Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

For our final episode of the year, Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity, joins Steve and Sharline to discuss lessons learned from this year’s presidential election including how to understand Latino political identity and the role of narrative and messaging in building broad coalitions.    Manuel touches on the dangerous rise of technoauthoritarianism and shares his framework for how progressives can and should be thinking about geography and political strategy.  REFERENCES: Manuel Pastor - X: @Prof_MPastor & Bluesky: @profmpastor.bsky.social

Let’s pause for a moment and remember that we need to take care of ourselves.  Leadership coach, transformative justice practitioner, and somatics coach Viveka Chen (she/they) discusses the intersection of personal healing and collective liberation. Viveka shares insights from their work helping activists, organizers, and community leaders build resilience and foster connection in the face of systemic injustice. Viveka discusses healthy ways to deepen our capacity for change, how to transform burnout into sustainable action, and she shares grounding practices for getting through the holiday season and beyond. Viveka, Steve, and Sharline also share how they’re each finding gratitude in this moment and take a moment to breathe deeply and reflect. REFERENCES: Viveka Chen - Strozzi Institute co-LAB Collective's Radical Sabbatical co-LAB Collective's Helpful Frameworks for Hard Times When No Thing Works: A Zen and Indigenous Perspective on Resilience, Shared Purpose, and Leadership in the Timeplace of Collapse // Norma Wong

Steve and Sharline reflect on the results of the 2024 election and where we go from here as a nation. They share how they’re processing their feelings and discuss top takeaways of this election cycle including the impact of sexism, how to understand the exit polls, and changing voter dynamics across the country.  They also lift up lessons learned and future strategies centered around state and local elections, as well as key leaders, groups, and organizations that will be central to the fight for a multiracial democracy in the coming months and years. REFERENCES: Steve's Recs for what to do and who to support: Subscribe to: Stacey Abrams' Assembly Required podcastGet involved with: Working Families PartyLearn about: Michael TubbsSupport: LUCHA Follow: Congressman Greg Casar

Philadelphia-based journalist Ernest Owens joins Steve and Sharline to share how things are shaping up in one of Democrats’ most critical states leading up to Election Day. Ernest describes the current energy in the state and the nuanced levels of engagement he’s witnessing compared to previous elections. He shares what’s top of mind for Black voters in Philly including his take on the media’s hand-wringing about Black male voters.  References:  Ernest Owens - ernestowens.com @mrernestowens

The media can’t seem to stop talking about Black men. So, we decided to do something radical: let two Black men discuss Black men. Washington Post opinion columnist Perry Bacon Jr. returns to the show to share his thoughts on where VP Harris’ race stands, how he’s thinking about Black voters, and the evolving media landscape in this election.   REFERENCES:  Perry Bacon Jr - Washington Post, @PerryBaconJr & @perrybaconjr.bsky.social

Right now, we find ourselves at an urgent intersection with several timelines and possibilities intertwined. We’ve declared that “We’re not going back”, that to “Make America Great Again” is to reverse decades of hard-fought progress. But what does a true and sustainable path forward actually look like? And who is leading the way?   In the third and final part of The Path Forward, we hear from two women—Shaheedah Jackson, a formerly incarcerated individual, and Patrice Funderburg, executive director of a transitional facility for formerly incarcerated folks—who exemplify what it means to live and work at the crossroads of the white supremacist foundations of this country as well as the path forward towards transformative justice and healing.   Credits: Created, directed and written by Fola Onifade Produced and edited by Olivia Parker Special thanks to Sharline Chiang and the Democracy in Color Team

Steve and Sharline share one…or maybe more than one thing they’re hopeful for, worried about, and watching for in the tea leaves as Election Day draws closer.  In the second half of the show, Steve’s niece and her friend Julia join him on “Exit Polls” to share their thoughts on Kamala Harris’ candidacy and offer some insight into how Gen Z’ers are processing this election cycle.

