Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

Political creator, influencer, attorney, and Reckoning Action founder Cheyenne Hunt discusses her work supporting survivors and how she helps bring allegations of sexual misconduct and assault by powerful political figures into public view. She takes us behind the scenes of how she builds trust with survivors, connects them with major media outlets, and uses a savvy mix of advocacy, law, and digital strategy to hold powerful people accountable—even when they're fellow progressives or Democrats. 
Cheyenne also shares the experiences that shaped her, her path from political creator, influencer, and congressional candidate to survivor advocate, and what her generation—Gen Z—is teaching the political world about power and accountability.
REFERENCES:
Cheyenne Hunt  - IG: @Cheyenne.L.HuntReckoning Action - reckoningaction.orgReckoning Action - X: @ReckoningAction 
 

After the Supreme Court's Callais decision further dismantled the Voting Rights Act, where does Black political power go from here? We talk with UC Berkeley political scientist Jake Grumbach about why the old model of Black politics is no longer enough—and what a new strategy for building lasting political power could look like.
REFERENCES:
Jake Grumbach - website // @JakeMGrumbach
The Voting Rights Act Is Dead. Here’s a New Model for Black Politics by Jake Grumbach, Perry Bacon, The New Republic

Why do some politicians get to be "authentic," while others are told they're too polished, too outspoken, or simply not electable? Our latest guest Maya Rupert—author, political strategist, and one of the nation's leading voices on race and democracy (she’s also the former campaign manager for Julián Castro's 2020 presidential campaign, and for Maya Wiley's New York City mayoral campaign)—shares her views on the Democratic Party's approach to electability, media strategy, and what it will take to build a more inclusive and successful politics.
REFERENCES:
Maya Rupert - mayarupert.com
X: @mayarupert IG: @maya.rupert Bluesky: @mayarupert.bsky.social
The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic - Penguin Random House

As the our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, LaTosha Brown, organizer and Black Voters Matter co-founder, joins us to reflect on the unfinished struggle for democracy in the wake of the Supreme Court's assault on the Voting Rights Act. She shares her thoughts on the enduring importance of the South, the lessons of Selma, and how people-powered organizing can meet this political moment with hope, courage, and vision. 
LaTosha also argues that this moment requires us to think bigger than this year’s midterms, or even the next election. Building a multiracial democracy will require more than electing better leaders—it will require reimagining the architecture of American democracy itself, she says.
She reminds us that our responsibility is not merely to defend democracy as we inherited it, but to build the democracy that has never yet fully existed.
REFERENCES:
LaTosha Brown - @mslatoshabrown // latoshabrown.com
Black Voters Matter - @BlackVotersMtr // blackvotersmatterfund.org
 

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi joins Steve for a live conversation at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival in Seattle about the growing threat of authoritarianism in the United States and around the world.
Drawing from his new book, Chain of Ideas, Kendi explains how fear, division, and "Great Replacement" narratives are being used to undermine democracy and consolidate power. Together, he and Steve explore the connections between racism, political power, demographic change, and the fight for a multiracial democracy.
They discuss why expanding democracy—not retreating from it—is the path forward and what it will take to build the broad coalition needed to meet this moment.
REFERENCES:
Ibram X. Kendi - ibramxkendi.com // @ibramxk
Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age - Penguin Random House
 

In conjunction with the release of Steve Phillip's new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America, Democracy in Color presents a three-part podcast series exploring one crucial question.
In the final installment of the Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else? series, Robert Raben, founder and president of Raben and executive director of the Diverse Asset Managers Initiative (DAMI), sheds light on one arena where power operates largely out of public view: asset management and investing.
He shares the historical context of inequality in the industry, impact of the racial reckoning following George Floyd’s murder, and the systemic biases and challenges faced by women and people of color in this field.
Robert also discusses the need for more aggressive, data-driven approaches to identifying discrimination, holding institutions accountable, and using existing state and local authority to create fairer outcomes. 
REFERENCES:
Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America by Steve Phillips - available now!
Robert Raben - Website - @RobertRaben
Diverse Assets Managers Initiative

President and CEO of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Aaron Dorfman breaks down how right-wing donors and foundations spent money to curtail voting rights and reshape the broader political landscape.
He explains the often unseen role philanthropy plays in politics and the retreat from racial justice funding after the murder of George Floyd. He also shares why long-term investment in organizing and movement-building matters, and why he believes there is still an opportunity to build stronger, more aligned infrastructure for democracy, particularly in the South. 
REFERENCES:
Aaron Dorfman - ncrp.org

CNN NewsNight anchor Abby Phillip delves into the legacy of Revered Jesse Jackson and her new book, A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power. 
She discusses Jackson’s groundbreaking 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns and what they mean for the fight we're in today.
She also traces Jesse’s role in shaping modern progressivism and his influence on figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders, his complex relationship with President Barack Obama, and the continued relevance of Rev. Jackson’s political strategies in today’s landscape.
She discusses the multiracial coalition he assembled and what Democrats can learn about reconnecting with working-class Americans and adapting to the changing political climate.
REFERENCES:
Abby Phillip - @abbydphillip
A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power

In conjunction with the release of Steve Phillip's new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America, Democracy in Color presents a three-part podcast series exploring one crucial question.
White men are 29% of the U.S. population, but dominate positions of power across nearly every sector. 
In Part 2 of this special series, Steve and Sharline turn to historical and scientific research to explore the existing justifications of inequality. They trace a throughline from slavery and Reconstruction to elite universities and modern-day DEI backlash. They also unpack how systems of power were deliberately engineered to defend “natural inequality” and how definitions of “merit” were rewritten to protect them.
Then, UC Berkeley law professor john a. powell explains how unconscious bias influences our everyday decisions and how small, invisible assumptions add up to massive disparities that eventually start to feel normal, and even inevitable.
REFERENCES:
Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America by Steve Phillips - available now!
john a. powell - About
Jennifer Eberhardt - About
Jerome Karabel - The Chosen
Isabel Wilkerson - Caste
 

In conjunction with the release of Steve Phillip's new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America, Democracy in Color presents a three-part podcast series exploring one crucial question.
In Part 1 of this special podcast series, three young people share their thoughts on the overrepresentation of white men in positions of power and influence. We ask them: is this reality the result of meritocracy or something else?
As part of this first episode, we also delve further into issues of diversity and equity in America,  from centuries of exclusion and systemic barriers to the lived realities of navigating power as young people today, the students discuss the myriad reasons inequality persists despite claims from leaders across sectors of society that America is a meritocracy. 
REFERENCES:
Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America by Steve Phillips - available now