Quick-Fire Quips is a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with the communications director for the nonprofit Alabama Arise, Chris Sanders.
Baillee: Hey, Chris!
Chris: Hey, Baillee, thank you for having me.
Baillee: Happy to have you! Okay, so tell me about Alabama Arise.
Chris: Well, Alabama Arise is a member-led nonprofit that advances public policies to improve the lives of people who are marginalized by poverty. We've been up and running for nearly 40 years. We have thousands of individual and group members from every corner of Alabama.
We believe in an Alabama where everyone has the resources and opportunities to reach their full potential, where policymakers are responsive to the needs of the people, and where everyone values the common good and the humanity of everyone.
Baillee: What's a milestone at Alabama Arise that you're particularly proud of?
Chris: This year alone, our members helped pass Alabama's second grocery tax reduction in three years. We secured state funding to expand no-cost school breakfast and to continue providing SUN Bucks, which help feed hundreds of thousands of children every summer.
We also secured paid parental leave for teachers and state employees, and we made maternal health care more accessible for thousands of pregnant women across our state. You know, none of these wins would have been possible without the determined advocacy of our members, not just this year, but across many years.
Baillee: Is there a goal that you hope Alabama Arise will achieve in the coming years?
Chris: We're going to advocate to close Alabama's health coverage gap, to help hundreds of thousands of people who can't afford health insurance. We're going to keep advocating to right more of the wrongs of our state's upside-down tax system, which requires the people with the least to pay the most as a share of their income, and we're going to keep advocating to invest in public transportation and housing so everyone can have the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead.
Baillee: Okay, now the introductions are done. Let's get you warmed up to answer the questionnaire. And to do that, I want you to say Quick-Fire Quips three times fast.
Chris: Oh, boy... Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips!
Baillee: That was impressive. Did you practice a little bit?
Chris: I did. I'm not going to lie.
(Chris and Baillee laugh)
Baillee: Oh, that's great! Okay, first question: What's the first word that comes to mind when you hear Alabama?
Chris: Home. This is home. I'm born and raised in Alabama, and I have the accent to prove it. Went to college here. I've worked here my entire adult life, and, you know, with rare exceptions, I've never really wanted to live anywhere else.
This is home. I'm rooted here. I believe in this state and the people of this state and our ability to build something better together.
Baillee: What's a Southern phrase that you catch yourself using a lot?
Chris: You know, I am a I'm a "y'all" evangelist. I spread the gospel of "y'all" everywhere, in every context possible, nationally. It is a wonderful word. It is the second-person plural word that everybody needs, and no one has done it better than the South.
Baillee: What is a hidden gem in Montgomery that you think more people should know about?
Chris: I'm going to name a few places, and these aren't hidden, but they are gems. One is the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. It's amazing that we have world-class culture right here in the heart of Alabama. World-class stage plays presented here. It's always a great time to go out there and catch a show.
I also would really encourage people to visit both the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Those are transformative, life-changing experiences. You will come away haunted by many of the things that you see and experience, and you'll be thinking about them for years to come after your visit.
Baillee: Okay, next up, What is a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Chris: You know, there's a bad tendency among people who live in other parts of the country and around the world to think that people from Alabama and the South are somehow lesser than. That is absolutely not true. People in Alabama are capable of world-class performance in a whole range of areas.
Our state put people on the moon. We have some of the greatest health care facilities in the world. We have some of the greatest artists and writers and activists and athletes in the world. We are just as capable of great things in this state as anywhere in the country or on the planet.
Baillee: What is something you wish more people knew about when it comes to the nonprofit sector?
Chris: One thing I've learned is that advocating for justice is long-term work, and it can be frustrating not to see results right away, but as we've seen time and again, the advocacy that we do now is laying the groundwork for breakthroughs in the future.
It can be easy to start feeling isolated and overwhelmed by the sheer number of problems and injustices in our communities, but one important lesson that I've learned is that we all go further when we all go together.
Baillee: Next question: Who was your childhood hero?
Chris: Yeah, I had lots of childhood heroes. First and foremost, my parents. They grew up in difficult circumstances and worked really hard to ensure that I didn't have to face many of the challenges that they did. So, they are lifelong heroes of mine.
As far as our movement work, I've always been awe-inspired by all the advocates of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks.
And a whole bunch of people across Alabama and across the South who stood up in incredibly difficult circumstances, advocating for things that were unpopular in their day, but that were fundamentally, morally just and right and the correct thing to do. So, I've always been inspired by their determination and passion and willingness to speak out when it was uncomfortable.
Baillee: Do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Chris: You know, I'm a big Alabama football fan, so I have all sorts of superstitions related to football. If I'm wearing the wrong T-shirt and we lose, that one doesn't get worn again that season. If I'm sitting in a certain place or standing in a certain place and something's working or not, you know, I have to change position or stay right there.
One game years ago, I was literally standing up and hopping up and down in the cold and chanting the same mantra after every play, and it kept working and see how we scored and we won. So, there are lots of quirky things that come with being a sports fan, and that's that's one of them for me.
Baillee: That's what I've learned, too, from talking to a bunch of different people, especially with football. You gotta do what works, and if something feels like it's working, then you gotta keep doing that.
Chris: One thing I've always loved about our football culture in this state is that fans have the highest expectations possible. They see the importance of investing what it takes to succeed and achieve the highest goals.
I think that has some really important lessons for us to take across the board in this state. You know, there's no reason we cannot hold those high standards for education, for health care, for transportation, for workers' rights. Alabama can and should be the best at everything, and we need to commit to that and do what do what we need to do to make that possible.
Baillee: What is your favorite getaway spot in Alabama?
Chris: There's so many places I love in this state. I would say Gulf Shores is a fantastic getaway. We have some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world.
Mount Cheaha. It's a beautiful place. And I strongly encourage folks to visit there and just unplug and experience the natural beauty of Alabama the way it was intended to be experienced.
Another one that I would be remiss to omit would be Rickwood Caverns in Blount County. Just a beautiful experience. If folks haven't been there, well worth your time.
Baillee: All right, Chris, this is the last question. What does Alabama need?
Chris: Alabama needs people to step into their power, to stand together, to demand better, to insist that our policymakers live up to what they were elected to do, which is to work on behalf of and alongside the people, to meet the needs of the people, to be responsive to the people, and to build a better world, not just for the current generation, but for our children and grandchildren and generations to come. We can and should do better, and we can and should do it together.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That was the communications director for the nonprofit Alabama Arise, Chris Sanders.
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