I get asked all the time why I created “The Last Sip.”
The answer is pretty simple: we need stronger more diverse voices behind news desks and in communities telling our stories. That’s why we’re debuting this half-hour news program on Sunday, April 15 at 9:30 am. I want to use my voice as a transwoman of color on an independent news network to help shift tired paradigms. The problem with these old ways of thinking is that they essentially say that only certain people and certain ideas matter.
That’s why the premise of “The Last Sip” is so straightforward. I believe that in order to build a better world new possibilities and new ideas must be presented. The problem is that traditional news sources cannot offer us the information that we need to help drive social change. All we have to do is look across the media landscape where even so-called “liberal news” establishments are busy bringing in talent who champion a non-existent, anti-diluvian past and marginalize the voices of people of color, women, and LGBTQ talent within their own ranks.
As a response to this crisis in information for those historically left out, each week “The Last Sip” team will focus on the people and places in frontline communities who are creating solutions to our most pressing problems from the ground up. Every moment on air I will bring the full range of my experience in politics, business, entertainment and journalism to break down complex systems for our audience; creating awareness for change. And I will work to make sure that the program is not only informative, but gives you a sense of how you can make change in your world. It will be presented with massive doses of shade and lots of tea.
Me and my fifteen other colleagues at “The Last Sip”, believe that challenges and effective responses to them lie in the same place. And that social innovation is originating from the current generation of Americans, the nation’s largest and most diverse, which is increasingly black and brown, female and queer. That’s why we say that “The Last Sip” is “news for social change.”
For all of these reasons “The Last Sip” is considered to be an experiment by many.
That’s why we need your help in getting the word out. Our initial run is for eight weeks and every pair of eyes on us each week will help us to make the case that our voices matter, that our communities matter and that our perspectives are necessary to build a society which works for everyone. So I hope that you will watch and of course tell everybody else you know to watch too.
