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
Tram Nguyen co-executive director of New Virginia Majority, returns to the show to help break down why Virginia remains at the forefront of what progressive change can look like and what can happen when we transform a state. She discusses how she decided on her vote to help elect the new head of the DNC and shares her experiences as an Asian American growing up in Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy. She also explains h...
The beginning—and the end—of the Trump era is here.
National Director Maurice Mitchell returns to the show for a three-peat to discuss how the Working Families Party (WFP) is approaching these next four years under Trump and why they’ve dubbed the next ten years as the “Working Families’ Decade.”
Maurice lays out a compelling vision for the future of American politics and explains why he and the WFP see an opportunity to fill the i...
Happy New Year!
To kick off 2025, Steve and Sharline look ahead to 2025 and dig into key areas of focus as we enter a new Trump administration.
They discuss three dominant yet fundamentally incorrect mainstream narratives about the 2024 election. In addition, they survey the current race for the next DNC chair, including the lack of diverse candidates. They also highlight the slate of key members of Congress we’ll be watching from...
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 ...
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 he...
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 leader...
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....
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.so...
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 ...
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 d...
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 o...
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.
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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 di...
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 w...
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 Po...
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 med...
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...
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