critique of of either the record that you're mentioning, but it also was just extremely sad, and I mentioned this, I think, in the last podcast where, you know, the Book One drop by Dr Yabo lay, and really, you know, Reaching into essays and stories of how we defined color and colorism, and how it shows up right for people in their communities, and skin color and culture and environment all kinds of ways. And so what would you say to folks, because, and actually, as I'm on my little soapbox here, this showed up with Obama as well, and I remember Tim Wise coming to town and saying, you know, Obama can talk about gender, but it can talk about black, and Hillary can talk about, you know, black issues related to black communities, but not so much gender. And so it just keeps coming up to me about how these identities keep showing up in this public debate, although it's debatable, and I just don't get it. But what perspective do you have on that? I
Ruth Richardson
like your terminology. It is lazy. It is a lazy sort of focus. You know, even thinking back to Obama and you know, there was all this scrutiny over his birth certificate, right? And and then this whole idea that the first black President talk about the fact that they are, that they are black. And I, you know this, this one, this one hits a chord with me, because I remember in my first campaign, I had posted something on the anniversary of board Brown versus Board of Education, the, you know, 1954 case. And after I posted this, I got, I got some calls from people in my district that we're like, you can't be talking about that, that you can't be talking about that kind of stuff, because if you you know you talk about this kind of stuff, you're going to lose the election. I remember saying to them that, Oh, and one person even told me, in fact, don't even tell people you're black. And I was like, Okay, well, that is going to be the elephant in the room, because I think they might know. But in addition to that, I am going to run telling people what I believe in and what I want to be able to build for this state, right? And what the opportunity we have to sort of build things together to create a more equitable state, and a state where people are moving beyond just surviving to thriving. And I am going to run as who I am, authentically as a person. I am going to lift up the fact that I am a black woman. I'm going to lift up the fact that in the state, if black people are doing better, that is going to mean everyone is going to be doing better within that space. And if people decide that I'm not the person to represent them, that's okay, because there are other ways that I can be of service to community. There are other ways that I'm going to be able to show up, and also I am too tired to try to be somebody else,
Chanda Smith Baker
even you just describing it. It almost feels like just to show up as yourself every day is just an act of courage Exactly,
Ruth Richardson
exactly. And showing up as yourself every day isn't going to necessarily. You know when you election. Or awards, or whatever the case might be, but there is something that is, I think, really divine about being able to walk within your purpose. Because I do truly believe that when you are walking within your purpose, you are in the spaces that you're supposed to be them. You
Chanda Smith Baker
know, I have not been elected. I have ran for office. I ran for school board in 2010 and I share this often that my husband was like, aren't you just running for school board? Like because the intensity of the race was quite eye opening. And so what could you say to folks that, I mean, I think you're saying it right, like the death threats, the issues, the the critical lens in which you're you're being examined. But you know, for for others that might be interested in getting more involved, either as a candidate, supporting candidates, or just getting more involved on the issues. What advice would you offer to them?
