Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

The Lineup: Four Republicans Vying for White House in 2024

NOTE: This episode was recorded a week before former President Trump was indicted by the state of New York on charges related to alleged hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels.
We discuss the current state of the Republican Party and its continued devolvement into the party of white racial resentment. We examine four leading contenders for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination, including Trump, who despite his recent indictment could very well still be in the running. We analyze Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ attempts at fanning the flames of hatred and division and what makes him a modern-day George Wallace.
We also look at two POC South Carolina Republicans—former governor Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott—and discuss whether their attempts to weave their backgrounds into a party that is hellbent on attacking people based on their identity can work.
REFERENCES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Mark Niesse – Ban on ‘Zuckerbucks’ election money in Georgia heads to final votes(https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-house-committee-passes-restriction-on-outside-election-funding/ZQWAHN2J3FCN7JLEN5OILYDNSM/)
Growth and Opportunity Project Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_%26_Opportunity_Project)

Rep. Jennifer McClellan Is Making Government a Force for Good

Newly-elected Congressmember Jennifer McClellan just became the first Black woman representative from Virginia. She comes with a powerful slate of accomplishments dedicated to expanding and protecting our democracy.
Rep. McClellan joins us to share how her love of history and her family’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement led her to politics; her proudest achievements during her time in the Virginia state legislature; and her goals as a new House member.
She explains how the Voting Rights Act of Virginia came to be (she was one of the main architects behind the bill), and what it meant for her to see the monument honoring white supremacist Confederate general, Robert E. Lee, come down in 2021.
REFERENCES:
Rep. Jennifer McClellan - @JennMcClellanVA

Heather Booth: When We Organize, We Can Change the World

Activist, strategist and organizer Heather Booth is a living legend. Booth—the founder of Jane, an underground abortion service she started in Chicago prior to Roe v. Wade—joins us to share how she got started in organizing and social justice work, the legacy of the Janes, and the lessons she’s learned for future generations of organizers and leaders.
She recounts her early activist days as an organizer alongside Fannie Lou Hamer during Mississippi’s 1964 Freedom Summer to her founding of the Midwest Academy, the go-to training program for organizers in the progressive movement today.
Heather also shares what it’s been like to be a woman leader in the movement and her advice for those who want to make a difference today.
REFERENCES:
Heather Booth - @hboothgo
Documentary - Heather Booth - Changing the World https://heatherbooththefilm.com
Documentary - The Janes - https://hbo.com/movies/the-janes
Feature Film - Call Jane - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Jane
Photo - Heather Booth & Fannie Lou Hamer, 1964 https://jwa.org/media/image-of-heather-booth-and-fannie-lou-hamer

The 1619 Project’s Shoshana Guy Is On the Record

Shoshana Guy, the “sho”-runner (pun intended) of Hulu’s new docuseries The 1619 Project, joins the podcast to discuss the significance of the series and her career trajectory—from broadcast network news to leading the critically acclaimed Netflix series High on the Hog.
She and Sharline also reminisce about how they met more than 15 years ago and Shoshana shares what’s next for her as a creative Black woman at the top of her game.
REFERENCES:
Shoshana Guy - @Shoshana_Guy
The 1619 Project // Hulu - https://press.hulu.com/shows/the-1619-project
Nikole Hannah-Jones - @nhannahjones
The 1619 Project // The New York Times - https://nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html

Doing Politics Differently with Justice Democrats’ Alexandra Rojas

Executive Director of Justice Democrats Alexandra Rojas joins us to talk about the organization’s instrumental role in recruiting and running young progressive candidates and how they’re rewriting the rules for what a political leader looks like.
Justice Democrats is the group behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ historic 2018 victory against 10-term Democratic incumbent Joseph Crowley, as well as freshman Representative Summer Lee’s historic 2022 victory to become the first Black Congresswoman from Pennsylvania. Alexandra recounts AOC’s political rise and the role Justice Democrats has been playing in revolutionizing U.S. electoral politics.
Alexandra also shares her own story, including why she dropped out of community college to work on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.
REFERENCES:
Alexandra Rojas - @alexandrasiera
Justice Democrats - @justicedems - justicedemocrats.com

Emmy Ruiz is in the House

Emmy Ruiz, current Assistant to the President and White House Director of Political Strategy & Outreach and former campaign aide to President Barack Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Vice President Kamala Harris, is an all-around rockstar.
Emmy joins us to talk about her path to politics, the importance of building diverse campaign teams, and what she’s learned along the way from her time as a presidential campaign manager in Nevada and Colorado to what it’s like to be a mother in a high-pressure career.
She also shares the powerful role her family played in helping her get to where she is today and she provides insight into what young people who are interested in politics can do to get involved.

On the Road to 2023

Happy New Year!
For our first episode of 2023, Steve and Sharline take a look at some of the key issues Democrats should pay attention to this year. From the upcoming Virginia elections to the Party’s new primary calendar and questions surrounding Biden’s reelection, they dive into the major themes that will define the year ahead. They also touch briefly on the chaos taking place within the Republican Party and what it means for the next two years.
Steve also shares his thoughts on grief and Sharline pays a touching tribute to Susan Sandler, Steve’s partner in social change and life, who passed away on December 16, 2022, and who would have encouraged us all to keep doing the work and fighting the fight.

2022: A Year in Review

For our final episode of the year, Steve, Sharline, and Julie reflect on the past year as they highlight some of the major political victories and challenges of 2022. They also share their favorite pop culture moments from this year.
And Steve makes a touching tribute to his wife Susan as they celebrate the 32nd anniversary of their first date.
See you in 2023!
REFERENCES:
“Wednesday” - Netflix
Jenna Ortega - @jennaortega
“Only Murders in the Building” - HULU
Selena Gomez - @selenagomez
Wakanda Forever - Marvel
Tenoch Huerta - @tenochhuerta

Giving in Color with Crystal Hayling

Crystal Hayling, executive director of the Libra Foundation, joins us to discuss her path to philanthropy, how she’s helped center issues of social and racial justice, and what it’s going to take to make sure those at the forefront of change are able to get the resources they need.
Crystal also shares why and how she started the Democracy Frontlines Fund, which raised over $36 million to fund Black-led organizations fighting for democracy, following the police murder of George Floyd.
REFERENCES:
Crystal Hayling - @CHayling
Libra Foundation - https://thelibrafoundation.org

2022 Post-Game with Danielle Moodie and Wajahat Ali

Hosts of the “democracy-ish” podcast Wajahat Ali and Danielle Moodie join us for a special crossover episode to discuss 2022 midterm election results, the fragility of our democracy, the role youth voters played this cycle and what to expect in 2024.
Our guests share how their podcast came to be, how they’re feeling about last week’s elections, and their hope for a multiracial democracy in this country. This special episode is the first half of a larger conversation and you’ll be able to hear the other half of that conversation next week on the “democracy-ish” podcast.
REFERENCES:
“Democracy-ish” Podcast - https://dcpofficial.com/democracy-ish
Danielle Moodie - @DeeTwoCents
Wajahat Ali - @WajahatAli