Democracy In Color

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

March Madness may be over but we’re gearing up for a…Narrow November with our very own set of 16 congressional districts that have the potential to flip the balance of power in the House of Representatives.  Data expert Dr. Julie Martínez Ortega joins Steve and Sharline to discuss the updated New Majority Index (NMI) and which districts they’ll be watching closely ahead of November elections.  References: New Majority Index Top 16 Most Flippable House Seats for Democrats in 2024

Lateefah Simon—Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) board member, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and Congressional candidate—shares her path to politics, including her work with Vice President Kamala Harris during Harris’ time as San Francisco Attorney General.  Lateefah shares why she decided to run for office and offers insight on how grief has been a catalyst for her political work and activism. She also courageously expresses her thoughts on the war in Gaza and says what few are willing to say.  References: Lateefah Simon - @lateefahsimon Campaign Website

Sarah Alvarez, founder of Outlier Media, a Detroit-based service journalism organization, shares what she’s hearing on the ground in Michigan following the protest  “uncommitted” vote by more than 100,000 people during the state’s recent Democratic presidential primary.  She shares what role today’s journalists must play in filling information gaps at the local level, and why nonprofit news organizations like the one she’s built are needed today.  Sarah, Steve, and Sharline discuss Michigan’s historical significance in the larger scheme of national politics. Sarah draws parallels between the ways politics and journalism-as-usual are failing those who need the most support and deserve the most attention. REFERENCES: Outlier Media - outliermedia.org

Steve and Sharline celebrate the release of the paperback edition of How We Win the Civil War, which comes out Tuesday, March 12. They discuss how the political landscape has changed since the first edition launched in 2022 and why How We Win is more pertinent now than ever.  They also discuss the book’s reception since its first release and the exciting partnerships that have developed with groups and organizations who resonate with How We Win’s message.  Steve shares his hope and vision for this new edition and the parts of the book that have become his favorite. REFERENCES: Buy the second edition of How We Win the Civil War!  Podcast episode: "White People and the Fight for Racial Justice with SURJ's Erin Heaney"

Award-winning journalist and editor-at-large at The 19th News Errin Haines joins us to talk about her game-changing work at the digital news startup centered on gender, politics, and policy. She also talks about Breaking the News—a documentary that chronicles the origins of The 19th—which debuted on PBS this week. Errin shares some of the publication’s history-making moments, including her early coverage of the Breonna Taylor killing that brought a gender perspective to the conversation of racism and police brutality. Errin also shared insight into how The 19th nailed the first sit-down interview with Kamala Harris after she made history as the first African American (and Asian American) vice presidential candidate.  Errin also dives into the current election cycle; The 19th’s new fellowship (a partnership with The 1619 Project’s Nikole Hannah Jones); and The 19th’s newest product—“The Amendment” podcast, which Errin hosts. References: Errin Haines - @errinhaines The 19th News “The Amendment” Podcast

Solano Community College’s Vice President of Student Affairs Lisa Neeley discusses her work at Solano and the California college’s commitment to Black students and other students of color in the face of increasing backlash against DEI efforts.  Neeley talks about Solano’s programs and processes to ensure equity and inclusion such as the Black Falcons Success Program and her hopes for other higher education programs around the country. REFERENCES: Lisa Neeley - @Lisamarieneeley

Back for a third episode, former mayor of Stockton, California and friend of our show Michael Tubbs returns to update Steve and Sharline on his inspiring and rapidly growing effort to end poverty in America and to help bring Dr. King’s vision for a just and equitable society to fruition. Michael talks about his award-winning 2023 documentary “It’s Basic”, which follows several universal basic income (UBI) pilot programs around the country and the successes and challenges they’ve faced along the way. He also describes the growing popularity of UBI in political and pop culture circles, including on the award-winning television sitcom Abbott Elementary.   The founder of End Poverty in California (EPIC) and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI), Michael also weighs on this week’s New Hampshire presidential primary results.   REFERENCES: Michael D Tubbs March 17, 2022 - "Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips" - Michael Tubbs is the Anti-Poverty Czar  July 23, 2020 - " Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips" - Pass

In the first of what will be several episodes throughout this year focused on the 2024 election cycle, Steve and Sharline frame up the Republican presidential primary calendar and what they’ll be watching as results roll in. The New York Times’ Astead Herndon also phones in from Iowa where he’s preparing to cover the Republican Iowa Caucus and discusses the current state of the race, his analysis on the unwavering support of Trump’s base, and what to expect from a potential second Trump presidency. He also shares his thoughts on Nikki Haley’s appeal with conservatives and the evolving role of race and ethnicity in both parties.  REFERENCES: Astead W. Herndon - @AsteadWH // NY Times