Ruth Richardson
Yeah, so I, you know, there's a couple of things that I would say. I think it's really important that people who look like us and diverse communities are taking up space at the Capitol and being in that space. And you know, having served it was never sort of lost on me that when you think back to other generations, I don't know that they would have been able to envision someone that looked like me taking up space within the capital. And I would also say the ability that it has for you to be not only able to connect with community, but the ability to change the trajectory of the state and to change the trajectory of communities is one that is critically important, and to have the power of the pen, to be able to write, not only like write laws and introduce them, but to fight in order to get them, To get them passed, and to understand that there are things that you can do that can be truly transformational, like the fact that, you know, I carry the Paid Family Medical Leave bill for a number of years, and that became law and 2026, Minnesotans are going to have access to paid family and medical leave that is transformational in a space where the majority of people of color, low income, people do not currently have access to paid family medical leave, and they're going to have that access in The future. That's truly transformational, right to be able to be in a space where we started the nation's first office for missing and murdered black women and girls, that is truly transformational. And now to have states like Wisconsin and Missouri and New York and Chicago Illinois like following an Illinois following that lead, and to have a bill at the national level now that has been introduced, and so it's hard, it's a hard road, and I think you're absolutely right, because it's a grind to run for office. It is a grind to try to get bills that are passed and signed into law as well, and so I think it's also a recognition that given the opportunity to to be able to do that for a season, it's truly a way to leave a legacy of love for the community. Like
Chanda Smith Baker
I say love. I love the way that you just framed that. And part of the themes that I think I'm hearing is that you know, whether or not it's this election, or any election, or if you step into those seats, it's one thing to think about here in the now, but really, the work that you're doing is about the future. It is about how we position our future lives, generations that sit under us, that it is a continuation of passing the baton and the direction that we want to see our country go. And
Ruth Richardson
I love that, because I always think about the words of Coretta Scott King, and when she talks about, it's our obligation to, like, hold that place on the line, right? Because, and every generation, Freedom has to be fought for and won. And so it's, it's never sort of this place of where. Here now it's this constant reality of generation over generation that we have to hold our place in that line of freedom
Chanda Smith Baker
you step down from your seat so that you could focus more on your day job.
Ruth Richardson
Yes,
Chanda Smith Baker
which is,
Ruth Richardson
I am the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, north central states,
Chanda Smith Baker
and what would say so that include so five
Ruth Richardson
states, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. So five, five states affiliate with 24 health centers. Oh,
Chanda Smith Baker
wow, 24 health centers. And so you stepped into that row. Was it just following the row decision, or was it before? So
Ruth Richardson
it was just after the row decision, after the row was overturned. So in the summer of 2022 is when Roe was overturned, and I started at Planned Parenthood in October of that year. And interesting story when the Dobbs decision had leaked, but it was not yet official. I was actually in DC for a legislative conference when I got a call from a recruiter and, you know, just basically saying, hey, this position is open. Your name has come up a few times. And I'm like, My name has come up, and I was just kind of caught off guard by the whole conversation. So got off the phone kind of quickly. I called my my daughter, and I said I just got the strangest call from a recruiter about this position at Planned Parenthood North Central States. And my daughter said, Why are you on the phone talking to me? You need to be talking to them, because just recognizing kind of where we were at. The decision had leaked, and within the Dobbs decision, it was very clear that this was not just about coming for abortion care, it was coming for contraception, IVF, marriage equality, Brown versus Board of Education. And you know, people kept talking about this whole idea of, you know, they're trying to push us back 50 years. And I'm like, no, they're trying to push us back 250 years to an original intent reading of the constitution. So to be in that space and to have you know, a couple weeks later, the Dobbs decision was official, and Roe was overturned, and I'm looking at my daughter, who was a real in cursive, applying for the job, and she has less rights than I had growing up. And it really put into perspective in terms of where we are in the space where we're seeing like this rolling back of things that are happening. This
Chanda Smith Baker
is an issue of importance in this election, and you did mention abortion services, but for me, this election is actually raising larger issues with our governor, sharing his personal story him and our first lady talking about their journey to having their daughter hope in that it actually is there's more at stake than just that element of the law that it is actually about reproductive health, reproductive justice And a family's right to choose the path that is for them, including any life saving measures that might be needed. Is there anything else that you can share with us that are critical importance, that are coming up around women's reproductive health and rights during this election?
