aran Thank you. Americans are capable of achieving extraordinary things when they have the freedom and opportunity to do so. This is American Potential. Welcome to the American Potential podcast. I'm your host, David Farr. So for the last 250 years, men and women have been defending the American dream and the founding principles. We're here in Philadelphia to celebrate that 250th anniversary of America. And while we do it throughout this year, celebrate America's birthday, we're going to talk to men and women who keep that same spirit alive, who've gotten involved in their communities and with their fellow citizens to try to defend those founding principles, but also pursue their American dream and make lives better. So one of these people that I'm thrilled to talk to is Ernestine Johnson, who's here with us, a Philly native. And so I'm so glad for you to join us. Thank you so much, David. So happy to be here. Yeah, well, I'm so interested to talk to you. I know a little bit of your story, and it's just a fun, fabulous story. But I mean, to start with at the beginning, you're not a Native American. I don't mean Native American like India. You weren't born here in America. Yes, I'm actually first generation born here in Philadelphia. My parents and my family are from Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa. My older brother was born there, but my parents came in the early 70s. Father studied at St. Joe's and Villanova University. My mother came over to join him and hence I'm here now. Yeah. So I was born and raised here in Philadelphia. Well, you, my understanding is that some of that experience from your family and what you've learned about that made you really interested in voting and the political process. Why is that? Definitely, David. About the time I was in high school, Sierra Leone was going through a lot of their civil war. as you all know with the movie Blood Diamonds famous movie Blood Diamonds. So a lot of Sierra Leoneans were not allowed to vote. They couldn't vote for the regime that was currently in power to no longer be in power. A lot of it was voter intimidation. But a lot of that the people didn't give up. You had them reaching out to different countries for prosthetic limbs and arms so that they continue to go and vote. And I said well wow these people are resilient. That's not stopping them to vote. What's stopping me to vote? So it made me want to always register to vote as soon as I turned 18. Right. Wasn't quite sure what party I wanted to be affiliated with, but I knew that I was going to go and vote. Yeah. So that's where the journey at least started. We take it for granted often. And realize when you see what people go through and sacrifice around the country, or I'm sorry, around the world to do that, it's really humbling. And yeah. So why did your dad decide to come here? Well, my father wanted to study. He actually got a scholarship. He applied for education, higher education. And he actually got a scholarship to come to St. Joe's. He wanted to do business and economics. So he decided to come over and study. And my mom missed him. I guess she didn't know studying would take so long. So she decided to come over and join him. And the community of Philadelphia was really, really fantastic. A lot of the neighbors looked out for them. One of the neighbors actually helped my mother get her first job. just to help her out with everything that she needed, medical care, anything like that. And before you knew it, my mother became a citizen. My mother and my father, they're both citizens. They took their tests. Again, back when I was in high school, I actually helped my father study for his test. I'm like, oh, dad, we learn all this in school. This is normal American history. We had a really good time doing that. But he actually swore in. I got to take off from school when he went to go swearing to become American citizens. We all actually went out to lunch after that. But it was a big thing. But even before then, just taking pride in your country was very big, especially amongst West Africans. When we were here, there was not a 4th of July that went back. We went down to the monument. We went down to D.C. It was important for our family to show us the birthplace of America and that type deal. So we took a lot of these holidays very, very seriously, especially just being in Philadelphia. We have a lot of history here in Philadelphia as well with us celebrating our 250th anniversary, our birthday, I guess. so we have a lot of history as well here in philadelphia so even being a part of philadelphia my parents always made sure i knew the history of our great city as well so well you know i was wandering around earlier today look you know into an independence hall or liberty bell which uh gosh if you know if people haven't done that they they really they need to make some time to do it um philadelphia is you know i as i mentioned i'm from northern new jersey was never a philadelphia guy always rooted against the teams but it really is one of the great american cities with you know really the birthplace of our democracy and seeing those sites, it's like, wow, these are real things that like really happened. And, you know, and the consequence of them is so significant. How did, you know, looking through your parents' eyes is, you know, immigrants from a very different country coming here and then deciding to stay here and build their lives. Like, how did that affect your perception of America Well it just opened up myself to America as far as being a place of opportunity and never to take anything for granted especially opportunities So you know my parents always told us to to read study They're very high on education, high education. So we were always encouraged just to, you know, study, know what you're doing, know where you live, know why you should love it here. Know why we have opportunities here, especially the opportunities for women. A lot of other countries are not as liberal as we are. So that's another reason why it's important for me to vote and why that's a part of my story as well. Even here in America, there was a strong movement of women who