Launching a new interview series called Brunch With, on Wednesday’s 3rd Hour Today show, co-host Sheinelle Jones sat down for a meal with liberal activist Meena Harris, who just so happens to be the niece of California Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Jones gushed that “activism is practically genetic” for her brunch pal.
“So I sat down to eat with Meena Harris, she’s a lawyer turned political consultant, turned entrepreneur, turned tech star....She comes from a long line of woman who taught her the importance of leaving your mark on the world,” Jones proudly proclaimed as she introduced the segment during the 9:00 a.m. ET hour morning show.
Touting Harris having “some pretty good role models,” Jones revealed that the activist and Uber executive had “an aunt who you may have heard of too” as pictures of Senator Harris appeared on screen. “What do you call her, aunty? Aunty Kamala?,” the journalist asked.
Harris described how “incredibly close” she was to her left-wing aunt and their “very special bond.” That prompted Jones to observe: “For Meena, activism is practically genetic.”
As an example, Jones pointed to a feminist t-shirt campaign created by Harris: “In 2017, inspired by her grandmother, the Women’s March, and Maya Angelou’s poem, Phenomenal Woman, she decided to launch a one-month venture, Phenomenal Woman....What she didn’t expect was the movement that came next.”
Harris explained that she was surprised by the success of the apparel: “We’ll sell the t-shirts, we’ll raise money for women’s organizations. I thought, like, you know, we’ll sell a few hundred shirts if I, like, bug enough people....On the first day, we sold 2,500 shirts.”
Phenomenal Woman has focused exclusively on left-wing activism, bragging on its website about some recent crusades:
In September 2018, we coordinated a full-page ad in the New York Times with signatures of #1600Men showing their support for Christine Blasey Ford and all survivors....The #PhenomenalVoter campaign encouraged voting on election day in the 2018 midterm elections....On Latina Equal Pay Day 2018, the #PhenomenallyLatina campaign raised awareness around the pay gap and the distinct challenges faced by Latinas.
Of course Jones never actually mentioned any those partisan efforts by the group.
Later in the conversation, Jones suggested: “It sounds like one day you’re gonna run for president.” Harris objected: “No, oh, God, no, no.” Jones seemed disappointed: “It does – it sounds like – Really?”
Wrapping up the interview, Jones wondered: “How can you reconcile being so passionate and so fierce about what you believe but still being able to sit down and talk to someone who may not agree with you?” Harris declared: “This is what Phenomenal is all about, it’s like political with a small ‘p,’ it’s about civic engagement. My response to you would be, do something, all of us can do something.”
Following the taped exchange, Jones outlined the vision for the new Brunch With series:
Some people are the A-listers, some people are singers, some people are actresses, but there are the lot of people in this country on all sides of the aisle who are really doing their – trying to live their best life and actually shift the needle and move the needle in a positive direction. So we’re going to start talking to some of these folks, people may – some of them you’ve heard of, some people you haven’t heard of.
If some of 3rd Hour Today’s recent interviews are any indication, viewers can expect a parade of leftist guests:
NBC Touts Late Night Leftist Seth Meyers as ‘Primary News Source’
NBC Touts Political ‘Handbook’ From Far-Left Move On Activist
NBC Celebrates Sotomayor’s 10 Years on Supreme Court With Cake
Here is a transcript of the November 6 interview with Harris:
9:22 AM ET
(...)
SHEINELLE JONES: So I sat down to eat with Meena Harris, she’s a lawyer turned political consultant, turned entrepreneur, turned tech star. Wait until you hear our conversation. She comes from a long line of woman who taught her the importance of leaving your mark on the world.
I’m so excited for our brunch! Should we do this?
MEENA HARRIS: We should.
JONES: Let’s do it.
JONES: Do you get a chance to have brunch in the middle of the day ever?
HARRIS: No, no. This is quite a treat.
JONES: It’s no wonder because as a lawyer, entrepreneur, executive, activist, and the mother of two young girls, Meena Harris doesn’t have a ton of free time.
(...)
JONES: That’s not to say Meena doesn’t have some pretty good role models, her own mother, who went from teen mother to Stanford Law School grad, and an aunt who you may have heard of too. [Pictures of Kamala Harris on screen]
What do you call her, aunty?
HARRIS: I call her aunty.
JONES: Aunty Kamala?
HARRIS: Now that I’m a grown woman with two children, I’m like, I don’t think I can call her aunty in public anymore, so I call her Kamala, and she gets very angry about that, because that is not her name, her name is aunty.
JONES: That’s so funny.
HARRIS: We’re incredibly close.
JONES: You like share a birthday, did I read that?
HARRIS: We do. She probably will not like me to share this, but it’s October 20th and we’re 20 years apart exactly. We have a very special bond. I had this very tiny little family, my grandmother, my mom, and my aunt, and it was just us.
JONES: For Meena, activism is practically genetic.
HARRIS: My grandmother had an incredible impact on me. She showed up with this, you know, commitment and feeling of responsibility that, like, we have to do something to make an impact in the world.
JONES: Meena, took that lesson to heart. In 2017, inspired by her grandmother, the Women’s March, and Maya Angelou’s poem, Phenomenal Woman, she decided to launch a one-month venture, Phenomenal Woman.
HARRIS: We’ll sell the t-shirts, we’ll raise money for women’s organizations. I thought, like, you know, we’ll sell a few hundred shirts if I, like, bug enough people.
JONES: What she didn’t expect was the movement that came next.
HARRIS: On the first day, we sold 2,500 shirts.
JONES: 2,500 on the first day?
HARRIS: Yeah, so that was my, like, wow moment. The whole point is that I’m just a regular person, I’m not a full-time activist, right, I just was doing my part.
JONES: The t-shirts not only piqued the interest of women, but a major tech company too, who offered her a job.
HARRIS: I remember people saying, “Why would you partner with Uber, what are you doing?” I felt very strongly that I had a responsibility. There were women in that company that arguably needed what we were doing more than anyone.
JONES: Meena became Uber’s head of strategy and leadership.
(...)
JONES: It sounds like one day you’re gonna run for president.
HARRIS: No, oh, God, no, no.
JONES: It does – it sounds like –
HARRIS: No, please.
JONES: Really?
HARRIS: I’m like, is there a witness in the room to – I will never.
JONES: The reality is, this is a big country and people believe different things. How can you reconcile being so passionate and so fierce about what you believe but still being able to sit down and talk to someone who may not agree with you?
HARRIS: This is what Phenomenal is all about, it’s like political with a small “p,” it’s about civic engagement. My response to you would be, do something, all of us can do something.
JONES: I love this idea.
AL ROKER: It’s terrific.
JONES: Right? Because we interview so many people on this show. Some people are the A-listers, some people are singers, some people are actresses, but there are the lot of people in this country on all sides of the aisle who are really doing their – trying to live their best life and actually shift the needle and move the needle in a positive direction. So we’re going to start talking to some of these folks, people may – some of them you’ve heard of, some people you haven’t heard of.
(...)