Ruth Richardson
Yeah, I think it's really important, because when the the Dobbs decision was was leaked, people came out, and they were really clear about what would happen if Roe was overturned, right? They talked about maternal mortality increasing, they said infant mortality would increase both, have we, we're seeing higher rates of maternal mortality, higher rates of infant mortality, mortality, intimate partner violence and domestic violence would increase and in. Fact, when you look at some of the the data, nationally, there's been 100% increase and the number of reports of reproductive coercion since the Dobbs decision was overturned. And that could be anything from someone preventing someone from, you know, getting access to contraception, forcing people to carry pregnancies to term, and so understanding the interconnected piece of what happens when you cut off access to abortion care, and even across our region, because we know, for example, nationally, black women are three to four times more likely to die from a pregnancy related cause, and you can control for all the factors, right? This doesn't have anything to do with education or income, general, overall health, nutrition, familial status, mental health status, Sud status, insurance status, you know, because you can control for those factors, and we're still more likely to die. And then you look at a state like Iowa, black women are six times more likely to die from a pregnancy related cause, because what we are seeing play out and the states with the most restrictive sort of abortion laws, you see that the maternal mortality is increasing. Infant mortality is increasing. In Iowa, it increased. Infant mortality increased 30% over 2021, and 2022 which is higher than any other state within our nation. And as we see domestic violence rates increasing and intimate partner violence rates increasing, it's connected. When we see STI rates increasing, it's connected, because when you cut off access to one form of care, you also cut off access to STI screening and STI treatment and cancer screenings. So recognizing that you see cancer screenings decrease, and so I appreciate you asking that question to really understand the scope of sexual and reproductive health care, because when you're cutting off access to one form of healthcare, you're going to have less healthy communities overall. How
Chanda Smith Baker
can the results of this election, or how will the impact of the election affect these issues that we're talking about? You
Ruth Richardson
know, well, there's, there's a couple of things and, and I think, you know, we're talking a lot about sort of what has happened since the Dobbs decision with Roe being overturned. But I also think it's important that we keep in mind that even before Roe was overturned, things were not great with Roe v Wade for many communities, right? Because what we what we know to be true, is that abortion bans don't ban abortions for everyone. They only ban them for people who don't have the means and opportunity to be able to travel. And so you can have an abortion ban in one state, but for a person with means and opportunity, they will travel outside of that state, and they're they're going to get access to the care. And so understanding that even before the Dobbs decision, there were lots of people who were facing barriers in terms of access to care with dabs, you just see more people impact. It's worse than it was before. But I think it also speaks to the fact that there is a lot of work to be done around reimagining our healthcare systems, and a lot of work to be done around reimagining reimagining our sexual and reproductive health care systems of delivery as well. This probably won't come as a surprise to you, but I'm a firm believer in health care being a human right, that people should have health care because that is the humane thing to do, but in this current sort of space that we find ourselves in, nonprofit healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood and other providers. We're really part of the safety net, right? We're the Safety Net providers that are there oftentimes for people who are facing the most barriers in terms of getting access to care. Reimbursement rates don't keep up with what it costs to actually provide that care. So while there's a lot of focus, I think, on what's going to happen in November, what's really important is what happens after November, right in terms of really thinking about how. How do we reimagine and build a health system delivery that is actually putting people in a space of where they have access to the care that they need, that they're not forced to travel outside of the state, or forced to, you know, drive for miles to get access to care. We're seeing a number of maternity health care deserts where there's not a OBGYN in a county, so people are having to drive 234, or five hours just to get to a prenatal appointment. It's not sustainable,
Chanda Smith Baker
yeah, and we're going to lose lives,
Ruth Richardson
and we are, and we don't have to. That's the other piece about this as well, especially as we look at the maternal mortality within this country, more than 84% of those deaths are preventable. And so I think it's important that remember it doesn't have to be that way. And when we talk about the black maternal health crisis, I always call it a manufactured crisis, because it doesn't need to be that way. And
Chanda Smith Baker
the question really for me around the election wasn't actually me working to lead you down one path or another path. But when you look at the Dobbs decision and the reversal in the Supreme Court, and then you have a president who has a different role, and you have Congress, you know, I just want to make sure that we understand that what the different roles are to advancing health equity, and so can you just take us through sort of the roles of how people can influence health outcomes that are more equitable and push for a more just and resource health system?