said, hey, we have a voice. We would like to vote. So that was very, very important to me as well. so what was what were some steps or an initial step that you took that led you down a path of really just being involved in public policy and politics in your community or it's very very funny because i'll just uh tell a good friend of mine this the other day my step was really interesting but it really led me towards this great organization so let me back it up i first started by um receiving a letter in the mail around 2016 i switched my party to the republican party i guess because i was so close to the main line we're considered a majority in that area and i got a letter from a ward leader who said hey are you interested in working the polls you know it's so close to him sure why not i work from home unless i'm doing production so i said why not i could actually absolutely go and work the polls so i went to work the polls and that's what really opened me up to the voting process, the importance of voting, the lack thereof of voting, voter intimidation. So I started to get involved, read up, making sure that everyone who came out to vote felt comfortable. So I had to make sure that I was knowledgeable on how they would vote. If you can vote, register, register your family. This is how you vote. This is where you vote. That started me off. Being a part of the Republican Party also opened me up to different events that I started to attend. I went to certain events and I met a wonderful woman by the name of Rosalyn Williams, a part of the Americans for Prosperity. One of our favorites. Like, what is this Americans for Prosperity? What are they all about? And I went to a few events and I found that, okay, these people are really focused and going to help me stay focused on economic opportunities. So I'm like, wow, this is great that I would love to be a part of this. How do I get involved? and through there i kept reaching out to rosalyn let me know these are things i'm interested in i like being an advocate i like making sure i can go out and speak to people she hooked me up as we say i went to a fantastic seminar that they had as well as a workshop on how to be an advocate how do we reach out to our lawmakers and our policy and our legislators and say hey this is what we need this is how we're not even no prospering as americans this is where you know we're dropping the ball and it was wonderful that's fabulous yeah i always you know i've been with america's prosperity for like 14 years and i've it's it's been the joy of my professional life and uh i've often thought when the best things you know i step back and think about it is you know i work with great people and i love that part of it but it's the chance to aggregate the voices of folks who individually might feel like they're drowned out or don't have a way to, or an outlet to make their voice heard. But, you know, if five of you go and talk to your legislator or 10 of you call your congressman, all of a sudden- Definitely more effective that way. Absolutely, yeah. So I know you also went to some training, right? Yes, the training was very important. We studied the issues. We sat down and we determined what issues were important to us. And then how do we approach these issues? Why should these issues be important to our legislators? why should these issues be important to our policymakers so we want them to understand us we want them to meet us see who we are we are the people that vote for you he's these are the issues that we're concerned about and that we could approach them in a very open and relaxed type of way so yes the training was very important so we went through a few things uh found out about different laws practiced we did a role play so that was really really really nice so as well as like i also said i also went to pardon me also went to a level up summit as well up in harrisburg so not only that sitting down being active and talking about it yet but getting up and going is very important go to capitol hill go to harrisburg go let them see you so that was really important we went up there for a wonderful event a one day uh summit seminar by amber benson i at least you put it together level up it was called level up it just it was for women by women and teaching us that hey you don't have to be afraid run for something run for office you want to sit in the background and say hey this is what you're supposed to do this is what you're not supposed to do run for office i'm very good at assisting women running for office so i got to meet a lot of strong positive women who are about to run this uh next election coming up oh wow so I'm really interested and excited to work with them. But that particular one in Harrisburg, that was a good one. That was one that said, man, that day that I'm down, I'm not feeling well. I don't feel like I can do it. But how does that woman feel? She has to go back to her office. She still has emails to answer. She still has emails to send out, phone calls to make. So it really strengthened me to say I'm not alone. And it really strengthened me to say I also have the power to push other women as well to say, hey, you're not alone either. that I needed that one on that day. You can feel defeated sometimes, right, David? You can feel like, oh, am I really making a difference? Does this really matter? But that was really, really great. Well, I really do believe that one of the important things about someone taking a step to get active is some people have more courage just internally and they're willing to do it. But sometimes it's a lot easier when you have someone who's already walked down that path who can show you the way, or you have a group of people that are strengthened numbers. So as a group you can go and take those steps And I think that one of the things that you kind of reflect on the the the founders I mean we love to focus on the courage of the founders and they were very courageous but it really helped that there was a group that grew and, you know, you think of the sons of Liberty or whatever, even, even the founders through independence hall, like being together, you know, what's