The summer of 2024 will no doubt go down in history as one of the most tumultuous, transformative, and monumental summers before an election. Following Biden’s historic decision to step down from the race, Vice President Kamala Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic ticket shifted the national sentiment into high gear and generated Obama-level excitement among constituents. In Part 2 of The Path Forward, we hear from four women voters across the country about how they’re processing this year’s election, the issues at the top of their mind, and what their vision for a country that works for everyone could look like.     Credits: Created, directed and written by Fola Onifade Produced and edited by Olivia Parker Special thanks to Sharline Chiang and the Democracy in Color Team

Between Kamala Harris’ sharp debate performance and the increased hateful rhetoric from the right, Democrats are poised to win in states Obama captured. Steve and Sharline discuss the latest reported assassination attempt against Trump and the broader issue of increased political violence and gun violence in the U.S. from school shootings to death threats against election workers in Georgia.  They also share their thoughts on the debate between Harris and Trump, including Trump’s dangerous lies about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Sharline shares an important connection to her own childhood experiences with anti-Asian and anti-immigrant hate. The two also look at a “six-pack” of other critical races that will be key to Democrats’ victory this fall, including states that Obama won, such as North Carolina and Florida, as well as major swing states like Arizona and Pennsylvania.

On November 5, millions of voters will make their way to the polling booths to answer some of the most pivotal questions defining American politics today: What kind of country do we want to be? And do we want to move our country forward towards progress or backward towards harm and repression? In Part 1 of The Path Forward, we explore the key components of the modern-day “Confederate Battle Plan” (coined by Steve Phillips, author of How We Win the Civil War) to make America white again. We place Trump and the Republican political strategy of hatred and bigotry in historical context to answer the question of what Kamala Harris means when she says “We’re not going back.”   Credits: Created, directed and written by Fola Onifade Produced and edited by Olivia Parker Special thanks to Sharline Chiang and the Democracy in Color Team

Steve and Sharline recap VP Harris and Coach Walz’s first sit-down media interview, held last week with CNN, as well as the DNC which took place earlier in August. They discuss the upcoming presidential debate on September 10 and what Kamala Harris needs to do to win. They also briefly touch on how Democrats can gain a government trifecta in 2025.

Back in 2020, we had current congressional candidate (and recent pod guest) Lateefah Simon on the show to talk about President Biden’s historic announcement in choosing Kamala Harris as his VP as well as Kamala’s long record of being a champion for others.  -- From 2020: Few people know Kamala Harris like we in the Bay Area do. We discuss Joe Biden’s selection of the former San Francisco district attorney and Oakland native as his running mate. We also hear from one of Kamala’s long-time mentees—another Bay Area political star—Lateefah Simon, who was hired by Kamala 20 years ago despite not having a college degree at the time. Simon, an award-winning nonprofit leader and elected official who is currently president of the Akonadi Foundation where she runs one of the leading racial justice foundations in the country, talks about what it’s like when your mentor becomes the Democratic vice presidential candidate. She also shares how Kamala’s belief in the potential of and encouragement of young women like herself is just one example of her commitment to improving society and the lives of others. References: Lateefah Simon - @lateefahsimon Kamala Harris - @Kamala Harris  2009 Bart shooting - Oscar Grant Organizations Akonadi Foundation Website Bart Board Website MacArthur Fellows Program - Website Young Women’s Freedom Center Website Videos Joe Biden Introduces Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) As Running Mate Clip Kamala Harris on George Floyd Clip Kamala Harris on her mother Clip

Following Tuesday’s announcement from VP Kamala Harris that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would be joining the campaign as her running mate, Steve and Sharline get together for an “emergency” podcast episode to discuss their thoughts and reactions.