Ruth Richardson
Yeah, and that's such a good question, because as you think about this, there's really influence at every sort of level, right in terms of thinking about not only what a national policy is going to look like, in terms of what Congress can do, in terms of of national law, but also coming down to like the state level, and I know people oftentimes will look at like, what's happening at the state legislature, and it's important what's happening at the state legislature, but also what's happening at the counties is very important. How are they running their public health programs? What are the supports that are there for, for for families and thinking at the city council level as well, and and ways that they are maybe showing up and like, how is the county using their grant funds? How is the city using their grant funds, and even at the school board level. And we talked a little bit about school board earlier, it's like for our students, what are they learning, and what are they learning in the classrooms as well? And so I just think that it that was such an important question to really tell the story about how so much around politics is local. So you know, people are oftentimes looking at like what's happening nationally really important as well, but also recognizing that like, what's happening in your backyard is oftentimes going to have kind of a more day to day, sort of like impact that you are feeling, probably a little a little bit more than something that might be at the national level.
Chanda Smith Baker
Yeah, and I bring it up because sometimes we have a point of view on something, but, and I have done this, so this is no judgment on anybody listening that has done this. But I'm like, why would the governor do blah blah blah? And it's like, actually, that was a federal law, or why would the City Council do blah blah blah? Well, actually, that was the state right that I think that one of the the opportunities that we have in front of us now. And I have seen the journey, even in my in my life, of us becoming a more informed, electric and really understanding the complexity of the issues and how they move and who's responsible for what. And you know, when I have watched some of the, you know, social media critique. It's like they did this one thing, or they did this one thing, and it is a series of things and character attributes, right and decisions that have been made that leads you to believe, hopefully, who the candidate for you is. It's not one decision, but it is a demo. Illustration of sound decision making,
Ruth Richardson
yeah. And I think it really speaks to the importance of, as you talked about it, the education around, you know, it's really getting back to kind of civics education, right? And so thinking about what our students are learning like, are are they learning civics? Do they understand how a bill becomes a law? And you know, I think when you kind of begin to pull back the layers to understand that, you really begin to see how complex of a process that it is. And sometimes people might ask themselves the questions around, why is it so complicated, you know, to make a law? But it goes back to what I said at the beginning of this, the people who are determining what the process is are the people that are sitting within those seats of power. So as you think about sort of the systems that we work in today, where like people that look like you and I were probably not contemplated as like being in these seats. And probably a lot of women were never contemplated like being within these seats as well. And so when you go into spaces and all of a sudden, like I'm just supposed to be at the capitol for the next 72 hours without like going home. For me, especially in that first year, as I was sort of taking everything in, I started to feel like, I feel like this place was designed by some people who did not like their families and did not want to go home. Because why are we here? All
Chanda Smith Baker
doing on what decisions like budget, like, like, say contextually, just provide a little bit more. Like, why were you there that long? What? What's happening? So
Ruth Richardson
there is something that is called filibustering, where people can just stand up and start talking about whatever it is that they want to talk about whether it's helpful or relevant, right? It's like, you got the floor, and in Minnesota, you can talk for as long as you'd like, like, there's no limits, you know, in terms of thinking about that, and so also thinking about when people are making such important decisions, do you want them to be sleep deprived, making them at, you know, three or four o'clock in the morning? Or do you want them on on their game? So just really starting to think through because as we talk, you know, I talked about like, hey, we need to really kind of think and reimagine our healthcare system. We need to be looking at all of our systems in terms of really thinking about, how are they set up? Because for people who are young parents, for example, can you just disappear for 72 hours,
Chanda Smith Baker
right? Yeah. I mean the system and some of the decisions around it certainly will. You know, there's some offices where you literally almost have to be independently wealthy to be able to go into it. Your role as as a representative was part time. Yes,
Ruth Richardson
it was part time. And we're citizens legislature, right? So the expectation is that it's part time, and people will have other will have other jobs, but there are some people that are going to be independently wealthy, and they're not going to have that, you know, that other part time job. And then also recognizing, as you look across various states in terms of even what legislatures are paid. Legislators are paid, I think in Nebraska, I think it'd get like $12,000 for the year. So again, like, who can do that, you know? And I think part of the design was about ensuring that it was only a certain sort of type of person, right, that would be in a position to be able to say, like, I can work full time for $12,000 a year.