the, what was the quote that, you know, we, uh, you know, maybe we all hang together, but, um, I think that that's something that, that we as AFP try to focus on because we, we feel like we can give tools and smooth out the path a little bit to make, to, uh, lower that barrier to entry of sorts to, to get involved. And then people see that they can be effective and it's kind of addicting. It's like, Hey, I can make a difference. And I think people overestimate, I'm sorry. I think people underestimate the how loud their voice can be and how impactful it can be and it's um i think giving people that insight that's one of the things we're hoping in this our one small step campaign is that we can help people realize like hey you can make a big difference in continuing to change this country for the better that's the thing it's so funny you said that because my first small step was just to be a part of the uh voting process on election day yeah and it's a small step because you know I guess, again, in my area, they consider some of the Republicans to be the minority. So, again, you say, where's your voice? You know, do you think your small voice can be very big? I'm like, well, we're the minority in this area. We're outnumbered. But no, and the Republicans in the area, they were happy to see me there as a representative. So, like you say, it feels like it's a small step. But sometimes that small step is a nice, loud voice. Yeah. Well, I'll tell you what. I remember my parents. My parents would talk around the dinner table, especially my dad, all the time. We talk politics all the time. It's one of the reasons I was interested in politics and pursued a career in it. And not until I was out of the house did they get a yard sign. And to them, having a yard sign was like they're invested. That's their step. You know, they voted every single election, but they just that was for somebody else. And so for them to take that public stand of putting up a sign for somebody was their step to feel like they were getting more involved. But it's funny you say that because I also had the type of family. A lot of West Africans are really into politics. and even if you have an opinion they just have an opinion stand by your opinion it could be you could not agree with me it's fine don't agree with me but we weren't allowed to you know we had to speak freely so i did come from one of those families as well dinner table we we we talked we talked about deep things not just how was your day in school what do you think about what's going on out here what do you think about what george bush is doing out here or what do you think some of the good things are or you have going on so interesting you say your family is the same way Yeah, it's so true. So I know that you have a really interesting side gig that you do. Yes. That brings you around the country. And I think it also provides you some insight into how government gets involved in some overreaches. So maybe share that a little bit with us. So I have the privilege to be a part of a agency that we do travel bartending. We work a lot of great golf events. I have worked the President's Cup. I have just recently worked Riders Cup I have been with Byron Nelson CJ Cup A lot of the pro PGA golf events And it's really exciting I get to travel different states Different cities Meet a lot of interesting people as well Let's just reconnect with my bartending mixologist friends again And it's really prestigious Especially on the golf course A lot of great business deals are going down It's very prestigious Very serious I applied for the masters. We'll see. Maybe the masters will call back. No, that would be cool. If you need a bar back, call me up. The coolest. I mean, even just applying, I've gotten people saying, good job. Like, wait, that's the one they apply for. So I'm hoping to see how their selection process goes. But being a part of these events, you have to understand that every single city or state you go to, they require their own different permit or their own different alcohol testing that we do. Here in Pennsylvania, we have RAMP, which is a responsible alcohol management program. A lot of workers that come here, even for huge festivals, you have to make sure that you're RAMP certified. Definitely want to make sure that you're serving people correctly and not over serving folks. But just recently, I'm going to say like after the pandemic, it seems like every other state now has their own alcohol serving permit test. so depending on what state you're working in you have to apply and take a whole nother test again well i'm not sure folks in pennsylvania look different from folks in rhode island but you figure it should be the same right these are one of the ways that they're over-regulating us i mean i don't understand why we just can't have a whole statewide or countrywide type testing even if it's longer even if it's more even if they specifically ask you hey we know you live if you live in pennsylvania but if you're in las vegas do you do xyz or xyz we'll see so that's something real difficult for us right now different states have their own licensing issues so a lot of the bartenders are always applying over and over again to serve the same alcoholic beverages by state so a lot of us are getting a little frustrated by constantly applying for these permits in every state that we go to yeah it does seem like uh there's just been a general growth in government and and sometimes it's for them to bring in money and sometimes it's well meant but it's just that you know limited government's one of our founding principles you know government is here to preserve our rights not to certainly not to give them to us and um over regulation is just a practical way where kind of more liberty is being eroded so i I think that it's one of the things that AFP we try to be vigilant about, but it pops up everywhere. I mean, here you're talking about states and local venues that, man, it's like whack-a-mole. But it- There you go. That's exactly it. But it makes it harder for you and your colleagues to earn a living. You know what I mean It an impediment And even well people sometimes