Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

As the nation continues to protest anti-Black police violence, including the recent killing of Rayshard Brooks, we sit down with Sen. Elizabeth Warren for a special episode to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, the potential for reparations, and what white allies should do in this moment. “White progressives need to be active, anti-racist allies in this moment and beyond,” Warren says. “Being anti-racist means fighting for anti-racist public policy. Being race neutral just won't work.” Our wide-ranging conversation begins with Sen. Warren’s response to the police killing of George Floyd, the ongoing global and national protests and how Congress is responding. We also discuss the prevalence of racism in virtually every American institution. References: Senator Warren - @SenWarren Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The CFPB is committed to providing consumers with up-to-date information and resources to protect and manage their finances. https://www.consumerfinance.gov Author Ta-Nehisi Coates - https://ta-nehisicoates.com Press Releases: Warren to Introduce Legislation to Investigate and Hold Police Officers and Departments Accountable for Discriminatory Practices https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-to-introduce-legislation-to-investigate-and-hold-police-officers-and-departments-accountable-for-discriminatory-practices Booker Reparations Bill Reaches 12 Senate Cosponsors https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-reparations-bill-reaches-12-senate-cosponsors Elizabeth Warren and Ro Khanna Unveil Essential Workers Bill of Rights https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/elizabeth-warren-and-ro-khanna-unveil-essential-workers-bill-of-rights

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis police, an historic nationwide and global movement has emerged in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for the end of anti-black racism and police brutality, and defunding the police. Demonstrations have been held in all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 800 cities on six continents across the world. In this episode, we discuss how we’re processing all this through our respective cultural lenses and then we dive into how we, as a nation, got here and what should happen next to ensure that this moment brings about lasting meaningful change. In addition, we discuss what this moment means in terms of growing support for Black equality and what that means for this November's elections and beyond. References: James Baldwin Quote - To Be Black and Conscious in America https://quotefancy.com/quote/963966/James-Baldwin-To-be-black-and-conscious-in-America-is-to-be-in-a-constant-state-of-rage Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison - @AGEllison Jessica Byrd, Electoral Justice Project - @JessicaLBYRD Simone Jacques - a 17-year-old Mission District teen leads protest of thousands in San Francisco // video clip by Jay Jaspar Pugao https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=lUqXhM6rwgQ BBC news clip - Slave trader’s statue toppled in Bristol as thousands join antiracist protest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs36SAytfuE&feature=youtu.be CBS This Morning news clip - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on protesting and democracy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpHhQgZSJ9s Movie trailer // Ava DuVernay - 13th https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8 The New York Times // Michelle Alexander - America, This Is Your Chance https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/opinion/george-floyd-protests-race.html Robin DiAngelo - White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43708708-white-fragility Erica Armstrong Dunbar - Never Caught: The Washington's Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753748-never-caught Ibram X. Kendi - How to Be an Antiracist https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40265832-how-to-be-an-antiracist and Stamped From the Beginning https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25898216-stamped-from-the-beginning Dr. Monica Muñoz Martinez - The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38240526-the-injustice-never-leaves-you Andrea J. Ritchie - Invisible, No More Urgent Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32026054-invisible-no-more Doug J. Swanson - Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48812040-cult-of-glory

The enormity of this crisis has revealed the ugly underpinnings of our public assistance system — both in terms of how we think about people who are struggling financially and also about the systems designed to help those people. Unemployment figures in the U.S. are at their highest since the Great Depression—nearly 40 million people have filed for unemployment since the pandemic began. (That's greater than the combined population of 21 states, according to Forbes.) In this episode, we talk about why we have a system that is so adversarial to people in dire economic straits and how this crisis also presents an opportunity for rethinking and redesigning these systems for the coming era. Namely, what can we do from here on out to shape U.S policy and politics for decades to come in terms of how we treat and perceive the poor? We also talk about two recent law enforcement shootings of innocent men and one “Karen, Please” incident in the news that have further cemented the fact that to be African American in this country means to have your every move in your everyday life be regarded as a potential threat to white existence. REFERENCES: The New York Times front page // Sunday, May 24, 2020 - An Incalculable Loss https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/24/us/us-coronavirus-deaths-100000.html The Washington Post // Stephanie McCrummen - ‘This feels great’: A preview from Georgia about how America might reemerge from the coronavirus https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/17/coronavirus-reopening-shopping-mall-georgia/?arc404=true PBS Newshour clip - How missed rent payments spark a ‘cascade’ of financial hardship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvyazdooRgA PBS Newshour clip - The true story behind the ‘welfare queen’ stereotype https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr_8B1IzFFY The Nation // James Baldwin - Notes on the House of Bondage https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/notes-house-bondage/ Fox News clip - McConnell slams Dems for trying to ‘incentivize’ unemployment in new bill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8JHzE-sR3A The New York Times // Nikole Hannah Jones - 1619 Project https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html NPR // Barbara Sprunt - Biden And Sanders Announce Task Forces To Find Party Unity Over Policy https://www.npr.org/2020/05/13/855203151/biden-and-sanders-announce-task-forces-to-find-party-unity-over-policy