Chanda Smith Baker
Oh, man, there's so much more I can say say on that one. So talk to me about just your journey a little bit as we move through here, because it feels like you have been committed to a life of service, and certainly one that has focused on on justice and inclusion. What inspired you to sort of take this path? Or did you? Did you grow into it as you were moving through life?
Ruth Richardson
Yeah, it's a really good question. You know, when I think about the path that I. Book. It really started for me as a really young child, and it was really influenced by the stories that I heard from my family growing up, you know, hearing the birthing stories of my mom and her sisters. My mom was one of 13, and she grew up working in the fields in Mississippi. Her grandparents, my grandparents were sharecroppers. My dad's family in Alabama were sharecroppers as well. And I had a great grandma who was who had been a traditional midwife before being pushed out. And so a lot of the stories that I heard really at a really young age put in me a desire to fight for something better than what they had experienced. And even growing up, my mom and dad opened up our home to a number of foster kids, and this was in the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, and I really, you know, looking back, see my mom as like a revolutionary within that space, because she knew that criminalizing people with addiction, separating families was going to have a horrible impact generations down the road, and so she really wanted to do as much as she could to keep relative and kinship connections for kids that were within foster care. And it's like And fast forward today to what we see with like the opioid epidemic and this whole idea around supports and family treatment centers. And it always, for me, stays in the back of my mind. It's like, okay, if people had been listening to my mom way back then on what was needed. How far along would we be as a community right now as when it comes to supporting individuals with substance use disorders and their families, we lost like 3040, years with this war on drugs. That was a dismal failure. It didn't
Chanda Smith Baker
dismal failure, and it's impacted families to your point, families have been ripped apart and they were criminalized versus getting the type of addiction support that they needed. It has furthered bias. You can see it every day, depending on where you're looking, but you can see how people describe a group of people or communities, and it has had far reaching implications. Or it's a continuation of things. It's not the thing. It's a continuation of things
Ruth Richardson
to the to the present day. And you know, in even looking at the data around opioid overdose deaths, because I remember during the covid pandemic when opioid deaths increased 44% for African Americans in this country, and one of the things that they were looking at is, prior to an opioid overdose death, how many of those people had at least one treatment stay, and less than 8% of black folks who died from an opioid overdose had a single treatment stay before their death. And so just that, so like hearing those stories, seeing the work that my mom did and my dad, I think it really put me on this trajectory, because I wanted to be someone who could help bring answers to people and to help bring supports to people. And so went on to law school, because I convinced myself that if I knew the law, I could help people and be able to research to find the answers. And then, after that, was in the government sector for a while, worked with Hennepin County and the city of St Paul before working on some disability rights issues with the Minnesota organization on fetal alcohol syndrome spent a number of years with Wayside Recovery Center, an inpatient residential treatment program gender specific, where moms could come with their kids, and that work was really important in helping to reunify families. We. Identified over 400 families and my time, when I was there, who had been torn apart by this really unjust system. When we think about what it looks like to be separated from your family members because you have a substance use disorder, and now doing this work with Planned Parenthood to ensure that, you know, we are really focused not only on ensuring that there's access to abortion care, but the full range of sexual reproductive health care, and really excited about some of the new service lines that we are implementing menopause care.
Chanda Smith Baker
That's an issue of the discussion of the day, isn't it? Yes,
Ruth Richardson
fertility treatments and also some prenatal care as well, and expanding our mental health services. So I think to the point you were making earlier, when we were talking about sexual and reproductive health care, it encompasses so much, and it's important that people really understand the the scope of of the work and the important role that it plays within our communities,
Chanda Smith Baker
absolutely. And, you know, we talked about to the above, the complexity and the roles that folks have around making policy and all of this other stuff and moving the needle, but one of those groups of people that we haven't yet talked about are people that are working within civic organizations, or individuals that are interested in getting more involved politically, or certainly they have an issue that's of importance to them, whether or not it's democracy, or whether or not it's women's health, or whether or not it's it's social justice, police reform, adequate health, adequate mental health. Like there's so many education like, there's so many ways that we can go, because these systems have a long way to go before they are working for everyone. But what? What advice would you offer? Because I do think that sometimes nonprofits can be a little bit shy around moving in democracy and advocacy work. Can you provide any perspective on how they might do so and be within the realm of the their 501, c3, yeah.
