Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

The Whole World Is Marching

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis police, an historic nationwide and global movement has emerged in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for the end of anti-black racism and police brutality, and defunding the police.
Demonstrations have been held in all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 800 cities on six continents across the world.
In this episode, we discuss how we’re processing all this through our respective cultural lenses and then we dive into how we, as a nation, got here and what should happen next to ensure that this moment brings about lasting meaningful change.
In addition, we discuss what this moment means in terms of growing support for Black equality and what that means for this November's elections and beyond.
References:
James Baldwin Quote - To Be Black and Conscious in America https://quotefancy.com/quote/963966/James-Baldwin-To-be-black-and-conscious-in-America-is-to-be-in-a-constant-state-of-rage
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison - @AGEllison
Jessica Byrd, Electoral Justice Project - @JessicaLBYRD
Simone Jacques -  a 17-year-old Mission District teen leads protest of thousands in San Francisco // video clip by Jay Jaspar Pugao https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=lUqXhM6rwgQ
BBC news clip - Slave trader’s statue toppled in Bristol as thousands join antiracist protest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs36SAytfuE&feature=youtu.be
CBS This Morning news clip - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on protesting and democracy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpHhQgZSJ9s
Movie trailer // Ava DuVernay - 13th https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8
The New York Times // Michelle Alexander -  America, This Is Your Chance https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/opinion/george-floyd-protests-race.html
Robin DiAngelo - White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43708708-white-fragility
Erica Armstrong Dunbar -  Never Caught:  The Washington's Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753748-never-caught
Ibram X. Kendi - How to Be an Antiracist https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40265832-how-to-be-an-antiracist and Stamped From the Beginning https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25898216-stamped-from-the-beginning
Dr. Monica Muñoz Martinez - The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38240526-the-injustice-never-leaves-you
Andrea J. Ritchie - Invisible, No More Urgent Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32026054-invisible-no-more
Doug J. Swanson - Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48812040-cult-of-glory

Rewriting the Story on Unemployment

The enormity of this crisis has revealed the ugly underpinnings of our public assistance system — both in terms of how we think about people who are struggling financially and also about the systems designed to help those people.
Unemployment figures in the U.S. are at their highest since the Great Depression—nearly 40 million people have filed for unemployment since the pandemic began. (That's greater than the combined population of 21 states, according to Forbes.)
In this episode, we talk about why we have a system that is so adversarial to people in dire economic straits and how this crisis also presents an opportunity for rethinking and redesigning these systems for the coming era.
Namely, what can we do from here on out to shape U.S policy and politics for decades to come in terms of how we treat and perceive the poor?
We also talk about two recent law enforcement shootings of innocent men and one “Karen, Please” incident in the news that have further cemented the fact that to be African American in this country means to have your every move in your everyday life be regarded as a potential threat to white existence.
REFERENCES:
The New York Times front page // Sunday, May 24, 2020 - An Incalculable Loss https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/24/us/us-coronavirus-deaths-100000.html
The Washington Post // Stephanie McCrummen - ‘This feels great’: A preview from Georgia about how America might reemerge from the coronavirus https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/17/coronavirus-reopening-shopping-mall-georgia/?arc404=true
PBS Newshour clip - How missed rent payments spark a ‘cascade’ of financial hardship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvyazdooRgA
PBS Newshour clip - The true story behind the ‘welfare queen’ stereotype https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr_8B1IzFFY
The Nation // James Baldwin - Notes on the House of Bondage https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/notes-house-bondage/
Fox News clip - McConnell slams Dems for trying to ‘incentivize’ unemployment in new bill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8JHzE-sR3A
The New York Times // Nikole Hannah Jones - 1619 Project https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html
NPR // Barbara Sprunt - Biden And Sanders Announce Task Forces To Find Party Unity Over Policy https://www.npr.org/2020/05/13/855203151/biden-and-sanders-announce-task-forces-to-find-party-unity-over-policy

