Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

His Name is Mandela: Wisconsin Senate Race and Relatability

Lt. Governor of Wisconsin Mandela Barnes joins us to discuss his bid to become the first Black Senator from Wisconsin. He shares his working class roots as the son of union members and why the Senate needs more leaders who aren’t afraid to do what’s right and fight for social justice.
We discuss his 2018 race in which he became the first African American lieutenant governor in the state. We also find out how he came to have such a powerful name.
REFERENCES:
Mandela Barnes - @TheOtherMandela - Mandela Barnes for Senate https://mandelabarnes.com
Donate to Mandela Here - https://secure.actblue.com/donate/demco-barnes
Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Plan - https://osce.wi.gov/pages/cleanenergyplan.aspx
Nelson Mandela - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

Art & Activism with Saxophonist Francis Wong

To close out Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, San Francisco-based saxophonist and longtime activist Francis Wong joins us to talk about the revolutionary power of music and art. He shares how he came to pick up a saxophone in the first place and how music, especially jazz, has played an important role in his activist work.
We discuss the role of multiracial unity and collective power in art and the ongoing fight for social justice in this country. Francis shares about his album with legendary drummer Max Roach and the record label he founded with composer and pianist Jon Jang, Asian Improv Arts. We also play excerpts from Francis’ extensive musical works.
REFERENCES:
Francis Wong - @franciswongsf
Asian Improv aRts - https://asianimprov.org
SONGS
"Prayers for Melvin Truss" - https://asianamsmakingmusic.tumblr.com/post/55447694876/jon-jang-4-in-one-quartet-prayer-for-melvin
“Pie Jesu" from Gabriel Faure's "Requiem" - https://youtube.com/watch?v=rnCKf1--leM
"Meditation on Integration" - https://youtube.com/watch?v=rnCKf1--leM
"Miyoshi Sketches" - https://youtube.com/watch?v=iBKV-B8Nf0c
BACKGROUND INFO
Chinese Exclusion Act - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act
Joseph Pierce, Union Army Soldier - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Pierce_Chinese_Union_Army_Soldier_In_14th_Connecticut_Infantry_Regiment.jpg
Black Arts Movement - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Arts_Movement
Erhu instrument - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhu

PA’s Summer Lee Isn’t Backing Down

Pennsylvania State Representative Summer Lee joins us to talk about her race to become the first Black woman representing western Pennsylvania in the U.S. House; why her race is significant to the national progressive movement as a whole; and how she continues to overcome obstacles thrown at her from Republicans and mainstream Democrats alike.
REFERENCES:
Donate to Summer Lee Directly Here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/demcosummerlee
Summer Lee - https://twitter.com/SummerForPA
Summer Lee for Congress (watch campaign ad here) - https://summerforpa.com
Braddock, PA Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braddock,_Pennsylvania

Where to Give: Your Political Dollars

You want to contribute and we want to help you do it wisely. We explain why donating to Stacey Abrams’s campaign is the most significant way to help Democrats transform the balance of power in this country this midterm cycle. We explain how her campaign can change Georgia (and the country) forever and shine a light on the groundwork being laid in Arizona to make it true Blue, and why you should be supporting the efforts there as well. We also highlight some vulnerable Republican incumbents in California who should be worried about holding their House seat come this fall.
Q2 is underway and you know what that means…prom season! Julie also joins the pod to give an inside scoop into high school “prama” (prom trauma and prom drama) before we dive into how to spend your political contributions this quarter.
REFERENCES:
Where to Give: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/demcoq2pod

How Georgia Flipped: Journalist Greg Bluestein on GA Politics

Greg Bluestein, Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s political reporter, joins us to break down Georgia’s political landscape from the Shakespearean-style drama that is GA’s Republican Party right now to Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign centered around expanding Medicaid.
Greg also shares his view as a longtime reporter of Stacey’s trajectory from her start in the state legislature to 2018 and current campaign to her legacy as “President of United Earth” on Star Trek. We discuss how exactly Democrats won Georgia in 2020, and the hidden figures of Georgia state politics.
REFERENCES:
Greg Bluestein - @bluestein
Greg Bluestein – Flipped: How Georgia Turned Purple and Broke the Monopoly on Republican Power http://bookshop.org/books/flipped-how-georgia-turned-purple-and-broke-the-monopoly-on-republican-power/9780593489154
“Politically Georgia” - podcast https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vQ01HQTExNjQ0Njk5NzI