are putting up those barriers and that not in the spirit of like our founding So yeah that a major issue amongst us So hopefully we'll see. Maybe we can take that up to Capitol Hill, say, hey, something guys might want to think about. We add up the numbers. You're looking at anywhere between $15 to $60. Yeah. Depending if you're taking a part one or part two, if it's online, in person, there's a lot that goes into it what was your favorite uh traveling bartending gig i have so many for so many different reasons obviously the president's cup hands down yeah i mean come on the president's come out uh they're they're in the atmosphere there uh you have a lot of great sponsors who really show off as presidential let me tell you something i've never had the freshest fruit ever i think i think the pineapples came straight off i mean seriously everything was just so fresh it's presidential you know what i mean so that's that's one of the the biggies for me um i like the writer cup only because it was new york obviously we're in long island new york but i got to do the new york governor suite so that was that was a big thing for me i met a lot of the heads of staff that worked with the governor the governor breezed by but um she was also entertaining that week i guess the the hospitality office for the governor entertains different folks that come on visit for the event so they had a group of german tourists that came so that was really exciting i got to meet a whole group of german tourists they were amazing they uh love the drinks i made it wasn't successful for us at the end of the day you know europe won the rider cup but other than that that was exciting as far as the interaction that i had at riders cup was really good president's cup is coming up this year in september so i look forward to taking a test again in Illinois. Well, you know, I'm based in Illinois. I can't help you out there, but I live in Illinois. Do you know what? I wonder what course it's at this year. Is it a Cognitive? I had it memorized. I will tell you later. Yeah, that's great. There's a lot of good ones. A lot of great ones. A lot of good ones. So I'll be going back again to do the CJ Cup, Byron Nelson CJ Cup back in McKinney, Texas. Nice place. First time in Texas. First time in McKinney, Texas. Maybe I'll leave and go see Dallas. I don't know. but I'll be going back down there as well and I'm going to do a new one in March which is the Hoag Classic H-O-A-G Hoag Classic so it's out in Pacific Palisades which I'll have to take the RBS test again but I hear that it is phenomenal my friends who do mainly golf golf events told me that that's one of the best courses that they've seen I know we have some amazing courses here in Pennsylvania I would have to say I like the one in Charlotte it called hollow club where the presence cup was clean and pristine yeah beautiful i don't think there was anything out of proportion it was very very beautiful yeah those fancy golf courses are pretty immaculate and amazing yes so what do you you know what are you focused on here in philly pennsylvania like what you know you you're just in your nature an activist somebody who's going to be involved in their community. My focus as far as bringing my activism here is to assist more of my female candidates. Yeah. A lot of them, like I said, they need that. We call it the, the diaper bag, just someone that's there that says, Hey, even though you're speaking about important issues, sometimes they want that hair out your face or sometimes they want to make sure that you're tightened up or something like that. So I'm just here to make sure that they are okay while they're moving forward. A lot of women in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas, they have guts. Yeah. They're ready to get in those seats and they're ready to do the work. So someone like me just advocating for them in the background, assisting them in doing what they do, it just brings me all the joy that I need. That's fabulous. What would you say to people who are not sure about getting involved in their community or in politics, trying to make a difference? What would you say directly to them? Go for it. Go for it. Right before this Level Up Summit in Harrisburg that Emmer put together, we had about two or three women that came up from Philadelphia felt the same like oh I'll just come and listen but it's not my turn yet they left there ready to run for this next election there's no time like the present you know you won't believe what makes people vote for people you know what makes some people sit home give it a chance go out meet the people and talk so I would tell them um step the game up come on out come to an event come to a rally run run some people are so afraid of when they win and not lose oh a lot of people lost the first time we have some senators that didn't do well the first time councilmen who lost the first time and they're back in the game abraham lincoln there you go lots of few times right yeah yeah so it's you just have to keep on doing it keep on trying so i would definitely tell them just to go for it try put your name out there You won't believe how many people will step up and say, hey, I got you. Hey, I'll support you. I can give you this. So that's great. That's great advice, especially as we embark on this one small step campaign and trying to encourage people to get them. So that'll be their one small step. That's your one small step. But often it's the biggest step. You know, taking that one step up is often the hardest one. So, well, thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us. Appreciate you hosting us in your city. So easy to talk to, David. This is wonderful. Thank you so much for having me. Thanks. Appreciate it. Well, folks, if you like this episode, please like and subscribe to our channels and follow us on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. And always remember, freedom and liberty are easily taken for granted. Don't take it for granted. Go out there and defend freedom. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to American Potential. 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