2023 has come and gone! If you missed any of our episodes this year, this is the one to tune into as Steve, Sharline, and Fola share highlights from some of their favorite episodes this year. The team also shares what’s on their minds and in their hearts as they look to 2024.  See you in the new year! REFERENCES: Episodes mentioned The 1619 Project’s Shoshana Guy Is On the Record Heather Booth: When We Organize, We Can Change the World Not Your Grandparents’ Greenpeace with ED Ebony Twilley Martin George Floyd’s America with Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa Newbery Medal Author Amina Luqman-Dawson on Freewater Steve to the Class of 2023: Rise and Take Control 40 Years of the Rainbow Coalition White People and the Fight for Racial Justice with SURJ’s Erin Heaney Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s Beth Broderick on the Power of Storytelling “Latinos = the X Factor” with EquisLabs’ Stephanie Valencia  

Are you curious about what a truly powerful (and progressive) alternative political party could look like in the U.S? National Director of the Working Families Party Maurice Mitchell returns to talk about what it means to create a multiracial and multicultural progressive, working-class party and what that looks like strategically within a two-party system. He discusses WFP’s 25-year history, the inspiring slate of elected officials they’ve championed, and the party’s first national convention in Philadelphia back in October. Maurice shares his take on the connections between the movements of today and the Civil Rights Movement of 1965 and how he’s thinking about the upcoming election year. He also shares how he stays connected to his love of music and the artist within. REFERENCES: Maurice Mitchell - @MauriceWFP Working Families Party - @workingfamilies workingfamilies.org

Washington Post opinion editor Alexi McCammond dives into the changing digital news landscape and the role of traditional, legacy news media in reaching newer, more diverse (and often, more progressive) audiences. She sheds light on the disconnect she’s seeing between older left-leaning politicians and young people, and her expectations from a coalition of young voters and people of color as the 2024 election cycle draws closer. REFERENCES: Alexi McCammond - @alexi Steve Phillips // The Washington Post - California Senate race will prove whether Democrats care about diversity Transcript (unedited)

Former Obama staffer and founder of EquisLabs Stephanie Valencia discusses her path to politics and why Latino voters are the “X factor” in today’s political landscape. She explains how political strategists should think about the expansive and diverse Latino electorate, and what progressives are getting right and wrong about engaging with Latino voters.  She also explains the creation of the Latino Media Network and the targeted effort to reach Latinos where they are, including via radio and WhatsApp. REFERENCES: Stephanie Valencia - @stephanievalenc EquisLab / @EquisLab / @EquisResearch Transcript (unedited)

Spooky season is upon us! Actress and activist Beth Broderick, best known for her role as Aunt Zelda in the 1996 hit TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch, joins Steve and Sharline to talk about the ongoing actors’ strike, the power of narrative, and her life’s journey at the intersection of politics and entertainment. Beth discusses her decades-long involvement in progressive and social causes, the legacy of “Sabrina” and shares her thoughts on the future of Hollywood. REFERENCES: Beth Broderick - @BethBroderick Beth Broderick: Wit and Wisdom from a Woman of a Certain Age - Substack Beth Broderick // The Huffington Post - Cavemen and Cashmere

Steve takes the hot seat as a guest on his own show in this penultimate episode of our special podcast series! Steve and Sharline discuss his forthcoming book How We Win the Civil War and how the concept developed over the last few years.  Sharline shares how she and Steve came to be a book publishing power team, and Steve discusses the formative experiences that have shaped his work and his path to writing (Jesse Jackson quotes, included).  CW: Adult Language REFERENCES: Steve Phillips - @StevePtweets Steve Phillips // New Press - How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good Isabel Wilkerson // Random House - Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents The New York Amsterdam News

Rhiana Gunn-Wright, a key architect of the Green New Deal and one of our nation’s leading figures in the fight for climate justice, joins the podcast to talk about what a green transition can and should look like in the U.S.    Rhiana shares her path to the climate movement and how the Inflation Reduction Act leaves Black people behind. She also breaks down the importance of policy-making in the greater environmental justice movement.   REFERENCES: Rhiana Gunn-Wright - @rgunns Rhiana Gunn-Wright // Hammer & Hope - Our Green Transition May Leave Black People Behind   

School is back in session!  Our in-house data expert, Dr. Julie Martinez Ortega, joins Steve and Sharline for a data deep dive into the electoral landscapes of Kentucky and Mississippi, two states in the heartland of America with unique opportunities for Democrats to lean in and win this November. We also touch on Virginia for a quick discussion about the state legislature races also happening this fall. We wrap with an update on the current slate of Republican presidential candidates, and Steve shares who he thinks poses the biggest threat to Democrats if he or she were to win the Republican presidential primary.