Talkin’ about Ketanji Brown Jackson

We’re keeping it in the family as Steve’s niece Courtney Teasley joins the podcast to talk politics and pop culture from Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings to last week’s drama at the Oscars.
Courtney shares her experience of Jackson’s confirmation hearings and why Senator Cory Booker’s defense was so heartwarming. Uncle Steve breaks down his latest piece in The Guardian that grounds Republicans’ racist and misogynist attacks against Judge Jackson in historical facts.
We also discuss Courtney’s work as campaign manager for Khadija Babb who is running for judge in Davidson County, Tennessee.
REFERENCES:
Courtney Teasley - @cteasleylawfirm - http://cteasleylaw.com
Khadija Babb - @BabbForJudge - https://babbforjudge.com
ARTICLE
The Guardian // Steve Phillips – Ketanji Brown Jackson hearing reveals Republicans’ racist fears https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/25/ketanji-brown-jackson-hearing-reveals-republicans-racist-fears
BOOK
Black Robes, White Justice by Bruce Wright https://goodreads.com/en/book/show/795527.Black_Robes_White_Justice
HISTORY
Nathan Bedford Forrest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Bedford_Forrest
Forrest & Maples Slave Dealers Advertisement https://liveauctioneers.com/item/81539672_advertising-forrest-and-maples-slave-dealers-1859-4x8

Michael Tubbs is the Anti-Poverty Czar

Michael Tubbs, California Governor Newsom’s new “Anti-Poverty Czar” and former mayor of Stockton, CA, returns to our podcast to update us on his new book, The Deeper the Roots: A Memoir of Hope and Home, his growing family, and his latest venture, EPIC (End Poverty in California).
He and Steve discuss the false and harmful perceptions against poor people, creative solutions to building wealth for all Americans, and the disproportionate impact of poverty on foster youth.
Michael also provides an update on the network he founded a few years ago called Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and how ending poverty in California can provide a roadmap for the rest of the country.
REFERENCES:
Michael Tubbs - @MichaelDTubbs
Organizations
End Poverty in California (EPIC) https://endpovertyinca.org
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income https://mayorsforagi.org
The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) https://stocktondemonstration.org
The Atlantic // Annie Lowrey – A Cheap, Race-Neutral Way to Close the Racial Wealth Gap https://theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/close-racial-wealth-gap-baby-bonds/613525
LA Times // Mackenzie Mays – Nearly a century after Upton Sinclair’s campaign, is California really ready to end poverty? https://latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-11/nearly-a-century-after-upton-sinclair-campaign-is-california-really-ready-to-end-poverty
Office of Governor Gavin Newsom // Press Release – Former Stockton Mayor Michael D. Tubbs Named Special Advisor for Economic Mobility and Opportunity https://gov.ca.gov/2021/03/11/former-stockton-mayor-michael-d-tubbs-named-special-advisor-for-economic-mobility-and-opportunity
Michael Tubbs – "The Deeper the Roots" https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250173447
Martin Luther King, Jr. – "Where Do We Go From Here" https://goodreads.com/book/show/211888.Where_Do_We_Go_from_Here
Lorraine Hansberry – "A Raisin in the Sun" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Raisin_in_the_Sun
Maid - Netflix Show https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid_(miniseries)

Aimee Allison on the Power of Women of Color

It’s a family reunion! Aimee Allison, founder of She the People and Democracy in Color’s former president (and original founder and host of this podcast), returns to reminisce and reflect with Steve and Sharline.
Aimee shares how She the People—a national network of women of color dedicated to transforming our country’s democracy and elevating the political voice and leadership of women of color—has been strategizing with women of color candidates this midterm election cycle. She reminds us that Democrats cannot win without women of color, who make up 20% of our nation’s population.
Steve, Sharline, and Aimee discuss Biden’s historic nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson as our nation’s first Black woman Supreme Court justice and its significance during this year’s Women’s History Month.
Aimee also reflects on her time in the U.S. military and her choice to become a conscientious objector at the start of the Gulf War, and she offers her thoughts on the Russia-Ukraine war.