Battleground Michigan: Saving Lives, Beating Trump

Garlin Gilchrist, Michigan's lieutenant governor, talks to us about life on the frontlines in a battleground state that is dealing all at once with the COVID-19 crisis, armed protesters storming the Capitol demanding the lifting of stay-at-home orders, and ensuring a safe and fair Fall election in a state Trump won by just 10,704 votes. [8:15]
Gilchrist, a 38 year-old political rising star, also shares with us the story behind his unlikely path from Microsoft software engineer to second-in-command state leader, the first African American to ever hold the position. Gilchrist is chair of the recently created Michigan Coronavirus Taskforce on Racial Disparities, one of the first taskforces of its kind in the country.
We also talk about how the indifference coming from the White House in the face of catastrophic human suffering reveals the lack of a shared “social contract” when it’s the lives of people of color that are being disproportionately affected, and we discuss the implications for progressive politics and policy.
References:
Garlin Gilchrist - @Garlin and @LtGovGilchrist
Gretchen Whitmer - @GovWhitmer
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun - @DrKhaldun
Ron Meloni - Audio Clip https://twitter.com/RodMeloni/status/1255901755474403328?s=20
Michigan Coronavirus Taskforce on Racial Disparities - Executive Order 2020-55 (Covid-19)https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499_90705-526476--,00.html
The Atlantic Monthly // Adam Serwer - The Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/americas-racial-contract-showing/611389/
The Washington Post // Meryl Kornfield and Hannah Knowles - Michigan lawmaker denies wearing Confederate flag mask, calls it history, then apologizes https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/25/dale-zorn-confederate-flag-mask/

I Survived, But What About Georgia?

Nikema Williams, chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, talks to us about both her personal experience as a COVID-19 survivor and her continued efforts as a State Senator to keep her constituents healthy and safe in a state that is one of the first in the nation to lift its shelter-in-place order, according to Governor Brian Kemp’s plans. Williams shares valuable lessons for states across the country debating when and how to reopen.
References:
Nikema Williams - @NikemaWilliams
Georgia Democratic Party - @DPGChair
The Washington Post // Reis Thebault, Andrew Ba Tran and Vanessa Williams - For black folks, it’s like a setup: Are you trying to kill us? https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/26/coronavirus-southwest-georgia
CBS’s American legal web TV series - The Good Fight
Hulu TV drama series - Little Fires Everywhere
Celeste Ng - Little Fires Everywhere novel
Director David Yates and Writer J.K. Rowling - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The French Georgia Choir message to Kemp: No Sir Kemp. Stay Home! #StayHomeGeorgia https://www.facebook.com/khristie.french/videos/3162915557073885/UzpfSTYzNTg5NTIzMDoxMDE2MzMxNjg4MjgwNTIzMQ/

The Six Women Who Could Be Vice President

Stacey Abrams, Kamala Harris, Gretchen Whitmer, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Catherine Cortez Masto are the six women most often mentioned as Biden's possible choice for running mate. We analyze each person's strengths and weaknesses in terms of what Biden and the Democrats most need in order to win in November.
References:
New York Times Op Ed  // Steve Phillips - It’s Obvious Whom Joe Biden Should Pick as Vice President https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/opinion/joe-biden-running-mate-stacey-abrams.html
Donors of Color Action - http://www.donorsofcolor.org

One Virus, Two Americas

We sit down with Ron Brownstein, senior editor at The Atlantic and senior political analyst for CNN to talk about how responses and attitudes towards the coronavirus differ along the same lines that divide the country politically. What does this divide mean for how this pandemic unfolds? How will it all play out politically, and what does it mean for November?
Brownstein is one of the nation’s top political journalists. He’s a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He has written six books, including The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America
His analysis that America is in the midst of a battle between the Coalition of Transformation and the Coalition of Restoration is one of the most illuminating frameworks for understanding U.S. politics presented by any analyst.
Ron Brownstein - @RonBrownstein
The Atlantic // Ron Brownstein - Red and Blue America Aren’t Experiencing the Same Pandemic https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/03/how-republicans-and-democrats-think-about-coronavirus/608395/
Ron Brownstein - The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299750/the-second-civil-war-by-ronald-brownstein/
Jonathan Metzl - Dying of Whiteness https://www.dyingofwhiteness.com
Frank Chin (Editor), Jeffery Paul Chan (Editor), Lawson Fusao Inada (Editor), Shawn Wong (Editor) - AIIIEEEEE!: An Anthology of Asian American Writers https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16042534-aiiieeeee
Ralph Waldo Emerson - Self Reliance https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1760630.Self_Reliance?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=85rsAPMuDz&rank=1
Homer // Translated by Robert Fitzgerald - The Odyssey https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48643953-the-odyssey?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=F3tJFLCcVw&rank=2
Manuel Pastore - USC https://socialinnovation.usc.edu/staff/manuel-pastor/

We’re All In This Together

Coronavirus has upended life across the country and the world. We talk about how it’s been affecting us, how we’re coping, and what the future looks like. We’re joined by special guest Stephanie Douglass, human resources director for a global company with offices in Beijing, on how China flattened the curve and lessons we can learn from China and other Asian countries. [4:10] Also, what’s happening in politics and public policy in light of COVID-19.
References:
Democracy in Color & She the People - Open Letter to Democratic Presidential Candidates: A Call for Committing to Choosing a Woman of Color as Candidate for Vice President http://democracyincolor.com/wocvp
The Nation // Steve Phillips - The Vice Presidential Nominee Should be a Woman of Color https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/biden-sanders-vp-of-color/
The Washington Post // Vanessa Williams - Groups call on Biden, Sanders to choose a woman of color for vice president https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/17/groups-call-biden-sanders-choose-woman-color-vice-president/
The Washington Post // Harry Stevens - Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve” https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

And the Winner Is...

Post-Super Tuesday: What happened, why, and what’s next? After a dizzying week in national politics, we try to make sense of it all by discussing why Biden bounced back, what it means for Bernie, and what the data says about how it’ll all end up.
References:
Democracy in Color - How to Help https://www.democracyincolor.com/howtohelp
Rolling Stones // Tessa Stuart - Stacey Abrams Is Building a New Kind of Political Machine in the Deep South https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/stacey-abrams-census-voting-rights-vice-president-953173/
New York Times // Steve Phillips - Bernie Sanders Can Beat Trump. Here’s the Math. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/opinion/bernie-sanders-polls.html
C-SPAN - Joe Biden Remarks in Los Angeles https://www.c-span.org/video/?469947-1/joe-biden-addresses-supporters-los-angeles

Dear Left, You’re Missing The Mark

We talk about how the Left is missing the mark at this moment with its troubling silence on Trump’s white nationalism, which is the key to and cornerstone of his continued power. By failing to make this their top priority issue—and keep it front and center—the Left, including all current Democratic primary candidates, risks throwing away their best chance at winning this November. We also hear what our special guest, Maurice Mitchell, formerly a key leader in the Black Lives Matter movement and now National Director of the Working Families Party, has to say on this topic, the party’s support of Elizabeth Warren, and much more. [11:21]
Maurice Mitchell - https://twitter.com/mauricewfp
Working Families Party - https://twitter.com/workingfamilies

After the White States, What’s Next?

Iowa Caucus 2020 will be one for the books. We talk about what happened and what it means as the nomination race heads to another nearly-all-white state—New Hampshire—and then, finally, on to the diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina, where voters of color will help decide who becomes the eventual winner. Steve breaks down the interplay of Momentum and Math (accumulating delegates) in determining the Democratic nominee. Also get great insight on what’s ahead from Emmy Ruiz, one of the nation’s foremost political strategists who worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Nevada in 2016 and was most recently a senior advisor to Kamala Harris’ campaign. [12:54]