House Rep. Ruben Gallego joins the podcast to talk about his Senate campaign against Republican Kari Lake to replace former Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema and what a path to victory looks like in November. Recorded well before the most recent political developments, this race remains critical to holding the Senate and being able to govern and advance a progressive agenda in 2025.  He shares his journey to politics from working with veterans to fighting back against SB1070, aka the “show me your papers” law. He also discusses the impact of the attack on reproductive rights in Arizona and shares why focusing on Arizona’s issues instead of national conversations is the key to winning across the state. REFERENCES: Ruben Gallego - @RubenGallego GallegoforArizona.com

Lawyer and PolicyLink Founder-in-Residence Angela Glover Blackwell discusses her new podcast project, Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life, a six-part series that illustrates the potential of our democracy, using L.A. as an example of what is possible when people come together to create change.  She shares her journey from growing up in a segregated St. Louis, MO in the 1950s and 60s to her role as an organizer during the Black Power Movement to a lifelong commitment to social justice, policy work, and activism. She shares key concepts from her latest podcast including what it means to be a generous leader and a phrase she coined called the “curb cut effect.” Angela also offers advice on how to stay hopeful and engaged in a time when current events leave many feeling discouraged, and she makes a case for why voting isn’t just about ourselves but about the future generations of people to come after. REFERENCES: Angela Glover Blackwell PolicyLink Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life (Podcast)

Happy Pride! Emmy and Peabody award-winning journalist Imara Jones shares the origins of her multimedia company TransLash Media and the role of storytelling and narrative in preserving the humanity of trans people. She breaks down how and why the fight for trans rights has become the focus of American politics in recent years, and she discusses the role of journalists in covering trans issues. She also touches on how mainstream media misses the mark when it comes to understanding the moment we’re in. Imara also weighs in on the complexities of progress and victories in support of trans rights while anti-trans hate and violence continues to rise, and she explains how a trans agenda for liberation is fundamentally about creating a society that works for everyone. REFERENCES: Imara Jones - imarajones.com @imarajones TransLash Media - translash.org

In collaboration with the Bay Area Book Festival, we’re broadcasting the powerful conversation between Steve, Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell, and former co-executive director of the Highlander Center, Ash-lee Woodard Henderson about Steve’s book How We Win the Civil War.  Moderated by former podcast guest and congressional candidate Lateefah Simon, the panelists each discussed their commitment to building and establishing a multiracial democracy in this country and how their life experiences led them to that work.  They discuss what it means to be in solidarity with one another, the undeniable legacy and role of the South in America’s destiny, and the multifaceted ways in which we fight back against authoritarianism and white nationalism. Steve also reads a short excerpt from his book. REFERENCES: Bay Area Book Festival

Introducing our funniest guest yet: Solo performance artist, comedian, and actress Kristina Wong joins the podcast to talk about her path to theater (including her brief stint as an elected Koreatown, LA official), and how her creation of the “Auntie Sewing Squad” helped her and many others survive the pandemic. She discusses her play Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, a 2022 Pulitzer finalist in drama, and the importance of mental health awareness in the AAPI community. REFERENCES: Kristina Wong - kristinawong.com @mskristinawong

Arizona legend-in-the-making Raquel Téran talks about her bid for Congress and her decades-long work to help turn the state into a shining example of what progressive organizing (and winning) looks like. Raquel shares her journey to politics and the issues she plans to lift up in Congress. She also shares why she believes building coalitions and mobilizing voters are key to protecting democracy and how she recruited and mentored many of the key leaders who are driving change across the state. REFERENCES: Raquel Téran - RaquelTeran.com & @RaquelTeran

Care in Action’s Hillary Holley shares how the organization is mobilizing domestic workers, most of whom are women of color and immigrants, and pushing Democrats to embrace a Care Agenda in Congress. She shares insight on the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights which was introduced to Congress in 2021. She also shares her path to organizing and discusses her role in helping Stacey Abrams build Fair Fight Action, one of the crucial voter mobilization engines in Georgia that helped flip the state in 2020. REFERENCES: Hillary Holley - @HillaryHolley4 Care in Action - @CareInActionUS