Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

For the Bay Area Book Festival’s inaugural Merritt Dialogue Speaker Series, Steve and writer Rebecca Solnit join Working Families Party California State Director Jane Kim for a hopeful conversation on changing the narrative and imagining a better future.
They cover several issues relevant to this political moment including, voter suppression, the climate crisis, youth activism, and media misinformation and disinformation. They also discuss why harnessing the power of the New American Majority hinges on progressives unapologetically fighting for racial justice and equality.
They share what is giving them hope in these harrowing times and answer questions from the audience. 
REFERENCES: 
Rebecca Solnit - Website 
Jane Kim - Website // @JaneKim
Bay Area Book Festival - Website // Merritt Dialogue Speaker Series

Somos Votantes founder and president Melissa Morales returns to discuss the critical role of the Latino electorate and what her organization is hearing from voters about our current political climate.
She unpacks how voter behavior among Latino communities shifted from 2020 to 2024 and the impact of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to be the first woman president of the United States. 
Morales also explains recent polling data that shows waning support among Latinos for Trump’s policies, particularly as it relates to the economy and looming threats of deportation by ICE in immigrant communities. 
REFERENCES
Somos Votantes - somosvotantes.com // @SomosVotantes
"Trump's Standing with Latino Voters Beginning to Collapse as Latino Men and Young Voters Decisively Turn Away" - Poll

Executive Director of Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) Fahd Ahmed discusses Zohran Mamdani’s historic race for New York City mayor and the lessons for Democrats and progressives in future elections.
Ahmed explains how DRUM Beats NYC (DRUM’s sibling organization) has mobilized South Asians and working-class immigrants across the political spectrum in support of Mamdani, whose platform centers the material needs of working-class New Yorkers, such as housing, childcare, and transportation, as well as global issues including the war in Gaza.
Ahmed shares his view on the reluctance of some established Democratic leaders to endorse Mamdani and the implications of his potential victory for the future of the Democratic Party and progressive politics in the United States.
REFERENCES:
Fahd Ahmed, Executive Director, DRUM Beats NYC - @DRUMBeatsNYC // drumbeatsnyc.org
 

San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer, and longtime observer of California politics, Joe Garofoli offers historical and political context to California’s growing role as a bastion against the Trump administration’s march towards fascism. 
He breaks down the upcoming November ballot measure to redistrict the state and neutralize the five additional Republican seats created in Texas. He also shares his view of Governor Gavin Newsom’s political trajectory, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ next move, and what all of this spells for 2026 and 2028.
REFERENCES:
Joe Garofoli - @joegarofoli // San Francisco Chronicle

Steve and Sharline reflect on Steve’s latest manuscript before diving into how they’ve been coping and surviving these last eight months of the second Trump administration.
They cover the key bellwether elections of 2025 that will be dominating headlines this fall from New York City’s mayoral race to the historic gubernatorial race in Virginia, one that will elect its first female governor. 
They discuss the significance of these upcoming elections and they touch on two key Senate races that could reshape Democrats' congressional power in 2026.

Emmy Ruiz, former advisor to the President during the Biden-Harris administration, and White House director of political strategy and outreach, returns to discuss the redistricting showdown in Texas. 
She dives into the impact of gerrymandering on democracy, and offers her thoughts on the response from Democratic-led states to Republicans' redistricting efforts. She also shares her insights on grassroots organizing, mobilizing voter turnout in key districts, and the evolving landscape of Latino voter behavior. 
REFERENCES:
Emmy Ruiz - Twitter/X

United We Dream Co-founder Cristina Jiménez joins Steve to discuss her new book, Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear Into Pride, Power & Real Change. 
 
She shares the impact of American foreign policy around the world, but particularly in her home country of Ecuador, that led to mass migration movements in search of safety and stability. She discusses the role of eugenics in immigration policy, and how her experiences as a young person led her to activism. Cristina also shares what she’s learned as an organizer and what she believes is necessary to navigate this current political landscape. 

In this re-release of our 100th episode, Erin Heaney, executive director of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), discusses the role of white allyship in the fight for justice and a multiracial democracy.
REFERENCES:
If you’d like to volunteer with SURJ, you can join their remote SURJ Action Hours: Summer to Grow, Turn Up the Heat campaign that takes place every other Wednesday through the summer or you can find an in-person meeting near you. On August 5 and 12, SURJ is also hosting a 2-part remote training session on how to show up for immigrant communities.
Erin Heaney, Executive Director, SURJ - @heaney_erin
SURJ - @showup4rj and surj.org
"Progressives want to grow the ‘White Stripe’ of a multiracial coalition" Politico
Transcript (unedited)

Steve and Sharline share how they’re processing the last several months before diving into the books and television shows that are helping them regroup, from Sharline’s first watch of Gilmore Girls with her daughter to Steve’s love of British murder mystery books. 
They also share how they’re finding humor on social media and in live comedy clubs.
REFERENCES:
Sharline's Recs
Soul Authority: Liberatory Tools to Heal from Oppressive Patterns and Restore Trust in Your Heart Compass by Loraine Y. Van Tuyl
On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood by Lucy Jones 
The Spirit and the Strength: A Profile of Toni Morrison
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) - Watch on Netflix
Steve's Recs
Thursday Murder Club & We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Four Seasons (2025) - Watch on Netflix
Dept. Q (2025) - Watch on Netflix
Book Rec Instagram - @Jennybookmama (Steve's niece!) 
 

Deepak Bhargava, president of the Movement Action Fund, discusses the reality of the moment we’re facing and what it’s going to take to win back our democratic freedoms.
He shares what history, both at home and abroad, can teach us about defending ourselves against fascism and authoritarianism and he explains why the “Sue, Protest, Vote” framework is not robust enough anymore.
Deepak shares lessons learned from civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson, including how to engage nonviolent resistance as a way of life and he dives into what works and what doesn’t when it comes to winning power and protecting our rights. 
REFERENCES: 
Deepak Bhargava - Practical Radicals
"We are no longer free. But we can win our freedom back" The Guardian
 
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