Ruth Richardson
Absolutely. So the best thing that you can do is become an educator. You have the ability as a 501 c3 to provide education, right to be able to go down to the capital and to educate like elected officials on various issues that are of import and really important to you. And so recognizing that you can reach out to people to say, like, Hey, this is this is what's going on within this area. And we think that it's really important that you that you know that, and that can be a really important way for legislators to determine, like, what are the policy things that they are going to that they're going to focus on? Another opportunity is to invite lawmakers to your space for tours, right so they can see the work that you do day to day, they can ask you questions about what is important to your patients or your clients or stakeholders and and the context of the work that you are doing, and also recognizing that voter registration is nonpartisan, right? So there are ways that you can get supports from foundations or others to engage in voter registration, and you can also, you know, you also have the ability to think about other ways that you may want to engage. For example, you know, thinking about going down to the Capitol to testify in front of a committee for for example, those are, those are just a few different ways that people can really think about getting getting involved.
Chanda Smith Baker
And can we just for the record, just distinguish between advocating for policies that matter to you and your organization that you work on, versus specific candidates. Yeah.
Ruth Richardson
So in terms of Yeah, because, like, there's a there's a distinction between educating people about, like, what is going on in your nonprofit and lobbying, those are two distinct things. So I think it's important that you know, people work with, you know, either whatever external councils they use, or the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits is also a great source. Of information for you to learn those, those differences between education and lobbying. And then also to you know, we all know that C threes, nonprofit, nonprofit with c3 status, they don't interfere with an election. So you would just not be involved in terms of thinking about the outcomes of election, but being able to tell the story of your nonprofit that's not lobbying, and then
Chanda Smith Baker
as we close, I know we talked about a retrenchment of laws and the impact that is really rippling through our country and in a more personal way, through many homes where people aren't having access to what they need to take care of their families. Are there things that are moving forward in a way that that brings you some some hope? Yeah,
Ruth Richardson
absolutely. You know, in terms of thinking about the black maternal health crisis within this country, I am so grateful for Dr Karen Scott and the work that she has done around measuring obstetric racism. There is a the only validated tool nationally that is around to measure obstetric racism was created by by her, and it's a real opportunity for systems that truly say that they're committed to changing the trajectory of this. It's there, it's available, and it gives me a tremendous amount of hope, recognizing that we know that we can be doing things differently within that space. On the mental health side, I am really excited for a lot of work that is happening, not only locally, but at the national level as well, you know, real focus is around mental health parity and recognizing that your physical health is just as important as your mental health. And so when we think about things like being reimbursed for mental health services if we're going to really kind of change the trajectory where we are, there are a lot of people who are really focused on, how do we reimagine our mental health services, and really looking at some of the recommendations that have come out of the World Health Organization And so really studying some of the best models that are in that are in the world around mental health, and that gives me a lot of hope that we are really looking internationally about how we can do better within that space. And I'm also really motivated by what I see in terms of people's commitment to ensure, you know, access to like abortion and sexual and reproductive, sexual and reproductive health care. When I look at the data, the majority of Americans believe that people should have access to abortion care, and that is whether you're looking at people who claim red or blue, the majorities of both those both sides really understand the importance of access to a full range of sexual and reproductive health care. Thank
Chanda Smith Baker
you so much. We're with Richardson for this conversation. My takeaway is that sometimes we oversimplify the complex issues. It's really important that we take time to understand who we're putting into office and the issues that of our matter and importance to us in that there's actually something that everyone can do to help improve the outcomes for their lives and the lives of people that are their neighbors.
Ruth Richardson
You said it best. There are so many systems that are in need of either reforms or just complete overhauls, and who better to do that work than people who are closest to the pain of that issue to really help to think about, how do we build more sustainable systems, and also systems that are actually designed to ensure people are not just surviving but thriving? You.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai