Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips
A color-conscious political podcast, hosted by Steve Phillips, that releases episodes every other Thursday. While grassroots organizations raised voters of color turnout to historic levels, securing Democratic victories in 2020 and 2021, there remain strong differences of opinion about the right strategy for winning in a racially-polarized electoral landscape. “Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips” offers candid and data-driven analysis on how progressives can win. Join Steve for a conversation that is unafraid and unapologetic about grappling with some of the toughest issues in politics today. Special guests have included: Stacey Abrams, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
Episodes
In our final episode of 2025, Representative Crockett joins us to talk about what kind of leadership this moment requires.
Recorded just days before she officially entered the race, she shares her journey as a civil rights lawyer turned legislator and the experiences that led her to run for Congress.
She highlights key issues Texans are facing and discusses what it’s going to take to win her Senate race in 2026.
REFERENCES:Happy Thanksgiving! Our team is taking a break this week, so we’re re-sharing one of our most popular episodes from last year featuring somatics coach Viveka Chen, now with a brand-new intro from our co-host Sharline Chang.
In This Episode: 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 i...
The 19th News’ childcare and economy reporter Chabeli Carrazana discusses the unique beat she’s formed and why reporting on the economy from a gender lens matters.
Chabeli explains how the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted women of color, and she discusses the challenges faced by immigrant childcare workers in the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdowns. She shares the undue burden LGBTQ+ mothers face when it comes to he...
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...
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 da...
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...
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 Ga...
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 u...
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 vote...
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 youn...
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 meetin...
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
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 ...
New York Times bestselling author and scholar Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs discusses her new book Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us and why she set out to write a book that makes plain one of the organizing principles and primary barriers to progress in the U.S.
Against the backdrop of what’s happening in L.A. right now, Anna’s book offers insight into whose values and ways of life Trump is fighting to protect. Anna div...
Director of Mission Telecom Giving Ashindi Maxton shares why she’s viewing this otherwise harrowing political climate as a moment of opportunity.
Ashindi discusses the role of philanthropy in social justice movements, including its strengths and limitations and how she’s helping to transform the sector into one that is more social justice oriented, innovative, and capable of stepping up to the challenge.
She offers a global perspe...
Way to Win Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Fernandez Ancona shares the organization’s research findings about where Democrats went wrong in 2024 and what it’s going to take to win in 2026 and beyond.
She explains what the data really shows about last year’s election and how her organization’s qualitative focus groups reveal a fundamental error in Democrats’ understanding of where the party goes from here.
Jen shares w...
Michigan’s first Black lieutenant governor Garlin Gilchrist discusses his race for governor in 2026 and lessons learned as the state’s second-in-command in the middle of the extraordinary crisis that was the COVID-19 pandemic.
He shares his wins in office, including advancing criminal justice reform and expanding broadband access, as well as what he believes went wrong in the 2024 election. Gilchrist also shares why his unique bac...
Thea Lee, economist and former deputy undersecretary for international labor affairs at the Department of Labor, provides insight to Trump’s economic madness and the global chaos unleashed.
Thea offers us a 101 on tariffs and their role in economic policy. She explains why Trump’s trade policy lacks credibility in its purported goal of supporting workers and manufacturers. She also lays out the consequences of tariffs, from hurtin...
House Representative and Chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Greg Casar (TX) breaks down the evolving role of the CPC in this current Trump era and shares what the Democratic Party needs to do to regain trust and power among voters.
He discusses the future of the party and emphasizes the need to build a multiracial working-class coalition that is not afraid to pick big fights.
REFERENCES:Aria Florant, co-founder and CEO of Liberation Ventures (LV), joins the podcast to share how her organization is driving the movement for reparations forward, even in the face of the current administration’s full-scale assault against equity and justice.
She breaks down the four pillars of a comprehensive reparations program and shares LV’s bold mission to make reparations “common sense and commonplace” in America.
Aria also high...
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