The First Black Woman Supreme Court Justice

The first Black woman Supreme Court Justice is very likely somewhere prepping for her confirmation hearing right now. We discuss the news of Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement and Biden’s promise to put a Black woman on the Supreme Court.
Steve, Sharline and Julie talk through the significance of this historic nomination, the potential candidates, and what Biden should take into consideration as he decides. Steve and Sharline also learn a lot about Julie, including finding out she was in the room where it happened while Anita Hill testified at Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearing in 1991.
REFERENCES:
Business Insider // Brent D. Griffiths – Reagan's White House made sure the president stuck by his promise to name a woman to the Supreme Court — they knew the politics would help too https://businessinsider.com/supreme-court-women-history-reagan-biden-nominees-2022-1
CNN // Ron Brownstein – The surprising liberal consensus emerging about Biden's Supreme Court decision https://cnn.com/2022/02/08/politics/supreme-court-nominee-qualities/index.html
Steve Phillips – Obama Should Nominate a Woman of Color to Replace Scalia on the Supreme Court https://stevepwrites.medium.com/obama-should-nominate-a-woman-of-color-to-the-supreme-court-aaea4cc9556f
Democracy in Color Podcast - Trump is in Trouble https://democracyincolor.com/podepisodes/2020/6/24/trump-is-in-trouble
History // Sarah Pruitt – How Anita Hill’s Testimony Made America Cringe—And Change https://history.com/news/anita-hill-confirmation-hearings-impact
SHOWS
Eyes on the Prize documentary. Find it on HBO and PBS
Summer of Soul. Find it on Hulu.

How to Win with Georgia’s Bee Nguyen

The Secretary of State race in Georgia will play a consequential role this election cycle and beyond. That’s why Rep. Bee Nguyen, Stacey Abrams’ successor and the first Asian American woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly, is running to fill that seat.
Bee joins us to discuss the Senate’s failure to pass comprehensive voting rights legislation, the history of voter suppression in Georgia, and why she’s running to be the first Asian American to hold statewide office in the Peach State. She also shares how she celebrated this Lunar New Year.
Happy Year of the Tiger!
REFERENCES:
Representative Bee Nguyen - @BeeforGeorgia https://beeforgeorgia.com
Stacey Abrams - https://staceyabrams.com
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - @aaaj_atlanta - https://advancingjustice-atlanta.org/phi-nguyen
Tết - Lunar New Year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt
Articles
Atlanta Magazine // Kelsey Gee – “We cannot out organize a subversion of democracy”: Democratic rising star Bee Nguyen is vying to be Georgia’s next elections chief https://atlantamagazine.com/great-reads/democratic-rising-star-bee-nguyen-is-vying-to-be-georgias-next-elections-chief
Brennan Center for Justice – Voting Laws Roundup: October 2021 https://brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-october-2021
MSNBC // Steve Benen – Trump-backed Republicans want to oversee upcoming state elections https://msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-backed-republicans-want-oversee-upcoming-state-elections-n1279934
NBCnews // Claire Wang – How Georgia's 1st Vietnamese American state rep is continuing Stacey Abrams' fight https://nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-georgia-s-1st-vietnamese-american-state-rep-continuing-stacey-n1252503
The Slate // Jeremy Stahl – The 2022 Races That Could Determine if Trump Steals the Election in 2024 https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/10/in-the-2022-midterms-election-integrity-is-at-stake.html
USA Today // Phillip M. Bailey – In 2022 midterms, a new 'Big Lie' battleground: secretary of state elections https://usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/10/11/secretary-state-races-emerge-new-big-lie-battleground-2022/5902346001/?gnt-cfr=1